We bear people have power

At the Wave Moon Cave on Wanzi Mountain, it is said that Kui Mulang, after returning from the underworld, devoted himself to guarding Baihuaxiu, waiting for Guan Bo to retrieve the Three Lives Stone. However, unexpectedly, Guan Bo was gone for several days.

"That doesn't make sense. According to him, he only needs to ask the Black and White Impermanence for a Three Lives Stone. How could it take so many days?" Kui Mulang was so anxious that he paced around in circles, but he didn't dare to show it in front of Baihua Xiu.

Baihuaxiu was naturally unaware of Guanbo and Kui Mulang's plans. However, Guanbo disappeared for several days without leaving a word, and Baihuaxiu knew that this panda was unreliable.

But there was no other way. Despite her skillful use of the Mystic Light Technique, this was the only spell she had learned in over ten years of cultivation. If she were to leave Wave Moon Cave and head to Treasure Elephant Kingdom on her own, she would likely be eaten by wild beasts halfway there.

Therefore, Baihuaxiu could only continue to wait anxiously, hoping that her father would send someone else to fetch her.

Whether the resentment had grown so great that it could affect the cycle of heaven, things did indeed change not long afterward.

Judge Cui of the Underworld, upon learning that Kui Mulang had visited the Underworld, reported it to the Heavenly Court as usual to see if there was any business that required his assistance.

This little thing wouldn't normally bother anyone, but the key point is that the heavenly soldier who delivered the order went directly to Kui Mulang, only to find that the star lord was no longer in heaven.

Upon checking the roll call records, it was discovered that Kui Mulang had been descended to the mortal realm for over a decade, and naturally, the matter became known to others.

Originally, this scene should have been the remaining twenty-seven constellations of the Heavenly Palace descending to earth to capture Kui Mulang, but the news had not yet reached the Jade Emperor. The twenty-seven constellations discussed it among themselves, and realized that Kui Mulang was, after all, one of their own brothers. If they went to capture him in a big way and alarmed the entire Heavenly Palace, it would cost him his life.

Therefore, the Twenty-Seven Constellations sent a small squad of trusted heavenly soldiers to the mortal realm to persuade Kui Mulang to return.

However, this plan backfired because Guan Bo's departure took too long, and Tang Sanzang and his disciples in Baoxiang Kingdom assumed that Guan Bo had been harmed by the monster Kui Mulang.

This time, the three fellow disciples, Pigsy, Sandy, and the White Dragon, came to the gate together, only to run into the heavenly soldiers who had descended to earth.

With both sides exchanging greetings, Kui Mulang's identity could no longer be concealed.

After a fierce battle, Kui Mulang, though strong, had lost his courage.

Because his identity was exposed, no matter how much he struggled, he would eventually be caught by the Heavenly Court and punished. However, seeing that Pigsy and his men were coming with great force, Kui Mulang was worried about the safety of his wife and children, so he could only fight first and then make arrangements for his affairs before going to the Heavenly Palace to accept his punishment after repelling the invading enemy.

Kui Mulang was considered a formidable member among the celestial constellations, holding his own against the combined attacks of Tang Sanzang's three disciples.

However, he never expected that, at the height of the battle, Baihuaxiu would emerge from her cave.

When immortals fight, mortals suffer.

These deities are all incredibly powerful; the force of their weapons, even when casually wielding, could take Baihuaxiu's life.

Driven by his protective instincts, Kui Mulang brandished his treasured sword, forcing Zhu Bajie and the others back before flying towards Baihua Xiu. However, to Kui Mulang's utter surprise, he felt a sharp pain in his chest the moment he reached Baihua Xiu's side.

Taking advantage of Kui Mulang's momentary lapse in attention, Baihua Xiong plunged a dagger into his vital area.

Ordinary iron could not harm Kui Mulang's body, which was as tough as refined steel, but this dagger was inlaid with a tiny, exquisite inner core, the size of a chicken egg. This was a treasure that Kui Mulang had refined over fifty years using his own demon core. He usually used it to cure Baihua Xiu's illness and prolong her life, and it was kept by Baihua Xiu herself.

Only this power from the same source and root could severely injure Kui Mulang.

As Baihua Xiu looked at Kui Mulang, who was vomiting blood, her twisted hatred subsided like a receding tide.

Over the years, no matter how willful he was, Kui Mulang always took good care of him. Although he loved someone else, these genuine acts of kindness remained in his memory.

Completely devoid of the expected relief and liberation, Baihuaxiu felt only endless regret as she looked at the critically injured and dying Kui Mulang.

"I...I didn't mean to, I...I'm so sorry." In the end, Baihuaxiu threw herself into Kui Mulang's arms with tears streaming down her face, wanting only to stop the bleeding from his wounds.

"Don't cry, I've never blamed you." Kui Mulang wiped away Baihua Xiu's tears, then turned around and shielded her behind him.

Kui Mulang, dragging his heavily wounded body, said to Zhu Bajie and the others, "My wife and children should not suffer. Today is my end. I beg you to show mercy!"

Seeing Kui Mulang's increasingly weakened aura, the three brothers all stopped fighting.

“Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. We are merely pilgrims on a journey to the West; naturally, we would not harm your wife and children,” Pigsy replied.

However, Kui Mulang did not respond for a long time.

Although the man still stood before his beloved wife, he had already exhausted all his life force.

Baihua burst into tears, filled with remorse for her foolish act. She had stabbed herself with her own hand, making her tears all the more ironic.

Just then, a gust of demonic wind drifted in from the horizon. Guan Bo rushed back as fast as he could, only to find Kui Mulang dead.

However, unlike everyone else's grief-stricken appearance, Guan Bo only glanced at Kui Mulang before letting out a sigh of relief and saying, "Luckily, I arrived in time."

Guan Bo flew to Kui Mulang's corpse, pulled out the dagger, and then pried off the demon core and stuffed it directly into Kui Mulang's chest.

He casually unleashed a beam of healing magic, allowing the horrific wound to heal.

Everyone was a little surprised. They could clearly see that Kui Mulang's life force was exhausted, so how could the healing spell still be effective?

Guan Bo was busy saving people and didn't have time to explain. He quickly took out a snow-white silk handkerchief and covered Kui Mulang with it.

The handkerchief was originally no bigger than the palm of your hand, but under Guan Bo's demonic power, it grew longer in the wind and completely wrapped up Kui Mulang.

The silk handkerchief shone brightly, but it wasn't dazzling. Instead, it resembled an endless ocean of life, making one feel incredibly comfortable just by looking at it.

This is the Myriad Wonders Longevity Cloth, which the Bodhi Patriarch crafted from ten catties of Lingxiu's hair. If used properly, it can have the effect of bringing the dead back to life.

Guan Bo had just discovered that Kui Mulang was not actually dead; a wisp of his power-up was still attached to the refined inner core. Therefore, he decisively stuffed the inner core back into Kui Mulang's body and used the Myriad Mysteries Longevity Cloth to stimulate Kui Mulang's life force, saving his life.

The reason Guan Bo was able to see that Kui Mulang's life force was not yet exhausted, even more so than Zhu Bajie and the others, was because he had lingered in the underworld for so long. But that's a story for later, so let's leave it at that for now.

Then, Kui Mulang was wrapped up like a mummy. After a while, the silk handkerchief moved, and Kui Mulang's muffled voice came from inside: "Which bastard covered my eyes with a cloth?"

Upon hearing the powerful voice, Guan Bo knew it was a success and quickly withdrew his magic weapon.

Kui Mulang thought he was about to report to the underworld, but when he opened his eyes, he saw Baihua Xiu holding him tightly, crying, "I was wrong, I was really wrong. I will never care who you love again. Let's live a good life together from now on, okay?"

Kui Mulang was also excited, but he could only smile bitterly and say, "My dear wife, I'm afraid the days we can spend together are numbered. Now that my identity has been exposed, the Heavenly Court will surely take me back to be punished. Even if I don't die, I won't be able to descend to the mortal realm to be with you."

"What...what should we do?" Baihuaxiu asked, completely at a loss.

Looking at the two lovers who had suffered so much, Guan Bo felt sorry for them and said to Kui Mulang, "Your unauthorized descent to the mortal realm probably doesn't warrant death, just some punishment. The only problem is that Princess Baihuaxiu might not be able to wait a few years for you, but if she has also achieved success in her cultivation, then waiting for a hundred or so years won't be a problem. You've been a star spirit for so long, don't you have any way to extend her life by hundreds or thousands of years?"

These words were like a wake-up call. The couple, having resolved their inner conflicts, naturally didn't mind waiting a while. Perhaps, once Baihua Xiu had completed her cultivation, she could go directly to the Heavenly Palace to reunite with Kui Mulang.

Guan Bo handed the black and white patterned Three Lives Stone to Bai Huaxiu and said, "This is the Three Lives Stone. It can restore your memories of your past life. As for whether you want to use it, it is up to you, Princess."

After doing all this, Guan Bo turned to Zhu Bajie and the other two and said, "Gentlemen, since Princess Baihuaxiu and Kui Mulang are truly in love, you shouldn't try to break them up. Isn't sending Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West as soon as possible the most important thing?"

“I, Zhu Bajie, am also a man of feeling. Although I cannot be with Gao Xiulan in this life, I will not be ashamed to see others happy. Since Kui Mulang and the princess are truly in love, let’s go back to Baoxiang Kingdom and explain things to them,” said Zhu Bajie.

"Marshal Tianpeng, you are so kind. Thank you for your trouble in this matter." Guan Bo finally felt relieved.

With Zhu Bajie's promise, the matter of Baoxiang Kingdom was considered to be successfully concluded, and he could return to Fangcun Mountain to report back.

Guan Bo didn't linger. He bid farewell to everyone and flew towards the Fangcun Mountain themed town, not bothering to see the outcome of Kui Mulang's trial in the sky.

In the original story, he was merely sent to Laozi's place to help refine elixirs, and he was able to temporarily retain his position as a star constellation, which was not a particularly serious punishment.

This time, returning to Fangcun Mountain was simple.

The Daoist priest was already waiting there, and led Guan Bo back to the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave.

Upon seeing Patriarch Bodhi again, Guan Bo bowed and said, "Patriarch, I have not failed in my mission. The matter of Baoxiang Kingdom has been successfully concluded."

Patriarch Bodhi remained noncommittal, only saying to Guan Bo, "Since that's the case, listen carefully to the third test."

The first two tests were so difficult, Guan Bo thought that the third one would certainly not be easy either, but since things had come to this point, he could not give up halfway.

To Guan Bo's surprise, Bodhi Patriarch said, "Let me ask you, I heard not long ago that you even stumped the Buddha. What exactly did you ask?"

Guan Bo 0_0?

"When did I ask Buddha a question?" Guan Bo asked, completely bewildered.

"It's about the question you made a bet with Black and White Impermanence," Bodhi Patriarch explained.

"Master, does answering this question mean I've passed the test?" Guan Bo asked incredulously.

“Indeed,” said Bodhi Patriarch with a smile.

Holy crap, this was a free point question!

Guan Bo honestly repeated the question, and Bodhi Patriarch subconsciously calculated with his fingers. After a while, he burst out laughing, pointing at Guan Bo and saying, "This didn't stump the Buddha at all; it was clearly that fool Kasyapa who misspoke. The Buddha has really been tricked this time."

Guan Bo was completely bewildered.

Patriarch Bodhi did not explain further, but said to Guan Bo, "Since you have entered my sect, first pay your respects to your senior sister. She is a disciple I recently accepted."

Bodhi Patriarch waved his hand, and a girl walked out from behind him.

Guan Bo looked and exclaimed in shock, "Gongsun Jing?!"