Zhunti walked directly towards the Bodhi tree. When they were still nine feet and nine inches apart, both Zhunti and the Bodhi tree began to emit a brilliant golden light!
As the two grew closer, the golden light emanating from them intensified, and Zhunti himself seemed to transform into a golden Bodhi tree!
In Jieyin's eyes, it was as if one Bodhi tree was approaching another!
Although Jieyin did not understand what was happening to Zhunti, he knew this was Zhunti's opportunity. Jieyin glanced at the strange man meditating under the Bodhi tree, contemplating whether to throw him far away!
As Jieyin hesitated, a small portion of Zhunti's golden light flew towards the man and was absorbed by him. Seeing this, Jieyin sighed!
"So be it. Since you have a destiny with my junior brother, I shall grant you a great fortune!"
With that, Jieyin sat down on the spot to protect Zhunti!
As Zhunti stepped into the Bodhi tree, a beam of golden light suddenly shot up into the sky, bathing the entire firmament in a golden hue!
On Kunlun Mountain, as the myriad saints gazed at the golden light, Taihao suddenly spoke, "Zhunti has gained his essence. How did he end up over there? Weren't he and Jieyin in the chaos? From the looks of it, Zhunti has obtained a great opportunity!"
Taishang and Tongtian, upon hearing this, did not even lift their heads, their eyes fixed on Yuanshi. Yuanshi, ever since the conclusion of the Great Dao's sermon, was radiating with Dao principles. Taishang knew this was a sign of his impending sainthood and looked at Yuanshi with concern!
On a mountain range on the planet Tian Lan, Hongjun gazed at the golden light and murmured, "Zhunti!"
Hearing Hongjun's voice, Luohu raised an eyebrow and immediately inquired, "Zhunti? Who is Zhunti?"
Hongjun glanced at Luohu and immediately explained, "He is the Bodhi tree that was near your Mount Sumeru. After he took form, he was named Zhunti!"
Luohu suddenly understood, "Oh, it's that little fellow! I never expected him to have grown to this extent. I remember there was a white lotus next to him back then, which had gained sentience even earlier than him. Where is that white lotus?"
Hongjun nodded gently, "He has also taken form and has already become a saint!"
Miles away from Luohu and Hongjun, atop a magnificent and majestic snow-capped mountain, within an extremely luxurious and opulent palace, a young man with a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand, seated on a throne, suddenly opened his eyes!
The moment he opened his eyes, the others in the grand hall also opened theirs!
"Your Majesty, the Divine King, we do not know the origin of that golden light. It made us all feel suffocated!"
The young man glanced at the golden light emanating from Zhunti and closed his eyes again. "No need to concern yourselves. Let me first refine that old immortal!"
The other eleven individuals in the hall exchanged glances before once again closing their eyes!
And in a divine temple many miles away from Jieyin and Zhunti, a man with three eyes and four arms, holding a trident, conch, water pot, and drum, clad in animal skins, covered in grey ash, with a crescent moon adorning his head, his hair coiled into horns, and a snake wrapped around his neck, seated upon a great white ox, suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance at the golden light!
"Still dead monks, you are courting death!"
After the three-eyed, four-armed man spoke, he vanished from his spot!
After the man departed, a voice echoed in the air, "His temper is still as violent as ever!"
As the voice faded, another one chimed in, "Who can blame him? He is the God of Destruction!"
As the words fell, the divine temple fell into silence!
Jieyin watched as the Bodhi tree transformed by Zhunti merged with the other Bodhi tree. A slight smile curved his lips, his face beaming with joy!
Just as Jieyin was reveling in his happiness, he suddenly saw many people dressed like the man under the Bodhi tree arriving!
Upon seeing the limp, great serpent on the ground and Jieyin sitting there, those people, with furious expressions, approached Jieyin and, looking down at him, roared indignantly:
"Who are you? Who gave you the audacity to disturb the World Honored One's cultivation!"
Jieyin was stunned for a moment before finally realizing they were speaking to him. He looked at the person standing before him in disbelief!
"Are you speaking to me?"
The person, as if he hadn't heard Jieyin, looked at him with disdain.
"What have you done to the World Honored One's guardian beast? Why would it allow you to approach the World Honored One? Get lost! Or I will not be polite to you!"
Jieyin looked at the arrogance of the person before him and burst into laughter. It had been many years since anyone dared to be so presumptuous in front of him. Now, he was being yelled at and insulted!
If not for the fact that they were mere mortals, Jieyin would have crushed them all with a single palm!
Jieyin released a wisp of his aura, and everyone felt as if a great mountain was pressing down on them, forcing them to their knees before Jieyin!
When they realized they were kneeling before Jieyin, their faces changed drastically. They exerted all their strength to rise, but only managed to turn their faces crimson, remaining immobile on the ground!
Jieyin didn't even glance at them. If not for fearing he would disturb Zhunti, he would have already sent them all to Houtu's netherworld!
However, Jieyin did not know that the souls on this particular land were not under the jurisdiction of Houtu's netherworld!
Just as Jieyin was about to resume his meditation, he suddenly frowned and glanced behind the crowd!
The void behind everyone began to ripple, and a figure with three eyes and four arms, riding a great white ox, suddenly appeared!
It was the appearance of this individual that caused the kneeling masses on the ground to suddenly rise. They followed Jieyin's gaze and looked behind them. Upon seeing the ox-rider, their faces changed dramatically, and they exclaimed in shock:
"The God of Destruction, the Great Shiva!"
Hearing this, Shiva looked at the crowd as if they were ants.
"Wicked Bhikkhus, I am giving you a chance to save your lives. Betray the Shramana and believe in the Trimurti!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd's faces turned ashen, yet there was no fear in their eyes. They closed their eyes slightly and murmured:
"The Buddha will save us, Shramana!"
Shiva's face contorted with extreme displeasure. "Do you truly believe that the protection of Buddhist karma makes me incapable of dealing with you? Perish, you wicked heretics!"
Shiva then raised the trident in his hand high and thrust it downwards towards the crowd!
The moment Shiva's trident descended, Jieyin summoned the Jieyin Banner and blocked Shiva's trident!
"Why is it that none of you who ride oxen are good people? Taishang riding a green ox, Tongtian riding a Kui ox, and even you riding a white ox are all the same!"
Green Ox: "..."
Kui Ox: "..."
Yak: "..."