Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 188: The Mountain of the Five Elements

After moving Wukong to Snake Coiling Mountain, God Gouchen hurriedly sent someone to report to the Heavenly Court. In the Tongming Hall, the Jade Emperor received God Gouchen’s urgent message and exclaimed with joy, “Now that the demon monkey has been captured again, we must keep it under control to prevent further disasters!”
The Nine Bright Stars had already returned to the hall. Tai Bai Jin Xing said, “Last time, the Old Lord threw it into the Eight Trigrams Furnace; despite being trapped for four hundred years, the demon monkey still escaped. Who can control it this time?”
The Jade Emperor glanced at his ministers below. The Tower-Bearing Heavenly King stepped forward and said, “In my opinion, we should seek help from the Buddha and the Taoists in the Western Heaven—” Before he could finish, Zhang Daoling interjected, “Last time, the Buddha and the Taoists fought against the demon monkey, but it escaped from their grasp. Our Taoist sect is not without capable people—why seek help from outsiders?”
The Tower-Bearing Heavenly King smiled and said, “Each sect has its strengths. Although the Old Lord captured the demon monkey, he failed to keep it under control. Though the Buddha lost the fight, I believe he hasn’t used even a tenth of his abilities. If he faces the demon monkey head-on, subduing it will be a mere matter of raising his hand.”
Without allowing others to speak, the Jade Emperor said, “That makes sense. Let’s follow the Tower-Bearing Heavenly King’s advice and invite the Buddha!”
The thunder gods on earth did not dare slacken in the slightest. They continuously infused magical power to maintain the strength of the grand formation.
In less than half an hour, auspicious clouds appeared in the west, and the light of sacred relics shone. Forty-two white arcs appeared in the sky, connecting the north and south. Soon after, five hundred Arhats and the eight Great Vajras, each holding banners, precious canopies, and rare flowers, gathered around a lotus platform where the Buddha sat solemnly. Wasn’t this none other than the Buddha of the Western Heaven?
When the thunder gods saw the Buddha, along with God Gouchen, they all bowed. The Buddha returned the bow, his eyes shining, and asked, “Is the demon monkey inside the formation?”
God Gouchen replied, “It must be inside, without a doubt!”
The Buddha nodded and said, “Disperse the formation. Please step back ten miles.”
Seeing the Buddha’s confidence, God Gouchen waved his hand, and the thunder gods ceased their magic, rising into the air to watch how the Buddha would act.
Inside the formation, Wukong had no idea what was happening outside or who had arrived. He continued to sit quietly, thinking that it would take who knows how many years before he could escape again—hoping not to delay his quest for the scriptures.
At that moment, he noticed the thunder and net weakening. Delighted, he thought perhaps the outsiders had run out of magic power. He decided to try escaping to see what was going on.
Wukong used the secrets of the Mysterious Void technique to find a gap and peek out of the formation. Just as he did, he heard a familiar voice say, “You mischievous wretch! Do I still have to come down to subdue you?”

Tathagata! How did he come here? Right, it must be the Jade Emperor who invited him. As soon as this thought crossed Wukong’s mind, a huge mountain peak descended from above, with countless boulders and rocks falling like rain, burying him beneath them.
“You—” Wukong started cursing but was choked by the dust. He tried to rise, but felt an immense weight pressing down on him, preventing him from moving even slightly. He quickly used a stretching technique to enlarge his body, only for the pressure to increase even more. Before he could grow more than ten feet tall, he was crushed back to his original size.
The stone rain lasted for a full fifteen minutes before stopping. What was originally a plain area now had a mountain covering ten miles in circumference. Wukong was trapped under the mountain, with only his head and arms exposed and able to move, while his waist was firmly locked, leaving his lower body completely immobile.
Tathagata looked at Wukong with a compassionate gaze and said, “That day, you slipped away secretly. I thought if you could focus your mind and practice in peace, it would be fine. But you were so reckless as to destroy the Heavenly Court’s Demon-Hunting Garden. How could I allow you to cause chaos again?”
Wukong cried out, “Tathagata, you don’t keep your word! You don’t deserve to be called a Buddha!”
Tathagata’s gaze turned stern, and he shook out a golden slip of paper with his right hand. It floated through the air and landed on the mountain peak, embedding itself in a huge rock. Wukong immediately felt suffocated, finding it hard to speak.
Above, the arhats and immortals saw the Buddha create a mountain out of thin air with just a gesture and bowed in admiration. After some clamor, they all flew away on clouds. It was as if the cranes’ shadows vanished into the high clouds, and their falling feathers symbolized loneliness.
It was unclear whether Tathagata did this unintentionally or on purpose. Wukong lay there with his head facing west, his hands on the ground as if in prayer. A gust of autumn wind blew, carrying fallen leaves in front of him, evoking a sense of desolation—just like the cold wind brushing against his face and the lonely leaves having no companions.
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By now, Wukong was no longer the naive Monkey King of old. He was a traveler who knew the world of Journey to the West, understood the structure of heaven and earth, and was aware of how events would unfold. He knew that Tathagata’s actions were merely setting the stage for the future. If he were captured by Taoists, it would be extremely disadvantageous for him to become a monk later. He probably wouldn’t be able to stay under this mountain for more than five hundred years. The expansion of Buddhism to the east had already begun during Emperor Wen of Sui’s reign and was likely to proceed in an orderly manner, with little chance of change.
Even so, Wukong felt a sense of desolation. A towering mountain built solely to suppress a soul seeking freedom—such oppression was unbearable for anyone. At that moment, he empathized and began to understand that Monkey King who submitted to Buddhism and willingly went west to obtain the scriptures.

The mountain—a mountain that stripped away freedom, confined the body, and suppressed the soul—had oppressed him for five hundred years. How could his heart, yearning for the vast skies, remain fearless as it was five hundred years ago?
Over those five hundred years, though he could watch birds soar in the sky and beasts run and leap on the ground, even when seeing ants crawling slowly, he must have felt envy.
Thinking back to those days when he wielded golden light to explore the world, stood atop the peak to watch the winds from all directions, and raised his banner declaring himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—what feelings must he have had then?
By now, he should know that even Subhuti the Patriarch, with his great powers, wouldn’t allow him to reveal his master’s identity— surely because he was afraid. No one, no matter how strong, can surpass heaven or fate. The Five Elements Mountain was the first lesson this world taught him.
At this moment, does he think his dreams are utterly ridiculous—saying things like “the emperor changes hands; this year it’s my turn,” or talking about finding a new world, or achieving immortality through seventy-two transformations? It turns out those who remain silent are the deepest and most terrifying. He, who called himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is nothing but a child in front of them. Surely this has become a laughingstock in the world.
Since the Monkey King had gone west, it meant he admitted defeat. When he knelt before Tang Seng, it was as if he bowed his proud head before the Spirit Mountain…
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Wukong thought for a long time. Though he wasn’t captured during the chaos in Heaven, being subdued now was similar to what happened to the Monkey King. Likely, within a few decades, a monk on a white horse would come here, remove the golden plaque from the peak, and rescue him. Lost in his thoughts, a day passed unnoticed. Suddenly, he sensed something unstable within his own energy.
There was something strange about this mountain!
Wukong focused his mind, bringing his thoughts together, and carefully examined the movements within his energy. He saw threads of energy flowing outward through his meridians. The flow was extremely slight, insignificant compared to his own energy, but if it continued for decades, it might affect his cultivation.
Suddenly, Wukong realized why the monkey in “Journey to the West” was invincible during the chaos in Heaven but seemed less powerful on the pilgrimage— it probably had something to do with this Five Elements Mountain.
Did Buddha still lack some of this energy? Logically, the higher Wukong’s cultivation, the easier it should be for him to go west. But why did Buddha devise such a plan? No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure it out. He only knew that losing energy was not good for him, and no matter how hard he tried to control it, he couldn’t stop it. He became extremely frustrated.

The Divine Ape of Fate was extremely sensitive to changes in fate; every slightest loss of fate was clearly felt, and a growing sense of loss filled its heart. Wukong struggled to calm himself down. Knowing that Buddha’s powers far surpassed his own, he decided not to confront him for now and began to wander his thoughts again.

At that moment, an uninvited guest arrived at Qi Tian Ling—none other than the Holy Lord Yang Jian. Upon learning that Wukong was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain, he was shocked. Wukong had claimed he sought defeat, thinking he had everything under control. Yet Buddha appeared suddenly and subdued Wukong without a word—this was surely beyond Wukong’s expectations.

Realizing he couldn’t save Wukong, Yang Jian thought of the other masters at Qi Tian Ling and hurried there to report the news.

Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng was in seclusion and hadn’t emerged, while Zhu Rong and others were still on their travels and hadn’t returned. Those present were Da Yu, Hou Yi, Feng Tong, Wang Yu, and Qilin.

After hearing Yang Jian’s account, everyone reacted differently. The Bull Demon King was furious, glaring angrily. If not for Feng Tong stopping him, he would have attacked Yang Jian.

Qilin stood up and headed outside. Da Yu asked, “Where are you going?” Without turning around, Qilin replied, “That Buddha is being too oppressive. I’m going to pacify the Western Heaven!” Da Yu laughed, “If you’re not saving Wukong, why pacify the Western Heaven?” Qilin said, “You must eradicate the root of the problem!”

When Qilin said this, the others didn’t react much, but Yang Jian was shocked. Who was this red-haired man who dared to make such bold claims? Pacify the Western Heaven? Even the Three Pure Ones probably wouldn’t dare say such a thing.

Da Yu quickly stood up and pulled Qilin back. Then Hou Yi said, “Wukong is not someone who acts rashly. He wouldn’t fall into someone else’s trap so easily.” Since hearing Wukong’s words and rescuing Chang’e, he regarded Wukong’s wisdom as absolute.

Da Yu also said, “We shouldn’t act hastily. Although Wukong is trapped under the mountain, he’s not in immediate danger. Let’s not rush. It’s better to go and ask Wukong first.”

Feng Tong nodded and said, “Senior Da Yu is right.”

Da Yu stood up and said, “I’ll go and find out for sure. If Wukong doesn’t want to, I’ll just rescue him right away.” Qilin wanted to go too, but Hou Yi pulled him back, saying, “If it comes to the point where action is necessary, you’ll definitely be involved.”

Feng Tong turned to Yang Jian and said, “Brother Yang, don’t blame yourself. Wukong has always been extremely wise. It’s not surprising if he occasionally does something astonishing. You followed his instructions—what’s wrong with that?”

Yang Jian replied, “If it weren’t for my interference, Wukong would still be free in the world. Why would he have to go through such hardships?”

Feng Tong said, “What’s a blessing may turn into a curse, and what’s a curse can’t be avoided. If Buddha really intended to trap Wukong, would he have any trouble capturing him?”

The Bull Demon King also realized what had happened at this point and apologized to Yang Jian with a guilty expression, but Yang Jian naturally didn’t mind.