The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 199 - 194: Eastern Coming Buddha Meets the Sage

Chapter 199: Chapter 194: Eastern Coming Buddha Meets the Sage

In the struggle to escort Guan Yu, Enlightenment Dao clashed with the Buddhist Bodhisattva, almost claiming Virudhaka Bodhisattva’s life in a fierce battle, if not for Wisdom Bodhisattva who turned back halfway to save him.

However, Virudhaka Bodhisattva was truly unlucky, for scarcely had he leapt out from the foot of Jade Spring Mountain when he was immediately sought out by Zhang Junshi.

Zhang Junshi, having endured many years of arduous cultivation, had reached the realm of the third heaven of the Daluo Golden Immortal. In that instance, he initiated the Tai Chi Infinite Style as if embracing the "one," executing three punches with the ’Grasping Sparrow’s Tail’ technique that thundered like lightning, as imposing as Mount Tai, and as explosive as comets! Each punch contained the supreme rationale of the Taoist teachings.

Zhang Junshi had listened to teachings from the Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch for several years, but being the Wudang Sect Leader with numerous duties, he didn’t have the opportunity to continue indefinitely. Nonetheless, his Tai Chi Fist was nearing Great Achievement, and his understanding deepened from those years of listening, and he refined his Primordial Spirit amidst the Sea of Thunder to achieve the Indestructible Realm. Now, with a pure mind and a powerful Primordial Spirit, these three punches were incomparable to those of days past.

"Subduing Dragon Subjugating Tiger Fist!" In a frenzy, Virudhaka Bodhisattva employed close-quarter combat techniques, his left hand summoning the dragon and his right subduing the tiger, both emitting mighty roars that vibrated through his blood, creating a chorus of dragon and tiger howls and employing the Dragon Chant Iron Cloth Shirt and Tiger Roar Golden Bell Cover.

Zhang Junshi snorted coldly, "Break! Tai Chi Blossom Plucking Finger! Tai Chi Seven Star Hammer! Tai Chi Single Whip Hand!"

Zhang’s fingers gently flicked as if plucking blossoms, instantly breaking through the Dragon Chant Iron Cloth Shirt. His hand became a hammer, remotely targeting the Seven Stars, shattering the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Cover in one strike, and the final Tai Chi Single Whip Hand lashed out! With terrifying force, it was as if the Divine Whip was in his hand, slashing horizontally with a ’whoosh,’ and the Subduing Dragon Subjugating Tiger Fist could not withstand this ferocious and tyrannical Tai Chi Fist. Virudhaka Bodhisattva was swept up by the punch, his flesh exploding, turning into a bloody gourd rolling far away. His Primordial Spirit suffered severe damage and he could not rise.

The Wisdom Bodhisattva couldn’t help but be inwardly shocked, thinking to himself, "His fist technique is not inferior to Bodhidharma!"

Zhang Junshi had once confronted Patriarch Bodhidharma with his Tai Chi Fist in Luoyang, fighting to a draw, and now he had advanced even further, leaving the outcome of their fight uncertain!

With just these three punches, Virudhaka Bodhisattva was caught off guard. Having already been injured by Enlightenment Dao, and then struck by Zhang Junshi, he was on the brink of death.

The Wisdom Bodhisattva was originally en route when he sensed something amiss, not having seen Enlightenment Dao along the way. Not being a fool, he immediately suspected Enlightenment Dao had played a trick and turned back. So he hurried back, arriving just in time. Otherwise, Virudhaka Bodhisattva would have been killed by Enlightenment Dao. Although his arrival was timely, the Wudang Sect Leader suddenly emerged and dealt Virudhaka Bodhisattva a heavy blow with a couple of punches.

"Guan Yu, I am Zhang Junshi, the Wudang Sect Leader, on orders from Great Emperor Zhenwu to escort you to heaven! You are destined to have a divine position, as one of the thirty-six Demon-removing Marshals under the True Martial Northern Sect!" Zhang Junshi released his hands and exhaled a breath of True Qi, slowly speaking.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu said, "Unexpectedly, someone surnamed Guan has garnered the favor of both the Buddha and the Great Emperor. Truly, I do not know what merit or ability I possess?"

The Wisdom Bodhisattva quickly said, "General Guan, if you follow me to the Western Heaven, you will instantly be enshrined as the Ganlan Bodhisattva and enjoy endless incense offerings!"

Zhang Junshi snorted, "The Western Sect is the land of the barbarians! Guan Yu is the Marquis of Hanshou Pavilion, a legitimate noble of the Han Dynasty. How could he join your Western barbarians?"

Enlightenment Dao descended, giving a salute and said, "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord! Fellow Daoist Zhang Junshi, this poor Daoist pays his respects."

Zhang Junshi also hurriedly saluted, "I am Zhang Junshi, a humble Daoist, greeting my fellow daoist."

After exchanging greetings, Enlightenment Dao laughed and said, "This poor Daoist foresaw that Guan Yu had a destiny with Great Emperor Zhenwu and arrived early to escort him to the Heavenly Court to meet the Emperor. But then, this monk abruptly appeared to foil my good deed! Truly detestable! Now that you, fellow daoist, carry the Emperor’s decree, that is for the best."

Zhang Junshi said, "Oh, I am grateful for the fellow daoist’s assistance!"

Both Great Emperor Zhenwu and Tathagata had foreseen Guan Yu’s future incense offerings would be extraordinary, naturally, neither wished to let go and both sought to recruit him to their ranks. Guan Yu’s loyalty and righteousness were unmatched, his honor reaching the skies, and his achievements in the mortal world might even surpass those of Great Emperor Zhenwu.

While they were speaking, suddenly an old man appeared, holding bamboo slips, showing signs of age but very spirited, accompanied by a military general clad in golden armor and a cape, exuding a powerful presence!

Who could these newcomers be? It was none other than the Confucian sage Xunzi and the Military General Sun Tzu.

"This old man Xun Kuang greets everyone present!"

"I am Sun Wu!"

As they introduced themselves, everyone was struck with awe, recognizing the two visitors were Human Sages, with the elderly man being the Confucian Sage Xunzi and the accompanying general the Military Sage Sun Tzu! Confucian Sages are the most numerous among the Hundred Schools of Thought, with even other sages founding their teachings after studying Confucianism, making it the most powerful school among them all.

"Sun Tzu and Xunzi are here, possibly for Guan Yu?" Zhang Junshi’s face changed color; if the Human Sages got involved, there would be no chance for him.

Xun Kuang said, "That’s right, that’s right! This Guan Yu is fated with our Confucianism and Sun Tzu’s militarism. My purpose for coming here is to persuade General Guan to join under the banner of the Great Emperor Zhenwu. Afterwards, he may be granted a high position amongst our Confucian ranks."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Junshi couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Confucianism mainly thrives within the Human Path, having few followers within the Dao of Immortals. The immortals of the Heavenly Court mostly have many worshippers in the mortal world, while the figures Confucianism worships also include numerous immortals of the Heavenly Court; Haotian Xuanyu High God is the foremost among them, followed by the Human Clan’s Five Emperors, celestial officials of sun, moon, and stars, the Five Dou Star Lord, The Five Peaks’ True Gods, and Confucian figures such as Confucius, Mencius, Yan Hui, Zeng Shen, Zi Si, Yan Yuan, and Zi Gong, among others.

There is no issue with Guan Yu joining under True Martial. After all, the conferral of a divine position still needs to be conducted by the Heavenly Court. Then, an Immortal Official sends out a signal, communicating with the Imperial Astronomical Bureau or the national teacher in the human world, allowing them to comprehend the intentions of the immortals above, knowing which new immortals have appeared in the heavens, how many temples need to be constructed, who must be offered incense, and coordinating with the Great Confucians of the imperial court to enter these into the sacrificial records for veneration. If the immortals often show their powers and help the common people, they naturally receive more incense offerings, for worship of the gods is always born of desires.

Haotian Xuanyu High God, also known as the Jade Emperor, presides over the group of immortals as the Lord of Ten Thousand Heavens, holding the highest position, commanding reverence within and beyond the Three Realms, not excluding the emperors of the Human Path.

The talent of The Five Peaks’ True Gods is mediocre, but they were able to enhance their cultivation precisely because they received not a few incense offerings. Once the Hundred Schools of Thought were dismissed and Confucianism took control of the imperial court, those deities with good relations with Confucianism saw a significant increase in their incense offerings.

The deities worshipped by the imperial courts of the human world do not include the Three Pure Ones or Great Emperor Zhenwu among other eminent emperors of the four directions. Confucianism values tradition and would not easily modify the sacrificial records. Like the Three Pure Ones and the Four Great Emperors, such beings have very clear stances as patriarchs of the Taoist Sect, and so Confucianism hasn’t placed them in the sacrificial records.

Guan Yu has had a significant impact on the later generations, and Confucius had already calculated that, in the Human Path, his status might even rise to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, an extremely important figure for Confucianism. He can help Confucianism establish a firm foothold in the Heavenly Court and further propagate Confucian loyalty and righteousness. Being a military general, Guan Yu naturally had an inseparable connection with Sun Tzu, which made Sun Tzu’s involvement in this excitement inevitable.

Confucian and militarist interventions do not have much impact. Eventually, Guan Yu could simply be titled with both Confucian and militarist honorifics, and ultimately, he still belongs under the banner of Great Emperor Zhenwu.

The Heavenly Court is controlled by the People of the Immortal Path, while the human world is ruled by mortals. Immortals must not interfere rashly, or they would incur karma, unless their actions are in accordance with the Heavenly Dao. For example, when Hooked Chen Great Emperor decreed, he allowed the gods of the Pestilence Department to spread disease; Zhang Jiao cured countless people with Taoist arts, accumulated public support, and was then able to lead a rebellion to cut off the Han Dynasty’s fate, which was in accordance with the Heavenly Dao.

The Five Peaks’ True Gods, worshipped by the human empire, still have to pay respects to the Three Pure Ones and various great emperors, do they not? The Dao of Immortals and the Human Path, each follows its own course, and it has always been the Immortal Path intervening in the Human Path, never the Human Path intervening in the Immortal Path. It is not that those worshipped have a higher status than those not worshipped.

The Wisdom Bodhisattva muttered to himself with worry, "This is not good, not good at all! Now that Xun Kuang and Sun Tzu have arrived, intending to escort Guan Yu to the Heavenly Court, what should be done?"

Among the deities worshipped in the Confucian sacrificial records, not one belongs to the Buddhist sect, which is ultimately because Buddhism is still a teaching of the West, and the people of the Eastern Land have a strong sense of exclusiveness. Buddhism has barely spread thanks to the "Laozi Huahu Jing" and the teachings of the Huang-Lao school; otherwise, describing its spread as extremely difficult would not be an overstatement. Confucianism, of course, does not wish for Guan Yu to join Buddhism, because then he would not be able to enjoy incense offerings and strengthen the two major schools of Confucianism and militarism.

The Heavenly Court is ultimately governed by the Taoist Sect, a prominent orthodox sect of the Eastern Land. Confucianism, valuing orthodoxy, would never consider worshipping the deities of Buddhism.

These Human Sages, who became immortals through scholarship, are beings who have touched upon the Heavenly Dao Laws, grasping the origin of this world, and are generally no weaker than Mixed Yuan Golden Immortals. Perhaps Xun Kuang’s cultivation is not high, and Confucianism values modesty, but Sun Tzu is terrifying, as the sages of the militarists and Legalism are not to be trifled with.

These Human Sages nearly always act in unison and have an obvious disdain for Buddhism. Seeing Sun Tzu, Wisdom Bodhisattva immediately didn’t dare to say more.

Militarism is decisive in slaughter and killing, and its murderous aura is extremely heavy. If Sun Tzu were angered, he might just draw his sword and start killing without hesitation. Although Wisdom Bodhisattva reckoned his cultivation wasn’t low, he recognized himself as no match for these Human Sages.

"Isn’t what Xun Kuang and Sun Tzu are doing inappropriate?" rang the sound of a Buddhist bell, with a faint voice carrying far and wide.

Enlightenment Dao could not help but frown inwardly, thinking, "Who could it be from the Buddhas now? The Three Thousand Buddhas of Mount Meru are definitely not vegetarian."

"It’s actually the Eastern Coming Buddha Ancestor!"

The expressions of Enlightenment Dao and Zhang Junshi couldn’t help but drastically change. Who was coming? Maitreya, the Future Buddha! Following Tathagata, the next Respectful Ruler of the World was him, and after him comes Medicine Buddha. He is the Future Buddha, also known as the Eastern Coming Buddha Ancestor, called Maitreya.

Past Dipankara Buddha, present Rulai Buddha, future Maitreya Buddha!

These three are the pivotal center of the Manifest Sect of Buddhism, possessing formidable mana, not to be underestimated.

Enlightenment Dao had not anticipated that a mere Ghost Hero like Guan Yu would provoke so many big fish to stir. It seemed that Guan Yu’s destiny in later generations was indeed extraordinary!

To find out what happens next, please tune in to the next episode. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)