Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Boom!

As soon as the words "twelve incense scars" came out, it was as if a clap of thunder had struck, leaving Saint Monk Longhai and Daoji standing beside him dumbstruck, barely able to believe their own ears.

Twelve incense scars? Such a sight was unheard of, unseen before.

As expected of the foremost monk of the Great Tang, Saint Monk Longhai reacted swiftly. Although the news had stunned him into stillness, he quickly regained his composure. Without a word, he hurried toward the exit of the main hall.

When he reached the outside of the hall, his footsteps halted.

From a great distance, ethereal bell sounds could be heard in the sky, and between heaven and earth, chan sounds could be heard, as if whispering in one's ear.

Golden Buddhist light fell from the sky, transforming into a column of light. Around the column, flowers rained down in chaos, and Earth-Spawned Golden Lotuses surged from the ground.

Such celestial and terrestrial phenomena were unprecedented.

"Could such phenomena indicate that a Bodhisattva is descending to the mortal realm?!", trailing behind Saint Monk Longhai, Daoji also arrived at the main hall's entrance, gazing at the extraordinary sight as he stood there, equally stupefied.

Could such phenomena appear during the Incense Offering Ceremony? It was unprecedented.

The bell sounds mixed with the chan sounds seemed to contain some kind of Great Illumination, a supreme rationale of Great Yang, imparting a sense of clarity and emptiness to the spirit.

Between heaven and earth, lotus flowers budded and then vanished, turning into golden specks that drifted away, touching one's skin with a warm sensation, as if one's body became lighter and minor internal ailments slowly disappeared.

No longer concerned with the decorum befitting a holy monk, Longhai hurriedly ran toward the square where the Incense Offering Ceremony was held.

To have gained a disciple with nine rare scars, he had felt he had reaped the greatest harvest, yet there now appeared a disciple with an unprecedented twelve scars.

His heart was filled with immeasurable regret at not having witnessed the birth of the twelve incense scars.

In Chang'an City, countless people had witnessed this spectacle, with Buddhist light shining everywhere and golden lotuses vanishing, leading them to mistakenly believe a Bodhisattva had descended, causing a sensation that made innumerable people kneel down in worship toward the direction of the Great Buddha Temple.

The annual Incense Offering Ceremony held at the Great Buddha Temple was well-known to the inhabitants of Chang'an City. Though it was a grand event, it primarily concerned the Buddhist Sect, so most of the populace did not pay much attention to it.

But today, these celestial phenomena were undoubtedly miraculous, entirely different from the usual.

Within the Imperial Palace of Chang'an City, an elder dressed in an Eight Trigrams Taoist robe, with white hair but a youthful face, gazed long at the phenomena above the Great Buddha Temple, speechless for an extended period.

After a long while, when the celestial and terrestrial phenomena finally began to slowly fade away, he sighed deeply, "Alas, with such grand scenes, the Buddhist Sect strengthens day by day, while our Taoist Sect is bound to wane…"

Within a hundred miles of Chang'an City, many spiritually aware demon creatures observing the phenomena also bore a serious look in their intelligent eyes.

...

Disregarding the reactions of the surrounding populace to such celestial and earthly phenomena, the square of the Incense Offering Ceremony was utterly silent at the moment, with everyone shocked as they stared at Jiang Liu on the stage.

Upon his bald head, there were distinctly twelve incense scars.

The birth of Daoji's nine incense scars had already sent shock waves through the crowd, and now, seeing the twelve incense scars on Jiang Liu's head, everyone felt their minds go blank.

With a clatter, right in front of Jiang Liu, the monk holding the Great Incense dropped the extinguished Great Incense to the ground, his body slightly trembling.

With his own hands, he had created twelve incense scars, which was a tremendous shock to him.

Next to him, the Emperor of Great Tang, Li Shimin, also widened his eyes, seriously examining the incense scars on Jiang Liu's head, his expression incredibly complex.

By Li Shimin's side, Princess Gaoyang was covering her lips with both hands, watching Jiang Liu in disbelief.

Unlike the shock of others, what filled Princess Gaoyang's heart was even more so despair...

Originally, Princess Gaoyang and Jiang Liu had privately vowed to be together for life, agreeing that after the Incense Offering Ceremony, they would elope and become a pair of martial lovers.

Yet, looking at the twelve incense scars before her, despair filled Princess Gaoyang's heart.

At this moment, Jiang Liu was also stunned, feeling his mind go blank. The simultaneous chanting and ringing of bells, the flowers falling from the sky, the appearance of the Earth-Spawned Golden Lotus—as the main character of all these events, Jiang Liu himself was taken aback.

Had something gone wrong with the Incense Offering Ceremony?

Otherwise, how could he possibly have received incense scars, let alone twelve of them?

The meaning of the incense scars was to represent one's destiny with the Buddhist Sect in this world. He wasn't even from this world, but had transmigrated from another, so how could he have a destiny with the Buddhism of this world? Therefore, Jiang Liu had always believed that he would not receive any incense scars, and indeed, he had never considered becoming a monk.

However, the scene that unfolded today, all these occurrences before his eyes, were beyond Jiang Liu's belief.

A full twelve incense scars made Jiang Liu feel as if his mind was blank, almost insufficient.

With a mind devoid of thought, Jiang Liu almost reflexively raised his head to look towards Princess Gaoyang.

In his view, Princess Gaoyang covered her lips with her hands, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with the color of despair.

Watching Princess Gaoyang, scenes of them fighting side by side against the Wolf Demon, supporting each other, descending the mountain to seek vengeance at Esquire Zhang's home, and the attack of the Three-Eyed Crow, with Princess Gaoyang risking her life to save him...

Every moment of their time together, along with the promises he had made, all surfaced in Jiang Liu's heart.

He had once promised that even if he received incense scars during the Incense Offering Ceremony, he would leave monastic life and become a couple of martial lovers with Princess Gaoyang.

He had also vowed that even if she were of royal identity, he would defeat demons to level up and become strong, strong enough to command respect from Emperor Li Shimin of Tang, willing to betroth Princess Gaoyang to him.

"Congratulations... Jinshan Temple's Jiang Liu, you, you have received twelve incense scars, in the future, you will surely be able to..." —In front of Jiang Liu, the monk who had performed the Incense Offering Ceremony was so emotionally stirred that his speech faltered, but his words of congratulations came from the heart.

Twelve incense scars, there had never been anyone with such a Buddhist destiny; could this person be a reincarnation of a Bodhisattva or even the Buddha from Western Spirit Mountain? Otherwise, who could have such a Buddhist fate?

"Wait a moment!" —But hearing the monk's words, before he could finish speaking, Jiang Liu abruptly shouted, interrupting him, and at the same time, he stood up.

In the plaza, whether it was monks, wealthy individuals, or even the Emperor, everyone looked at Jiang Liu with surprise, not understanding what he was doing.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Jiang Liu stood up, stripped off his grey and worn monk's robe, and scanned his eyes over everyone present, pausing slightly on Princess Gaoyang.

His words were startling, like a clap of thunder.

"I am leaving monastic life!"

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