The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 111 - 109: Risking One’s Life by Usurping the Gods’ Power and Stealing Credit

Chapter 111: Chapter 109: Risking One’s Life by Usurping the Gods’ Power and Stealing Credit

The six brothers headed straight for West Cow He State, and the Macaques King, knowing astronomy and geography, actually knew where the Great Saint Country was located.

As six famed demon kings of the Four Great Continents, they of course couldn’t just rashly enter West Cow He State, lest they be spotted by the powerful monks of the Buddhist sect. Thus, they’d descended early in the Southern Toad Continent and each transformed into the appearance of a Taoist before joining together to ride the clouds into West Cow He State.

Once inside West Cow He State, the six headed straight for the Great Saint Country. Along the way, they passed quite a few temples, but seeing as they had assumed the guise of Taoists, they did not attract much attention. After all, West Cow He State also had many Daoist masters, just as the Southern Toad Continent had many experts from the Buddhist Sect.

After all, it’s not to say that the Four Great Continents belong solely to any one sect, and though it’s well known that the Buddhist Sect dominates West Cow He State, does that mean others are forbidden entry?

After entering West Cow He State, the six no longer flew at great heights but instead landed, grabbing handfuls of soil to scatter and thereafter progressing underground using Earth Escape.

However, the geology of West Cow He State was somewhat complicated, with difficult soil and many rocks beneath, making the use of Earth Escape a bit of a hassle.

Eventually, they arrived at the Great Saint Country, a small nation consisting of just a few small walled cities, with the main city located squarely in the center. It was built somewhat lavishly compared to other towns but still rather modest—a barbarian realm that couldn’t compare to the splendor of the vast Celestial Dynasty. Even so, Epang Palace, razed by fire years ago, was truly magnificent; the Jade Emperor himself could not help but marvel at the hedonism of the Qin ruler!

The Ox Demon King laughed, "This is the Great Saint Country? Can this even be called a country?"

The Macaques King replied, "The culture here is a bit backward, nothing can be done about it. Besides, the resources here are not as plentiful as in The Eastern Land."

"Then why don’t those Bodhisattvas impart advanced knowledge to them?" asked the Ox Demon King.

"This is the Human Path, not the Dao of Immortals. Laojun is the Sect Hierarch of Human Teachings. If these foreigners sought to advance the Human Path, they would incur karma. Don’t believe me? Try it and see if Heaven doesn’t strike you with lightning," the Macaques King said.

The Ox Demon King shivered, now understanding the point.

To cultivate and become immortal is to defy Heaven from the start, with defiance leading to immortality and compliance to mortality. But once immortal, defying Heaven still invites death. Even a Saint must follow the Heavenly Dao, to say nothing of ordinary People of the Immortal Path. The beginning of cultivation defies the Will of Heaven’s Dao; after achieving immortality, one must comply with it, or else there would be no resting place in death.

The Peng Demon King said, "Quit your yammering, old fifth. Listen for where that King Bodhisattva is. This is West Cow He State; we kill and then we leave, quickly."

West Cow He State was somewhat desolate, but it was much better than the Uttara Kuru Kingdom, not the kind of vast deserts seen there. Overall, West Cow He State could not be considered blessed, falling behind the Southern Toad Continent and Dongsheng Immortal State.

The Macaques King swiftly employed his Divine Skills, perking up his ears and saying, "That King Bodhisattva is cultivating Divine Skills inside a cave abode deep underground. The flesh of Wuzhiqi is there!"

"Great, great, great, let’s go down now and kill him!" exclaimed the Yu Rong King.

The Yu Rong King conjured up three Exorcism Hoops, slipping them onto himself and descending into the earth. The other five Great Saints, fearing for his safety, quickly followed, but the Yu Rong King, who was most adept at Earth Escape, moved quickly and in no time had reached the cave abode that the King Bodhisattva had established below the Imperial City.

The King Bodhisattva was meditating cross-legged, while the flesh of Wuzhiqi beside him was suppressed by a series of golden Talismans, lifeless and unmoving.

A trace of light emanated from the King Bodhisattva’s brow, a golden light with a hint of black aura hidden within—it seemed like the Power of Mysterious Water.

The Yu Rong King thought, "This fellow is indeed cultivating water-related Divine Skills; I wonder just how powerful they are!"

He aimed to catch the King Bodhisattva by surprise, released the three Exorcism Hoops from his body, and they soared up into the air, their edges sprouting deadly blades as they flew towards the King Bodhisattva.

The King Bodhisattva was suddenly alarmed, not expecting to be ambushed. He swiftly expelled a breath of True Qi, transforming into a gigantic cocoon that enveloped him.

"Shhhh!"

The Exorcism Hoops sliced into the cocoon, tearing it apart as if shredding brocade, scattering the True Qi in all directions.

The King Bodhisattva seized the chance to catch his breath, let out a howl, and a golden Sharira shot out, knocking the Exorcism Hoops away. He focused his gaze and saw the attacker was a Taoist clothed in black, looking fierce with a demonic face.

"What grievance do I have with the honorable Taoist that warrants this sneak attack?" the King Bodhisattva said darkly.

"By snatching away this flesh of Wuzhiqi, you’ve incited major enmity with us! Take this!" shouted the Yu Rong King, lunging forward with both fists, bombarding the air with two massive Fist Seals.

The Great Saints of Flower-Fruit Mountain had consumed plenty of Peaches of Immortality, further refining their mana. The punches from the Yu Rong King were so powerful that the very earth trembled.

The King Bodhisattva, furious, realized his assailant was an evildoer seeking murder and treasure. With such a person, there was nothing to discuss; only a battle to the death would suffice.

King Bodhisattva extended his hand, which was immediately enveloped by black Mysterious Qi, becoming as solid as a steel plate, and he firmly caught Yu Rong King’s two punches.

"Boom boom!"

The punches landed on King Bodhisattva’s arm, creating a series of loud bangs. Then King Bodhisattva turned his other hand black, wrapped in Mysterious Qi, and engaged in close combat with Yu Rong King. Yu Rong King was shocked to see that King Bodhisattva possessed such skill; the flesh was so strong that he could barely harm him!

King Bodhisattva sneered, "You evildoer, you’ve ruined my good deed, and today you shall die beneath the earth! Those three hoops of yours are quite good, I’ll be taking them!"

Yu Rong King laughed maniacally, "What big words, King Bodhisattva! Do you really think you can defeat me with such little ability? Look out for my punches!"

Yu Rong King charged forward and threw two more punches that roared through the air, sounding like dragons and tigers, with such formidable power that it was terrifying to hear!

King Bodhisattva let out an angry shout, his face flushed, and from the Sharira between his eyebrows, light flashed as if he had opened the Heavenly Eye. He rubbed his palms together, and with a swoosh, he struck out, colliding with Yu Rong King’s fists. Yu Rong King immediately felt something was wrong; his punches were possibly too strong, and King Bodhisattva’s power was even more fearsome than that of the giant demon fiends! He knew the Buddhist sect also had those who excelled in bodily strength like Great Mighty Celestial Dragon Bodhisattva, also known as Dragon-Elephant Bodhisattva, who stood on a dragon and an elephant and could shake Mount Sumeru with his strength.

"Bang bang!"

Another clash ensued. Yu Rong King thought he could rely on his physical body to beat King Bodhisattva to death, but he hadn’t expected King Bodhisattva to be much stronger, shaking Yu Rong King to the core and making his blood surge.

King Bodhisattva thought to himself, "What a pity, if I were a Daluo Golden Immortal, I would certainly be able to kill this brute in an instant!"

Yu Rong King’s gauntlets were warped by the blows from King Bodhisattva, and he was inwardly astonished at the incredible strength. The Bodhisattva’s flesh was fearsome, probably even surpassing that of Ox Demon King.

Yu Rong King activated his three Exorcism Hoops and threw them out, while King Bodhisattva pressed his palms together, projecting from his forehead instruments such as Knife, Spear, Sword, Halberd, Scriptures, and Bamboo Staff.

These Magical Treasures took flight, intercepting the three Exorcism Hoops and striking them in a chaotic flurry.

Yu Rong King cursed under his breath, "Since when did this old monk become so powerful? Something’s not right, has he gained some fortune that so greatly improved his mana in such a short time?"

King Bodhisattva’s forehead then released another Sharira, which he hurled at Yu Rong King. Yu Rong King quickly summoned back one of the Exorcism Hoops to shield himself.

"Clang!"

The Sharira struck the Exorcism Hoop but the tremendous force knocked Yu Rong King off his feet, tumbling and landing in a heap on the ground.

Yu Rong King, who boasted the title Exorcising Great Saint, was stronger than Wukong in his previous life. His three Exorcism Hoops were nearly invincible, and even The Five Peaks’ True Gods had suffered under his hands. Furthermore, Yu Rong King’s body was formidable, and after consuming many Peaches of Immortality, his strength was astonishing. However, he hadn’t anticipated that King Bodhisattva might have mastered some Method that made his body even stronger than those giant demon fiends—utterly domineering. Even though he managed to block the Sharira, the massive force still knocked him head over heels.

Upon seeing Yu Rong King fall, King Bodhisattva could not contain his joy and shouted, "Take that!"

The Sharira descended again, aiming for Yu Rong King’s crown. King Bodhisattva was ruthless against his enemies, showing no mercy—this strike was meant to crush his opponent’s skull, splattering his brains, leaving no corpse intact.

Nevertheless, Yu Rong King, a veteran of many battles, managed to call back the two Exorcism Hoops, which flew around his body and allowed him to burrow underground to escape.

King Bodhisattva’s Sharira missed its mark, instead striking sparks of gold and creating an enormous crater on the floor of the cave abode.

King Bodhisattva cursed, "You rash Taoist! Daring to attack me with a sneak attack, let’s see where you can run to now!"

Squeezing a Dharma Seal in his hands, the entire cave abode flashed with golden light, activating the Talismans and Dharma Seals hidden within.

"Ouch! That’s killing me!" Yu Rong King yelled as he was blasted out of the ground by the Talismans and Dharma Seals, dizzy from the pain.

King Bodhisattva scolded, "You Earth Dog Taoist, always burrowing in the ground, let’s see you Earth Escape now? Take my Magical Treasure! And die!"

The Sharira shone brightly as it struck towards Yu Rong King’s face, while the array of Knife, Spear, Sword, Halberd and other Magical Treasures surrounded him, leaving him no escape to heaven or earth.

Yu Rong King lamented, "My life is over! I had no idea that King Bodhisattva had such fortune to acquire such Great Supernatural Powers and Great Magical Treasures, and now my life is to be forfeited here! Alas!"

Yu Rong King’s effort to steal glory backfired, and now he was on the brink of being killed by King Bodhisattva, truly a lamentable turn of events.

As for his fate, stay tuned for the next installment.