Subodhi thought to himself: "This Burning Lamp is getting a bit full of himself, actually daring to play dirty."
Bidding farewell to Nuwa, the group continued on their Journey to the West.
The road ahead was quiet and peaceful, and before long, they arrived at the Fairy Maiden Kingdom.
This Fairy Maiden Kingdom was permeated everywhere with an exotic floral fragrance, with colorful butterflies fluttering about—a sight of breathtaking beauty.
As the group stepped into the country, they saw exquisite and magnificent pavilions lining both sides of the streets, while fairy maidens smiled radiantly, every gesture exuding elegance.
However, Subodhi grew vigilant.
This place was wreathed in strange celestial energy, yet entirely devoid of demonic aura.
At the same time, the air faintly carried a hint of murderous intent, perhaps concealing an unknown crisis.
As night fell, the Fairy Maiden Kingdom was brilliantly illuminated.
As it turned out, on every night of the full moon, immortals from all realms would conceal their identities and come here to roam and make merry.
Tonight happened to be the night of the full moon.
Immortals from all walks of life arrived in a steady stream.
Some transformed into ordinary folk, while others took the form of refined scholars.
Each of them carried their own magical treasure, with varying expressions on their faces.
"I heard that whoever has the strongest magical treasure tonight gets to spend a wonderful night with the succubus Chen Ruomeng," a mysterious voice spread through the crowd.
"That's right, this Chen Ruomeng is an ancient demon god with an innate succubus constitution. Dual cultivation with her can help one break through their limits."
"Speaking of Chen Ruomeng, she really is a pitiful person."
"In ancient times, she was just an ordinary mortal, but because of her good looks, her parents were hunted down and killed. Alas..."
"It's a good thing she was saved by a wandering immortal, or there wouldn't be such a great beauty around."
"That immortal wasn't any good either; he tricked her out of her innocence. When he got drunk and let it slip, it turned out he was the one who orchestrated her family's death."
"Indeed, that was when she entered the demonic path. Somehow, she became exceptionally powerful overnight.
From a mortal, she turned into a quasi-saint overnight, and even killed the Ximen Demon God, who was at the Early Taiyi Golden Immortal."
The crowd chattered and discussed noisily.
"Hmph, this magical treasure of mine is bound to win first prize," an immortal said with absolute confidence, revealing a brilliantly glowing pearl in his hand.
In an instant, the pearl burst with radiant light, shining like a miniature sun to illuminate the surroundings.
"What's that worth? Look at this Purple-Gold Gourd of mine," another immortal declared, refusing to be outdone.
As he gently shook the Purple-Gold Gourd, its spout instantly spewed forth a stream of purple flames of extreme heat.
The others successively displayed their own magical treasures.
For a time, lights of various colors intertwined, and spell effects dazzled the eye in a fierce competition of brilliance—a most lively scene.
Amidst this commotion, the succubus Chen Ruomeng slowly appeared.
She moved with graceful curves, her waist swaying like a willow in the wind.
Her gaze radiated a captivating charm that intoxicated the soul.
endowed with a natural succubus constitution, she needed no spells to make everyone fall for her.
"Oh my, you immortals sure are lively tonight," the succubus teased playfully, her voice crisp and melodious like an oriole leaving the valley.
The crowd was instantly captivated and rushed forward to present their treasures.
Bajie stared with wide eyes, drool pouring from his mouth: "My goodness, this fairy maiden is truly as beautiful as a goddess!"
"You idiot, don't let this wicked woman bewilder you!" Wukong shouted angrily. He tightened his grip on the Ruyi Jingu Bang, its runes flashing with golden light and radiating an imposing aura.
The succubus pouted playfully: "This monkey brother is so fierce."
Wukong swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang and was about to strike the succubus when a glance from Patriarch Bodhi stopped him.
"It's her. Back when I was traveling, I even gave her a copy of the Great Dao Heart Scripture and bestowed upon her nine Bodhi seeds. A million years have passed, and she's all grown up," Patriarch Bodhi thought to himself, a flash of complex emotions in his eyes.
Shaseng and Bajie struggled against the influence of the succubus's innate constitution, gradually recovering their wits through sheer willpower.
Bajie muttered: "This wicked woman is formidable; old pig almost fell for her tricks."
Shaseng kept his eyes tightly closed, chanting silently as a faint layer of Buddha light emanated around him to resist the succubus's temptation.
Chen Ruomeng looked at Subodhi, a flash of confusion crossing her eyes before turning into pleasant surprise: "It's you, my benefactor from back then!"
Subodhi nodded slightly: "A million years have passed, never expecting to meet you here."
Chen Ruomeng's eyes turned red: "All these years, I've been searching for you."
At this moment, the surrounding immortals grew intensely jealous at the sight.
"Impossible. Rumor has it that the one who saved Chen Ruomeng back then was a nameless Daoist; how could it be someone as ruthless as Patriarch Bodhi?"
"A nameless Daoist—that was actually the Dao title of the invincible Sword Emperor Xiaotian from the previous era. Could it be..." one immortal remarked.
"Hmph, who is this Patriarch Bodhi anyway? What right does he have!" someone muttered softly.
"Who is Patriarch Bodhi? Fellow Daoist, how long has it been since you stepped outside? You don't even know the ruthless figure who single-handedly flattened Lingshan not long ago?"
"Wasn't Lingshan flattened by Ancestor Wutian? I just came over from Lingshan to watch the drama."
"Wutian? Never heard of him. Has the Buddhist Sect been beaten up by someone again? When did this happen?"
Wukong's ears twitched and he shouted angrily: "What are you babbling about! My master is a person of noble character and high prestige!"
Gonggong also shouted loudly: "Whoever dares show disrespect, ask the Water God Halberd in my hand first!"
Gonggong brandished the Water God Halberd, and a blue surge of water shot into the sky amidst churning waves.
Taotie bared its fangs and brandished its claws: "Behave yourselves!" A billowing aura of ferocity emanated from its body.
Tang Seng pressed his palms together: "Amitabha. Whoever is talking about my master, don't blame my Six-Winged Cicada for being impolite." Instantly, the light of Buddha illuminated the surroundings, and overwhelming pressure radiated outward.
Nezha glared fiercely at the crowd.
Chen Ruomeng said: "Patriarch, over these past years I have endured hardships, mastered various skills, and searched for you for a million years."
Subodhi let out a gentle sigh: "The past is like smoke; that you and I can reunite today is also a matter of fate."
Just at that moment, an eerie laughter suddenly echoed from the sky: "Haha, what a touching scene!"
Everyone looked up and saw a Black-Robed Demon God appearing in mid-air.
"It's the Dark Demon God!" someone exclaimed in shock.
The Dark Demon God sneered: "Chen Ruomeng, you succubus, today is your day to die!"
With that, the Dark Demon God waved his hands, and black mist billowed forth as if to devour everything.
Subodhi's expression turned stern: "Audacious demon god, how dare you run amok here!"
The Dark Demon God laughed wildly: "Patriarch Bodhi, do you really think you can protect her?"
With a wave of his hand, the Dark Demon God unleashed a surge of dark power toward the group.
This power rushed forward like a black torrent carrying an endless aura of destruction.
Wukong shouted loudly: "Take this from old Sun!"
With a swing of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, a golden beam met the dark power, and upon impact, they produced a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar.
Gonggong, Taotie, and the others also successively unleashed their respective divine abilities.
A look of resolute determination flashed in Chen Ruomeng's eyes: "Patriarch, you all go first; this person is immensely powerful. If I can survive this time, I don't want to leave your side anymore. If I don't survive, I will repay your kindness in the next life!" With that, she prepared to rush forward.
Subodhi grabbed her: "Don't panic, I am here!"
He thought to himself: "The invincible Sword Emperor Xiaotian—I was called Xiaotian before I time-traveled. What's the connection here? This girl is so pretty, hehe, how hard is it to find a girlfriend in modern society! I was twenty-nine and still didn't have a girlfriend, alas—even knowing I transmigrated here spiritually, I was still single. Hehe, the way this beauty looks at me is practically dripping with affection. I am no aloof Daoist Subodhi; I am definitely going to win this chick over."
Instantly, Patriarch Bodhi flew into a rage. The full pressure of the Mid Heavenly Dao Realm erupted outward.
In a flash, heaven and earth changed color, and wind and clouds surged.
The formidable pressure materialized into a tangible force, locking onto the Dark Demon God so firmly that he couldn't move so much as an inch.
Patriarch Bodhi instantly flashed in front of the Dark Demon God, hauling off and punching him fiercely while shouting: "You have a death wish, daring to trouble my woman!"
Bajie: "I've never seen Master actually fight before; Master is truly fierce."
Stealing a glance at Chen Ruomeng, he saw her flushing red as she looked toward Patriarch Bodhi's direction.
Sun Wukong: "Idiot, shut your mouth. Master is in a berserk state; if you keep running your mouth, watch out for Master beating you."
Bajie immediately covered his mouth.
Up in mid-air, Patriarch Bodhi pummeled the Dark Demon God's face for about a quarter of an hour, beating him until his nose and mouth bled, leaving him in an utterly wretched state.
Afterward, Patriarch Bodhi looked at Chen Ruomeng, flew to her side, summoned the Sky-Slaying Sword and handed it to her, saying gently: "I'll leave him to you."
Chen Ruomeng took the sword and swung it lightly.
A fierce sword beam flashed, and the Dark Demon God instantly turned into dust.
His demonic power transformed into a golden ray that flew toward Sun Wukong, causing Wukong to instantly break through from Early Taiyi Golden Immortal to the late stage.
Seeing this, Patriarch Bodhi was overjoyed and thought to himself: "So Patriarch Hongjun meant that slaying demon gods along the Journey to the West is the way to thoroughly revive Wukong. So that's how it is! The death of a demon god feeds back power to nourish Wukong's true spirit."
The Dark Demon God hadn't even managed to fight back before dying just like that. Everyone was shocked, harboring secret dread in their hearts.
After a moment, everyone composed themselves.
They sat together in a circle and began discussing the major events that had recently occurred in the Buddhist Sect.
"I heard that Ancestor Wutian wreaked havoc at the Great Leiyin Temple, and Buddha Tathagata was severely injured and has gone into seclusion to cultivate."
"And that Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha was beaten straight into nirvana. The Buddhist Sect really is plagued by disasters."
Wukong let out a cold snort: "The Buddhist Sect usually throws its weight around; getting their comeuppance now is only fair."
Subodhi frowned slightly: "Don't talk nonsense. The affairs of the Buddhist Sect have their own karma. But for Ancestor Wutian to be so arrogant, he must have a grand scheme in mind."
He thought to himself: "Consider this collecting a bit of interest. My benevolent corpse is truly fierce; I only sent him a voice transmission to teach Burning Lamp a lesson, yet he went and directly beat the guy to death. Alas, I'd better have him lay low for a while."
Just as everyone was talking, a dark shadow suddenly descended from the sky.
"Haha, Patriarch Bodhi, discussing Buddhist Sect matters here—could it be that you also want to meddle?"
Straining their eyes to look, everyone saw that it was none other than Ancestor Styx.
"Styx, what brings you here?" Subodhi's expression sank.
Ancestor Styx smiled sinisterly: "I heard you are on a Journey to the West to eradicate Buddhism and spread the Dao, so I specially came to join in the fun."
"Hmph, you old monster, you definitely harbor no good intentions," Wukong glared angrily.
Ancestor Styx waved his hands, and countless Asura warriors surged out from behind him.
"Today, I'll let you all witness my power!"