"Amitabha! Since this is the will of Bodhisattva Guanyin and Tathagata, I, as a humble monk, must comply!" declared Tripitaka. Hearing Monkey King mention Bodhisattva Guanyin, Tripitaka immediately accepted this "demon" as his disciple and set about freeing him without hesitation.
At this stage, Tripitaka was as obedient as could be. Anything said by Bodhisattva Guanyin was unquestionably correct. Whether this obedience would hold under Monkey King's influence in the future was another matter…
Following Monkey King's instructions, Tripitaka soon located the Tathagata's Seal.
"Disciple, what should I do now?" he asked, clueless as to how to handle this divine seal.
"Master, simply recite the seal's mantra. Since you are the destined pilgrim, the seal will lift on its own," Monkey King explained, feeling slightly exasperated at his master's lack of knowledge. It seemed that some serious guidance would be necessary.
"Om hum!"
In an instant, Monkey King felt the weight lift from his body.
"Master, you'd best step back—I'll be out in a moment!" he called out.
At Monkey King's words, Tripitaka swiftly retreated to a safe distance.
Once Tripitaka was clear, Monkey King immediately shattered the Five-Phased Mountain that had bound him, letting out a triumphant roar, "The Great Sage has returned!"
After finding a nearby river to wash up, Monkey King changed into fresh clothes and sought out Tripitaka.
"Thank you, Master, for rescuing me. I, Monkey King, will obey the Bodhisattva's command and escort you to the Western Paradise!" he said, looking at Tripitaka with an ambiguous smile.
"Amitabha! This is truly wonderful!" Tripitaka replied with satisfaction. He hadn't traveled far from Chang'an before encountering numerous dangers, and it was clear he needed a protector. Since Bodhisattva Guanyin had arranged this, there was no doubt of Monkey King's strength.
"Then, Master, prepare yourself. I'll send you to the Western Paradise immediately!" Monkey King said, taking out his golden staff.
"No, don't—"
Tripitaka barely managed to speak before he saw Monkey King swing the staff directly at him. He didn't even have time to scream before he was struck down, his body reduced to a bloody pulp.
Silence.
Utter silence.
In the sky, the Four Heavenly Guardians and Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) were frozen in shock.
"The pilgrim… is dead?" Silver-Headed Guardian Deity stammered, dumbfounded.
Had the journey to the West truly ended before it even began?
"Stay here and watch over this place. I'm going to the Western Paradise to report to Tathagata!" said Golden-Headed Guardian Deity, his face pale as he sped off toward Great Thunderclap Monastery.
Tusita Palace in Lihen Tian
In Tusita Palace, The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord couldn't help but twitch. "Well, that was a bit… intense."
Still, The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord found it rather satisfying. Monkey King had certainly done as he'd said, although the impact was perhaps a bit more dramatic than anticipated. Fortunately, the groundwork laid five hundred years prior had concealed Monkey King's actions, keeping them hidden even from the Two Western Saints.
"Looks like I might be able to get something out of the Western Sect," The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord murmured, pulling out a Nine-Revolutions Resurrection Golden Pill with a smile.
Though the pilgrim was dead, the Western Sect would not abandon the journey so easily. To revive Golden Cicada Spirit, they would need his Golden Pill. Without it, they'd have to let Golden Cicada reincarnate once more. And if they expected him to simply hand over the pill for free, they were sorely mistaken—they were far from being close friends.
Golden Ao Island in the Eastern Sea
"Hahaha! That monkey is just what I like!" laughed Tongtian, who had also been watching the journey closely.
Finally, he had some relief from the anger he'd felt at being deceived by the Western Sect. The more the saw of Monkey King, the more satisfied he became.
Lingxiao Palace in Heaven
In Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were enjoying drinks with the celestial beings when Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Accompanying Ear rushed in, flustered.
"Thousand-Mile Eye, Wind-Accompanying Ear, why are you so panicked?" the Jade Emperor asked, frowning.
"Your Majesty, Tripitaka was killed by Monkey King!" reported Thousand-Mile Eye, bowing deeply.
"Tripitaka was killed. He was Buddhism's chosen pilgrim!"
"And it was Monkey King who did it? Wasn't he supposed to protect Tripitaka under Tathagata's orders?"
"And weren't the Four Heavenly Guardians and Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) watching over them? How could they just let Tripitaka be killed?"
"So… the Buddhist journey to the West ends here?" The Jade Emperor was baffled, unable to make sense of what had transpired.
Out of habit, the Jade Emperor began making calculations, but no matter how he calculated, the result remained the same—Tripitaka was indeed fated to die at Monkey King's hands.
The Jade Emperor was even more bewildered. Was the Buddhist Sect's scheme truly so grand that they would even plan the pilgrim's death as part of the trials?
After a moment of contemplation, the Jade Emperor finally said, "This has nothing to do with us. Let us continue drinking, everyone!"
In the Western Paradise, at the Great Thunderclap Temple…
At Great Thunderclap Monastery, Tathagatawas in the middle of a sermon when he suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing in shock as he quickly began calculating.
To his surprise, his calculations yielded the same result as the Jade Emperor's—Tripitaka was indeed fated to die at Monkey King's hands.
Yet this trial had not been part of the Eighty-One Trials he had meticulously planned with the other Bodhisattvas. Could a saint have intervened? And if so, which Eastern saint had dared to meddle?
Puzzled, Tathagata's face showed an unprecedented expression of confusion. The Bodhisattvas listening to his sermon looked at each other in bewilderment. None of them had ever seen Tathagata so visibly shaken. He had never paused a sermon before—had something truly extraordinary happened?
"My Tathagata, what has occurred?" asked Bodhisattva Guanyin, rising to her feet and bowing respectfully.
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