The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 18 Accidentally Entering Little Thunder Temple

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Around noon, a monk dressed in a gray robe appeared in the dilapidated temple.

The monk was in his early twenties, with an ordinary appearance. He sat cross-legged with his back to the Buddha statue, staring at the doorway, as still as a statue.

A sparrow landed on his head, pecked at his short hair a few times, and then, seemingly finding no food, flapped its wings twice and flew away.

Jiang Feng saw this scene from afar and couldn't help but be surprised by his profound meditation skills.

As Jiang Feng approached, the monk asked, "Is the one who comes the Bodhisattva Liangbaikai?"

Jiang Feng parted his long hair, revealing a small, single dragon horn: "It is indeed I, the Bodhisattva. Are you the Dharma Protector sent by Buddha?"

The monk said, "This humble monk is Wuchen. I have met the Bodhisattva Liangbaikai. The Buddha sent me here to inspect the Bodhisattva's cultivation. I would like to request the Bodhisattva to expound the Dharma for this humble monk."

Jiang Feng stepped into the dilapidated temple, while circulating the "Ten Abodes Mahayana Technique". His blood energy condensed into a blood pill in his dantian, and his whole body exuded a strange aura.

A strange commotion immediately arose in the mountains and forests, as countless wild beasts and birds converged on this place, as if they were making a pilgrimage.

But Jiang Feng knew perfectly well that this was not some kind of pilgrimage at all, but rather that the animals had smelled the delicious aroma and were coming here to eat him!

If he were to master this evil technique, he wouldn't need to go on the pilgrimage to the West; he would become a walking "Tang Monk's flesh" in the first place!

As Jiang Feng stopped his cultivation, the unusual activity in the forest gradually disappeared. Wu Chen's face showed an expression of great longing, and he stood up excitedly.

"The Bodhisattva's cultivation is so profound that he can attract all the beasts in the mountains to come and pay homage; the day he attains Buddhahood is just around the corner!"

Jiang Feng watched his subtle performance and smiled smugly in agreement: "Now that you've verified it, hurry up and take me to Maitreya's Pure Land. I can't wait any longer!"

"That is how it should be; Bodhisattva, please follow me!"

Wuchen reached out his hand and let Jiang Feng place his hand on his.

Jiang Feng felt a blur before his eyes, and the next moment, he found himself in a deep mountain in an unknown place.

Jiang Feng looked at him in surprise and asked, "Your spell is...?"

"The supernatural power of travel bestowed by the Buddha!"

Wuchen swayed twice, his face turning somewhat pale. After a moment, he explained, "This supernatural power consumes a great deal of magical energy. My cultivation is insufficient, so I can only travel a hundred miles in an instant."

When you, Bodhisattva, become a Buddha, you will naturally understand. At that time, wherever sentient beings in the ten directions go, you will be able to arrive instantly.

After resting for a while, Wuchen continued to lead the way, bringing Jiang Feng to a magnificent Buddhist temple deep in the mountains.

A plaque hangs above the main gate of the Buddhist temple, bearing the three large characters "Leiyin Temple".

The sound of chanting sutras emanated from the temple. At a glance, dozens of monks sat neatly in the main hall, chanting sutras devoutly.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Feng realized that these chanting monks were actually demons dressed in monk's robes, causing him to feel a moment of disorientation.

This doesn't make sense. He hasn't even set off on his pilgrimage yet, so how did he end up in Little Thunder Temple?

Seeing Jiang Feng standing at the door in a daze, Wu Chen explained, "This is Maitreya's Pure Land. Inside, there are all monsters who, like you, Bodhisattva, are devoted to Buddhism."

The Buddha is compassionate and treats all beings equally, without discrimination based on their background. Otherwise, given their inherent nature, even after hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation, they would have no hope of attaining enlightenment.

"Bodhisattva, please follow me!"

As he spoke, he led Jiang Feng into the main hall and brought him to the Buddha statue.

On the altar, there was a scripture. Wuchen picked it up and handed it to Jiang Feng, saying, "Bodhisattva, this is the 'True Buddha's Ascension Scripture' taught by the Buddha. Once you have memorized it, the Buddha will come to bestow upon you the prediction of Buddhahood."

Jiang Feng looked at the dozens of demons in the main hall and asked, "Are they all Bodhisattvas of the Ten Stages like me?"

Wuchen smiled and said, "The Bodhisattva path is difficult to cultivate, how could there be so many Bodhisattvas at the tenth stage? Their cultivation levels vary from the first stage to the ninth stage, but you are the only one who can truly receive the Buddha's prediction of Buddhahood."

"I see. Then how did they get here?"

"Alas, with the demonic path flourishing now, life is hard for us Buddhist disciples..."

Wuchen sighed and explained to him, "Recently, a powerful demonic sword cultivator came to Yangzhou. He kills us Buddhist disciples as soon as he sees us, without even giving us a chance to beg for mercy."

Out of compassion, the Buddha did not want these disciples to lose their lives innocently, so he guided them to the Pure Land to cultivate themselves ahead of schedule.

"Bodhisattva Liangbaikai, before the Buddha arrives, you must not leave the temple, lest you encounter that demonic cultivator!"

"understood."

Jiang Feng nodded, glanced at the prayer mat in front of the Buddha, faced the demons, and sat down with his back to the Buddha statue, looking as if the demons respected him.

Wuchen saw his arrogant behavior and couldn't help but twitch. He didn't step forward to stop him, but turned around and went to the back of the main hall.

After chanting scriptures for a while, Jiang Feng stretched and got up to chat with the group of monsters.

There are snake demons, rabbit demons, tiger demons, bull demons, and aquatic monsters such as carp spirits and crab spirits.

After chatting with them for a while, Jiang Feng discovered that these monsters were all talented individuals with pleasant voices. He really liked the place, except for one very difficult question that kept lingering in his mind—

Which one should we eat first?

In a secret chamber of the Buddhist temple, Wuchen stood before an alchemy furnace, using his magical power to ignite the fire.

In the corner of the alchemy room, several monsters were tied up, all with lifeless eyes, piled up haphazardly.

A moment later, Wuchen turned around, made a grasping motion in the air, and lifted a monster up, throwing it into the alchemy furnace.

After doing all this, Wuchen swallowed a pill and sat down to rest.

At this moment, the jade pendant at his waist flickered with light, and then Fa Nan's figure appeared in the alchemy room.

"Master."

"No need for formalities. Did you bring the white dragon back?"

Wuchen stopped getting up and said, "I brought it back. This white dragon monster has completed its blood essence condensation. It's just waiting for this batch of secret medicine to be refined before we can refine it."

"How long will it take to refine this batch of medicine?"

"About two days."

Wuchen's face showed a conflicted expression. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Master, I observe that the white dragon's cultivation is much higher than mine. What should I do if I cannot subdue it?"

Fa Nan smiled and said, "No need to worry. The 'Ten Abodes Mahayana Technique' is a very unique technique. The more complete the technique is, the more it can suppress lower-level practitioners."

Even if the white dragon has a thousand years of cultivation, it is no match for you.

Once you have refined it into medicine, I will pass on the complete cultivation method to you. From then on, I will be the Buddha, and you will be the new emperor!

The entire world now falls into the hands of you and me, master and disciple!