Chapter 38: Reward Settlement
However, Guanyin Bodhisattva was chasing Ao Tu.
She had received the Buddha’s Decree to subdue Ao Tu, thus pursuing relentlessly.
At that time, Wukong and Li Tianwang stood in the clouds.
They had not gone down during the previous battle.
Wukong and Ao Tu were kindred spirits, so he had not joined the others to surround and attack.
Li Tianwang saw that Ao Tu’s supernatural power was formidable and feared the Precious Pagoda would be brushed away, so he dared not go down.
Now seeing the battle subside, Wukong descended to the manor, preparing to rescue Master and the junior brothers.
But upon entering, he discovered that Tang Sanzang, Ba Jie, Sha Wujing, and Nezha had already been invited out by that woman and were sitting in the hall, drinking tea together.
Wukong asked: “I wonder which Bodhisattva it is who aided that Demon Dragon to tease Old Sun together?”
Before Old Mother Li Shan could speak, Ba Jie interrupted: “Senior Brother, this is that Demon Dragon’s mother-in-law!”
Wukong already knew it was the Bodhisattva’s scheme, so he scolded: “Idiot, don’t talk nonsense!”
Old Mother Li Shan smiled and said: “Marshal Tian Peng is not wrong. Great Sage, my daughter and son-in-law are fighting. They are fighting fiercely, and I am old, so it’s not good for me to get involved. Help me go persuade them, don’t let them hurt their harmony.”
With that, she revealed her true form and left.
Only then did Wukong realize it was Old Mother Li Shan in person, and he hurriedly bowed in salute.
Tang Sanzang and his disciples also saluted.
Only Nezha held a grudge, puffing his cheeks in anger.
After seeing that Tang Sanzang and the others were fine, Wukong followed the old lady’s instructions, rode a cloud, and went to find Ao Tu and Guanyin Bodhisattva.
On Ao Tu’s side, he rode Golden Light all the way, escaping four thousand miles, his magic power gradually waning, about to be caught up by Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Tiger Vanguard said: “Great King, quickly put me down; it’s time for me to serve Great King to the death.”
Hearing this, Ao Tu did not hesitate.
He immediately prepared to put down Tiger Vanguard.
Later, when he attained Grand Unity, he could fish Tiger Vanguard back.
Just as he was about to put down Tiger Vanguard, he suddenly remembered that he still had a Three Thousand Year Immortal Peach uneaten.
That was the reward obtained at Yellow Wind Ridge; since the effect of the Three Thousand Year Immortal Peach was not very strong, he had not eaten it.
However, although the Three Thousand Year Immortal Peach’s effect was not strong, it was still a spiritual object of heaven and earth, enough to restore some magic power.
Ao Tu hurriedly took out the Immortal Peach, swallowed it in one bite, and his magic power instantly recovered a lot.
Shortly after Ao Tu swallowed the Immortal Peach, Guanyin Bodhisattva caught up and said:
“Evil Beast, considering your some supernatural power, if you are willing to convert to my Buddha, I will report to Buddha Ancestor, perhaps exempting you from the sins on your body and granting you a position in the Western Paradise!”
Ao Tu laughed: “I do not like eating people, nor am I good at internal strife; how could I sit in a Western Paradise position?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva angrily said: “Evil Beast, how dare you slander my teaching again?”
She sacrificed the Jade Pure Bottle into the air, mouth downward, pouring out Three Lights Divine Water:
First is Sunlight Divine Water, which erodes blood essence, bones, and flesh;
Second is Moonlight Divine Water, which corrodes the primordial spirit and soul;
Third is Starlight Divine Water, which swallows and dissolves the true spirit, consciousness, and thoughts.
With the three waters pouring down, even an Indestructible Vajra Body would instantly turn into pus and blood.
If the three waters are combined, it becomes Three Lights Divine Water, which can bring the dead back to life, sprinkle throughout the Three Realms, eliminate all suffering and calamity, and ferry all disasters.
Seeing the Divine Water pouring down, Ao Tu manifested Five-Colored Divine Light; with one flash of the divine light, the Divine Water was collected.
Guanyin Bodhisattva exclaimed in surprise: “You still have magic power!”
She hurriedly retreated.
Ao Tu flashed the Five-Colored Divine Light again, collecting Guanyin Bodhisattva as well.
Finally over, Ao Tu sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Ao Tu looked into the divine light and saw that the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Nine Luminaries, Thunder Department generals, and one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals had all been suppressed by Five Elements qi, their divine souls disordered, unconscious.
Sixteen of the Eighteen Arhats were also unconscious; only the two Arhats Subduing Dragons and Tigers were still barely holding on.
Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and the just-collected Guanyin Bodhisattva, due to their realms and magic power far exceeding Ao Tu’s, were unharmed, protected by Buddha’s Light, unaffected by the Five Elements qi.
No way around it; these Bodhisattvas’ realms were far above Ao Tu’s.
Guanyin Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are collectively known as Buddhism’s Four Great Bodhisattvas; their strength has reached the level of becoming Buddha, but each has great vows, so they have not become Buddhas.
For Ao Tu to overmatch and collect them into his supernatural power was already the Five-Colored Divine Light defying the heavens in power.
But trapping these people in the supernatural power consumed too much magic power; Ao Tu’s just-restored magic power soon could not hold out again.
This was not the supernatural power’s fault; it was his Golden Immortal cultivation being too low, which diminished the supernatural power’s prestige.
If he had Grand Unity cultivation, one flash of the divine light could collect even Tathagata.
At this time, Wukong rode a cloud over, saw Ao Tu lying on the ground, and asked: “Where is the Bodhisattva?”
Ao Tu laughed: “Monkey, I’ve given you a great favor.”
Wukong said: “What favor?”
Ao Tu stood up, flew into the air, flashed the divine light, and flung all the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Divine Generals, and Heavenly Kings onto the ground, then turned and rode Golden Light away.
Guanyin Bodhisattva and the others felt the world spinning, dazed and confused; when they recovered, Ao Tu’s figure was nowhere to be seen, only Sun Wukong standing nearby.
Guanyin Bodhisattva asked: “Wukong, where did that evil beast escape to?”
Wukong said: “Seeing me ride a cloud over, he turned into Golden Light and escaped.”
Manjushri Bodhisattva said: “It must be that the Demon Dragon’s magic power was insufficient to sustain the supernatural power; seeing the Great Sage coming, he released us.”
The others, hearing this, hurriedly thanked Wukong.
Ao Tu escaped to a River, concealed his form, and rested. He ordered Tiger Vanguard to catch some wild game nearby for him to eat.
After a day like this, the System voice sounded.
【Ding, rewards being settled, total obstruction of thirty-six days.】
【Ding, obtained reward Buddhist Dharma·Rebirth Mantra.】
【Ding, obtained reward Magic·Finger Ground to Steel.】
【Ding, obtained reward Purple-Veined Flat Peach.】
【Ding, obtained reward Spiritual Root·Three-Grade Golden Lotus.】
【Ding, excess six days automatically carry over to next Side Quest; next Side Quest is: Wuzhuang Temple Staying as Guest.】
This time, though he used no schemes, Sun Wukong had gone to Heavenly Court twice for reinforcements and to Spirit Mountain, wasting quite some time, so the final obstruction time still reached thirty-six days.
Rewards distributed; Buddhist Dharma Rebirth Mantra and Magic Finger Ground to Steel integrated and comprehended.
Although Ao Tu somewhat disliked Buddhism, magic itself has no good or bad; with this Buddhist Dharma, he could now be considered a High Monk.
Purple-Veined Flat Peach is a Nine Thousand Year Immortal Peach, with purple veins and amber core, the most precious.
Even at Ao Tu’s Golden Immortal realm, consuming it could greatly increase cultivation.
In the past, Ao Tu would definitely eat the Immortal Peach to grow cultivation.
But with this experience, he decided to save the Immortal Peach for now; eating it now would not immediately break through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, better to save it for emergencies later.
The final reward, Spiritual Root·Three-Grade Golden Lotus.
This is a treasure derived from Buddhism’s supreme treasure Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus; it is an innate defensive Acquired Spiritual Treasure. Standing on the Lotus Platform, all dharmas cannot invade; even in Buddhism, only very high-status Buddhas and Bodhisattvas possess it.
Now obtained by Ao Tu, standing on the Golden Lotus platform in the future, he would look even more like a High Monk with the Way.
At this time, Tiger Vanguard dragged back a Fat Deer, with a woman also slung over his shoulder.
Ao Tu said: “Why did you catch a person back?”
Tiger Vanguard put down the woman and reported:
“Great King, this subordinate went to In the mountains to hunt, encountered this woman; upon seeing me, she screamed in fright and fainted. This subordinate feared she would meet misfortune lying in the mountains and it would count as Great King’s karmic obstacles, so I brought her back.”
Ao Tu said: “Sprinkle some water to wake her.”
Tiger Vanguard scooped some water and splashed it on the woman, but she did not wake.
Seeing this, Ao Tu blew a breath of Dragon Qi over; the woman finally woke up.
Upon waking, the woman saw Ao Tu and Tiger Vanguard and cried in fright: “Ah, monsters!”
Ao Tu said: “Don’t be afraid; I am the Dragon God of this River, and this is my subordinate.”
Seeing Ao Tu handsome, with golden Dragon Horns on his head, like a divine spirit, the woman relaxed, knelt and said:
“This little Woman meets the Dragon God.”
Ao Tu saw that the woman was also pretty, not like from an ordinary family.
Willow brows with emerald green, almond eyes flashing silver stars. Moon-like features lovely, naturally pure temperament. Body like a swallow hidden in willow, voice like an oriole singing in the woods. Half-open crabapple enclosing morning sun, just-blooming peony playing in spring sunshine.
Ao Tu asked: “Where are you from?”
The woman said: “This little woman is from White Tiger Ridge, living due west of White Tiger Ridge.”
Hearing this, Ao Tu thought to himself: “White Tiger Ridge, this is the White Bone Spirit’s territory!”
