Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 652 - 646: Guanyin Driven Mad [Subscription and Monthly Ticket Wanted]_1

As for him, since the day he left Flowing Sand River, he began his seclusion and had already made a breakthrough.

With the help of two Saints, infused with the entirety of Buddhism's fate, he had reached the Sub-saint Realm.

Otherwise, today even Ran Deng Buddha would not be so easy to speak with, and was exceedingly respectful, addressing him as Buddha.

Therefore, after the breakthrough in strength, he planned to personally make a trip to Flowing Sand River for one final effort.

If he could persuade Sha Chen to leave the Flowing Sand River, that would be for the best; if not, then he would see to what extent Sha Chen had progressed.

In fact, he didn't think highly of Sha Chen's strength.

Although Sha Chen had once stopped him, it was by exhausting all his energy, and by relying on the defenses of the Flowing Sand River Cave.

In the end, it was only with the help of the Nine-winged mosquito that he was forced to retreat. Otherwise, he was confident that with another three months of assault, he could have stepped into the Flowing Sand River Cave.

Now that his strength had broken through, even if Sha Chen had made great progress, he would probably at most reach High-rank Quasi-Saint, or at Quasi-Sage Peak at best.

He even felt that Sha Chen's most likely realm was that of a High-rank Quasi-Saint.

The reason why Sha Chen had been able to kill Maitreya, the Honorable Buddha, as well as Xianglong Arhat, was because Sha Chen was almost invincible within his realm.

With mastery over powerful Divine Powers and numerous Magical Tools, there weren't many within the same realm who could stand against him.

Relying on the defenses of the cave, unleashing his power in counterattacks, it was possible for him to occasionally kill someone like Maitreya, the Honorable Buddha.

Ran Deng Buddha wanted to accompany Tathagata Buddha to Flowing Sand River. He too wished to witness the current extent of Sha Chen's strength.

Tathagata Buddha did not stop him; he actually knew that the Ancient Buddha might be more eager to see the extent of his own current strength.

Perhaps only by witnessing his strength with their own eyes would they truly be convinced.

The two then set off together for Flowing Sand River, while Guanyin Bodhisattva led Kassapa and Ananda, two Honorable Buddhas, to Five Finger Mountain.

「Five Finger Mountain.」

The speed of Guanyin and her companions was incredibly fast. Upon reaching Five Finger Mountain, they directly stated their purpose.

Guanyin said, "Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, why do you hesitate to embark on the Journey to the West?"

Tang Sanzang had already prepared his reasons, but none of them expected that the ones who would come would be The Goddess of Mercy, accompanied by Kassapa and Ananda.

Thus he said, "We are discussing what kind of trials lie on the road to the West."

Guanyin said, "If you want to know what trials there are, you have to experience them yourself. How can you know what lies ahead if you refuse to leave Five Finger Mountain?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Bodhisattva, your words are wise. But I am but a mere mortal, and I feel that releasing this monkey from Five Finger Mountain is too dangerous, so I have been hesitant about letting him out."

Guanyin said, "He is a disciple arranged by our Buddhism to accompany you on the Journey to the West. Release him, and he will escort you to Lingjiu Mountain in the West with all his heart."

Tang Sanzang looked at Sun Wukong and asked, "Will you truly escort me on the Journey to the West?"

Sun Wukong said, "That's not certain. If you want to know whether I can escort you, you'll know once you let me out."

The brows of Guanyin, Kassapa, and Ananda furrowed. Kassapa pulled Tang Sanzang aside, while Guanyin spoke in a low voice with Sun Wukong.

"Sun Wukong, what are you trying to do?"

"Wasn't everything agreed upon before? Once Tang Sanzang releases you from Five Finger Mountain, you were to ensure his safe passage to the West. Why are you backing out now?"

Sun Wukong said, "Bodhisattva, it's truly a misunderstanding. It's this monk who doesn't trust me. I sincerely want to ensure his safety, but if he does not believe that, what can I do?"

Guanyin said, "If you truly have a sincere desire to protect him, then why don't you make it clear to him? Why let him doubt your intentions?"

Sun Wukong replied, "Perhaps it's because I am so ugly that I frightened him. But if he doesn't trust me, there's nothing I can do about it."

Afterwards, he simply continued to lie there, even whistling to himself.

Guanyin and Ananda exchanged a glance, but in the end, it was Ananda who spoke up, "Great Saint, you have been suppressed under Five Finger Mountain for 500 years. Don't you wish to be free one day?"

"This is the best opportunity you have. If you miss it, it's very likely that you'll be suppressed for the rest of your life. Having already made a mistake by causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, do you really want to err again?"

Sun Wukong gave him a glance that immediately sent a tremor through Ananda's heart and made his scalp tingle.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, too, felt as if needles were on her back, her heart filled with dread.

Just that one look from him made both of them feel as if they were plummeting into an abyss, unable to contend with him.

Meanwhile, Guanyin Bodhisattva felt relieved that Tathagata Buddha had sent two Honorable Buddhas with her, for had she come alone, Sun Wukong might have truly bullied her to death.

However, for some reason, Guanyin Bodhisattva still did not feel completely secure even with the two Honorable Buddhas by her side.

She could not fathom when Sun Wukong had become so powerful.

Tathagata Buddha had told her that Sun Wukong was capable of cultivation and that his strength had reached profound and unfathomable levels, far from the simplicity it appeared on the surface.

Guanyin Bodhisattva had not believed it at first, but now, just a glance from him was enough for her to understand.

Seeing the unease of the two, Sun Wukong burst into laughter, "Don't be afraid. I won't eat you."

"You're right, I do want to get out, but if the Monk doesn't trust me, what can I do?"

"Hurry up and think of something to set me free. If you keep suppressing me, I'll go mad."

Guanyin Bodhisattva was half-convinced and found Tang Sanzang again, repeatedly assuring him that The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, was there to protect him on his Journey to the West.

But Tang Sanzang remained skeptical, feeling that Sun Wukong was too ugly and recalling that he had threatened him before, vowing to eat him if set free.

Thus, he resisted vehemently, preferring death over releasing Sun Wukong.

Tang Sanzang then said, "If you want to set him free, do it yourselves. Moreover, with you here, he will be more obedient once released. Otherwise, how could a mere mortal like me subdue this monkey head?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was seriously vexed, advising, "Only if you release him yourself will he be fully grateful to you and regard you as his master."

"If we are the ones to set him free, the significance will become different. It was Tathagata Buddha who personally suppressed him under Five Finger Mountain. Now, if we act on behalf of Tathagata Buddha to release him, should he be grateful to us or to you?"

Tang Sanzang nodded, "You make sense. It's like you became the bandits, did the evil deed, and then allowed me to release him and play the hero."

The faces of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Kassapa, and Ananda turned sour, feeling that there was an underlying insult in Tang Sanzang's words, as if he was mocking them.

But without evidence to the contrary, they could only maintain the dignity of Bodhisattvas and Honorable Buddhas, sharply reproaching Tang Sanzang to act swiftly.

However, Tang Sanzang was unyielding, "Prove to me that this monkey head won't harm me, and only then will I set him free."

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "How can we prove it to you?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Let me stay here for a total of forty-nine days, seven times seven, to reason with him. If I'm unharmed during this time, then I'll set him free."

Guanyin Bodhisattva and the others felt this was reasonable, and after all, forty-nine days were not too long to wait.

But as the end of the forty-nine days approached, Sun Wukong began losing his temper, giving Tang Sanzang excuses and reasons to restart the countdown.