"Buddha Ancestor, is it improper to let Yellow Brow cause such a disturbance?" Precious Moonlight Buddha frowned as he looked at the chaotic scene below and asked.
Maitreya, with his eyes downcast and full of smiles, looked very amiable. Holding his prayer beads, he smiled and said, "No worries, since he wanted a share of the merit, he was prepared to lose face."
"Besides, Buddhism is about to face great changes, and I have been in secluded cultivation for years without making a name for myself in the Three Realms. How else can I demonstrate my techniques? After this incident, those who harbor ill intentions towards Buddhism will have to think carefully, and I will have sufficient time to reorganize Buddhism to face the crisis," Maitreya said slowly.
Meanwhile, below, no matter which immortal God descended, none could match Yellow Brow. With just a cloth bag, he captured each of the Immortal Gods who came to assist. Only Monkey, clever and well-versed in evasion tactics, escaped the catastrophe.
He had always prided himself on his martial prowess and had never expected to encounter someone like Yellow Brow Demon King. Although his mana was not strong and his combat techniques mediocre, the cloth bag he held was indeed troublesome.
It made him feel somewhat at a loss, a feeling he last experienced when facing the Green Ox Spirit with the Vajra Bracelet. The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew, and his depression had no outlet, making him really want to cause a great disturbance recklessly.
"That Monkey is getting impatient!" Precious Moonlight Buddha said with a laugh.
"Well, it’s time for me to intervene; otherwise, if we annoy this Monkey and he acts recklessly, it would be difficult to settle," Maitreya said with a laugh.
Then, he slowly descended from the cloud, met with Monkey, and took Yellow Brow Child back to Mount Ling.
"I must say this Buddha coming from the east is rather unfair. If he wanted to display his might, he could have simply targeted those Demon Kings. Instead, he obstructs our journey to the west and rounds up all the Heavenly Gods," Bajie said with a smile.
"You are mistaken there; those Demon Kings don’t have the immediate impact these Immortal Gods do," Monkey teased in return.
The disciples chatted and laughed along the way, and within a few days, they reached Thorn Ridge and saw the dense forest spanning the realm.
Bajie broke off a thorn and weighed it lightly in his hand, saying, "Gosh, to think that a thorn can grow so thick—how many years must it have taken!"
Monkey leaped into the air and looked out for a long time before saying, "From what I can see, it stretches out of sight, probably a thousand miles away."
At that moment, Sand Monk noticed something not far away, walked forward, pushed aside the vines, and uncovered a weathered stone stele with three big characters: Thorn Ridge. Then, he saw the two lines recently added behind it: "Thorns climb over eight hundred miles, ancient paths seldom walked."
However, Monkey frowned slightly as he looked at this phrase and said, "Why does this writing look so familiar to me?"
Tang Monk surveyed the surroundings, seeing thorns everywhere with lush vegetation and countless snakes and insects hidden within, and said with a furrowed brow, "This place is overgrown with thorns, truly difficult to traverse. Disciples, do you have any good ideas?"
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Bajie laughed heartily and said, "What’s so difficult about that? Just relax, Master; with Old Pig here, I’ll make sure you pass through this place easily."
Tang Monk looked at Bajie, who had volunteered, in surprise. He noticed that lately, Bajie had been in high spirits, much more active than before in his undertakings, though he wondered what had brought about this change.
"What technique do you have? Tell me about it," Tang Monk asked, a smile on his face, pleased with the change nonetheless.
Bajie laughed and, with a shake of his body, transformed into a figure thirty zhang tall, the nine-toothed rake he carried lightly shaken to match his height. Employing the technique he had once used in Gaolaozhuang village to farm, he quickly cleared away the thorns and revealed the path.
"Master, how do you like my skills?" Bajie asked with a smile.
"For this journey, you surely deserve the primary credit," Tang Monk praised him, causing Bajie to burst into hearty laughter, the spiked rake dancing in his hands, destroying the surrounding thorns and leaving a clear path.
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By the time it was dark, the master and disciples had arrived at an open area. Bajie then retracted his Divine Skills, prepared to rest well and continue the journey the next day.
"My disciple, you have worked hard today!" Tang Monk exclaimed, feeling like his child had grown up.
Bajie lay back on the ground, baring his chest and belly, fanning his round belly with his clothes, and said with a smile, "What’s this effort? Back in the day at Gaolaozhuang, I was a master farmer. This is just a trifle."
As the master and disciples were talking, a sudden chilly wind blew, and behind the temple gate, an old man appeared, wearing a cornered scarf, light garments, holding a walking stick, and wearing straw sandals, followed by a green-faced, tusked ghost in red with a bare body, carrying a plate of steamed buns on his head, kneeling down and saying, "Great Saint, I am the local Earth God of Thorn Ridge. Knowing of your arrival and having nothing else to offer, I have prepared a plate of steamed buns for you. There are no households within eight hundred li, just a little something to quell your hunger."
Delighted by these words, Bajie reached out to grab some food, but Monkey abruptly pulled him back, saying, "Hold on!"
Monkey’s eyes emitted a golden light in the darkness, staring intently at the Earth God, feeling something off about this self-proclaimed Earth God of Thorn Ridge.
He used his Divine Skills, shining his Brass Eye, but unexpectedly, a diaphanous veil of water appeared, making the Earth God’s voice waver unclearly, causing him to shout loudly, "You are not the Earth God! Who are you, Monster, speak your name, or don’t blame my merciless Iron Rod!"
The old man’s face immediately revealed a sinister smile and said, "And who does Great Sage Sun think I am?"
Upon seeing this, Monkey was greatly irate and exclaimed, "Still pretending to play tricks, take this!"
Lifting his Golden Hoop, he smashed it down on the old man’s head but, shockingly, such a powerful strike seemed to hit nothing but air and did no harm to the old man at all.
"Haha! What a Great Sage Equalling Heaven!" the old man chuckled lightly and instantly turned into a gust of wind, darkening the skies and blurring everything. Monkey was startled at once and rushed towards Tang Monk, only to find that his hand grasped nothing. Unbeknownst to him, Tang Monk had already vanished.
Monkey instantly leaped into the air, smashing down with his staff, sending a huge wave of air sweeping around, yet the old man remained unscathed, wearing an ambiguous smile.
"Who exactly are you?" Monkey roared once again.
With such mysterious power, he shouldn’t be unknown, yet why had he never heard of such a person? Most crucially, his Brass Eye could not see through the old man’s disguise. Looking ahead, there was simply nothing there.
"Great Saint, I shall take my leave now!" The old man bowed and Monkey, in alarm, could not let this enigmatic figure go not knowing the whereabouts of his master.
Raising his Golden Hoop, he attacked the old man again, only to find that the figure of the old man was slowly fading, as if being erased from this world.