The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 67 The True and False Guanyin

Despite having the Vajra Pestle pierce his chest, Fa Qing showed no sign of pain. He reached out, grasped the Pestle, and slowly pulled it out, then handed it to Jiang Feng.

Seeing that he was unharmed, Jiang Feng cautiously took two steps back, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"You're not Faqing, so who are you?"

His Vajra Pestle is the most prized treasure of the Wishing Temple. It can stabilize the body, spirit, and soul, disrupt the flow of magical power within the body, and can also release spells when empowered by magical power.

Among the magical artifacts he knew, this Vajra Pestle was definitely one of the best.

The Vajra Pestle has now pierced through his chest, but it cannot harm him in the slightest. The real Faqing could never do this!

Seeing his terrified expression, Faqing emitted a burst of Buddhist light and transformed into the image of a woman wearing white Buddhist robes, holding a jade vase, and with a compassionate face. Under the blessing of the Buddhist light, she gave people a sacred and peaceful feeling, making them feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Jiang Feng's pupils suddenly contracted: "Guanyin Bodhisattva?"

The Bodhisattva smiled slightly: "Foolish child, your habit of acting impulsively is not good. You must correct it quickly. Otherwise, you will cause a lot of trouble on the journey to the West."

Jiang Feng's expression shifted slightly: "Bodhisattva, why did you transform into Faqing's appearance to trick me into abandoning my magical power?"

The Bodhisattva said with a compassionate expression, "Our Buddha is merciful and forbids killing. Your magical powers are the root of trouble; it would be best to discard them as soon as possible."

Jiang Feng scoffed, "According to you, Bodhisattva, your power is a thousand times, ten thousand times greater than mine, so isn't the source of your trouble a thousand times, ten thousand times greater than mine?"

The Bodhisattva continued to persuade, "When you attain enlightenment, this power will no longer be a source of trouble, but a means to save people."

This humble monk has endured countless eons to attain the Bodhisattva level, and there is absolutely no way I would cause any trouble because of this. When you obtain the true scriptures and become a Bodhisattva in the future, you will naturally understand my good intentions.

"Follow my advice and quickly relinquish your magical powers."

Before Jiang Feng could refute, a white figure suddenly descended from the heavens, shouting, "Jiang Feng, don't believe him! He really is Mara!"

A person dressed exactly like Guanyin Bodhisattva arrived at the altar, with a hint of surprise on their face.

He had originally intended to summon the spirits of the Demon-Slaying Army, so he specifically sought out Faqing's spirit and had Faqing appear to persuade Jiang Feng to travel west to obtain the scriptures.

Unexpectedly, Faqing suddenly turned into Bo Xun and impersonated him to deceive Jiang Feng.

If Jiang Feng were truly deceived and lose all his magical power, he wouldn't even be able to leave Daxing City before being killed, let alone reach the Flowing Sand River!

When Mara saw Guanyin Bodhisattva, he gave her a calm smile.

The next instant, a cloud of white mist rose out of thin air, obscuring the two figures.

After the white mist dissipated, two Guanyin Bodhisattvas stood side by side, making Jiang Feng dizzy and unable to distinguish which one was the real Guanyin Bodhisattva.

After staring at them for a while, Jiang Feng's mind raced, and a look of confusion appeared in his eyes: "Which of you is the real one, and which is the fake one?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was slightly taken aback: "Of course I am real! Do not believe what Mara just said!"

Mara also said, "Jiang Feng, you must not be deceived by Mara and waste your own magical power, otherwise you will be unable to help the wandering souls in the mortal world find peace!"

A hint of anger flashed across Guanyin Bodhisattva's face as she turned around and said, "You bastard Mara, how dare you impersonate this humble monk and fight with me in the outer heavens!"

Mara said, "You want to trick me into leaving so you can continue to deceive Jiang Feng, is that it? I will not let your scheme succeed!"

Jiang Feng sized up the two of them and said, "I can't tell which one of you is the real one right now. Do you have any way to prove it?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva fell silent, her face turning pale: "..."

My words, and the words you're saying, are all my words!

The story of the real and fake Monkey King is still unfounded, but you've already presented me with the "real and fake Guanyin" tale?

Beside him, Mara also fell silent, his face turning pale, mimicking every detail exactly.

Even if the Di Ting (a mythical beast) were here, it probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the real and the fake.

Jiang Feng looked troubled and said, "How about this, you all recite the Heart Sutra for me together, and I'll be able to tell the difference between the real and fake."

Mara nodded slightly and began to recite the scriptures.

Seeing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva hesitated for a moment, sighed softly, and began to chant sutras.

"It is truly my blessing to hear Guanyin Bodhisattva chanting sutras today."

As Jiang Feng sighed, he used their chanting to cultivate, and his magical power gradually increased.

Bo Xun noticed Jiang Feng's little trick and couldn't help but feel amused. He took the initiative to help Jiang Feng increase his magical power.

It's no longer important to cripple Jiang Feng's magical powers or hinder the Journey to the West. What he's most happy to see now is Guanyin Bodhisattva suffer a setback!

After they finished reciting the Heart Sutra, Jiang Feng also stopped cultivating, looking bewildered, and said, "How could this be? The Heart Sutra you two recited is exactly the same?"

After a moment's thought, his eyes suddenly lit up: "There might be a fake Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, but there's only one jade bottle! Give me the jade bottles you have so I can identify them!"

Bo Xun smiled and nodded, handing the jade bottle to Jiang Feng.

Guanyin Bodhisattva did the same action, but there was no smile on her face.

Jiang Feng held the jade bottle, trying to pluck a willow branch, but he couldn't even pluck the leaves off the branch.

After hesitating for a moment, to the astonishment of the two men, he picked up the two jade bottles and took two big gulps, and his body immediately emanated a rich Buddhist light.

Even Jiang Feng didn't expect that he would be full after the first sip of nectar!

"Such a rich spiritual energy!"

Jiang Feng let out a burp, then returned the two jade bottles to them with a puzzled look.

"Why are there two jade vases?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva: "..."

How could there be two jade bottles? I suspect you and Mara are conspiring to impersonate me!

Seeing Guanyin lower her brows, Jiang Feng's heart skipped a beat. He knew he couldn't take advantage of her any longer, and with a sigh of regret, he solemnly said:

"There is something that only the true Guanyin Bodhisattva knows. Now I will ask you all. If you transmit this message to me, I will be able to distinguish the true from the false."

His gaze swept back and forth between the two faces as he asked, "Bodhisattva, please tell me, how can we unravel the mantra of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Indeed, only Buddha and I know this. Listen carefully, I will tell you."

As he spoke, he transmitted his voice to Jiang Feng.

Mara had a playful smile on his face. After Guanyin finished transmitting her voice, his appearance had changed into a long-haired man with his face covered in mantras.

"Jiang Feng, right? I'll remember you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his body turned into a cloud of white mist and vanished, disappearing without a trace.

[Your compassion and mercy proved that you are the true Guanyin Bodhisattva. Your boundless love moved Heaven, and you are rewarded with mastery of the "Great Compassion and Mercy Hell-Breaking Mantra".]