Chapter 123

Seeing the doubt in Sun Wukong's eyes, the turtle chancellor smiled; he didn't speak in riddles—he merely waved his hand, and a set of golden chainmail armor and a rod shining with golden light appeared before Sun Wukong.

"What is this?" Upon seeing the equipment, Sun Wukong's eyes widened.

"This set of golden chainmail armor is a greeting gift from my Dragon Palace; as for this golden hoop rod, it was sent from Mount Shouyang." The turtle chancellor said to Sun Wukong.

"Mount Shouyang, Master!" Upon hearing those three words, a trace of nostalgia appeared in Sun Wukong's eyes.

"Thank you!" Sun Wukong clasped his hands toward the turtle chancellor.

"You're welcome, it's nothing; this old man will take his leave now." The turtle chancellor clasped his hands.

"Take care! If the opportunity arises, this old monkey will go to the Dragon Palace as a guest." Sun Wukong said to the turtle chancellor.

"Then we'll be looking forward to your arrival!" The turtle chancellor smiled.

After the turtle chancellor left, Sun Wukong waved his hand, and the golden chainmail armor appeared on his body; then he beckoned, and the golden hoop rod appeared in his hand.

After doing all that, Sun Wukong condensed a mirror before himself, looked at his reflection, and a smile appeared on his face—handsome, extremely handsome.

"But to unleash the full power of this equipment, I'll probably need to wait a while." After admiring it for a moment, Sun Wukong muttered to himself.

In the following time, Sun Wukong began training the monkeys of Mount Huaguo, mainly because he was bored, so he thought of unifying Mount Huaguo; thereafter, on this Mount Huaguo, the monkey clan would have the final say.

Under Sun Wukong's leadership, it took only three years to unify the entire Mount Huaguo; then Sun Wukong went into closed-door cultivation, for there was nothing else to do—if he didn't cultivate, he would surely go out to look around, which would disrupt his master's plans and get him schemed against, a loss not worth the gain.

After Sun Wukong entered closed-door cultivation, Jin Chanzi also began cultivating; his cultivation was actually not led by Panhuang and them, but by Guanyin.

When Panhuang and Princess Yinhe learned of this, a thoughtful smile appeared on their faces.

Since Guanyin has intervened, it will be easier for Panhuang and them to carry out their plans.

"Princess Yinhe, since Guanyin has intervened, our room for maneuver has increased; my idea is this," Panhuang said to Princess Yinhe.

"Alright! Leave it to this palace! After all, this palace finds it more convenient to operate." Princess Yinhe nodded.

After handing Jin Chanzi's affairs to Princess Yinhe, Panhuang again loafed around, mainly because the founding of the Tang Dynasty was still several centuries away; during this time there really was nothing to scheme in the wilderness, so what else could he do but loaf?

"How boring!" Panhuang lay on the throne of the Shenguang Hall and muttered to himself.

"Why not go take a look at the Divine Continent?" Panhuang suddenly sat up.

The next second, Panhuang vanished from the throne; when he reappeared, he was already outside the Divine Continent.

Now the Divine Continent has completely lost contact with the other four continents; the barrier outside it cannot be broken by ordinary people, and even a quasi-sage would find it difficult to enter the Divine Continent.

Yet Panhuang can enter easily, because he is the only Wu Clan member still living in the wilderness aside from the Wu Clan within the Divine Continent.

Paying respects to the Ancestor Witch, Your Excellency! After Panhuang entered Dizhou and went to Pangu Hall, the Wu Clan in Pangu Hall saw Panhuang and all bowed.

No need for much ceremony! Panhuang waved his hand.

After he entered the rear hall of Pangu Hall, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes, because he discovered that a thread of life's fluctuation had actually appeared on the Pangu statue; although this fluctuation was very weak, it was indeed a life fluctuation.

Besides this life fluctuation, several faint red blood lines extended from the blood pool and were stuck onto the body of the Pangu statue.

"Hiss!!! What is this?" A thought arose in Panhuang's mind.

As soon as this thought appeared, Panhuang denied it, but the next second it reappeared in his mind, impossible to dispel.

"If that's the case, then I need to go to the Three Pure Ones and obtain a strand of their primordial spirit source." Looking at the Pangu statue before him, Panhuang muttered to himself.

After observing the Pangu statue and the blood pool for a long time, Panhuang confirmed his idea: the Pangu statue shows signs of revival; if this continues, Pangu is very likely to be resurrected.

However, the Pangu statue now lacks a crucial element: the primordial spirit source. The blood pool can provide essence blood, but cannot provide the primordial spirit source; if we could obtain their primordial spirit from the Three Pure Ones, perhaps we could hasten Pangu's revival.

"The primary task now is to obtain the primordial spirit of the Three Pure Ones." Panhuang said with a smile.

After saying that, Panhuang left the rear hall of Pangu Hall; as he left, he waved his hand and set up a barrier in that rear hall, so that no one could enter.

After leaving Pangu Hall, Panhuang caught up with the Wu Clan of Dizhou, exchanged pleasantries, and then departed; he now needs to hurry to find the Three Pure Ones, obtain their primordial spirit, and once he has it, Pangu the Father God will be able to revive.

Panhuang's first stop was the dojo of Yuanshi Tianzun; facing Yuanshi Tianzun, Panhuang directly used force, fought him, and then forcibly extracted a strand of Yuanshi Tianzun's primordial spirit source, which caused Yuanshi Tianzun to suffer heavy injuries.

After leaving Yuanshi Tianzun, Panhuang went to Tongtian Jiaozhu; he threatened Tongtian Jiaozhu with the orthodoxy of the Jie Sect, and also obtained a strand of primordial spirit source from him; before leaving, Panhuang told Tongtian Jiaozhu that he would help Tongtian Jiaozhu discipline Duobao; Tongtian Jiaozhu said nothing and directly sealed his own dojo.

The third stop was Laozi; Panhuang told Laozi that he could support the Demon Race, letting it grow strong again, but the condition was a strand of primordial spirit source.

In this lifetime, Laozi's days were the most comfortable among the Three Pure Ones; after the Great Golden Crow became the Jade Emperor, the fortune of the demonic teachings under Laozi's control increased greatly, which also slightly increased Laozi's strength.

Therefore, after hearing Panhuang's condition, Laozi merely pondered for a moment, then agreed to Panhuang's condition and gave out a strand of his own primordial spirit source.

"Daoist friend Laozi, rest assured, your Demon Race will surely grow strong." Panhuang said to Laozi, then left Laozi's dojo.

After returning to the Wasteland, Panhuang once again came to the Pangu Hall of Central Dizhou; upon entering the rear hall, he injected the primordial spirit of the Three Pure Ones that he had obtained into the Pangu statue.

When the primordial spirit of the Three Pure Ones entered the Pangu statue, the statue trembled slightly; at the same time, its weak life force suddenly became much more vigorous, and within this vigorous life force, Panhuang felt a spirituality that had not been there before.

"It seems this is true; Pangu the Father God may hope to revive." Feeling this spirituality, Panhuang said excitedly.

After observing the rear hall for a while and finding nothing abnormal, Panhuang left Pangu Hall.

After returning to Shenghuang Hall, Panhuang's excited feelings could not be calmed; after all, that is Pangu, the creator of the Wasteland; originally he was the spirit of the Pangu axe, later he became the thirteenth Ancestor Witch of the Wu Clan; whether as axe spirit or Ancestor Witch, he is inseparably linked to Pangu, so how could Panhuang not be excited!

"Husband, your mood has been good these days!" Xihe said to Panhuang.

"Not bad, my mood has indeed been not bad lately." Panhuang smiled.

Panhuang did not tell them why he was happy; Xihe and Changxi, upon hearing that Panhuang had not told them the reason for his happiness, also did not continue discussing the topic.

Since learning that Pangu was preparing to revive, Panhuang's visits to Central Dizhou became more frequent; each time he saw the Pangu statue, he could feel the life force gradually deepening, which made Panhuang very excited.

Time passed in this way, unnoticed.

By the time Panhuang reacted, the Xuanwu Gate Incident had already ended, and Li Shimin had become the emperor of the Great Tang.

"In this lifetime, Li Shimin will not enter the underworld; then what method will the West use to open the Journey to the West?" Panhuang said somewhat curiously.

As Panhuang had thought, the Tathagata is now quite distressed, because the underworld is uncooperative; Li Shimin simply did not go to the underworld, and without going to the underworld, the Journey to the West cannot be opened; they cannot possibly go directly into Li Shimin's dreams to send a dream-message, can they?

Actually, that is also a method, but Li Shimin, as a human king, is protected by the fortune of humanity; the Tathagata and his companions cannot enter dreams, unless they wish to suffer a backlash from humanity's fortune.

But they have no way; that does not mean the Ren Sect has no way!

In this lifetime, the Jinghe Dragon King was still beheaded by Wei Zheng, but this time the leading forces were the Dragon Clan and the Ren Sect.

Relying on the human race's totem, the Jinghe Dragon King blatantly plundered human faith and deducted human rainfall points; after the Dragon Clan and the Ren Sect learned of this, they staged the play of Wei Zheng's dream-slaying of the Dragon King.

Afterwards, Panhuang used the Jinghe Dragon King's resentment to enter Li Shimin's dream, causing Li Shimin to panic, and then naturally proceeded to promote the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

After seeing Li Shimin's move, the West showed a smile; as expected, this Great Calamity is indeed the rise of my West, and despite many obstacles, things continue to develop toward the direction the West hopes for.

But they didn't know, this is all the Ren Sect and the dragon clan operating in secret; otherwise, Li Shimin would never have convened this Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

After the Water and Land Dharma Assembly was convened, Jin Chanzi's tenth incarnation, Xuanzang, naturally became the host of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

Seeing this, the Thus Come One smiled with satisfaction: "Observing the Sounds Venerable, set out immediately, then guide Jin Chanzi's reincarnation onto the path to fetch the scriptures."

"Yes!" Observing the Sounds Venerable nodded.

Just after Observing the Sounds Venerable appeared, Pan Huang sent a message to Sun Wukong, telling him to go to Two Worlds Mountain and wait for Tang Xuanzang, then accompany Tang Xuanzang to the West to fetch the scriptures.

After receiving Pan Huang's message, Sun Wukong dared not delay even a moment, went straight to Two Worlds Mountain, and then, on the road Xuanzang must travel, casually found a spot and sat down.

After Sun Wukong got into position, Pan Huang also sent Yang Jian and the Great Peng to Gaolao Village and the Flowing Sands River to wait, and then together with Jin Chanzi's reincarnation went to the West to seize the scriptures.

The Water and Land Dharma Assembly soon began; when Xuanzang appeared at the assembly, everyone's jaws dropped, for this Xuanzang was nothing like the eminent monk they had imagined.

This tenth incarnation of Jin Chanzi stands nearly two meters tall, his body bulging with muscles, his face bearing a look of compassion for the world, yet such a physique is truly unbefitting of an eminent monk!

This Water and Land Dharma Assembly lasted only two days before ending; after it ended, Xuanzang went straight to the imperial palace.

"Your Majesty, this humble monk wishes to go to the West to fetch the scriptures, then return to save those souls unable to be reborn."

Emperor Li Shimin stared at Xuanzang before him, looking bewildered.

"It is said that in the West there is Spirit Mountain, and on Spirit Mountain there is a great Thunder Sound Temple, where the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures are kept; these scriptures can save those souls unable to be reborn. Your Majesty, this humble monk will retrieve them, and your inner knot will be untied." Xuanzang said to the Tang emperor.

"Good!" Upon hearing those two words "inner knot," the Tang emperor nodded.

"Then please, Your Majesty, issue me a travel permit; this permit need not say anything—just write either let him pass, or I will come over." Xuanzang said with a smile.

Hearing Xuanzang's words, the Tang emperor felt a black line across his forehead; if written, that would be truly arrogant.

"Good!" But in the end the Tang emperor still agreed to Xuanzang, yet what was finally written on that travel permit remains unknown.

After receiving the travel permit, Xuanzang delayed not a moment; that very afternoon he left Ever Peace and headed straight for Two Worlds Mountain.

Observing the Sounds Venerable still did not know any of this; he was leisurely making his way toward Ever Peace, and while on the road, several plans arose in his mind as he pondered which scheme could astonish those mortals, and then which could hoodwink Jin Chanzi.

Finally, after three days, Observing the Sounds Venerable finally reached Ever Peace City, where he disguised himself as a scabby-headed monk and began hawking monk's robes in the city, yet no one paid him any heed.

This made Observing the Sounds Venerable realize something was wrong; he hurriedly did a finger calculation, and in the next second his complexion turned extremely grim.

"Master, what's wrong? Did something happen?" the disciple beside him asked.

The disciple beside Observing the Sounds Venerable was not Jinzha or Muzha, for Jinzha and Muzha had long ago joined the Ren Sect.

"That Jin Chanzi's reincarnation actually set out early—damn it!" Observing the Sounds Venerable said.

Don't underestimate this small matter; having the West's guidance versus lacking it makes a world of difference, and this will greatly reduce the West's merit.

But now Jin Chanzi is already on the road; they cannot let him return, so Observing the Sounds Venerable can only grit his teeth and accept this mishap.

"What should we do now?" Hui'an Xingzhe asked.

"First return to Spirit Mountain to make a report; as long as Jin Chanzi sets foot on the path to fetch the scriptures, that's enough." Observing the Sounds Venerable said through gritted teeth.

"Yes!" Hui'an Xingzhe nodded.

Spirit Mountain, Great Thunder Sound Temple.

When the Thus Come One heard Observing the Sounds Venerable's report, he drew a deep breath.

"No problem, as long as Jin Chanzi can set out to fetch the scriptures, as long as we can let our West's teachings spread in the East, a little merit is nothing." The Thus Come One said these words through gritted teeth.

Since things have already happened, he cannot let Jin Chanzi return to Ever Peace, so his view is the same as Observing the Sounds Venerable's: he can only first accept this matter; as long as Jin Chanzi is on the road, that's enough, and everything else is unimportant!

After leaving Ever Peace City, Xuanzang's face showed a cold smile, a flicker of black light passed through his eyes; it was obvious that the present Xuanzang is abnormal.

(End of chapter)