The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 295 - 260: The Attempt to Capture Iron Fan on Mount Meru

Chapter 295: Chapter 260: The Attempt to Capture Iron Fan on Mount Meru

Wukong had sought the assistance of Lingji Bodhisattva, who, naturally, was no match for Princess Iron Fan wielding her Banana Leaf Fan; in an instant, he was reduced to ashes.

Hurriedly, Wukong went to Mount Meru in search of Tathagata, as Tathagata naturally could not sit by idly in this matter, otherwise, where would he put his face?

Those of the Immortal Path value face highly; disciples being beaten, struck by surprise, or having their Magical Treasures taken—all could provoke slaughter and killing. The Wind-Calming Pearl had been constantly cultivated by Lingji Bodhisattva since his practice began. It was a pity that it was turned into powder by Princess Iron Fan with a single wave of her fan, otherwise, it would have saved his life.

Causality is easy to create but immensely difficult to resolve. Once untangled, one side is almost always reduced to ashes, ending up with empty promises.

Wukong entered the Great Hall of Mount Meru, bowed to Tathagata, and said, "Buddha Ancestor, I went to borrow Lingji Bodhisattva’s Wind-Calming Pearl, but unexpectedly the Banana Leaf Fan was extremely powerful. With one wave, it shattered the pearl, and I was thrown down to the Eastern Sea. When I reported this matter to Lingji Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva, furious, went to find Princess Iron Fan to settle the score."

Tathagata was startled and exclaimed, "What happened then?"

Wukong replied, "Then the Bodhisattva was turned into calamity ashes by a wave of Princess Iron Fan’s fan, dying with his spirit regressing, all his Bodhisattva Rank completely lost."

Upon hearing this, Tathagata became furious and said, "How dare Iron Fan do this? To have killed Lingji Bodhisattva and even caused his spirit to regress."

Reaching the Eighth Ground Bodhisattva is to become Immovable Ground, reputed for an eternally unregressing spirit. But now, Tathagata was deeply embarrassed as Lingji Bodhisattva, this Eighth Ground Bodhisattva, had his spirit regress upon death, causing all the Buddha statues in the temple to collapse, ruining the Way of the Dao completely. Princess Iron Fan killing Lingji Bodhisattva was one thing, but scaring him into spirit regression upon his death was quite another—it was striking Tathagata in the face.

Upon Wukong’s words, Tathagata was utterly furious, seeing that a Bodhisattva of Immovable Ground had his spirit forced into regression, where would the Buddhist sect put its face now?

"Could it be that Princess Iron Fan has obtained Laojun’s positive Yang Fan, both combining into one? Otherwise, with her fan alone, she would definitely not be able to kill Lingji Bodhisattva, let alone force his spirit into regression," Tathagata mused. Calming down and thinking it over, he soon guessed that this was likely another scheme of the Three Pure Ones.

However, even knowing it was a trap, Tathagata had to jump in, as the Journey to the West must continue. Otherwise, Buddhism would not be able to persist in the Middle Earth. Only by diluting the fate of the Confucian and Daoist paths during the process could the fate of Middle Earth become more chaotic, and the ensuing calamity be steadier. The Heavenly Dao Laws would then become even more disordered.

Tathagata thought to himself, "If Princess Iron Fan has obtained the Integration of both Yin and Yang fans, then she will be difficult to deal with. We must find a few more people to go."

"Shiqi Buddha."

"Peacock Great Ming King Bodhisattva."

"Great Mighty Celestial Dragon Bodhisattva."

"You three, accompany Wukong and venture to Banana Leaf Cave. You must capture Princess Iron Fan and bring her back to Mount Meru to be dealt with!" Tathagata instructed.

Shiqi Buddha was a formidable figure among the Three Thousand Buddhas, and the Peacock Great Ming King was even more needless to say. As the first-hand man under Tathagata with Quasi-saint Level cultivation, his Five-Colored Divine Light could sweep through all things under the heavens, with only Zhunti’s Seven-Colored Divine Light able to suppress it. Tathagata carefully considered and concluded that the three of them going was indeed appropriate.

Alone, Shiqi Buddha might struggle to withstand Princess Iron Fan’s fan, but with Kong Xuan added, they would undoubtedly be able to resist, and capturing her with the help of Great Mighty Celestial Dragon would be almost certain.

Wukong feigned joy and said, "Thank you, Buddha Ancestor. Shiqi Buddha and the two Bodhisattvas, please follow this Old Sun for a trip!"

The three rose from the Lotus Platform and followed Wukong out of the Da Xiong Palace. It was then that Wukong noticed that the mana of Great Mighty Celestial Dragon seemed to have deepened further; this fellow was extraordinarily favored, showing signs of breaking through to the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven—unbelievably remarkable!

The cultivation of Great Mighty Celestial Dragon had always progressed by leaps and bounds. With Kong Xuan being a Tenth Ground Bodhisattva and Great Mighty Celestial Dragon an Eighth Ground Bodhisattva nearing the completion of their Bodhisattva Rank. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was even more formidable, also with Quasi-saint Level cultivation, specialized in Buddhist Law, surpassing the Tenth Ground long ago—it’s just that he chose not to become a Buddha, hence set this all-but-unfulfillable grand vow, so as to keep Tathagata from bidding him to ascend Mount Meru to become a Buddha.

In fact, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva saw through everything. After all, his mount, Di Ting, heard everything in the Three Realms and Six Paths; nothing escaped his ears, everything within Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s control.

It’s not to say that a Buddha is necessarily stronger than a Bodhisattva; it’s just that a Buddha’s spiritual cultivation is higher than that of a Bodhisattva. Take Kong Xuan, for example, an Eighth Ground Bodhisattva who, when facing the great terror of life and death, is unlikely to regress in spirit. His Buddha-nature is profound, guided by Zhun Ti Buddha Ancestor himself.

But let’s not dwell on this. Our story continues as Wukong led two Bodhisattvas and one Buddha straight to the Banana Leaf Cave.

Wukong thought to himself, "This Shiqi Buddha is almost on par with a creator in cultivation, and then there’s Kong Xuan, the foremost figure below Tathagata, along with the Mahoraga whose physical body is without equal. I wonder if they can withstand the assault?"

In fact, Tathagata would rather have all the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain mobilize, but doing so would surely give rise to the ignominy of the strong bullying the weak, and the many outnumbering the few. However, sending these few emissaries carried the same rationale. Should they be defeated and driven back, it’s feared that there would be no place left to hide his shame!

Princess Iron Fan had been forewarned by the Ox Demon King. She stood in front of the Banana Leaf Cave with the Banana Leaf Fan in hand and shouted, "You three bald donkeys, hold up! Are you yet another group of reinforcements called in by that monkey?"

Wukong had already transmitted his voice to Kong Xuan and the other two, "This, after all, is my sister-in-law. Bringing you here to seek revenge upon her is justifiable neither in principle nor in righteousness. I shall not show my face again. I’ll trouble you gentlemen to proceed."

The three were, of course, determined to succeed in their mission, and therefore they did not trouble Wukong further by allowing him to withdraw; they headed straight for Princess Iron Fan.

Shiqi Buddha said, "Benefactor Iron Fan, by slaying the immovable Lingji Bodhisattva of our Buddhist sect, you have committed a grave sin! I beseech you to accompany this humble monk to Spirit Mountain and allow the World Honored One, Tathagata, to decide your fate."

Princess Iron Fan was a shrew, and on the spot, she placed her hands on her hips and cursed loudly, "You gray-bearded scoundrel, you bald-headed old thief! That bald donkey Lingji lent his magical treasure to that mischievous monkey, causing me to damage it. Yet he came to me demanding recompense, specifically asking for my Banana Leaf Fan. Isn’t that a sign of his greed? Does he truly deserve to be called immovable? And you, you old thief, dare to come to me with such high-sounding principles, insisting on bullying one with three. Just say it if that’s your intention!"

Both Shiqi Buddha and the Mahoraga nearly had their noses bent out of shape by anger. They were indeed fakes brought to Spirit Mountain by Tathagata through an act of Swap Heaven and Earth, save for Kong Xuan, whose Buddhist root ran deep, who remained calm, still appearing serene as a light breeze among clouds.

Shiqi Buddha’s beard fluttered in the air, and as a person of the Buddhist sect, naturally, he was bald. Iron Fan’s curses of "gray-bearded scoundrel" and "bald-headed old thief" were actually quite fitting.

"Very well, very well, quite the sharp-tongued shrew you are. Today this poor monk will let you see what’s formidable! Let me capture you and take you to Spirit Mountain to see how you’ll be dealt with!" Shiqi Buddha roared in anger and made his move, extending a palm that blotted out the sky and sun as it reached for Princess Iron Fan. The outstretched Merciful Palm seemed to plummet the world into despair, leaving no room for resistance.

However, Princess Iron Fan had a magical treasure which emboldened her, and she was certainly not frightened by Shiqi Buddha. She shook the Banana Leaf Fan, recited an oral spell, and at once the fan flew up and fiercely fanned. Immediately, a fierce wind arose that blew Shiqi Buddha’s palm backward, littering it with countless wounds that bled profusely.

Shocked, Shiqi Buddha exclaimed, "It turns out to be the Yin and Yang fans combined! No wonder you could slay Lingji Bodhisattva, causing even his spirit to recoil in dread. So that’s why!"

Once a Bodhisattva attains the Immovable Ground among the ranks, it’s generally very hard for them to regress. Wukong, hostile to the Buddhist sect, Daoist Equal to Heaven, as well as Enlightenment Dao to some extent, had slain some Bodhisattvas during the chaotic period of the Eastern Jin and Southern & Northern Dynasties, including those of the Eighth Ground. However, when they were slain, their spirits did not regress. Instead, it was some Bodhisattvas below the Eighth Ground whose understanding of cause and effect became obscured upon being slain, regressing their spirits and losing their rank.

Princess Iron Fan snorted coldly, "Gray-bearded scoundrel, good that you know. Take this fan!"

Princess Iron Fan brandished the Banana Leaf Fan, and a vicious wind rushed toward Shiqi Buddha.

Shiqi Buddha let out a fierce shout. His body split into two, with one body lunging into the fierce wind, and instantly got shredded into a puddle of blood. Nevertheless, his true form stood behind, and it seemed that with every cloned body that was slain, his true form grew even more terrifyingly powerful!

Wukong watched everything with clarity from the shadows, thinking, "This Shiqi Buddha is a zombie from Ancient Times who achieved Buddhahood. Reportedly, his real identity is Ying Hook. Whenever one of his clones is killed, his true form’s power becomes ever more horrifying!" Another thought crossed his mind, "Good, Enlightenment Dao’s interference in this matter is just perfect since he’s currently identified as an Overseas Cultivator. He’s been cultivating on Yingzhou Island for years, collecting the incense power and wishes of the native inhabitants."

"How many more strikes can you withstand?!" Princess Iron Fan shouted loudly, infusing her mana into the Banana Leaf Fan. The fan grew several feet in size with a wave, creating a fierce wind. Shiqi Buddha, unable to defend against it, was sent flying backward, his body split open and his Primordial Spirit nearly ejected from his body.

That Banana Leaf Fan was just too mighty. Even someone as profoundly cultivated as he struggled to resist. Who else but Kong Xuan, with his mighty Five-Colored Divine Light, could withstand the fan? His innate Five-Element Spiritual Root could brush against all things in heaven and earth.

Shiqi Buddha, having been thoroughly humiliated by the hands of Princess Iron Fan, a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal, felt utterly embarrassed, a complete laughing stock. There was nothing he could do—her magical treasure was simply too powerful.

Kong Xuan released a streak of Five-Colored Divine Light, which caught Shiqi Buddha, and said, "Her Banana Leaf Fan is formidable indeed. Even my Five-Colored Divine Light can barely block it. Shiqi Buddha, let’s join forces to block her while Mahoraga Bodhisattva captures her!"

Mahoraga nodded. With a thunderous cry, Kong Xuan and Shiqi Buddha took action. Princess Iron Fan whipped up her fan repeatedly, generating strong winds, but all were blocked in the end.

Kong Xuan’s Five-Colored Divine Light fluttered continuously in front of the two, while Shiqi Buddha created many clones, forming an immense formation that kept Princess Iron Fan’s winds from reaching them.

Seizing the opportunity, Mahoraga pounced on Princess Iron Fan. With her magical treasure entangled by Kong Xuan and Shiqi Buddha, she was no match for Mahoraga.

After all, nobody knows what will become of her fate. Please listen to the next installment for the answer. (To be continued. If you like this novel, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)