Chapter 164 - 161: Jiuying Unkilled, Known as Yamata no Orochi
Hu Li led the Ox Demon King and the others towards the direction of the Green Hills Country, traveling swiftly without slowing down.
The Ox Demon King said, "That Xihe was a fake, the real one perished during the great war of the Middle Ancient Times. So who is this Sun Goddess now? What’s her relationship with the Heavenly Illuminating Holy King?"
Enlightenment Dao asked, "Fifth Brother, do you know the origin of this Sun Goddess, since you boast of knowing the past and future five thousand years?"
The Macaques King sneered, "That’s just a claim. You believed it? The meaning of Tathagata, in the language of Yingzhou, is simply the sun, nothing more. The Heavenly Illuminating Holy King and this Sun Goddess you’re talking about probably just share a similar name—you’re overthinking it. However, the key point is what you mentioned about Various Heavens. Perhaps the great war of the Middle Ancient Times was a confrontation between the saints of Buddhism and Daoism against the Various Heavens."
Enlightenment Dao surmised that the Journey to the West was related to the Various Heavens, and now Tathagata, who presided over Mount Meru, was also inextricably linked with the Various Heavens. This riddle must be solved. The person in the coffin, the characters on the Swallowing Dragon Stele, the Giant Gate of the Hate Heaven Secret Realm... All of this still required unraveling, one layer at a time.
Although the Macaques King was the most well-traveled and knowledgeable among his brothers, there were still many things he did not know.
Enlightenment Dao thought to himself, "The current struggle for supremacy between Buddhism and Daoism has escalated into a conflict because of the intervention of the Netherworld Blood Sea, and the situation nearly spiraled out of control. That’s why Buddha Ancestor and Ancestral Taoist Master began to preach, gathering disciples of both Buddhism and Daoism to listen peacefully, preventing them from meddling in the strife of Human Path’s destiny. Even though this suppression is only temporary, there will likely be more strife in the future!"
Having personally experienced the Journey to the West and being a pawn of it, he certainly understood some of the intentions of both the Buddhist and Daoist sides. This struggle for destiny might just be a minor squabble. The attitude of the Three Pure was very perplexing. Tathagata spread the Huahu Scripture, but Laojun did not step forward to clarify, which was truly baffling.
Speaking of the Ming River, it really didn’t know better, daring to share a hand in the grand affairs between the colossal forces of Buddhism and Daoism. It deserved to be injured by Tathagata.
Now, Enlightenment Dao wasn’t too keen on paying attention to the rise and fall of the Human Path. The inertia of the Heavenly Dao was too strong. History, slightly altered by him, quickly returned to its original trajectory. It seemed that some inevitable events couldn’t be avoided. Even if he were to stop them, someone else would probably fill the gap later on. It was a helpless reality that he had to accept. The most pressing issue was to quickly help Hu Li kill the Yamata no Orochi, then let the Ox Demon King win her heart—all’s well that ends well—before he could properly enter seclusion to cultivate and refine his Primordial Spirit.
Hu Li led everyone into the Green Hill Secret Realm, where they encountered a Nine-Headed Serpent coiling inside.