Guanyin led Ao Luan back to the Great Heroic Treasure Hall, where they saw the Buddha, with eyes closed, sitting erect.

"Where did the Buddha go?"

She could tell at a glance that something was amiss; the True Spirit of the Buddha was not here.

"The Buddha has entered the Golden Bowl,"

Manjusri Bodhisattva answered.

Ao Luan was taken aback: "What is he doing in there?"

"Preaching the Dharma."

Manjusri Bodhisattva glanced at Ao Luan. There were no rules saying that the Buddha could not enter the Golden Bowl to preach.

Inside the Golden Bowl, Sun Wukong had already forgotten who he was.

In the contest between two Heavenly Venerates, neither could cheat. Sun Wukong could only reincarnate from the lotus in the Seven Treasures Pool by forgetting everything.

After his reincarnation, as soon as he stepped out of the Seven Treasures Pool, people laid out fresh flowers on the ground to greet him and draped a kasaya over his shoulders.

The reincarnators of the Pure Land had palaces at birth.

Here, palaces, towers, lecture halls, and hermitages abounded, whether on the ground or in mid-air, all naturally formed by various treasures, magnificently luxurious, and exquisitely intricate.

Outside the palaces, the earth was flat, planted with various fragrant treasure trees. When the wind blew, it was like thousands of musical instruments playing, intoxicating those who were present.

This was a world bathed in light, warm and comfortable, where natural things bore not a trace of karmic obstacles, and everyone was inclined to foster thoughts of kindness and joy.

Here, the people had no troubles, no suffering, only joy; no one labored, their hearts turned towards the Buddha, truly serene and undefiled.

Even the clothing, food, and various tools here would materialize as soon as one thought of them.

Whatever clothes you wanted to wear would appear on your body; whatever food you wished to eat would be presented before you.

"Why are things here obtained so easily?"

At some point, Sun Wukong had this thought.

The people here do nothing; why do they deserve such a good life?

Others told him that all these were manifestations of the Buddha's supreme Willpower.

They considered it a matter of course, but Sun Wukong remained doubtful, unable to articulate what exactly he doubted; he just felt that the world should not be this way.

Food and clothing shouldn't be readily available at will.

Because of this doubt, he was different from others.

To resolve his doubts, he began to read the Buddhist Scriptures.

He liked to read books and listen to sermons, and this was exactly the kind of world he was in.

There were no troubles, no wicked people; it was a world where one could endlessly pursue the Tao.

Sun Wukong became engrossed.

Knowledge attracted him more than anything else.

However, as the years passed, the more books he read, the more sermons he heard, the more he felt something was off.

A sense of restlessness began to emerge in the depths of his heart.

He couldn't pinpoint the origin of this restlessness, but it grew day by day with the passage of time.

Just as this feeling of restlessness was about to erupt, a Buddha appeared before him.

The Buddha was expounding the scriptures in a pavilion, and everyone listened as if inebriated; for a while, Sun Wukong too became tranquil.

But this tranquility did not last long. After listening on the sidelines for quite some time, he could not help but leave the pavilion.

"Why am I so restless?"

Sun Wukong sought the reason for his unease.

It was a pure and beautiful world; why did he grow to dislike it more and more?

Unknowingly, he walked to the edge of the Seven Treasures Pool.

He saw a lotus flower slowly blossoming in the pool. People nearby, seeing it, joyfully scattered flower petals on the ground, preparing clothes to welcome a new comrade.

Sun Wukong did nothing but watched as the lotus flower gradually morphed into a human form.

"Ah, so it's like this..."

He suddenly understood.

He had found the root of everything.

"We are not human."

Sun Wukong's heart trembled, knowing that the person emerging from the pool was not a reincarnated being.

Humans are born of flesh and blood; having a body means illness, desires—how could one be so tranquil and at ease?

The reason reincarnators of the Pure Land have everything is that they are merely souls.

The food they eat, the clothes they wear; none are real food or clothes.

Once he realized this, Sun Wukong remembered who he was.

"Will the Northern Continent also become like this one day?"

Sun Wukong quietly asked.

The reason Northern Continent turned into the Pure Land may be because all beings here will eventually cast off their mortal bodies.

Only by casting off the body, can one achieve whatever the heart desires.

Sun Wukong turned around and saw Buddha right before his eyes.

"This is not the real world."

Sun Wukong said.

"What is real and what is false?"

Buddha said, "Even if you go out, how can you distinguish clearly?"

Both soul and body are real.

But the so-called body is just a kind of imprisonment for people.

Buddha looked at Sun Wukong: "Great Saint, the notions of reality and illusion are all attachments."

Sun Wukong looked at him and felt there were deeper meanings in his words.

"Only in Pure Land can the cycle of cause and effect be severed."

Buddha continued: "Joining forces with me, we can change the fate of heaven and earth, and achieve eternity."

"I cannot do that."

Sun Wukong responded.

What he wanted to protect were the living beings with flesh and blood; he couldn't bear to let them give up everything.

"Paths that differ cannot be planned together."

After Sun Wukong spoke, he suddenly leaped up, breaking free from this world.

"Amitabha."

In the Great Heroic Treasure Hall, after a sigh from Buddha, Sun Wukong opened his eyes.

"Brother!"

"Great King!"

Ao Luan and the little Phoenix rushed over.

Sun Wukong nodded at them, then stepped out of the light ring: "Buddha, I have won."

Buddha nodded.

"Go call Jin Chanzi."

He had someone summon Jin Chanzi.

"Great Saint."

Upon arrival, Jin Chanzi first expressed his joy with a bow to Sun Wukong.

After understanding the situation, he also paid his respects to Buddha.

"Jin Chanzi, the Great Saint has granted you freedom."

Buddha spoke: "You should study diligently and, once you have achieved something, you may return to Lingshan."

"I will follow the decree earnestly."

Jin Chanzi received the sacred grace with both shock and joy.

All the Buddhists were somewhat surprised; they did not expect that not only did Buddha not banish Jin Chanzi, he also opened the gates for him.

"Great Saint, is this acceptable?"

Buddha asked Sun Wukong again.

"Yes."

Sun Wukong nodded, and with Ao Luan, the little Phoenix, and Jin Chanzi, turned and left Lingshan.

The Buddhists watched their departing figures.

"Buddha."

The Eastern Buddha turned and asked, "Can the Great Saint still be enlightened?"

"Yes."

Buddha nodded: "I already have some idea."

Through a competition, Buddha completely understood.

Sun Wukong and the Buddhist faith held similar ideals, both wishing to universally enlighten sentient beings, seeking a way out for them.

But they were walking on two distinctly different paths.

Sun Wukong's path was to elevate civilization and find answers in the future.

The only way to enlighten Sun Wukong was to prevent the success of Wanling Country.

Only by proving to him that his path is wrong, will Sun Wukong truly let go of his attachments.

"Careful planning is still needed."

Buddha thought to himself and gradually settled into tranquility.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.