The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 321 - 282: Xiqimi Country Suffers a Cruel Blow

Chapter 321: Chapter 282: Xiqimi Country Suffers a Cruel Blow

Wukong arrived at his own temple and saw a group of people prostrating themselves in front of the gate, praying to his statue.

A massive surge of incense power and wishes flowed into the statue and then into his body, and he suddenly felt something was amiss.

"Could there be poison in this incense power and wishes?" Wukong felt that his Primordial Spirit was being influenced by this force, compelling him to completely convert to the Buddhist sect. It was an overwhelming urge to dedicate his mind, Primordial Spirit, and body fully to the Buddhist sect.

Wukong thought to himself, "There must indeed be a problem with the secret techniques of the Buddhist sect. This incense power and wishes are problematic; they contain mysterious powers that cause mental disturbance!"

The temples in West Cow He State seem to all have this problem. Ultimately, Tathagata has controlled the fate here and infused this "poison" into the incense power and wishes. Anyone who absorbs it will feel the impulse to convert to Buddhism. Southern Toad Continent, on the other hand, doesn’t have this issue, otherwise, beings like Guanyin would have long been completely devoted to Tathagata and wouldn’t possibly be turned against him.

"Tathagata really has some clever tricks! However, I have the ’Heart Sutra’ and ’Sutra for Crossing Sentient Beings,’ which can counter these mysterious forces." Wukong formed a spell with his hands and muttered incantations silently.

"Maha Maha, Bodhisattva Maha! Jiedi Jiedi, Poluo-seng-jiedi!" After chanting the "Heart Sutra" once, he completely expelled the toxins, being able to absorb the incense power and wishes without any effects.

The shami below saw so many people praying here and also looked worried; The Victorious Fighting Buddha was at Mount Meru, and they could do nothing.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha! You are praying for my manifestation; what matter brings you here?" Wukong descended in front of his own statue, his appearance majestic as he spoke.

"The Victorious Fighting Buddha has manifested!"

"The Victorious Fighting Buddha has manifested!"

...

The crowd immediately erupted, countless people bowing their heads like pounding garlic, everyone speaking at once, creating a chaotic scene that made it difficult for Wukong to hear clearly.

Wukong suddenly shouted loudly, employing the Buddhist Lion’s Roar. This roar, which calmed people’s spirits and soothed their souls, caused everyone present to feel dizzy and then quiet down, with all the fear in their hearts being expelled. This Buddhist Lion’s Roar, indeed, was not just simple; combined with the laws of Heavenly Dao, one roar was thunderously deafening, capable even of shattering the Primordial Spirits of any nearby demons and monsters.

As the crowd calmed down, Wukong asked, "Which country’s citizens are you?"

The fate of West Cow He State was chaotic, with countless small countries, even Wukong did not know which ones he governed.

"Victorious Fighting Buddha, we are citizens of Xi Qie Mi Country, and our country has been afflicted by demons and monsters, so we came here to ask the Victorious Fighting Buddha to manifest and eliminate the demons and monsters."

"Victorious Fighting Buddha, our Xi Qie Mi Country has been terribly plagued by demons and monsters, with tens of thousands of people dying within a month. Please, Victorious Fighting Buddha, take up our cause!"

Tens of thousands of people, for a small country like Xi Qie Mi Country, was a significant number, even enough to shake the foundation of the state. Some small countries in the Western Regions have at most a few tens of thousands of people, and Xi Qie Mi Country, being one of the larger populations in the Western Regions, was particularly hard-hit.

Wukong frowned slightly and thought to himself, "The demons and monsters should have been eradicated by me during my Journey to the West; how could they still have the power to plague Xi Qie Mi Country? Could it be that they do not recognize my renown? Are they courting death by seeking me out?"

The King of Xi Qie Mi Country was also among them; the king stepped out of the crowd, bowed to Wukong, and pleaded, "Please, Victorious Fighting Buddha, save our Xi Qie Mi Country, else the entire nation will become fodder for the mouths of demons and monsters!"

Seeing the king crying miserably, Wukong raised his hand and said, "All beings are equal. Stand up and speak; there’s no need to grovel."

The people present all thanked him, and seeing the king stand up, they also stood up.

"What exactly has happened? What demons and monsters are plaguing you?" Wukong asked.

"Reporting to the Victorious Fighting Buddha, this king does not know which demons and monsters are plaguing our Xi Qie Mi Country. The people being killed are left without a whole corpse, only a skin remains." The king cried.

"A skin?" Wukong frowned slightly, puzzled.

"It’s just a human skin; the flesh inside has been completely erased. In just a month, tens of thousands have died. If this isn’t the work of demons and monsters, then what is it?" The king wore a mournful face, as these tens of thousands of deaths had already shaken the nation’s foundation. He was deeply distressed, fearing the country might be swallowed by other nations.

Wars frequently erupted among the nations of the Western Regions, where the destiny was exceedingly chaotic; anyone could have the opportunity to become the ruler of a nation, unlike in the Southern Toad Continent where, without the destiny of such a person, no matter how hard one tried, one could not compete for supremacy in the Central Plains nor challenge the Nine Provinces. The Hu tribe had long coveted the Central Plains, but they had never actually made their move until Flying Liann stole Shennong’s luck, splitting it into five, leading to the Five Barbarians wreaking havoc across the Central Plains. Now, with the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch and the Projections of the Heavens fighting fiercely, damaging the Kunlun Mountains Dragon Vein and causing its destiny to leak out to the Uttara Kuru Kingdom, the Hu tribe gained it and was soon to grow stronger.

Returning to the main matter at hand, upon hearing the king say this, Wukong couldn’t help but feel alarmed, and said, "What sort of demons and monsters are these, so formidable that they have killed tens of thousands within a month?"

"It’s more than seventy thousand, nearly eighty thousand! Several cities have turned into dead cities, impossible to defend against! Please, Victorious Fighting Buddha, come to our aid."

Wukong also could not help feeling annoyed. What kind of demons and ghosts were these, so callously taking human lives, having killed nearly eighty thousand people in a month? If left unchecked, it might lead to a major disaster!

"Please, Victorious Fighting Buddha, come to our aid!" a group of people pleaded, falling down and wailing.

Wukong calmed his inner rage and said, "Rise, all of you. Since you have all come to seek me, naturally, I will not ignore this matter. No matter what kind of demons and ghosts they are, I shall slay them to give solace to the spirits of the eighty thousand victims! Such beasts are not worth pitying when they die!"

The king, with tears in his eyes, said, "Thank you, Victorious Fighting Buddha! If the Victorious Fighting Buddha eliminates this calamity for my Xi Qie Mi, the king will surely have the entire nation worship the Buddha statue of the Victorious Fighting Buddha and offer incense."

But Wukong merely smiled and said, "King, you are too kind! Since I am the Victorious Fighting Buddha, naturally I cannot allow these evil beings to wreak havoc! I will now set off for your Xi Qie Mi Country and slay these demons, so you won’t suffer their torments and face the ruin of families and homes, displaced and drifting."

The king, with gratitude, said, "Thank you, Victorious Fighting Buddha! Buddha Ancestor is merciful!"

"Buddha Ancestor is merciful!"

The people present, upon hearing Wukong’s willingness to help slay the demons, were moved to tears, immensely grateful, and kowtowed repeatedly.

Wukong sighed softly, feeling the power of the incense and wishes growing stronger and purer. He quickly circulated the "Heart Sutra" to expel the spiritual toxins hidden within the power of the incense and wishes, then refined it into his own Primordial Spirit, making it even more powerful.

Wukong said, "I will leave now. Once I find and slay this demon, you may return to your country, to avoid being harmed senselessly."

The king said, "Yes, Buddha Ancestor!"

Now Wukong, having achieved Buddhahood, ruled over Xi Qie Mi Country. Faced with the disaster wrought by demons, he could not just stand by; even if he were not the Buddha Ancestor, encountering such a situation, he would certainly intervene.

Wukong said, "I am leaving. Keep watch over the mountain gate; if those demons dare to attack, send an alert, and I will hurry back!"

"Your disciples obey," a group of Shami quickly bowed and said, escorting Wukong out of the mountain gate.

Wukong reached the foot of the mountain, gave a soft call, and called out, "VLOOKUP(A1025,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0)!"

He flipped through the air with a somersault, wrapping up his Kasaya tightly, securing it, so it wouldn’t fly about as he fought later.

Now, traveling even faster, one somersault covered hundreds of thousands of miles, not just the eighty-one thousand miles anymore; in the blink of an eye, he was already at Xi Qie Mi Country.

Upon arriving inside Xi Qie Mi Country, he immediately sensed a dense scent of blood.

"Such a strong smell of blood, it’s almost like Asura from the Netherworld Blood Sea causing a massacre. However, sucking people dry leaving only a human skin, isn’t their style; even if they want to cultivate a Blood God Child’s avatar, they would take the soul and vital blood, but certainly not drain the marrow as well." Wukong, having had numerous dealings with the Netherworld Blood Sea, knew well their mode of conduct and methods.

Wukong hovered over Xi Qie Mi Country, feeling the murderous and bloody aura soaring into the sky, anger growing within his heart. His hands formed a Dharma Seal, and he called out softly, "Heavenly heart is my heart, Heavenly eye is my eye! Open the Heavenly Eye!"

On his forehead, laws interwoven, unexpectedly opened a vertical eye, which was not natural, but created by laws.

With his Heavenly Eye open, he saw beneath the city a cave where a person sat cross-legged, surrounded by a halo of blood, clearly the one who had slaughtered the city’s people!

Not knowing exactly who it was, please tune in next time for the resolution. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)