Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 260 - 254: Smashing the Post-Heaven Treasures [Seeking Subscriptions Seeking Monthly Tickets]_1
Fake Tathagata was immediately enraged. Sha Chen’s words had provoked him, and the complete disregard for him evident between the lines made him very unpleasant. He shouted angrily, "Sha Chen, I am the Tathagata Buddha, the sole exalted one above and beneath the heavens. How dare you speak to me like this?"
His eight hundred fake Arhats behind him also stepped forward, their aura overwhelming. It was truly a terrifying sight, one that inspired fear and horror.
Sha Chen said indifferently, "You are not the real Tathagata Buddha at all, but just a weasel. Impersonating the Tathagata Buddha is a grave sin. You better worry about yourself first."
The fake Tathagata was taken aback, his face slightly changing, and he yelled, "I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about. Do you dare say that I am fake?"
Sha Chen replied, "Stop pretending. I’ve called out your true form. You’re nothing but a weasel, and merely a bell-striking boy for Maitreya Buddha. Even your master, Maitreya Buddha, would not have the gall to impersonate the Buddha."
The Huangmei Monster was shocked, his face dramatically changing. Sha Chen actually knew his origins; he not only saw through his true form but also his background.
Inconceivable.
Such terror.
How could this be possible?
Startled, the Huangmei Monster then stopped pretending and transformed in the wind into a grim and ugly old man with a bald head, three zhang and three chi tall, with long yellow eyebrows, dressed in a yellow monk’s robe, holding a gilded mallet.
He shouted, "I didn’t expect that you, a mere deity, would recognize my true form. Impressive indeed."
"However, even if you expose everything today, I will still capture you." As he was about to make his move, Sha Chen asked, "Are you representing Buddhism, or are you coming at me personally? To punish without teaching, are you sure you want to do this?"
The Huangmei Monster’s face changed slightly as he humphed, "Of course, I am acting on my own behalf. Why would I need to explain my reasons to capture you?"
But Sha Chen laughed, "You don’t have to explain it to me, but you need to explain to all the immortals and Buddhas why you decided to impersonate the Tathagata Buddha, don’t you!?"
He pointed to the sky behind him where the clouds seemed ordinary, but in fact, Sha Chen knew that many deities were hidden there.
Those deities were not specifically there to monitor him, but they were dispatched by the Heavenly Court and often patrolled this boundary. They were the roaming Gods of heaven, and some were from the Heavenly Court Xuantan Department, occasionally lying in wait, checking if the Black Bear Demon and Spider Demon they were after might come to this area.
Recently, as nothing had been found, they had grown tired of searching. Just when the Tathagata Buddha came with eight hundred Arhats, they were too frightened to show themselves and dared not appear. But to their surprise, the Buddha turned out to be a fake.
And their movements had been detected by Sha Chen. One by one, they appeared from the dark but kept their distance, hiding even further away.
Sha Chen was notorious; once, surrounded by a million heavenly soldiers and generals, he remained unscathed and even left Li Jing muddled, resulting in his being distanced by the Jade Emperor. Such capabilities frightened them.
If not necessary, they would prefer not to patrol near this area. Usually, they let some Mountain Gods and Earth Gods report on the findings while they stayed at a distance. Now, they were attracted here by the fake Tathagata.
Apart from these deities, there were also many Buddhists from afar, whose complexions turned grim upon witnessing the scene here.
These Buddhists were not from the Buddhist order of Lingjiu Mountain in the Western Heavens but were monks who practiced Buddhism in the mortal world, such as Elder Jin Chi of Guanyin Zen Temple. They all felt the immense and boundless Buddhist Law here and thought a great Buddhist sage had arrived, so they came to pay their respects.
But due to the dangers of the Flowing Sand River and Sha Chen’s frightening reputation, they didn’t dare to approach for a moment. Unexpectedly, this Tathagata Buddha turned out to be fake and was actually a transformed weasel, leaving them feeling as uncomfortable as if they had eaten excrement.
The weasel snorted coldly and said, "I am Buddha Huangmei, and even if I am not Tathagata Buddha, I am still a Buddha. I hold a place in Buddhism and do not need to explain to them."
"Stop your sophistry and struggle; just let me capture you quietly. Otherwise, I will deal severely with your flesh and skin."
Hearing this, the immortals and Buddhas nodded in agreement. It seemed to make sense.
Even if the Huangmei Monster was truly a weasel, he was an old Buddha in Buddhism. Even the lowest Buddha is still a Buddha, with Buddha light shining all around—a great virtue in Buddhism. This was unquestionable. Most importantly, he was a confidant of Maitreya Buddha, respected in status, with boundless mana.
Elder Jin Chi and others put aside their disdain, their eyes filled with anticipation and even fanaticism. If they could curry favor with Buddha Huangmei, their lives would be on the fast track to success. But with Sha Chen nearby, they did not dare to approach.
They just hoped that Buddha Huangmei could suppress Sha Chen’s arrogance and show him that Buddhism cannot be humiliated.
Many from the Buddhist order also knew that Buddha Huangmei was extremely powerful and had likely reached the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal since he had already become a Buddha. And with eight hundred Arhats, their power must be extraordinary. All together, Sha Chen would certainly be no match.
They all felt in secret that Sha Chen would probably suffer this time.
The Gods from above also felt that Sha Chen was likely to be subdued by Buddha Huangmei this time. After all, every time Sha Chen encountered someone from Buddhism, he was very low-key and fearful, either playing the tortoise with its head pulled in or pulling its head into its shell. He simply wouldn’t dare clash with anyone from Buddhism.
As for the matter of Bodhisattva Manjushri being wounded by Sha Chen’s arrow, they all selectively forgot or felt that it was not really Sha Chen’s doing; it was the advantage of magical tools that had been used.
Such a valuable treasure, Sha Chen being able to shoot once was already considerable; there definitely wasn’t a second arrow. It went without saying that Buddha Huangmei’s subduing Sha Chen was to be expected.
Moreover, the vast majority of ordinary immortals and Buddhas believed that since Buddha Huangmei was known as a Buddha, his strength must be above that of Bodhisattva Manjushri. Sha Chen might have defeated Bodhisattva Manjushri but not necessarily overcome Buddha Huangmei.
Buddha Huangmei himself thought so too, although he was aware that compared to Manjushri, he still fell far short. However, the assumption was that Sha Chen’s Shooting Sun Divine Arrow must be gone, otherwise, why wouldn’t he dare to show his true form? Also, if Sha Chen still had a Shooting Sun Divine Arrow last time, why didn’t he continue to shoot Manjushri to death and wound Samantabhadra as well? This suggested that Sha Chen was out of arrows.
He naturally came striding in confidently to capture Sha Chen, which seemed only reasonable.
Buddha Huangmei had secretly taken hold of the Gold Cymbals—the magical tool that later trapped one of Sun Wukong’s feet, nearly crippling him—which was his trump card. Once Sha Chen’s true form appeared, he would immediately deploy his magical tool to trap Sha Chen with no escape.
Then, he planned to shatter Sha Chen’s head with the gilded mallet and pack him up in a man-capturing bag to present to Maitreya Buddha. That way, it would be perfect.
Buddha Huangmei felt that everything should go exactly as he had calculated with no deviations allowed. Because his strength wouldn’t allow it.
Buddha Huangmei, looking at Sha Chen, scoffed and said, "I never need to explain my actions to anyone. You come out obediently now in your true form, or I might grant you a chance to atone for your crimes. Otherwise, once I start attacking, you’ll have no chance to beg for mercy."
Sha Chen retorted, "So, you intend to execute without teaching first."
Buddha Huangmei barked, "Must I explain myself before I seize you? Do you need a reason? You previously slew four of my Buddhist Arhats and injured Bodhisattva Manjushri, who has yet to fully recover. Isn’t that reason enough?"
Sha Chen chuckled, "So-called karma goes full circle; retribution is certain. They all attacked me first, even trying to kill me. Isn’t it only natural that they got killed or injured by me?"
"They don’t come to trouble me; however, you, a mere weasel, are certainly making a scene."
Buddha Huangmei felt insulted and yelled furiously, "Sha Chen, you are truly detestable, daring to look down on me. Fine, I’ll show you my strength."
In his great anger, he was ready to launch a fierce assault.
The many watching immortals and Buddhas exchanged glances, their faces filled with horror, and hastily retreated, not daring to come closer. The aura of a Daluo Golden Immortal radiated from Buddha Huangmei; he was indeed worthy of the name, with formidable power befitting a senior Buddha. With such an enraged attack from him, enhanced by a magical tool, Sha Chen was likely doomed.
Far away in the Bright Palace, where Maitreya Buddha was discussing Buddhism and drinking tea with the Jade Emperor, they too were watching the battle.
Maitreya Buddha was smiling slightly, looking utterly calm and composed. The Jade Emperor’s expression, however, was inscrutable, leaving one to wonder what he was thinking.
Maitreya Buddha said, "Your Majesty, do you perhaps have little confidence in my disciple? Although he is a weasel that has attained Dao, he is now a Daluo Golden Immortal, and with my magical tool, even if he cannot fully seize Sha Chen, he will definitely cause him some hardship."
The Jade Emperor smiled, flanked by Wang Lingguan and Li Changgeng. He replied, "We certainly trust in the abilities of those chosen by the respectable Buddha."
Though he said so, his words and expression indicated that he did not think highly of Buddha Huangmei. Maitreya Buddha noticed this and was displeased.
The Jade Emperor was undermining his people, which was tantamount to an affront to him. However, Maitreya Buddha was planning to join forces with the Jade Emperor. By gaining the Jade Emperor’s support, he would have greater authority within Buddhism. Therefore, he wouldn’t let such a trifle cause a rift between them.
He simply smiled and said, "Your Majesty must still lack trust in my disciple. Let’s just wait and see. Perhaps it won’t take a hundred moves before my disciple captures Sha Chen."
The Jade Emperor smiled noncommittally.
Wang Lingguan and Li Changgeng, too, smiled without saying a word. They had encountered Sha Chen numerous times and were acutely aware of his strength. For Buddha Huangmei to think he could defeat Sha Chen within a hundred moves was impossible.
They even doubted that Buddha Huangmei could truly engage with Sha Chen, who might not even respond to his moves. Should there be a face-to-face confrontation, they felt that even if Buddha Huangmei were powerful, the best he could hope for was a draw against Sha Chen.
After all, it was said that Sha Chen had stepped into the Middle Level of Da Luo Golden Immortal, and for Buddha Huangmei to fight to a draw with the help of a magical tool, would already be quite impressive.
The onlookers continued to watch. Yet what they saw was Huangmei Monster, with brazen audacity, leading his eight hundred Arhats in a strong attack on the Flowing Sand River.
His gilded mallet smashed down, earth-shattering and horrifying to witness. The attack, heavy and powerful, seemed as if it could smash the gate of the Flowing Sand River. However, there was no need to smash it.
The gate of the Flowing Sand River swung open, and an enormous hand that blocked out the sky stretched out, as if a great hand of the heavens reached out from the Ghost Gate Closed. On the hand lingered an ancient aura, so powerful that fantastical images of insects, fish, birds, and beasts adorned it, its muscles and sinews as distinct as though real dragons and phoenixes clung to its skeleton.
The colossal handprint directly flattened the gilded mallet to scrap, crushing seventeen or eighteen great mountains and dampening its previously fierce glow. Afterwards, the hand continued to sweep forth, turning the eight hundred Arhats into a fine powder of flesh and blood. Their demonic energy skyrocketed, revealing them all to be transformed demons. Then it reached out, seizing the escaping Buddha Huangmei and wrestling him into its grasp.
