Monkey King kept silent, not even needing to intervene much in the last two tribulations, as Tripitaka had essentially resolved them himself.
"Master, would you like me to go check on things?" Monkey King asked nonchalantly, though his intentions were more about adding fuel to the fire than offering assistance.
"No need; we should just keep moving," Tripitaka replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "By the way, Wukong, what does Black Bear Spirit meat taste like?"
"Uh…" Monkey King was speechless. It seemed that Tripitaka had been getting a little too bold lately, now even contemplating the taste of monster meat.
"It's decent, but you wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Oh? And why is that?" Tripitaka asked, looking puzzled.
"Because Black Bear Spirit has already reached the level of a Golden Immortal. If you ate his meat, youd explode into pieces— 'boom'—just like that," Monkey King gestured, imitating an explosion.
Tripitaka shuddered, recalling the vivid memory of his head being crushed. "Fine, let's move along, then," he said hastily.
The Buddhist Brocade Cassock was clearly a trap, and if monster meat was off the menu, he had no desire to linger. Determined, Tripitaka climbed onto Ao Luan's back, urging him to speed up and leave this troublesome place.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for altering the Journey to the West's karmic fate. You've earned 5,000,000 karmic points!
Ding! Congratulations to the host for altering the Journey to the West's karmic fate. You've earned 5,000,000 karmic points!
What a haul! Monkey King grinned—he had spent only two hundred thousand points to conceal the treasure Brocade Cassock and earned ten million in return. It was all thanks to Tripitaka's impromptu assist, who had cleverly sidestepped both tribulations. Perfect!
Meanwhile, at Avalokiteshvara's Monastery, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara had no idea that Tripitaka had already left Black Wind Ridge. She was busy investigating the events of the previous night and soon understood what had happened: Tripitaka had traded the Buddhist Brocade Cassock for a meal of meat.
Avalokiteshvara was stunned by this realization. A sacred treasure, exchanged merely for meat? No wonder Elder Jinchi hadn't attempted to trouble Tripitaka afterward—the Brocade Cassock was already in his possession, and the Black Bear Spirit was simply an insurance measure. She couldn't believe how thoroughly she'd been outwitted.
This situation had "anomaly" written all over it. She suspected a mysterious force was orchestrating things behind the scenes. If she could uncover this anomaly, the prosperity of the Buddhist faith would be unstoppable, even if it meant compensating for a missed tribulation later on.
Yet, just as Avalokiteshvara pondered the source of this anomaly, the Black Bear Spirit arrived at the monastery, ready for confrontation. The sight left Avalokiteshvara utterly perplexed. Shouldn't he be dealing with Tripitaka's group? Why was he here?
Then she spotted the Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) trailing behind him. She didn't need to ask; clearly, something had gone wrong again.
She couldn't help but think that they might as well rename the Guardians to the "Harbingers of Bad News"—never had they arrived with anything positive to report.
"Jinchi, you wretched monk! Hand over the sacred Brocade Cassock!" roared the Black Bear Spirit as he stormed toward the monastery, eyes fixed on the glowing Buddhist Brocade Cassock. He quickly realized that Elder Jinchi had deceived him. There had been no evil monk carrying a treasure; Jinchi had simply wanted the Brocade Cassock for himself.
Enraged, the Black Bear Spirit charged forward, demanding justice.
Avalokiteshvara's face darkened. She had been so focused on understanding the previous night's events that she had forgotten to reclaim the Buddhist Brocade Cassock. Now, it was too late.
As for the five "Harbingers of Bad News," well, they were better at watching than fighting—otherwise, they wouldn't be acting as lookouts in the first place.
Choosing to ignore the Guardians entirely, Avalokiteshvara assessed the situation. The Black Bear Spirit had already arrived here, so there had clearly been no confrontation with Tripitaka's group. Despite all precautions, the Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) had somehow failed once again.
Meanwhile, Avalokiteshvara could sense that Tripitaka and his disciples had already left Black Wind Ridge, effectively voiding the planned tribulations at her monastery.
Inside the Avalokiteshvara Monastery, chaos reigned.
Elder Jinchi had never expected the Black Bear Spirit to arrive so soon. In a state of confusion, he found himself unable to hide the Brocade Cassock in time. Black Bear Spirit's intent was clear—he was here for the Brocade Cassock.
Elder Jinchi's face turned pale. Although the Black Bear Spirit wasn't typically violent, he could be ruthless when provoked. And Jinchi wasn't about to give up the Brocade Cassock, even if it meant his own life.
Seeing Jinchi's hesitation only fueled the Black Bear Spirit's anger. "Jinchi, you're asking for death!" he shouted before reverting to his true form and charging at the monastery's main gate.
Boom!
A mere wooden gate stood no chance against a charging demon bear.
"Ah! A demon's here! Run!"
"Master, save us from the demon!"
"Don't kill me! Please, I beg you!"
The entire monastery descended into pandemonium. Some monks fled, others pleaded for their lives, and still others begged Elder Jinchi for help. However, Jinchi was already too busy trying to escape himself to worry about anyone else.
But despite his desperate flight, Jinchi couldn't bring himself to part with the luminous Brocade Cassock, clinging to it even as it exposed him as a beacon for the Black Bear Spirit.
Black Bear Spirit, uninterested in the common monks, pursued Jinchi with relentless focus.
"Jinchi! Where do you think you're going?" he bellowed, blocking Jinchi's path with a menacing glare.
"Black Bear Spirit, we've always kept to ourselves! Why are you bringing trouble to Avalokiteshvara's Monastery now?" Jinchi stammered, realizing he had no choice but to confront the demon head-on.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。