The two Three Realms Supreme looked at each other.
Soon the Jade Emperor's eyes fell on the stone tablet.
"What else is there to say? We had an agreement—I let you go west, and you help me clear out the monsters in the lower realm. But the problem isn't right now."
The Jade Emperor's tone was ice cold. His momentum was formidable.
The Tathagata, on the other hand, smiled and said: "A stone tablet is just a piece of rock. You can have it if you want. Guanyin only thought the text on it looked a little strange, so she brought it."
The Buddhas exchanged glances. Something was wrong with the atmosphere. By rights, the Tathagata shouldn't just hand over the stele so easily—but here he was, completely generous. There was definitely something hidden in it.
Others thought so, and the Jade Emperor was no exception. He turned his head and examined the stele. The atmosphere emanating from it was intense. The power of mystery was intoxicating.
The Jade Emperor asked tentatively: "You really want to give it to me?"
"If you take it, then I haven't deceived you either. Don't forget—we're still cooperating. I hope that after you take it, you can put your prejudices aside and continue the westward journey..."
"Very well. Worthy of being the Tathagata Buddha—you truly have the bearing of a Taoist ancestor. Fine... I accept your generosity. I'll take the stone tablet, and I'll return it to you in three days..."
The Jade Emperor tucked away the stele and turned to leave. Just as he was about to step out, he stopped abruptly and looked back. "One more question. Is the Ascension Road real?"
The smile on the Tathagata's face froze.
The Jade Emperor didn't press further. He flew away.
"Your Majesty, this stele—"
"It's real. But there's definitely something off about this Tathagata. Go west. Send someone to inspect this road. Under no circumstances let the Tathagata benefit alone."
He had no interest in ancient ways of ascending to heaven. But now that this westward journey had a problem with it, he would simply have someone investigate it again.
On the other side, in the Great Hall.
Guanyin asked the Tathagata: "My Buddha, why did the Jade Emperor take the stele? If we could dig into the words inscribed on it, we might be able to comprehend a deeper power."
"There's a problem here. But the problem arose the moment Monkey Sun woke up right away—don't you think there's something suspicious about that?"
The Tathagata took a deep breath and shared what he had just been thinking.
The Buddhist soldiers had been obliterated before the joint operation. And the stone stele that had appeared was likely made by the same person.
The Way of Heaven was growing more and more chaotic. Even he didn't understand why the stele carried such mystery.
If the opponent truly possessed such overwhelming power, why not take the initiative to kill him?
To accumulate strength? No—the other party simply wanted to destroy his plans outright and completely defeat the blueprint for Buddhism's prosperity.
Could it be that the Jade Emperor was the thief shouting "Catch the thief"?
Now the Tathagata's heart was confused too. He said to Guanyin Bodhisattva: "Do not give up control of Wuyue Mountain. You go there yourself and suppress it."
"Yes, my Buddha..."
Guanyin left to attend to the inspection. She turned and got busy.
At this time, millions of monsters had gathered on Wuyue Mountain. But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find any trace of Tang Sanzang. Everyone simply agreed on one point—the time had not yet come. Dozens of demon kings each occupied the most advantageous terrain and stood ready.
That night, a group of dark shadows struck the monster ranks. Cruel and soundless.
When the Dragon King woke up, he saw a group of ragged bandits surrounding him.
He stared in shock.
What was going on?
He had been robbed by bandits?!
What a joke.
The Second Master watched him in silence, then stretched out his hand and slapped him hard. "Let me make something clear. Answer my questions, or we'll kill you and eat you in hot pot like your little brothers."
The Dragon King looked into the distance. Most of his men had been beaten back to their original forms—scales, claws, and all. A group of people were grinding fish balls.
The Dragon King gulped and quickly nodded. Only then did the Second Master pull his straw sandal off the Dragon King's face.
Supreme Treasure walked up to the Dragon King and smiled. "Finding you was easy. The God of Eternity needs believers. I think you have great potential. Do you want to join the cult?"
He spoke while sipping fish soup. It was really delicious. A truly refined thing. Very nourishing.
The Dragon King, watching Supreme Treasure eat fish balls, trembled with fear.
"Big... Uncle, I'm willing to join the cult! You can make me do whatever you want!!"
"Alright. I'll let you go once I'm full."
The Dragon King's heart shuddered—but at least he wasn't going to be killed.
「············Ask for flowers············」
It's good to be alive.
Where had these bandits come from? How could they be so fierce that even a great monster like him had been knocked out without knowing it?
Midnight.
The Dragon King wore a black robe as he returned to his temporary lair. With him was the Second Master.
At this point, the Dragon King walked with great energy. His eyes gleamed silver, and the white scales across his body reflected a brilliant luster. Obviously his blood had evolved. Within the robe, two golden dragon horns protruded from the top of his head.
This was the benefit of joining the faith. Bloodline purification.
"Sir, please sit!"
The Dragon King didn't dare act high and mighty. When he arrived at his old lair, he immediately gave up his seat to the Second Master like a grandson.
「...」
"You can choose to betray. I'll be fine..."
"You... laugh. How dare I..."
The Dragon King forced an awkward smile.
Just now, when his strength had increased, he had indeed wanted to kill the bandits in front of him. But before he could act, his own men had made the first move. As a result, the subordinate was bound by a black chain and pulled into a mysterious space. The aura leaking out from within made the whole body go cold.
Later, he learned that this was the punishment the true God meted out to betrayers. Any believer who betrayed the faith would suffer three thousand years in the underworld, then be struck by lightning or burned until they were annihilated.
"Hmph. Forgive you for not having such courage. If it weren't for the gods being short on people, you think it would be your turn to join?"
The Second Master sat there with an extremely arrogant attitude. Because he had also awakened the memories of a past life. In his previous life, he had been the Marshal of Canopy. He was now accompanying Monkey King through the trials of the robbery.
But what Buddha could compare to the true God?
"Yes, sir. Everything is as you say, and I admire your might. What should I do next?"
The Dragon King nodded and asked with a bow.
The Second Master crossed his legs. "Simple. Tomorrow, go attack other monsters. Conquer a force, and then wait for further orders."
"Yes. I'll do whatever you command."
Although it was ugly to be a dog—
The Dragon King was a monster who had already witnessed the true God of Eternity's manifested divine form. Would he feel ashamed to be a dog for the true God? The dead were not even qualified to feel shame.
———
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