Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 243: The Vanishing Ghost Wukong smiled inwardly—sure enough, it was still the same trick. He warned the others, “That monster has transformed into an old woman again.” Bajie rushed up a few steps behind and asked, “Could it be she’s here to look for a daughter?” Wukong replied, “It’s not to look for a daughter. I think she’s still here to find the master.” Tang Seng asked, “Why would she be looking for me?” Before Wukong could answer, Bajie said, “Master, you still don’t realize how precious your body is. Ordinary people can live forever just by eating a piece of your flesh.” Tang Seng frowned on his horse and said, “Stop talking nonsense!” Seeing that Tang Seng only scolded Bajie, Wukong closed his eyes and remained silent, his expression calm as if unimpressed, clearly already aware of this. Just then, the old woman approached. Warned by Wukong, the others naturally ignored her. The mountain path was narrow, and with the three of them walking side by side, they almost passed the old woman by. As they were about to pass, the old woman suddenly leaped into the air and rushed at Tang Seng on his horse. Her desperate move revealed endless greed in her eyes—she seemed eager to merge with Tang Seng right away. Wukong was prepared. He turned around and shouted, “You wretched monster, how dare you!” The ghost didn’t bother to take any disguise this time. It appeared as a skeleton floating in the air, its empty eye sockets seemingly bottomless. Wukong sneered, “No matter how many forms you take, you can’t escape my sight!” The ghost said nothing, only staring coldly at Wukong. Seeing Wukong blocking the path, it didn’t dare to force its way through and slowly landed. Wukong kept an eye on it, fearing it might use some trick. But as soon as the ghost landed, it vanished without a trace. Wukong quickly turned to look at Tang Seng. Some unknown magic had allowed the ghost to appear in front of Tang Seng’s horse—its speed of disappearance was astonishing. Wukong exclaimed in alarm, “Protect the master!” and rushed over at once. In his shock, Wukong was delayed. The ghost had already lunged at Tang Seng, and Bajie, standing behind with his load, was even slower to react. Wukong was terrified—if the ghost took possession of Tang Seng, everything would be lost! His eyes narrowed in fury as he grabbed his Ruyi Jingu Bang. At the moment the ghost was about to grab Tang Seng, a glimmer appeared in Wukong’s left eye— The ghost was attached to the skeleton and naturally had no eyes; its two dark sockets stared blankly in some unknown direction. At that moment of the glimmer, the ghost’s movements stopped abruptly. It turned its head toward Wukong, as if pondering something.

Wukong was also stunned. What did this ghost want to do? It wasn’t trying to capture Tang Seng—so why did it suddenly stop? By this time, Wuhui had reacted and spat out a column of fire. The ghost, unwilling to engage in a fight, quickly dived underground and vanished.

Wukong hurried to check on Tang Seng. In just an instant, Tang Seng had remained with his eyes closed, reciting scriptures, still not opening them, unaware that he had narrowly escaped death.

Seeing that Tang Seng was safe, Wukong felt much relieved. He looked around, fearing the ghost might return. There, in the distance, he saw the ghost floating in the air, extending a bone-white arm as if waving at Wukong.

Wukong grew suspicious. The ghost didn’t say a word, seemingly unable to speak. Its hostility toward Tang Seng was obvious, but just moments earlier, after those spots appeared in his vision, the ghost had clearly spared Tang Seng. Could those spots in his vision change someone’s nature? Was it a divine ability of the wise monkey? After some thought, Wukong couldn’t even convince himself. What is nature? It is what fate decrees! Is nature inherently good or evil? There has never been a definitive answer throughout history. Fate is innate—how could it be changed at will?

Seeing that Wukong wasn’t moving, the ghost continued to wave at him. Wukong, curious about its strange behavior, said to Wuhui, “I’ll go capture that demon. Keep a close eye on Master!”

After giving those instructions, Wukong flew toward the ghost. When the ghost saw him approaching, it swayed slightly, seemingly pleased. As Wukong got closer, the ghost flicked its finger and turned, flying northeast.

Wukong followed closely, eager to see what the ghost intended. At first, the ghost seemed uneasy, turning back frequently to ensure Wukong was following. After a few times, seeing that Wukong was sticking close, it sped up, flying swiftly toward the northeast of the four great continents.

The ghost couldn’t ride clouds and relied solely on its own strength to fly, yet it was quite fast. The more Wukong flew, the more puzzled he became. He could see the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds ahead—flying any further might lead to the Golden Heavens and Silver Lands. He wasn’t afraid of the fierce winds there, but how could the ghost withstand them?

As he pondered, the ghost reached the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds and dived in headfirst. Wukong guessed that this explained why the ghost was so powerful—it must have come from the Yama Palace.

The ghost flew confidently deeper into the abyss. Wukong had been there once before, seeing the black rocks and waters. Further ahead lay the caves he had entered before, within which stood ten Yama Palaces.

The ghost arrived at the cave entrance but did not enter; instead, it headed toward another cliff face. That cliff was made of solid black stones with not a single crack. The ghost continued at full speed and vanished after colliding with the black stones.

Wukong was greatly surprised. Why had the ghost led him here? Could he also have to penetrate those stones like it? Wukong approached to test it, knocking hard a few times—the sound was solid, definitely not hollow.

Gritting his teeth, Wukong used his “Dive into the Abyss and Contract the Land” technique. Among his five elements spells, only earth magic was weaker, but ordinary teleportation spells posed no challenge to him. As he entered the black stones, he felt quite uncomfortable. He kept drilling straight ahead for half an hour before finally emerging from the stones.

Wukong landed on the ground and carefully examined the surroundings. It was a closed cave, with countless bright pearls hanging on the stone walls, illuminating the interior as brightly as day. He couldn’t tell what material the cave walls were made of—they were extremely hard and all yellow in color.

Seeing only one passage in the cave, Wukong followed it deeper, feeling somewhat uneasy.

After turning two corners, he saw the ghost waiting ahead. He walked over and turned right, only to find a magnificent and splendid palace before him. The palace was extremely luxurious, with countless rare jewels and gems embedded in its outer walls—who could have the means to build such an awe-inspiring hall deep underground? Just the palace doors were several times more magnificent than the Jade Emperor’s Celestial Palace in heaven.

The ghost led Wukong straight into the main hall, then bowed respectfully to the person seated on the throne before retreating.

Wukong never expected such an encounter and remained stunned throughout. After calming himself down, he looked up at the person on the throne. On the throne sat a woman of natural grace and beauty, with a stunning face. She wore a yellow Taoist robe, adding to her elegance and distinction. Yet, she wore a gentle smile that inspired immediate trust in those who saw her.

Wukong steadied himself and bowed, saying, “Wukong pays his respects to the Earthly Queen!”

He was right—this woman was indeed one of the Six Imperial Deities, second in rank only to the Heavenly Emperor. The Earthly Queen was the ruler of all lands, in charge of yin and yang and governing all things; she was also known as the Earthly Emperor Goddess who followed the will of heaven!

Though she had never appeared in person, Wukong had learned from the Bull Demon King that the Earthly Queen truly existed and held a high status, second only to the Jade Emperor among the Six Imperial Deities. Only now, after this day, had Wukong seen all three groups of the supreme deities.

It turned out that the White Bone Spirit, that ghost, was a subordinate of the Earthly Mother. She instructed the ghost to lead him here—a very kind act, at least the Earthly Mother hadn’t deliberately concealed it. Yet, as soon as the ghost saw him, it made a quick decision. Could it be that the Earthly Mother had prearranged this with it? When the ghost saw the stars flashing in his eyes and his demeanor changed completely, did the Earthly Mother also know the secret of the Creative Divine Ape?

As he wandered in thought, he heard the Earthly Mother say, “Divine Ape, come and sit.”

Wukong was shocked—she indeed knew. So he stepped up the jade steps and came before her. The Earthly Mother’s gaze never left Wukong, filled with approval. She pointed to the side of her throne and said, “Sit.”

Wukong saw that there was only one place to sit on those steps. Though the throne was more than ten feet wide, how could he just sit there casually? That was the Earthly Mother’s seat. In the whole world, those qualified to sit there were probably no more than a handful.

Seeing Wukong hesitating, the Earthly Mother smiled and said, “No matter how noble this seat is, how magnificent this hall, or how vast this world, it’s all just temporary dwelling. What’s there to worry about?”

Hearing the Earthly Mother’s words, which carried a sense of Zen and a hint of melancholy, Wukong felt a sense of resonance and said, “There’s nothing permanent in this world. Worrying is pointless.”

The Earthly Mother looked at Wukong and asked, “What do you think is the purpose of living?”

Wukong thought to himself, I’ve pondered this question countless times. Even in later generations, countless philosophers have spent their days thinking about it. Likely, each person has their own answer. After further reflection, he was left utterly confused, not knowing how to respond.

He glanced around the grand hall, which was empty and adorned with exquisite carvings, magnificent and elegant. It must have taken countless efforts to build. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a splendid hall!”

“Is it good? I built it all by myself,” the Earthly Mother murmured. “People say there are treasures on the surface of the earth, but they don’t realize the riches underground are a hundred times greater. Pearls, jade, gold, and stones are all within easy reach, though polishing them takes a lot of effort…”

Hearing the Earthly Mother’s words, which carried a sense of resentment, Wukong guessed she must have lived underground for so long that she was extremely lonely. Otherwise, why would she engage in such activities to pass the time?

The Earthly Mother continued, “I can’t remember how many years it’s been. I was searching underground for a pearl—well, this one.” She pointed to the round, light-green pearl on the armrest of the throne. “At first, there was only this one on the left. I was determined to find one that matched it, but then I met that little guy.” By “that little guy,” she naturally meant the ghost.

“I brought it back, and over time, I became more and more aware of the unusual nature of this wandering spirit.” Hou Tu’s beautiful eyes stared at Wukong, who suddenly came up with an extremely bold hypothesis.