Chapter 489: Chapter Five Hundred and Two: The Poor Monk, Tang Sanzang

Long ago I knew the Western Journey would be hard, yet I still vowed to save all beings and illuminate the world—hmm, not good.

Su Lin turned his head, muttering to the monkey: "Sun Wukong, how should I recite poetry? What do you think of 'Beneath Soul-Shaking Mountain, the King of Hell weeps; Defying Immortality, the Buddha heads west'?"

Meng Qi covered his head: "Stop reciting."

"Master, please don't recite—we're scared." Lu Mingfei even wanted to rush forward and cover Su Lin's mouth.

Why is the other side so cooperative with Su Lin? If he starts playing around, we're all in trouble.

At the peak of Mount Lingshan, in the Great Lei Yinsi Temple, Helbak frowned slightly.

A Buddha?

Does he mean he himself is the World-Honored Tathagata?

Is he implying that Soul-Shaking Mountain ultimately belongs to Lingshan, under his command?

Helbak's eyes narrowed slightly—no wonder he's the leader of the Buddhist sect; no one else can match his eloquence.

He waved his hand and spoke to the group of returning team members behind him: "Help them complete their Western Journey."

Bodhisattva Poxun stepped forward, his form transforming into the Tathagata's true appearance, seated upon a black lotus, surrounded by Great Redemption and Great Wisdom.

Even though his power is restricted by the Nine Cauldrons, he can still manifest great divine abilities—though it consumes immense energy.

A sphere of Buddha-light swelled between his brows, then burst like a soap bubble, vanished like morning dew, flashed like lightning—this was Illusion, Bubble, Dream.

The scene of Mount Lingshan before its calamity reappeared upon the mortal world.

In Helbak's hand, the God of Death's authority transformed into chains, lashing out and wrapping around each Titan's body, briefly restraining them.

In essence, these incomplete Titans are also prisoners of the Underworld, but their immortality and individual strength prevent prolonged control.

At this moment, the entire battlefield held no weapons or combat; immortals, gods, demons, and spirits seized the chance to meditate and ingest pills; the Three Demons of Lion-Camel Ridge flew toward the Great Lei Yinsi Temple on Lingshan, their eyes filled with fear.

Including the Confucian scholar, all beings turned their gaze upon the "Scripture Seeker" below Mount Lingshan.

Upon the golden lotus, Bodhisattva Poxun, perfect in blessing and wisdom, with a pure Dharma body, spoke: "Sak and Benchuan, you two transform into Ananda and Kasyapa, and guide his five disciples into my Great Lei Yinsi Temple."

"Yes." Two Reincarnators, impersonating Ananda and Kasyapa, stepped forward wearing golden monk robes.

They trod upon pure glazed lotuses, emerging from the Pagoda, arriving at the gates of Lei Yinsi Temple from the peak of Lingshan, where the scent of Utpala flowers filled the air, gazing afar as the Scripture Seeker and his disciples walked leisurely toward them.

"Hail, Holy Monk." The two clasped their palms and bowed.

With Mu Yan's warning, they must at least avoid offending the other in details.

"Are you Ananda?"

Sak raised his head and looked ahead.

The one playing Sun Wukong—whether Supreme or Spirit Treasure—swung his black iron rod in his right hand, lightly tapping it against his left palm, as if weighing something.

"Yes." Sak nodded, gesturing with his hand: "Please this way. After meeting the Tathagata, we may speak at length."

"Hey!" Meng Qi hopped forward, imitating the monkey's gait.

Su Lin stopped before Sak.

Sak instantly felt dread—he knew two of his teammates had died in this "Tathagata's" hands, and he feared provoking him now, so he quickly lowered his head.

Su Lin patted the Reincarnator's shaved head gently: "Poor kid, if a fight breaks out later, run far away. Failing the mission? You can try again. Lose your life? It's gone for good."

The other was utterly confused, thinking Su Lin was threatening him; only Su Lin knew that if a fight erupted, Sun Wukong would likely land a critical hit on this Reincarnator.

"With devotion in heart, seeking true fruit; today at last I see the Tathagata." The five arrived before the Mahavira Hall. Su Lin planted his nine-ring staff beside him, held one hand in Buddhist greeting, and asked:

"Tathagata, where are the true scriptures?"

At this point, Su Lin naturally intended to play along until the final act.

Poxun spoke: "Sanzang, let me ask you—"

Boom!

The canopy of the Mahavira Hall shattered, revealing a massive palm print.

"Where are the scriptures?" Su Lin asked with a smile.

Poxun fell silent for a moment, curious what kind of world could produce such a Tathagata Shakyamuni—not even a Buddha, but a demeanor like a street thug in the mortal realm, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

"I have one Treasury of Dharma, speaking of heaven; one Treasury of Treatises, explaining earth; one Treasury of Sutras, guiding ghosts. In total, thirty-five volumes, fifteen thousand one hundred and forty-four scrolls."

Above the Mahavira Hall, auspicious light and radiant aura enveloped a thousand layers; volume after volume of scriptures piled up before Su Lin.

Su Lin and Meng Qi stepped forward, randomly pulling out several texts, flipping through them, confirming these scriptures were usable for cultivation—indeed, complete Buddhist teachings.

Astronomy, geography, people, beasts, flowers, trees—all phenomena of the universe were contained within.

"The goods are fine." Su Lin flipped through a scripture humming with Buddha-chants at quantum speed. "The purity is excellent too."

"Same here—usable for cultivation." Meng Qi nodded, though he felt Su Lin's words were strange.

Thus, the future Great Liang's Lingshan shall truly become the Western Heaven's Lingshan.

Su Lin waved his hand, returning the scriptures to their place, planning to pack them later; his smile returned: "This boundless merit—every being under heaven will surely thank the Buddha Tathagata. Wonderful, wonderful."

Poxun smiled upon hearing "all beings under heaven," and asked: "Sanzang, let me ask you—when beings sink into suffering, fall into hell, endure cruelty, what should the Buddha do?"

"The Buddha pities all beings, receives their incense and offerings, and ought to sacrifice himself to enter the fray." Su Lin replied.

Poxun nodded approvingly: "Good!"

He summoned Kasyapa, who presented before Su Lin a nine-ring staff and four tight-fitting headbands.

"I grieve for the calamities of the heavens, mourn all beings, cannot bear their descent into hell and cruelty—all desires fulfilled are for redemption. The suffering of the Abyss is too great. Tathagata, you must share this great vow." Poxun's demeanor was solemn, his words proclaiming a great vow, his body radiant and pure.

"I beg you to grant this." Helbak rose from his divine throne, stepping past the Death God, and said:

"Since our team was formed, we had eleven members; now only six remain. If we complete this mission, disasters and threats across nine worlds can be eliminated."

"We humbly beg the Dharma Master to act with compassion."

"I know a little about this." Su Lin smiled, pointing to the shadow hidden beneath Helbak's feet: "So, you've become the hidden danger of this world?"

Helbak summoned a cluster of burning souls and said:

"I proposed using the Reincarnation Space's supreme contract to reach an agreement with the world's rulers."

"The collapse of this world into the abyss is now an established fact. After we complete our mission, we will merely use this world as our base, without interfering in their return through reincarnation or suppressing their power."

"You are also a Reincarnator, so you naturally know that in the near future, as long as our team exists, the gap between us and these native deities will only grow wider—I have no regard for them at all."

When Helbak spoke these words, his confidence was absolute, his eyes brimming with unhidden ambition.

"The Hun Tian Di is stubborn, and so are the others." Bodhisattva Po Xun shook his head: "Why must it come to this? You all have your own hardships—they are not demons, but saviors of sentient beings."

Su Lin clapped his hands and praised: "You've got the heart of a Buddha, a brave Buddha—go save the world then."

Helbak, undisturbed by Su Lin's casual attitude, continued: "Feel free to name any conditions. I understand well that there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"How is it that I've heard that upon reaching Lingshan and the Lei Yinsi, there are celestial delicacies, immortal dishes, immortal tea, and rare immortal fruits to serve my disciples and me?" Su Lin turned to Meng Qi and asked: "Sun Wukong, who said that?"

"Probably Wu Cheng'en," Meng Qi said flatly, scratching at lice.

Po Xun clasped his hands together; golden radiant light blazed before his eyes. Several bhikshunis swiftly set up offerings, arranging a feast brimming with celestial delicacies.

Su Lin sat unceremoniously in the main seat and was the first to pick up his chopsticks: "Tastes good—all true immortal food. Disciples, eat together."

He pointed his chopsticks at the other Reincarnator and Po Xun: "Sit down and eat, or the dishes will get cold. And you few hiding there—come out and join us."

From behind the gray stone carved pillars of the hall, several Reincarnator teams emerged, but they merely lined up in two rows and stood silently to the side.

Naturally, aside from the five of them, no one else sat at the table—they stood by, on guard.

After Su Lin and his companions had eaten their fill, Po Xun smiled: "How was it?"

"Tastes good," Su Lin smacked his lips twice, "but it's like smoking a fake Hua Zi—it makes you cough. Not cooked by my imperial chef brother, it sticks in my throat."

The Reincarnator wearing a leopard pelt handed over a pack of cigarettes: "No coughing."

Su Lin glanced at him in surprise: "I don't smoke, I was just using an analogy."

Reincarnators really are a mixed bag.

"What exactly do you find unsatisfactory?" Wei Wu asked.

"Let me think," Su Lin set down his chopsticks and bowl, lifted his tea cup, and blew gently on it.

"In the Tang Dynasty of the East, I didn't like how Yin and Xiao Mu spoke to me—they even threw away my Mahayana Dharma."

Helbak glanced at Mu Yan, said nothing, but caused her to shudder violently.

Wei Wu said seriously: "I apologize on their behalf."

"Can you also apologize to the sentient beings of this world?" Su Lin sipped the immortal tea: "The Buddhist disciples you devoured, the souls reduced to ash, the ordinary people who died in this chaos."

"Go ask them if they accept it."

"Even now, as we speak, you're secretly strengthening yourselves through those souls, aren't you? We eat vegetarian meals—you eat soul-food."

Po Xun smiled: "Shakyamuni, you're still as compassionate as ever. In matters of great right and wrong, there's no need to question the methods of these lay practitioners."

"I am not Shakyamuni." Su Lin raised his stave.

"Master Sanzang," Helbak said gravely: "No matter who you were before, you are now a Reincarnator, and this is not your own world! Do not forget that!"

"Heh." Meng Qi squatted on his chair, tugging at Shi Hao's bloated robe, mocking: "My master made his meaning obvious, yet you still don't get it—you're dumber than this idiot."

"Big brother, I'm gonna beat you later," Shi Hao patted his belly. "My master means: there's more than one way to cook a dish, but yours doesn't suit his taste—he's not happy eating it."

Po Xun sighed: "This is a necessary sacrifice."

"I don't like preaching grand principles—everyone's values differ, like the myriad forms of sentient beings: some see the Tathagata, others see Po Xun." Su Lin set down his tea cup, crossed his leg, and spoke calmly:

"Your mission is the collapse into the abyss, yet you yourself admitted this world is destined to fall into the abyss—isn't that a free win?"

Wei Wu explained: "We need high participation, even to advance the progress, to earn higher evaluations—it affects the resources our team gains upon promotion."

"I understand," Su Lin nodded.

"Resources allow strength; strength allows protection of what you wish to protect. To protect something, you must sacrifice something. From a self-interested view, many things can be sacrificed."

"By the same logic, turning a group of unfamiliar souls into your own nourishment—without touching the interests of higher beings—you're probably wondering why the sages of this world won't cooperate with you."

Su Lin's words echoed what other Reincarnators truly thought, though they believed it was some kind of 'dignity' holding them back.

But then Su Lin shifted tone:

"Suppose a single alien planet's sacrifice could bring progress to countless universes—would you consider that reasonable? They'd simply give everything to advance the myriad realms."

"The only problem is: these sacrificed people have no voice, no power to shape the outcome."

This question

requires little hesitation—if the planet has nothing to do with you, or won't be destroyed along with you.

"Almost got sucked in," Helbak rubbed his forehead, eyes cold:

"Sir, we've shown great sincerity. If you wish to show mercy, why not spare some other world?"

"All you need do is step over here, take this side—I guarantee no further casualties in this world, and I won't touch those immortals or gods."

Li Huowang made a thumbs-up gesture: "I get it. You're still pretending to be merciful."

Su Lin pushed back his chair and stood; everything before him vanished with a soft *pop*.

"Let me put it simply," Su Lin wiped his greasy fingers on his kasaya and looked up:

"I don't like it—that's all. As for your hardships? There are countless people with hardships. Go arrest a few from the imperial prison—they've got their own hardships too."

"The Reincarnation Space, which claims to encompass all, spanning countless universes and timelines, has only one way to save a world? Are you kidding me?"

"See? If you talk about interests, don't talk about principles. If you talk about principles, don't talk about interests. If you want to explain both to me, you're probably trying to PUA me."

After Su Lin spoke, those beside him also took stance, stepping back behind him.

"Can't you just complete your mission and leave?" Wei Wu asked, unwilling to yield.

"Aren't I completing my mission?" Su Lin's lips curled into a faint smile: "The journey to the West isn't over yet."

Po Xun said: "Then you are Master Sanzang. Master Sanzang preaches compassion—but you don't. How will you obtain the true sutras?"

Likewise, those sutras vanished as well.

But Po Xun froze—he realized the Buddhist-desire mixture flowing into Su Lin's body had vanished without a trace, like a stone dropped into the ocean.

The hall radiated auroras; eaves spewed violet flames; white cranes, auspicious omens, flew over the peak of Lingshan.

Without any warning, light suddenly exploded!

Amidst rainfalls of exquisitely gorgeous purple flames, thunderous voices rang out across heaven and earth:

"Tang Sanzang! Do you truly intend to let this world—and others—sink into ruin?!"

"Do you have the heart to let all beings suffer in the Avīci Hell?!"

"Have you forgotten the five hundred great vows you once made to save all sentient beings?!"

The five hundred great original vows were those made by Śākyamuni Buddha in his past life as the Brahmin Treasure Sea, before the Buddha of Treasures.

The light gradually faded; Mount Lingshan lay in ruins. Above the central peak of Great Lei Yinsi, a monk clad in luxurious purple robes gripped his staff and slammed down a series of Buddhist seals with his right hand.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each strike sent forth torrents of multicolored meteoric fire; the shockwaves rippled through the void. Above the sacred monastery, a vast black lotus loomed—chaotic, illusory, flickering between existence and nonexistence. Several streams of the Nether River surged like dragon serpents toward the heavens, sealing off the space.

"Sanzang? Wrong."

Su Lin halted his motion. Purest white Buddhist script coalesced; a radiant halo, symbolizing countless salvific merits, appeared behind his head. Layer upon layer of Sanskrit chants rose, their grand, solemn resonance echoing in every corner of heaven and earth.

"Since all sentient beings suffer, then—"

A colossal Buddha form towered over the mortal realm, one hand pointing to heaven, the other to earth, embodying supreme self-sovereignty:

"This monk, Tang Sanzang, buries heaven, buries earth, buries all sentient beings!"