Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told – Chapter 117: Leaving the Universe and Merging with It

The Celestial Venerable Lingbao naturally knew Wukong’s identity. As soon as Wukong entered this realm, he left a trace of his divine consciousness upon him. The identity of the Creative Divine Ape could be concealed from others, but not from the Three Pure Ones.

The Seven Divine Apes were of great significance to this world of the Four Great Continents, yet few knew of them, and each harbored selfish motives. The Three Pure Ones were wholeheartedly committed to this matter, but whenever the Divine Apes faced peril, they could only feel pain in their hearts and could do nothing to help. The mysteries of creation could not be altered by human effort.

When Lingbao saw that Wukong, though he had safely navigated the desert battles upon entering this realm, still seemed ordinary, and later handled some useless trivial matters in the Central Proclamation City, he wondered what purpose they served.

It was not until Wukong clashed with Red Boy that Lingbao could only express approval—this intelligent and divine ape indeed possessed remarkable skills, worthy of his reputation as one who caused havoc in the Hall of Enlightenment.

Later, when Wukong’s mind became chaotic, as if possessed by evil forces, Lingbao was slightly surprised. In Taoist cultivation, the greatest fear is unstable fate and chaotic primordial spirit. Yet despite his own supreme cultivation, he could only stand by helplessly. Seeing Wukong meditating in a secluded place, Lingbao felt somewhat relieved—this monkey still knew to use stillness to control chaos, and had not caused any trouble.

At that moment, Wukong fell into a deep sleep and entered that strange dream. Suddenly, Lingbao realized that the monkey had vanished from his divine perception!

At such a high level of cultivation, when one almost has everything under control, how could there be even the slightest mistake? More importantly, Lingbao was the master of this realm; he was aware of every slightest change. In this world, he was the omnipotent creator.

Yet now, his own divine consciousness could not detect Wukong’s presence! How astonishing!

Ignoring his status, Lingbao used a spell to silently leave the Fire Cloud Palace and teleport to where Wukong was. There, he saw Wukong lying soundly asleep on a rock, breathing deeply and evenly—clearly showing no signs of being possessed. Visible to the eye, yet undetectable by divine perception—what kind of cultivation technique was this?

Lingbao observed Wukong for a long time and gradually developed a feeling: this monkey seemed no longer part of this world, but rather wandering beyond the heavens, his mind merging with the universe.

Lingbao shook his head. Impossible. This was a power that surpassed the realm of sages and could only be attained after glimpsing the traces of the Way of Heaven. How could this mere Taiyi Golden Immortal transcend the limits of “the universe”?

After some time, Wukong’s eyelids twitched slightly, and Lingbao could clearly sense that the monkey’s “divine spirit” had finally returned. Seeing that Wukong was about to wake up, Lingbao Tianzun returned to the Fire Cloud Palace, went straight to the inner hall, and secluded himself to ponder the matter.

Wukong also struggled in vain to find a solution, so he simply resigned himself to it. Although he had been there for some time, there were still countless mysteries in this mythical world that required gradual exploration.

After experiencing this upheaval, he dared not indulge in wild thoughts anymore. Feeling that his fate was now stable, he caught a cloud and set off straight ahead.

Sitting on the cloud and moving slowly, Wukong analyzed the details of this dream in great detail and gained much insight. Honghaier had such a powerful background, and the Three Pure Ones treated him like their own grandson—no wonder he was so formidable. As for the Ox Demon King, he had managed to hide his true nature well, even with a master like Laojun, though it wasn’t surprising either—Wukong knew well enough the Ox Demon King’s loyal nature. It was likely that Laojun had forbidden him from speaking, as a master’s command must be obeyed.

Laojun himself was also quite strange. He didn’t care about much else but loved oxen. He rode a green ox across Hangu Pass, and now there was this Ox Demon King as well. “As heaven changes through movement, a gentleman makes unremitting efforts to improve himself; as earth endures through stillness, a gentleman carries all things with great virtue.” In the I Ching, Qian represents horses while Kun represents oxen—almost certainly Laojun was using these symbols to describe himself. The phrase “carry all things with great virtue” coincided with the idea in the Tao Te Ching that “the highest good is like water.”

Laojun, whether you claim to embody the highest good or great virtue, why send an old ox to spy on me on Flower Fruit Mountain? And from Honghaier’s description, the old ox seemed to have high regard for Wukong.

I wonder how majestic the Seven Great Saints used to be. Alas, it’s not others’ fault—it’s Wukong’s fickle and untrustworthy nature that caused sorrow among his brothers. It’s understandable that Honghaier developed hatred toward Wukong as a result.

When Wukong read Journey to the West before, he mostly viewed things from the perspective of the pilgrims. But after hearing Honghaier’s experiences, he couldn’t help but sigh—Honghaier was actually a tragic figure too.

He achieved success at a young age and had powerful backers, so he should have been full of confidence and ambition. Yet he was defeated by Guanyin Bodhisattva’s mysterious golden hoop and became a servant boy. Isn’t that even worse than being killed!

From Honghaier’s words, Wukong also seemed to be in great sorrow. Once, he could defeat all the gods and immortals with his golden staff, but he had to endure humiliation and go to the West to seek scriptures. Upon reflection, Buddha’s actions were truly deceptive! In the end, it seemed he entered Buddhism happily, but only he knew the true hardships involved.

After observing Journey to the West, Honghaier could truly be considered a confidant of the Monkey King!

After a sigh, Wukong thought again that this realm should belong to the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable. In “Journey to the West,” this figure was not directly mentioned, appearing merely as an insignificant character. Yet unexpectedly, he secretly trained a powerful disciple like Red Boy and captured two strange birds to create the Triple True Fire. When the Beautiful Monkey King was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain, even Laozi wanted to rescue him, but was stopped by the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable. It seems that the identity of the Wise Divine Ape is indeed highly sensitive! He clearly remembered that when capturing the Bull Demon King, the Heavenly Court also played a significant role, with figures like the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Jialan Protectors, the Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King all participating. If Laozi intervened, the Heavenly Court shouldn’t have gotten involved, as the Bull Demon King’s obstruction of the pilgrimage had little to do with Taoism. In the end, Red Boy was captured by Guanyin, and the Bull Demon King was also subdued in the Western Heaven realm. One was Laozi’s disciple and the other his granddisciple—yet the Three Pure Ones simply allowed whatever happened in the Western Heaven and the Heavenly Court. This was quite strange. It was also said that even the Three Pure Ones couldn’t break the golden hoop that restrained Red Boy, and Buddha’s powers seemed even weaker than theirs. Could there be some greater backing in the Western Heaven realm? Could those three golden hoops have been given to Buddha by someone even feared by the Three Pure Ones? This explanation made some sense, but who could there be in the world like that? It was unclear, unfathomable, and mysterious—how deep the waters were… After thinking for a long time, Wukong gained much insight, but his mind was filled with even more puzzles. Unaware of it, he had left the Withered Wood Continent, and the land to the west appeared black as he entered the territory of the Remnant Water Continent. As he continued, he reached a bustling area where several large cities were connected, with tall towers and magnificent buildings, surrounded by an aura of divinity. Many immortals were also seen flying among the clouds in the sky. Wukong moved slowly, lost in thought, and before he knew it, more than a dozen clouds surrounded him from all sides. He paid them no mind and continued walking. Someone standing in the clouds shouted, “Hey, scholar! Stop and land in Cloud City—no magic allowed!” Wukong glanced sideways. The man wore black clothes and had a shrewd look. If not for his relatively fair skin, some might have believed him to be a beast demon. Wukong laughed and said, “If you can control the earth, can you also control the sky?” “Dareful!” The dozen men surrounded Wukong and prepared to attack. Wukong ordered, “Stand still!” Instantly, they froze in various poses, unable to move in the clouds. He then said, “Fall!” The clouds beneath their feet vanished, and they all plummeted straight down from the sky, their fates unknown.