Chapter 347: Chapter 346: If I don’t go to hell, who will?
[Task One: Complete ten tasks from the Bounty List, each member will be rewarded with 10 merit points. Current status: Completed!]
[Ding, one Demon King has been killed, would you like to register it under Task Three?]
“No!”
Du Gang directly rejected the option, having already deduced that the Heavenly Court wanted their team to take a huge advantage. They were not impartial, so why not choose the best option?!
“We have finally completed a task!”
Kou Yingwu let out a deep sigh, “Du Gang, where should we go next?”
“Call me Qisha!”
Du Gang said solemnly, “No one can guarantee whether other reincarnates have the ability to conceal from us and peek into our abilities!”
“If you call out a name that does not match our original identity, it is a huge loophole!”
Kou Yingwu gaped, showing a touch of embarrassment, “I got it…”
Du Gang slightly turned his head, looked around, and then said seriously to the three of them, “I hope you can take these things seriously. We’re still in Misty Mountain City and relatively safe. But once we leave here, it’s like leaving a newbie village, we are bound to encounter other people…”
“With such competitive tasks, whoever exposes their identity first will be in a passive position, prone to being calculated and caught off guard!”
“Therefore, I hope that before we leave this world, we can all remember our names. My name is Qisha, got it? Beidou!”
Kou Yingwu was speechless for a while, then he murmured: “I got it, my name is Beidou…”
The other two also nodded, expressing their approval of Du Gang’s caution.
Du Gang was pleased and said with a smile, “We don’t need to deliberately search for other reincarnates. As long as Task Three is not completed, we will inevitably encounter them!”
“Now, we just need to head towards the location of the well-known Demon King!”
Kou Yingwu quickly asked, “So which Demon King are we going to now?”
Instead of answering hastily, Du Gang counter-questioned, “If we want to find Sun Wukong, where should we look?”
“Sun Wukong?”
The three of them pondered for a moment, and Tao Xuanzhu was the first to say, “According to the information, Sun Wukong was sealed by the Buddhist masters after his uproar in the Heavenly Court. So he is, very likely, sealed in the area where the Heavenly Court is located. If we want to find him, we will definitely have to check out the Heavenly Court!”
There was a trace of approval on Du Gang’s face, “Correct, we don’t need to know where Sun Wukong is, we just need to know where he might be. Because anyone who has hopes for Task Three will surely go there!”
“And the location of the Heavenly Court is in the jurisdiction of the City of Heaven. So, if we head to the City of Heaven, we will inevitably meet other reincarnates!”
Kou Yingwu worriedly said, “But, will people see through our identities when we go there?!”
“No!”
Du Gang laughed, “All accomplished people in the world are willing to visit the City of Heaven once because there exists the legend of the greatest Demon King being sealed here…”
“At the same time, it’s the place where the three strongest people in the world might appear. Whether people want to prevent the release of the Demon King or simply watch the excitement, there will be many!”
“This means that not only will reincarnates go to the City of Heaven, but a large number of local residents will also go there. As long as we don’t expose our flaws, we’ll be fine!”
“I believe that all the reincarnates will not slaughter innocent people indiscriminately, otherwise, they will easily become the targets of public criticism!”
In their current situation, it’s like they are using the Law of the Dark Forest. All reincarnates are in the dark, hiding their identities. Once someone is exposed, they will be attacked by others.
“To avoid exposure, I suggest we practice their Four Beasts Formation!”
“The Four Beasts Formation of the Five Elements Sect, although not very powerful, can be very distracting if we display it!”
Tao Xuanzhu raised her eyebrows, “Is it necessary?”
“Yes!”
Du Gang said seriously: “By then, there will surely be people trying to probe constantly. If we set up the Four Beasts Formation, it can dispel the concerns of a large number of reincarnates…”
“Understand!”
Tao Xuanzhu sighed. The reason she was not very willing was that this Four Beasts Formation was too much of an embarrassment. When setting up the formation, each person needed to call out their names, which was overly dramatic.
But there was no alternative. In this matter of great importance, she could only listen to Du Gang.
“Okay!”
Seeing that everyone agreed, Du Gang laughed, “Next, we will head to the City of Heaven while practicing the Four Beasts Formation on the road, and strive to learn it!”
Five hundred years ago, the Heavenly Court, as the foremost power, exerted a wide range of influence and suppressed the living space of the demons and monsters to an extreme point.
Its jurisdiction even extended to dozens of cities. But the one closest to the Heavenly Court is the City of Heaven, surrounded by four other relatively nearby cities.
These four cities are: Hantian City, Zhentian City, Lietian City, and Potian City.
Just by their names, one could see how arrogant the Heavenly Court was at that time.
Recently, with the appearance of the three strongest monster hunters and exorcists, and their declaration to release and then kill Sun Wukong, countless people from all over the world have flocked to the Five Cities of the Heavenly Court.
Among them, there are people who want to stop them, people who want to watch the excitement, people who want to take the opportunity to do some business, and even those who want to stoke the fire and help release Sun Wukong. For a time, the entire Five Cities of the Heavenly Court was bustling with noise and excitement and filled with all manner of demons and creatures. Even some Demon Kings who felt the situation wasn’t big enough started organizing their forces to take part.
In the far west, high-ranking monks from various temples of the Buddhist monastic order have all gathered in Tathagata Buddha’s temple.
All the senior monks from various temples are now sitting on cushion seats in a courtyard, quietly waiting.
After a while, a Maitreya Buddha from the Tathagata Temple walked out.
“Namo Amituo Buddha, Brother Maitreya, what did you call us here for?!”
A rather impatient Buddha sitting on the cushion was the first to ask.
On the steps, a chubby, kind-faced Maitreya with earlobes reaching his shoulders, smilingly walked to the center in front of everyone.
“Brother Xuan Ku, how do you feel about the news that Kong Xu and others want to release Sun Wukong and then kill him?”
Upon hearing this, Xuan Ku frowned, “Of course, I would prevent them! They might not know about Sun Wukong’s strength, but aren’t we aware of it? With their power, how could they possibly contend with Sun Wukong!”
Before he could finish his words, other Buddhas shook their heads: “Brother Xuan Ku, your words are wrong. Sun Wukong is the greatest demon of this era, the first Demon King in the world. Once he returns to the world, he will inevitably cause disaster…”
“However, a seal is not permanent. The seal set by the Tathagata Buddha years ago will inevitably wear off one day. When that time comes, how will the world resist it?”
With a frown, Xuan Ku turned his head and said, “Senior Brother Xuanzhen, you want to release Sun Wukong?”
Xuanzhen nodded, “Exactly, over the years and generations, except for the period of prosperity in the Heavenly Court five hundred years ago when our human power was strongest, the rest of the time has always been dominated by demons and monsters…”
“Now, we have benefited from the battle in the Heavenly Court, developed rapidly and gained numerous Buddhas, gods, sword immortals, etc, it’s an excellent time to slay demons and monsters!”
His eyes were firm, “If we miss this era, in the future when the demons rise again, we’ll either have to fight Sun Wukong or wait for his reappearance, which could lead to the extinction of our human race!”
Xuan Ku, who was initially against releasing Sun Wukong, instantly showed signs of fear. He appeared unsettled as he began to ponder.
Not only him, but the Buddhas seated on the mat also started to think. Some supported the continued sealing, while others supported the opening of the seal to annihilate Sun Wukong. At this moment, they all began to ponder over Xuanzhen’s words.
On the stage, Maitreya Buddha was still smiling and said, “Five hundred years ago, the Heavenly Court was at its strongest, with twenty-eight immortals. Similar paths, like us Buddhists, had twelve Buddhas, and the Sword Sect had seven sword immortals. Together, there were almost fifty, most of whom eventually died at the hands of Sun Wukong, and the rest managed to seal him…”
“At present, our Buddhism has grown strong with thirty-six Buddhas. Other sects have eighteen heavenly immortals, and the Sword Sect has nine sword immortals. Combined, this surpasses what it was five hundred years ago. If we miss today’s opportunity, once Sun Wukong breaks free in the future, how will people resist?”
Xuan Ku frowned, “But, what if the righteous path prospers in the future?”
Xuanzhen then revealed a faint smile, “Namo Amitabha, if I don’t go to hell, who will!”
At these words, all the Buddhas present made up their minds.
The sacrifice of people today is for the peace of the future.
Maitreya Buddha smiled, “My dear brothers, we call ourselves Buddhas, but none of us have seen a real Buddha…”
“In this world, there are Buddhas, but not here. If we can completely remove the trouble caused by Sun Wukong’s emergence, can we, brothers, really enter the western heavenly bliss?”
All of them had reached the peak of the True God Level. They clearly felt there was a path ahead, but they had been unable to make any progress for many years.
That’s why, five hundred years ago, the name they chose for their city residence was Hantian, Zhentian, Lietian, Potian, and Tongtian.
The main reason was that they knew they were in a small world, but they couldn’t reach the big world!
Following the declaration of Maitreya Buddha, the many other Buddhas also shouted aloud, “Namo Amitabha, if I don’t go to hell, who will!”
They had made their decision, to release Sun Wukong, annihilate him completely, and with a body of merit, attempt to enter the big world!
Xuan Ku, who had changed his mind, was still in a hurry and hurriedly asked, “Brother Maitreya, do you know where Sun Wukong is sealed and how to unseal it?”
Maitreya smiled, “The one who sealed Sun Wukong back then was the Dari Tathagata Buddha, a great power of our Tathagata Temple…”
“To unseal it, only his successor can, but to cultivate the Dari Tathagata True Scripture, one has to go through hardship. Over the years, no one has succeeded…”
“However, I recently found a disciple with great wisdom and gave him the Dharma name Xuanzang…”
“The Xuan generation?”
Xuan Ku, Xuanzhen, and other Xuan Buddhas all gave Maitreya an unfriendly look.
Maitreya coughed, “I’m collecting disciples for Dari Tathagata Buddha. I can’t just give a Dharma name to the Zhen generation, right?”
“Namo Amitabha!”
The other Buddhas all recited a Buddhist title and stopped speaking. As long as they could open the seal, that would be enough!
On the side, Xuan Ku asked again, “Since we are going to unite the people of the world, should we contact people from other sects and the Sword Sect?”
Maitreya Buddha was full of smiles, “Please rest assured, Brother Xuan Ku, I have already contacted them in advance. As long as we agree, they all agree…”
He looked up at the sky and murmured, “After all, everyone has reached the end, to take a step further, we need to break through this boundary. But this boundary is not so easy to break, only great merit can bring a glimmer of hope…”
After days of traveling, Du Gang and his companions finally arrived at the City of Heaven.
Looking up at the towering city gate in the distance, Du Gang whispered, “When we go in, stay centered on me and act naturally…”
The other three had no objections.
Soon, the four of them headed for the City of Heaven.
At this moment, there were plenty of people entering the city. They lined up in two lines in front of the massive city gate. The queue was long, but the progress was fast.
Soon, it was Du Gang and his companions’ turn to enter.
“The admission fee is ten coins per person.”
As soon as they reached the gate, two guards blocked their way and pointed to a notice on the side.
Du Gang didn’t say much. He quickly took out forty coins and handed them to the guards.
The guards also didn’t talk much. They collected the money and let them through without any intention of inspecting them.
They were mostly instructed not to check on those odd and unique individuals.
After all, a large number of people have been coming to the five cities of the Heavenly Court recently. Most of them are masters. If a conflict arises, they can’t cope with it with their city’s forces. So they just let it be.
While Du Gang and others were entering the city, they were also suspicious. Out of every ten people entering the city, five were dressed in strange outfits and carrying weapons.
This confused him. All these people seemed like reincarnators, yet none of them were.
Of course, he didn’t behave too conspicuously. Instead, he acted like a real native and strolled around the city with his three companions.
“Junior and senior sister, we rarely come down from the mountain. We must explore well!”
Du Gang’s face was full of smiles. While he was talking, he bought four skewers of candied haw and distributed them among the three companions.
Seeing this, the three of them played along.
Thus, the four wandered around, and in just a few hours, they had visited the entire city.
After the tour, Du Gang laughed and said, “Now that we’ve explored the City of Heaven, let’s go and see the other four cities. We rarely make a trip like this!”
“Listen to junior brother (senior brother)!”
The other three answered in unison.
Even if no one was around, they kept acting, leaving no flaws.
In fact, they did well. Some reincarnators who had arrived in the city earlier were using secret methods to spy on the weird individuals in the city, trying to find other reincarnators.
Du Gang and his companions were not suspicious because they left after their visit.
On the contrary, those who went straight to the inn without browsing the city as soon as they entered attracted the attention of the hidden reincarnators.