The two of them watched Sun Wukong leave, exchanged a glance, and Guangli Bodhisattva asked, "What should we do?"

"Let's continue to fulfill the Chief's orders."

Weituo Bodhisattva glanced to the west, pondered for a moment, and said, "As for the Great Saint, I believe the Chief will have his own decision."

The implication was to leave it be.

"In that case, let's go after that Yaoguang Breaking Army," Guangli Bodhisattva stroked his chin and said, "We'll pretend we don't know that his injuries have already healed..."

"Friend, your thoughts have lost compassion," Weituo Bodhisattva replied, his solemn expression showing a hint of peculiarity.

Although it was called a pursuit, there was no intention of truly catching him. Even as the Dharma Protecting Divine General leader of Buddha Country, they stood no chance against the current Jiang Li.

Though Sun Wukong's claim of defeating ten may be exaggerated, winning against five was undoubtedly feasible.

He was already formidable, with Jiang Li, who once defeated Sun Wukong in a move, being even more so. If they truly went in pursuit, it would be akin to courting death.

Therefore, Guangli Bodhisattva's proposal was to chase without capturing, to hover at a distance, feigning ignorance of Jiang Li's recovery, and intentionally aid Jiang Li in luring others.

Should someone truly take the bait and engage, the outcome...

"Well done, well done, this act truly lacks compassion."

Weituo Bodhisattva shook his head and said, "But to complete the Chief's task and avoid exposing our identities, we have no choice."

As leaders of the Buddha Country's combat force, these two Bodhisattvas were not rigid, considering both combat and the greater picture. Sometimes, acting opportunistically was normal.

Thus, the two flew towards another direction.

······

······

On the other side, Sun Wukong rode his Somersault Cloud westwards, soon flying past ten thousand miles.

The scenery below shifted from desert to plains, forests, and mountains, occasionally spotting towering Buddha statues standing tall, receiving devotees' offerings and worship.

All Buddha Country revered Buddhism, and owing to the prevalence of the Summoning Technique, even the most remote places were not devoid of devout worship.

Moreover, to garner incense and belief, Buddha Country's cultivators actively went about doing good deeds.

Above, Bodhisattvas and Arhats could sit on the Lotus Platform, serenely enjoying the incense, while below, cultivators did not have such prestige or status; to gain incense and belief, they had to toil and labor. This interaction between cultivators performing good deeds and ordinary citizen believers offering incense was everyday life in Buddha Country.

Benefitting from the cultivators' abilities, ordinary people in Buddha Country enjoyed significant convenience, living far more comfortably than the citizens of Great Zhou, but Sun Wukong flew all the way and did not relish this sight.

He accelerated his flight, auspicious clouds slicing through the air, directly heading to the Buddha Country Sacred Land—Lingtai Mountain.

This place, with its rolling mountains, had lofty Buddhist temples and scripture pillars amidst the towering peaks. In four directions of the mountains stood four divine statues sculpted into the forms of the Four Heavenly Kings, solemn and majestic, guarding the four corners.

Sun Wukong quickly discerned that these four divine statues contained Dao Fruits, allowing them to converge incense. If a strong enemy were to attack, these four statues could directly animate, defending the mountains.

However, Sun Wukong, adept at transformation, could not be intercepted by these statues.

He flew over one statue directly towards the mountain center, landing atop the peak.

Here sat a not particularly large temple, clearly central, yet unlike other Buddhist temples that were splendid, showed neither divine shrines nor Buddha statues. Above the temple's gate hung a straightforward plaque with the words "No Buddha Temple".

Sun Wukong saw this, raised his eyebrows slightly, and headed towards the temple's open gate.

Entering the temple, the interior appeared even more serene, void of monks or believers. Only numerous large trees and pavilions stood firmly. Sun Wukong walked straight through, arriving at the back of the temple, where a mountain wall emerged ahead, with a cave mouth above inscribed with "Ten Thousand Buddha Cave".

"Ten Thousand Buddha Cave within No Buddha Temple?"

Sun Wukong's eyes rolled, speaking with a hint of mockery, "Is this a case of hanging a goat's head while selling dog meat, or is it gold and jade on the outside but ruined within?"

Despite Sun Monkey's knack for using brute strength, his cultural accomplishments were not low, having trained under a renowned teacher. He spent ten years under Xu Puti Ancestor, with only three years dedicated to cultivating, the prior seven learning etiquette, maneuvering, discourse, and propriety.

Thus, employing idioms so naturally felt apt.

His words, alternating between mockery and jest, reached into the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, where Buddha Light flickered faintly, reflecting a human silhouette within.

"There is no Buddha outside; Ten Thousand Buddhas reside within."

Buddhist chanting echoed, conveying a tranquil voice, "To cultivate Buddhism is to cultivate the heart; a great awakening of the heart is the Buddha."

The mountain wall ahead began fading, shrinking continuously until held by a pale hand.

In the blink of an eye, the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave transformed into a Space Within the Palm, and the one holding the cave was a white-haired, white-robed layman seated beneath a Bodhi Tree, smilingly regarding Sun Wukong.

"Palm Buddha Country."

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong's expression became earnest, "Your Daoist practice indeed qualifies you as a Buddha."

Even if this person wasn't actually a Buddha, his realm matched that of a Buddha.

"Are you the Awakened?" Sun Wukong enquired with certainty.

"Yes," the layman beneath the tree replied, "The Promotion Ceremony for Awakenener Dao Fruit has only one point, which is a great awakening. Self-awakening, awakening others, awakened yet compassionate with emotions; having such a realm is the Awakened."

Possessing the realm of the Awakenener allows for accommodating Awakenener Dao Fruit.

This Dao Fruit's promotion is transparently simple, yet intriguing.

Reaching the realm of the Awakened permits one to accommodate Awakenener Dao Fruit. But if they already possess such a realm, even without absorbing Awakenener Dao Fruit, they are the Awakened. At this point, the Dao Fruit primarily provides divine skills, contributing nothing to their realm.

Those who can accommodate Awakenener Dao Fruit actually disregard it.

The true Awakened doesn't need to be scrutinized for their Dao Fruit; understanding their realm alone reveals them as the Awakened.

Thus, Sun Wukong, with merely a glance, identified the Awakened's identity.

"Crafting this body with Six-Eared Macaque's Dao Fruit, perfectly aligning with Old Sun's intent, then orchestrating arrangements to revive Old Sun," Sun Wukong gazed at the Awakened and unreservedly asked, "What is it you seek?"

"For nothing, simply seeking the next Chief."

The Awakened replied serenely, "Originally, the Mazer considered Jiang Tanyue, with his talent; he could completely absorb the Dao Fruit of the Great Saint. Unfortunately, Jiang Tanyue refused, leaving the Mazer with no choice but to try another. What began as an experiment now seems to have yielded excellent results. Following the Mazer's promotion, the position of Chief of Buddha Country will be held by the Great Saint."

Chief?

Him?

Hearing this, Sun Wukong truly felt an odd sense of humor, making him wonder how on earth one imagines a monkey as head of monks.

He felt the urge to laugh, but it wouldn't come.

Because within the Awakened's words was another weighty revelation.

Though Sun Wukong hadn't acquired Wuzhiqi's memory, regarding common knowledge, he felt considerably familiar, letting his spiritual wisdom grasp inner connections for basic understanding.

Squinting his eyes, he said, "Being the Awakened, upon promotion, the most suitable Dao Fruit should be that of the Tathagata, right? Do you comprehend the consequences of such actions?"

"Previously speculative, but uncertain. Upon meeting the Great Saint, the Mazer confirmed it."

The Awakened's voice remained calm, devoid of ripples, "The ultimate of Buddhist Law is the realm of Nirvana Annihilation, even after experiencing the End of Dharma, possibly not erasing Tathagata's intent. The worst result would be akin to the Great Saint..."

"Awakening Tathagata within the Mazer."

"The Mazer's promotion involves opposing not only Dao Lords but also the Tathagata."

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