Journey to the West: Black Six Ears

042. Remove the golden headband

"Thank you, Master."

Sun Qiong bowed to Zhenyuan Daxian in front of her and thanked him.

With the help of Zhenyuan Daxian, Sun Qiong finally broke through his realm and entered the realm of True Immortal.

At this point, Sun Qiong no longer needed to be as cautious and apprehensive as she had been at the beginning.

"Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Dragon Girl have already left, but it seems she still suspects you are here."

Zhenyuan Daxian looked at Sun Qiong in front of him.

This guy is quite interesting; a demon in his heart, actually trying to defy the fate set by Buddha.

Moreover, it has achieved some results. Naturally, Zhen Yuanzi was very curious about how far this monkey could go.

"Great Immortal, I have a question I would like you to answer."

Sun Qiong took a deep breath and looked at Zhen Yuanzi.

Seeing his serious expression, Zhenyuan Daxian did not refuse.

"Please speak."

"Is there any way to remove this golden headband on my head, Master?"

As Sun Qiong spoke, she reached up and touched her head.

As if sensing Sun Qiong's state of mind, the golden hoop emitted a faint halo.

"This is... a magic weapon?"

Zhenyuan Daxian stared at the golden headband on Sun Qiong's head, scrutinizing it for a long time, but could only shake his head.

He didn't recognize the thing, but he could tell that it was used to control the Six-Eared Macaque.

The immortal reached out and gently touched the golden headband.

"Master, is this something of the level of a supreme innate treasure?"

Sun Qiong held the Treasure-Losing Coin in her hand. This item had one effect: it could knock down magical treasures.

The golden headband on his head is also a magic weapon. If it can be knocked off, he won't have to waste any more effort on the Journey to the West.

Now that he has reached the True Immortal realm, he can withstand even a blow to the head from a Falling Treasure Coin.

I didn't do it before because I was afraid my brain wasn't tough enough; now, even if I had a hole in my head, I could still survive.

"I want to try and get rid of this golden headband, see if I can remove it from my head. It's certainly powerful, but it can't be a primordial treasure, can it?"

"This thing is far inferior to a primordial treasure, but it is very special and seems to be related to the soul."

Zhenyuan Daxian shook his head.

The golden headband on Sun Qiong's head looks simple, but it is actually quite troublesome.

"I advise you not to touch it lightly."

"When the golden headband is put on your head, it becomes one with your head. Trying to forcibly remove the golden headband is almost like forcibly removing your skull. In fact, it is even engraved on your soul."

You might survive if your skull is blown off, but if your soul is without your head, then you're truly gone.

Sun Qiong's heart tightened.

He recalled that, according to the original route, when Sun Wukong went to Mount Ling to become the Victorious Fighting Buddha, the golden headband on his head suddenly disappeared.

He was still wondering what methods Buddha used to remove the golden headband. Could it be that he really recited some kind of loosening spell in his heart?

Now, thanks to Zhenyuan Daxian's reminder, Sun Qiong has realized that this thing is an imprint on the soul.

No wonder he was in excruciating pain when Manjushri Bodhisattva chanted the Tightening-Headband Mantra last time.

I used to think it was just physical pain, but now I realize it was pain in my soul as well.

In this way, the treasure-dropping coin becomes useless.

Even Sun Qiong's original plan to directly destroy and reconstruct the body has become ineffective.

"Great Immortal, do you know how to remove this kind of imprint on the soul?"

Sun Qiong quickly pressed for more information.

The golden headband that affects the soul is a curse that can take his life at any moment.

Zhenyuan Daxian stared intently at the golden hoop, and after a long while, gently shook his head.

That's a really clever trick!

The methods used by Buddhist sects are truly terrifying.

Zhenyuan Daxian felt a surge of vigilance.

"This was made at great expense, and its usage conditions are very demanding. It must be worn by the user and is limited in scope... but the effect is surprisingly good."

Judging from Sun Qiong's lingering fear, she must have personally experienced the power of this thing.

Zhenyuan Daxian could only think it over and then reveal the methods he knew.

"The simplest way is to find the owner of this golden hoop, or a deity of the same level, and ask him to remove it. If the owner of this golden hoop is not the maker, you can also go to the person who made it."

Zhenyuan Daxian proposed the first solution.

However, it's better not to mention this solution.

Sun Qiong couldn't very well run up to the Buddha at Mount Ling and say to him:

"Hey, old Deng, take off my headband."

To be on the same level as Buddha, one must be at the level of the Three Pure Ones, and such a powerful figure is someone he could easily encounter.

"The second way is to improve your strength and spiritual power. Once you have the strength to fight against the owner of the golden headband, the golden headband will naturally have no effect on you."

An improvement in strength.

The owner of this golden hoop is the Buddha. The difference in strength between Sun Qiong and the Buddha is not just heaven and earth, but at least as vast as the difference between clouds and mud.

"The last method, which I'm just guessing, is to die once, not the physical body, but the soul, to dissipate in this world, and then reassemble and merge to form a pure new soul."

These three methods are the solutions that Zhenyuan Daxian can think of at the moment.

Sun Qiong felt a headache coming on after hearing this.

Each of these three methods is extremely difficult.

For now, we can only continue playing along with the Journey to the West group. This game won't end until the golden headband is removed.

"Young friend, stay with me for a few more days, we can have a longer chat."

Zhenyuan Daxian looked at Sun Qiong, who seemed somewhat lost and dejected, and sighed softly.

In his view, the six-eared macaque in front of him probably had little chance of breaking free from Buddhism.

Once you put on this golden headband, it's almost impossible to take it off on your own.

Sun Qiong's future has already been sealed by Buddhism.

"No, there's still one chance."

Sun Qiong gritted her teeth and made a decision.

He still has another path to take if he wants to break free from the control of Buddhism.

The path that Zen Master Wuchao pointed out to him was his only hope.

Zhenyuan Daxian shook his head slightly, his face full of regret.

Sun Qiong stayed at Wuzhuang Temple for a total of five days.

In the past few days, Zhenyuan Daxian took him on a tour of the entire Wuzhuang Temple.

Sun Qiong also listened to Zhenyuan Daxian preach at Wuzhuang Temple.

Although he followed his own path, the insights shared by Zhenyuan Daxian had a significant impact on him.

Of course, Xuanzang and his party were also present during these days.

Sun Qiong usually uses the appearance of Qingfeng when walking in front of people.

They also learned about Guanyin Bodhisattva's attitude from the Yellow Wind King.

"As expected, even within Buddhism, there is instability."

For the gods and Buddhas in heaven, faith, vows, and incense offerings are very important.

That's why the Western Paradise went to such great lengths to create this Journey to the West.

On this journey to the West, not to mention the Taoist sect, even within Buddhism itself, there are various problems.

Sun Qiong dared to cooperate with King Huangfeng because he knew that King Huangfeng was not important to the Bodhisattva.

The identities of these three disciples should remain vacant rather than be given to any faction unrelated to the Bodhisattva, even if they are followers of the Buddha.

These loopholes gave Sun Qiong the opportunity to exploit them.

Zhenyuan Daxian looked at the young man before him, took out a small porcelain bottle from his robes, and handed it to Sun Qiong:

"Xuanzang and his party have already left. I still advise you to hide away and cultivate. You have good talent, it's just a pity..."

Based on the current situation, Zhenyuan Daxian hopes that Sun Qiong will continue to disrupt the Journey to the West.

Only when the heavens are in chaos will Zhenyuan Daxian, the ancestor of earthly immortals, have a chance to snatch chestnuts from the fire.

The immortal had a strange thought in his mind: if this monkey could live, it would surely cause chaos in the Three Realms.

But in truth, who wouldn't want to take Sun Qiong, a stone monkey born of heaven and earth, a fine piece of jade, as their disciple?

Now, however, it is being wasted by Buddhism as a calamity, which he finds utterly wasteful.

"Thank you, Master."

Sun Qiong bowed to Zhenyuan Daxian.

These past few days have been the most relaxing for Sun Qiong since she arrived in this Journey to the West world.

They have food and drink almost every day, and people even give them guidance.

In the past few days, Sun Qiong ate four or five ginseng fruits.

There are only thirty of these fruits every ten thousand years, and Sun Qiong ate one-sixth of them in just a few days, which made the young disciples drool.

"Ah, go on, go on."

Seeing his calm expression, the immortal sighed deeply, spread his wide sleeves, and turned to walk into the Wuzhuang Temple.

Sun Qiong stared intently at the tightly closed door, then leaped into the air.

This time, he should go and meet the White Bone Demon, who eats human flesh and peels human skin, beforehand.