The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 262 - 238: Great Immortal of Mira Palace Attends the Lecture_2

Chapter 262: Chapter 238: Great Immortal of Mira Palace Attends the Lecture_2

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch wrote a simple note, saying, "The master and disciples will soon arrive at Wuzhuang Temple; it’s time to invite Zhen Yuan Immortal to come here and wait for that monkey head to cause trouble."

Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch, knowing that Wukong had already experienced one Journey to the West, assumed he knew what to do and thus did not send Wusheng to remind him, saying, "Hmm, then Yuan Shi, go ahead and send out the note."

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch said, "It would be best to invite him to Mira Palace; after all, he is your disciple."

Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch responded with a smile that was not quite a smile, "It seems you already know."

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch sneered, "For a Saint to want to learn of something, is it not easy? Watching day and night, one naturally detects some clues."

The Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch simply smiled faintly and ceased to speak. Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch had White Crane Boy take his note down to invite Zhen Yuan Immortal to come to Mira Palace to listen to the discourse on the Primordial Dao Fruit.

Zhen Yuan Immortal, who respects heaven and earth but does not worship the Three Pure Ones, still wouldn’t dare not to come when invited by the likes of Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch, after all, the Three Pure Ones are the genuine Patriarchs of the Taoist Sect, and his own master is none other than the Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable!

White Crane Boy took the note down, smiling as he said, "Master Zhen Yuan, our lord has invited you to Mira Palace to listen to the discourse on Primordial Dao Fruit!"

Upon hearing that it was to Mira Palace, Zhen Yuan Immortal’s heart filled with joy, saying, "Very well, Child, just wait a moment while I give instructions to my disciples, and then I will follow you to the heavens."

Zhen Yuanzi calculated with his fingers and foresaw that the master and disciples would soon come to Wuzhuang Temple, and it was right for him to arrange a calamity for them as decreed by his master’s orders. Thus, he summoned Qingfeng and Mingyue to guard the home, bringing along forty-six disciples to Mira Palace to listen to the discourse on Primordial Dao Fruit.

"Master Zhen Yuan, it’s time for you to go to heaven!" urged White Crane Boy.

"All is ready! Child, lead the way," replied Zhen Yuan Immortal after giving some final instructions, then he set his mind at ease and followed White Crane Boy to ascend to heaven.

White Crane Boy chuckled, "Master Zhen Yuan, let’s hurry; we have arrived."

In an instant, the two arrived at Mira Palace in Shangqing Tian, where Zhen Yuan Immortal dispelled the clouds and mists, and the forty-odd disciples he brought landed on the ground.

"Please follow me!" White Crane Boy led the way, guiding Zhen Yuan Immortal and his disciples into the Mira Palace.

Inside Mira Palace, they saw Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch and Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable seated on the Jade Platform, each with a meditation cushion beneath them, one holding a Jade Ruyi, and the other forming a spell with his hands, as immovable as mountains, evoking a sense of awe in all who saw them.

Zhen Yuan Immortal led his disciples in a bow, saying, "Infinite longevity and blessings! I, the humble Daoist, greet Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch and Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable."

"Infinite longevity and blessings! We greet Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch and Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable!" the disciples of Zhen Yuan Immortal also spoke in turn.

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch, seeing that Zhen Yuan Immortal had brought his disciples, chuckled and said, "It seems you do understand the situation well!"

Zhen Yuan Immortal smiled and said, "Ever since Tang Sanzang set out on his Journey to the West, I have been paying close attention to this matter. Buddhism and Daoism have had their victories and defeats, all in small scope, never truly engaging in a decisive battle. Now that they have come to my Wuzhuang Temple, I must certainly make things challenging for the Buddhist sect!"

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Zhen Yuan Immortal, you have indeed met my expectations; this matter has been handled well! Your pepino fruit tree is a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. If that Macaca manages to topple it, we shall see what means Tathagata has to restore the pepino fruit tree!"

Zhen Yuanzi, famously known as the Ancestral Earth Immortal, certainly commands great skills, and ordinary people are no match for him. Guanyin would not have the means to revive the pepino fruit tree, and even the Longevity Emperor of the Heavenly Court would be at a loss, so it would be intriguing indeed to see what Tathagata could do to have Guanyin restore it once the tree was toppled!

"Yes! That pepino fruit tree is transformed from a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, born at the dawn of chaos when heaven and earth were about to part, even I have no means to deal with it," Zhen Yuan Immortal said.

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch declared, "Do not underestimate Tathagata; he harbors deep secrets. I suspect that the union of his several Dharma Bodies in Vedha Continent might well possess a Saint’s mana!"

Startled, Zhen Yuan Immortal looked towards Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable.

"Zhen Yuan, now that you have established a firm footing in West Cow He State, it is an excellent development for our Taoist Sect. However, since West Cow He State is the territory of the Buddhist sect, your establishment of a Taoist temple in Ten Thousand Year Mountain is essentially an affront to Tathagata. You must be extremely careful to ensure that Tathagata does not uproot your temple," advised the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch.

"Indeed! I understand," Zhen Yuan Immortal hurriedly replied.

"That Macaca is a disciple I have taken in West Cow He State," intoned the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch. "He is a naturally formed Stone Monkey, a remnant of the Five-Colored Stone that Mends the Heavens left by Empress Zhi Ren during her repair of the heavens. Having absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, he finally took shape. This monkey is destined to follow heaven’s will, thus all calculations and the Journey to the West revolve around him, and since he is of Demon Kind and among the Three Pure Ones, your master Yuan Shi is particular, Laojun takes no disciples, leaving only me to teach without discrimination. Moreover, having been overshadowed in the Divine Enthronement, the arduous task of taking in disciples naturally falls upon me."

Seeing that Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch kept his eyes closed and remained silent, it was evident that he already knew of the master-disciple relationship between him and the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch.

"So it is," said Zhen Yuan Immortal. "No wonder that monkey head was capable of causing such Havoc in Heaven; it turns out he is also a fellow disciple."

It was easy to connect the dots when Three Pure Ones disciples caused trouble in the Celestial Palace—before taking action against a Sect Patriarch’s disciple, one must consider the Patriarch’s stance. After all, attacking the Patriarch’s disciple without regard for his feelings would be akin to seeking one’s own doom. Yet, not many knew Wukong was the disciple of Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable from the Three Pure Ones; they simply followed the Great Emperor’s discreet command not to act rashly.