r18novel Chapter 1009 Pointing Straight to the Heart!
Chapter 1009 Pointing Straight to the Heart!
He suddenly plucked a handful of monkey hair, chewed it in his mouth, and exhaled a breath of immortal energy. Instantly, hundreds and thousands of Sun Wukong clones wielding golden cudgels appeared in mid-air. The sky was filled with monkeys howling and wielding their iron cudgels, colliding fiercely with the countless arms of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin phantom.
The clang of metal against metal resounded throughout the heavens and earth. Sun Wukong's true form was mixed among his clones, moving at extreme speed, instantly piercing through the giant hand's blockade and arriving at the top of the white spire.
"Crush this for me, Old Sun!"
Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel with tremendous force, slamming it down on the tower spire that shimmered with white light.
"Clang—Snap!"
A deafening, crisp sound rang out. The white tower, supposedly indestructible and formed from pure law, trembled violently under the golden cudgel. A tiny crack appeared at the top of the tower, and then, like a spider web, the crack spread wildly downwards, instantly covering the entire tower.
Chu Yang, who was struggling to hold on at the bottom of the tower, keenly sensed that the pressure around him suddenly eased. The faceless stone puppets that had been surging like a tide also began to move more slowly.
"Brother Monkey, give it your all! It's about to collapse!" Chu Yang was overjoyed. He unleashed another sea of fire with his Sword of Slaying Karma, burning the surrounding stone puppets to ashes and buying time for Sun Wukong.
Tang Sanzang also stood up from the ground. He looked at Sun Wukong fighting against the illusory Buddha statue in the sky, at Chu Yang fighting bloodily in front of him, and then at the hideous stone puppets around him, like walking corpses. In his eyes, there was no longer fear or confusion, but a firmness that had never been seen before gradually rose.
"Amitabha..." Tang Sanzang murmured a Buddhist chant. This chant no longer carried the blind devotion of the past, but rather a profound understanding that saw through illusion. "If this Buddha intends to turn people to stone; if these rules are meant to strip people of their joy and anger, then it's better not to worship this Buddha; it's better not to follow these rules!"
As if sensing the transformation in Tang Sanzang's state of mind, the originally simple and unadorned brocade cassock he wore suddenly radiated a layer of soft and pure golden light. This golden light contained no oppressive force, only warmth and compassion. It was like a protective shield, enveloping Tang Sanzang and Chu Yang. The faceless stones that came into contact with this golden light melted away like ice and snow, turning directly into wisps of white smoke and dissipating.
Chu Yang turned back to look at Tang Sanzang in surprise. He hadn't expected that his master, who was always so timid and valued the rules and regulations more than his own life, would awaken his true Buddhist heart at this moment! It wasn't a Buddhist heart imposed on him by Mount Ling, but rather his understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth as a human being.
"Master, you've grasped the truth!" Chu Yang laughed loudly. "Brother Monkey, Master has unleashed his power, we can't fall behind!"
Seeing this, Sun Wukong at the top of the tower became even more arrogant. He retracted all his clones and concentrated all his magic power into his golden cudgel. In an instant, the golden cudgel expanded to be hundreds of feet thick, like a pillar of heaven, which Sun Wukong held high.
"Buddha, you old hag, Guanyin, look at your hypocritical, dilapidated city! I, Old Sun, will smash it to pieces today!"
"BOOM—!!!"
This was a devastating blow. The enormous golden cudgel, carrying unstoppable force, cleaved from the top of the tower all the way to its base.
The white spire, symbolizing absolute order, could no longer withstand the violent force and collapsed with a deafening explosion, turning into countless white specks of light flying across the sky.
As the array's core shattered, a mournful wail echoed throughout the Immaculate City. The tribulation clouds in the sky instantly dissipated, and the white stone houses on both sides melted away rapidly like bubbles under the scorching sun. The faceless stone puppets that were still struggling also collapsed to the ground, turning into piles of lifeless, ordinary white stones.
The scene before them distorted violently like ripples on water. When everything calmed down, Chu Yang, Sun Wukong, and Tang Sanzang found themselves back on the familiar official road.
The sun was still shining brightly, the stream was still flowing, and even the leaves of the few maple trees by the roadside were swaying gently in the breeze. It was as if the life-or-death battle and the oppressive, suffocating white city that had just been experienced were nothing but a dream.
But the enormous, bottomless chasm that had been smashed into the ground by the Golden Cudgel and stretched for miles, as well as the lingering scorching heat of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire in the air, reminded them that what had just happened was real.
"Pah! What kind of bullshit calamity is this? It's disgusting!" Sun Wukong put away his golden cudgel, landed back on the ground, dusted off his hands, and looked utterly disdainful.
Chu Yang sheathed the Sword of Slaying Karma and Ignorance, his chest heaving violently. His unrestrained use of the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire had nearly depleted his spiritual energy, and the medicinal power of the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill had been squeezed to its limit.
"Brother, are you alright?" Sun Wukong walked over, helped up the somewhat weak Chu Yang, and channeled a stream of pure true energy into his body.
"I won't die, just a bit exhausted." Chu Yang waved his hand, took a few deep breaths, and his expression softened. He raised his head, his gaze coldly fixed on the sky, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Now that the main character has arrived, stop hiding in the clouds. Look at all these broken stones; I wonder if Guanyin Bodhisattva feels sorry for your magical power?"
Tang Sanzang also raised his head, put his hands together, and quietly gazed at the sky. The fear and awe he used to have in his eyes were gone, replaced by a calm and firm inquiry.
As Chu Yang finished speaking, the clouds in the sky slowly dispersed.
A melodious and ethereal chanting of Buddhist hymns echoed across the sky. In mid-air, a colossal nine-petaled golden lotus slowly appeared. On the lotus platform, Guanyin Bodhisattva, dressed in white, held a jade vase in her hands, with auspicious rays of light emanating from her head and a soft, seven-colored halo of light hanging behind her.
Her face remained as compassionate and dignified as ever, inspiring awe and reverence at first glance. But now, a chilling coldness emanated from her wise eyes, which seemed to see through all the suffering in the world.
"Amitabha," Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke slowly, her voice as cold and clear as the snow on a high mountain. "Wukong, Chuyang, your sins of killing are too heavy. Wugou City is a pure place I created with supreme Buddhist teachings, intended to cleanse your hearts of defilement and make you understand the weight of the precepts. Not only did you not repent, but you also used force to burn down the entire city. Is there only fighting and killing in your hearts, without even a trace of compassion and reverence?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong flew into a rage. He slammed his golden cudgel heavily on the ground, pointed at Guanyin in the sky, and cursed, "Stop pretending to be a big shot in front of me! What kind of pure land is this? Turning people into faceless stones, where even a smile will get you struck by lightning, is this what you call pure? This is hell! I think you high and mighty bodhisattvas just want to turn everyone in the world into puppets to be manipulated by you!"
"You impudent monkey, how dare you be so presumptuous! How could you, with your mortal eyes, understand the true essence of Buddhism?" Guanyin Bodhisattva was not angered by Sun Wukong's insults. She turned to the silent Tang Sanzang, her tone softening slightly. "Jin Chanzi, you have cultivated for ten lifetimes, have you been blinded by the vulgar words of this monkey demon and mortals? Last night you drank wine and ate meat, breaking the precepts against killing and eating meat. Today you even allowed them to destroy my formation. Where has your Buddhist heart gone?"
If this had happened in the past, Tang Sanzang would probably have been so frightened by Guanyin Bodhisattva questioning him like this that he would have knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for forgiveness.
But at this moment, Tang Sanzang did not kneel. He remained standing quietly, facing Guanyin Bodhisattva's extremely imposing gaze, and bowed slightly, performing a simple Buddhist greeting.
"Bodhisattva, this humble monk has a question, and I hope the Bodhisattva can enlighten me." Tang Sanzang's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the empty official road.
Guanyin Bodhisattva frowned almost imperceptibly: "Ask away."
"The Bodhisattva said that Immaculate City is a pure land, where the people are without desire or want," Tang Sanzang's gaze was clear as water. "But in this humble monk's view, they are not without desire, but rather robbed of it by fear. They dare not laugh, dare not cry, and dare not even glance at the beauty of this world. If the price of becoming a Buddha is to become a cold stone, then does this Dharma truly save sentient beings, or merely satisfy the desire for control among the gods and Buddhas?"
These words stunned not only Guanyin Bodhisattva, but also Chu Yang and Sun Wukong.
They never expected that Tang Sanzang, who was always so timid and submissive, would dare to use such sharp words to directly question Guanyin Bodhisattva!
"How dare you!" A crack finally appeared on Guanyin Bodhisattva's compassionate mask. Her voice suddenly rose, and an immense pressure descended from the sky, pressing down on Tang Sanzang's shoulders as if it were a physical object.
But Tang Sanzang remained ramrod straight, his spine upright, his gaze unwavering: "On my journey westward, I initially believed that simply adhering to the precepts would lead to enlightenment. But after the ordeal at Lion Camel Ridge and the calamity of this Immaculate City, I gradually understand. Benefactor Chu is right; Buddha resides in the heart, not in the rigid rules of the precepts. If a Bodhisattva's mount can devour humans without sin, yet I, a humble monk, am condemned to a monstrous crime for drinking a cup of warm wine; if the deathly stillness of this city is what Buddhism seeks, then I would rather remain a flesh-and-blood mortal than seek the Mahayana scriptures!"
"You... Jin Chanzi, do you know what you're saying!" Guanyin Bodhisattva laughed in anger, the willow branch in her hand trembling slightly. She never expected that the scheme set up by the Buddha to reform Tang Sanzang and establish rules would not only fail to change his mind, but would instead directly catalyze his rebellion!
"Master is right! He truly is my master!" Sun Wukong slapped his thigh excitedly, walked to Tang Sanzang's side, and pointed his golden cudgel diagonally at the sky. "Guanyin, did you hear that? My master said we're not playing your deceptive tricks anymore! If you want to fight, I, Sun Wukong, will fight to the end; if you want to reason, you're in the wrong right now. We haven't settled the score at Lion Camel Ridge yet, and today you've set up a fake city to rob and kill. If this gets back to the Jade Emperor in Heaven, let's see who's embarrassed!"
Chu Yang stepped forward with a cold laugh, his hand on the hilt of his sword: "Bodhisattva, we're all old foxes, so stop playing these ghost stories. You want to force us to bow down with this kind of subtle, manipulative approach? Unfortunately, you've chosen the wrong target. We will still go to the Western Paradise. But from now on, we'll decide how we proceed and what the rules are."
Guanyin Bodhisattva stared intently at the three people below. Her expression shifted rapidly. She could indeed forcefully subdue these three unruly troublemakers. But as Sun Wukong had said, the Buddhist sect had already been in the wrong regarding the Lion Camel Ridge incident. If she were to bully the weak and forcibly attack the pilgrimage team today, it would not only violate the will of Heaven but also tarnish the reputation of Buddhism.
Especially Chu Yang, who might have other magical artifacts for recording things.
"Very well, very well." Guanyin Bodhisattva took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and resumed her aloof and icy demeanor. "Since you are so stubborn and willing to degenerate, then I will say no more. The journey to the West is long and arduous, and the tribulations ahead will be a hundred times more dangerous than those in this Immaculate City. I want to see how far you can go without the Buddha's protection!"
Having said that, Guanyin Bodhisattva did not linger. The nine-petaled golden lotus beneath her feet shone brightly, transforming into a long rainbow that sped towards the direction of the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Paradise, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Looking in the direction where Guanyin Bodhisattva disappeared, Chu Yang finally breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense body instantly relaxing as he plopped down on a rock by the roadside.
"That was close... If this old woman had really gone all out and attacked, we would have been in real trouble today." Chu Yang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Sun Wukong chuckled, leaned over and patted Chu Yang on the shoulder: "What are you afraid of! If she dares to make a move, I, Old Sun, will risk my life to pluck a few of her peacock feathers! But brother, the one who impressed everyone the most today is Master!"
The two of them turned to look at Tang Sanzang at the same time.
Tang Sanzang seemed to have exhausted his previous defiant spirit, leaning against the white dragon horse with a pale face, but his eyes were brighter and clearer than ever before.
"Wukong, Benefactor Chu, did this humble monk just... commit a sin of speech?" Tang Sanzang asked with a wry smile.
"What verbal misconduct! That was a direct attack on the true nature of things!" Chu Yang gave a thumbs up. "Master, what you just said was even more powerful than Monkey King's golden cudgel. I think Guanyin Bodhisattva's face turned green. Keep up this style from now on, and our pilgrimage team will truly be transformed."
Tang Sanzang shook his head slightly and sighed, "This humble monk has only seen through some attachments. The road ahead is still long. Let's go, it's getting late, let's camp in this valley tonight."
……
Night falls.
A warm campfire rose in the valley. The flickering flames cast long shadows of the three men. Tang Sanzang had already fallen asleep leaning against the white dragon horse; the day's emotional rollercoaster had left him feeling more exhausted than ever before.
Sun Wukong sat cross-legged on a large tree, closing his eyes to rest and simultaneously keeping watch over his surroundings. (End of Chapter)