Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything-Chapter 453: True Sun Fire

Western Spirit Mountain, Great Thunder Monastery.

Buddhist Light was dazzling, the sound of Zen's wonderful truth was unceasing to the ears, exhibiting a strong and masculine aura of harmony.

Yet, upon closer discernment, the chant of this wonderful truth seemed to carry a heavier note than usual.

Tathagata sat quietly on his Lotus Platform, head bowed and eyes downcast, as if in a light slumber. Below him, the various Bodhisattvas and Buddhas also bore solemn expressions, and no one spoke. The atmosphere was exceedingly oppressive.

"Buddha!"

However, beneath this silence, suddenly, someone could not hold back anymore and spoke out, "Although the Demon Master Kunpeng is indeed a great power existing since ancient times, it is no longer the era of the Demon Clan. The Heavenly Dao has decreed the grand rise of our Buddhist Sect. Why should we fear him? If Xuanzang and his companions are obstructed, not to mention the serious impact on the Journey to the West, even taking a detour would be a tremendous blow to the prestige of our Buddhist Sect!"

"So what are you suggesting?" Hearing this Buddha's words, Tathagata's eyebrows slightly raised as he looked towards the speaker with a calm demeanor.

"Therefore, it would be better if our Buddhist Sect took action. No matter how formidable Kunpeng is, he is just one person after all!" The Buddha looked straight at Tathagata as he spoke.

"Amitabha, this matter must not be pursued!"

However, as this Buddha finished speaking, Bodhisattva Guanyin next to him began to speak, shaking her head, "Kunpeng, known as the Demon Master, holds a status and prestige within the Demon Clan that few can match. If we were to take forceful action openly, it might inevitably provoke a counterattack from the Demon Clan!"

The words of Bodhisattva Guanyin made many people nod in agreement, silently acknowledging her point.

Although the Demon Clan's influence had declined since the witch-demon war, the Demon Clan was still an indomitable race, and the prestige of the Demon Master Kunpeng was exceedingly high.

Not to mention Kunpeng's personal strength, which was second only to the Saints, his status alone was enough to deter rash actions.

"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin speaks wisely!" Following Guanyin's words, Tathagata also nodded slightly, then looked at Guanyin and asked, "May I know if the Great Bodhisattva has any suggestions?"

"I think that since the great calamity of ancient times, Demon Master Kunpeng has concealed his form. Why has he suddenly appeared now? Moreover, he has even lowered his status to give trouble to Xuanzang's party. This surely cannot be just a coincidence! Rather than focusing on how to deal with Kunpeng, shouldn't we first clarify his intentions?" Guanyin said thoughtfully after a moment.

These words made many others silently nod their heads in agreement as well.

Indeed, who is the Demon Master Kunpeng? He was a listener in the Zixiao Palace during ancient times and could be considered one of the highest ranks among all beings between heaven and earth.

Suddenly appearing today, yet he actively causes trouble for the Scripture-seeking team? Isn't that degrading himself?

Moreover, importantly, since the great calamity of ancient times, Demon Master Kunpeng seemed to have disappeared. Why has he suddenly appeared now? What is his purpose?

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Compared to how we should handle him, isn't it more critical to first understand these reasons?

...

Jiang Liu naturally didn't know what was happening at Western Spirit Mountain, and although he did not know specifically, he could still guess generally.

However, with Flame Mountain blocking the way, Jiang Liu was not in a rush. Instead, he took out the Exquisite Immortal Mansion and settled down next to Flame Mountain for the time being.

Although Master Zhenyuan and Kunpeng had an agreement, it was impossible for the Buddhist Sect to truly stand by idly during such events. At this time, the leaders of the Buddhist Sect were the anxious ones. What was there for him to rush about?

Taking advantage of the time he still had, it was better to sit down and attempt a few more instances, which was the main focus.

So, although Jiang Liu was counting on completing this Divine Level Quest, he was not in a hurry. He stayed inside the Exquisite Immortal Mansion, teaming up with White Dragon Horse for instances. With White Dragon Horse and himself as a team, and with the Golden Haze Crown that could summon three thousand Fire Dragon Soldiers for his use, running instances with Jiang Liu was almost a breeze, very convenient and efficient.

Next to Flame Mountain, this stay lasted three days.

During these three idle days, running various instances and practicing Life Profession Skills, the days passed quite swiftly.

Moreover, most importantly, after such long training, Jiang Liu could feel that his proficiency in Life Profession Skills had significantly improved.

It seemed that his promotion in Life Profession Level wasn't far away.

The improvement in Life Profession Proficiency delighted Jiang Liu's heart. If his profession were to be advanced, he could then forge and repair Legendary Level Equipment.

Now, his primary equipment was of Legendary Level. Once his Life Profession advanced, wouldn't he be able to nicely forge and repair his own gear?

"Xuanzang…"

That night, after Jiang Liu finished training in his Life Profession and was about to meditate and cultivate the Green Lotus Taoist Scripture, he suddenly felt as if he were caught between a state of half-awake and half-asleep. At the same time, a grand voice resounded in Jiang Liu's mind.

It seemed dreamlike and surreal, half asleep and half awake, Jiang Liu could see a great Buddha with an eighteen-foot golden body appearing before him.

"I have seen the Buddha before!" It was not his first time seeing Tathagata; looking at the great Buddha before him, Jiang Liu brought his palms together, slightly bowed, and paid his respects.

"Xuanzang, I am already aware of what is happening here at Flame Mountain!" Tathagata, from his superior vantage, looked down upon Jiang Liu and spoke.

"Buddha, Flame Mountain is blocking the path, and even Immortal Zhenyuan couldn't defeat the opponent. The mysterious person is terrifyingly strong. Should I circumvent Flame Mountain?" Jiang Liu asked Tathagata.

"No need! The quest to retrieve the scriptures in the West demands the courage to face difficulties head-on. When there are obstacles, naturally, you should think of ways to overcome them. That is the correct principle. How can you simply detour when you face difficulties?" Tathagata slightly shook his head as he responded to Jiang Liu's inquiry.

"What the Buddha says is wise!" Hearing this, Jiang Liu nodded, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Buddha, I wonder if your divine presence here is because Bodhisattva Guanyin has informed you?"

"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin? Informed me of what?" Tathagata, still looking down at Jiang Liu, asked.

"Buddha, did you not bring the scriptures with you today? Actually, if you could impart the scriptures to me now, I could just return and wouldn't need to be troubled by Flame Mountain blocking the way. Wouldn't that solve both issues?" Jiang Liu asked, looking at Tathagata.

Tathagata: "..."

Looking down at Jiang Liu from above, Tathagata felt very strange in his heart.

Master Golden Cicada had been able to speak well due to being the Metamorphosis of the Golden Cicada, yet after ten reincarnations, he seemed to have changed quite a bit.

"Amitabha, this scripture-seeking journey to the West is predestined, and the hardships along the way must also be endured. I have already met the master of Flame Mountain, and he will no longer take action against you. However, the True Sun Fire within Flame Mountain will need to be extinguished by yourselves!" With the strangeness in his heart, Tathagata had no desire to continue the conversation with Jiang Liu, fearing he would be annoyed to death, and directly instructed regarding the situation at Flame Mountain.

As soon as his words ceased, Tathagata's figure swiftly dissipated.

"Wait, Buddha, wait..." As the feeling of half sleep faded away, Jiang Liu shouted loudly.

However, Tathagata had already disappeared and paid no attention to Jiang Liu's calls.

"Sigh, did the Buddha leave too quickly?" Having awoken, Jiang Liu of course understood that Tathagata had left and sighed helplessly.

Originally, it was rare for Tathagata to come, and Jiang Liu had thought of possibly tricking him somehow. It seemed, however, that he was given no such opportunity.

However, thinking about the last incident at Gao Family Village and how he had schemed, making Tathagata believe that Supreme Elder Lord had obtained the Healing Potion—even though he didn't know how the two bigwigs ended up—it surely must've caused some disputes, right?

So, having been tricked once, was Tathagata not giving him such opportunities anymore?

Nevertheless, although Tathagata came and went quickly, his words did further confirm what Master Zhenyuan had previously said.

That was that the big boss inside Flame Mountain would no longer act against these juniors. However, the flames of Flame Mountain would still need to be extinguished by themselves.

Moreover, Tathagata had specifically informed him that the flames in Flame Mountain were, in fact, True Sun Fire.

"True Sun Fire? Isn't that seemingly a bit more formidable than the Samadhi True Fire?" Pondering internally how to extinguish the True Sun Fire in Flame Mountain, Jiang Liu's thoughts grew even stranger.

Could it really be Dijun and Taiyi, these two bigwigs? Did they truly survive the Great Shamanic Extinction?

If not, beings of level 100 with the power of True Sun Fire exist, he could think of no others but them.

Shaking his head, putting aside the identities for now, the question remained—how should he extinguish the True Sun Fire?

At this thought, Jiang Liu was reminded of Zen Master Wuchao in Foutu Mountain near Gao Family Village back then.

During the disputes, Zen Master Wuchao was about to use the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, right? And like Flame Mountain, Foutu Mountain was also extremely hot.

"That Zen Master Wuchao's identity should be Taoist Lu Ya, and Taoist Lu Ya seems to be the last Golden Crow among the ten princes of the Demon Clan and the son of Eastern Emperor Taiyi. As a Golden Crow, wielding the power of True Sun Fire seems natural? Could it be? Should I ask Zen Master Wuchao to give it a try?" After much thought, Jiang Liu felt that this was probably the only possibility.

Moreover, most importantly, with such a maneuver as the True Sun Fire appearing, telling Zen Master Wuchao, who as one of the ten demon princes with a Golden Crow's true form, should be unable to stay put and would likely come to take a look.

With this thought, Jiang Liu stood up and found Zhu Bajie.

"Master, what is it? It's already dark, what's the matter?" Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Zhu Bajie asked.

"Bajie, let's go, we'll make a trip back to Foutu Mountain. I remember you had some dealings with Zen Master Wuchao, right?"