The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 70 - 0 Chen Tuans Anger Provokes a Dispute
Chapter 70: Chapter 070: Chen Tuan’s Anger Provokes a Dispute
Chapter 70 -070: Chen Tuan’s Anger Provokes a Dispute
It is said that Emperor Ming of Han, Liu Zhuang, resolved to spread Buddhist Law to The Eastern Land to see, after all, the way of an emperor lies in checks and balances. With Daoism dominant and immortals roaming freely in bliss, even if disasters struck the mortal world, they could hardly be bothered to intervene. Now, because of the invasion by the Buddhist sect, the Daoist immortals could no longer sit idly by. Seeing the benefits in this, Liu Zhuang naturally decided to “invite Buddhism into his home”. However, such an act was destined to bear infamy in later generations.
The Three Pure of Daoism and Tathagata of Buddhism watched this struggle without intervening, presumably predicting Liu Zhuang’s imperial intentions and knowing that to interfere would be futile and might even involve significant karmic consequences. When Heavenly Dao unleashed its killing intent to settle karmic forces in the world, they couldn’t maintain innocence, so they naturally watched the younger generations create upheaval without getting involved.
Shan Wuwei clasped his hands together and said, “The Emperor of the Great Han is truly wise and valiant, excellent! Excellent!”
But Ancestor Chen Tuan said, “It has been a long while since I have taken action. You and I must determine who is superior today!”
Though the Old Sleeping Immortal was always considered quite indifferent, this time he was rather infuriated and grabbed Shan Wuwei, flying up into the sky with him.
Shan Wuwei, of course, refused to let him get away with it, and struck a heavy palm to Ancestor Chen Tuan’s back, hitting him squarely, causing the Old Ancestor’s nose to emit Samadhi True Fire. However, it turned into a puff of blue smoke, nothing but an avatar. Shan Wuwei, realizing his mistake, swiftly turned back, but by then, Ancestor Chen Tuan had already reached behind him and struck his back with a horsetail whisk—returning the favor right back, hitting him precisely where he himself had been struck!
That was no clone for Shan Wuwei, who took the blow directly; his nose, mouth, eyes, and ears all emitted Samadhi True Fire, nearly knocking him unconscious.
“Ancestor Chen Tuan, stop your violence!” Patriarch Bodhidharma bellowed, thunderous as a storm, ready to step in and assist.
Zhang Junshi stepped forward, adopted a Wuji Style from the Tai Chi Mother Fist, and fired two punches in Grasping Sparrow’s Tail, forcing Bodhidharma into a reluctant defense.
The Unibrow Taoist was also furious. Daoist Equal to Heaven had already made the truth clear to the Son of Heaven, yet he still remained unreasonable. Furthermore, Daoism had won a match and the remaining two were draws; logically, Daoism should have been declared the winner, but Liu Zhuang’s favoritism tilting toward Buddhism.
Hurriedly, he spread a handful of talismans—an act of deploying soldiers with talismans. As soon as the talismans were strewn across the arena, it filled with warrior in golden armors, charging at the Buddhist monks.
Daoist Equal to Heaven said, “King Bodhisattva, today we must determine who is victorious, to settle our karmic retribution!”
He lifted the Samsara Pen, wrote a massive “kill” character, and aimed it straight at King Bodhisattva.
King Bodhisattva quickly circulated his Golden Body, and though injured, managed to still fight back weakly.
Yang Jian brandished his Tri-Point Double-Edged Saber, rushing forward to find Hanshan, but Hanshan was left debilitated by Heavenly Thunder and unable to continue the fight. Monk Shemoteng hurriedly stood forth, took up a Demon-Subduing Pestle, and faced Yang Jian’s combat.
The Han Dynasty officials exchanged glances as Daoist and Buddhist sects tore apart any pretenses and engaged directly, with waves of mana fluctuating violently, blowing people around haphazardly.
“Quick, escort His Majesty back to the palace lest he get accidentally injured. These Daoists are too reckless!” Fu Yi urged hurriedly.
“Pah! Clearly, Daoism has won, yet you delude His Majesty into favoring Buddhism—that truly merits death,” Liu Cang cursed loudly.
But those in the square could no longer stand their ground, and eunuchs and palace maids scurried about, while guards and military generals escorted a pale-faced Liu Zhuang back to the palace.
The immortals are lawless; now that they could no longer rely on Liu Zhuang and since most Daoist masters felt deeply frustrated, they couldn’t help but start using their powers.
This time the Unibrow Taoist came with a bounty of talismans and magical treasures, and although Five Directions Kaide was weaker, he managed to entangle five opponents single-handedly! As for Shemoteng and Zhufalan, both being the weakest in mana, they were nearly cut down after a few moves against these masters and had to use the Earth Escape Technique to retreat to the sidelines, daring not to intervene.
Ancestor Chen Tuan’s mana was astonishingly powerful, and though Shan Wuwei’s divine skills were also formidable, he was no match.
As soon as Shan Wuwei launched a hand seal, Ancestor Chen Tuan’s body instantly transformed into a flock of doves that scattered in all directions, then each dove turned into an Ancestor Chen Tuan. Dozens of Chen Tuans simultaneously activated their divine skills, and immediately, streaks of blue light roared like dragons, forcing Shan Wuwei into a disheveled state.
Bodhidharma’s heart grew anxious secretly as he fought fiercely with Zhang Junshi. His punches were powerful and dominant, but Zhang Junshi’s were deceivingly gentle yet sharp, and neither could overpower the other; as the fight intensified, every move they made turned the tiles of the entire square into dust!
Zhang Junshi performed the Tai Chi Eight Trigrams Palm technique, stepping according to the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams, moving in an eerie manner, while Patriarch Bodhidharma utilized the “Crossing the River with a Reeds” technique to maneuver. The two exchanged blows on the square, darkening the sky and dimming the earth. Not far away, a palace began to collapse, shattered by the powerful aftershocks.
Hearing the rumbling sounds from outside, Liu Zhuang smashed his wine cup angrily and cursed, “These people are utterly lawless, daring to start a fight within my imperial palace!”
Fu Yi said, “Your Majesty, those from the Daoist sect were the first to act, truly detestable!”
Before Liu Cang could retort, Liu Zhuang waved his hand and declared, “My mind is made up! After this conflict ends, I will rebuild the White Horse Temple, inviting Shemoteng and Zhufalan to preside and propagate the Buddhist law. Let these two sects handle their own affairs! Whoever dares to mention this sectarian strife in front of me again, shall be executed without mercy!”
Liu Cang could only keep quiet, while Fu Yi was secretly pleased; it seemed that the advent of the Buddhist sect in the Eastern Land was almost certain.
“Let them fight!” Liu Zhuang grumbled. Had he known it would come to this, he would have let them compete outside; such fighting was now going to cost a fortune to repair the palace.
Daoist Equal to Heaven frequently launched attacks with the Samsara Pen, each character he wrote manifesting a divine skill—kill, annihilate, extinguish, trap, slaughter, execute—each with tremendous power. Every character he wrote forced King Bodhisattva to continuously retreat. His Primordial Spirit had already been harmed by Dong Zhongshu’s writings, and now, engaging in magic combat, he was severely disadvantaged.
“Die!”
Daoist Equal to Heaven pressed forward as he wrote this potent character. King Bodhisattva, sensing the terrifying force of the character, urgently raised his Sharira as a shield, preventing it from descending.
Daoist Equal to Heaven activated Divine Skills from the Sutra of the Other Shore, forming a Dharma Seal with his hands and striking with his palm, the power terrifying and overwhelming. It struck the “Die” character, immediately sending the Sharira flying backward, as the character forcefully implanted itself onto King Bodhisattva’s chest.
“Argh! It’s killing me!” King Bodhisattva screamed, spitting a mouthful of blood and flying backward, his chest cloth burned away by black flames, revealing the “Die” character branded on his chest.
A deathly energy swirled around his chest, permeating the Five Qi and causing King Bodhisattva immense pain. He hastily grabbed a handful of soil and threw it into the air, attempting to use the Earth Escape to flee.
“Trap!”
Daoist Equal to Heaven, with a sweep of his huge brush, materialized the character “Trap” into the ground. Just as King Bodhisattva started to sink into the ground, he was sprung back out.
“Where do you think you’re going!” Daoist Equal to Heaven charged fiercely, his Golden Body manifesting behind him, reaching out for King Bodhisattva with a large hand.
King Bodhisattva, with no other choice, let out a loud cry, “This humble monk is no match for this fiend, I must retreat first!”
Spewing a mouthful of blood, more than he had at Flower-Fruit Mountain, he transformed into a beam of blood light and fled. Daoist Equal to Heaven launched several Divine Skills, yet was unable to stop him.
Daoist Equal to Heaven, infuriated, leaped furiously and charged towards Monk Shide with the Samsara Pen.
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“Gentlemen, please halt!”
A loud shout, like a vast river rushing or a mountain stream cascading, carried an underlying Confucian profoundness and an air of Magnificent Righteous Qi.
You may wonder who this newcomer was?
To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the following episode.
