Chapter 459: Pick Up the Scripture! Pick Up the Scripture!

Brilliant light illuminated all, celestial runes shimmered across the heavens, infinite, boundless, immeasurable.

In that river of time, a towering figure walked through flowing time, countless past scenes flashed by, yet he kept gazing toward the far end.

Beneath a blood-red sunset, rivers ran with blood, darkness corroded armor, one after another ancient, broken corpse lay scattered.

"The Heavenly Court, as long as I am here, it exists—a Heavenly Court of one man must stand!"

Time grew silent; that lone figure sat in the ancient world, silently enduring the cycle of aeons.

As if time had come, he rose and walked toward the ocean formed by countless worlds, faint footprints appearing in the void, following his path until they vanished into the end.

Countless beings called out beside his ears—longing, reluctance, sorrow—those voices called out.

"Hun Tian Di!"

Bad!

Fingers formed a sword, pointing to the third eye; the ultimate Geng Metal qi condensed into a soft, luminous fly whisk, sweeping through his mind-sea.

Drip.

Drip.

The tortoise shell, divination sticks, and other items on the table had long turned to dust; Yuan Shoucheng's seven orifices bled, his mind blank, unable to recall anything—only the final cry of all beings echoed within.

"Hah… a light swing of the sword shatters demons, divine radiance blazes, ever protecting all beings. It is Marshal Tianpeng before you."

Yuan Shoucheng rose and bowed deeply: "I have been remiss in my manners."

"No… Mr., shouldn't you wipe your face?" Lu Mingfei felt a chill—brother, you're bleeding from all seven orifices! How can you still smile?!

Su Lin pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth, walked beside the still-bowing Yuan Shoucheng, and patted his shoulder; a warm Buddhist power dissolved the wounds within him.

"My disciples have been rude—I apologize on their behalf. Mr., please rise at once."

A clear aura of merit circled behind Su Lin's head; radiant white light particles flew out and merged into Yuan Shoucheng's body.

"No…" Yuan Shoucheng began to refuse, but saw the aura of merit behind Su Lin's head—the vast, boundless merit—and was momentarily stunned again.

"I see Mr. is tired. Might I ask you to divine once more?" Su Lin spoke sincerely: "Just one more divination—of the future."

Do you think I'm insane?

Yuan Shoucheng waved his hand with a bitter laugh: "No more, no more—please, Holy Monk, spare me."

"Don't say that! Mr., you're so skilled at divination—please divine my master's romantic fate!" Lu Mingfei hurriedly pleaded: "You don't have to help the other disciples, but please help with this one!"

"Yes!" Meng Qi clapped his hands and nodded: "I see Mr. masters the Six Yao technique—his skill is heavenly. Could you divine my master's romantic fate?"

"To be honest, my master has never had a partner—ah, this is just heartbreaking."

"Interesting. Ah yes, divine his romantic fate." Shi Hao's eyes clearly gleamed with amusement.

"A pack of unruly disciples." Su Lin clenched his hand in midair as if drawing a weapon, but ultimately held back, his face wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

This Yuan Shoucheng is odd—he likely isn't the Yuan Shoucheng from the Journey to the West we know.

Considering how deeply this world's waters run, even if Yuan Shoucheng's divination ability were truly cosmic, to reach this level—do you call him a mortal?

That's too absurd.

Add to that his deliberate wait for the scripture seekers—he's almost certainly backed by some great being, or perhaps he's a disguise of someone from heaven.

But he's honest—he divined once, then did it again. You really are doing it? And worse—he actually got something right.

"Romance…" Yuan Shoucheng wanted to refuse, but glanced at Meng Qi and Shi Hao, thought for a moment, then smiled and agreed.

His eyes went hollow; he stood frozen, silent. After a while, he returned to normal—but now he radiated an even more humble demeanor.

Previously, he was mostly carefree, exuding Daoist integrity; now, he seemed gentler.

Yuan Shoucheng no longer used the Six Yao technique; instead, he studied Su Lin's facial features and asked him to extend his palm.

"Strange," he said, surprised: "Not of this world—yet the signs of Earthly Kun and Mountain Gen appear, yet remain severed like heaven and earth, unable to complete? Romance…"

Seeing him hesitate, Lu Mingfei pressed urgently: "Does that mean my master has no romantic fate?"

"No, quite the opposite—if only regarding romance, old man is quite skilled. But the Holy Monk's destiny spans beyond the Three Realms and Six Paths—there are many threads, yet…" Yuan Shoucheng smiled, stroking his beard—though he had no beard:

"The Holy Monk upholds the will of heaven—how can he truly stir those threads? To forget emotion and become utterly impartial, to attain emotion yet forget it, to be unmoved by emotion—not because he lacks fate, but because he lacks emotion."

"Can you be more specific? Like the woman's identity?!" Lu Mingfei, impressed by his skill, pressed: "Is she white-haired?!"

"That's too much to ask of old man," Yuan Shoucheng shook his head helplessly.

Zhang Heng and Chu Lingyun remained silent; the situation had reached a point beyond their ability to reason—whether it was this Yuan Shoucheng or the "Gu Yue Fang Yuan" team leader and other members' leaps of thought.

Zhang Heng was now communicating mentally with Chu Lingyun; together, they might deduce something.

【Could our mission be to journey west as Tang Seng and his disciples?】 Chu Lingyun said: 【The Reincarnation space's mission description never said Tang Seng's group consists of Reincarnators.】

【Could white hair mean Bai Ningbing?】 Zhang Heng's inner voice came.

Chu Lingyun asked: 【Who is Bai Ningbing?】

【Nothing. Don't mind it.】 Zhang Heng said: 【You're right—if they're Tang Seng's group, following them might make us targets for many Reincarnation squads.】

【But Reincarnation space wouldn't give us a mission guaranteed to kill us right away—so that can only mean】

They exchanged glances, both thinking simultaneously: 【This team is special.】

Looking at the Journey to the West, Tang Seng's group of four was almost always dominant against demons and monsters—aside from Tang Seng being a weak point, their overall strength was among the strongest on the entire journey.

Even though Zhu Bajie and Sha Monk had few standout moments, their backgrounds were deeply rooted.

Then…

Perhaps this team's strength far exceeds other Reincarnation squads?

"Ladies and gentlemen, time grows late," Yuan Shoucheng's eyes went hollow again after divining, then he looked at them all: "If you have questions, I will answer fully."

Su Lin brushed off his robes and rose slowly: "We are going to meet Tang Huang, to journey west for the scriptures. Do you have any advice, Mr.?"

Regardless of his identity or purpose, learning about this world's information was key.

"Advice? I dare not." Yuan Shoucheng appeared awestruck; he glanced at Meng Qi and bowed: "There is only one thing I beg you to know."

"The Western Heaven has no Buddha, the Underworld has no ghosts, the cycle is closed, the Three Realms and Six Paths weep day and night."

No one spoke; after a moment of contemplation, Meng Qi asked, "What of the Heavenly Court?"

"The Heavenly Court can still hold out for a while," Yuan Shoucheng also rose to his feet and said seriously, "If you encounter formidable demons on your western journey and need aid, remember: seek only immortals and deities—and proceed with caution."

"I apologize for the intrusion; excuse me as I take my leave."

With that, Yuan Shoucheng picked up the tools he used for fortune-telling and the sign bearing his name and title, preparing to depart.

"Wait." Su Lin tugged at Yuan Shoucheng's sleeve, gathered the irregular jade tablets used for divination, and said, "Leave after ten breaths."

Yuan Shoucheng looked puzzled.

Su Lin and his companions moved swiftly, without hesitation or delay; even as they left, they took the two dazed newcomers with them.

Just as Yuan Shoucheng was about to leave after ten breaths, the waiter who had just brought dishes to another table blocked his path.

"Master Divine Diviner, the pigeon meat won't be ready in time—how about this table's fine wine and dishes for two taels of silver?"

"."

As long as you're happy.

Night fell; the city glowed with lanterns; several crows returning to their nests perched on tree branches, overlooking this evening scene of Chang'an.

Beneath the trees, Meng Qi and the others were analyzing; Su Lin, however, gazed calmly into the distance.

"Dude, are you here on vacation?" Kleine leaned against a cassia tree and asked.

"Didn't I already help you extract some information?" Su Lin looked at the golden and splendid, sprawling imperial palace and said:

"The human power in this world is no weak force—hence why the scripture seekers must first gain the Emperor's permission. Under normal circumstances, ordinary immortals attempting to enter Chang'an would be at least weakened."

"Yet even in a world like this, the current situation seems somewhat dire."

"Yuan Shoucheng is also a riddler," Lu Mingfei complained. "Could it be that after you tricked him, his divination went wrong?"

"How could that be? I thought he seemed quite pleased," Su Lin smiled at Meng Qi.

"To divine my affairs, he must be at least on the level of a Middle Ancient Number Saint," Meng Qi glanced again at Shi Hao, recalling the man's oddities: "His divination skill may even surpass that of the Number Saint."

"The geng metal qi capable of severing karmic ties—if this corresponds to a figure of the Heavenly Court, it might be Tai Bai Jin Xing."

"But handling matchmaking? Isn't that the Moon Old Man's job?"

"As for divination, most immortals in the Heavenly Court know a few tricks—but if you're asking who's the most skilled…"

"Yuan Shoucheng is likely their shared identity; his changing habits reveal it," Kleine analyzed the details he had observed, projecting through spatial-temporal power the differing behaviors and gestures Yuan Shoucheng had displayed moments earlier.

A series of scenes appeared as three-dimensional projections near the group, complete with the original sounds.

Of course, Kleine had applied anti-spying safeguards—he had brought the Source Fortress into this world.

"I've found something unusual," Han Li, controlling his puppet to gather intelligence, reported: "After we left Huasheng Temple, it became a bustling place of incense and worship—there are still monks inside."

"I asked several commoners—they say Huasheng Temple was never abandoned."

"It seems that after we inherited the scripture seeker's identity, either magical interference occurred, or history underwent a slight alteration."

"What do we do? This world feels so strange," Su Lin hugged his arms and rubbed them twice.

He spoke the truth—he had originally worried whether Meng Qi's identity would draw the attention of the local Three Pure Ones, but now it seemed this world faced a terrifying crisis.

Lingshan and the Underworld were both troubled; the Heavenly Court's condition was poor too—and the scripture seekers had vanished.

The difficulty of this mission is almost certainly far higher than wiping out all other Reincarnation teams in a team battle.

"What are you afraid of? Big Brother Sun is here," Shi Hao picked up the takeout he'd just ordered from Weigong Shilang, raised the roast goose toward Meng Qi, and said, "Right, Big Brother Sun!"

"Heh…" Meng Qi smiled. Faced with Shi Hao's perfect immersion in his role, he could only maintain a polite, elegant smile.

I should've let Shi Hao play Sun Wukong from the start—if anything felt off, just let him charge straight toward Spirit Mountain. Now he looks cool and fulfilled his old wish to cosplay the monkey, but he can't slack off later—it's a total loss.

Now I realize, Zhu Bajie is truly a workplace master, deeply understanding the separation between work and life.

"Let's go—to the palace, get the travel pass from the Emperor. I have a feeling this Tang Emperor knows something," Su Lin turned his gaze to the two Reincarnators and tossed them two coins:

"Wait here. Take these—resurrection artifacts."

Re—resurrection artifact?!

Zhang Heng's eyes nearly popped out—each of them was handed a resurrection artifact?! Was this just normal Reincarnation space ecology, or had he just joined a team with a powerhouse?

…

Brocade Robe, frees one from the cycle of reincarnation; Nine-Ring Staff, protects from poison and harm.

Yet now worn by Su Lin and held in his hand, both were dull and lifeless. He led his four disciples to the Jin Luandian, bowing to Li Shimin, seated high upon the imperial throne.

The officials, clad in red robes, black caps, purple sashes, and golden seals, froze in surprise, then one shouted:

"How dare you!"

Li Shimin, with his robust build and curled beard, waved his hand, ordering the furious officials to step back.

"I have opened the path of benevolent teachings and sown abundant blessings," Li Shimin said, studying Su Lin, his dragon robe sweeping as he praised: "I have long heard of a great virtuous one in Huasheng Temple, whose Dharma name is Tang Xuanzang. Today, seeing you, I find you match my expectations exactly."

"I once heard that the Mahayana Dharma of Master Sanzang can elevate the dead to heaven, liberate the suffering, cultivate boundless longevity, and transcend coming and going."

"Now demons and spirits rise everywhere; I beg the Master to depart swiftly and return soon, to rescue the common people from fire and water."

As Li Shimin spoke, his eyes flashed like lightning, his aura majestic and piercing the soul; behind him, purple-red qi swirled.

If one looked down from the heavens, one would see a faint dragon-shape winding across the entire city of Chang'an.

"If I do not reach the Western Heaven and obtain the true sutras, I shall forever fall into the hell of endless suffering," Su Lin said calmly, uttering a grand vow as if speaking casually.

"Excellent!" Li Shimin clapped his hands and rose, immediately writing the scripture-seeking pass and stamping it with the Imperial Travel Seal.

Everything went smoothly—it seemed merely a formality.

"Master, I have one question for you," Li Shimin descended slowly from above, handing Su Lin the travel pass, his tone laden with meaning:

"What is Buddha?"

"I am Buddha," Su Lin clasped his hands together, smiling as Tang Huang stared in surprise: "Your Majesty is Buddha too—all beings are Buddha—Buddha resides within the heart."

"The Mahayana Dharma has the power to save the world—do you possess such power?" Li Shimin smiled, shook his head, his gaze tinged with disappointment as he turned back toward the Wang Zuo.

"I do," Su Lin said. "The Mahayana Dharma: 520 scrolls, 657 volumes—I have them all. It's just a matter of whether Your Majesty wants the sutras themselves, or the sutras brought back from the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Heaven of Tianzhu."

Su Lin waved his hand casually, and suddenly numerous Buddhist sutras appeared in the hall—each from other worlds, all Mahayana Dharma, some ordinary texts, others usable for cultivation.

"Of course these are the sutras brought back from the Western Heavens!" The voice did not come from Li Shimin—it entered from outside the Jin Luandian:

"Monk, do you know what Mahayana Dharma is?"

Amidst radiant clouds and ten thousand beams of auspicious light, the doors and windows were blasted open by a powerful, terrifying force. Before them stood three monks, their expressions cold and their demeanor slightly haughty.

"Emperor Taizong, have you come to your senses?" The lead, handsome monk spoke.

"Taizong is a temple name—the man is still alive," said the bodhisattva, her face lovely, adorned with a jeweled crown and ornate hairpins, her voice soft: "Better you've come to your senses. We've already shown you the future. You, mortal emperor, have not misled yourself."

She brushed past Su Lin, picked up the stack of sutras, flipped through them, then sneered: "Mahayana Dharma?"

The handsome monk walked over with a muscular, bronze-skinned golden-haired giant, and also flipped through a few books.

"Good enough to fool the ignorant masses—though creative," the handsome monk tossed the *Avatamsaka Sutra* onto the ground and looked at Su Lin:

"Come, receive the Brocade-Embroidered Rare Robe, and the Nine-Ringed Staff."

The bodhisattva too dropped the Earth-origin sutras she held, conjured a pure vase with a willow branch, donned a plain blue robe, and ordered the golden-haired, burly monk beside her to bring forth a tray bearing five golden circlets.

"Journeying to the Western Heavens to attain the Golden Body of Enlightenment…" she urged, "We grant you these golden circlets to ward off demons and monsters."

Su Lin glanced at the Tang Huang, smirking slyly, and at the warriors lurking in the shadows, then at the three bodhisattvas and monks radiating Buddhist light, and finally at the scattered sutras on the ground—one bearing a footprint.

"Pick up the sutras!" Su Lin said coldly.

"What?" The bodhisattva blinked, then snapped: "Tang Xuanzang, you—"

The handsome monk immediately stepped forward wrapped in radiant light, golden lotuses blooming beneath his feet as a crushing pressure descended upon Su Lin's head.

Meng Qi chuckled and raised his staff to strike—but Su Lin yanked him behind him and stepped forward, slapping outright.

Crack—!!!

Several white teeth flew out, spattered with crimson fluid, along with the shattered golden lotuses.

Before the bodhisattva could react, a hand seized both her and the handsome monk's heads and slammed them into the ground.

Boom! Dust exploded, radiant light shattered, and two craters appeared simultaneously.

The imperial court fell utterly silent—even Li Shimin was stunned, as if he had never anticipated this scene.

"I'll say it one last time…" A quiet voice echoed:

"I told you to pick up the sutras!"

Clocking out at 12… almost there. Next week no overtime. Good night. Palu has to work overtime again at noon.

(End of Chapter)