Originally, at the Ullambana Buddhist Conference years ago, the Tathagata preached the Sutra and once said, "I am the Buddha, and the Buddha is me." None of the monks present opposed, except for the Tathagata's second disciple, Golden Cicada, who raised doubts. Golden Cicada objected, "The Buddha is all sentient beings, and all sentient beings are the Buddha. We are merely the manifestations of sentient beings' thoughts. Without sentient beings, there would be no us." These words stunned the entire hall. The Tathagata's face turned livid with rage. However, after all, he was the Buddha and, despite his extreme anger, he showed no outward sign. He only remarked that Golden Cicada had his understanding of the Buddha's intent, admirable indeed!
A hundred years after the Ullambana conference, the Tathagata suddenly summoned Golden Cicada for an audience. In the great hall, the Tathagata asked, "Golden Cicada, how long have you been with me?"
"Disciple immerses daily in the study of Buddhist teachings and in comprehending the intent of the Buddha, without paying attention to the passage of time, hence unaware of the dates."
"And what have you researched? What have you realized?"
"Disciple is slow-witted, not yet..."
Before Tang Sanzang could finish, the Tathagata interrupted, "My Buddha's vastness is boundless, how can it be fully comprehended within the mere confines of Spiritual Mount? Since you once said all sentient beings are the Buddha, then go traverse the mortal world. Go understand the Buddha in all things and beings."
After saying this, the Tathagata pointed a finger at Golden Cicada and said, "Golden Cicada, I command you to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation, become a mortal, and go through ten lifetimes. In these ten lifetimes, you must set out from the east and step by step, make your way to the Western Paradise to seek the True Scriptures. If in these ten lifetimes you can obtain the True Scriptures, I will appoint you as the Buddha of all sentient beings. If not, then go to the Nine Serenities Land and redeem the thousands of Asuras!"
"Yes, disciple obeys the order!"
He stood up, straightened his back, and gazed at the Tathagata on the throne with neither servility nor overbearing pride.
"Disciple requests that Buddha retract my Buddha's power. To let disciple retrieve the scriptures with a tranquil heart."
"No need, no need. Where is Guanyin?"
"Here I am."
"Take Golden Cicada to the Netherworld for transmigration and rebirth."
"Yes, disciple follows the command."
Yet in the eyes of Golden Cicada at that moment was a high-spirited will to fight, but with his head lowered, no one saw it.
On the way to the Netherworld
"Oh, elder brother, why endure such hardship?"
"Heh, someone has to stand up. My Buddha resides in my heart, not atop the grand hall."
"Alas, elder brother, take care. But don't worry, I'll look after you and won't let you suffer too much."
Thus, Golden Cicada was reincarnated as a mortal, and in each life, he had to start from the farthest east, overcoming eighty-one trials and braving mountains and rivers to reach the Western Paradise. However, in the previous nine lives, he died on the way.
"Hahaha, Tang Sanzang, it must be said that you have tremendous luck to have survived all these ordeals." The view shifts back to above the Twenty-Two Layer Heavens, where the one laughing was none other than Master Tongtian.
Everyone's gaze turned towards Master Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord; looking closely, everyone's expression became somewhat peculiar. It turned out that the Supreme Elder Lord, with nothing better to do, was sitting on the clouds, concocting an elixir. Worthy of being one of the Three Pure Ones, his concentration was truly extraordinary.
"Not afraid of being possessed by an explosion of power," mumbled the Bull Demon King under his breath.
"By the way, Holy Monk, what did Tongtian mean by 'karmic force'? Why did he say that you wouldn't die?"
Tang Sanzang turned his head and glanced at the Western Liang Queen beside him, then looked towards the distant horizon.
"These ten incarnations to obtain the scriptures, what quest for scriptures? It was all a trap set by the Tathagata. I had once requested the Buddha to take back my Buddha's power before re-entering reincarnation, but he did not. Zhen Yuanzi should know that immortals are not supposed to interact rashly with mortals. This is because immortals are no longer part of reincarnation. Should they recklessly enter the mortal world, they would have karmic force imposed upon them by the power of reincarnation.
Buddhism is no different. I only understood this in this lifetime. The Tathagata ordered me to seek the scriptures over ten lifetimes, clearly intending to saddle me with the karmic force of ten cycles of reincarnation, dooming me to fall eternally into the Nine Serenities land of Asuras. In each life, I started from the land of the east, not knowing how many mortals I encountered, not knowing how much karmic force entangled me, and each time I was reincarnated, my karmic force doubled. After the ten lifetimes, I would have become just an ordinary mortal. Upon death, my soul would remain in the Nine Serenities, without the ability to be reborn.
In other words, regardless of whether I could secure the True Scriptures, my ultimate end would still be the dispersal of my soul and essence. Although I managed to reach the Western Paradise in this last incarnation and the Buddha had no choice but to consecrate me as Buddha, it merely delayed the eruption of the karmic force. Finally, when Wukong decided to wage war against Heaven, the karmic force within me exploded. I didn't want Wukong to worry, so I said I was going to the Netherworld to find the soul of the Western Liang Queen. Sigh. Amitabha Buddha."
Having spoken quietly, Zhen Yuanzi, the Bull Demon King, and the others were so shocked that they couldn't utter a word. Even Erlang God was astounded. The Tathagata Buddha, to be so ruthless?
"Then, how did you attain enlightenment and control the flower?" Overwhelmed with shock, Erlang God had forgotten that the other party was an enemy.
Tang Sanzang simply glanced at Erlang God and continued, "As karmic force pulled me and I plunged into the Nine Serenities Land, I chanced upon a small flower floating in mid-air. I put my hands together in prayer, chanted the Buddha's name, and then let out a sigh. Just then, a voice suddenly rose in my heart asking, 'Why do you sigh?' Without thinking, I replied, 'I just can't bear to leave my disciples behind. I'm afraid of forgetting them and all the sentient beings of this world.'"
"Thus, the flower flew before my eyes, releasing a beam of white light, and then, all the karmic force binding me was expelled. Moreover, the flower recognized me as its master and even helped me take control of the entire Nine Serenities Hell."
After finishing, Tang Sanzang looked at the Queen of the Western Liang. Understanding his gaze, she continued, "After that, my royal brother found me, removed my name from the Book of Life and Death, and used petals of the enlightenment flower to remake my body, bringing me back to life."
When the queen had finished, there was a silent stillness all around, so quiet that no one even noticed the Supreme Elder Lord's elixir had overcooked. At that moment, everyone shared a single thought, "When I have the time, I too shall visit the Nine Serenities."
Such is the way of the world, where misfortune and blessing are intertwined. No one can penetrate it, nor can anyone master it.
Tang Sanzang gently coughed, and at that, everyone came back to their senses, but now they looked at Tang Sanzang with a hint of peculiarity in their eyes.
"Oh dear, why don't I ever have such good luck?" the straightforward Bull Demon King voiced what everyone was thinking. Remembering how weak Tang Sanzang was during his journey to retrieve the True Scriptures, where any minor demon could bully him, and now? Even the Sect Hierarch Tongtian had to treat him with caution. Wasn't the gap between them as vast as the heavens from the earth?
As everyone was lost in their thoughts, a cloud charged with murderous intent suddenly arrived from the sky. Though to say it floated would be inaccurate, as it reached them in the blink of an eye.
When the mist cleared, a large group appeared at the scene. One by one, they could be identified as the Black Bear Demon, Hong Hai'er under Guanyin's service, the original three demons of Lion Camel Ridge, Yellow Wind Monster, White Bone Spirit, Nine-Tailed Fox, Rhino Demon, Nine-Headed Demon, Yellow Eyebrow King, Hundred-Eye Demon Monarch (Centipede Spirit), and other Demon Kings. And each brought a hundred elite members of their Demon Clan, standing between Supreme Elder Lord and Tang Sanzang. The battlefield, which had been relatively spacious, suddenly felt cramped.
Their arrival immediately broke the stalemate between the two sides. The Bull Demon King and the others breathed a sigh of relief, for standing off against beings like Sect Hierarch Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord was unquestionably unpleasant. Their mere presence was suffocating.
"Humph, another mob of riffraff. You petty fledgling demons now dare to be insolent in front of me?"
The last few words were imbued with supreme might by Tongtian, each word thunderous, aiming to suppress the newly arrived demon leaders with his imposing aura. However, just as he finished speaking, a white Vajra Bracelet flew out, vibrated in the air, and Tongtian's pressure was instantly dissipated. Meanwhile, the morale of his own demon faction greatly surged.
"You vile creature, stealing my Vajra Bracelet, filching my Banana Fan, and now you dare to show your face before me? I nourished you for a thousand years for nothing. You ingrate, today I shall purge you." With these words, he waved his Eight Trigrams Furnace, and a tongue of fire spouted forth, transforming into a raging green rhinoceros charging towards the demon leaders.
"Haha, old man, you must be senile to try this trick in the presence of my Vajra Bracelet! Watch as I take it in."
With a point of his hands, the Vajra Bracelet hovering above everyone flashed with light, a powerful suction force erupted, and the fire rhinoceros, with no hesitation, turned and charged directly into the bracelet and vanished. Apart from the Vajra Bracelet appearing slightly reddened by the fire, it was as if nothing had happened.
"This, this is it? I thought I was done for! That old man's fire is really frightening." The Peng Demon King said, his heart still racing, having just lost an arm to the flame.
Looking at Supreme Elder Lord, his face was flushed red with rage, his body trembling uncontrollably, especially the hand holding the Eight Trigrams Furnace, shaking so much that it seemed as if it might drop at any moment. If that happened, the expanse of Flame Mountain would extend far beyond its current eight hundred miles.
"Elder brother, do not be hasty. It seems that the Rhino Demon has completely mastered the Vajra Bracelet. Moreover, the strength of these demons is extraordinary. We need to plan for the long term and must not act rashly," Tongtian quietly transmitted his thought.
"Oh, the old man's fire is really fierce, it even burned off one of my hairs, haha. Old man, come at me again, I want to see how much more fire from your Eight Trigrams Furnace I can contain,"
"You, you're too presumptuous! A mere mount, grown arrogant just because you stole a few of my treasures. If you wish to take me, then I'll allow you to take your fill."
"Elder brother, be careful!"
Tongtian immediately realized something was amiss, but it was already too late. All he could do was watch as Supreme Elder Lord bellowed in anger, followed by an enormous "explosion". Flames filled the sky behind the elder, and at the same time, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ah, elder brother, elder brother, why would you do this!"
Unbelievably, Supreme Elder Lord had self-destructed his Eight Trigrams Furnace, an artifact bound to his very life!