Fake Tathagata was imdiately enraged. Sha Chen’s words had provoked him, and the complete disregard for him evident between the lines made him very unpleasant. He shouted angrily, "Sha Chen, I am the Tathagata Buddha, the sole exalted one above and beneath the heavens. How dare you speak to like this?"
His eight hundred fake Arhats behind him also stepped forward, their aura overwhelming. It was truly a terrifying sight, one that inspired fear and horror.
Sha Chen said indifferently, "You are not the real Tathagata Buddha at all, but just a weasel. Impersonating the Tathagata Buddha is a grave sin. You better worry about yourself first."
The fake Tathagata was taken aback, his face slightly changing, and he yelled, "I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about. Do you dare say that I am fake?"
Sha Chen replied, "Stop pretending. I’ve called out your true form. You’re nothing but a weasel, and rely a bell-striking boy for Maitreya Buddha. Even your master, Maitreya Buddha, would not have the gall to impersonate the Buddha."
The Huangi Monster was shocked, his face dramatically changing. Sha Chen actually knew his origins; he not only saw through his true form but also his background.
Inconceivable.
Such terror.
How could this be possible?
Startled, the Huangi Monster then stopped pretending and transford in the wind into a grim and ugly old man with a bald head, three zhang and three chi tall, with long yellow eyebrows, dressed in a yellow monk’s robe, holding a gilded mallet.
He shouted, "I didn’t expect that you, a re deity, would recognize my true form. Impressive indeed."
"However, even if you expose everything today, I will still capture you." As he was about to make his move, Sha Chen asked, "Are you representing Buddhism, or are you coming at personally? To punish without teaching, are you sure you want to do this?"
The Huangi Monster’s face changed slightly as he humphed, "Of course, I am acting on my own behalf. Why would I need to explain my reasons to capture you?"
But Sha Chen laughed, "You don’t have to explain it to , but you need to explain to all the immortals and Buddhas why you decided to impersonate the Tathagata Buddha, don’t you!?"
He pointed to the sky behind him where the clouds seed ordinary, but in fact, Sha Chen knew that many deities were hidden there.
Those deities were not specifically there to monitor him, but they were dispatched by the Heavenly Court and often patrolled this boundary. They were the roaming Gods of heaven, and so were from the Heavenly Court Xuantan Departnt, occasionally lying in wait, checking if the Black Bear Demon and Spider Demon they were after might co to this area.
Recently, as nothing had been found, they had grown tired of searching. Just when the Tathagata Buddha ca with eight hundred Arhats, they were too frightened to show themselves and dared not appear. But to their surprise, the Buddha turned out to be a fake.
And their movents had been detected by Sha Chen. One by one, they appeared from the dark but kept their distance, hiding even further away.
Sha Chen was notorious; once, surrounded by a million heavenly soldiers and generals, he remained unscathed and even left Li Jing muddled, resulting in his being distanced by the Jade Emperor. Such capabilities frightened them.
If not necessary, they would prefer not to patrol near this area. Usually, they let so Mountain Gods and Earth Gods report on the findings while they stayed at a distance. Now, they were attracted here by the fake Tathagata.
Apart from these deities, there were also many Buddhists from afar, whose complexions turned grim upon witnessing the scene here.
These Buddhists were not from the Buddhist order of Lingjiu Mountain in the Western Heavens but were monks who practiced Buddhism in the mortal world, such as Elder Jin Chi of Guanyin Zen Temple. They all felt the imnse and boundless Buddhist Law here and thought a great Buddhist sage had arrived, so they ca to pay their respects.
But due to the dangers of the Flowing Sand River and Sha Chen’s frightening reputation, they didn’t dare to approach for a mont. Unexpectedly, this Tathagata Buddha turned out to be fake and was actually a transford weasel, leaving them feeling as uncomfortable as if they had eaten excrent.
The weasel snorted coldly and said, "I am Buddha Huangi, and even if I am not Tathagata Buddha, I am still a Buddha. I hold a place in Buddhism and do not need to explain to them."
"Stop your sophistry and struggle; just let capture you quietly. Otherwise, I will deal severely with your flesh and skin."
Hearing this, the immortals and Buddhas nodded in agreent. It seed to make sense.
Even if the Huangi Monster was truly a weasel, he was an old Buddha in Buddhism. Even the lowest Buddha is still a Buddha, with Buddha light shining all around—a great virtue in Buddhism. This was unquestionable. Most importantly, he was a confidant of Maitreya Buddha, respected in status, with boundless mana.
Elder Jin Chi and others put aside their disdain, their eyes filled with anticipation and even fanaticism. If they could curry favor with Buddha Huangi, their lives would be on the fast track to success. But with Sha Chen nearby, they did not dare to approach.
They just hoped that Buddha Huangi could suppress Sha Chen’s arrogance and show him that Buddhism cannot be humiliated.
Many from the Buddhist order also knew that Buddha Huangi was extrely powerful and had likely reached the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal since he had already beco a Buddha. And with eight hundred Arhats, their power must be extraordinary. All together, Sha Chen would certainly be no match.
They all felt in secret that Sha Chen would probably suffer this ti.
The Gods from above also felt that Sha Chen was likely to be subdued by Buddha Huangi this ti. After all, every ti Sha Chen encountered soone from Buddhism, he was very low-key and fearful, either playing the tortoise with its head pulled in or pulling its head into its shell. He simply wouldn’t dare clash with anyone from Buddhism.
As for the matter of Bodhisattva Manjushri being wounded by Sha Chen’s arrow, they all selectively forgot or felt that it was not really Sha Chen’s doing; it was the advantage of magical tools that had been used.
Such a valuable treasure, Sha Chen being able to shoot once was already considerable; there definitely wasn’t a second arrow. It went without saying that Buddha Huangi’s subduing Sha Chen was to be expected.
Moreover, the vast majority of ordinary immortals and Buddhas believed that since Buddha Huangi was known as a Buddha, his strength must be above that of Bodhisattva Manjushri. Sha Chen might have defeated Bodhisattva Manjushri but not necessarily overco Buddha Huangi.
Buddha Huangi himself thought so too, although he was aware that compared to Manjushri, he still fell far short. However, the assumption was that Sha Chen’s Shooting Sun Divine Arrow must be gone, otherwise, why wouldn’t he dare to show his true form? Also, if Sha Chen still had a Shooting Sun Divine Arrow last ti, why didn’t he continue to shoot Manjushri to death and wound Samantabhadra as well? This suggested that Sha Chen was out of arrows.
He naturally ca striding in confidently to capture Sha Chen, which seed only reasonable.
Buddha Huangi had secretly taken hold of the Gold Cymbals—the magical tool that later trapped one of Sun Wukong’s feet, nearly crippling him—which was his trump card. Once Sha Chen’s true form appeared, he would imdiately deploy his magical tool to trap Sha Chen with no escape.
Then, he planned to shatter Sha Chen’s head with the gilded mallet and pack him up in a man-capturing bag to present to Maitreya Buddha. That way, it would be perfect.
Buddha Huangi felt that everything should go exactly as he had calculated with no deviations allowed. Because his strength wouldn’t allow it.
Buddha Huangi, looking at Sha Chen, scoffed and said, "I never need to explain my actions to anyone. You co out obediently now in your true form, or I might grant you a chance to atone for your cris. Otherwise, once I start attacking, you’ll have no chance to beg for rcy."
Sha Chen retorted, "So, you intend to execute without teaching first."
Buddha Huangi barked, "Must I explain myself before I seize you? Do you need a reason? You previously slew four of my Buddhist Arhats and injured Bodhisattva Manjushri, who has yet to fully recover. Isn’t that reason enough?"
Sha Chen chuckled, "So-called karma goes full circle; retribution is certain. They all attacked first, even trying to kill . Isn’t it only natural that they got killed or injured by ?"
"They don’t co to trouble ; however, you, a re weasel, are certainly making a scene."
Buddha Huangi felt insulted and yelled furiously, "Sha Chen, you are truly detestable, daring to look down on . Fine, I’ll show you my strength."
In his great anger, he was ready to launch a fierce assault.
The many watching immortals and Buddhas exchanged glances, their faces filled with horror, and hastily retreated, not daring to co closer. The aura of a Daluo Golden Immortal radiated from Buddha Huangi; he was indeed worthy of the na, with formidable power befitting a senior Buddha. With such an enraged attack from him, enhanced by a magical tool, Sha Chen was likely dood.
Far away in the Bright Palace, where Maitreya Buddha was discussing Buddhism and drinking tea with the Jade Emperor, they too were watching the battle.
Maitreya Buddha was smiling slightly, looking utterly calm and composed. The Jade Emperor’s expression, however, was inscrutable, leaving one to wonder what he was thinking.
Maitreya Buddha said, "Your Majesty, do you perhaps have little confidence in my disciple? Although he is a weasel that has attained Dao, he is now a Daluo Golden Immortal, and with my magical tool, even if he cannot fully seize Sha Chen, he will definitely cause him so hardship."
The Jade Emperor smiled, flanked by Wang Lingguan and Li Changgeng. He replied, "We certainly trust in the abilities of those chosen by the respectable Buddha."
Though he said so, his words and expression indicated that he did not think highly of Buddha Huangi. Maitreya Buddha noticed this and was displeased.
The Jade Emperor was undermining his people, which was tantamount to an affront to him. However, Maitreya Buddha was planning to join forces with the Jade Emperor. By gaining the Jade Emperor’s support, he would have greater authority within Buddhism. Therefore, he wouldn’t let such a trifle cause a rift between them.
He simply smiled and said, "Your Majesty must still lack trust in my disciple. Let’s just wait and see. Perhaps it won’t take a hundred moves before my disciple captures Sha Chen."
The Jade Emperor smiled noncommittally.
Wang Lingguan and Li Changgeng, too, smiled without saying a word. They had encountered Sha Chen nurous tis and were acutely aware of his strength. For Buddha Huangi to think he could defeat Sha Chen within a hundred moves was impossible.
They even doubted that Buddha Huangi could truly engage with Sha Chen, who might not even respond to his moves. Should there be a face-to-face confrontation, they felt that even if Buddha Huangi were powerful, the best he could hope for was a draw against Sha Chen.
After all, it was said that Sha Chen had stepped into the Middle Level of Da Luo Golden Immortal, and for Buddha Huangi to fight to a draw with the help of a magical tool, would already be quite impressive.
The onlookers continued to watch. Yet what they saw was Huangi Monster, with brazen audacity, leading his eight hundred Arhats in a strong attack on the Flowing Sand River.
His gilded mallet smashed down, earth-shattering and horrifying to witness. The attack, heavy and powerful, seed as if it could smash the gate of the Flowing Sand River. However, there was no need to smash it.
The gate of the Flowing Sand River swung open, and an enormous hand that blocked out the sky stretched out, as if a great hand of the heavens reached out from the Ghost Gate Closed. On the hand lingered an ancient aura, so powerful that fantastical images of insects, fish, birds, and beasts adorned it, its muscles and sinews as distinct as though real dragons and phoenixes clung to its skeleton.
The colossal handprint directly flattened the gilded mallet to scrap, crushing seventeen or eighteen great mountains and dampening its previously fierce glow. Afterwards, the hand continued to sweep forth, turning the eight hundred Arhats into a fine powder of flesh and blood. Their demonic energy skyrocketed, revealing them all to be transford demons. Then it reached out, seizing the escaping Buddha Huangi and wrestling him into its grasp.
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