Journey to the West: Man in heaven, working nine to five

#1761 - Thousands of people worship me, I am not a new Buddha

The vast demon army fell before the walls of Zhu Zi Kingdom in such a bizarre manner, the ground littered with their corpses, a truly shocking sight.

The army of Zhu Zi Kingdom began to clean the battlefield, each face etched with determination, not having time to grieve for their fallen comrades lying in pools of blood.

Tang Sanzang, looking at the corpses strewn everywhere, was filled with sorrow. He sat cross-legged on an open space and began to chant Buddhist scriptures.

As the vast Buddhist scriptures were recited, a faint golden light emanated from his body. Under the radiance of this light, an invisible force emerged and surged into the corpses.

At that moment, the souls of those departed mortals seemed to feel a warm power. The fragmented and drifting souls instantly found a direction to move forward.

Tang Sanzang, amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, appeared compassionate, like an ancient Buddha seated there. Accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, a hazy divine light flickered, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged towards him.

The soldiers cleaning the battlefield looked at the National Preceptor, listening to the soul-stirring voice. For some reason, a sense of inexplicable grief welled up in their hearts. They stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with piety, and instinctively knelt down, bowing to Tang Sanzang.

At that moment, the place of the Buddha, which had been abandoned in their hearts, was replaced by the figure of Tang Sanzang. Their hearts found a moment of peace.

The warriors, accustomed to blood, felt a sense of relaxation for the first time. Their hearts were filled with piety and peace, their gazes firm and sharp, and the emotions within them spread out.

Chu Hao stood not far away, watching this strange scene.

He saw on that land filled with corpses, blood flowing, and the dark mass of soldiers kneeling on the ground. Before them was Tang Sanzang, his kasaya soaked in blood. Tang Sanzang, with his eyes closed, chanted scriptures, drawing ten thousand people to worship him.

Even the soldiers on the city walls and the people within the city seemed to hear the sound of Tang Sanzang's chanting. They couldn't help but kneel down, offering their most sincere respect.

The heaven and earth, originally filled with baleful aura and thick with the stench of blood, were suddenly cleansed by this force, and everyone received a moment of purification.

In the high sky,谛听 (Diting) looked at this incredible scene and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't Tang Sanzang supposed to be demonized? Why can he still cause such a phenomenon?"

Guanyin remained silent.

She was equally puzzled and could only look at the Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha beside her.

As one of the most senior ancient Buddhas of Mount Ling, Burning Lamp naturally saw things more clearly.

His gaze fell on the figure in the sea of blood, and his usually calm eyes flashed with a strange light. In a trance, his memory returned to the time of the last Great Tribulation.

After a long while, he said indifferently, "Now I know why the Journey to the West Tribulation cannot be without Tang Sanzang."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin and谛听 (Diting) were both puzzled, "What do you mean by that, Ancient Buddha?"

Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha did not explain, but simply said, "Perhaps, Tang Sanzang is not really demonized? Or perhaps, his demonization is different from what we think?"

After saying that, he stopped speaking.

Guanyin and谛听 (Diting) frowned. They were not as intelligent as this ancient Buddha, but they also felt a different kind of understanding from his words.

At that time, the Buddhist scriptures ended, and Tang Sanzang opened his eyes, slightly surprised to see countless people kneeling on the ground.

He quickly got up and said loudly, "Don't kneel, I am not your Buddha, you yourselves are."

His words confused the soldiers who were worshipping him, and they raised their heads in bewilderment.

In their hearts, Tang Sanzang had replaced the original Buddha, becoming the new Buddha, a Buddha who accomplished things, which is what they hoped to see.

But that was not what Tang Sanzang saw. He did not want to overthrow a Buddha in order to take his place. What he wanted was a change in everyone's thinking.

So he said seriously, "It is you who saved yourselves, it is the bodies of those comrades who fell on the ground. Without your all-out efforts, the people behind you would have suffered, so you should be grateful to them, and also to yourselves, not to me."

His voice was grand and powerful, and with the help of the demonic energy, it fell into the ears of every soldier.

"That's right, if it weren't for them fighting hard against the enemy, the demons would have already entered Zhu Zi Kingdom," a general suddenly realized and said loudly.

The other soldiers also got up one after another, raising their arms and shouting.

On the city wall, the king watched the scene below, from the initial astonishment to the later surprise, and then directly said to his subordinates, "Return to the palace and hold a grand banquet to reward the generals and soldiers."

Tang Sanzang stood there, watching everyone's thoughts being changed, and also showed a smile.

"Is this Tang Sanzang crazy?"谛听 (Diting) looked at this scene with a puzzled expression.

In his opinion, now was a good opportunity for Tang Sanzang to establish prestige and build faith. He could completely let Zhu Zi Kingdom build statues and temples for him, and then enjoy the incense of the mortal world, so as to become a new Buddha.

But Tang Sanzang chose to refuse, which in谛听's (Diting's) view, was completely giving up his cultivation.

Guanyin was also slightly surprised, "I didn't expect this Tang Sanzang to have such a firm will. It seems that it is not a matter of a day or two to shake his thoughts."

"This matter must be reported to the Buddha,"谛听 (Diting) said.

"Yes, let's go, let the Ancient Buddha watch here," Guanyin nodded.

On the other side, within Zhu Zi Kingdom, there was a lively atmosphere, with the whole country celebrating.

This national banquet lasted until late at night before Tang Sanzang and the others were able to get away.

On the way back, Tang Sanzang looked at Chu Hao and suddenly asked, "During the day, I think it was Immortal Master..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Hao immediately stepped forward, gave him a look, and then glanced at the night sky.

Tang Sanzang immediately understood and said no more, but asked doubtfully, "Immortal Master, do you know why Zhu Zi Kingdom suddenly suffered a siege by demons?"

Chu Hao feigned surprise and said, "Yes, why is this so coincidental? Why did it happen right after we destroyed the Buddha?"

However, these words fell into Tang Sanzang's ears and gave rise to other meanings.

His mind was active, as if he understood everything with a single hint, and he quickly left.

"Master, where are you going? Aren't you resting?" Zhu Bajie, with his face full of grease, asked upon seeing this.

"Master suddenly thought of something and is going to visit Cijue Temple," Tang Sanzang said hurriedly.