Chapter 300: Elder Jinchi’s Demonification

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

[You hid high in the sky, silently watching the changes in Elder Jinchi.

[You realized that although Elder Jinchi was dissatisfied with Guanyin’s choice of Tang Sanzang to go to the west to retrieve the scriptures, it was far from the point where he wanted to kill and steal the treasure.

[After all, Elder Jinchi was a virtuous monk who had cultivated Buddhism for hundreds of years. It was a little unreasonable for him to harm others because of jealousy.

[However, you didn’t have any intention of interfering. You came here purely because you wanted to see how the difficult situation of stealing the ca.s.sock would change without the Black Bear Demon.

[Soon, you realized that something was wrong.

[In the Guanyin Temple…

[At that moment, it was already the time for Sun Wukong to show off and slap a few faces.

[After being told that he had no treasures and was poor, Sun Wukong immediately took out the beautiful ca.s.sock given by Guanyin.

[This embroidered ca.s.sock was a treasure that Buddha had given to Guanyin to give to the pilgrimage for Buddhist scriptures. It was embedded with seven treasures that were impervious to fire and water and could defend one’s body. The material of the ca.s.sock was made from the silk of ice silkworms, which were turned into threads by a skilled craftsman. There were all kinds of pearls on it, such as the Ruyi Pearl, Mani Pearl, Dustless Pearl, and Air-Frozen Pearl. There were also red agate, purple coral, night-luminescent pearls, and sariras.

[One could tell at a glance that it was extremely precious.

[Elder Jinchi’s eyes never left the ca.s.sock after he saw it.

[There were several ca.s.socks in his treasure vault, but they were not worth mentioning compared to Tang Sanzang’s.

[At that moment, a beam of light shot out of the Guanyin statue in the hall and entered the mind of Elder Jinchi.

[Even Sun Wukong did not notice it in the hall, yet, you, who had been secretly observing, noticed it.

‘So, Guanyin has a hand in this, evoking Elder Jinchi’s greed and turning the ca.s.sock into his inner demon. I was wondering how a monk who has been cultivating for hundreds of years could do such a thing.’

[You couldn’t help but complain in your heart, ‘This Guanyin is really not very honest in doing things. Your devout worshiper works hard without complaint, worships you for hundreds of years, and doesn’t spend the money he earns on himself. Instead, he gives you a pure gold statue.

‘This time, it’s better for you to kill others directly and let the practice of hundreds of Elder Jinchi’s cultivation be ruined in one fell swoop.’

[You had a deeper understanding of the Buddhist League’s shamelessness and raised your vigilance against them. They even attacked their own people so ruthlessly. You wouldn’t know how you died if they were your enemies.

[You still didn’t make a move. You just quietly watched the plot develop.

[Soon, Elder Jinchi, in the name of admiration, begged Tang Sanzang to let him study the ca.s.sock for a night.

[Tang Sanzang had always been a good person. Moreover, the other party had kindly taken him in and treated him warmly. It was not too much to lend the treasured ca.s.sock, so he agreed.

[At night, Elder Jinchi sat alone in his meditation room. He was wearing a beautiful ca.s.sock, and his face was full of joy.

[However, there was no one in the room. Any ordinary monk could see that Elder Jinchi’s face was covered with black Qi. This was the first step in turning from a Buddha to a demon for a senior monk who had cultivated Buddhism for many years.

“Such a precious ca.s.sock, but I can only look at it for one night. What a pity, what a pity…”

Elder Jinchi, who had been silent for a long time, slowly stood up and walked to the bronze mirror. He carefully looked at his ca.s.sock.

“No! Never! Such a precious ca.s.sock can only belong to me, Elder Jinchi. Bodhisattva, you’re being unfair. How is that Tang Sanzang better than me? I’ve worshipped you for hundreds of years and built the most precious statue for you, but you didn’t choose me when you were choosing someone to retrieve the scriptures…”

[Elder Jinchi’s face turned ferocious. He kept saying what was considered the most treasonous thing in the eyes of the Buddhists.

“I have to kill him! As long as he’s dead, the ca.s.sock will be mine alone. I’ll go to the Western Paradise, retrieve the scriptures, and become a Buddha!”

[At that moment, Elder Jinchi’s eyes were bloodshot. His old appearance had completely disappeared. In an instant, he seemed to have become dozens of years younger.

“No, that monkey looks like a demon. He’s definitely not weak. It’s too difficult to kill him…”

[For a moment, Elder Jinchi calmed down again. After living for so many years, Elder Jinchi still had some insight. After all, he had personally taught the Black Bear Demon how to cultivate Buddhism.

“d.a.m.n it! I don’t know where the Black Bear Demon went. At this critical moment, he is not in the cave…”

[As it turned out, a few days ago, the little monk had come to report that he had gone to deliver vegetarian food to the Black Bear Demon and had discovered that the Black Bear Demon had left.

[He did not return even after a few days.

[Elder Jinchi began to pace left and right in the meditation room until he saw the candlelight swaying slightly in the evening wind. A ruthless expression appeared on his face.

[After a while, the Guanyin Temple was on fire. All the monks were busy putting out the fire for the temple.

[Sun Wukong was already prepared. He went to the sky and borrowed a fire-repelling shield to cover the meditation room where Tang Sanzang was resting.

[Elder Jinchi, on the other hand, ran to the Black Bear Demon’s cave abode overnight with the ca.s.sock. He planned to hide for the night and wait until dawn before heading west.

[After a night…

[Early in the morning, Tang Sanzang got a shock when he saw the ruins of the Guanyin Temple.

[It was only after the monks’ explanation that Tang Sanzang learned that the entire Guanyin Temple had been destroyed by a fire last night. The old abbot, Elder Jinchi, was nowhere to be found.

“Master, it must be that old monk who asked for the ca.s.sock and wanted to burn us to death, so he took the ca.s.sock and ran away,” said Sun Wukong.

[Such an action naturally caused the monks of the Guanyin Temple to be dissatisfied. In their hearts, Elder Jinchi was an eminent monk, their most respected master.

“Shut up, you monster! You must have killed the old abbot and set the temple on fire last night. Otherwise, why was your room the only one that didn’t catch fire?”

“That’s right! It must be you who killed the old abbot. My fellow junior brothers, avenge the old abbot!”

…

[The group of monks scolded angrily and then attacked Tang Sanzang and his disciple.

[Of course, they were just ordinary monks. How could they be Sun Wukong’s match? Sun Wukong raised his hand and used a stop spell to freeze all the monks in their tracks.

[After that, Sun Wukong found an older monk and asked, “Where does your abbot usually go when he isn’t in the temple?”

[At first, the monk was stubborn, but under Sun Wukong’s threats, he still spilled the beans.

“There’s a Blackwind Mountain 20 miles away from our temple. There’s a Blackwind Cave on the mountain, and a Black Bear Demon lives in it. Our abbot converted the Black Bear Demon, and the latter has devoted himself to Buddhist cultivation. When our abbot has nothing to do, he returns to preach to the Black Bear Demon.”

[Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately rose into the air and flew in Blackwind Mountain’s direction.

“Master, please wait for me for a moment. I will go and retrieve the ca.s.sock for you.”

[Sun Wukong’s warning to Tang Sanzang echoed in the air.]