ck Wind Mountain, ck Wind Cave.
Under the respectful guidance of the little demon, Elder Jinchi directly entered the ck Wind Cave. His familiar manner showed that he was very well-acquainted with this cave.
Likewise, the little demons inside the cave were no longer surprised by Elder Jinchi''s presence.
After Elder Jinchi entered the ck Wind Cave, he sat down by himself and quietly waited, as a little demon went to inform the master of the ck Wind Cave, the ck Bear Demon.
On the table beside him, there was still half a jug of fine wine and some meat, clearly indicating that the ck Bear Demon''s meal tonight was not bad.
Soon, a little demon brought over some fruits to serve, while intending to clear the wine and meat.
"Wait, no need to clear them away," Elder Jinchi said, stopping the little demon''s actions. He picked up the wine jug, filled a cup for himself, and drank it all in one gulp while grabbing a piece of cooked meat and taking a big bite.
This scene left the little demon beside him stunned; the Holy Monk Jinchi seemedpletely different from before.
As these little demons were stupefied, a rough voice soon rang out, loud as a bell: "Hahaha, Elder Jinchi, we have known each other for a hundred years. It''s been some days since yourst visit, and I was just thinking of discussing the Buddhist Law with you."
As the voice faded, a dark-skinned but strapping man emerged—it was the master of ck Wind Mountain, the ck Bear Demon.
From his words, it seemed he had a good rtionship with Elder Jinchi.
However, as the ck Bear Demon approached and saw Elder Jinchi drinking wine and eating meat heartily, he was also taken aback.
"Elder Jinchi, you, you..." he said, eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at Elder Jinchi in disbelief.
As he said, after a hundred years of acquaintance, he thought he knew Elder Jinchi well, but it was precisely because of this understanding that he found the current sight of Elder Jinchi hard to ept.
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"What''s the matter? Can I not drink this wine? Can I not eat this meat?" Elder Jinchi nced at the ck Bear Demon and asked.
The ck Bear Demon said nothing more and simply sat down in front of Elder Jinchi.
As he watched Jinchi drink and eat with a fierce demonic Qi emanating from him, he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get the words out, another little demon rushed in frantically.
"Great King, Holy Monk Jinchi, it''s terrible, your Guanyin Zen Temple seems to be on fire! Hurry and put it out, or I''m afraid your temple will be reduced to ashes," the little demon said urgently, his gaze fixed on Elder Jinchi.
"It doesn''t matter, let it burn; burning down might even be for the best," Elder Jinchi replied, waving his hand indifferently upon hearing the news of the Guanyin Zen Temple fire.
Having worshipped Guanyin for 200 years, to end up with this result was disillusioning. Since his faith in Buddha had already faded, what was the point of keeping the Guanyin Zen Temple standing?
"Elder Jinchi, what exactly happened? Have you... have you fallen to demonic possession?" After waving the little demon away, the ck Bear Demon asked, eyes wide with astonishment.
It was unbelievable, the sudden and drastic change in Elder Jinchi whom he had known for a hundred years.
"Haha, what''s so bad about demon possession?"
Hearing the ck Bear Demon''s words, Elder Jinchi took a big swig of wine, and with a crazed look on his aged face, said, "I managed the Guanyin Zen Temple with all my heart, offering incense every day without fail, and what did I get in the end? Merely for a few critical words against Xuanzang, they were about to cast me into the Path of Beasts.
If I can''t achieve Buddhahood, why not be a demon?"
As he spoke, Elder Jinchi mmed the wine jug onto the table and stared intently at the ck Bear Demon, saying, "ck Bear, I have a tremendous opportunity at hand, do you dare to join me in seeking it?"
"What opportunity?" the ck Bear Demon asked, hearing Elder Jinchi''s words.
"That Xuanzang hase seeking scriptures from the West, and there are rumors that eating a piece of his flesh grants eternal life. Along the way, he must be carrying many treasures. Do you dare join me?" Elder Jinchi asked, looking intently at the ck Bear.
"This..." replied the ck Bear Demon, looking somewhat troubled upon hearing Elder Jinchi''s proposal. Master Xuanzang on a scripture-seeking mission? He was not someone easy to deal with.
"If you dare not, then forget it. I will go alone. This time, as long as Xuanzang serves as my shield, even if I am eternally suppressed in Avici Hell, I will have no regrets," Elder Jinchi said, seeing the hesitation and difficulty in the ck Bear Demon''s demeanor. He stood up and continued, "After a hundred years of friendship, the time hase to part ways.
After today, we will probably not meet again."
"Elder Jinchi, wait..." the ck Bear Demon eximed as he saw Elder Jinchi rising to leave.
"A hundred years ago, I, the ck Bear, shed my mortal form and encountered a cmity of thunder. At the same time, someone sought to kill me. I fled thousands of miles to this ce, and it was thanks to your help that I was saved. Over the years, our discussions of Buddhism have helped me stabilize my cultivation. Your great kindness was as good as giving me a new life.
Since you seek my help today, I, the ck Bear, am morally obliged to assist you, even if it means the death of my path and my end. It''s nothing but a repayment for the life-saving grace I received from you back then," the ck Bear Demon said, his voice deep and resolute.
"Very well!" Elder Jinchi said, smiling at the ck Bear Demon''s agreement, nodding emphatically.
After a hundred years of acquaintance, Elder Jinchi was very familiar with the ck Bear Demon. This was not an ordinary demon kind but a Loose Immortal who had shed his mortal form and achieved an Immortal Body a hundred years ago. With his help, the chances of sess were even greater.
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"However, there''s a monkey following that Master Xuanzang by his side, with a furry face and a mouth like the God of Thunder. Though I''ve not seen him make a move, I can feel his cultivation level is very high, even higher than yours," Jinchi said excitedly but with a hint of caution, reminding the other.
"I''m aware of this."
Upon hearing this, the ck Bear Demon nodded and said, "A few days ago, a shout almost resonated through the three realms and six paths, alerting all with divine skills. I heard it too. That was Sun Wukong who had been suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain, known for causing Havoc in Heaven with his vast divine skills.
He was pinned down by the Buddha and was eventually rescued by Xuanzang to protect him on his Journey to the West."
"You know? Then you''re no match for that monkey either?" Jinchi was suddenly rmed upon learning about the significant background of the monkey by Xuanzang''s side.
"Don''t worry, Sun Wukong may be formidable, but I''m not a vegetarian. I''ll call upon the brothers and sisters around ck Wind Mountain to help. Even if we can''t defeat him, we can certainly keep the Stable Attendant busy for a while," said the ck Bear Demon, trying to dispel Jinchi''s doubts with a confident demeanor.
"If that''s the case, then I''ll leave it up to you. Just keep that monkey busy, and I''ll take care of Xuanzang myself. Rest assured, we will all share the flesh of longevity life," said Jinchi, somewhat reassured by the ck Bear Demon''s confidence and nodding in agreement.
After discussing the n, the ck Bear Demon conjured a secret technique to summon assistance.
In no time at all, more than a dozen beams of light streaked across the sky and fell into ck Wind Mountain. These were all the Demon Kings from a thousand miles around.
Transforming into human form, the demons were men and women, young and old. Evidently, they all respected the ck Bear Demon as their superior.
"Everyone, ck Bear and you have known each other for a hundred years. Today, I''ve gathered you all here for an important matter," said the ck Bear Demon, getting straight to the point without mincing words, as he and Jinchiid out their n to the Demon Kings.
As these words were spoken, the expressions of the Demon Kings varied. Some were surprised, some excited, and of course, some hesitant...
"I don''t mean to force anyone. This action ispletely voluntary. If you''re willing, upon sessfulpletion, a share of the longevity flesh will not be missed. Of course, if anyone is unwilling, they can stay in my ck Wind Cave and rest for the night before leaving," the ck Bear Demon said after exining his n, eyeing the Demon Kings.
"How could you say that, Brother ck Bear? In these past hundred years, you have generously guided our cultivation. With such a great debt of gratitude owed to you, how could I, the Flower Snake Monarch, stand idly by?" said one lean Demon King, taking the lead in expressing his stance after the ck Bear finished speaking.
"This old one is also willing to heed themand of Great King ck Bear. I have long been salivating over the flesh of longevity life," said another bent and aged Demon King, also expressing his readiness to join.
"I''m sorry, Brother ck Bear, but I, Master Lingxu, am not willing to take part..." However, as the Demon Kings dered their positions, a man dressed in a schr''s gown voiced his regret, looking somewhat apologetic.
"Hmm, if Master Lingxu is unwilling to go, then just stay in ck Wind Cave. I won''t force you," after ncing at Master Lingxu, the ck Bear Demon said no more.
Personal wishes cannot be forced. Those who chose not to go and stayed in ck Wind Cave provided reassurance to all.
Having esteemed the ck Bear Demon for a hundred years, the Demon Kings respected him not only for his superior cultivation as a Loose Immortal but also for his guidance over the years.
Besides Master Lingxu, none of the other Demon Kings voiced any further refusal.
As all the Demon Kings nodded their agreement, the ck Bear Demon responded with a nod and looked toward Jinchi.
Jinchi, looking at the Demon Kings and especially at the ck Bear Demon with his Immortal Body, felt a surge of confidence and nodded back. Together, they left ck Wind Cave and flew toward Guanyin Zen Temple.
"What should we do now?" With the ck Bear Demon and the Demon Kings mobilizing in unison, their demon qi reaching for the heavens, Master Lingxu felt an inward urgency.
Wanting to help, but after going there, whom should he support?
At Guanyin Zen Temple, although the White Dragon Horse used the origin power of its Dragon Ball to quell the fire and prevent the temple from total ruin, the monks, staring at their nearly half-destroyed sanctuary, were on the brink of tears.
"He''s gone; we''ve searched everywhere but can''t find the Elder''s presence anywhere. What should we do now?" With such an incident, the monks naturally turned to Jinchi for direction, but with the Elder of Guanyin Zen Temple missing, the monks seemed like they had lost their backbone.@@novelbin@@
"This is quite strange," said Jiang Liu to himself as he looked upon the Zen Temple, burnt down for no apparent reason and even Jinchi''s disappearance, instinctively feeling something was amiss.
Of course, he also sensed that all this must be connected to the Buddhist Sect in some way.
Sand and rocks flew, and the sky turned dark.
Just then, the night sky became one with the howling demon winds that had arisen, and what had been a clear night was now shrouded in darkness.
Sun Wukong''s expression became stern as he looked up into the ckened skies, his eyes aze.
"Master, be careful, there''s arge group of demon creaturesing our way."
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