Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 135: The Heart of the Kunpeng

If it’s a bird, how could it fly out of the sea?
These words were like a wake-up call to someone in a dream— a giant bird? Blocking the sky? Flying out of the sea?
Wukong suddenly remembered the monstrous creature that had blocked his path in the sea when he first arrived in this world. Overjoyed at the sight of King Wind, he had forgotten about it.
“Could there really be a dragon beneath this tower?” Wukong murmured.
Wind replied, “If what the old turtle said is true, these five dragons are likely deeply involved in the calamities plaguing this world. Naturally, that giant bird is also of utmost importance.”
King Yu asked, “If that bird is as big as the sky, where does it hide on ordinary days?”
Wukong said, “Before I met you two, I encountered a huge sea beast in the eastern sea. Only a tiny part of it was visible—already hundreds or thousands of feet long—and its true appearance was unclear. I don’t know if it’s related to that giant bird.”
At these words, Wind trembled and exclaimed, “Could it be… the Kunpeng!”
Zhuangzi’s “Free and Easy Wandering” states, “In the northern abyss, there is a fish called Kun. Its size is unknown—thousands of miles long. When it transforms into a bird, it’s called Peng. The span of its back is also unknown—thousands of miles. When it flies in anger, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky…” Apart from the Kunpeng, there truly is no creature of such immense size in the world.
King Yu was also shocked upon hearing about the Kunpeng and said, “How could the Kunpeng come to this world?”
Wukong laughed and said, “I suppose it was invited by the Primordial Lord.”
Both shook their heads and said, “Impossible!”
Wukong asked, “Why?”
Wind replied, “You still haven’t awakened fully and don’t understand the meaning of the Kunpeng. After Pangu created the world, he transformed into all things on earth. After the Kunpeng cleared the heavens, it vanished without a trace and has never reappeared. Though my master holds a high status, he is far inferior to the Kunpeng, the creator of the world. Not to mention inviting it, even begging wouldn’t work.”
Wukong said, “Everything depends on human effort. Over these countless years, surely something has changed. Let me ask you—since the Kunpeng and we were both created by nature, could there be some kind of relationship between us?”
Wind replied, “Back then, everything was in chaos. There was no such thing as a relationship—only mutual recognition.”
Wukong said, “Mutual recognition is good enough. Whether it’s him or not, we’ll know once we see it.”
Wind hurriedly stopped him, saying, “Wait! That monster is so huge. If a fight breaks out, the odds are heavily in our favor.”
Wukong twisted his waist to dodge Wind, let out a loud cry, and said, “One day, the great Peng will rise with the wind and soar ninety thousand miles high. Without the Kunpeng’s wings to touch the sky, I still have the heart of a swan ready to fly!” Then he turned to the two of them with a smile and said, “If the Golden-Winged Peng were here, I certainly wouldn’t fear it. How about you two?”

Tongfeng’s face turned red. Being cautious by nature, not out of fear, he shouted, “How could we be inferior to the Great Peng!” and followed Wukong eastward. The three of them moved at lightning speed, like arrows shot from a bow, straight toward the eastern sea. They rushed without pause, and soon the sea was before their eyes. That day, Wukong had been in such a hurry that he hadn’t taken a close look. The sea water looked like misty waves connecting to the Milky Way, with huge waves reaching down to the earth’s veins. When the tide came, it roared like thunder in spring; when the water flooded the bay, it was as if a fierce wind blew through summer. Even the Dragon Lord would frown when traveling through it—just like waves rolling over a thousand years of snow, or wind bringing autumn in June. “This sea is even more majestic than the four seas of that realm,” Wukong pointed out. Tongfeng frowned and said, “With such fierce waves, how can we get down? If Zhiqi weren’t here, we wouldn’t worry.” Wukong replied, “I know a bit about controlling water. You two stay above and provide support while I go down to find him.” Seeing Tongfeng still worried, he added, “Since the Primordial Lord wants to find someone to relieve this realm’s calamity, it must be a serious matter. How can we back down at the first difficulty?” Tongfeng nodded and said, “Alright. If anything goes wrong, come up right away.” Wukong used a water-avoiding technique to part the waves and dart out like wind or an arrow, not slower than in the air. Knowing that this monster was enormous, he naturally had to search deeper. It was a difficult search. Though this sea wasn’t as vast as the universe, searching for a needle in a haystack was exactly what it was like. Wukong searched for half an hour until, finally, he reached a place where he noticed something unusual in the sea water ahead. Waves had their patterns, and since Wukong had practiced controlling water, he understood water currents well. Now, the sea water where he was had reverse currents, indicating some disturbance. Ordinary monsters in the sea would flee far away at the sight of Wukong—this was likely the monster. As Wukong moved forward, he felt greater resistance from the water. Delighted, he used his water-control skill and moved forward smoothly along the current like a fish. Suddenly, a muffled voice came from within the water, “Huh?” Wukong immediately felt the pressure drop sharply, followed by an immense sucking force. Caught off guard, he was pulled along forcefully. Alarmed, Wukong realized from his cultivation that he had never seen such powerful magic—this force was even stronger than ten Bull Demons combined. Helpless, he was flung forward through the water for an unknown distance before finally stopping.

The deep sea was pitch black; even with his keen eyesight, he could only see vaguely a gigantic figure in the distance. At that moment, he remembered the “Secrets of the Mysterious Sky Art” and immediately used it. Yet, due to his unsettled mind, he could only barely employ the divine power of “Filtering Dust,” focusing his mental energy on his eyes. He saw that the massive shadow was still dozens of miles away, and he could only make out half of its face.

Its mouth was like an eagle’s, tightly closed, with whiskers on both sides—each whisker at least dozens of miles long, drifting slowly in the seawater like sea snakes. Everything else was obscured by that eagle-like beak, leaving nothing visible.

Wukong wanted to speak but found himself unable to utter a word under the immense pressure, and his mental movements became extremely slow.

Then, that muffled voice came again, speaking slowly, “Are you… the Divine Ape of Water?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Wukong felt much lighter; the pressure vanished, and he regained his normal state. He hurriedly replied, “No, the Divine Ape of Water is—”

He stopped mid-sentence as the pressure returned silently, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words. The voice asked again, “How do you know how to control water?” Once the voice disappeared, so did the pressure.

Wukong realized that this creature could subdue him merely through the power of its voice. Heaven—aside from Pangu and the Kunpeng—really, he couldn’t think of anyone else in the world with such great power.

Seizing this opportunity, Wukong said, “Don’t rush to speak. Let me ask you first: Are you the Kunpeng? I learned my skill of controlling water from the Divine Ape of Water. Do you recognize it—”

The monster asked again, “Are you also a divine ape?” Its voice remained unchanged, but it carried a hint of surprise.

Wukong replied, “I am the Intelligent Divine Ape. If you are the Kunpeng, why don’t you recognize me?”

The monster let out a long sigh, but accidentally created a huge wave with its mouth, sweeping Wukong away. As he retreated, Wukong couldn’t help but smile bitterly—this monster was too powerful. With such abilities, one had to be extremely cautious in every move.

Then, one of its long whiskers wrapped around Wukong’s waist and pulled him back. The monster said, “You guessed right. I am indeed the Kunpeng.”

Wukong was overjoyed—it was indeed the Kunpeng. But if it was the Kunpeng, why didn’t it recognize him?

The Kunpeng continued, “Why are you so happy? Tell me.”

Hearing the Kunpeng’s earlier sigh, Wukong felt a mix of emotions, including much sorrow and regret. He was at a loss for words. Indeed, why should he be happy?

Wukong said, “You… are very unhappy.”

The Kunpeng replied, “Why should I be happy? What’s the use of happiness?”

Wukong said, “Then… since you were born in this world, there must be something for you to do.”
The Kunpeng thought for a moment and replied, “It is my fate to be born only for the heavens. As long as the heavens exist, I exist; when the heavens perish, I perish too. If you were me, would you be happy?”
Wukong shook his head and said, “Indeed, if I were you, I wouldn’t be happy either.” After thinking again, he added, “With such great powers, why have you never appeared in the world?”
The Kunpeng spoke with a hint of bitterness, “If I were to appear in the world, wouldn’t I bring disaster everywhere?”
Wukong exclaimed, “Can’t you transform your powers?”
The Kunpeng replied, “Of course I can.”
Wukong said, “You could shrink your body and go to the human world to enjoy yourself. Surely you’ve thought of that?”
The Kunpeng snorted, blew Wukong several miles away, then caught him back with a swirl of his long beard and said, “To think you’re a wise divine ape yet lack such insight.”
Wukong asked, “Why?”
“Do you know how much energy it would take for me to transform into human size?”
Wukong was instantly confused and shook his head. “I don’t know.”
The Kunpeng said, “We are all born from the forces of nature. My powers are vastly different from yours. When I transform, I swallow everything within thousands of miles and turn it into energy for my own use. Wouldn’t all living beings suffer under such actions?”
Wukong suddenly felt reverence for the Kunpeng. Among all things in the world, which one lacks selfishness? Even two neighboring grasses compete for nutrients; birds eat insects, cats eat mice, humans eat grains… If all beings were equal, this would still be selfishness at heart.
With the Kunpeng’s abilities, it seems no one in the world could control him. To have such a heart that cares for all things is truly rare.
As the old saying goes, sages dwell at heights and make righteousness their home. The Kunpeng’s heart deserves that of a great sage!
Wukong, Fengtong, Wang Yu, and Wu Zhiqi shared the same feeling. As beings born from the forces of nature, it was easy for them to take energy from the world, but they practiced diligently on their own without harming a single creature—this was similar to what the Kunpeng did.
It should be noted that if they took energy from plants, the plants would wither; if they took energy from animals, the animals would die. As for the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people whose energy Wukong took when he first entered the heavenly court, if he hadn’t taken it, they would have become immortals in heaven. In that case, they would have been enemies, and it would still be considered unjust wealth, even if obtained in a “righteous” way.
Thinking of this, Wukong bowed deeply to the Kunpeng in the sea and said, “I offer my thanks on behalf of all living beings in the world.” The Kunpeng replied, “You thank me, but I don’t accept it.”
Wukong asked with a smile, “Why is that?”

Kunpeng said, “This heaven and earth do not belong to any one person. Thus, you are just you, yet not someone else.”
Wukong was stunned and pondered Kunpeng’s words carefully. Heaven and earth do not belong to one person—indeed. But then, to whom do they belong? If the Three Pure Ones and Tathagata have the power to create realms, does that mean heaven and earth belong to them as well?
One person, one heart, one heaven and earth—have I seen these too grandly or too narrowly?