The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 53 Eastern Han Dynasty Tripitaka

The incantation fell to the ground.

A phantom image of a monk who looked exactly like Jiang Feng, but with short hair, appeared before everyone.

Along with him appeared a holy Buddhist light. Facing the menacing cat demon, he simply turned slightly to the side, bumped his shoulder, and easily sent the attacking cat demon flying.

"Wow! That's amazing, a trainee idol!"

The cat-ghost cried out in pain and stopped in front of Xu Ani, its eyes fixed on the monk who had suddenly appeared.

Upon hearing the title "training monk," the monk's face fell, and he gave Jiang Feng a resentful look before raising his right palm towards the crowd.

"This humble monk is the Great Han Tripitaka Master, not some kind of practitioner monk."

The Eastern Han Dynasty monk in front of us was summoned by Jiang Feng using the Buddha's relics.

When he absorbed the power of the Buddha's relics, he sensed the residual intent contained within them, so he summoned it using the method of invoking the gods.

At first, he did not expect that the thoughts of the Eastern Han Dynasty monk Sanzang could defeat the cat demon; his original intention was simply to scare the cat demon.

Unexpectedly, this monk's cultivation was astonishing; he actually defeated the cat demon in a single exchange!

Ao Ying looked at the monk, a slight doubt in his heart: "The Han Dynasty has been gone for so many years, where did this Han Dynasty monk come from?"

The monk Xuanzang of the Eastern Han Dynasty trembled, his face filled with disbelief: "My Great Han Dynasty is gone? What about Liu Bei? Did he fail in his three attempts to revive the Han Dynasty?"

Jiang Feng gave him a sympathetic look: "So you're the Tang Monk from Shu Han. Liu Bei established the separatist Shu Han, which was later destroyed by Cao Wei."

"Alas, what a pity for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. If they had sworn brotherhood with Guan Yu and prayed for his blessing, perhaps they would have succeeded."

Cui Ying: "..."

Don't you want to listen to what you're saying? Think carefully about who Guan Yu is!

At the same time, Xu Ani solemnly made a hand seal, and the cat ghost turned into black mist and was completely absorbed into her body, causing her strange magical power to increase rapidly.

"Meow~"

As the cat demon let out a mournful meow, a sudden gust of wind swept through the hall, sending everyone flying.

Looking at Xu Ani, who was at the center of the storm, black hair had grown on her face and a pair of cat ears had appeared on her head.

It has almost completely transformed into the appearance of a cat demon!

The monk from the Eastern Han Dynasty looked her over with surprise and exclaimed, "A nine-lived fox demon!"

Xu Ani's vertical pupils shrank, revealing the sharp teeth in his mouth: "You monk do have some knowledge. I have combined the Cat Demon Technique with the Nine-Lives Raccoon's cultivation method, and now I have cultivated the Nine-Lives Undying Body. My magical power far surpasses that of the Cat Demon."

I'm giving you one last chance: submit to His Highness the Crown Prince, or today will be your death day!

"Nine lives, immortal? Then I'll kill you ten times over!"

Jiang Feng flipped his hands, revealing two AK47s. He pulled the trigger and opened fire on Xu Ani!

Xu Ani used her thick fur to withstand several bullets formed from magical energy. Dozens of bullet holes appeared on her body instantly, her expression changed drastically, and she turned into a wisp of black mist and disappeared before everyone's eyes.

When she reappeared, she was completely unharmed again.

Jiang Feng continued firing at her, saying, "One kill, nine shots left!"

Xu Ani dared not take the hits head-on anymore, and relying on the tanuki's agile body, she dodged all the bullets.

At that moment, a yellow talisman flew into the air.

Cui Ying chanted the incantation: "The Supreme Clarity commands to lock the body, the Vermilion Bird condenses its light to subdue evil spirits. The Six Ding Generals descend to protect the altar, daring to move even a hair's breadth will result in the loss of soul. Hasten, hasten, as the law commands!"

The yellow talisman floating in the air burst into golden light, and under the light, Xu Ani's figure was immediately frozen in place.

Jiang Feng seized the opportunity to fire, and Xu Ani was riddled with bullets once again, turning into black mist and dissipating.

"Kill them this time, then there are eight more!"

With Jiang Feng and Cui Ying's tacit cooperation, Xu Ani died nine times in a short time, forced to exit her raccoon form and return to her normal human appearance.

Her face was frighteningly pale, as if she was about to collapse at any moment, powerless to escape under Jiang Feng's gun.

"stop!"

Seeing that the weakened Xu Ani was about to die, Yang Yong shouted and risked his life to stand in front of Xu Ani.

Bullets formed from magical power rained down on him, and just as they were about to pierce his body, a burst of golden light suddenly erupted from his body.

Countless Sanskrit characters appeared in the void, transforming into a golden sphere that enveloped him and Xu Ani.

The bullet struck the sphere, producing a series of clanging sounds. After neutralizing all attacks, the sphere and the bullet formed from magical energy annihilated together.

"All phenomena arise from causes and conditions; I say they are empty. They are also provisional names, and this is the Middle Way."

A monk walked in from the entrance of the main hall, his body radiating a faint golden light, exactly the same as the light from the Sanskrit shield just now.

Jiang Feng listened to the verse he was reciting and frowned, asking, "Ji Zang?"

The monk smiled and nodded in greeting: "This humble monk, Jizang, greets Commander Jiang. Please wait a moment, Commander Jiang; His Majesty is on his way."

After he introduced himself, Jiang Feng introduced him to the others: "Master Jizang is the founder of the Sanlun School of Buddhism. He was invited by Prince Jin to treat Empress Dugu."

He advocated the idea that everything is empty and all phenomena are devoid of inherent existence, a concept highly praised by His Majesty. He, along with the Indian Tripitaka Master Jñānagupta, and I, are known to the world as the Three Holy Monks of Buddhism!

Jizō: "..."

Eh? Isn't the other holy monk Zhiyi?

As they were talking, Yang Jian and Empress Dugu had already arrived in the main hall.

After everyone paid their respects, Yang Yong and Xu Ani knelt in the middle of the main hall.

Yang Jian looked at Xu Ani kneeling on the ground, a hint of anger on his face: "Xu Ani, did you kill the Empress?"

Xu Ani seemed completely unafraid, raising her face and saying, "Yes, it was this servant who did it."

Yang Jian angrily shouted, "You audacious servant, do you know your crime?!"

Xu Ani kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, Ani knows her crime. This servant was instructed by my master, Dugu Tuo, to use the cat demon to harm the Empress. I will immediately break the curse on the Empress!"

As she spoke, she made a hand gesture and chanted a spell.

A moment later, a wisp of black mist emerged from Empress Dugu's body, transforming into a raccoon dog that ran to Xu Ani's side.

Yang Jian continued, "Why did your master want to harm the Empress?"

As if she had rehearsed it many times, Xu Ani said fluently, "My master was punished by the empress for being greedy. He held a grudge and wanted to kill the empress and seize her wealth."

Yang Jian nodded and said, "I see. Dugu Tuo is the culprit and should not be let off lightly!"

Empress Dugu pleaded, "Your Majesty, if Dugu Tuo had harmed someone else, I would never have pleaded for him. But this time he harmed me, and I have already forgiven his mistake. Please, Your Majesty, show leniency!"

Yang Yong knelt down and said, "Your subject seconds this!"

Yang Jian sighed and said, "So be it. Since the Empress and the Crown Prince have pleaded for leniency, I will punish Dugu Tuo and his family leniently and exile them."

Jiang Feng looked at the group of people's clumsy performance and couldn't help but sneer.

"Hehe, the Empress has recovered from her illness, the wise Emperor has dealt with the culprit, the maternal relatives, and the Crown Prince remains loyal, filial, and righteous. It's truly a happy ending for everyone."

"And what about me? I came all the way from Yangzhou just to act in a play with you?"

And what about the common people who were harmed by Dugu Tuo and Xu Ani? Who will heed their grievances?

As he spoke, Jiang Feng pulled out a grenade crafted using weapon-refining techniques, held it high in his hand, and raised his voice.

"You'd better give me an explanation, or none of you will leave here alive today!"