CHAPTER 517: CHAPTER 460, DOUBTS ABOUT THE WEST SEA

Aoguang had just finished speaking when Bai Jin chuckled and said, "If the Dragon King says so, I’ll take it seriously! I might have to take some good stuff back home."

With a hearty laugh, Ao Qin said, "There’s not a word of falsehood in what I say. Whatever Your Highness desires, just take it. I have no objections."

Beside them, Aoguang was dumbfounded. Did you not hear what I said? He looked at Bai Jin with a mix of grievance and resignation, thinking, Boss, you’re really not giving me any face here.

Bai Jin stretched out a finger, pointing at a lamp on the dragon desk, and said with a smile, "That lotus lamp of the Dragon King’s is quite unique."

Looking at the lotus lamp before him, Ao Qin was instantly alarmed. Damn it, how could I forget to put that away? Keeping a smile on his face, he said, "I have a very close friend, the Bibo Pond Dragon King. She has a daughter, Wansheng Princess, who is engaged to my third son, Ao Lie. This lotus lamp is the engagement gift from Bibo Pond. If Your Highness likes it, by all means, take it. I’ll just have to explain it to the Bibo Pond Dragon King later, and at worst, endure a few complaints."

Laughing cheerily, Bai Jin said, "How can I take such an important engagement gift, Old Dragon King? If it were to ruin a beautiful marriage, Lady Yue Lao may come after me with her walking stick."

Ao Qin took a moment to admire, then said with envy, "Your Highness has ties with Lady Yue Lao? I’m really jealous!"

Sitting expressionless in his chair, Aoguang watched their enthusiastic conversation and gift exchanges. He thought scornfully, There’s no true affection left in the world; from now on, I’ll never trust in friendship again.

After a while, Bai Jin and Ao Qin said their reluctant farewells.

Ao Qin eagerly saw Bai Jin off from the West Sea, standing on the sea surface and waving goodbye.

Above the clouds, Bai Jin’s smile faded, and he frowned in deep thought.

Standing aloofly beside him on the cloud head, Aoguang glanced at Bai Jin from the corner of his eye, thinking, How dare you ignore my existence earlier, now I’m really irritated.

Suddenly, Bai Jin asked, "Aoguang, how much do you know about Ao Qin?"

Immediately breaking into an ingratiating smile, Aoguang exclaimed, "Boss, you’ve finally decided to pay attention to me, I’m so happy!" Gone was his aloof demeanor.

Bai Jin said irritably, "Get to the point!"

Aoguang thought seriously for a moment and replied, "We used to hang out together a lot before we became Dragon Kings, but as for the current him, I really don’t know much."

He continued sadly, "People change, we’ve all got our own things to do now, and we hardly see each other."

"Keep a close eye on Ao Qin from now on."

Aoguang looked serious, "Boss, did he do something wrong?"

"The West Sea Dragon Palace is probably now the Buddhism-affiliated West Sea Dragon Palace," Bai Jin said leisurely.

"What?!" Aoguang exclaimed in shock.

He couldn’t imagine his old buddy would turn to Buddhism.

After the shock wore off, Aoguang asked immediately, "Boss, do you have any proof?"

"From the moment we arrived at the West Sea, Ao Qin was just too enthusiastic," Bai Jin pointed out.

"But what’s wrong with being a bit enthusiastic? You are the Heavenly Court Emperor; of course, he wants to make a good impression," Aoguang couldn’t help defending Ao Qin.

"A little enthusiasm is fine, but Ao Qin was excessively enthusiastic, and that aroused my suspicion."

"Just because I complimented how beautiful the Dragon Palace was, he actually wanted to give it to me. That doesn’t align with the Dragon Clan’s known avarice."

"Maybe he was just joking? Ao Qin has always had a sense of humor," Aoguang tried to make excuses for Ao Qin.

Bai Jin turned the tables, "Would you make such a joke?"

Without thinking, Aoguang shook his head, "No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I’m afraid you’ll take it seriously, Boss! If you did, I would lose my Crystal Palace. I’m not stupid!"

"But Ao Qin did say it."

Aoguang was taken aback; this indeed didn’t match a dragon’s nature. Ao Qin was never so generous.

"Ao Qin gave me the impression of always trying to come across as enthusiastic, warm, and friendly."

"But as the saying goes, ’Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.’"

"Aoguang, let me ask you. If you did something guilty outside, like losing lots of money gambling, what would you do when you got back to the Dragon Palace?"

Aoguang coughed awkwardly and admitted, "I would buy some gifts for my wife, give her massages, tell her stories, make her laugh, fulfill all her needs."

"Does that sound familiar at all?"

Aoguang’s expression became serious, "Boss, you mean to say Ao Qin feels guilty?!"

Bai Jin nodded, continuing, "And about that lotus lamp—if I’m not wrong, it should be a product of Buddhism. Yet he claimed it was an engagement gift from Bibo Pond Dragon King. When did Buddhism dare to take over Lady Yue Lao’s job?!"

Aoguang opened his mouth but finally fell silent, saying somberly, "Boss, all of these are just our speculations. I still can’t believe Ao Qin would turn to Buddhism."

"That’s for you to investigate. Keep an eye on him for me."

Aoguang nodded seriously and said, "Okay."

"And, in some time, a Monkey Demon should enter the East Sea, when that happens, you just do this..."

Aoguang nodded repeatedly as the two disappeared into the sea of clouds.

...

On the seabed of the West Sea, Ao Qin walked into the Crystal Palace and sat on the throne.

The Bodhisattva Guanyin stepped out from a side hall and said, "Dragon King, you should put away the Lotus Lamp."

Ao Qin looked at the Lotus Lamp, somewhat worried, and said, "Great Sage, could Bai Jin have already seen through it?"

The Bodhisattva Guanyin touched the Lotus Lamp, and Sanskrit characters flowed across its surface, saying, "Sacred objects hide their filth; without activating them, their true nature can never be revealed, and it is the same with this Lotus Lamp."

The West Sea Dragon King felt relieved in his heart, thinking that it was good that it had not been discovered.

The Bodhisattva Guanyin said with a smile, "Even if Bai Jin discovers it, it doesn’t matter; Buddhism will protect the peace of the West Sea."

The West Sea Dragon King felt reassured and said, "Bodhisattva, aren’t you speaking too grandly? Emperor Gouchen can withstand a full strike from a Saint without defeat; with such fearsome strength, how can you protect me?"

The Bodhisattva Guanyin was left speechless as a rumor had suddenly started spreading in the Three Realms that Emperor Gouchen had withstood a strike from a Saint and survived. As the rumor spread further, it escalated to Emperor Gouchen withstanding a strike from a Saint without defeat, and then it turned into Emperor Gouchen facing a Saint and battling them, with even rumors that Emperor Gouchen had bested a Saint. As the rumor spread wider, Bai Jin, in the mouths of some, became the greatest being in the Three Realms, capable of defeating the Heavenly Emperor and trampling over The Buddha. The rumor became that if the Saints did not appear, Bai Jin would reign supreme.

However, The Bodhisattva Guanyin knew all too well what Bai Jin’s true strength was. Having just recently sparred with him dozens of epochs ago, Bai Jin was strong among those at the One Corpse Quasi-Saint level due to the power of the Sword Array, but he was insignificant before the Two Corpses Quasi-Saint level, let alone battling a Saint or surpassing one. Wasn’t that a joke? Such absurd rumors were actually believed; were all the Primordial Immortals fools?

The Bodhisattva Guanyin sincerely said, "Dragon King, those are just rumors, not to be believed."

"Some rumors I naturally do not believe, but some rumors are believable. Bai Jin leads the Law Enforcement Team; how could his strength be weak?"

The Bodhisattva Guanyin said, "All Dragon Kings, are you thinking of reneging? Now is the time for Buddhism to flourish!"

The West Sea Dragon King opened his mouth but helplessly said, "At this point, how could I renege? Bodhisattva, you promised my son the Bodhisattva Fruit Position; is it true?"

"Of course it’s true!"

"Then it’s agreed."

"The Dragon King will certainly not be disappointed." The Bodhisattva Guanyin nodded with a smile and drifted away.

"It’s better for you to visit the West Sea less if there’s no business, Bodhisattva. There are many prying eyes here, and it could lead to mishap," the West Sea Dragon King’s voice echoed into the distance.

Buddha Light bloomed around The Bodhisattva Guanyin and shrank away, leaving no trace of her.

...

A year later in the Heavenly Court, the night had passed, and the Great Sun revived, marking the time of the court meeting.

The Heavenly Emperor sat high in his seat, with the Southern Polar Emperor of Longevity, Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole, Eastern Qinghua Emperor, and Western Gouchen Emperor taking their respective thrones on both sides. The five Imperial Lords sat with dignity within the Palace of the Polestar.

Left and right of the great hall stood the Cycle Star God, the Eight Divine Beings, as well as many Divine Generals.

Boom~ A Jing Guang rose from the Lower Realm, shot straight into the Thirty-Three Heavens, and shook the Palace of the Polestar, provoking gasps from all Gods.

Bai Jin looked towards Huaguo Mountain below with a hint of movement on his face. He saw that at the summit of Huaguo Mountain, a Stone Monkey had emerged from a rock and was now paying homage to the four directions.

Bai Jin sighed inwardly; the Five-Colored Divine Stone, capable of being used to mend the skies, was extraordinary to begin with, and had been seated on the East Sea Dragon Vein, absorbing Heaven and Earth’s spiritual energy without end for eons. The Stone Monkey was now an uncarved jade, and with a little polishing, it could shake the Primordial World, with prospects of becoming a Quasi-Saint in the future.

The Heavenly Emperor said calmly, "Thousand-mile Eye, Sharp-Hearing Ear, go investigate at once."

Among the Gods below, Thousand-mile Eye and Sharp-Hearing Ear stepped out, bowed respectfully, and replied, "Yes!" They turned into two Divine Lights and shot out of the Palace of the Polestar.

A moment later, Thousand-mile Eye and Sharp-Hearing Ear flew back and quickly entered the Palace of the Polestar.

Thousand-mile Eye respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, in the Huaguo Mountain of the East Sea in the Mortal World, a monkey’s head has emerged from a stone, startling the Nine Heavens."

Mao Ri Star Lord stepped forward and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the birth of a demon in the Mortal World with such anomalies is surely not ordinary, please dispatch Heavenly Generals to capture it, lest it become a scourge in the future."

The grand voice of the Heavenly Emperor resounded, "The being from below is born of the essence of Heaven and Earth; it isn’t something unusual."

"Yes!" Mao Ri Star Lord withdrew reluctantly back into the formation.

Soon after, the court session ended, and the Gods returned to their domains, leaving only Bai Jin and the Heavenly Emperor inside the Palace of the Polestar.

Bai Jin turned to look at the Heavenly Emperor on the main seat and said solemnly, "Uncle Master, the Calamity is about to begin."

The Heavenly Emperor’s face darkened as he said, "Indeed! Buddhism is thriving, which is undoubtedly a disaster for our Mysterious Sect. Although Saint Zhunti has apparently taken a step back, it will still result in our Mysterious Sect losing face completely, building the glory of Buddha Sect upon the honor of our Mysterious Sect, and we’re even obliged to cooperate. It’s truly frustrating!"

Bai Jin asked expectantly, "Uncle Master, what does the Taoist Ancestor say?"

The Heavenly Emperor frowned and said, "The Taoist Ancestor has said: ’Buddha originally came from Tao.’"

Bai Jin said blankly, "What does that mean?"