Chapter 28: Sun Wukong's Bloody Battle with Guanyin
But Hong Hai'er hardly thought before acting, driven solely by the desire for revenge. He grabbed his eight-foot-long spear and charged into battle.
How could Hong Hai'er possibly be a match for Guanyin? Besides, he had been confined by the headband for so long without practice, his skills had become rusty, and his mana had not improved. Guanyin merely flicked her finger, and a stream of Buddha's Light surged out, striking Hong Hai'er squarely in the head, sending him flying backward to crash into the cliff.
Princess Iron Fan, enraged, raised her Palm-Leaf Fan and swung it, causing a great wind to rise!
Guanyin's face remained unchanged, as calm as still water. She twisted her fingers into the Buddhist "Flower Pinching Finger" gesture, and a flower of the other shore blossomed above her head, separating two worlds, preventing the great wind from even touching the hem of her robe.
"Hong Hai'er, you go first. I will hold off Guanyin!" Wukong said, stepping forward with his long spear at the ready.
Hong Hai'er shook his head, aware of Guanyin's prowess, and quickly rose into the clouds, flying toward Southern Ridge Demon Mountain.
Guanyin did not try to stop him, knowing that even if she did, this cunning demon would have intercepted her; it was better to preserve an air of inscrutability.
"Princess Iron Fan, you should also refrain from intervening, lest it reflects poorly on us," Wukong advised.
Princess Iron Fan had no choice but to retract her Palm-Leaf Fan and step aside.
Guanyin slightly narrowed her eyes, her tone even and emotionless, speaking as if without joy or sorrow, "You disrupted my Taoist temple and made me lose face, and now I have finally caught you. You won't escape this time!"
Wukong laughed loudly, "Anyone can talk big, but if you want to take action, then do it quickly!"
Guanyin let out a light laugh and, while forming the Flower Pinching Finger with her hand, seemed to embody the supreme Buddhist poise of "a smile with a flower." Suddenly, a flower of the other shore blossomed above Wukong's head! He knew Guanyin was about to employ that world-separating secret technique to seal him inside.
Wukong quickly employed the Golden Crow Chasing the Sun Body Technique to evade the flower's reach and, with a Heavenly Emperor's Giant Seal technique, he shattered the other shore flower. Then, brandishing his spear, he charged at Guanyin with an air of his Qi soaring like a mighty rainbow, spear tip flashing with golden light. With a forceful thrust, he lunged forward!
Sitting on the lotus pedestal, Guanyin did not move. Raising her finger, she made the other shore flower blossom before her, transforming into a shield that blocked all the golden light.
"Impressive, indeed!" Wukong exclaimed, yet he remained undeterred, aiming his spear directly at Guanyin's head.
Having bumped into Guanyin, Wukong decided to test her mana today. If he found himself outmatched, he could always escape with a somersault jump; Guanyin was not the Tathagata, lacking the "Buddha Land in Palm" ability. Wukong's mind was set, and he attacked fiercely. Princess Iron Fan saw how his mana surged, his vital energy rising like smoke signals, enveloping both fighters in a golden glow.
Guanyin's hand seals changed, and suddenly, eight thousand arms unfolded behind her!
"I see you have cultivated to eight thousand arms. Perhaps with another two thousand, you might even become a Buddha!" Wukong taunted coldly, his spearwork ceaseless, skillfully piercing and lifting, his mana pouring forth continuously, the dense aura of vitality growing even more intense.
Guanyin coldly responded, "You're not too shabby either. Seven years ago you were just a Superior Immortal, but now you've reached the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal!"
All of Guanyin's eight thousand arms, like an impenetrable wall of copper and iron, blocked Wukong's attacks from every angle, making the fight extremely frustrating for him. In that moment, he unleashed a Heavenly Emperor's Giant Seal with a mighty slap, followed by a Heavenly Emperor Sword Art that produced a singularly sharp Sword Qi, and then he performed an engulfing technique likened to Swallowing the Sun and the Moon!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The impact left two thousand of Guanyin's arms faint and ghostly, while the remaining six thousand caught the Giant Seal and Sword Qi. The final engulfing technique was a manifestation of the Golden Crow Law Body, which pecked ferociously at Guanyin!
"The Divine Skills of Di Jun, who are you!" Guanyin was shocked, and no wonder this demon had the means to deceive fate; if he was a disciple of Di Jun, his abilities would naturally be outstanding.
"Mind your own business!" Wukong grew even more furious, slamming his spear down with the Primordial Great Strength Technique powering through his veins. His meridians bulged, his bones echoed deeply, barely able to endure the pressure. His marrow collided, his blood boiled with an enormous force of eight million catties!
Guanyin finally showed signs of alarm. How could she dare to face this titanic force of eight million catties? She quickly moved her lotus pedestal back and retracted the six thousand arms. Her clean and luminous glass bottle shone brightly as willow branches extended from inside, entwining Wukong's arms and dragging them downwards!
"Boom!"
The ground shattered beneath Wukong's mighty blow, creating a colossal pit with dust billowing into the sky, leaving Guanyin somewhat startled.
Having exerted such colossal strength, Wukong felt quite tired, his pores wide open as sweat poured out.
"You have some skill," Guanyin said coldly.
With a sudden surge, the willow branches in the clean and luminous glass bottle multiplied, aiming to entangle Wukong completely!
"Are you not afraid of your willow branches catching fire?" Wukong asked.
Guanyin was about to make a bold claim when she saw Wukong pull out a World-Cleansing Dust Whisk. He swept it fiercely, scattering the willow branches with the Seven-Colored Divine Light. Out of that divine radiance, a Three-legged Golden Crow burst forth, an incarnation of Di Jun's Law Body! This Law Body opened its mouth and spewed forth the essence of the true sun, the purest fire far surpassing even the Samadhi True Fire in intensity, yet not quite matching the Purpur Flame of the felicitous talisman.
Guanyin's complexion underwent a stark change, shocked that this demon had actually managed to cultivate the essence of the true sun!
The willow branches had some history, being a Magical Treasure taken from the celestial fragile water when she first entered the Jade Void Palace, having been refined for who knows how long, and might even be more significant than her clean and luminous glass bottle; they were indeed extraordinary. However, the essence of the true sun was even more formidable, and although it might not burn the branches, it could severely deplete their spiritual energy.
Guanyin dared not face Wukong with the willow branches any longer, promptly retracting them, and then from her clean and luminous glass bottle, she poured water to drown the essence of the true sun. The steam billowed, and the essence was finally extinguished.
Wukong was brandishing the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk fiercely, unleashing three waves of Seven-Colored Divine Light surging like tidal waves.
Guanyin was extremely irritated and said, "That's the Magical Treasure refined from my Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree!"
Wukong taunted, "If you have the guts, come and snatch it!"
Guanyin raised her Pure Glass Bottle, softly chanting a spell, and in an instant, the treasure radiated brilliant light.
Guanyin's Mana was already far superior to Wukong's; it was feared that she had already reached the realm of Daluo Golden Immortal. Wukong was merely relying on the sharpness of his Magical Treasure and his strong physical strength to manage a few moves. Now that Guanyin had brought out her Life-Bound Magical Treasure, the Seven-Colored Divine Light that was brushed forth was all swallowed by that Pure Glass Bottle.
It was also because Wukong's Cultivation Level was inferior to Guanyin's. If a Daluo Golden Immortal were here, relying on such a formidable treasure, they might have been able to swipe that Pure Glass Bottle right out of Guanyin's hands in a flash.
Wukong only felt a tremendous suction force from the Pure Glass Bottle, and the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk in his hand seemed to be slipping away!
Shocked, he immediately unleashed the "Great Mountains and Rivers Seal"!
This Great Mountains and Rivers Seal was also one of Di Jun's Divine Skills, consuming a great deal of Mana, but its power was boundless. Once this technique was used, it formed into a Dharma Seal by itself, with the mountains and rivers converging upon it, embodying the breadth of the mountains and the weight of the state. It was the formidable realization Di Jun had when he became the Heavenly Emperor, ruling over the societal governance of the Three Realms!
Unexpectedly, this Great Dharma Seal was also sucked into the Pure Glass Bottle, its effect barely managing to slow the suction force.
Wukong shouted, "Trying to absorb my Magical Treasure! Heaven-Defying Taoist, won't you make your move?!"
Guanyin thought Wukong was bluffing her. However, in the blink of an eye, she felt a chill rise up her neck, and when she glanced back, she saw a Taoist filled with killing intent, holding a golden Divine Bow with a blood-soaked Divine Arrow at the ready! The killing intent was so intense it could shatter one's soul!
It turned out that Wukong had earlier released the Heaven-Defying Taoist, and the battle with Guanyin was to wait for an opportunity to strike, and now, at the crucial moment of the fight, it was precisely the time for the Heaven-Defying Taoist to act!
"What kind of Magical Treasure is this!" Guanyin was shocked in her heart. The origins of these two Taoists were so grand, and their treasures were incredibly powerful.
"Buddha-destroying Taoist, watch as I shoot this Bodhisattva dead!" the Heaven-Defying Taoist shouted, following Wukong's telepathic instruction to address him as such.
Wukong, once in front of the Golden Mountain Temple, had declared himself as the "Buddha-destroying Taoist" when he slew disciples of the Buddha, and later as the "Heaven-Defying Taoist", wreaking havoc everywhere. Now, he was trying to confuse the Buddhist Sect, suggesting the accomplice of the Heaven-Defying Taoist was called the Buddha-destroying Taoist.
"Buddha-destroying Taoist, such grandiose words!" thought Guanyin. "Who exactly are these two?!"
In her left hand, Guanyin held the Pure Glass Bottle, capturing Wukong's World-Cleansing Dust Whisk, while her right hand reached into the void, and suddenly, a flower basket appeared.
The moment the Heaven-Defying Taoist released his hand, the arrow shot out like a lightning-fast meteor, causing a rift in the void itself, which then immediately closed back together. It was at that very moment that Guanyin threw the flower basket, which blossomed into a sky full of flowers, perfectly blocking the path of the arrow.
"Boom!"
The arrow shattered the flower basket, and Guanyin turned pale, as a wisp of her Primordial Spirit within the basket was annihilated.
The Heaven-Defying Taoist took out another arrow, while Guanyin pinched a Dharma Seal, and the willow branches suddenly grew massively, engulfing the Heaven-Defying Taoist like a flood!
Wukong continued to wield the Seven-Colored Divine Light to resist the suction of the Pure Glass Bottle, holding a spear in his left hand as he charged forward!
With no other choice, Guanyin grew another eight thousand arms, the consumption of Mana becoming extremely intense. The Cultivation Levels of those two were not as high as hers, but the Magical Treasures in their hands were of the highest order! She couldn't capture them in a short period.
The willow branches entangled the Heaven-Defying Taoist, preventing him from shooting his arrows, which greatly infuriated him. He continuously cast spells to dodge and spewed out True Fire to burn them, but all to no effect; the willow branches clung on like persistent maggots! Meanwhile, Wukong was held back by Guanyin's eight thousand arms, and the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk was being drained by that Pure Glass Bottle.
"Catch the fan!" Princess Iron Fan tossed the Palm-Leaf Fan over.
The Heaven-Defying Taoist caught it above his head and, wielding the fan, a fierce wind arose, which blew the willow branches into disarray, almost reversing their direction.
Seeing that the cooperation between these two men was extremely formidable and that they had a tacit understanding, Guanyin kicked her lotus pedestal, which disappeared instantly, only to smash down on Wukong's head moments later.
"Thud!"
Wukong was hit squarely, and his vision darkened immediately. He vomited blood, and he was about to be absorbed by the Pure Glass Bottle. But the Heaven-Defying Taoist managed to deflect the willow branches with a sweep of the fan, drew his bow, and fired another arrow straight at Guanyin!
Without another treasury like the flower basket to block, Guanyin had to abandon Wukong and use the Pure Glass Bottle to fend off the attack.
"Escape!"
After being struck, Wukong's injuries were not light. His breath was unstable, his essence, energy, and spirit in disarray. Seizing the moment of respite, he turned and fled.
The Heaven-Defying Taoist fired another arrow to delay Guanyin, then summoned the arrow back and followed Wukong, somersaulting away…
Guanyin, having been hit by three successive arrows from the Heaven-Defying Taoist and taken by surprise, expended a great deal of Mana, and thus let the two easily slip away.