Chapter 790: Bringing Shame to the Sect

"What I did—was it wrong?" Gaocuilán's voice was shrill.

She knew why Zhu Bajie, after leaving, was dragged back by a group of heavenly soldiers and generals, śrāmaṇeras and arhats.

It was because Sun Wukong, that demon monkey, beat the Tang monk to death with one blow of his staff.

Zhu Bajie failed to protect the pilgrim on the journey, so he was punished.

The gods and buddhas feared soiling their hands, appearing unkind, so they used the people of Gao's Village to punish Zhu Bajie.

They did not kill the pig, but they destroyed his heart.

At whom should Gaocuilán vent her resentment?

Those lofty gods and buddhas? The act of killing the master implicated Zhu Bajie, and the demon monkey of Gao's Village?

Or perhaps, all of it?

"I'm just saying—what's the point?" Tang Luo remained very calm.

Taking revenge—no grudge held.

Though the target of blame was severely off, after being tortured so long, his nature twisted, resenting everyone involved—it was not surprising.

"Look at you—you've made yourself like this. Originally, you could have lived decades more; now at most one or two years of lifespan remain. Most importantly—you haven't taken revenge yet."

"As the saying goes, grievances have heads, debts have owners. You must first clarify: who is the enemy, and who can be united with."

"Form a united front, jointly resist the true enemy—that is basic."

"You haven't even figured out the most basic thing, yet you rush to sacrifice half your life—why bother?"

Hearing Tang Luo's words, Gaocuilán merely coldly laughed.

"And one more thing—I said earlier: weakness is original sin, at least in this world. You are so weak, whatever you do is wrong."

Tang Luo spoke in a faint tone, and Gaocuilán's cold laugh vanished on the spot.

Ao Yu beside her also felt deeply.

If she could grow stronger, able to subdue the entire West Sea Dragon Clan, even as a daughter—what would it matter?

If the entire West Sea Dragon Clan spoke as one, what could Heaven's Court do?

Strength is the hard truth.

"Look, I have a copy of the Seventy-Two Transformations here—want to learn it?" Tang Luo shifted tone, snatched the Seventy-Two Transformations Sun Wu had thrown to the ground, and waved it before Gaocuilán.

"What?" Gaocuilán stared blankly.

Ao Yu and Tang Seng beside her also froze—what was happening?

"Want to learn?" Tang Luo asked.

"Can I learn?" Gaocuilán said, somewhat dazed.

"Of course," Tang Luo said. "Everyone can learn. Come, come, let's look together—even if you don't master it, it can still boost your strength, beneficial."

"Venerable, can we learn?" Tang Seng said, somewhat shocked.

This is a cultivation method from the hands of the Victorious Fighting Buddha— in his mind, it differs from the legendary true scripture by only one level.

A treasure one might encounter but never seek—Sun Wu is fated to possess it; perhaps in a past life he was a Buddhist (or immortal) being, hence able to learn it.

Who would have thought—without enduring any hardship or obstacle, without truly setting foot on the westward journey, they too could learn?

"Of course—when I first handed it to you, didn't I say you could look if interested?" Tang Luo said.

"..."

Tang Seng said nothing, thinking it was a test.

And even if it weren't a test, how could he be the type to sneak a peek?

"Learn!"

The long-legged, beautiful elder sister, Ao Yu, was indeed the fiercest among them—she immediately took the Seventy-Two Transformations and began reading.

"I thought you were in league with those gods and buddhas," Gaocuilán said.

There, Tang Seng furrowed his brow, suddenly feeling something was off—what did "in league with gods and buddhas" mean?

Had he been drawn into some great conspiracy?

"Zhìshēn."

"Here." The contemplative Tang Seng instinctively stepped forward to listen—no way, that day Tang Luo's true Buddha descended into the world, leaving too deep an impression on him.

Moreover, journeying to the West to obtain scriptures—this is the greatest mission for one who has left home!

"Let's learn together. On this journey to the West, the road is long and arduous; with your current ability, you won't get five meters before being beaten to death—you must learn."

"Yes, Venerable!" Tang Seng nodded earnestly.

Anyway, he must go to the West to obtain scriptures—this will never change.

"Wùjìng, will you learn?" Tang Luo walked to Sha Wujing's side.

"Pūlū pūlū."

"No need to learn—no matter, keep blowing your bubbles," Tang Luo said with a kind smile.

Like a father caring for his intellectually disabled son.

"Do you understand what he's saying?" Ao Yu couldn't help but lift her head and say.

The Seventy-Two Transformations aren't that easy to learn—she looked for a while, felt each sentence was so simple, yet also felt the Great Way is simplest, and in a daze, a flood of information washed over, making her somewhat dizzy.

She had to temporarily stop.

"Feel with your heart, listen with your ears," Tang Luo said. "Then you'll understand."

Ao Yu shook her head—this point she couldn't grasp—and, pointing like a sword, simply wrote the outline of the Seventy-Two Transformations on the ground, convenient for Tang Seng and Gaocuilán to see.

At the same time, it counts as another way of learning and cultivating.

Sun Wu still curled into a ball, not yet awakened.

Tang Luo walked to the side of the soft sedan, lifted the curtain: "Madam Sun, come out and chat."

"Who exactly are you?" By this time, Bai Gujing no longer had the frailty of their first meeting; on the contrary, her face was cold and stern yet carried helplessness and misery.

Only when she glanced toward Sun Wu through the small window would a trace of gentleness surface.

"I should be the one asking that, White Bone Lady." Tang Luo smiled.

The latter form of address made Bai Gujing's expression change slightly.

"Ha, guessed right." Tang Luo clapped his hands and laughed, "Interesting. While Wukong hasn't woken yet, make it quick — tell me what happened during the scripture-fetching journey back then."

Bai Gujing really was the White Bone Spirit; to tell the truth, Tang Luo hadn't expected it at first.

The demonic qi on her body — even now, face to face, Tang Luo couldn't sense much of it.

Only by calming his mind to perceive could he feel a few faint, barely-there traces.

Conversely, the White Bone Spirit's weakness was real.

A demon weakened to this degree left Tang Luo very disappointed.

The White Bone Spirit encountered in the Mountains and Seas Realm was not a character like "Bai Jingjing."

She was a simple, unpretentious demon, fond of blood and flesh, especially fond of eating humans, single-mindedly wanting to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh.

Her strength wasn't great, but her schemes were many; a crafty rabbit has three burrows, she had countless avatars, excelled at transformation, and was hard to kill.

She counted as a rare demon on the westward journey that Tang Luo had to use wit to deal with.

At first, knowing Sun Wu had a wife, Tang Luo merely thought Sun Wukong had awakened to love, dreaming a youth's dream.

Then the White Bone Spirit saw him, and her reaction was extremely intense.

So Tang Luo had a sliver of suspicion, and now a casual probe tricked it out.

Who told you to have such a similar name?

If not for this name, Tang Luo might have probed "Zixia" instead.

The story of A Chinese Odyssey, Tang Luo had told it, Sun Wukong had heard it, and even mocked it a bunch.

Zixia appearing wouldn't surprise Tang Luo either.

"Why won't you let him go? He doesn't remember anything anymore. We just want to live quietly — can't we?" The White Bone Spirit answered irrelevantly, "It's all my fault. If you want to torment someone, torment me!"

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, body like dark iron, peerless under heaven, awe shaking the eight directions.

Among the demon race there were Seven Great Sages; the latest to "achieve the Dao," clearly the youngest brother, Sun Wukong, in terms of strength ranked first among the Seven Great Sages.

In demon prestige, he even surpassed the Bull Demon King who had been famous for long.

All demons under heaven regarded him as the idol in their hearts.

As a mere minor spirit, the White Bone Lady had "from childhood" grown up "listening" to Sun Wukong's stories.

Even when Sun Wukong failed against those gods and buddhas, was pressed under Five Elements Mountain, her devoted heart did not change.

She felt he was the demon race's banner, forever never to fall.

So, hearing Sun Wukong had become a lackey of gods and buddhas, had to protect a monk to go west to fetch scriptures, the pain in the White Bone Spirit's heart was indescribable.

He was clearly a towering great hero, yet now he put on shackles and chains to be a dog?

The White Bone Spirit absolutely refused to accept it!

Secretly drawing near, observing, the White Bone Spirit delightedly discovered Sun Wukong hadn't truly become a lackey.

He was merely enduring, accumulating strength.

He and those so-called master and junior brothers were completely incompatible.

The White Bone Spirit immediately resolved: she must make Sun Wukong break free of the shackles, return to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of old.

Thus came the scheme of the Three Strikes Against the White Bone Spirit.

The White Bone Spirit succeeded; the furious Sun Wukong swung his staff at that nagging, stinking monk.

The two sides formally broke.

But the White Bone Spirit also failed.

The one she imagined — the legendary figure who led all demons to storm the Heavenly Court, turn the Heavenly Court upside down, the Great Sage who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace — did not return.

Sun Wukong was captured, almost executed.

Fortunately that dying monk spoke up, saved the other, the two reincarnated together, underwent tribulations, then resumed the scripture-fetching bond.

As the chief culprit of this affair, the White Bone Spirit didn't die.

Those gods and buddhas didn't even spare her a second glance; the life and death of such a minor character, they fundamentally didn't take to heart.

Having done wrong, in incomparable pain, the White Bone Spirit from then on embarked on the road of searching for Sun Wukong.

She searched and searched, found Sun Wukong's reincarnation, accompanied him — one life, two lives, three lives, four lives...

The White Bone Spirit has accompanied Sun Wukong; this is now the seventh life.

Of course, before the White Bone Spirit found him, how many times Sun Wukong reincarnated and what sufferings he endured — she doesn't know, and isn't willing to think about.

For many years, to find Sun Wukong, save Sun Wukong, she was constantly injured, never had any cultivation, injuries accumulated severely, weak beyond measure.

Now, her life is also about to reach its end.

Only a few years of time remain.

This life is the longest she has accompanied Sun Wukong, and also the most peaceful and tranquil period.

When the White Bone Spirit saw Tang Luo, she instinctively trembled to the extreme.

She truly didn't know who Tang Luo was, only sensed Tang Luo's danger, so she spoke to drive him away — even the White Bone Spirit herself didn't know if it would have any use.

Fortunately, after waking, the other party had already left.

However, happiness is always that brief.

"He's suffered enough already. Please, let him go." The White Bone Spirit's words were somewhat disjointed, mixed with various pleas for mercy.

But through guesswork, Tang Luo still pieced together the general situation.

He smiled: "Truly interesting. Before you hoped he'd keep resisting, now you want him to keep being a mortal. Regret teaching your husband to seek a marquis title?"

"My fault, all my fault, every mistake is mine." The White Bone Demon repeated her apology over and over.

"Since you know you're wrong, just stand there obediently, and from now on listen to me..."

Tang Luo's words had just fallen when a vast, surging power erupted.

The small sedan chair shook violently, and the White Bone Demon saw a figure leap up, smashing a fist toward this side.

The target was shockingly none other than Tang Luo!

That figure leaping high blocked out the sun, golden sunlight spilling over him as if he had donned golden armor.

In a trance, the White Bone Demon seemed to see the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of that year reappear.

"Smack!"

Sun Wu was slapped to the ground by Tang Luo, prostrating fully.

He simply couldn't get up.

"How pathetic, like Little White Dragon." Tang Luo said with dissatisfaction, "Now it's your turn to disgrace the sect?"