Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 548 - 462 Sun Wukong’s Proposal

Chapter 548: Chapter 462 Sun Wukong’s Proposal

When establishing the Calamity of Measurement for the Journey to the West, the rule was set that if one returned to Heaven Beyond Heavens, they could no longer interfere with matters of the Three Realms, thus eliminating the possibility for Saints to descend again in the future.

This unavoidably worried Zhunti about Jieyin and Buddhism.

He was also concerned that if Ksitigarbha’s identity remained undisclosed, it would bring greater calamity to the Three Realms.

Upon calming down, Zhunti wasted no time and went directly to the Purple Cloud Palace to see Daoist Ancestor Hongjun.

"Honorable Master, your disciple Zhunti has come to visit!"

In front of the Purple Cloud Palace, as Zhunti gazed upon the majestic palace, a sense of humility naturally arose within him.

One must understand that the current Zhunti was a Saint, not merely a Quasi-Saint like a lower realm incarnation, but that feeling of humility persisted.

Hongjun was the first Saint of the Primordial Continent and their Honorable Master; without Hongjun, they could never have achieved saintliness.

"Come in."

The gates of the Purple Cloud Palace slowly opened, and the voice of Daoist Ancestor Hongjun emanated from within.

Zhunti entered the Purple Cloud Palace directly, a place the Saints frequented often, so naturally, he required no guidance; soon, he found Daoist Ancestor Hongjun in meditation.

"Honorable Master, a great calamity has befallen the Three Realms, the Demon Clan has returned, and I fear that the numerous Quasi-Saints within the Three Realms are ill-prepared to withstand it!"

Zhunti said, concern evident in his voice, for he truly sensed the power of Ksitigarbha, a feeling barely any different from that of the Saints.

Moreover, if one said that Ksitigarbha was the strongest among the Demon Clan, Zhunti simply could not believe it.

Others may not know, but they, the Saints, were aware that within the Dark Demon Realm, another figure lingered; should he too break free, the Three Realms would face the greatest of tribulations.

In the face of that entity, even the Saints’ incarnations would amount to little—such was Zhunti’s belief.

"I am aware of this situation. You may go back now. Abide by the agreement, once you return, you must not descend to the lower realm."

Daoist Ancestor Hongjun didn’t say much more and bade Zhunti leave.

This left Zhunti quite puzzled, for it was Hongjun, the very figure before him, who had initially defeated the Demon Clan and protected the foundation of the Three Realms.

Now, hearing of the Demon Clan’s resurgence and their intent to overturn the Three Realms, why did he seem so unconcerned?

"Honorable Master, we had established an agreement that Saints should not intervene."

"But now, with the Demon Clan rampant, should we not consider a change? Otherwise, if the Saints do not act, who else could possibly stop them?"

"Moreover, Ksitigarbha has already cultivated to a level near saintliness, and there is another in the Demon Realm naturally not far behind."

"Once the Dark Demon Realm emerges and Lord Jiang comes forth, who in the Three Realms could stand against him?"

Zhunti did not leave but rather continued to persuade Daoist Ancestor Hongjun within the Purple Cloud Palace: "If Lord Jiang emerges and then achieves saintliness, I fear the Three Realms might cease to exist."

"Honorable Master, the Three Realms are your creation; are you willing to watch them be destroyed like this?"

"The Heavenly Demon calamity was their opportunity, but they have not followed the agreement, brazenly unleashing a great calamity upon the Three Realms. Under these circumstances, won’t you intervene to stop them?"

"This matter is not so simple; I must not intervene from beginning to end."

"But rest assured, let alone that this individual has not achieved saintliness, even if he truly does become a Saint, there are others who can stand against him."

"The celestial secrets I have concealed, also hide the variables."

"Now it’s a matter of whether the celestial secret or the variables will come to pass first. You can go now; my concern for the Three Realms is greater than yours."

These last words were spoken by Daoist Ancestor Hongjun as he looked at Zhunti.

This struck a chord in Zhunti, realizing the Honorable Master was somewhat displeased with their former approach of directly withdrawing from the world.

"Yes, Honorable Master."

Zhunti bowed respectfully, no longer daring to linger.

Since Daoist Ancestor Hongjun had his own plans, there was no need for him to worry further.

Furthermore, since Ksitigarbha had absorbed the cultivation level of his incarnation, his Saint’s body was no longer a pure True Body. In the coming time, he would need to focus on recovery, striving to be in optimum condition before the Saints had to step in.

If, in the end, the Saints truly needed to intervene, with his current state, he couldn’t confidently claim supremacy over all beings.

After Zhunti had left, Daoist Ancestor Hongjun’s gaze pierced through layers of space, looking towards the Dark Demon Realm, his expression remaining impassive throughout.

"So you have someone backing you! Who might that person be? From the Primordial Continent, or from elsewhere? However, if you wish to meddle with the Three Realms, relying solely on yourselves might not be enough! If you will not let me intervene, I shall not, but what you perhaps don’t realize is that even without your prompting, I have no intention of intervening. Without facing trials and tribulations, how could one ever grow?"

As Daoist Ancestor Hongjun murmured to himself, Lord Jiang in the Dark Demon Realm, as if sensing something, also looked up towards Heaven Beyond Heavens.

"Laying siege to the Wa Huang Palace, the fall of Zhunti, and the Far East Island being the first to erupt into a major battle..."

Tongtian, hearing the news just relayed from Wa Huang Palace, instinctively furrowed his brow: "This Demon Clan, have they truly become so brazen?"

"Ah!" Following this, Tongtian took a deep breath, even he had not expected Ksitigarbha King, who had once vowed to not attain Buddhahood until Hell was empty, to actually be one of the Demon Clan.

Tongtian, although he had not seen Ksitigarbha many times, could never discern any flaws. Either Ksitigarbha was too well disguised, or the Ksitigarbha he knew was indeed the genuine one.

As this thought struck him, Tongtian suddenly envisioned a possibility—Ksitigarbha had been subjected to Soul Seizure!

After all, Ksitigarbha had always been devoted to Buddhist cultivation, and if he had truly been of the Demon Clan all along, it would have been difficult for him to cultivate Demon Arts from the start, with no cultivation level.