Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 320: Searching for Hell

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva seemed to have encountered some difficult problem and fell into deep thought.
Wukong asked, “What’s the matter? Is there something you can’t say?” When he first asked Laojun about this, Laojun hadn’t told him, only saying that the person in question was neither a Buddha nor a Taoist. Judging from Ksitigarbha’s expression, he too seemed troubled.
Ksitigarbha replied, “It’s not that I can’t say it; the truth is simply beyond comprehension. I just can’t figure out the logic behind it.”
Wukong asked, “So who is it? Could it really drive people mad?”
Ksitigarbha said, “Well, it was the Nine Heavens Maiden who killed Nagarjuna.”
Wukong was stunned. The Nine Heavens Maiden had come to this gathering alone, without any close interactions with the Three Pure Ones. That’s why Laojun had said she was neither a Buddha nor a Taoist—she was the one he meant.
Dayu had said that the Nine Heavens Maiden, under the influence of others, had mistakenly killed the Divine Ape. Laojun also said she had killed the Creative Divine Ape, preventing it from reentering the cycle of reincarnation. It seems Nagarjuna was indeed killed by her. But since the Nine Heavens Maiden possessed the eyes of creation, surely she knew that Nagarjuna was the Creative Divine Ape. It was even more impossible for her not to know the consequences of killing it. What could be so important that she risked destroying her own cultivation and facing annihilation in the world just to kill Nagarjuna?
There was another oddity: Wukong first became the Spiritual Bright Ape, then was reborn as Nagarjuna, and later as Wukong. That meant Dayu killed the Spiritual Bright Ape first, and the Nine Heavens Maiden killed Nagarjuna later—separated by an entire lifetime of Nagarjuna Bodhisattva.
It was because he was inside the Kunpeng in the three realms that he heard Dayu talk about the Nine Heavens Maiden killing the Divine Ape. Could it be that after Dayu and the others killed the Spiritual Bright Ape, it took an entire lifetime of Nagarjuna before the consequences of their actions struck? Was it that Dayu and the others’ retribution came too late, or that the Nine Heavens Maiden’s came too early?
Seeing that Wukong remained silent for a long time, Ksitigarbha comforted him, “Don’t be too sad. Perhaps this conflict between creation and destruction was just an accident.”
Conflict between creation and destruction? What could there be to it? Wukong thought for a while. Although he wasn’t awake, the close bond he shared with the other divine apes was extremely special. It was utterly impossible for him to harm them. Not to mention the divine apes, even killing Diting himself was beyond his power. The essence of creation was one unified lineage—was this what Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva meant?
Wukong asked, “Why did the Nine Heavens Maiden kill Nagarjuna?”
Ksitigarbha replied, “I don’t know that either. Perhaps she was influenced by others? Alas, as part of the lineage of creation, I too couldn’t bring myself to harm the divine apes. Such conflicts between creation and destruction bring immediate retribution!”
“Oh, how so? Immediate retribution?” Wukong asked.

Ksitigarbha King said, “If someone else kills the Creator Monkey, retribution might take a hundred or two hundred years, or even five or six hundred years. But if it’s someone from the Creator lineage who kills themselves, the consequences of their actions appear immediately—not even for a moment.”
Wukong understood. It seemed that after the Nine Heavens Goddess killed Nagarjuna, she died not long after. This must be a special punishment for those of the Creator lineage. Wukong vaguely remembered that Dayu had also said the Nine Heavens Goddess was deceived by someone else. But who was she? She was from the previous era—her wisdom and vision far surpassed those of ordinary people. Even the masters of the Three Pure Ones couldn’t make her fully submit to them. Who then could deceive her?
Wukong asked, “Since the Bodhisattva was close to Nagarjuna, she should know what he did and which interests he offended.”
Ksitigarbha King replied, “Nagarjuna spread Buddhist teachings, which naturally harmed Taoism. But the Three Pure Ones of Taoism follow the principle of following nature, so they didn’t care much about this.”
Wukong thought, Could it be that the Nine Heavens Goddess was acting on behalf of the Three Pure Ones? But the idea seemed unlikely. If she wanted to help Taoism, with her cultivation, she had countless ways to do so—why risk her life needlessly?
The Nine Heavens Goddess didn’t kill other divine monkeys but instead killed the Spiritual Bright Monkey who reincarnated as Bodhisattva Nagarjuna. It seemed it wasn’t due to a feud with the Creator Monkey, but rather related to Nagarjuna’s actions. Bodhisattva Nagarjuna was unwavering in his dedication to spreading Buddhism. Since the Nine Heavens Goddess wasn’t part of Taoism, her killing of Nagarjuna wasn’t about a conflict between the two religions. From her perspective, what other reasons could there be? Could Nagarjuna’s actions also be related to the rise and fall of the world?
Before spreading his teachings, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna obtained a treasure from Zhenwu. It was unclear what it was, but it must be extremely important. Since Ksitigarbha didn’t know why the Nine Heavens Goddess killed Nagarjuna, he probably didn’t know what this treasure was either. It seemed they would have to ask Zhenwu.
Sigh, Di Ting possesses such extraordinary abilities—what on earth does he listen to every day? Wukong asked, “May I ask the Bodhisattva, are there any rules regarding Di Ting’s listening?”
Ksitigarbha King replied, “In the four great continents, he listens for three hours each on the hardships of the people, the governance of emperors, the various aspects of the world, and the life of all things.”
Wukong asked, “Regarding the mysteries of the universe and the conflicts between immortals and Buddhas, he must know something about them, right?”
Ksitigarbha King said, “Very little. His listening isn’t for uncovering secrets. It seems you know very little about Pangu.”
Wukong asked, “What about Pangu?”

Ksitigarbha King said, “Pangu was selfless and kind, with profound virtue. He believed that the six senses of humans were useless, and that only the three perceptions of seeing, hearing, and judging were necessary. All other abilities—speaking, acting, moving—were seeds of right and wrong, roots of disaster.”
Wukong was speechless. This Pangu was truly a great man; after splitting the chaos, he simply observed everything passively, just like the earth beneath his feet.
Ksitigarbha King’s name must be closely related to Pangu’s philosophy. The qualities of “remaining calm and unshaken, with deep and quiet contemplation” are all traits of the earth. The earth knows everything and is the fairest entity in the world. If you cultivate in spring, you will surely reap in autumn; whatever seeds you plant, that is the fruit you will get.
No wonder Houtu could get along well with Ksitigarbha King—their methods shared a common origin, both subtly reflecting the truth that “man should follow the example of the earth.”
Wukong saw that although Ksitigarbha King had a gentle appearance, his heart was unbearably stubborn. Having inherited Pangu’s sense of justice, he was the most impartial person in the world, and any act of favoritism would surely be unacceptable to him.
Yet even so, Wukong decided to give it a try. With such great abilities as those of Di Ting, it would be a waste not to put them to use. Wukong said, “Great God Pangu surely has his reasons, but we live among heaven and earth, facing dangers everywhere and disasters at all times. If we don’t find ways to protect ourselves, we’re just waiting to be slaughtered.”
Ksitigarbha King replied, “That’s true.”
Wukong continued, “Since the Ear of Fate has such powers, why not listen to the two major sects in heaven and earth to find out their true intentions? Perhaps it’s related to why our quest to obtain the scriptures disturbs the Bodhisattvas.”
Hearing this, Ksitigarbha King was taken aback. He rarely changed his ways and had never thought of such a thing. After a long pause, he said, “Well… we’ll have to ask Di Ting first.”
Wukong saw that the divine beast Di Ting was lying on the ground with its eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
Ksitigarbha King explained, “It’s not asleep. It closes its eyes to hear more clearly.”
He also closed his eyes and communicated mentally with Di Ting. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, “Di Ting agrees to set aside half an hour each day to listen to the Thirty-Six Heavens and the Western Paradise.”
Wukong was slightly disappointed. Half an hour, divided in half, was only fifteen minutes, but it was better than nothing.
Ksitigarbha King smiled and said, “Don’t be unsatisfied. Remember, one day in heaven equals one year on earth.”
Wukong thought for a moment, then was overjoyed. He exclaimed, “That’s great! I thought the rules of the Ear of Fate were unchangeable, but it turns out they’re not set in stone.”
Ksitigarbha King replied, “You’ve forgotten who you are. If Fate can change, what’s so strange about that?”

Wukong understood at once—so creation has no inherent nature, nor is there any distinction between good and evil. Whatever creation decides is right. The fact that his own ideas could slightly change Ti Ting’s perspective was quite reasonable.
Wukong said, “If there are any important messages, please bother to call me, Bodhisattva.”
Ksitigarbha replied, “That puts me in a difficult position. In my heart, saving people is the most important thing; everything else is trivial. How would I know what constitutes an important message?”
Wukong said, “Then I’ll come back in a few days. Is that alright?”
Ksitigarbha said, “At any time.”
Wukong prepared to leave but suddenly remembered something and asked Ksitigarbha, “Has the Bodhisattva ever said, ‘I will not achieve Buddhahood until hell is empty’?”
Ksitigarbha replied, “It was me who said that. Why?”
Wukong asked, “If hell were truly empty, could you really become a Buddha?”
Ksitigarbha said, “Hell isn’t just made up of eighteen layers. The deepest and most evil hells lie within people’s hearts. Go and search there.”
Wukong was stunned. “Search there? Why should I do that?”
He then bid farewell to Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha and left the great hall. Seeing countless people kneeling outside, listening to Ksitigarbha preach, he felt a different emotion than before entering.
No wonder Earth Mother spoke so highly of Ksitigarbha. Even without considering his cultivation level, his wisdom of “enduring patiently” was beyond that of those hypocritical Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.
Wukong gained a lot from this journey. Not only did he learn about Ti Ting and Ksitigarbha’s origins, but he also discovered that Bodhisattva Nagarjuna had been killed by the Nine Heavens’ Mysterious Maiden. Most importantly, Ti Ting agreed to let him listen to the affairs of the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven every day. Calculating carefully, one day in heaven equaled one year on earth. By listening once a day, Ti Ting would inspect 365 times in a single day in heaven—such a frequency… well, it should be sufficient.
He left the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds and returned to the Mother and Child River. With Ksitigarbha’s guidance, he followed the river upstream. Wukong entered the water and swam upstream against the current. His speed was extremely fast, like an arrow released from a bow. In less than half a moment, he reached the source of the Mother and Child River.
The source of the Mother and Child River was different from the Tongtian River. It wasn’t formed by melting snow and ice on high mountains but sprang from a huge spring. Seeing the force of the fountain, Wukong secretly rejoiced. If he didn’t possess the divine power to control water, it would be difficult for him to enter such a turbulent spring.
Knowing the secret was right before him, he calmed himself down before diving into the spring.

This spring had an immense force; although the water flow had no effect on Wukong at all, he was still secretly amazed. What kind of power could make the spring gush so violently? Even ordinary immortals would find it impossible to withstand such force for even a moment. Was it natural or man-made? After descending hundreds of feet, Wukong suddenly found it impossible to move forward. Everything ahead was pitch black, with nothing visible. The spring water emerged from this dark void. Wukong used the secret technique of the Mysterious Void, silently reciting, “Hehe, the Eye of Creation.” Immediately, a dim light appeared ahead, revealing a formation.