Great Demon Sun Wukong-Chapter 685 - 627: Great Honored Buddhism
Sun Wukong guessed that the relationship between the sects of Buddha's Pure Land was hierarchical, meaning under a First Rank sect, there were many Second Rank sects, and under those Second Rank sects were even more Third Rank sects, with none of the sects existing independently. Thus, the Fifth Rank sect from Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect should be a subordinate sect to a Fourth Rank sect under the Great Honored Buddhism. It seemed that there must be countless large and small sects under the Great Honorable Buddhist Sect, and how many, like the Battle Buddha Sect, were tasked with finding Medicinal Human Seeds for the Great Honored Buddhism? But then again, considering the stature of the Battle Buddha Sect, there probably weren't too many. Moreover, those sects responsible for finding Medicinal Human Seeds must have had a higher status within their respective ranks.
Sun Wukong was even surprised by his own judgment; the pomp of the reception had led him to deduce so much. They moved quickly along the stretch of road, and by halfway, there were already members of the Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect waiting along both sides of the road. Upon reaching the grand gates of the Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect, they could see a hundred people awaiting the arrival of their party with a lavish display. Dizhan maintained a completely expressionless face as he walked straight into the grand gates of the Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect.
Then, Sun Wukong enjoyed a very high-level reception; although Dizhan's party was only there to have lunch before departing, everything provided was the best that the Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect had to offer. Moreover, before the party left, the Sect Leader of Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect individually gave everyone a storage ring. With Fa Qing's previous warning, Sun Wukong knew these were the so-called "perks." Leaving the Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect, Sun Wukong couldn't help but marvel, no wonder Fa Qing said he was specially taken care of by the Law Enforcement Hall Elder; this escort mission was simply too likable. Inside the Battle Buddha Sect, there must have been fierce competition for this spot.
The storage ring given to Sun Wukong by the Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect's Sect Leader was not of Supreme Rank, but it was still quite good. However, the significance wasn't the storage ring itself, but the contents within. Inside Sun Wukong's storage ring, there were fifty High Level Spirit Stones, one piece of armor at the Peak of Unity Dao, and ten bottles of elixirs, also at the Peak of Unity Dao Level of Supreme Rank. These items were things Sun Wukong naturally disdained, but for a Fifth Rank sect, they were definitely not something they could easily offer. The Spirit Stones were one thing, but the most precious were those ten bottles of Supreme Rank elixirs and the armor at the Peak of Unity Dao.
It's worth noting that Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect had not only gifted this to Sun Wukong, but to twelve individuals, meaning they had distributed twelve pieces of armor at the Peak of Unity Dao Level and one hundred and twenty bottles of Supreme Rank elixirs in total. Moreover, the ring given to Dizhan contained a weapon at the Primary Grade of Dao Transformation. Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect had certainly made a grand gesture. But to them, it was worth it. Battle Buddha Sect was regarded as a privileged sect to the Great Honored Buddhism because they could find individuals with special cultivation techniques. Among the thousands of sects under the Great Honored Buddhism, only three possessed this ability. Therefore, the annual Medicinal Human Seed escort mission was given the added task of inspection.
After Dizhan and his party's arrival at the Great Honored Buddhism, they would recount all the sects they encountered along the way to the followers of the Great Honored Buddhism, detailing the approximate situation of these sects and their loyalty to the Great Honored Buddhism. And thus, it had led to the current practice, where all the sects would offer so-called greetings gifts, which were the storage rings that Sun Wukong and the others carried upon their arrival. Once Sun Wukong and the rest returned to the Battle Buddha Sect, they would hand over half of their gains to the sect, which also served as tacitly approved benefits for Battle Buddha Sect and the other two sects by the Great Honored Buddhists.
Hence, in all the sects they met subsequently, just like Spiritual Mount Buddhist Sect, if they stayed overnight, they would be provided with the best accommodations; and if it were only for a meal, then it would be top-grade vegetarian food. Then came the substantial gains—Sun Wukong alone received over fifty storage rings, and they were only halfway through their journey.
During the second half of the journey, the sects they encountered were all of the Fourth Rank and above. These sects were not as ostentatious as those previously met, but owing to the higher rank of the sect, the treatment of Sun Wukong and his party improved even more, and the greeting gifts they received were even more generous. After all, the foundations of those Second and Third Rank sects were not comparable to those of Fourth and Fifth Rank sects. At first, Sun Wukong felt a bit embarrassed, but later, he became accustomed to it and managed to accept the storage rings with an impassive face before marching on. Initially, Sun Wukong used to inspect each storage ring received with great interest.
Later on, he stopped even bothering to look; except for what Dizhan received, everyone else's were the same. Moreover, according to Fa Qing, once selected by the Great Honored Buddhism, there would be no need to return to the Battle Buddha Sect, and all these items would belong to oneself. There was plenty of time in the future, so there was no hurry. Throughout the journey, Sun Wukong also became progressively more relaxed, realizing that many answers can't come merely from frugal contemplation.
Finally, after a month, Sun Wukong and his company of twelve finally arrived at the Great Honored Buddhist Sect. Along the way, Sun Wukong had adjusted his mindset very well. Since he had already been swept into this mysterious and massive vortex, he might as well see what lay behind it all, and who was pulling the strings. Sun Wukong believed that as long as he persevered to the end, he would definitely get an answer.
When they arrived at the Great Honored Buddhist Sect, Sun Wukong's storage space on him had already grown to over a hundred, and the contents were quite substantial. Maybe Sun Wukong did not need these items, but it was always right to keep them. The Great Honored Buddhist Sect, being one of the few First Rank sects in Buddha's Pure Land, was indeed majestic. The sight that met Sun Wukong's eyes was of seven or eight continuous mountain peaks that all belonged to the sect, and that was only what he could see; what lay beyond the unseen peaks was anybody's guess. In terms of area alone, the Great Honored Buddhist Sect was hundreds of thousands of times larger than the Buddha-worshipping Sect.
And the most conspicuous thing in the Great Honored Buddhist Sect was the seated Buddha statue carved from an entire mountain peak, which emanated an imposing grandeur. It was awe-inspiring to the extent that even Sun Wukong could not help feeling a sense of admiration. He could tell that this Buddha statue, carved from the whole mountain, was not the result of using Great Magical Power, but was meticulously chiseled and sculpted with axe and chisel. As a result, the Buddha statue possessed much more Spiritual Charm than those created with Great Magical Power. Looking at the statue, Sun Wukong suddenly felt homesick. He remembered the statue they had erected for him at the entrance of the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain; although it was not as grand and imposing as the one before him, it represented the genuine affection of all the demons and monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain. He wondered how they were all doing.
Sun Wukong and his group arrived at the Great Honored Buddhist Sect at night, which gave Sun Wukong the impression that he always arrived at new sects at night. It had been the same when he first went to the Buddha-worshipping Sect, and when he went to the Battle Buddha Sect, and it had still been night when he arrived at the Holy Ultimate Buddhism. While it was the same night arrival, they were received with utmost respect. There were no other activities, though; after Yan Zhan led the six Medicinal Human Seeds to a place, Sun Wukong, Fa Qing, and the other eleven were arranged to rest, with other matters to be addressed the next day.
Indeed, as Fa Qing had said, they encountered no danger along the way. Moreover, during the latter half of the journey, the group's speed had greatly increased. The Medicinal Human Seeds could travel with the same velocity as the others, yet they moved like zombies, devoid of their own consciousness and completely obedient to Yan Zhan. Earlier that day, just before arriving at the Great Honored Buddhist Sect, Sun Wukong had used his Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes to examine the Medicinal Human Seeds once again. He found that the chains and small locks inside their bodies hadn't changed at all; they were still the same as when they had set out, which indicated that the Great Honored Buddhist Sect's people needed to do something more.
After Sun Wukong was taken to the resting room, he pretended to wash up like everyone else and prepared to sleep. In reality, a doppelganger had been created as soon as he entered the room, and it was the doppelganger that entered the room, while the real Sun Wukong had already concealed his form and was searching for Yan Zhan. This time, Sun Wukong took no chances, completely concealing his breath, form, and any fluctuations, existing in the void. Sun Wukong still remembered being recognized by his master at the Buddha-worshipping Sect the last time. This being a First Rank Sect, if Sun Wukong intended to investigate covertly, it was obviously better to stay hidden.
Thanks to the Soul Imprint that Sun Wukong had previously planted on Yan Zhan, Sun Wukong was able to locate him quickly. As Sun Wukong moved swiftly, by the time he saw Yan Zhan, he was still leading the six Medicinal Human Seeds through a corridor. This corridor was hidden beneath a tall building; to describe it as a corridor wouldn't be quite accurate, as it was more fitting to call it an underground passage since the pathway led downward.
Sun Wukong knew that Yan Zhan was probably taking the Medicinal Human Seeds to a place of captivity. As expected, at the end of the passageway was a massive space, almost larger than the Battle Buddha Sect, filled with various types of rooms, all with closed doors that made it impossible to see inside. Yan Zhan followed four individuals from the Great Honored Buddhist Sect to a room with an open door. After pointing to one of the Medicinal Human Seeds, that seed immediately stepped forward and entered the room, after which the door closed behind him.
The rest followed suit, sending the remaining five Medicinal Human Seeds into rooms, one after the other. During this process, Sun Wukong got a good look at the situation inside these rooms. What surprised him was that there was nothing special about these rooms; they were very empty and clean. The only odd thing, if forced to name one, was that the central wall of each room had a hole the size of a human arm. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly passes at Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.
