Chapter 268: Tathagata: Young Man, Are You Moved? (Secret Realm Ends)
Chapter 268: Tathagata: Young Man, Are You Moved? (Secret Realm Ends)
Sun Wukong was not dead.
His indestructible body was not just for show.
Even after taking Chen Ye's dragon breath head-on, he still clung to life.
However, the damage from that attack was severe enough.
Not only was Sun Wukong knocked unconscious, but he had also reverted to his human form, lying motionless on the ground.
At first glance, he looked just like a corpse.
At this moment, everyone had gathered around the unconscious Sun Wukong.
Miss Duan took only a single glance before quickly turning away.
Because Sun Wukong had no clothes on.
And his physique was nowhere near as eye-catching as that bald man's.
It was Chen Xuanzang who took off his white robe and draped it over Sun Wukong.
For some reason,
as soon as Chen Xuanzang covered Sun Wukong with his robe, he suddenly woke up.
The violent aura that had once surrounded him was gone, and his expression had become timid and apprehensive, as if he had turned into an obedient, well-behaved creature.
He had been beaten into submission!
The damage from Chen Ye's dragon breath was even greater than the legendary Buddha Palm from the original story.
To be honest, at that moment, Sun Wukong had truly felt the presence of death.
A person standing on the precipice of life and death is bound to change.
Just look at Sun Wukong now—he had become much more docile.
Chen Xuanzang stepped forward and asked, "Sun Wukong, are you willing to accompany me to the West to retrieve the scriptures?"
Sun Wukong glanced toward the sky, where that terrifying dragon still loomed, and hastily nodded.
Tears rolled down his face as he clung to Chen Xuanzang's leg.
It looked as if he had been completely moved and reformed by Chen Xuanzang.
Chen Xuanzang patted Sun Wukong's head and then turned to Miss Duan.
"Miss Duan, may I borrow your Binding Ring?"
Miss Duan was momentarily stunned but didn't hesitate.
She immediately took out the Binding Ring and handed it to Chen Xuanzang.
As he accepted it, he said, "Once I have retrieved the scriptures, I will return this item to you."
"No need to be so formal, Master," Miss Duan waved her hand generously.
"You may use it for as long as you need."
Without saying more, Chen Xuanzang enlarged the Binding Ring and placed it on Sun Wukong's head.
Moments later,
the Binding Ring transformed into the Golden Headband and adhered itself to Sun Wukong's forehead.
…
With Sun Wukong now dealt with,
Chen Xuanzang turned his gaze toward the massive dragon in the sky and said in a loud voice, "Master, have you given it more thought?"
He was referring to the matter of accepting Chen Ye as his disciple.
"This is a huge decision!" Chen Ye spoke in human language.
"Shouldn't I take at least a few days to think it over?"
He had not reverted to human form because he was preparing for battle.
Almost the moment he finished speaking,
he felt a terrifying presence lock onto him.
Chen Ye immediately turned his head toward the sky.
At some unknown point,
beyond the planet's atmosphere, a colossal Buddha's shadow had appeared, so massive that it seemed to encompass the entire world.
There was no need to ask—he already knew.
This was Tathagata!
Instantly,
Chen Ye's entire body tensed.
But he did not feel fear.
Saitama's dream visit had not only transformed his body but also strengthened his spirit, making him fearless.
Besides,
Chen Ye did not believe that Tathagata would personally descend to deal with him.
After all, he was not part of the Buddhist order's plans.
Would the other great deities just stand by and watch as Tathagata wreaked havoc on this world?
At that moment,
Chen Xuanzang, standing on the ground, suddenly spoke.
"Since you do not wish to journey west with me, I will not force you.
Master, you possess extraordinary abilities—may you use them for good."
As soon as Chen Xuanzang finished speaking,
the Buddha's enormous shadow in space slowly dissipated.
The oppressive force bearing down on Chen Ye instantly disappeared.
Chen Ye turned his gaze back toward Chen Xuanzang, who had already begun his journey, taking Sun Wukong with him.
Without any hesitation, he set off directly for the West to retrieve the scriptures.
Sun Wukong dared not even glance at Chen Ye.
Head lowered, he obediently followed behind Chen Xuanzang.
The master and disciple gradually walked further away.
For some reason,
as she watched Chen Xuanzang disappear into the distance, Miss Duan felt an emptiness in her heart, as if she had lost something important.
Chen Ye was also watching him, feeling something indescribable.
He actually understood it quite well.
Chen Xuanzang wanting to take him as a disciple was surely an order from Tathagata.
Clearly, his recent actions had caught Tathagata's attention.
Seeing his potential, they wanted to draw him into the Buddhist sect.
If Chen Xuanzang had insisted just a little more and if he had kept making excuses to refuse, Tathagata might have made a move to suppress him.
Even though he was stronger than this world's version of Sun Wukong,
he was still far from being a match for Tathagata.
It was because Chen Xuanzang had shown kindness at the last moment, choosing not to push him too hard, that he spoke those words.
This left Tathagata without an excuse to intervene.
If one were to really think about it, Chen Ye actually owed Chen Xuanzang a favor.
…
At the marketplace.
Chen Ye, Miss Duan, and Lord Void were sitting in a tavern, eating.
The three of them seemed to be quite hungry, eating in silence without saying a word.
It was only after they were completely full that they finally stopped.
Lord Void was the first to speak.
"So, you two don't need my help anymore, right?"
Miss Duan remained silent.
Chen Ye nodded.
"That should be the case. You've worked hard during this time."
Lord Void replied,
"You're too kind, Mr. Chen. If that's the case, I'll return to the Exorcism Manor. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come find me there."
"Alright!"
Chen Ye agreed.
With that, Lord Void stood up and left.
It wasn't until his figure disappeared down the street that Miss Duan finally spoke.
"What about you? When are you leaving?"
It was obvious.
Miss Duan's mood was a bit low.
Chen Ye replied,
"In a few more days."
He intended to stay until the mission time was up.
Just in case something unexpected happened to Miss Duan in the last few days—if he wasn't around and his father's mission ended in failure, that would be troublesome…
"Fine! Then drink with me! Waiter, bring the wine!"
Chen Ye didn't stop her.
He simply let her drink herself into a drunken stupor.
Because he could somewhat understand Miss Duan.
Under his influence, her feelings had ended before they even had a chance to begin…
Of course, it was also because of his influence that Miss Duan had changed her fate and avoided the tragic end she was supposed to have.
The same went for Lord Void, Heaven-Crippled Foot, and the others.
…
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this particular morning, Chen Ye was sitting in the tavern, watching Miss Duan drink.
Yes.
Miss Duan was drowning herself in alcohol once again.
Because she just couldn't forget that bald figure…
Aside from Chen Ye and Miss Duan, the other members of the Five Fiends were also present (except for the Fourth Sister).
A few days ago, Miss Duan had gathered the Five Fiends together.
And so,
her journey of drowning her sorrows gained a few more spectators.
Fortunately, the bounty from Zhu Ganglie last time was enough.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to sustain Miss Duan's drinking habit.
Just when Chen Ye was starting to feel bored,
suddenly,
he received a notification that his assistance mission was complete…
(End of Chapter)
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