In the Heavenly Court, at the Banquet to Pacify Heaven.
Rulai had just suppressed Sun Wukong beneath the Five Fingers Mountain, and the Jade Emperor had specifically ordered this banquet to express gratitude to the Western Buddhism!
"Your Majesty, this Journey to the West has been ordained by the Heavenly Dao. Aside from that unruly monkey, two Scripture Protectors are still needed."
"Rest assured, World-Honored One. I have already received the Dao Ancestor's oral decree regarding the Journey to the West. The Heavenly Court will cooperate fully, and the Scripture Protectors have long been selected."
"Splendid! However, the Two Sages have issued a dharma decree stating that one more person must be chosen to participate throughout the entire process to obstruct the Journey to the West. When the Heavenly Dao settles the account at that time, it will naturally calculate greater karmic merit. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks of this?"
The Jade Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking to Rulai:
"I wonder if the World-Honored One has a candidate in mind?"
"The Journey to the West is a Western affair, so the person who obstructs it must come from the Heavenly Court. I must ask Your Majesty to make the final decision on this matter."
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor nodded with satisfaction. Naturally, he was delighted by anything that freely bestowed karmic merit upon the Heavenly Court.
"Immortals and deities, earlier the World-Honored One and I discussed that we must send someone from the Heavenly Court to participate throughout the whole process of obstructing the Journey to the West. Is anyone willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility?"
......
After a long while, seeing no one reply, the Jade Emperor's expression sank.
At that moment, Taibai Jinxing walked up to the Jade Emperor's ear and whispered a few words.
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor cast his gaze toward a young man in the corner who was gorging himself on food.
Following the Jade Emperor's gaze, all the immortals and deities also looked toward the man in the corner.
The man had a tall and upright figure, sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, and long hair tied up high. However, the Jade Emperor frowned at that moment, solely because the man's bridge of the nose was sunken.
When Rulai saw this man, he was also stunned for a moment, followed by a smile on his face.
Meanwhile, a Buddha from the Western side with long ears wore a mocking smirk at the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with ridicule.
"Junior Brother Li Ling, stop eating! The Jade Emperor is looking at you!"
Li Ling, who was in the midst of taking a large bite of dragon liver, froze when he heard the voice transmission, then raised his head to look at the Jade Emperor with a blank expression.
Seeing Li Ling look over, the Jade Emperor's majestic voice rang out:
"Li Ling, are you willing to take on this task?"
Li Ling, who had just been concentrating on his 'work', now had a somewhat dazed look in his eyes. At that moment, a voice sounded in his mind once again, and Li Ling finally understood the cause and effect.
*These Westerners are truly calculating, unwilling to let go of even a sliver of karmic merit. Are they trying to maximize their benefits? Still, it's not worth getting myself dragged into this conspiracy for just a bit of merit.*
Thinking this, Li Ling was about to open his mouth to refuse when another voice rang out in his mind:
"Ding! Anti-Journey to the West System activated. The host only needs to stop the Journey to the West to obtain cultivation and dharma treasures. The longer the obstruction lasts, the greater the benefits obtained!"
At that moment, Li Ling was so excited he was practically moved to tears.
He had time-traveled just before the God-Conferment War, and relying on a fortuitous encounter, he joined Jiejiao as Tongtian's youngest disciple. He had practiced diligently all this time, finally reaching the Golden Immortal Realm.
Alas, his position was lowly and his words carried little weight. In the late stages of the God-Conferment War, within the Ten Thousand Immortals Array, he was ambushed by the Long-eared Thief, leaving him severely wounded and at death's door. He managed to keep his life by sheer luck, but his cultivation realm dropped to the Mystic Immortal Realm, and by now it had already fallen to the Early Mystic Immortal Realm, likely dropping to the Celestial Immortal Realm before long.
"System, you've arrived quite late. Hurry up and open the newbie gift pack for me."
"Ding! Newbie gift pack opened. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Heavenly Dao Token."
"A Heavenly Dao Token? What the hell is that? System, you took all these years just to give me this?"
"Ding! The Heavenly Dao Token is a symbol of a person recognized by the Heavenly Dao. The host can activate the Heavenly Dao Token to authenticate their identity with the Heavenly Dao. Before the Journey to the West ends, if anyone harms the host, it will incur the punishment of the Heavenly Dao."
"Good stuff! System, you really are amazing. With this thing, wouldn't I be invincible? Activate the Heavenly Dao Token!"
"Ding! Activating the Heavenly Dao Token. However, the system must remind the host that the Heavenly Dao Token does not mean invincibility. When the Heavenly Dao is too busy to care, harming the host will not incur heavenly punishment. The host is advised not to be too high-profile."
Hearing this, Li Ling froze for a moment and asked in his mind: "System, what do you mean by that?"
"Ding! The Heavenly Dao is currently contending with Hongjun for control. According to the system's calculations, when the Heavenly Dao Token is activated, the Heavenly Dao will manifest once to back the host up. From then on, except during tribulation crossing, the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun will tacitly pause their struggle for control. When that happens, if anyone harms the host, the Heavenly Dao will naturally mete out punishment."
Hearing this, Li Ling, who had still been basking in joy, was left rather speechless: "System, did you buy a fake token?"
Just as Li Ling was immersed in the system, a lingering chant of Buddhist sounds rang out, followed by a frivolous tone:
"Isn't this Li Ling? After all these years, his nose still hasn't grown back? It's all my fault for striking too hard back then!"
Hearing this, Li Ling swept his gaze across him with a calm expression, as if he were looking at a barking dog.
Then he looked at the Jade Emperor and bowed slightly.
"This subject is willing to share Your Majesty's worries!"
The Jade Emperor revealed a satisfied smile and then looked at Rulai.
At this moment, Rulai also nodded with a smile and was about to speak when he heard thunder rolling in the sky above. Immediately afterward, a vertical eye tore through space and appeared overhead.
With the appearance of this vertical eye, none of the immortals and deities failed to feel a tremendous pressure.
Even the Jade Emperor and Rulai were finding it somewhat strenuous to bear the pressure at this moment.
The vertical eye slowly rotated, finally locking onto Li Ling, and a beam of light was cast down.
Illuminated by the beam of light, Li Ling slowly floated up. When the beam dissipated and the vertical eye vanished, everyone finally recovered from that heavenly might.
"Heavenly Dao recognition!"
The Jade Emperor was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Li Ling to actually obtain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao.
At this moment, Li Ling's status was equivalent to that of Tang Monk—one was the Scripture Seeker, and the other was the Obstructor, both recognized by the Heavenly Dao.
No matter which one was missing, this Journey to the West could not be completed.
At this moment, Rulai's brows were tightly furrowed, feeling very much like he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet.
His original intention was to maximize the karmic merit and benefits of the Journey to the West, but he never expected to create someone designated by heaven to obstruct the Journey to the West.
"Hmph! What of Heavenly Dao recognition? It's just a matter of spending a little effort. Furthermore, the Heavenly Dao is already too busy looking after itself—does it still have time to care whether you live or die?"
"Joyful Buddha, silence!"
Before the long-eared Buddha could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Rulai's voice.
Knowing he had spoken out of turn, Joyful Buddha said no more and retreated to his seat, though the gaze he cast toward Li Ling remained filled with disdain and provocation.
Seeing this, the Jade Emperor smiled and spoke:
"Li Ling, after the Banquet to Pacify Heaven concludes, you will be fully responsible for the affairs of the Journey to the West. If you have any needs, the Heavenly Court will naturally provide full assistance."
Li Ling's recognition by the Heavenly Dao inevitably stirred up thoughts in the Jade Emperor's mind.
Seeing that Li Ling had sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, and an upright posture, with the only flaw being that sunken bridge of his nose, the Jade Emperor pondered and said:
"Go later to collect a nine-thousand-year flat peach; it will be of some use to you."
Hearing this, Li Ling was overjoyed and was about to thank the Jade Emperor.
At that moment, Joyful Buddha spoke up once again to stop him:
"Wait! Reporting to Your Majesty, the Scripture Seeker of my Buddhism must be of mortal flesh and blood. If Li Ling relies on the power of an immortal to obstruct him, it will inevitably disrupt the balance of the Heavenly Dao. It would be better to strip Li Ling of his cultivation, cast him down to the mortal realm, and let him participate in the Journey to the West with a mortal body."
Joyful Buddha's assertion instantly caused an uproar.
"Long-eared Thief, why don't we strip you of your cultivation and banish you to the mortal realm as well, to go along with that Scripture Seeker?"
"Hahahaha! Yunxiao, it's a pity the Scripture Seeker designated by heaven isn't me. If I also gained the recognition of the Heavenly Dao, stripping me of my cultivation would naturally be of no consequence."
At this moment, a middle-aged man also stepped forward and addressed the Jade Emperor:
"Your Majesty, this subject believes this is improper. That Scripture Seeker is protected by someone with formidable magic power. If Junior Brother Li Ling's cultivation is stripped away and he is demoted to a mortal, how can he possibly obstruct him?"
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, over twenty immortals and deities successively stepped out to plead on Li Ling's behalf.
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor nodded. At that moment, Rulai spoke up:
"Your Majesty, Joyful Buddha is right. Although the Scripture Seeker is this poor monk's disciple, he still experienced reincarnation and became a mortal before seeking the scriptures. If this obstructor possesses magic power, it might be inappropriate. My Buddhism is willing to offer corresponding compensation for Li Ling."
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor's expression still remained somewhat hesitant.
"Your Majesty, this subject is willing to become a mortal!"
Li Ling's words shocked all the immortals and deities. Although Li Ling currently only possessed the cultivation of a Mystic Immortal, that was still vastly better than turning into a mere mortal!
"Li Ling, have you thought this through?"
The Jade Emperor looked at Li Ling, and that majestic voice rang out once again.
Li Ling nodded, then continued:
"However, I want the Three-Pure Water and the Creation Lotus Seed from Buddhism!"
Li Ling had his own considerations for doing this. This body of his was far too severely damaged; even if the Jade Emperor bestowed a nine-thousand-year flat peach upon him, it would still be powerless to repair it.
Even if he exhausted rare treasures to mend his body, the upper limit of a postnatal Human Race foundation was still limited.
Li Ling wanted to use this opportunity to reshape his physique!