Chapter 698: Increase the Stakes! Seize the Buddhist Legacy!

Otherwise, he could not possibly prevent the Journey to the West from continuing.

Sun Wukong is indeed in his hands, but the Journey to the West can still proceed without him.

All that's needed is to substitute someone similar, or simply use a fake Sun Wukong.

Buddhism is certainly capable of such a thing.

At present, Luo Fu does not wish to overturn the entire board, so he must allow the Journey to the West to begin.

Yet Luo Fu is unwilling to let Buddhism proceed smoothly with the Journey to the West.

Thus, he devised this plan. What is the purpose of the Journey to the West? The scripture-seeking team travels west to obtain the true sutras, so that Buddhism may flourish in the East.

The Heavenly Dao's grand trend is the same: the eastward transmission of Buddhist teachings, Buddhism's flourishing in the East.

Since the scripture-seeking team departs from the East to journey west for the sutras, why not turn obtaining the true sutras into seizing them instead?

The eastward transmission of Buddhist teachings need not mean Buddhism brings its teachings to the East.

It could also mean the East seizes the teachings back and incorporates them for its own use.

In this way, it would not truly violate the Heavenly Dao's grand trend.

At least, not on the surface.

After hearing Luo Fu's more detailed explanation, Daoist Randeng fell silent; this condition was not within his power to decide.

Noticing Daoist Randeng's silence, Luo Fu paid it no mind and continued speaking:

"This is a wager between me and your Buddhism: whether your Buddhism can stop the scripture-seekers. I not only promise not to intervene personally, but will also put up stakes."

As he spoke, Luo Fu flipped his right hand and produced a black lotus—the Twelve-Petaled World-Ending Black Lotus he had just acquired.

Yet there was a difference: the World-Ending Black Lotus in Luo Fu's hand now bore only nine petals.

This was done deliberately by Luo Fu.