Chapter 490: Defense Level Su Lin

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The entire Lingshan was covered in thunderbolts resembling coiled dragons; ancient, gong-like Sanskrit chants shook the heavens, and the Buddha standing atop the ultimate peak of the cosmos, whose very sight seemed to reveal one's true nature, brought down a palm.

Ripples surged, liberating countless souls, dispelling the extreme cold of the River of the Underworld, until meeting the palm of Bodhisattva Po Xun atop Lingshan!

The radiant Buddhist chants nearly obliterated all else; had this place not been protected by a great transcendent, even the residual waves would have caused countless deaths.

But the current situation is somewhat strange.

The scripture-seeker who speaks of "Three Zang" repeatedly unleashed the Buddha's Divine Palm; his Buddhist power was vast and tyrannical, each palm strike carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth, while Po Xun spat out concepts of "all sentient beings," "great righteousness," and "compassion," his voice brimming with confusion and doubt.

Who is the enemy?

Did Jin Chanzi ever act this arrogantly before?

Two Buddhas stood side by side; to the immortals, gods, demons, and monsters who had once witnessed the Western Heaven's World-Honored One manifest, both appeared to be the Tathagata.

The difference lay in that each stood upon a lotus—one golden, one black—both fused with the earth, both radiating myriad beams of light, flooding the world with Buddhist radiance, dispelling darkness, and containing countless truths of the Dao.

"Do you think the Heavenly Court is any better?!" Heibalake gripped the chains binding the Titans; with a violent swing, the divine chains shattered inch by inch, and the Titans regained their freedom, rampaging across the earth.

Instantly, the sounds of clashing weapons and battle cries rose again across the entire battlefield.

"Didn't they tell you the original scripture-seekers are all dead?" Po Xun slammed out a palm; he sensed Su Lin's Buddhist cultivation was incomplete, his spiritual power inferior—his eyes held not a trace of tension:

"The Heavenly Emperor's scheming runs deeper than you can imagine; every outsider is within the Heavenly Court's calculations!"

"Have you ever considered that, knowing each cycle's scripture-seeker is an outsider, why do they still send them to seek aid from the Heavenly Court? And why must they go to the Heavenly Court to receive help?!"

"Speak," Su Lin formed five dharma seals with his fingers and asked: "Are you suggesting they plan to possess us through the scripture-seeker?"

Po Xun nodded, glancing with faint mockery toward the ancient book high above, and said:

"Heavenly Emperor! Don't think we don't know—beneath the Lingxiao Palace, the last fragments of true spirit of Sanzang and the others are hidden there! For these dozens of western journeys, you've waited for this moment without cease!"

The ancient book gave no response, only occasionally flipping its pages, emitting power to counteract the historical shifts brought by the Annals of Time.

Po Xun looked at Su Lin and said:

"What does it matter if your origins are extraordinary? If you insist on aiding this world in completing the western journey, the countless fortunes and merits accumulated over ten thousand eons will fall upon the true 'Tang Sanzang' and others.

"Defying life and death, stabilizing heaven and earth! At that moment, even the Saints arriving together could not resist this karmic retribution!"

"Did your world's western journey ever involve such horrifying schemes?!"

Su Lin turned his gaze toward Tai Bai Jin Xing, who offered him a bitter smile and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Po Xun summoned the nine-ringed staff and golden circlet prepared by his side, letting them float before Su Lin.

"The world truly holds countless heroes," Su Lin praised, turned back to Po Xun, and waved his hand—the nine-ringed staff and golden circlet settled into his palm.

At that moment, Heibalake and the others froze mid-attack; the battlefield's atmosphere plummeted to absolute zero.

Crack!

The Buddha's palm clenched—everything within it shattered into nothing, not a single fragment remained!

"You?!"

"If you have ulterior motives, then bury this world."

Su Lin gazed at the ancient book high above and shouted:

"What are you waiting for? Lingshan has arrived—the ninety-nine trials now have only one left!"

Ten thousand beams of golden light rolled like crimson rainbows; auspicious qi streamed in a thousand threads, spewing purple mist.

Deep green, brilliantly shining—the Southern Heavenly Gate, crafted from lapis lazuli and adorned with precious jade.

Five figures, like radiant clouds reflecting heavenly light, stepped forth, transforming into streaks of light that flew toward the west.

Inside the Tang imperial palace.

Emperor Tang Li Shimin, as if foreknowing, caught a palace maid who had stumbled, and before she could panic and kneel, he grasped her arm and lifted her up, then brushed his embroidered robe and walked forward.

Suddenly, he raised his head, sensing something—golden pages descended from the night sky like falling celestial gold, an auspicious omen beyond measure.

Li Shimin's pupils shrank sharply; amid the snowfall of pages, he saw a monk riding westward on horseback—yet in an instant, he vanished, swallowed by golden radiance.

"Imperial Brother"

Outside Fuling Plain, Gao's Village.

Gao Cuilan woke from a daze, thirsty, and rose to pour herself a cup of water.

"Young Lady!" The maid rushed in, pushing the door open.

Gao Cuilan's teapot trembled. "What's the rush?"

"The fields of Gao's Village have all been plowed by strangers!" The maid's eyes were wide with shock: "And our home was robbed—everything to eat is gone!"

"Everything to eat is gone?" Gao Cuilan blinked, confused by what this meant.

She set down the teapot, but her hand froze mid-air.

On the table lay a plate—two steamed buns, one of them bitten into, leaving tooth marks.

"Young Lady, why are you about to cry?"

Five streaks of light flew into Tianzhu; Heibalake gritted his teeth, straining every ounce of power to summon authority over souls.

"That's not a soul!"

Po Xun unleashed his divine power to seize the five streaks—but his hands closed on emptiness, as if they were illusions. He opened his mouth in shock: "No true spirit—only memories?!"

Su Lin raised his palm and released Meng Qi and the others he had absorbed; as if finding their target, four white rainbows plummeted, stirring up colossal waves, while one split into two—one flew into the pile of bones outside Lingshan.

Only now did the final trial of the western journey—the one Tang Sanzang's party never completed—officially begin!

Ninety-nine trials: nine is the ultimate; ninety-nine returns to one; one is the origin, the true essence.

Ninety-nine returning to truth means returning to the origin.

The final trial does not end at Lingshan, but during the return to Tang, when they encounter the old turtle of the Tongtian River's question.

"Turtle" sounds like "origin"; it asks whether Tang Sanzang has forgotten his original heart and intention—if he has, he must face a trial, bearing the consequence of forgetting his original aspiration.

Light rising from the Nine Cauldrons enveloped the earth, covering Shenzhou; the lingering souls within the cauldrons swayed, flickering uncertainly.

Then, the stars of the Zhou Tian network descended, their radiance sweeping across heaven and earth like an ocean.

Something latent, invisible, was quietly activating.

Boom—boom—boom

Beside his ear came the sound of a wooden fish being struck. Su Lin turned to look; all around was a boundless space, both pure white and pitch black, where a monk—eight-tenths as handsome as himself—chanted sutras.

Su Lin glanced at the Tianhe Battle Robe on his body and walked toward the monk.

"This humble monk is Master Sanzang, paying homage to the Heavenly Buddha." Tang Sanzang set down his mallet and smiled at Su Lin: "If this world's Buddha were the same as the Heavenly Buddha, I would never dare fall asleep while listening to sutras on Lingshan."

Su Lin said: "I never preach on Lingshan."

Tang Sanzang froze, a bitter expression spreading across his face: "There's such a thing? The Golden Cicada of another world truly envies this humble monk."

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"There's no Golden Cicada on my side," Su Lin raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you come over? I'll enfeoff you as the Bodhisattva of Sandalwood Merit?"

"This humble monk has cultivated through ten lifetimes without encountering a true master—this is a great regret," Tang Sanzang sighed and shook his head. "Too late, too late."

A thread of Buddhist light began to seep from Tang Sanzang's body, drifting toward Su Lin, like silk being unwound.

"Though I am no longer the original, I still have one question—could the Heavenly Buddha answer this humble monk?"

"Venerable Saint, please speak."

Su Lin could plainly see that the Tang Sanzang before him was merely a memory—devoid of soul.

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands and smiled: "How does the Heavenly Buddha view the beings of this world?"

"Though my time here has been brief, I have observed all along: beings remain beings," Su Lin thought for a moment and said. "Yet in this world, Buddhist practitioners may enter nirvana for the sake of beings; immortals and gods may forsake immortality; those in high places may lead from the front, sacrificing their bodies to mend heaven, refusing rebirth."

The Reincarnation Realm only demands they complete the Western Journey; the Soul-Sweeping Team seeks merit and fortune. Excluding some tests and displeasure, there ought to be no conflict.

But from Chang'an all the way to Lingshan, what Su Lin and the others encountered left them with no ill will toward this world's Heavenly Court or Buddhist sect.

Shi Hao may have felt Zhu Bajie was loyal and affectionate, or perhaps he saw echoes of certain people in Zhu Bajie's dealings with Gao Cuilan—so he was willing to lend a hand.

Meng Qi is now, in effect, the Three Pure Ones of this world, and through karmic ties, he has firmly established the team.

And for Su Lin, what truly tipped the scales was Shituo Ridge—or rather, Corpse Camel Forest—once the final resting place of a group of Buddhist nuns, where the original Prabhutaratna Buddha abandoned the Buddha throne and poured all his cultivation into this land to forge a "lock."

These Reincarnation seekers believed the higher beings of this world acted out of dignity—but it had nothing to do with dignity at all.

It was simply because

They harmed the Pilgrims in this world; they devoured souls in this world; they caused suffering to all living beings in this world.

That was all.

Hence the Heavenly Court refused to cooperate with them; Hun Tian Di would rather forfeit the chance of reincarnation than entrust the beings of this world to the Soul-Sweeping Team.

No conspiracy theories, no complex scheming—it was as if returning to childhood, matching the earliest impression from books of immortals and gods: protecting all beings.

This is why Su Lin chose to stand with the native forces of this world.

"Heavenly Buddha, it is not that immortals and Buddhas protect beings—rather," Master Sanzang smiled faintly, "even these countless immortals and Buddhas are beings themselves."

Thus, despite his dissatisfaction with the Buddhist arrangements, the Golden Cicada was willing to become the Pilgrim.

"I have learned," Su Lin nodded, clasped his hands, and bowed in return.

He shed the Tianhe Battle Robe; before his eyes, Tang Sanzang dissolved into threads of light, merging into the Nine-Ringed Staff and Brocade Dharma Robe—then both items gradually faded into light, flowing into Su Lin's body.

"Amitabha."

"Heh, paying homage to the Tianzun," the monkey scratched his head and bowed.

Meng Qi looked toward the monkey and smiled: "Great Sage."

"Didn't expect the Tianzun and I to be so fated," Sun Wukong pointed at the Ruyi Jingu Bang in Meng Qi's hand and grinned. "Please treat my treasure well, Tianzun."

Meng Qi fell silent for a moment, then asked: "Do you still have any unfulfilled wishes?"

"When I was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain, I had many. Now? Heh heh—heh. None." Sun Wukong stepped closer to Meng Qi and performed a clumsy Buddhist gesture:

"All I want is for the monkeys and apes of Huaguo Mountain to be happy every day."

"Tianzun, nothing under heaven is ever perfect—after all, even heaven itself is missing a piece. Heaven and earth are incomplete; the impermanence of all things is beyond our foresight."

Sun Wukong pointed upward.

"Great completion appears incomplete; fullness cannot last," Meng Qi realized.

Sun Wukong dissolved into a beam of light and flowed into the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Meng Qi sat cross-legged, absorbing the memories; a powerful spiritual force surged from the Ruyi Jingu Bang, flowing into every one of his acupoints.

"Why is this pig's fate so miserable?! Cuilan! Cuilan!!!"

Shi Hao covered his ears, staring at the pig-headed, human-bodied Zhu Bajie, his face filled with helplessness.

After wailing for a long while, Zhu Bajie stopped, wiped his snot and tears, and lunged toward Shi Hao.

"You're sure?" Shi Hao raised the Dala Sword Embryo in his hand.

"I just wanted to thank you," Zhu Bajie chuckled awkwardly, then licked his lips and rubbed his hands. "The food you've eaten on this journey is way better than what I had back then."

Shi Hao, hearing this, pulled out the leftover Devil Earl Roast Lamb and asked: "Want some?"

"No way! How can this be?!" Zhu Bajie bit into the lamb, his face glowing with bliss.

But Shi Hao's expression was strange—he too could taste the flavor.

The power within Shi Hao surged higher; the Dao's laws swirled around him, crowning him at the center.

Is he about to breakthrough?!

A white dragon coiled on the ground; golden scales covered its entire body, silver whiskers sprouted beneath its jaw, auspicious aura radiated from it, five-clawed auspicious clouds swirling—yet it looked bored.

Lu Mingfei stared at it; it stared back at Lu Mingfei.

"Buddy, say something," Lu Mingfei ventured.

The white dragon spoke: "I miss my father and mother."

Scenes flashed through Lu Mingfei's mind: young White Dragon playing in the palace; being goaded into playing real fire, burning the Pearl of Brightness; then tricked into waiting at Ying Jian Chou.

Year after year, he was alone at the bottom of the water, hoping his family would come to visit him.

The familiar feeling of loneliness washed over him in layers.

"We're actually quite alike," Lu Mingfei clicked his tongue.

"It's not so bad," the White Dragon raised his head to look elsewhere and said, "My master and senior brothers have been kind to me; I've been happy these last fourteen years."

Every time they roasted a demon, Tang Seng would make him taste it first for poison, but everyone knew full well no demon could poison a dragon.

Although sometimes his master acted recklessly, deliberately provoking demons for fun, and even after being captured, did nothing but watch them panic in delight.

"We're really alike," Lu Mingfei groaned, covering his face. "You've had it tough too."

"Sigh." x "In my youth, wandering through heaven and earth, I met a true immortal who taught me the Dao, cultivated three thousand merits, and became a transcendent."

"Three thousand years—I began as a mortal and cultivated for three thousand years! And all because I shattered a glass cup, I was banished to Liushahe."

"If you wanted me to descend to the mortal realm to fetch the scriptures, just say so! What a pathetic excuse—fiddling with a common glass cup that any mortal could break with a little force, calling it a rare treasure? Nonsense!"

"Why don't you say I stepped into the Lingxiao Palace with my left foot first, and that's why you punished me to Liushahe?!"

Sha Wujing ranted, shouting angrily toward a certain direction, his words fierce, rivaling Li Huowang's training in Zu'an.

Li Huowang and Han Li exchanged glances; Li Huowang asked, "Liu Li Ge, why are you here too? Didn't I come to play Sha Wujing?"

Han Li shook his head and said, "Don't mind it."

If there was any danger here, they could still watch out for each other; even though the chat group protected their minds, none of them feared soul possession at all.

That was the highest-level soul defense—still preserving a member's self-awareness and ability to send messages even after seeing Su Lin's true form.