Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

A secret chamber: Jiang Liu and his disciples were all tied up with ropes, confined within this room. What seemed to be mere simple strands of rope rendered them unable to mobilize the strength within their bodies, almost like a perpetual silence skill had been cast upon them.

"What in the world are these ropes made of?"

Feeling that he couldn't mobilize his cultivation level at all, naturally, he couldn't practice the Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound either, which led to a silent feeling of helplessness in Jiang Liu's heart.

Since Master Zhenyuan had set his heart on taking action, it seemed this difficulty couldn't be avoided. If it couldn't be avoided, so be it. Hiding in the Wuzhuang Temple for a while and dragging out the time seemed like a good plan.

But if their cultivation was bound and they couldn't practice, wouldn't staying too long be useless?

"Wukong, why aren't you speaking?" Seeing that Wukong too was bound without uttering a single word, Jiang Liu asked, puzzled.

Could it be that Master Zhenyuan's Sleeve Universe had swept him away, leaving Wukong stricken?

"Master, I, Old Sun, was thinking, it turns out that Tathagata isn't the most powerful in this world. Interesting, truly interesting. Even Tathagata couldn't take down I, Old Sun, in one move, right?" Hearing Jiang Liu's words, Wukong couldn't help but crack a grin.

Indeed, if Tathagata had had such means to easily capture him back then, why would he have needed to deceive him into entering Buddha's Palm Paradise to bury him under the Five Elements Mountain?

"Enough, I've worried too much..." At a time like this, Wukong still had the mood to ponder such matters, which left Jiang Liu with mixed feelings of laughter and tears. His concern had been for naught.

However, upon reflection, it made sense. With Wukong's untamed nature, how could he be easily disheartened? Otherwise, after being suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, his spirit would have been grinded away long ago, no?

"Bajie, how about you? Anything you'd like to say?" After pondering for a moment, Jiang Liu turned to ask Zhu Bajie.

Though not the brightest, Zhu Bajie's vision was the keenest within the Scripture Seeking Team. Moreover, he had long recognized Master Zhenyuan, so seeking his opinion was worthwhile.

"Me? I think there's nothing much to it. Eat when you should eat, sleep when you should sleep. Just stay like this, right? Master Zhenyuan couldn't possibly starve us over this little matter, could he? After locking us up for some days and his anger subsides, he will naturally release us!"

Hearing Jiang Liu's question, Zhu Bajie appeared indolent.

This attitude was almost the epitome of nonchalance, as if bitten by a mosquito. No worries, let it be. Once it's satiated, it will fly away on its own...

"Second Brother, how could you be like this!?" Wujing couldn't restrain himself from speaking up after hearing Bajie's lackadaisical attitude: "Our journey to the West is for the sake of all beings. The sooner we obtain the scriptures, the sooner we can fulfill our mission. Master Zhenyuan locking us here, I don't know what he's planning. What if he doesn't cool off for a decade or so?"

"Then we might just be confined here for a decade or so, no big deal, right?" Bajie maintained his nonchalant demeanor.

"Second Brother, how can you..." Watching Bajie's indifferent attitude, Wujing truly felt a mix of urgency, frustration, and helplessness, unsure of what to say next.

Giving Wujing a sidelong glance, Jiang Liu did not respond to his words but inwardly nodded at Bajie's words. If they could really be confined for a decade or more, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Yet, being tied up with mana completely unmovable, he needed to find a way to restore his strength.

"Wukong, I feel that I can mobilize none of the strength in my body. Do you know what's happening?" After some thought, Jiang Liu spoke up to address Wukong.

"I, Old Sun, do not know either. It must be the handiwork of that old Taoist. My mana also can't be mobilized!" Wukong shook his head in response.

"Master, don't worry about it. Master Zhenyuan is among the foremost figures of the three realms and six paths, his cultivation having long surpassed that of a Daluo Golden Immortal. Though he doesn't possess the casual ability to materialize his words into reality as a Sage Master does, he can indeed manipulate some laws. He has embedded these laws into these ropes.

Therefore, what appear to be a few ordinary ropes are enough to bind us all!"

"Laws!?" Bajie's words stirred something in Jiang Liu, prompting him to look at him intently.

Previously, his Silencing Zen couldn't affect Master Zhenyuan, who had uttered the word "laws." He had intended to ask for clarification but was interrupted by Wukong. Unexpectedly, Bajie actually knew something?

"Bajie, what exactly are these laws? Explain it to me," Jiang Liu urged.

"Regarding these laws, I, Old Pig, don't know much either, having only overheard bits and pieces in the past!" Upon Jiang Liu's inquiry, Bajie didn't hold back and shared what he knew.

"Master, you must know, the mortal path has six realms, the Immortal Path has three. Yet, above the Immortal Path exists a class of beings who have transcended the cycle of life and death, undisturbed by countless calamities. Even the cosmic catastrophes cannot harm them. They have risen above the multitude, their concerns no longer tied to cultivation but to laws.

They wield control and can even revise the powers that govern the rules of heaven and earth!" Bajie explained.

"Controlling and even revising the rules of heaven and earth? What does that mean? Bajie, explain it to me in detail?" The words caught even Wukong's attention, prompting him to eagerly press for more information.

General Juanlian, who had been attentive by the side, was also intent on hearing more. Evidently, even after years as the Jade Emperor's General Juanlian, he knew very little about these so-called laws.

"Specifically? Actually, I, Old Pig, don't know much either. If I have to say something, perhaps it's things like making water light a lamp or having the sun appear in the night sky, completely defying the rules of nature. This should count as altering the laws of nature," mused Zhu Bajie before he spoke.

Hiss...

The moment these words were spoken, even Sun Wukong felt a sense of trepidation.

Altering the laws of nature? Is this truly something humans are capable of?

"Hold on, back then, Tathagata's palm was only this big, but when I, Old Sun, jumped into it, I found it to be endlessly vast, which was utterly illogical. So, is Tathagata also one of these people you're talking about?"

After listening to Zhu Bajie's account of the laws, Sun Wukong recalled his naive compliance back then, when he truly jumped into Tathagata's palm, and he voiced his thoughts.

"Buddha? He doesn't quite fit into this category. Above the Daluo Golden Immortals, there are some who are striving to reach this level, but it seems they are missing something, right? Specifically, I, Old Pig, can't clarify!"

Zhu Bajie shook his head. Although unclear, he was sure that Tathagata was far from reaching the realm he had described.

"So, is it that Tathagata and Master Zhenyuan are like Quasi-Saints, capable of barely influencing the laws? Are the 'words become law' Zhu Bajie spoke of the true Saints?"

Zhu Bajie couldn't articulate clearly, but Jiang Liu, hearing these words and combining his own understanding of Deification and the Primordial settings, naturally grasped their meaning.

So to say, Saints are exalted because they can alter the laws of nature?

To put it simply, if this world were an online game, then everyone is like leveling up through monster grinding, adhering to the game's established rules to become stronger.

And the Saints? They must be powerful enough to have been promoted to game GMs?

Could they whimsically change the game rules? How can that be played? No wonder it's said, those not Saints remain but ants.

"So that's how it is..." Understanding the truth of the matter, Jiang Liu realized why his Silencing Zen was ineffective against Master Zhenyuan.

Although they aren't full-fledged Saints, Quasi-Saints can still manipulate some forces of the laws. Are my control type skills like Silencing Zen, to some extent also rule-based skills, which is why they are ineffective against Master Zhenyuan?

"Does this mean? My impressive support abilities are impossible to work on those of Quasi-Saint Level?" Reflecting on this, disappointment crept into Jiang Liu's heart.

He had thought his Silencing Zen and Sheep Transformation Technique, these control type skills, would work on anyone. Seeing this, their value seems to diminish.

But upon deeper thought, he is only level 31 for now; Quasi-Saint level big shots are a bit too far out of reach for him. He shouldn't aim too high; he should focus on resolving the matters at hand first.

Being confined to Wuzhuang Temple by Master Zhenyuan? Jiang Liu is not the least bit upset, even hoping the longer he is confined, the better.

However, he surely shouldn't be bound so that he can't even practice cultivation, should he?

"Master, heh heh heh, although this old Taoist's methods are formidable, they can only restrict my Cultivation Level, not my Primordial Spirit!"

Putting aside Jiang Liu's silent contemplation on how to resolve the current situation, Sun Wukong suddenly chuckled and said to Jiang Liu.

"How about this, I, Old Sun, let my Primordial Spirit leave the body to seek help from Tathagata? This old Taoist is too fierce, we can't beat him, and if he doesn't lend a hand, our great Journey to the West for Scriptures will end right here!"

"Monkey, I think you wish Master Zhenyuan would turn out even stronger than Tathagata, so you're eager to invite Tathagata over to watch him get trounced, right?"

Seeing Sun Wukong's eager appearance made the corners of Jiang Liu's mouth twitch slightly as he inwardly complained.

"No, don't go. Let's solve this matter ourselves!" Still, Jiang Liu shook his head at Sun Wukong's suggestion.

Although Jiang Liu would also like to witness the spectacle of Tathagata getting trounced, if Tathagata truly came, the most likely outcome would be the two big shots speaking a few words and making some deal.

It's improbable they'd come to blows; instead, as a result of their negotiation, they would likely continue letting him proceed with the Journey to the West.

Therefore, it's better not to call on Tathagata, and instead, take this opportunity to dawdle a bit longer.