Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 312: His Arrival

Wukong did not dare stay long in the Tushita Palace. Just a few words exchanged here might mean a whole day passing outside. So he said, “Since Lord Laozi has reaped benefits, why not bring back your precious ox?”
Lord Laozi replied, “Good, I’ll go right now!”
The two descended through the thirty-three heavens. Wukong asked Lord Laozi, “Of these two oxen, which one do you prefer?”
Lord Laozi gave Wukong a disdainful look and said, “They’re both my own pets. What’s the difference?”
Wukong smiled and said, “It seems the one-horned rhinoceros is more favored.”
Lord Laozi asked, “Where did you get that idea?”
Wukong replied, “You were willing to give it the Vajra Axe and the Banana Fan—aren’t those enough?”
Lord Laozi snorted and said, “If I gave it to the strong ox, I’d fear it might cause trouble. The green ox is simple-minded and obedient—only giving it to it makes me feel at ease!”
Wukong was speechless. The two continued flying until they saw Golden Horn Mountain. Suddenly, Wukong remembered something: if Lord Laozi took back the green ox spirit, he would return to the Tushita Palace, and it was uncertain when they would meet again. So he hurriedly asked, “Does Lord Laozi know Bodhisattva Nagarjuna?”
Upon hearing this question, Lord Laozi’s body trembled. He stopped in mid-air and asked, “You already know?”
Wukong was confused but still nodded.
Lord Laozi pondered for a while before taking out a red gourd. Seeing it, Wukong was overjoyed. It was in this very gourd that Lord Laozi had shared many secrets with him last time. What precious information could he get this time? For Wukong, every piece of secret he learned was like finding a treasure. He thought that these clues would eventually connect to solve the greatest mystery in the world.
Once inside the gourd, Lord Laozi said, “Don’t worry. Inside this gourd, aside from my two senior brothers, no one else will know where you are.”
Wukong asked, “Will that person know?”
Hearing “that person,” Lord Laozi shook his head and said, “That person is most likely not here. Even if they are, they’re not the same person as before.”
Wukong smiled and said, “In that case, the Three Pure Ones must be the greatest masters in the world, unmatched by anyone else.”
Upon hearing this, Lord Laozi said earnestly, “Wukong, if it were as simple as you say, it would just be a matter of killing them—utterly foolish! The most powerful thing in this world isn’t cultivation or magic, but human hearts. In this world, everyone has their concerns. The saying ‘the ignorant are fearless’ probably refers to you.”
Seeing Lord Laozi act like a wise teacher, Wukong helplessly said, “I was just talking. I wouldn’t take it seriously. But in terms of cultivation, the Three Pure Ones surely qualify, right?”

Laojun shook his head, then nodded, saying, “Perhaps he deserves it, perhaps not.”
Wukong asked, “As the saying goes, there is no first in literature or second in martial arts. If he both deserves it and doesn’t, what does that mean?”
Laojun replied, “You have not reached sainthood, so naturally you don’t understand. The higher one’s cultivation, the more perilous a confrontation becomes. Their divine powers can even move mountains and destroy the heavens and earth—think about it.”
Wukong understood. It was probably like the games of strategy in later times. In Korea, there was a Go master named Lee Chang-ho, known as the “Stone Buddha.” His play was meticulous and mature, his calculations precise, and his endgame skills excellent. At the height of his career, thanks to his outstanding overall strategy and top-tier endgame skills, he defeated the best players from China, Japan, and Korea. Yet even at that peak when he was almost invincible, his win rate was only 80%.
Laojun meant that while there might be a slight difference in cultivation, it was minimal, and in actual combat, the outcome was truly unpredictable.
That meant that those with the cultivation of the Three Pure Ones were not rare in the world. Wukong always believed that the reason one dared not challenge them was due to their own lack of strength. If only the Three Pure Ones reached sainthood, and the rest could at most become Taiyi Golden Immortals, then the world would likely belong to Taoism—where else could other existences come from? And as Laojun said, the last cycle was exactly like this!
Seeing Wukong pondering, Laojun did not interrupt him but simply watched him steadily.
Wukong, noticing Laojun’s gaze, didn’t want to keep him waiting. An idea struck him—he suddenly remembered having a golden ring on his head. After wearing it for a few days, he had forgotten about it, either out of habit or otherwise. Since he had forgotten, why did Laojun seem to ignore it as well?
Wukong couldn’t help but ask, “Laojun, have you seen this golden ring?”
Laojun nodded. “I have.”
Wukong nodded too. “No wonder you saw me wearing it without asking.”
Laojun said, “The Wind-Bringing Divine Ape went to ask my senior brother long ago. I know everything, so why ask you?”
So that’s how it is. Wukong asked again, “Where have you seen this golden ring before?”
Laojun replied, “This golden ring was created by humans. How could I not know?”
Wukong was shocked. No wonder it was so powerful—it was made by humans. A shadow of worry crossed his mind. It seemed difficult to remove that ring. That person? Buddha? What was their relationship? Why did Buddha’s background always seem to be shadowed by that person?
Wukong asked, “Did that person create this golden ring specifically for the kings of the five realms?”
Laojun said, “Exactly!”
“Then why is it on my head?” Wukong’s voice was almost crying.

Laojun said, “You shouldn’t ask me about the workings of fate; it’s pointless to ask.”
Wukong exclaimed, “Fate is just fate—fate is the same everywhere in the world. What’s there to talk about mutual generation and restraint? This golden ring is clearly aimed at me, just like a magnet—I can’t avoid it!”
Laojun replied, “Fate is the same everywhere… What you’re referring to is only this heaven.”
This heaven? Wukong suddenly understood—was the fate within this golden ring also brought by the previous era? Moreover, when that person came out of the Fate Furnace and then turned to ashes, was it because he carried the fate of the previous era within him, making it difficult for him to survive in this world?
Wukong carefully recalled what Laojun had said that day, “In the Fate Furnace, we lose all our cultivation and powers, becoming like useless people…” Yet Laojun and the others went through this process and turned misfortune into fortune, getting rid of the fate within them. In this current era, they absorbed it again from the Fate Furnace, hence remaining unimpeded to this day. If that’s the case, this Fate Furnace is truly amazing!
Wukong then asked, “I get it now—this fate isn’t from the present but from the past.”
Laojun nodded and said, “This young one is teachable!”
Wukong gave Laojun a disdainful look. His mind was in chaos—how could he still be so formal?
“How many such golden rings are there in total?” Wukong asked.
“I’ve only seen four,” Laojun replied. “Among the five types of kings, except for the king of the Ruo tribe, there’s one for each of the others.”
Wukong wasn’t sure and asked, “With that person’s abilities, what can’t he do if he controls these golden rings?”
Laojun said, “This is a once-and-for-all solution—more effective than constantly keeping an eye on them. Besides, these golden rings are extremely difficult to create. Aside from him, I’ve never seen anyone else able to make them.”
Wukong asked, “Not even the Supreme Heavenly Lord Yuan Shi?” His heart sank again. Aside from Buddha, Yuan Shi might be the only hope to solve this problem. If even Yuan Shi can’t make them, it’s likely he doesn’t understand their mechanism—how could he then solve it?
Laojun said, “After hearing Fengtong explain those formations, my senior brother only said, ‘Difficult.’”
Wukong knew this was likely the outcome and sighed. Laojun said the method of creating these golden rings was extremely difficult, but he himself knew they could be used effortlessly. Even the powerless Tang Seng could torment the Monkey King severely with just a spell. If these golden rings were only under Buddha’s control, he would have to be very cautious in his actions. Though he was currently on a steady quest for the scriptures, who knew what the outcome would be? He himself didn’t know when he might turn rebellious and head straight to Qitian Ridge.

Moreover, although Tathagata agreed to untie the ring for him, it was merely a verbal promise. He was a wise and intelligent monkey—how could Tathagata easily control him and then so easily release the bonds? The more Wukong thought about the future, the more confused he became, sighing deeply.

Seeing Wukong’s state, Laozi said, “My senior brother said that out of the five formations, he only recognizes four and a half.”

Wukong was stunned. It seemed Laozi was teasing him—recognizing four and a half out of five meant he didn’t recognize even half! Just as he was about to curse, Laozi added, “It’s not that my senior brother doesn’t know the other half; he simply didn’t learn it fully back then.”

Wukong stuck out his tongue. He had almost misunderstood Laozi. He asked, “Why didn’t the Great Heavenly Venerable study it properly?”

Laozi replied angrily, “Do you think the Formation of Heaven and Earth is something children can play with? Can one learn it just by saying so? Even I still can’t understand it fully! One might suddenly grasp this formation if enlightened, but if not, it may be impossible to understand even in a lifetime!”

Wukong asked, “Is the Great Heavenly Venerable willing to help me overcome this trouble?”

Laozi said, “Of course. My senior brother also knows that this golden ring is no trivial matter. If you fall under someone else’s control, it could cause great harm. He will immediately retreat to meditate on the formation, vowing to figure out the remaining half!”

Wukong shuddered in fear. “Laozi, please convey this to him—when the Great Heavenly Venerable retires to meditate, he shouldn’t do it in the heavens. Just a short nap there could mean a hundred years pass on earth, and by then, everything might have changed.”

Laozi laughed. “You can think of that—how could my senior brother not? He has magical treasures that can slow down time greatly. Don’t worry.”

Only then did Wukong feel relieved.

Laozi paused, as if deciding on something important. After much thought, he finally said to Wukong, “The day you asked me what that person’s name was, I didn’t tell you.”

Wukong asked, “Why not? Is there any taboo about the name?”

Laozi replied, “I didn’t tell you because the name is special. I was afraid you might mix things up and become distracted.”

Wukong said, “It’s just a name. There are many people with the same name in the world. It’s fine to tell me.”

“Very well!” Laozi took a deep breath and said, “That person’s name is—Tathagata.”

Wukong almost fell backward in shock. So Tathagata was that person, and that person was Tathagata! How could Laozi have hidden such an important thing from him for so long?

Laozi said, “You’re so shocked. If I had known, I wouldn’t have told you at all.”

Wukong asked, “Isn’t this shocking enough?”

Laozi replied, “Who said there are many people with the same name in the world?”

Wukong was instantly stunned. These words indeed were his own, but Tathagata—he was Tathagata! How could they be the same?
Laojun said, “This Tathagata is not that Tathagata. The name of that person means ‘When the world unites, it is as if I come; when the world divides, it is as if I leave.’”