Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 220 - 213: Wukong Goes to Qingyang Temple to Seek the Elixir

Chapter 220: Chapter 213: Wukong Goes to Qingyang Temple to Seek the Elixir

The fall of the Tianzhu Country severed the source of the Buddhist Sect’s Incense Willpower, which had been abundant and had supported many matters. With its source now cut off, it was fortunate that the great loss of Buddhas at Mount Putuo had left a substantial accumulation of Incense Willpower, enough for Tathagata and several other Buddha Ancestors to use.

"Recently, Water Curtain Cave has been mobilizing troops and sending out generals, likely preparing to attack our Spiritual Mount," Medicine Buddha, the Glazed Light King, said calmly.

"No rush, there’s still some time. Let’s first refine the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal properly, to avoid suffering a major defeat when facing the Eastern Emperor’s Bell," Tathagata calmly suggested, as he was aware that it was now a critical moment for the survival of the Buddhist Sect. With both Saints indifferent, they could only rely on themselves. This battle would be one of life and death, a battle of destiny.

Immeasurable Life Buddha sighed inwardly, "As one sows, so shall one reap. That Sun Wukong was born of Heaven and Earth, transformed from a crystal left by Goddess Nuwa to repair the heavens, yet you played him in the palm of your hands. Now that the Divine Monkey has awakened, he has cornered our powerful Buddhist Sect to this dire state. Alas... as one sows, so shall one reap."

The Buddhas began to draw upon the Incense Willpower to refine the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal. The Great Seal could only last until the Incense Willpower dispersed; without it, it would turn to ash. Although powerful, this also proves to be a headache—should the Incense Willpower be depleted under the Eastern Emperor’s Bell, they would have nothing to do but be slaughtered.

"Leave Sun Wukong to me," Tathagata said slowly. "When the time comes, find your own opponents."

All the Buddhas nodded in agreement.

"It remains to be seen whether the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal can withstand the Eastern Emperor’s Bell! As the supreme deity of the Buddhist Sect, the Turning Wheel Sage King should be able to withstand it," Tathagata sighed.

"Does Buddha Ancestor still remember the serpent demon we captured?" Immeasurable Light Buddha asked.

Tathagata shook his head, "The Buddhist Sect has already been humiliated. If we resort to taking a mere serpent demon as a hostage, wouldn’t that be a laughingstock? Where would we put our dignity then?"

Immeasurable Light Buddha agreed apprehensively, "This monk only wishes for our Buddhist Sect to survive."

Tathagata said slowly, "This battle is inevitable no matter what. Even if we survive for a moment, we cannot be preserved for eternity. He is intent on a revolution, and we are his primary target. Next would be the Heavenly Court."

"That coward Jade Emperor, the so-called ruler of ten thousand heavens! With the Eastern Emperor’s Bell taken and the Jade Pool destroyed, he hasn’t made a single move, just letting that gang of demons escape!" cursed Immeasurable Light Buddha.

"The Demon Tribe is now widely acknowledged as powerful, and the Jade Emperor, being new to wielding great authority, naturally needs time to maneuver. He’s probably hoping for us in the Buddhist and Demon battle to be both gravely injured, at which point, he’d come in to clean up the aftermath. This fellow is playing a good game indeed! Yet, he underestimates Sun Wukong," Tathagata said. "If the Buddhist Sect falls, the Heavenly Court will surely perish!"

"How about we try to persuade the Jade Emperor to lend us assistance?" suggested Immeasurable Light Buddha.

"Hmph! That man is stubborn and willful; he will definitely not listen. And even if he wanted to assist, the officials of the Heavenly Court would never allow it. To confront the Demon Tribe, the Buddhist Sect must rely on itself. Now that we’ve allied with the Nether River Patriarch, there’s a great chance we can survive this crisis. With both him and me taking action, I refuse to believe that we can’t kill Sun Wukong!" Tathagata declared.

While the Buddhist Sect was busy making preparations, Water Curtain Cave was not lagging behind.

In Water Curtain Cave, the sound of iron forging never ceased day or night; the ore from the surrounding mountains was excavated and thrown into the great furnace, smelted into flying swords, Heavenly Sabers, and halberds to arm themselves for the upcoming battle with the Buddhist Sect. Although the Buddhist Sect had suffered heavy losses, mainly among the upper echelons, there were still 28 million Buddhist soldiers left. These soldiers would have to be faced by the minor demons, while the major demons would confront the high-ranking figures like the Buddha Ancestors and Bodhisattvas.

Sun Wukong and the Heaven-Defying Taoist were also in closed-door cultivation within Water Curtain Cave, with the Eastern Emperor’s Bell suspended above them, vibrating gently. Waves of sound transformed into Chaos Sword Qi, which was then captured in their hands. Every day, Daluo Golden Immortals and others above their Cultivation Level came to acquire some, each taking about a hundred or so, to be used in the Buddhist and Demon confrontation, potentially saving their lives.

Xue Rengui and Nezha took turns training the demon soldiers day and night, arranging battle formations, their battle cries piercing the skies with great momentum.

Once oppressed by the Buddhist Sect, they were now eager to launch a counterattack on Spiritual Mount—what an exhilarating prospect!

"With such momentum, we are sure to break through with irresistible force. Those 28 million Buddhist soldiers will likely not withstand a single blow," Nezha laughed.

"Heh heh! With the Buddhist Sect now on the decline, their morale is certainly low. Our spirits are high, having simmered for a year. Once the battle starts, we’ll be like tigers and wolves—this army of fierce warriors will sweep through those mere Buddhist soldiers!" Bai Qi couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It had been many years since he last led troops in battle, and now he was eager for the fray.

The counterattack on Spiritual Mount was settled, with the army set to march out after a year.

Wukong rode the clouds towards the Eastern Divine Region that day, first heading to the Imperial Palace to collect the Incense Willpower. Since the day he merged with Xuan Ming’s Primordial Spirit, his thoughts had become grander, his Divine Sense sharper, and his execution of Spells smoother. Now, absorbing the Incense Willpower that had accumulated over more than a decade was like a fish taking to water, icing on the cake.

Li Zhi conquered Tianzhu and lavishly rewarded his subjects, then held a grand Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. The strength of the Tang Dynasty grew day by day, and the number of Taoist Temples of the Heaven-Defying Taoist increased accordingly.

Xue Rengui resigned from his official post after defeating Tianzhu. Despite Li Zhi’s attempts to retain him, Xue Rengui was determined to leave and set out on the path of Taoism. Now, Xue Rengui was under Yuan Tiangang’s mentorship. With his exceptional talent, Yuan Tiangang was very pleased and willing to instruct him. During this time, his Cultivation Level soared rapidly, far surpassing others in understanding the Taoist Scriptures.

Having spent half a day refining the Incense Willpower, Wukong then made his way to Yuan Tiangang’s Qingyang Temple.

Now Qingyang Temple was flourishing with incense offerings and had even established branch temples. An increasing number of disciples sought to learn under Yuan Tiangang, especially after the "Push-Back Diagram" made him famous.

"Heaven-defying Brother Wukong, I haven’t seen you for a long time, how have you been?" Yuan Tiangang hurriedly stepped forward to greet Wukong as he jumped down from the clouds.

"Haha, haha! Brother Yuan, I haven’t seen you for a long time either, I’m doing quite well. However, you seem to be thriving. These days, there must be hundreds of Qingyang Temples throughout the Eastern Divine Region! You can be considered as a Sect Founder now, an elder statesman in Taoism in the future," Wukong said.

Yuan Tiangang replied, "Brother, you flatter me. Compared to you, my achievements are much less indeed."

Wukong asked, "Where is my disciple?"

Yuan Tiangang replied, "He is currently verifying Taoist Magic with Li Shimin, making rapid progress, which is indeed gratifying."

Wukong nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for the trouble, Brother Yuan Tiangang. I have a major task at hand these days and can’t spare the time to instruct my disciple."

Yuan Tiangang’s expression turned serious as he asked, "Brother, are you going to attack the Western Heavenly Mountain?"

Wukong replied, "I want to revolutionize the world; these Buddhas are the first to be eliminated, followed by the gods of the Heavenly Court! Now the gods and Buddhas only know how to line their own pockets, oppressing the common folk. I want to strip them of their lives and establish a true Republic of equality without oppression, where the Three Realms are shared by all!"

Yuan Tiangang clasped his hands together and bowed, "Brother, your heart is with the common people; I am ashamed to admit I don’t match up."

Wukong said, "Revolutionaries of the past and present are all driven to their cause."

His words were profound and Yuan Tiangang naturally understood. Nowadays, the story of Journey to the West continues to spread throughout the Eastern Divine Region, but what is being shared is not the profound Buddhist Law of the Buddhist Family, but the tale of the Green Emperor, the Rebel Sage Sun Wukong defying the heavens. In all the restaurants and teahouses, there were storytellers recounting this tale.

"Brother, have you come here to see your disciple?" Yuan Tiangang asked.

"No, I’ve come to borrow some Elixir Pills from you," Wukong replied.

Yuan Tiangang was adept at Alchemy, and with more disciples now, the production of Elixir Pills had naturally increased.

During the great war between Buddha and demons, the consumption of Elixir Pills would definitely be severe, and now many low-level demons too needed Elixir Pills to enhance their Mana and Cultivation. Upon hearing Wukong’s request, Yuan Tiangang said, "However many Elixir Pills you need, just take them! With the relationship between us two, would we care about these Elixir Pills?"

Yuan Tiangang and Wukong had known each other for a long time. Back then, Wukong was under the alias Heaven-Defying Taoist. Yuan Tiangang had always felt that Wukong was extraordinary. Now that the Demon Tribe’s influence was growing, he naturally spared no effort to support them, thinking that when the Three Realms are shared, he could also bask in their reflected glory.

"Come, follow me to the Alchemy Room, I’ll get the Elixir Pills for you," Yuan Tiangang said.

Wukong, not one to stand on ceremony, replied, "Thank you for lending a hand, Brother. I will never forget your great kindness and generosity!"

To find out what happens next, please tune in for the next installment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)