Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 237: The Brotherhood

Zhen Yuanzi, for some reason, had changed his attire. Now dressed in a bright yellow Taoist robe, he shone brilliantly under the midday sun.
Seeing Zhen Yuanzi’s stern expression with not a trace of kindness on his face, Wukong whispered to the three of them, “Be careful.”
Bajie said, “We’re leaving now. Your food is tasteless, and you don’t even give us fruits. What’s there to stay for?”
A disciple beside Zhen Yuanzi sneered, “You monks really lack manners. You show up without invitation and leave just as suddenly, without even offering respects or incense. How ignorant!”
Sangza asked in confusion, “As monks traveling abroad, we just aim to be convenient for others and ourselves. Why do we need all these formalities?”
Wukong laughed and said, “Master, why bother arguing with them? Even if they’re naturally stingy and petty, not a single one of them is decent from top to bottom!”
Hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi also cursed him, unwilling to lose face in front of his disciples. He said coldly, “If that’s the case, then really don’t leave.”
Wukong led Tang Seng out, with Bajie and Wuhui guarding either side. Wukong said, “You old Taoist are really strange. We don’t get along, and we’re an eyesore to each other. Why do you insist on keeping us here? What’s the point? In other words, even if you can keep us, aren’t you afraid your Wuzhuang Temple won’t be big enough for us?”
Zhen Yuanzi laughed and said, “Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, you can only intimidate ordinary immortals. I really don’t take you seriously.”
Seeing that Zhen Yuanzi was utterly arrogant and showed no trace of a cultivator’s demeanor, Wukong said, “My master was sent by the King of Tang, guided by Guanyin Bodhisattva, to worship Buddha in the West. You stop us here for no reason—how bold of you!”
With the promise from Laozi, Zhen Yuanzi was unafraid and said, “What do your Buddhist affairs have to do with my Taoism?”
Realizing force was necessary, Wukong drew out his iron staff and said, “Fine! Since you won’t listen, let’s see how strong you really are!” He leaped into the air and swung his staff at Zhen Yuanzi.
Seeing the fierce power of Wukong’s strike, Zhen Yuanzi dodged to the side, waved his sleeves, and enveloped Tang Seng, Bajie, and Wuhui in his aura. Laughing loudly, he said, “Sun Wukong, go to the West by yourself!”
Unprepared for Zhen Yuanzi’s cunning, Wukong flew into a rage. His Ruyi Tianji Staff grew to over ten zhang in length as he shouted, “Let my master out, or I’ll destroy your Wuzhuang Temple!”
Zhen Yuanzi charged forward and yelled, “Then come at me!”
Having experienced the power of Zhen Yuanzi’s sleeve-based techniques, Wukong immediately flew away. As he passed by the Wuzhuang Temple’s gate, he smashed the stone stele to pieces with his staff.

Zhen Yuanzi succeeded with just one move and was overjoyed; he no longer cared about anything else. Wukong left the Wuzhuang Temple, blaming himself inwardly. He couldn’t figure out why Zhen Yuanzi insisted on keeping them there. With the Ginseng Fruit Tree at his disposal, Zhen Yuanzi naturally wanted peace and as few troubles as possible—so what reason did he have to stir up chaos in this quest for the scriptures? Recalling the Journey to the West, even when the Monkey King knocked down his Ginseng Fruit Tree, Zhen Yuanzi didn’t do much about it. Later, when the Monkey King had extensive connections and even brought out many Ginseng Fruits to entertain guests, Zhen Yuanzi still paid no attention. Could he have some even more powerful backing forcing him to act this way? After thinking it over, Wukong realized the matter was indeed suspicious. He decided to go find Guanyin first. He flew east on the clouds. Not far along, he saw a figure rushing toward him at lightning speed. Upon seeing this person, Wukong was overjoyed—it was the Golden Winged Roc, whom he hadn’t heard from in ages! The Roc was both surprised and delighted to see Wukong. He rushed forward, grabbed Wukong, and, with tears in his eyes, couldn’t speak for a long time. Wukong patted the Roc’s shoulder firmly and asked, “Where have you been all these years?” The Roc replied, “Aren’t you the same?” The two landed and found a quiet place to talk. The Roc said, “I came all the way from Qitian Ridge specifically to look for you. My second brother said that many ancient gods on the ridge were gathered by you—is that true?” Wukong replied, “What merits or abilities do I have? It’s just a matter of fate. It’s also a blessing for all the demons in the world.” The Roc said, “With Qitian Ridge’s current power, you could dominate the region. Why bother taking on such a pointless task?” Wukong said, “My third brother is wrong. This task isn’t pointless at all—it’s actually very interesting!” The Roc shook his head, still confused. Wukong said, “You should know me. My journey to the Western Heaven isn’t to help Buddha achieve success, but to turn against him when he thinks he’s already won. What do you think?” The Roc looked worried and said, “Wukong, I’m afraid you’re underestimating Buddha.” Wukong smiled and said, “Whether it succeeds or fails, since I’ve already set off, I can’t turn back.” The Roc said, “The journey is long and arduous. I don’t know how many people are eager to get their hands on those scriptures.” “That’s natural,” Wukong nodded and then asked the Roc, “How much do you really know about the Spiritual Mountain in the Western Heaven?” Normally, Wukong wouldn’t have asked such a question so easily, and even if he had, what the Roc said might not have been true. But after the three brothers had ventured into heaven together last time and reunited after a long separation, their bond had deepened greatly, so the Roc likely wouldn’t hide anything anymore.

The Roc said, “If I were to tell you, I’m afraid you’d be terrified.”
Hou Yi, hearing the Roc’s words, felt a sense of foreboding and laughed, “Just tell me as much as there is. What’s there to fear?”
The Roc replied, “In the Spirit Mountain, aside from those who are well-known, there are also three thousand Buddhas and tens of thousands of Bodhisattvas.”
Hou Yi was shocked and quickly asked, “What kind of cultivation do these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas possess? How can there be so many?”
The Roc said, “I also heard from my elder brother Peacock that among them, there are even a few who reach the highest level of Holistic Unity. Those who are called Holistic Unity Golden Immortals are countless—there must be hundreds at least. My brother Peacock is one of the Boundless Bodhisattvas. Not to mention the Vajras, Honored Ones, and Arhats.”
Turbulence surged in Hou Yi’s heart. He assumed that Buddha acted without restraint and must have some backing. He never imagined that the Western Heaven had such terrifying strength behind it.
“Are all these people under Buddha’s control?” Hou Yi asked eagerly. He also knew that the Western Heaven wasn’t monolithic; the most important thing was to determine how much of this power could be controlled by Buddha.
The Roc smiled bitterly, “That’s beyond my knowledge. The three thousand Buddhas and boundless Bodhisattvas are well-known and indeed exist, but no one has ever seen this power.”
“What then are they doing?”
The Roc shook his head and said, “I only know that time on the Spirit Mountain passes many times faster than in the world. This power that distorts time might be related to these people.”
Hou Yi murmured, “Seven days in the mountain mean a thousand years on earth… One day in heaven means one year on earth. Could it be that the Western Heaven and the Heavenly Court are doing the same thing?”
The Roc asked, “You should be on your way west now. Why are you heading east?”
Hou Yi sighed and briefly recounted what had happened at Wuzhuang Temple. Upon hearing this, the Roc became angry—he had also suffered losses there and still hadn’t recovered it. So he said, “Since I happen to meet you, I’ll go with you!”
Hou Yi examined the Roc carefully and saw that his cultivation had advanced far beyond before. He exclaimed, “How could your cultivation progress so rapidly? Have you encountered some great fortune?”
The Roc laughed, “I was almost trapped to death. It can be considered a blessing in disguise.” Then he told about being trapped in the formation in the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth, without hiding the fact that a mysterious person had given him pills.
After finishing this, the Roc smiled and said, “It’s thanks to the pill you gave me. Otherwise, it would have taken me another few decades to get out.”

Dapeng spoke casually, but Wukong’s mind wandered. He had also been to the Golden Heavens and Silver Lands, but only in a cursory manner, not with the intent to cultivate like Dapeng. With such a resilient nature, Dapeng surely deserved his rewards—reaching the rank of Hunyuan Golden Immortal after hundreds of years was quite fair. Thinking of himself, he hadn’t practiced diligently for many days and felt somewhat ashamed.

Wukong stood up and bowed solemnly, saying, “Third brother, you face difficulties head-on and achieve greatness, which I truly admire. Please allow your humble brother to pay you respects.” Dapeng laughed and said, “Don’t belittle me. I see that Second Brother, King Yufeng, and others have made rapid progress in their cultivation. It would be extremely difficult for me to surpass them. I’ve only just reached the rank of Hunyuan Golden Immortal, and compared to those ancient deities, I’m still far behind.”

Wukong replied, “Third brother, there’s no need to underestimate yourself. People like Dayu have practiced for tens of thousands of years—so it’s not surprising if they’re stronger.” At that moment, Wukong suddenly realized that Dayu and the others were already Hunyuan Golden Immortals before entering the three realms. Even after tens of thousands of years, they remained at that rank. The path to sainthood seemed unbearably long.

Dapeng said that with his current level as a Hunyuan Golden Immortal, he could only climb past the nine peaks of the Pillar Holding the Sky. He wondered how far Dayu and the others could go further up. By this logic, those below the nine peaks could be Taiyi Golden Immortals, while only Hunyuan Golden Immortals could reach above the peaks. Beyond that was perhaps the realm of the Supreme Hunyuan Sage? And what about those even stronger? Could they glimpse the mysteries of the heavens?

Wukong had thought about reaching the heavens to snatch stars, but whenever he reached great heights, some invisible force would suppress him, preventing him from going any higher—clearly due to insufficient cultivation. It seemed that only the laws of heaven might reveal something about this.

Seeing that Wukong remained silent for a long time, Dapeng assumed he was still troubled by the power of the Western Heaven. He said, “Wukong, there’s no need to worry about this. If the three thousand Buddhas and countless Bodhisattvas of the Western Heaven do not appear in the world, there must be a reason. Even when Dayu and the others went to the Western Heaven last time, they didn’t use that power. It’s very likely that Buddha himself still can’t control it.”

Wukong’s mind had been elsewhere, but hearing Dapeng’s words, he felt as if something was lingering in his thoughts. He murmured a few times, “Countless Bodhisattvas… Countless Bodhisattvas…” Finally, he remembered that Dayu and the others went to the Western Heaven to rescue Wang Bodhisattva, the Great Sage National Advisor, who was a descendant of Dayu. Back then, the Bull Demon King had rushed over briefly and left in a hurry, and Wukong had forgotten to ask questions.

What exactly was going on? Wang Bodhisattva, the Great Sage National Advisor, had once imprisoned the Creative Divine Ape Wu Zhiqi, and after Wu Zhiqi escaped, he was taken away to the Western Heaven. Did Wang Bodhisattva also belong to those countless Bodhisattvas?

Since the Tathagata returned the great sage and national advisor, Bodhisattva Wang, to Dayu, he must surely believe that this man is unaware of the secrets of the Western Heaven. Yet for now, this is the only way forward. It seems I really should find an opportunity to go to Qitianling and inquire further.