The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 340 - 301: Tathagata on Mount Meru Discusses the Pharmacist

Chapter 340: Chapter 301: Tathagata on Mount Meru Discusses the Pharmacist

It is said that Medicine Buddha had slain Pharmacist Buddha and reclaimed the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm.

Using the Formless Divine Skill, Medicine Buddha swallowed the essence of Pharmacist Buddha. Even if Tathagata himself were to come, he wouldn’t notice that he had replaced Pharmacist Buddha. As soon as Tathagata arrived, he could act undercover within the Buddhist sect. When the great catastrophe of heaven and earth occurred and they eventually turned against the Buddhist sect, he would strike back at Tathagata, causing him substantial pain.

Daoist Equal to Heaven laughed and said, "Well done! Pharmacist Buddha is dead, and now that you control the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, we can plan even better. However, Medicine Buddha, you must also handle Tathagata well. Don’t let him see through you, lest all our efforts become futile."

Medicine Buddha replied, "Of course! Using the Formless Divine Skill to employ Divine Skills, I have merged with the soul of Pharmacist Buddha and obtained his memories. There will be no flaws when dealing with Tathagata, rest assured."

These true and false Buddhas were originally mixing up fortunes. Pharmacist Buddha had mastered the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, representing the future fortune of the Buddhist sect, but now that Medicine Buddha has reclaimed it, the fortune has blessed him instead, while Pharmacist Buddha faced his doom.

"Since you now control the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, we should also leave! Otherwise, someone from the Buddhist sect might come soon," said Daoist Equal to Heaven.

Medicine Buddha responded, "I still need to tidy up the aftermath within the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, you all go ahead."

Daoist Equal to Heaven said, "Let’s go!"

All the people rose on clouds and dispersed, as if this event had never happened.

Medicine Buddha employed Divine Skills to repair the entire Lapis Lazuli World. Daoist Equal to Heaven returned to the Great Pure Sky with the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda and handed it back to Laojun.

Meanwhile, Tathagata was resolving Wukong’s doubts on Mount Meru when he suddenly felt a surge of emotion, yet he couldn’t make out what had happened.

So he sent Acala to the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm to inquire with Pharmacist Buddha. By now, Medicine Buddha had appeared and been in hiding for three hundred years. If something were going to happen, it was likely to occur in the Lapis Lazuli World.

When Acala arrived in the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, Medicine Buddha came out to greet him, saying, "Vidyaraja, World Honored One, I apologize for not meeting you sooner!"

Acala frowned and asked, "Why is your mountain gate destroyed?"

Medicine Buddha sighed and said, "Just now, several Daoist masters came here causing trouble, claiming to subdue me. As I was meditating, they smashed my mountain gate and then fled far away, killing quite a few of my followers in the process."

Acala nodded and said, "Now that Medicine Buddha has come into being, it is your destiny, but you must be very careful. Do not let Medicine Buddha find a loophole and take back the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm; that is your foundation. If it is taken from you, destiny will destroy you."

Pharmacist Buddha and Pure Light World complement each other, entangled with destiny. Losing the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm naturally means facing destiny.

However, Acala could not see that this person was not Pharmacist Buddha, but Medicine Buddha. Pharmacist Buddha had long been slain by everyone, and his soul had been assimilated by the Formless Divine Skill. He could transform into Pharmacist Buddha in an instant, and even Saints could not see any difference between the two.

"Thank you for your concern, Vidyaraja! I will certainly be extra careful not to let Medicine Buddha seize any opportunities. Should anything amiss arise, I will immediately seek help from the World Honored One," Medicine Buddha said with a laugh.

He spoke and laughed effortlessly, showing no discomfort, indistinguishable from Pharmacist Buddha, and Acala could not tell at all.

Acala asked, "Who were those Daoist masters that destroyed your mountain gate?"

Medicine Buddha replied, "I do not know; those Taoists used Magical Treasures to conceal their own auras, making it difficult to recognize them. However, it seemed that Chi Songzi was among them."

Acala snorted coldly and said, "A bunch of petty thieves! Especially that Chi Songzi, relying on the backing of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, acts without any restraint. He killed Venerable Maitreya and now wants to kill you. It is truly unforgivable. When the great catastrophe comes, I shall personally slay him!"

People within the Buddhist sect deeply despise Chi Songzi, after all, he had slain Maitreya, an important master of the Buddhist sect, which was a tremendous disgrace.

"Certainly, we and that Chi Songzi cannot coexist under the same sky. If I encounter him next time, I too shall strive to kill him!" Medicine Buddha said fiercely.

His acting skills were truly impressive. Although Acala had some doubts in his heart, he couldn’t articulate them. An odd feeling lingered, but seeing that Medicine Buddha showed no signs of distress, he assumed he was just being overly cautious. Medicine Buddha, however, sneered inwardly, thinking about how he would slay Acala and the others when the time came.

Vedha Continent is a vital foundation for Buddhism, specifically for Vajrayana Buddhism. The Vajras there are particularly formidable, with Mahavairocana presiding, endless Incense Power and Wishes, making it a crucial military force for the Buddhist sect!

Speaking of Chi Songzi, the members of the Buddhist sect all gritted their teeth with hatred toward him, a hatred that even surpassed that for any Daoist master and the Three Pure.

Medicine Buddha said, "I won’t detain Venerable Acala any longer. I still need to urgently clean up the aftermath here, rebuild the mountain gate, and set up a good formation to prevent another attack by those of lesser virtue."

Acala nodded and said, "If that is so, then this seat will depart! Medicine Buddha, should you encounter any trouble in the future, remember to contact the World Honored One."

Medicine Buddha replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Venerable Acala, I will keep it in mind."

As Acala turned and left, Medicine Buddha finally breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with Acala was no easy task. He had just devoured the Three Souls and Seven Spirits of the Medicine Buddha and was still assimilating them. Sometimes his thoughts would become jumbled; speaking out of turn could result in death. Now in control of the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, as long as he slowly gathered the force of all beings and refined the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm into his own body, transforming it into a Buddha Kingdom he could carry with him, he would soon be able to cultivate to Semi-Saint.

This was indeed an exceptional fortune; born a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal First Layer, cultivating to creator in three hundred years. Just by refining the Lapis Lazuli World into his body, he could achieve the rank of Semi-Saint! Such speed in cultivation was awe-inspiring and reflected the profound destiny of the Buddhist sect.

Upon learning that Medicine Buddha was unharmed, Tathagata also breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, Wukong also secretly eased his tension, fearing that something might go wrong at the Lapis Lazuli World and become unmanageable.

"What does Victorious Fighting Buddha think about Medicine Buddha?" Tathagata asked.

"Medicine Buddha, although he is called Tathagata, is but a malignant tumor in our Buddhist sect, desiring to seize the Lapis Lazuli World! This person might be born of the Buddhist sect’s evil thoughts, which is why he is called a tumor. The tumor must be removed, or our entire Buddhist sect will suffer its harm! If I meet Medicine Buddha, I would definitely strike him down with a rod to protect the Way of the Buddhist sect," Wukong declared resolutely.

Tathagata publicly proclaimed that Medicine Buddha was a tumor of the sect, born out of persistent poison over millions of years and not aligned with the Buddhist heart, here to disrupt the Buddhist sect, a root of sin. Despite being called Tathagata, his actions were malevolent, thus he must be decisively eliminated!

It is ironic that the real Prospective Respectful Ruler of the World became a tumor of the sect, someone whom everyone should eliminate, which is utterly ridiculous.

Tathagata felt greatly relieved hearing Wukong speak thus, saying, "What Victorious Fighting Buddha has said is correct, that Medicine Buddha truly is a tumor within our Buddhist sect, and must be slain, lest he bring ruin. This person’s fate is entangled with that of Medicine Buddha, and a decisive battle between them is inevitable, leading to either his death or mine. Now that Venerable Maitreya has been slain by the villain Chi Songzi, our sect has only one Future Buddha left to succeed my position, so we must ensure Medicine Buddha’s safety. Seeing your profound understanding, if no one else emerges to take the role after Medicine Buddha, then you might well succeed him."

Wukong internally chuckled, a battle in the future? The fight had already ended, Medicine Buddha had been devoured by Medicine Buddha using the Formless Divine Skill. The real Medicine Buddha now controlled the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, and when the true destiny of the Buddhist sect revived, it would again be entwined with calamities.

Wukong gravely said, "The sins I once committed were grievous, and had Buddha Ancestor not enlightened me, I would still be lost. My cultivation has been brief, and the great position of Respectful Ruler of the World is beyond my reach."

To become the Respectful Ruler of the World, one must possess great destiny and great virtue, and Wukong certainly had a great destiny. If he achieved the title of the Respectful Ruler of the World, the fate of the Buddhist sect would rise with him, dominating all directions. However, this was merely Tathagata’s casual remark. Although Wukong had now been subtly influenced by the Buddhist scriptures and had faith in Buddhism, there were too many uncontrollable factors, making his selection for the position unlikely.

"The Daoist sect is detestable for sheltering Medicine Buddha, this tumor, hiding him somewhere unknown! This child must be slain, or he will cause havoc in the Way of the Buddhist sect!" Wukong exclaimed loudly.

"Indeed! Therefore, Victorious Fighting Buddha, you must be very vigilant. I hear that Medicine Buddha Mountain Gate has been attacked by the villain Chi Songzi, who likely seeks to reclaim the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm for Medicine Buddha. Medicine Buddha alone might struggle to cope, and now that you have become a creator with extraordinary mana, you should go and preside over the Lapis Lazuli World, debating the Way and practicing the law with Medicine Buddha. If someone dares attack the mountain gate, capture and slay them on behalf of Medicine Buddha, exalting the prestige of our Buddhist sect to prevent the restless from stirring up our Buddhist sect’s peace," Tathagata stated lightly.

Upon hearing this, Wukong nodded and said, "Since it is Buddha Ancestor’s decree, I will naturally respect it. From now on, I will reside in the Lapis Lazuli World to suppress all foes for Medicine Buddha, directly slaying any agitators."

Tathagata said, "Good, very good! Although our Buddhist sect is compassionate, we must also understand the principle of ’If I don’t go to Hell, who will?’"

After discussing for a long while with Tathagata, Wukong finally got up to go to the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm, now having earned Tathagata’s trust, allowing him to act even more freely in the Buddhist sect.

Traveling swiftly on his cloud, he soon arrived in the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm and met Medicine Buddha.

To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next Chapter. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for recommend tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)