A loud shout from the surface made Gu Hai’s expression change. He immediately understood why the light shone on him.
Sun Wukong? The Fiery Golden Eyes?
“That damned monkey!” Gu Hai realized Sun Wukong had discovered him, and his expression changed.
Gu Hai did not hesitate. His figure trembled.
Buzz!
Gu Hai and Shangguan Hen returned to human form. Then, Gu Hai pulled on Shangguan Hen and immediately shot into the distance.
“Amitābha, Imperial Emperor Gu, why leave in such a rush?” A dignified voice rang out at the surface.
Then, a powerful suction pulled on Gu Hai and Shangguan Hen’s vicinity.
“Your Reverence, leave first. Don’t bother with me!” Shangguan Hen said with a bitter smile.
Whoosh!
The surrounding water got sucked up into the sky rapidly. Gu Hai wanted to struggle free, but the force was too great. It sucked up the entire sea region into the air.
When the water soared, he saw the scene above the surface.
Many glistening golden monks stood on a large, colorful cloud.
Four people led the group: the Present Buddha, the Past Buddha, Nan Longnu, and Sun Wukong.
At this moment, the Present Buddha held an alms bowl in his hand. The alms bowl generated a suction, pulling in the water of this sea region as well as Gu Hai and Shangguan Hen.
The alms bowl’s suction was very powerful. Gu Hai could not struggle free, no matter what he did. Amid the suction, a golden light shot into Gu Hai’s and Shangguan Hen’s bodies.
“The sixth of the top sixteen ancient treasures, the Reincarnation Pool?” Shangguan Hen’s expression changed.
“That alms bowl is the Reincarnation Pool?” Gu Hai’s face sank.
Rumble…!
The alms bowl seemed bottomless; it actually did not fill up despite the surging water pouring in. There seemed to be an independent world in the alms bowl. It immediately pulled Gu Hai and Shangguan Hen in, filling them with more golden light.
“Huh?” Gu Hai’s face sank.
As the golden light poured into his body, Gu Hai sensed his heavenly palaces and deity palaces being sealed.
“This is the Present Buddha’s sealing method. Your Reverence, I have indeed implicated you. Had you left first, you wouldn’t have…,” Shangguan Hen said with a bitter smile.
“That’s enough. We do not blame you!”
Gu Hai stood amid the spiraling water in the alms bowl, looking coldly at everyone outside the alms bowl.
Trapped in the Reincarnation Pool with his cultivation sealed, Gu Hai’s current situation was even worse than earlier.
“Amitābha!” Despite the Present Buddha not opening his mouth, an imposing voice rang out in the surroundings.
“Hahahahaha! Gu Hai, to think that you have this day!” Sun Wukong suddenly guffawed.
“Victorious Fighting Buddha? Humph! The Present Buddha is Gautama. After being humiliated by Gautama, you now become Gautama’s lackey? To think that I used to admire the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong’s pride and headstrong nature. It turns out that you are just so-so! Just so-so! Hahahaha!” Gu Hai guffawed.
When Gu Hai said that, Sun Wukong’s expression suddenly changed.
Getting humiliated by Gautama referred to Sun Wukong being trapped under Five Fingers Mountain on Earth. Now, the monkey king had become Gautama’s lackey? How could it endure this with its temper?
“Gu Hai, you have a stubborn mouth!” Sun Wukong glared furiously.
The monkey king turned to the Present Buddha. “Present Buddha, leave these two to this Old Sun to deal with. This Old Sun was the one who discovered him!”
Sun Wukong demanded the two from the Present Buddha.
However, the Past Buddha shook his head and said, “Victorious Fighting Buddha, don’t get angry. This Gu Hai has a fate with my Spirit Mountain Holy Land. We need to lock him up for now.”
“Handing them to this Old Sun is as good as locking them up!” Sun Wukong yelled.
However, the Present Buddha smiled faintly and shook his head.
“What are you doing? I found him! Screak! Screak! Screak!” Sun Wukong said indignantly.
“You did find him, but it was the Lord Buddha who captured him. Victorious Fighting Buddha, don’t be impatient. The Lord Buddha wants to question Gu Hai about some things. After that is over, you can deal with your grudge. How about that?” the Past Buddha said with a smile.
“Screak! Screak! Screak! Screak! You bastard, he is mine!” Sun Wukong protested anxiously.
Whoosh!
Nan Longnu held a jade bottle in one hand, pulled out a willow branch from it, and flicked Sun Wukong.
Boom!
Sun Wukong was suddenly blocked.
“Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Spirit Mountain Holy Land has business with Gu Hai. You are not to be rude!” Nan Longnu shouted.
“You all! You all! Screak! Screak! Screak! Screak! Roar!” Sun Wukong roared in a fury, unable to do anything to this group.
Whoosh!
The enraged Sun Wukong turned its head away and flew off.
Ignoring Sun Wukong’s departure, the group looked at the Western Sea below.
“Jie Dong!” the Present Buddha called out.
A white-robed monk stepped forward from the group of monks behind.
During the Ten Thousand Sages Convention, Bodhisattva Jie Dong had gone to the thirty-three layers of heaven with the Future Buddha. He had clashed with Gu Hai there. As the Present Buddha’s personal disciple, he had learned the Unmoving Vow of Silence Meditation, a secret technique of the Spirit Mountain Holy Land. Unfortunately, Ensnaring Performance’s song made him break the Unmoving Vow of Silence Meditation, wasting his efforts, and he lost his cultivation.
In the Reincarnation Pool, Gu Hai frowned slightly. “Bodhisattva Jie Dong? You have recovered your cultivation?”
Bodhisattva Jie Dong smiled faintly. “Thanks to Mister Gu, I have just recovered to the Lower Heavenly Palace Realm.”
“Lord Buddha!” Bodhisattva Jie Dong respectfully greeted the Present Buddha.
“Escort Gu Hai to the Future Buddha to question him about our doubts. I will return once I have dealt with the Western Sea Dragon Palace’s matter,” the Present Buddha said indifferently.
Clearly, the Present Buddha meant for Gu Hai to be interrogated.
“Yes!” Bodhisattva Jie Dong answered.
Then, the Present Buddha sucked Bodhisattva Jie Dong into the Reincarnation Pool.
“Oh?” Gu Hai felt slightly startled.
The water of the Reincarnation Pool swirled faster, slowly forming a large whirlpool that sucked Gu Hai, Shangguan Hen, and Bodhisattva Jie Dong in.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai sensed a large passageway forming.
Whoosh!
After spinning in the passageway for a while, the three flew out and stumbled onto a large plaza.
“Oh?” Gu Hai appeared confused.
He saw gloomy surroundings with snow drifting down in some places. This seemed like an independent world.
There were several palace halls around, and many ghost soldiers patrolled the place.
Gu Hai looked around and saw the words “Yama Palace” above the gates of the largest palace hall.
“Yama Palace? The ten kings of hell? This is hell?” Gu Hai’s expression changed, as he found this strange.
“What’s hell?” Shangguan Hen appeared slightly confused.
The nether realm was the nether realm. Shangguan Hen had never heard of a place called hell in the nether realm.
What Gu Hai mentioned was a name from Earth. Could it be that the Six Paths Immortal Firmament has a corresponding hell?
“Gu Hai, to think that you even know about hell and the ten kings of hell! Have you come to the Hell Path Secret Realm before?” Bodhisattva Jie Dong asked while raising his eyebrows.
“This is the Hell Path Secret Realm?” Gu Hai’s expression changed again.
“Oh? You have never been here before, so how do you know about the ten kings of hell?” Bodhisattva Jie Dong asked in confusion.
Just then, a group of ghosts in official robes ran over anxiously from the nearby Yama Palace.
“This insignificant king, Yama, greets the Spirit Mountain Holy Land envoy!” the leader, a ghost wearing black royal robes, said respectfully.
“King Yama?” Gu Hai narrowed his eyes.
Bodhisattva Jie Dong grew more curious.
“You know him?” Bodhisattva Jie Dong said in surprise.
Gu Hai showed a cold smile but did not answer.
Bodhisattva Jie Dong looked back at King Yama.
“I’ve never met him before. This insignificant king has never seen this person before!” King Yama shook his head desperately.
Bodhisattva Jie Dong glanced at Gu Hai, finding this situation increasingly stranger.
“Is the Lord Future Buddha around?” Bodhisattva Jie Dong asked.
King Yama shook his head. “The Lord Future Buddha should be with Bodhisattva Di Ting. However, I seemed to have heard that the Lord Future Buddha was heading to the fifteenth layer of hell to check on that feral spirit Kong Xuan just two hours ago. This insignificant one does not know when he will return.”
“Kong Xuan? Humph! How stubborn of him! The Lord Buddha has had him in custody for so long already, yet he still refuses to obey. The Lord Buddha even installed him as the Peacock Great Light Sovereign. To think that he does not care? Even when locked up in hell, he still does not repent!” Bodhisattva Jie Dong said with a frown.
“Indeed. The fifteenth layer of hell is truly horrifying. This insignificant king only dares to go to the third layer of hell, and the last time I went there nearly drove me mad. It is too terrifying!” King Yama said fearfully.
“The eighteen layers of hell?” Gu Hai asked out of curiosity.
Bodhisattva Jie Dong coldly eyed Gu Hai. “That’s right. You still have not explained how you know about the ten kings of hell. Do you know about the Hell Path Secret Realm?”
“This is my first time here. Given that, it means that the Future Buddha is not nearby?” Gu Hai suddenly smiled.
Gu Hai did not feel anxious at all over being caught, making Bodhisattva Jie Dong uncomfortable.
Bodhisattva Jie Dong’s hatred from the past still had not faded. He sneered, “Gu Hai, do you think you are in the Qian Heavenly Dynasty? The Long Zhanguo of the past is already dead. You are now a prisoner of my Spirit Mountain Holy Land. To think that you do not even have that awareness?”
“Awareness? Why do I need that awareness?” Gu Hai retorted, smiling.
“Humph! Since the Lord Future Buddha is not here, this bodhisattva shall conduct the preliminary interrogation. Humph!” Bodhisattva Jie Dong snorted coldly.
“Men! Bring over this king’s interrogation table for the bodhisattva to use! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!” King Yama called out, pandering.
Many ghosts immediately went to move an interrogation table over.
Gu Hai smiled coldly, ignoring Bodhisattva Jie Dong.
“Hey, I’m speaking to you. Do you hear me? A prisoner should behave like a prisoner. Kneel!” Bodhisattva Jie Dong shouted and swung his right hand to slap Gu Hai.
Boom!
A loud sound rang out.
Bodhisattva Jie Dong’s hand stopped in midswing. Gu Hai turned his head, his right hand firmly grasping Bodhisattva Jie Dong’s right arm. He had a cold light in his eyes as he gazed at Bodhisattva Jie Dong.
“How…how is this possible? Didn’t Master seal your cultivation? Why is your cultivation not sealed?” Bodhisattva Jie Dong exclaimed in shock.
“The Kāśyapa Heart Seal? We happen to know how to undo it!” Gu Hai said indifferently.
[TL Note: Kāśyapa is a figure from Buddhism. He was the Gautama Buddha’s disciple and played an important role in early Buddhism. Here is the Wikipedia entry on him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C4%81k%C4%81%C5%9Byapa.]
Back on Earth, Gu Hai had consulted the various deities and buddhas and learned the unsealing method of the Kāśyapa Heart Seal from the Gautama Buddha. When the Present Buddha used it earlier, Gu Hai initially thought there would be some differences. However, it turned out to be identical.
Hence, Gu Hai had started undoing the seal while in the Reincarnation Pool. By the time the Reincarnation Pool sent him to the Hell Path Secret Realm, he had already removed the seal.
“That’s impossible! The Kāśyapa Heart Seal is unique to Master. No one can undo it!” Bodhisattva Jie Dong exclaimed.
Boom!
Gu Hai smashed Bodhisattva Jie Dong with a palm strike.
“Next, we will be questioning you. Answer honestly. If we are satisfied with the answer, we don’t mind telling you how to undo the Kāśyapa Heart Seal,” Gu Hai said.
“Huh?” Bodhisattva Jie Dong was stupefied. Is that true?
