I'm Dreaming of a Journey to the West

Li Chen's face was stern, and he scanned the surrounding Buddhas, immortals, and Bodhisattvas with a sharp gaze. He thought to himself, "Huh, these so-called immortals and Buddhas really know how to pick the right time! Why didn't they show up to help when Li Shimin, Wang Rufeng, and others were brutally murdered?

"During my fierce battle with the Golden-winged Roc, they didn't show up. But now, just as I was about to kill the Golden-winged Roc, they swarmed out like a swarm of bees!"

Li Chen looked intently, seeing the surrounding Buddhas, gods, and bodhisattvas, each with a menacing air, as if they had come specifically to help him vanquish demons. However, with their stamina, they should have been far faster than Sun Wukong. Yet, they were so late, arriving only after Li Chen had completed his mission, and then leisurely appeared. Their purpose was self-evident.

At that moment, a man with pimples all over his head stepped out from the crowd. He looked kind and gentle, but to Li Chen, his smile was filled with a sickening hypocrisy. He asked in a gentle voice, "Sir, may I know if you are Master Li Chen?"

Li Chen snorted coldly upon hearing this, and thought indignantly, "If these people are truly gods and Buddhas, and if their spirits in heaven are sensitive to this, they should have come to my aid long ago, apprehended this vicious criminal, and executed him on the spot! Why would they wait until this moment to ask questions in a pretentious manner?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I am Li Chen. Who are you? What do you want from me?"

Li Chen's face was filled with impatience and disdain. He squinted at the person in front of him and responded bluntly. He had always held a deep aversion to the so-called gods.

In his eyes, those gods were nothing more than pretentious, mystifying beings. Their high-handed, arrogant demeanor, their willingness to exploit the common people under various pretexts, was truly disgusting.

At this moment, an angry shout was heard: "How dare you! I, Buddha Tathagata, am here to talk to you in a friendly manner, and you dare to be so rude!" It turned out to be a monk in a cassock. He had two lifelike golden dragons entwined in his hands and was staring at Li Chen angrily.

Before he could finish his words, the monk flashed and rushed towards Li Chen like a gust of wind. At the same time, he raised his huge fist high, and with a whistling sound, he smashed it directly towards Li Chen.

Facing this sudden attack, Li Chen showed no fear. He snorted coldly, and the divine power in his body instantly flowed out, pouring into his right arm. Then, he also raised his fist and fiercely punched the monk's attack.

In an instant, the two fists collided in mid-air, emitting a dull thud. However, in just one move, the outcome was decided. The monk screamed, his entire body flying backward like a kite with its string cut, falling heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, Li Chen's sneer widened. He strode forward to the side of the fallen monk, raised his right foot, and stepped on his chest without hesitation.

Then, he deliberately rubbed his foot against his chest a few times, as if to crush him completely. After doing all this, Li Chen looked down at the person under his feet, his eyes full of contempt, and said coldly: "Humph! Since when did a bug dare to interrupt?!"

"You! How could you be so arrogant and domineering!"

The arhat riding the tiger opened his eyes wide and stared at Li Chen intently. At the same time, he kept exerting force with his feet and stepped hard on the arhat next to him who was holding a golden dragon in his hands.

He was extremely anxious and wanted to rush forward to rescue Arhat Subduing the Dragon immediately, but when he thought that even Arhat Subduing the Dragon, the strongest among the Eighteen Arhats, was easily defeated by Li Chen without any chance to fight back, if he rushed forward rashly, he would probably become another defeated opponent at the feet of Li Chen.

At this time, the Buddha Tathagata slowly spoke, "Donor Li Chen, I hope you will show some mercy and spare me. It was indeed my humble disciple who was disrespectful and offended you earlier. On behalf of all the disciples, I solemnly apologize to you. I beg you to be magnanimous and spare the Dragon Subduing Arhat this time."

On the surface, the Tathagata Buddha seemed extremely respectful and spoke sincerely, but in reality, he had other plans. He knew that this time, on the one hand, he wanted to rescue the trapped Golden Winged Dapeng, and on the other hand, he hoped to take the opportunity to recruit the extremely powerful Li Chen into Buddhism.

However, Li Chen's face remained icy, and he responded indifferently, "Alright! Stop talking nonsense! If you have something to say, just say it! I don't have that much time to dawdle here with you! I still have to hurry and take care of that damned Golden Winged Dapeng. I don't have time to waste with you!"

As Li Chen spoke, he took it out from the Dragon-Subduing Arhat with his foot, and then kicked the Dragon-Subduing Arhat hard to the side of the Buddha.

Li Chen's words and actions revealed an undisguised impatience and disdain for Tathagata Buddha and his companions. At this moment, Li Chen was extremely anxious, and his only thought was to kill the Golden Winged Dapeng as soon as possible and reclaim the heavenly soldiers and generals that had been devoured from its body.

After hearing Li Chen's words, a gentle smile slowly emerged on the solemn face of the Tathagata Buddha. He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Li Chen before him, and spoke gently, "I wonder if Mr. Li would be interested in joining us as a monk and devoting himself to the profound Buddhist teachings? When you have achieved perfection in merit, you will be able to return to the Pure Land and attain a golden body!"

However, Li Chen remained unmoved by the Buddha's earnest invitation. His expression remained impassive, his hawk-like eyes fixed straight ahead. He replied coldly, "Sorry, I'm not interested. Please don't bother me. I have important matters to attend to. I need to slay demons and restore order to the world!" Without hesitation, Li Chen raised the heavy golden cudgel and, with determined and powerful steps, approached the nearby golden-winged Roc.

Seeing Li Chen getting closer and closer, the fear in the Golden-Winged Dapeng's heart had reached its peak. At this moment, it had long lost its former majesty. Its whole body trembled involuntarily, and it let out a nearly desperate wail: "Buddha, please save me! Don't let this terrible guy kill me!"

For a moment, the gazes of all the gods and Buddhas in the sky were captivated by this tense and exciting scene. They all wore expressions of anxiety, sweating profusely over the safety of the Golden-Winged Dapeng. However, among this group of gods and Buddhas, one person appeared exceptionally calm and composed: the Water God Gonggong.

It turned out that he had already made a secret deal with the Buddha. If Li Chen was willing to join the Buddhist sect, then Gong Gong would naturally follow him; but if Li Chen refused, then Gong Gong would follow Li Chen without hesitation.