Now, Guanyin Bodhisattva pursued Ao Tu.
She had received the Buddha’s decree to subdue Ao Tu, and so she gave chase without relent.
At that time, Wukong and Heavenly King Li stood upon the clouds.
They had not descended during the battle just now.
Wukong and Ao Tu could be said to appreciate one another, and so he had not gone down with the others to surround and attack him.
As for Heavenly King Li, seeing how formidable Ao Tu’s divine abilities were, he feared his pagoda might be swept away, and so he had not dared to descend.
Now that the fighting had calmed, Wukong dropped down into the manor, preparing to rescue his master and junior brothers.
But after entering, he discovered that Tang Seng, Bajie, Sha Heshang, and even Nezha had already been invited out by that woman. They were seated in the hall, drinking tea together.
Wukong asked, “May I ask which Bodhisattva it is who helped that demon dragon and toyed with Old Sun?”
Before Lishan Laomu could speak, Bajie cut in, “Senior Brother, she’s that demon dragon’s mother-in-law!”
Wukong already knew this was a Bodhisattva’s scheme, and so he scolded, “Idiot, stop talking nonsense!”
Lishan Laomu smiled and said, “Marshal Tianpeng is not wrong either. Great Sage, my daughter and son-in-law have started fighting. They are battling fiercely, and I am advanced in years, so it is not convenient for me to take part. Help me go and persuade them. Do not let them damage their harmony.”
As she spoke, she revealed her true form and left.
Only then did Wukong realize that Lishan Laomu had been before him, and he hurriedly bowed in reverence.
Tang Seng and his disciples also bowed.
Only Nezha, holding a grudge, puffed out his cheeks in anger.
Seeing that Tang Seng and the others were unharmed, Wukong followed the old mother’s instructions, mounted a cloud, and went to search for Ao Tu and Guanyin Bodhisattva.
On Ao Tu’s side, he fled four thousand li in a streak of golden light. His magic power gradually began to fail, and Guanyin Bodhisattva was about to catch up.
Tiger Vanguard said, “My King, quickly put me down. It is time for me to devote my life to Your Majesty.”
Hearing this, Ao Tu did not hesitate.
He immediately prepared to put Tiger Vanguard down.
Once he attained the Dao of Daluo in the future, he would simply fish Tiger Vanguard back out.
Just as he was about to set Tiger Vanguard down, he suddenly remembered that he still had a three-thousand-year Peach of Immortality he had not eaten.
It was a reward he had obtained at Yellow Wind Ridge. Because the effects of a three-thousand-year Peach of Immortality were not especially strong, he had never eaten it.
However, although the effects of a three-thousand-year Peach of Immortality were not strong, it was still a spiritual object of heaven and earth. It was more than enough to restore some magic power.
Ao Tu hurriedly took out the Peach of Immortality and swallowed it in one bite. In an instant, much of his magic power recovered.
Not long after Ao Tu swallowed the Peach of Immortality, Guanyin Bodhisattva caught up and said,
“Wicked beast, considering that you possess some divine abilities, if you are willing to take refuge in my Buddha, then after I report to the Buddha, perhaps the crimes upon you may be absolved, and you may be granted a fruition in the West!”
Ao Tu smiled and said, “I do not enjoy eating people, nor am I skilled at infighting. How could I possibly sit upon a fruition in the West?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva said angrily, “Wicked beast, how dare you slander my teaching again?”
She offered the Jade Purity Vase into the air. The mouth of the vase faced downward, pouring out the Divine Water of Three Lights:
The first was the Divine Water of Sunlight, which wore away blood, essence, bones, and flesh;
The second was the Divine Water of Moonlight, which corroded the primordial spirit and soul;
The third was the Divine Water of Starlight, which devoured and dissolved the true spirit and thoughts.
When the three waters poured down, even an indestructible vajra body would turn into pus and blood in an instant.
If the three waters were combined as one, they became the Divine Water of Three Lights, able to bring the dead back to life, sprinkle throughout the Three Realms, eliminate all suffering, and ferry one through all calamities.
Seeing the divine water pour down, Ao Tu manifested the Five-Colored Divine Light. With a flash of divine light, he collected the divine water away.
Guanyin Bodhisattva exclaimed in shock, “You still have magic power!”
She hurriedly retreated.
Ao Tu’s Five-Colored Divine Light flashed again and collected Guanyin Bodhisattva as well.
At last it was over. Ao Tu sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Ao Tu looked into the divine light and saw that the Four Heavenly Kings, the Lords of the Nine Luminaries, the generals of the Thunder Department, and the hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals had all already been suppressed by the qi of the Five Elements. Their spirits were disordered, and they were unconscious.
Of the Eighteen Arhats, sixteen were also already unconscious. Only the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Arhats were still bitterly holding on.
As for the two Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra, along with Guanyin Bodhisattva who had just been taken in, because their realms and magic power were far above Ao Tu’s, they were unharmed. Buddhist light protected their bodies, and they were not disturbed by the qi of the Five Elements.
There was no helping it. The realms of these Bodhisattvas were far too much higher than Ao Tu’s.
Guanyin Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva were collectively known as the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism. Their strength had all already reached the standard for becoming Buddhas; it was only because each had made great vows that they had not become Buddhas.
For Ao Tu to be able to take them into his divine ability while crossing levels was already proof that the Five-Colored Divine Light was heaven-defyingly powerful.
It was just that trapping these people inside his divine ability consumed too much magic power. The magic power Ao Tu had just recovered soon became difficult to sustain again.
This could not be blamed on the divine ability. It was truly because his cultivation as a Golden Immortal was too low, thus diminishing the reputation of the divine ability.
If he possessed Daluo cultivation, then with one sweep of the divine light, even taking in Tathagata would not be out of the question.
At this moment, Wukong flew over on a cloud. Seeing Ao Tu lying on the ground, he asked, “Where is the Bodhisattva?”
Ao Tu smiled and said, “Monkey, you’ve gotten a bargain. I’m giving you a great favor.”
Wukong said, “What favor?”
Ao Tu stood up, flew into the air, and with a flash of divine light, flung the assembled Bodhisattvas, Arhats, divine generals, and Heavenly Kings down onto the ground. Then he turned and departed in a streak of golden light.
Guanyin Bodhisattva and the others only felt heaven and earth spin as they remained muddleheaded. When they recovered, where was there any trace of Ao Tu? Only Sun Wukong stood beside them.
Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, “Wukong, where did that wicked beast flee?”
Wukong said, “When he saw me coming on a cloud, he transformed into golden light and escaped.”
Manjushri Bodhisattva said, “It must be that the demon dragon’s magic power was insufficient, and he could no longer sustain his divine ability. Seeing the Great Sage come over, he released us.”
Hearing this, the others hurriedly thanked Wukong.
Ao Tu fled into a river, concealed his form, and rested. He ordered Tiger Vanguard to catch some wild game nearby for him to eat.
Thus a day passed, and the system’s voice sounded.
【Ding. Calculating rewards. Total interception time: thirty-six days.】
【Ding. Reward obtained: Buddhist Dharma—Rebirth Mantra.】
【Ding. Reward obtained: Spell—Turning the Ground to Steel.】
【Ding. Reward obtained: Purple-Veined Peach of Immortality.】
【Ding. Reward obtained: Spiritual Root—Third-Grade Golden Lotus.】
【Ding. The extra six days will automatically be transferred to the next side mission. The next side mission is: Detaining a Friend at Wuzhuang Temple.】
Although he had not used any schemes this time, Sun Wukong had gone to the Heavenly Court twice in succession to request reinforcements, and had also gone to Spirit Mountain, wasting quite a bit of time. Thus, in the end, the obstruction time still reached thirty-six days.
As the rewards were issued, the Buddhist Dharma Rebirth Mantra and the spell Turning the Ground to Steel were thoroughly comprehended and integrated.
Although Ao Tu somewhat loathed the Buddhist sect, spells themselves had no distinction between good and bad. With this Buddhist Dharma, he could now be considered an eminent monk in the future as well.
The Purple-Veined Peach of Immortality was the nine-thousand-year Peach of Immortality, with purple veins and a pale-red pit, the most precious kind.
Even with Ao Tu’s realm as a Golden Immortal, after taking it, he could still increase his cultivation by quite a bit.
If it were in the past, Ao Tu would certainly have eaten the Peach of Immortality to increase his cultivation.
However, after this experience, he decided to keep the Peach of Immortality for now. In any case, even if he ate it now, it was impossible for him to immediately break through to the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal. It would be better to save it for when he encountered an emergency in the future.
The final reward was the Spiritual Root—Third-Grade Golden Lotus.
This was a treasure derived from the Buddhist supreme treasure, the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit. It was an innate defensive acquired spiritual treasure. Standing upon the lotus platform, one would be immune to all arts. Even within Buddhism, only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of extremely high status could possess one.
Now that Ao Tu had obtained it, in the future, when he stood atop a golden lotus platform, he would look even more like an enlightened eminent monk.
At this moment, Tiger Vanguard returned dragging a fat deer. On his shoulder, he was also carrying a person—a woman.
Ao Tu said, “Why did you catch a person and bring her back?”
Tiger Vanguard set the woman down and reported,
“My King, this subordinate went into the mountains to hunt and encountered this woman. After she saw me, she cried out in alarm and fainted from fright. This subordinate feared that if she collapsed in the mountains and met with misfortune, it would be counted as Your Majesty’s karmic burden, so I brought her back.”
Ao Tu said, “Sprinkle some water on her and wake her.”
Tiger Vanguard scooped up some water and sprinkled it over the woman, but the woman did not wake.
Seeing this, Ao Tu breathed out a mouthful of dragon qi, and the woman finally woke.
After waking, the woman saw Ao Tu and Tiger Vanguard and cried in alarm, “Ah! Monsters!”
Ao Tu said, “Do not be afraid. I am the dragon god of this river, and this is my subordinate.”
Seeing that Ao Tu was handsome, with golden dragon horns on his head and the bearing of a deity, the woman finally relaxed and knelt, saying,
“This humble woman pays respects to the Dragon God.”
Ao Tu saw that the woman was also beautiful, not seeming like someone from an ordinary household.
Her willow brows gathered dark green, her almond eyes flashed like silver stars. Her bearing was as lovely as the moon, her natural temperament pure and clear. Her body was like a swallow hidden among willows, her voice like an oriole singing through the woods. She was like a half-bloomed crabapple caging the morning sun, or a newly opened peony toying with the clear spring light.
Ao Tu asked, “Where are you from?”
The woman said, “This humble woman is from White Tiger Ridge. My home is due west of White Tiger Ridge.”
Hearing this, Ao Tu thought, “White Tiger Ridge? That is the territory of the White Bone Demon!”