Chapter 195 The Guilty
"When the Buddha was born, he pointed to the sky with one hand and to the earth with the other, and walked seven steps around, looking in all directions, saying: 'I am the only one who is supreme in heaven and on earth.'"
The "I" here is not the Tathagata himself, but refers to the innocent Buddha nature that all sentient beings possess, which is "neither born nor destroyed, neither dirty nor clean, neither increasing nor decreasing."
A simple understanding is that all living beings can become Buddhas, and Buddha is the only supreme being in the world!
Wu Tian also referred to this when he promised that he did not have such grand ambitions!
Li Anran and Yang Jian stood behind Taiyi Tianzun and looked at each other. Although they did not talk, they both understood the meaning of each other's eyes.
Taiyi Tianzun is about to be persuaded!
It’s not because what Wutan said was so pleasant to the ear and so bewitching.
On the contrary, Wu Tian spoke very frankly, and he swore to the Heaven every time he spoke, which only highlighted his sincerity.
But, this is enough!
Because the pressure that Tathagata brought to Xuanmen and Taiyi Tianzun was too great!
Before the Supreme Saint left the Three Realms, he deliberately guided Duobao to transform from a barbarian into a Buddha in order to divide the fortune of Western religion.
The goal was achieved, but Lingshan also gained another Tathagata!
It’s hard to say whether it’s a profit or a loss!
Taiyi Tianzun didn't believe that Wutan, who suddenly appeared, could defeat Tathagata, but as long as Wutan could bring some trouble to Tathagata and distract Tathagata's attention, it would be worth it for him!
Sure enough, after Taiyi Tianzun pondered for a moment, he asked, "What is the content of your bet with Tathagata?"
However, Wu Tian put his hands together, with an apologetic look on his face: "Please forgive me, Lord. I have promised Tathagata that I will not tell anyone about the content of the bet."
Taiyi Tianzun was immediately annoyed: "You can't say this, you can't say that, so why are you here? Are you here to make fun of me?"
Yang Jian and the monkey also looked at Wu Tian in confusion.
Li Anran guessed some reasons.
Judging from the content in the sequel to Journey to the West, the gambling battle between Tathagata and Wujitian should be roughly about Tathagata being reincarnated and Wujitian ruling the Three Realms for thirty-three years.
If within these thirty-three years, the person designated by Tathagata to be responsible for the calamity - in the sequel to Journey to the West, it was the monkey, but now the monkey has been poached by Wujitan, so no one knows who will replace him - can find all seventeen relics and the reincarnated child, then Tathagata will win and Wujitan will perish on his own.
If not, Wu Tian can continue to rule the Three Realms for another thirty-three years.
This should not be a condition for Wu Tian to win, but more like a condition for both sides to tie and postpone the fight.
As for how Wu Tian would win and become the new Buddha of Buddhism, the sequel to Journey to the West did not explain it.
In addition, there should be some restrictive conditions between the two parties.
For example, Wu Tian cannot directly kill the person designated by Tathagata to be afflicted, cannot harm the reincarnated child and destroy the relics, and may even have to ensure that the relics are in the Three Realms, etc.
Otherwise, Wutan only needed to kill the monkey or throw the relic into the chaos.
Let alone thirty-three years, even if it were three hundred and thirty years or three thousand three hundred years, it would be impossible for others to meet the conditions for Tathagata's return.
Of course, this is just Li Anran's speculation based on the results, and the details are not certain.
It is not easy to set up the stage for a gambling fight between the two parties!
The matter of letting Wujitan rule the Three Realms for thirty-three years alone is not something that Tathagata can decide. At least the approval of the Heavenly Court and Xuanmen is needed .
Tathagata did not allow Wu Tian to leak the content of the bet in advance, probably because he was worried that he could not convince the Heavenly Court to cooperate, or that the Lion would ask for too much.
"How did Tathagata convince the Heavenly Court and the Xuanmen to cooperate with him in this play? And how much did he pay?"
A light bulb suddenly lit up in Li Anran's head, and he suddenly thought of the gods and Buddhas of the three realms joining forces to deal with the catastrophe.
yes!
Isn’t this the best reason!
As long as Tathagata can make all the gods and Buddhas in the sky regard the incident of Wu Tian as a calamity caused by human beings in advance, just like the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures and the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.
He doesn't need to pay much to make the gods and Buddhas of the three realms cooperate with him in acting!
After I win, I will use Wujitan and his subordinate demons and monsters as sacrifices to eliminate the karma of disasters between heaven and earth, and it will not be considered as deceiving the gods and Buddhas of the three realms!
As for if he loses...
Tathagata would certainly not think that such a possibility exists, and if it really happened, he would have already disappeared, and the Three Realms would have nothing to do with him at all!
Tathagata scheduled this bet to take place sixty years later, apparently in order to let the gods and Buddhas of the three realms see that they had joined forces to lay out plans in the four continents, thus triggering the calamity in advance, eliminating karma, and weakening the catastrophe.
The better the effect, the easier it will be for him to convince the gods and Buddhas of the three realms to cooperate with him!
"I dare not."
Wu Tian pretended to be terrified and explained, "The bet between me and Tathagata is scheduled for sixty years from now. During this sixty years, although I cannot tell anyone about the content of the bet, I can plan ahead and make more preparations."
"I came here, firstly, to express my feelings to the Heavenly Venerable, so that the Heavenly Venerable would not be deceived by the Tathagata and misunderstand me. Secondly, I hope that the Heavenly Venerable can do me a favor and allow my men to make more preparations in the Three Realms before the catastrophe begins."
Thinking of his group of disciples who were either impulsive and stupid or just a little clever, Wu Tian paused for a moment and added: "Thirdly, because those disciples under my command are really useless, I want to ask Tian Zun for help."
The first and second ones were nothing, but the third one made Taiyi Tianzun frown and asked, " Who do you want?"
Wu Tian looked up at Yang Jian and said, "The Holy Lord Erlang has great magical powers. If I can get his help, I will definitely win the bet."
“No.” Taiyi Tianzun refused without even thinking about it, and said in a cold voice: “Yang Jian is the pillar of our Xuanmen, and he is also the God of Justice in the Heavenly Court. How can he be associated with you? There is no room for negotiation on this matter!”
The monkey couldn't help but ask, "Old Lord, hasn't Master Erlang been dismissed by the Jade Emperor?"
Taiyi Tianzun said: "Three days ago, the Jade Emperor sent Taibai Jinxing to Guanjiangkou to convey his order, summoning Yang Jian back to heaven to continue his duties as the God of Justice. It was only delayed by you that it was delayed until today."
The monkey let out an "ah", his eyes filled with disappointment.
Yang Jian was somewhat surprised that the Jade Emperor surrendered so quickly.
According to his speculation, the Jade Emperor would leave him alone for at least another three to five years before summoning him back to heaven.
Li Anran explained: "About half a month ago, the stars in the sky moved strangely, and the Emperor's fluid spread throughout the three realms. Li Jing investigated for half a month but couldn't find the cause. The Jade Emperor was worried that this would happen again, so he sent Taibai Jinxing to Guanjiangkou to summon you back to heaven, wanting you to thoroughly investigate the matter."
"It's because of this!" The monkey opened his mouth wide.
Monkey had followed the World-Destroying Black Lotus to the banks of the Ruoshui River a month ago, when Li Anran was still in Xiniu Hezhou capturing Jiuling Yuansheng.
But he did not rush in. Instead, he hesitated outside, wondering whether he should risk entering the abyss of darkness or find a way to take off the tight hoop on his head.
Finally, the monkey decided to give it one more try. He found an isolated island in the West Sea and began to meditate.
It was during his retreat that the monkey saw the stars in the sky moving strangely and the Emperor's fluid flowing across the three realms.
The Emperor's Liquid is a good thing for ordinary creatures and monsters, but it is of little use to the monkey. He just took a look at it and continued to think of ways to remove the tight hoop.
However, there was no progress, instead, the tight control made him feel like he had a splitting headache.
Until three days ago, after countless failures, the monkey completely lost his patience and came to the Ruoshui River again, entered the Abyss of Darkness, and saw Yang Jian who had been captured.
Yang Jian had no idea about the Emperor Liujiang.
After he left Mount Hua, he only stayed in Tongtian River for half a day, then hid in the body of an old turtle and followed them to the Abyss of Darkness.
Then, he stepped into Wujitian's trap. Before he could even cancel his transformation technique, the twelfth-grade black lotus of destruction covered his head.
The transformation technique of the Nine Revolutions Profound Art is not an ordinary sleight of hand, but a change in the true sense!
This makes the transformation technique of the Nine Revolutions Profound Art very difficult to detect, but it also greatly reduces the strength of Yang Jian and the Monkey King when they transform into other creatures.
It is for this reason that when Yang Jian and the Monkey King fight, they often stop their transformation and return to their original forms.
Afterwards, Yang Jian's consciousness and magical powers were sealed by the Twelve-Rank Black Lotus of Destruction, and he was imprisoned in the abyss of darkness until Li Anran invited Taiyi Tianzun to rescue him.
"I really didn't know about this matter. I have delayed your important work. Please forgive me!"
Wu Tian clasped his hands together and apologized to Yang Jian, but he was not disappointed at all. Or maybe he never thought that Taiyi Tianzun would agree to let Yang Jian help him. He asked for such a high price just to pay him back.
"The Prison God and the Justice God are both gods of war in heaven. They once plotted against Tathagata and Guanyin by replacing Wukong with the Six-eared Macaque. Their stratagems are unparalleled. If the Heavenly Lord is willing to let the Prison God help me, I can also win the bet with Tathagata."
There is only one letter difference between the God of Justice and the God of Prisons, but their identities and status are worlds apart!
The God of Justice is in charge of the laws and regulations of heaven and is a powerful official in heaven, second only to the emperor.
The Prison God is just one of the 365 star gods, and the chief jailer who guards the Heavenly Prison.
Wutan’s first target was Li Anran.
Sure enough, when Taiyi Zhenren heard Li Anran, he was not so quick to refuse.
Wu Tian struck while the iron was hot and said, "If the Heavenly Lord is worried about the reputation of the Prison God, I can make a promise to the Heavenly Lord here."
"If I win, then the Prison God will be the great contributor to my victory over Tathagata, and I will definitely prepare a valuable gift for him to thank him. If I lose, then he will have fallen into my trap and been bewitched by me, causing the World-Destroying Black Lotus to lose its mind, and he will not need to bear any responsibility."
Taiyi Tianzun was at a loss for words to say no, and turned to look at Li Anran.
The conditions offered by Wutan are so good!
If he wins, Li Anran will also win a great victory; if he loses, Li Anran will not suffer much loss.
It can be said that it is a huge profit!
Monkey also looked at Li Anran with excitement and expectation, and blurted out, "Brother Li!"
He looked like he wished he could agree to it on behalf of Li Anran!
Li Anran didn't think about it for long, and simply said: "Master, I am willing to give it a try."
The conditions offered by Wu Tian were good on the one hand, but more importantly, during the period when Wu Tian ruled the three realms, he imprisoned all the gods and Buddhas in the sky, as well as the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, in the underworld.
Regardless of whether this was a deliberate collaboration from the gods and Buddhas of the Three Realms, as long as he could change the place of detention from the Netherworld to the Heavenly Prison, the gains would be huge!
Not only can you see through the backgrounds of all gods and Buddhas and browse their life stories, but you can also extract extra rewards from them after they come out of the Heavenly Prison!
Even if he could time it right and release them one step ahead of Wutan, he could still gain a lot of favors!
This is much more valuable than any gift given by Wujitan!
When Taiyi Tianzun saw that Li Anran agreed, he didn't say anything more and agreed to this matter.
Wu Tian was even more straightforward. He flipped his hand, took out a world-destroying lotus platform, and handed it to Li Anran: "Prison God, this sixth-grade lotus platform is made from the lotus seeds of my twelfth-grade black lotus. It has the effect of self-defense. If you encounter troubles that you can't solve, you can also sacrifice it and chant the spell, and I will be able to sense it."
"Okay." Li Anran took the black lotus and thanked him. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "You are worthy of being the best leader in the Three Realms! This is really generous!"
The twelve-tier lotus pedestal is an innate treasure. It takes one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years to produce nine lotus seeds.
And in order for the lotus seeds to grow into lotus pedestals, it takes countless years and consumes countless natural treasures to nurture and cultivate them.
The sixth-grade black lotus of destruction that was produced, although not an innate spiritual treasure, can be considered a rare acquired spiritual treasure.
Wutan just gave him this temporary worker job.
Although it was to make it easier to contact him, it was really a big deal!
However, this is also in line with Wu Tian’s character!
In the original time and space, Wu Tian's subordinates were a bunch of useless people who were more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything, including the giant scorpion, Ying Yao, the black robe, the three rhinos, and the six divine generals...
In thirty-three years, almost nothing useful has been accomplished.
He couldn't find the reincarnated spirit boy, the gods and Buddhas who were guarding him let Nezha escape, he pretended to be Zhu Bajie but was discovered by the monkey, and he worked for the monkey for nothing while looking for the relic...
Wu Tian has to clean up their mess every time.
What’s even more exaggerated is that not only did Wu Tian not blame or punish them, he also took all the responsibility on himself. He is definitely a first-class leader, more compassionate than the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Lingshan!
After doing all this, Wutan did not stay any longer and was about to take the monkey and leave.
"Wait a minute."
Yang Jian stopped them and said straight to the point: "Buddha, can you give me the evidence that Guanyin instructed Linggan Dawang to use boys and girls to refine the human elixir?"
"Ah?!" The monkey was shocked and his face was full of disbelief.
The monkey hated and feared Tathagata, who deceived him and suppressed him under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, but he was more grateful to Guanyin for releasing him.
Even though we know that most of the monsters on the way to the West were deliberately released by the Heavenly Palace in Lingshan, we still feel that these monsters are evil in nature, especially when it comes to Guanyin.
He never expected that Yang Jian would actually say that King Linggan's actions were instructed by Guanyin.
Moreover, this King of Inspiration does not eat young boys and girls, but uses them to make elixirs!
This is much more serious than eating!
The boys and girls who were eaten could be reincarnated, but those who were made into elixirs would only have their souls shattered!
The monkey turned his head and looked at Wutan, but saw that Wutan had a frown on his face and remained silent.
This expression showed hesitation, but it also indirectly proved that what Yang Jian said was true.
Taiyi Tianzun was also surprised.
It’s not because of Guanyin, but because of Yang Jian!
Previously, in order to severely punish monsters like the Golden-winged Roc, Yang Jian had offended the Jade Emperor Lin Shan and was dismissed from his position as the God of Justice. Now he wants to take action against Guanyin?
Taiyi Tianzun pinched his beard, thinking about the pros and cons of this matter, hesitating whether to support Yang Jian or stop Yang Jian.
The scene became quiet for a moment.
"Buddha Wu Tian."
Li Anran suddenly remembered the content about Wu Tian becoming a demon in the sequel to Journey to the West, and his heart moved.
The direct reason for Wu Tian's becoming a demon was that he was expelled from Buddhism.
There were two reasons why he was expelled from Buddhism.
One was to convert the prostitute Ah Xiu, so he had sex with her and broke his vow of chastity.
Second, after Ah Xiu died, in order to avenge Ah Xiu, he killed the high priest and broke the killing calamity.
He probably knew how to convince Wu Tian.
Li Anran said: "Cause and effect go hand in hand, good deeds and evil deeds will be rewarded. Since the Buddha Wu Tian is determined to replace the Tathagata, he should not follow the Tathagata's example and protect the guilty, right?"
