The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 264 - 239: Reunion of Buddhism and Daoism at Wuzhuang Temple

Chapter 264: Chapter 239: Reunion of Buddhism and Daoism at Wuzhuang Temple

Legend tells that the Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch invited Zhen Yuanzi to the Shangqing Tian Miluo Palace to discuss the Primordial Dao Fruit, and when the Leader of the Heaven-Penetrating Sect saw his own disciple, he naturally instructed him to go down later and to do exactly as he had said.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang had arrived at the Wuzhuang Temple along with his three disciples and one White Dragon Horse.

Everyone present knew that Zhen Yuanzi was no ordinary figure, heralded as the Ancestral Earth Immortal, capable of spreading the Way of the Dao in West Cow He State, he truly was formidable! Tang Sanzang, naturally, was unaware of this. At present, he was merely a mortal after all, with no real connection to the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi.

Qingfeng and Mingyue, the two Taoist Boys, had already received Zhen Yuanzi’s instructions and welcomed Tang Sanzang and his disciples into the Wuzhuang Temple.

Once inside the Wuzhuang Temple, they naturally offered pepinos as refreshments. Tang Sanzang, upon seeing them, refused to eat, saying, "Although these are fruits produced by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, they resemble infants. I cannot bring myself to eat them, but thank you for your kind offer, Immortal Children. When Zhen Yuan Immortal returns, please convey my thanks for his generous hospitality."

The pepinos, each one crystal clear and resembling a newborn child, were so lifelike that Tang Sanzang could not bear to bite into one and fill his mouth with their fresh fragrance; he felt a certain horror at the thought.

Zhu Bajie, however, was a glutton. Hearing this, he pulled Wukong aside and said, "Brother, I’ve long heard that these pepinos, being the treasures born from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, can confer forty-eight thousand years of life upon consumption! They are said to be even more miraculous than the Queen Mother’s Peaches of Immortality! Those two Taoist Boys are just too lazy, they were meant to be for us, but they ate them themselves."

Wukong laughed and replied, "Then let’s go and take some fruits to enjoy."

He was about to attain the realm of Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal First Layer with the Primordial Dao Fruit. Yin and Yang Qi had already separated within his body, gathering together and about to form a Primordial Dao Fruit. But creating such a fruit was not so simple, was it? Therefore, this opportunity to partake of Zhen Yuanzi’s pepinos was a stroke of fortune.

Zhu Bajie was purely greedy and had no other thoughts in mind. As for Wukong, he used his Jingu Bang to knock down some pepinos and opened his tunic to catch them.

Pepinos fall when struck by gold, and given that the Jingu Bang was made of the metal element from the Five Elements, it was only natural that it would cause the fruits to fall without having to use Zhen Yuanzi’s golden clappers.

With one hit, three fruits fell, and Wukong held them in his hand, chuckling, "Hehe, Bajie, don’t you gulp it down in one go without savoring the taste, or else you’ll ask Old Sun to steal more fruits for you!"

Zhu Bajie took the fruit, hesitated for a moment, then bit off half in one go, his mouth filled with their fresh flavor. He felt as if his Primordial Spirit was becoming much clearer, almost as though he were about to ascend and transform.

Sha Wujing naturally also enjoyed the benefits as he ate a pepino.

Wukong ate one and felt the Yin and Yang Qi within his body become distinct, his True Qi surging, and slowly a sphere appeared in his dantian. This sphere was divided into Yin and Yang, resembling the Yin and Yang beads refined by some True Persons. This was the true Primordial Dao Fruit.

The Buddhist Sect aims to form Sharira, not Primordial Dao Fruits, but Buddhism and Daoism share the same root, with three thousand Great Daos all leading to the Primordial. At higher realms, one can attain the supreme Primordial Great Way.

Wukong shook his head and thought, "One fruit is not enough! I’ll probably need to eat two or three more to cultivate to a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal. The True Qi inside these pepinos is very abundant, just what I need to forge my Primordial Dao Fruit."

Wukong secretly picked another two pepinos to eat. After consuming them, the True Qi emerging from his dantian became even more formidable.

Inside Wukong’s organs, a misty haze of various colors permeated the area. The Primordial Dao Fruit emitted black and white rays of light, and from the crown of his head surged a vital essence. This energy diverged into Yin and Yang and formed a Tai Chi Diagram in the void that spun continuously. The diagram began absorbing Congenital True Qi to forge his Primordial Dao Fruit.

"Condense, Hunyuan True Qi!" Wukong’s spell changed, and the Tai Chi Diagram compressed the True Qi further, endowing it with a profound mystery, making it even more solid and powerful.

The formidable technique of a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal lies in the ability to control Hunyuan True Qi. The divine skills and Magical Treasures manifested from Hunyuan True Qi are much stronger than what a Daluo Golden Immortal can wield.

Wukong’s other two physical bodies had formidable combat strength and exceptional Magical Treasures, allowing them to challenge the powerhouses of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal First Layer. However, if the opponent possessed even slightly more powerful Magical Treasures or higher cultivation in divine skills, they would surely not stand a chance. But now, Wukong was on the brink of ascending to the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal First Layer, and his two other bodies were also sitting in the Cave Abode, absorbing the True Qi from the divided pepinos for their cultivation.

All three were simultaneously condensing their Primordial Dao Fruit. Indeed, the pepinos were wonderful, yet eating too many offered no benefits. After all, there are no shortcuts in cultivation. Having ample resources can speed up one’s persistance in cultivation, but without comprehending the essence and mysteries of the Hunyuan, even if one were to consume all of Laojun’s Immortal Pills, the cultivation level could not be greatly elevated—they might at best become an immortal. Just as Wukong once stealthily ate so many Peaches of Immortality, Immortal Pills, Immortal Brew, etc., and did not increase his mana by the slightest measure, he remained a Taiyi Golden Immortal. But now things were different; with this covert eating, his mana surged upwards.

Forming a Primordial Dao Fruit requires vast amounts of Hunyuan True Qi, and Hunyuan True Qi itself must be refined from Innate True Qi. Only after meticulous refinement can it be coalesced, and becoming a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal is not at all an easy feat.