I, the poor monk Tang San, buried the sky, buried the earth, buried all living beings

Nezha was very confused, and even Yang Jian showed an incredible expression, then nodded, as if he suddenly understood.

"The person you're talking about is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?" Nezha said in shock, "But why did the Bodhisattva become like this?"

"So the Great God of the Three Altars and the True Lord are here too. Haha, please forgive me for being chained and unable to pay my respects. Please don't blame me!"

Nezha's breathing hitched, and he said anxiously, "Could it be that the Bodhisattva is trapped in this body? I'm here to save you now!"

As he said that, little Nezha was about to rush up.

Yang Jian stopped him and immediately clasped his fists, facing the ferocious beast Qiongqi and said, "Bodhisattva, the holy monk and I have searched all over the three realms and have not found you. How come you are in this endless purgatory?"

"This is a long story. I've been in this hellish purgatory for a full eight hundred years! And I wasn't trapped here; I was forced to escape here!"

The sound came from Qiongqi's throat, but Qiongqi's body was completely motionless. It seemed that the body had been frozen and could not move at all.

"Eight hundred years?! In this place?"

Nezha couldn't help but gasp in amazement. "Although I've long known that time flows differently in some holy places, I never expected the difference between here and the outside world to be so huge. This hell is truly worthy of its name, it's cruel!"

Tang Ku clasped his hands together and slowly walked forward, touching the cold body. He said, "Buddha, I have a rough idea of what happened. The enemy has a certain understanding of Hell, but they are unaware of the existence of the Infernal Purgatory. That's why you were able to escape, right?"

"That's right!"

Ksitigarbha's voice was steady and powerful, bringing a strangely reassuring feeling to others. He continued, "Sanzang, since you've arrived, it means the calamity has begun. I believe that by now, the Western Buddhist and immortal realms should have completely vanished, just like the Netherworld!"

The three of them were silent, but they heard the voice say, "The reason for this matter is actually not worth delving into. When the time comes, you will understand. Especially you... Sanzang, since you have become a Buddha, your strength should have improved. All the disasters and difficulties will fall on you!"

"Even you can't bear it..."

Tang Ku immediately understood the hidden meaning behind Ksitigarbha's words and asked in a deep voice, "How can you be sure that I can shoulder such a heavy burden?"

"Of course you can handle it!"

There was a hint of relief in Ksitigarbha's voice. "Just like my current state, I am both Ksitigarbha and not Ksitigarbha. My soul and spirit are interdependent, inseparable. Your situation is probably similar, and I think you know it best! You are both Tripitaka and not Tripitaka now. Only in this way can you break free from the shackles, jump out of this circle, and crack this situation with the perspective of an outsider!"

Tang Ku was stunned for a moment, touched his nose, smiled bitterly and said, "So you saw it a long time ago?"

"Shh!"

The three-pointed, double-edged sword suddenly rested on Tang Ku's neck. Erlang Shen's cold voice came from behind him: "I knew there was something wrong with you. Tell me, are you Tang Sanzang? The Tang Sanzang I know wouldn't punch anyone like you do. Although he has a tough character, he is also very cowardly. Your character is so erratic. I shouldn't have trusted you in the first place!"

The blade flashed with brilliance, as if it was ready to behead anyone if they disagreed with it.

Tang Ku did not explain because Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was there to explain for him.

"Master Zhen is wrong!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed, "You also know that Tang Sanzang's previous life was Jin Chanzi, one of the disciples of my Buddha Tathagata. He reincarnated ten times before becoming the present Tang Sanzang. His current soul is the product of the combination of one of his reincarnations and the Sanzang who has already become a Buddha. That's why I say that he is both Tang Sanzang and not Tang Sanzang!"

Before Yang Jian could speak, Tang Ku was a little confused. He quickly reached out to stop him, "Stop, stop, stop. I... why do I feel so awkward? I thought you should be able to see through my soul. I came from... well, another world, a future world. How could I be the reincarnation of Tang Sanzang? I don't recognize that cowardly monk!"

"Who says reincarnation will definitely take place in this world? Or that it will definitely follow the timeline?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said in a very kind voice, "In the previous nine lives of Jin Chanzi, he was reincarnated in different worlds, but in this life, you are in the Tang Dynasty!"

"That's not right either!"

Tang Ku immediately thought of the loophole and said in a deep voice, "Who were those nine people who died in the Quicksand River and were eaten by my three disciples?"

"That's a spirit fragment, a puppet, one of the three thousand incarnations of Buddha!" Ksitigarbha said with a calm smile, "It's the world coordinates that Jin Chanzi established based on himself! And the reason you finally returned here is because these nine coordinates gathered around you!"

Tang Ku fell silent for a moment, because he really couldn't connect himself with the loser Tang Seng. He always thought that he was the son of destiny who traveled through time, but he didn't expect that he was actually the reincarnation of Tang Seng!

"Why do I feel like I'm listening to a very strange storytelling?"

Nezha was stunned and muttered to himself.

Yang Jian slowly retracted his three-pointed, double-edged sword and said helplessly, "Buddhism says that there are three thousand great worlds in the world. There is even a legend that there is one world for every flower and one bodhi leaf. It is indeed true!"

Tang Ku looked back at him and said with a wry smile, "You are such a sincere person. I can hardly believe it myself!"

"Sanzang, listen!"

Ksitigarbha's voice once again drew his attention back, and he heard the voice say, "Now, among the Three Realms, you are the only one who can withstand this calamity. When the time is right, you will lead the team between the Three Realms and travel the West again. This time, you will return the scriptures given by the Buddha to Lingshan!"

"You mean, restarting Journey to the West?" Tang Ku's eyes lit up. "Then how does this relate to the current calamity? Does the scripture have much to do with it?"

"...It's not time for you to know these things yet!" Ksitigarbha said solemnly, "Just remember, when you are finally needed to travel west, you will do it...

Now this catastrophe has not officially begun. When the human world begins to suffer from the catastrophe, that will be the real catastrophe. If those evil spirits succeed, the whole world will collapse and turn into dust in the universe, and all living things will be destroyed. This is the most serious consequence.

However, I don't want to constrain you with so-called Buddhist teachings or the future. As long as you follow your heart, you will see the results you want!"

"Then...how can we rescue you?"

Tang Ku thought about it for a while before asking the question he wanted to ask the most.

Ksitigarbha was silent, then sighed and said, "Unless my vow comes true!"