The Rotting Buddhas of Journey to the West - chapter 4

I was casually thrown back into the Western Sea by the false Bodhisattva, and the Second Senior Brother was nowhere to be found.

Before leaving, that thing said I must retrace the journey to the West and find all the places where it had once appeared. If I completed the task, as a reward, it would release the Eldest Senior Brother and the others.

Honestly, I was quite puzzled. First, why did it choose me and not someone else? After all, in the Three Realms, I am but a minor character.

Perhaps it was because I had once been the White Horse, carrying my Master all the way?

Second, why did it want me to search? What was its purpose?

With these questions in mind, I returned to the Western Sea Crystal Palace. This was my long-lost home, and also the place where the Monkey King took the Golden Cudgel and began his journey.

Diving into the depths, I was stunned. The Dragon Palace used to be five thousand meters below the sea, but now, after descending only a thousand meters, I saw the dazzling palace.

“Father King, your son has returned!”

Looking at the Dragon King of the Western Sea before me, I felt a mix of emotions that I could not quite describe.

He had punished me for hundreds of years, but it was a blessing in disguise-I had cultivated into one of the Eight Classes of Celestial Dragons. Yet now, none of that seemed to matter.

“My son… I heard something major happened at Vulture Peak?”

Upon our first meeting, he asked this question. I did not hide anything and told him everything in detail.

Father King leaned on his coral throne, sighing deeply.

“Do you know why our Dragon Palace moved to such shallow waters?”

“I was about to ask. It used to be five thousand meters deep, but now it’s only a thousand.”

The ruler of the aquatic tribes of the Three Realms was acting strangely, like a frightened old man, his eyes darting as if recalling something.

“A year ago, our Dragon Palace scouts reported that there was something strange beneath the palace, floating upwards.”

“I happened to be free at the time, so I went to check myself. Unexpectedly, it was…”

At this point, Father King’s expression grew even more panicked.

“What was it?” I asked curiously.

“Floating up from the depths was a gigantic white human face! It was at least ten thousand meters across!”

As soon as he finished speaking, I froze, stunned by fear-the image was simply too terrifying!

“That face was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. It… it was even smiling at me!”

My heart was pounding wildly. That face must be connected to the monster at Vulture Peak! I never imagined it had appeared a year ago.

“What happened then?”

“Though I am the Dragon King, in front of that face I felt only terror. I immediately used my powers to move the entire Dragon Palace. For the past year, I’ve lived in constant fear.”

Alas…

I sighed deeply, not knowing how to comfort Father King. I had my own troubles weighing on me.

At that moment, a question surfaced in my mind-a question that had been buried there for a very long time.

“Father King, ever since I was born, I’ve wanted to know: what lies at the very bottom of the sea?”

Father King reacted intensely, grabbing my shoulders:

“Let me advise you: never go to the deepest part of the ocean. I suspect that the strange white face is just the tip of the iceberg. In the depths, there is true terror!”

“So… you’ve never been to the deepest part either?”

“Alas, no. And as far as I know, no one in the Three Realms has. When I was your age, I tried to explore deeper, but the further down I went, the more afraid I became. In the end, I couldn’t bear it and swam back to the shallows.”

Feeling somewhat dejected, I leaned against the crystal steps with my father. The troubles at Vulture Peak were already tormenting enough, and now the sea was restless too.

“Father King, perhaps you should go to the Third Uncle of the Northern Sea for support. I have things to do, so I’ll take my leave.”

I hadn’t expected anything like this on my visit home, and I had no intention of staying in the Dragon Palace any longer-there were still tasks to complete.

I rose to bid farewell to Father King, but just as I was about to leave the Western Sea Crystal Palace, he called out to me:

“My son, at a time like this, I have a secret to tell you.”

“What secret?”

“Do you know the origin of your Eldest Senior Brother’s Golden Cudgel?”

“Wasn’t it forged by Laojun, then used by Emperor Yu to control the floods, and later left in the Eastern Sea?”

“Heh, not at all. In fact, the Golden Cudgel is a bone that drifted up from the deepest part of the ocean.”

“What!”

“The Golden Cudgel is actually a little finger bone!”