As Monkey King mulled over his plans, Bodhisattva Bodhisattva Guanyin finally arrived, haggard and clutching a few Nine-Turn Resurrection Elixirs.
After a brief conversation with the three Revealing Spirits left behind, Bodhisattva Guanyin understood what had transpired and looked genuinely bitter.
For heaven's sake, was Tripitaka brain-dead? She had clearly told him that the Band-tightening Spell was meant for Monkey King, yet he'd insisted on wearing it himself, resulting in his own demise.
And to make matters worse, the Band-tightening Spellwas now soul-bound, which meant Buddhism had lost a prime enforcer, all because Tripitaka had taken it upon himself to put it on.
And here she was, scurrying back and forth to clean up the mess, bearing the blame—it made her chest hurt just thinking about it!
Bodhisattva Guanyin recalled the look in Grand Supreme Elderly Lord's eyes when she left Tusita Palace. To him, she'd clearly become the ultimate sucker.
Four precious shards of karmic merit, all for just four Nine-Turn Resurrection Elixirs. The price was outrageous, but she had no choice—he set the terms in a seller's market. And crossing him? That would be suicide. So, she gritted her teeth and accepted the trade.
Yet Bodhisattva Guanyin had a dreadful feeling that four elixirs might not be enough this time. But for now, she could only resurrect Tripitaka and deal with the rest as it came.
With practiced ease, Bodhisattva Guanyin revived Tripitaka in no time. She had become quite adept at it. But this time, Tripitaka barely spared her a glance.
This time, his memory hadn't been erased. He remembered clearly that it was Bodhisattva Guanyin's gift, the Band-tightening Spell, that had killed him. And that cursed thing was still on his head, possibly waiting to kill him again!
Tripitaka wasn't eager for another visit to the Underworld. Though the ghosts there had treated him politely, who wanted to die if they could live?
So, he didn't even try to hide his disdain.
"Tripitaka, why do you not bow to me?" Bodhisattva Guanyin's face darkened.
"Hmph! I have worshiped the true Tathagatas and Bodhisattvas for years; why should I bow to a fraud like you?" Tripitaka retorted, full of resentment.
"You—" Bodhisattva Guanyin nearly lost control of her form in fury. How dare he call her a fake! She was the foremost among the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism, yet this mortal dared call her a counterfeit!
Monkey King watched Tripitaka in surprise. The monk seemed more irritable now, even daring to point fingers at Bodhisattva Guanyin herself.
"Tripitaka, there's been a misunderstanding here…" Bodhisattva Guanyin said, her expression dark as she tried to explain.
"There's no misunderstanding!" Tripitaka interrupted her.
"In Buddhism, every Bodhisattva is sworn to guide and protect all sentient beings. Never have I heard of a Bodhisattva harming a Buddhist disciple for their own ends!"
Tripitaka was relentless, hammering away on the side of righteousness. Caught in his moral tirade, Bodhisattva Guanyin found herself speechless. She couldn't very well explain that her intent was to control Monkey King; if she said that, not only would Tripitaka probably tell Wukong immediately, but the monkey himself might rebel.
Wukong might be "just" a Taiyi Golden Immortal, but he was crucial to the Journey to the West team right now.
Bodhisattva Guanyin was filled with regret. If she had known, she would've wiped Tripitaka's memory. Why bother seeking clarification now?
"Tripitaka, what would it take for you to believe me?" Bodhisattva Guanyin asked, exasperated. As a Bodhisattva, she never thought she'd one day be reduced to proving her own identity to a mere mortal. It was absurd!
"If you can take this Band-tightening Spelloff my head, I'll believe you're a true Bodhisattva," Tripitaka replied, eyes lighting up. This was exactly what he wanted.
Who knew when the Band-tightening Spellwould act up again? It wasn't death that scared him, but the excruciating feeling of his head being slowly crushed. The mere thought of it made him shiver.
Bodhisattva Guanyin's face darkened further. A saint had already tried and confirmed that removing the Band-tightening Spellwas impossible. The best they'd managed was to remove the curse, turning it into a genuine protective artifact. And now Tripitaka actually despised it!
If he didn't want it, she would happily take it!
But that was out of the question. The only other way to remove the Band-tightening Spellwas to send Tripitaka into the cycle of reincarnation or erase his soul altogether. If she dared to do that, the Western Saints would make her life a living nightmare.
So, reluctantly, she dismissed the tempting idea.
"This artifact has bound itself to your soul. Unless you enter the cycle of reincarnation, even a Tathagata himself could not remove it," Bodhisattva Guanyin said gently.
Tripitaka's face turned pale. So, he was stuck with it for life? No, he didn't want that! He wanted to live, not die.
Seeing his terror, Bodhisattva Guanyin tried to reassure him.
"You have nothing to fear. With the saint's intervention, the curse on the Band-tightening Spellhas been removed. It is now a genuine protective treasure and will safeguard you on your journey westward."
But Tripitaka didn't seem convinced. Having experienced its torturous effects once, he found it hard to trust.
"Uh…this 'saint' you mention…what exactly is that? Is it edible?" he asked warily.
Monkey King gaped at Tripitaka in shock. Truly, ignorance was bliss.
Bodhisattva Guanyin's face went white. Tripitaka's blatant disrespect toward a saint was beyond reckless—she could practically feel herself being added to the saints' blacklist.
At that very moment, all six saints in the Thirty-Three Heavens felt a sudden disturbance. But upon realizing the words were an unintentional remark from Tripitaka, most of them dismissed it.
One saint, however, was an exception: Prime Celestial Sovereign, who was now grinding his teeth in Bodhisattva Guanyin's direction…
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