Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 120: Heaven Has a Lifespan

Upon hearing these words from the Nine-Headed Worm, Wukong was stunned speechless. You might wonder why—turns out, at the beginning of Journey to the West, it states, “It is said that the lifespan of heaven and earth is 129,600 years per cycle…” Wukong had read this passage countless times yet still failed to grasp its deeper meaning. Today, after hearing the Nine-Headed Worm explain it, he began to suspect that this realm of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao was actually created in imitation of that other world, only with a much shorter lifespan—ten in that world, one here.

Wukong remained calm and said, “It’s remarkable that you remember so much. I wonder what principle lies behind it?”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “Haven’t you heard it yet? The lifespan of this world is 19,600 years—that’s the duration of its existence.”
“Ah!” Wukong was shocked. “What happens when its lifespan is up?”
The Nine-Headed Worm said, “It’s explained later—when the cycle reaches its end, heaven and earth will become dark and confused, and all things will perish. Perishure means great evil. It will be a time of great prosperity that is destroyed in an instant, leaving heaven and earth back in chaos.”

Wukong fell into deep thought. His mind had already left this realm and returned to the four great continents. Perhaps the people here regarded this as just a legend, but Wukong truly believed it, not for any other reason than that Journey to the West described it in exactly the same terms. It seemed that the Celestial Venerable Lingbao had figured out the lifespan of that other world and, following its pattern, created his own realm. As for his motives, Wukong naturally couldn’t know, but it was certain that though that world seemed stable, it would also return to chaos when its lifespan ended.

He had thought that “living as long as heaven and earth” meant eternity, but the Nine-Headed Worm’s words awakened him to the truth—that heaven and earth were merely creations of fate, how could they exist forever? Just like in this realm, many people were born here and assumed it would endure forever, unaware that the rising and setting sun was merely the Fire Cloud Palace of Lingbao, and unaware that when this world’s lifespan ended, it would be destroyed in an instant.

Seeing Wukong silent for so long, the Nine-Headed Worm laughed and said, “Why are you lost in thought, dear brother? If this world perishes, we can simply think of ways to return.” Wukong smiled bitterly, thinking, “You don’t realize that returning isn’t a lasting solution either.” But aloud he said, “Heaven and earth actually have a lifespan? This is truly astonishing.”

The Nine-Headed Worm laughed and said, “That’s not all. Earlier, I mentioned that 19,600 years make one ‘yuan,’ and one ‘yuan’ has twelve ‘hui,’ so each ‘hui’ is 1,080 years. In this world, every 1,080 years, there comes a calamity. This calamity can take the form of fire, wind, thunder, rain, or various other things; sometimes two or three of them strike at once. Ordinary people, without any protection, can only wait to die.”
Wukong asked, “Brother, you’ve been here for a long time—how many calamities have you gone through?” The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “All of them have passed. I only know that in another five or six hundred years, it will be the end of the Xu Hui.”
Wukong exclaimed in shock, “If this rumor is true, does that mean the world is about to collapse, merge back into chaos?”
The Nine-Headed Worm said, “Exactly!”
Unconsciously, Wukong had already crushed the wine cup in his hand. Grumbling, he said, “Among all these creatures, how many can escape this calamity?”
The Nine-Headed Worm was stunned for a moment. “Where did you get such thoughts from, dear brother? What do those countless creatures have to do with you?”
Wukong replied, “It has nothing to do with me, of course. But this world is truly detestable. If they’re meant to die, why were they born at all?”
The Nine-Headed Worm laughed heartily. “You’re wrong, dear brother. As the saying goes, survival of the fittest—those who can survive do, and those who can’t die.”
Wukong sighed and said, “Alas, it’s not that simple.”
“What’s the difference? By your logic, the world shouldn’t separate and should remain in chaos forever. Wouldn’t that mean everything ends, and there would be no more troubles?” the Nine-Headed Worm teased.
Though it was just a joke, Wukong was deeply moved. Though those words were absurd, they held some truth. At a time of crisis, what good was sighing endlessly?
Since this world was doomed to perish, he should find a way to return to his original world. If that world also perished, he could find another way—no one forced him to stay trapped here. If his abilities were insufficient and his vision was narrow, it was his own fault!
After realizing this, Wukong no longer harbored any doubts. He picked up the wine cup, only to find it already crushed in his hand. He then grabbed a wine jar and said with a smile, “Well said! Without a world, we’ll find another way. If there’s no way, we’ll create one! How about that?”
Hearing such bold words, the Nine-Headed Worm’s eyes lit up. He also grabbed a wine jar and said, “Dear brother, you’re truly bold. Meeting you today is the greatest joy of my life!”
The demons in the hall mostly didn’t understand what the two were talking about, but seeing the friendly conversation between them, they were inspired by their courage. They put down their cups and started drinking straight from the wine jars.
After setting down the jars, Wukong said, “That matter is still far off. Let’s not talk about it for now. As far as I know, most demons in this realm live in the mountains and wilderness. Why have you moved to the city, brother?”

The Nine-Headed Worm laughed and said, “I was originally wandering in the distant mountains, where the scenery was far better than here. But there are too many cultivators on this continent who fear death not at all; they often come to disturb my mountains. In anger, I led my army down to conquer this city.”
Wukong nodded and said, “If you’re going to do it, do it thoroughly—truly befitting a hero. Then why issue the order forbidding cloud riding? And where did that come from?”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “Although I’ve taken this city, I couldn’t kill all those cultivators who scattered in all directions. They often come to harass the city but dare not fight me head-on. Some of them are unpredictable—sometimes pretending to submit to me, other times acting as spies for others. Frustrated, I issued that order: anyone on the city walls who rides a cloud will be executed without mercy! From now on, if any cultivators want to enter the city, they must pass through the four gates for inspection, and those with familiar faces will be captured immediately.”
Wukong said, “That’s also a good method.”
The Nine-Headed Worm laughed and said, “I never expected this absurd order to attract a great figure like you.”
Wukong smiled and said, “I’m no great figure at all. I’ve only killed a few heavenly generals and destroyed the Hall of Brightness.”
The Nine-Headed Worm asked in confusion, “The Hall of Brightness? What is that?”
Wukong blushed. He had rarely gotten to show off, only to end up looking foolish. So he recounted everything from start to finish—how he led the people of Flower-Fruit Mountain to resist a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, repelled the four great bodhisattvas, and attacked the Hall of Brightness.
Not only the Nine-Headed Worm but also the demons in the hall were filled with excitement. The entire demon race was united in spirit. Hearing that the Heavenly Court despised demons and wanted to eradicate them completely, only to be utterly defeated by Wukong, they became even more passionate. However, the fine wine in the city suffered—everyone drank it wildly, piling the wine jars high like a small mountain.
Speaking of the battle against the heavenly soldiers, Wukong couldn’t help but think of the other seven great sages. He also remembered the surge of power within him when he first crossed the Gate of Death. So he asked, “Are there any other formidable figures in this world? Since I’m here, it would be good to meet them at least once.”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have told you. This is quite strange. In the southern continent of Yuhuo, there’s a monkey—thin and gaunt in appearance, but with extraordinary abilities. I’ve fought him four or five times and still can’t gain the upper hand. That monkey reveals his true form, which is exactly like yours—as if they were carved from the same mold.”
Wukong felt delighted. He had naturally seen the true forms of Fengtong, Wuzhiqi, and Wang Yu—very different from his own. Could there be other divine monkeys here? But Fengtong had said that since he hadn’t awakened yet, he shouldn’t be able to sense the existence of his kind. This matter became even more mysterious.