Chapter 16: 7 Years Passing at the Fingertips

Wukong, having assimilated Emperor Di Jun's feathers, could be said to have entirely inherited Di Jun's true teachings. The divine skills and battle experiences from his lifetime were all imprinted into Wukong's mind. Thus, Wukong found a mountain range, created a cave with a strike, entered it, and sealed the entrance with a giant rock to begin his closed-door cultivation.

Emperor Di Jun was once a Heavenly Emperor, what kind of being was he? The true teachings he left for Wukong were also not easy to digest.

Wukong used the "Primordial Three Thousand Transformations" Dharma Gate to verify each of Di Jun's divine skills one by one, benefitting greatly.

No one knew how much time had passed when Wukong's petrified body finally began to tremble slightly.

Upon opening his eyes, a stream of vital energy surged from his crown. Had Wukong not suppressed it in time, even this mountain range might have burst open.

"As a Taiyi Golden Immortal, I have solidified a Golden Core. I assimilated Emperor Di Jun's feathers, leaped directly across the realm of Superior Immortal, and solidified the Golden Core, achieving the status of Taiyi Golden Immortal. However, the process involved needs to be thoughtfully reflected upon to avoid hindrances in future comprehensions of the Great Dao," Wukong knew clearly, and though becoming a Taiyi Golden Immortal was pleasing, he could not forget the essentials.

There are nine ranks of Immortals, and then comes the Taiyi Golden Immortal. To cross this threshold and reach the level of Upper Immortal, one needs to solidify the Golden Core. As for sword wielders like Ye Gucheng, they need to solidify a Sword Elixir.

A cultivator's mana all resides within the Primordial Spirit. What use is solidifying the Golden Core? The Golden Core, round and similar to the Dao, is utilized in comprehending the Great Dao! Wukong obtained Emperor Di Jun's Dao inheritance and thus directly solidified the Golden Core, achieving the Taiyi Golden Immortal status. Although expedient, it was somewhat improper, as this after all was derived from someone else and not understood by oneself, naturally lacking the depth of personal realization.

Wukong's seven years of secluded cultivation were devoted to profoundly understanding these aspects of the Dao and refining the Golden Core, making it more perfect and flawless.

In cultivation, there are no days and months; in the blink of an eye, seven years had passed.

Wukong dusted off the dirt from his body, and his eyes sparkled as he felt filled with strength.

"Seven years have passed; I wonder how the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism is now?" Wukong silently pondered.

Opening the Mustard Seed space, he took out a Ginseng Fruit, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it. His pores opened, inhaling and exhaling vital energy, feeling so comfortable it was as if he had ascended to immortality. With the essence of this Ginseng Fruit, Wukong closed his eyes and spirit-traveled for a day before ceasing.

He discovered that the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree in the Mustard Seed space had grown, emitting a seven-colored light, looking quite beautiful.

Wukong knew that nothing in Guanyin's Daoist Temple was ordinary; the Bodhi represents the wisdom of the Buddhist family, so this Seven-Colored Bodhi Treasure Tree was definitely extraordinary. Thus, he pulled the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree out of the Mustard Seed space and threw it to the ground, where it took root on its own.

"Zhun Ti Taoist's Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree cleanses all things. Does this Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree have any connection with his Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree?" He was right; this Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree was indeed a seed that had fallen from Zhun Ti Taoist's Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.

Wukong's heart thought: "Let's refine it with true fire for several hours!"

With that thought, he activated his Primordial Spirit and exhaled true fire, refining the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree.

This Bodhi Tree remained majestic and unmovable in the true fire, not even the trunk showed any signs of blackening.

Helpless, Wukong had no choice but to release his Primordial Spirit from his body, affix it to the tree, and attempt to refine it with the Primordial Spirit!

In his mind, Wukong thought of refining this treasure tree into a horsetail whisk, which would be perfect for sweeping people! However, before his Primordial Spirit could activate the mana, the treasure tree transformed, turning into a Seven-Colored Dust Whisk that fell into Wukong's hands.

Wukong was overjoyed, played with the Dust Whisk in his hands for a while, then swung it towards the giant rock at the cave entrance. A seven-colored divine light immediately swept out from the Dust Whisk, sending the giant rock flying a hundred yards before it heavily fell to the ground, nearly causing an avalanche in the surrounding mountains.

"Although the divine sense in Emperor Di Jun's feathers has been assimilated by me, the feathers are still present. Why not refine these feathers into this Dust Whisk? Emperor Di Jun, after all, was a great figure that even a Saint would need to join forces to deal with," Wukong thought to himself, taking out the Emperor Di Jun feather, and commenced refining.

In just a moment, the feather merged with the Dust Whisk, and a depiction of a Three-legged Golden Crow appeared on the handle of the Whisk.

Wukong was indeed deeply impoverished now, holding only two magical treasures in his hands.

One was the Buddha Beating Staff, forged from Bajie's Nine-Toothed Rake and Tang Sanzang's Magic Wand, and the other was the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk, made from the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and Di Jun's feathers. Reflecting on the endless magical treasures possessed by deities, Wukong could not help but sigh silently to himself.

Gazing at the Dust Whisk in his hand, Wukong mused, "I shall call you the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk! We are born free, yet these gods and Buddhas reign supreme. With this dust whisk, I wish to sweep the world clean."

"It seems I need to overturn a few more Bodhisattva's Daoist temples to start amassing wealth," Wukong thought to himself.

He attached the Dust Whisk to his belt, pinched a Dharma Decree, transformed into another appearance, and then somersaulted into the air.

Upon arriving in the Eastern Divine Region, he discovered that Buddhism and Taoism often engaged in magical duels.

However, these were mostly among the younger generation of disciples, with seniors above the high immortal cultivation level not participating, yet they secretly lent support, occasionally sending magical treasures they had crafted themselves to help their disciples win. The rivalry between Buddhism and Taoism was intensifying. In the lands of the Eastern Divine Region, whenever Taoists and monks met, there was bound to be a verbal debate and if the words failed, they resorted to blows.

As Taoist culture had deep roots in the Eastern Lands, and Buddhism was a later arrival, flourishing only after the Taoist, Multi-Treasure, transformed into Tathagata, many common folk still leaned more towards Taoism. The royal family was no exception. During the reign of Emperor Li Zhi of the Great Tang, there was an attempt by Buddhists to beguile him, which was thwarted by Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao, who expelled them from the imperial palace. As for Li Shimin, he had by now joined Yuan Tiangang, dedicating himself to cultivation.

Even the former Son of Heaven had taken up cultivation; the common people naturally held Taoism in even higher esteem. Thus, incense burned unceasingly in Taoist temples, while Buddhist temples steadily became more desolate.

If Wukong had not killed Tang Sanzang, allowing the Journey to the West to be completed, by now many Buddhist scriptures might have spread throughout the Eastern Lands, and Buddhism would have risen. Had the high monk Tang Sanzang, who had endured eighty-one trials in his cultivation, traveled around preaching the Buddhist scriptures, there would probably have been countless Buddhist followers.

As for Bodhisattva Guanyin, after her South Sea Daoist Temple was overturned, causing numerous cultivators to laugh, she felt too ashamed to meet anyone and hid away in Manjushri Bodhisattva's Mount Wutai for a full five years. It was not until the Buddha Ancestor sent his disciples Kasyapa and Ananda to bestow Mount Putuo to her as a new Daoist temple, that Guanyin finally emerged from Mount Wutai.

Regarding the Taoist who had killed Tang Sanzang, destroyed the Golden Mountain Temple, incited the Buddhist-Taoist conflict, and overturned Guanyin's Daoist Temple, he had now vanished without a trace. People of the Taoist sect greatly regretted this, feeling it was a pity, suspecting perhaps a powerful figure from the Buddhist sect had captured him.

Because Guanyin's Daoist Temple was overturned, Buddhism was enraged and dispatched the Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva, Golden-Winged Great Peng King Dharma Protector, and the four mighty Vajras to guard the borders of the Eastern Divine Region. If there was any disturbance, the Golden-Winged Great Peng King could arrive in an instant with a flap of his wing, and the divine skills of the Peacock Great Bright King were extremely formidable. Once the four Vajras set up their formation, even Taiyi Golden Immortals might find escape impossible.

Who, then, was the Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva?

He was Kong Xuan, angered because Multi-Treasure, who reincarnated as Tathagata and became a Buddha progenitor, was regarded on par with several saints. Considering Multi-Treasure a junior, he found it unacceptable that the latter stood above him, which led him to swallow the Buddha Ancestor whole. Buddhism was greatly vexed, but out of respect for the face of Zhun Ti Taoist, they didn't dare to kill him. Eventually, he was appointed as the Great Bright King Bodhisattva, and both sides were satisfied.

Who, then, was the Golden-Winged Great Peng King Dharma Protector?

He was one of the demon tribe's great saints who were sworn brothers with Wukong, famously known for his unmatched speed. After they dispersed, he established his own kingdom and hindered the westward travelers before being subdued by Buddhism and appointed as a protector of the Buddha Ancestor.

As for the four Vajra protectors, they possessed average mana, but their combined formation was exceptionally powerful.

The discord between Buddhism and Taoism was very severe. The Corpse King General did not dare venture out even as an avatar, for fear of attracting the attention of those giants; he would surely be reduced to ashes. However, having consumed at least a hundred thousand humans over the years, his mana had largely recovered. After some more recuperation, he was likely ready to break through.

As for the Heavenly Court above, all seemed harmonious on the surface, but the officials were caught up in their own battles due to the Buddhist-Taoist conflict.

Southern Ridge Demon Mountain remained silent, and the Northern Region Demon Abyss was still uneventful.

Thus, all eyes were focused on the showdown between the Eastern Divine Region and the Western Heavenly Buddha Land.

The conflict between Buddhism and Taoism was escalating. Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Taoist Golden Immortals were likely to have a major confrontation soon.