Volume 3: A Long Journey – Chapter 351: First Display of Power

When Wukong arrived at Xi Shi Gou, he rescued the Bull Demon King and killed the Great Wisdom Power Buddha. It was then that he noticed something unusual—his vision had previously only allowed him to see for a thousand miles. Yet just now, the distance covered was at least two to three thousand four hundred miles. After achieving mastery over the Five Elements, the Xuan Kong Fa Secret Techniques indeed greatly enhanced his vision. Just by looking into the distance, his sight had doubled, if not more.

Wukong remembered that while in the Jade Pure Palace, stars had flickered in his right pupil. Why was there a difference between his left and right pupils? The stars appeared in his right pupil hundreds of years later. Curious, he tried using just one eye to look into the distance. To his surprise, his left eye indeed couldn’t see as far as his right eye. With his right eye, he could see far beyond three to four thousand miles, while his left eye remained the same as before—only able to see up to a thousand miles. He didn’t realize that seeing a thousand miles was the ultimate limit for a Hun Yuan Jin Xian. Without spells to enhance vision, even the most advanced Hun Yuan Jin Xians could only see within a thousand miles.

Wukong recalled that the stars in his left pupil had flickered when he was beneath the Three Realms Volcano. There, he had witnessed Dayu, Zhu Rong, and others killing divine apes. Later, he saw scenes from the past life of the Red Boy. Then, in the netherworld, he observed Zhu Bajie’s rebirth. After that, it was Dragon Tree retrieving treasures from the Dragon Palace… Could it be that one of these eyes saw time, while the other saw space? Was it a divine ability where the right eye viewed the universe and the left eye observed the cosmos?

It seemed he still needed to practice hard with the Xuan Kong Fa Secret Techniques. Although there were only three volumes, he was only just beginning with Volume 3, “Preserving Truth.” Not to mention anything else, the ability to see into the distance was already extraordinary, and the power to witness past events was no less remarkable. Yet this ability was extremely mysterious; he couldn’t figure out its principles or use it on his own. But for now, Wukong was content. If he could truly master it, it would be truly heaven-defying. Nothing in the world could escape his notice.

He had eaten twopeaches, which had greatly enhanced his powers. However, he couldn’t tell the Great Peng or the Bull Demon King about this. Wukong simply said it was a gift from Laojun.

Hearing it was his master’s doing, the Bull Demon King didn’t dare say a word. The Great Peng said, “This is truly wonderful!”

Wukong glanced down and saw a red qilin python in Xi Shi Gou. He asked, “Is that someone here to watch the fun?” The Bull Demon King replied, “There’s no fun to watch. That’s a laborer I found to help us get out of this stinky gully.”

Wukong circled around and remembered where he was. In “Journey to the West,” this Stinky Persimmon Gully was also a challenge during the pilgrimage. Fortunately, Zhu Bajie was able to handle the dirty and laborious tasks, clearing a path. The Bull Demon King had his own method—he captured a giant python in the mountain to serve as a helper.

The red-scaled giant python saw another person arrive and in just one move knocked down the Great Power King Buddha, destroying both his body and soul. It was extremely shocked—someone could have reached such a level of cultivation. As it pondered this, the Bull Demon King shouted, “Stop gawking and get to work!”

Wukong glanced casually and saw ten figures approaching from the west. Waving his hand, he said, “Second brother, take the red python back to the east for now. This place seems unsafe.”

The Bull Demon King was displeased. He had enjoyed the battle earlier, but since he still had the Piercing Wind Needle in his body, he couldn’t fight. After cursing the Great Power King Buddha a few times, he called the red-scaled python and went back to the east to summon reinforcements.

The ten monks from the west arrived in moments. The first two were Anuo and Kasyapa, who clearly served as guides. The next two were the Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra, riding their mounts with solemn expressions and closed eyes. The remaining six monks were surrounded by radiant light and exuded an aura of grandeur—easily recognizable as formidable opponents.

Wukong examined each of them. The first eight were at the level of Hunyuan Golden Immortals, while the last two were so advanced that even he couldn’t determine their strength—likely far surpassing his own.

Anuo and Kasyapa wore solemn expressions. Upon arriving, they effortlessly found the corpse of the Great Power King Buddha along with his weapons and sacred pillars on the ground.

Anuo placed the Buddha’s weapons and corpse on a cloud, and the nine of them closed their eyes and began chanting scriptures: “Namo Amitabha…”

Wukong and the Roc watched quietly. These nine had extraordinary cultivation levels. As they chanted the “Rebirth Mantra,” the sounds of Buddhist mantras filled the air, creating a mysterious and powerful aura. Wukong could see that many pure essences were emanating from the Great Power King Buddha’s body, drifting toward the west.

How could there be so much essence in a dead body? Did the “Rebirth Mantra” have such miraculous effects? Wukong was astonished. It seemed there were many mysteries within Buddhism, most of which related to essence. The Great Power King Buddha was renowned for his strength, and his physical body must have been exceptionally refined. Yet, even with so much essence within him, was it really worth all these Buddhas chanting to gather it? Was there some reason why the Buddhas couldn’t discard their own essence? Or was he overthinking it? Was this just a ritual for rebirth?

As Wukong was thinking, Manjushri shouted in a deep voice, “Who harmed the Great Wisdom Power King Buddha?” Wukong did not answer; instead, he glanced at Manjushri with an extremely arrogant expression.

Manjushri guessed that the Great Roc did not possess such power either and roared, “Demons, submit!” He summoned the green lion beneath his seat, took up the Wisdom and Silence Vajra Sword, and charged at Wukong. Samantabhadra said nothing either and drew his Vajra Mace, joining the attack. Before they could get close, Anuo revealed a sandalwood treasure pagoda. Inside the pagoda, a golden pearl shone brightly, emitting thousands of rays of light that struck Manjushri and Samantabhadra.

It was unclear what effect these rays had, but Wukong felt that their cultivation levels seemed to have increased significantly. The Great Roc growled, “Buddhist blessing technique!” Wukong said, “Don’t intervene. Just create a diversion for me!”

The Great Roc responded and retreated a hundred feet to watch from afar. He knew that Wukong was no longer the same as before, but judging from the fact that he had killed the Great Wisdom Power King Buddha with just one move, intervening would only cause trouble.

Wukong did not back down an inch. He drew out his Heavenly Fate Staff and swung it like a flexible whip, wrapping it around Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Manjushri and Samantabhadra saw a blur before their eyes, unsure of what magic weapon Wukong was using. In panic, they leaped off their seats.

They managed to dodge, but the green lion and white elephant could not. The whip descended half a foot, hitting the legs of their mounts. With several cracking sounds, all eight legs of the two mounts were severed, leaving them broken in two. Two agonized cries rang out. Without even looking, Wukong employed a new staff technique he had just mastered and fought against them. Although Manjushri and Samantabhadra were strengthened by the light of the treasure pagoda and were much faster and stronger than before, Wukong’s earlier killing of the Great Wisdom Power King Buddha had already filled them with fear.

Wukong thought that this combination of firmness and flexibility in his staff technique was absolutely superb, and it would be extremely difficult for these two bodhisattvas to counter it. So he unleashed it freely, moving with ease as if in a flowing stream.

Seeing that they were at a disadvantage even fighting two against one, Manjushri made up his mind to strike head-on, using his sword like an axe. He poured all his strength into this strike, hoping to create space for Samantabhadra to cast a spell. Wukong raised his staff to block it, and with a crisp crack, the Wisdom and Silence Vajra Sword was instantly broken in two, leaving Manjushri with only one sword. His face turned pale as he quickly jumped back several feet, seemingly unable to believe what had just happened.

Fortunately, Samantabhadra’s Vajra Mace had already reached Wukong’s back. Wukong deliberately did not dodge and endured the strike on his back. Samantabhadra felt a shock in his arm. Then he heard Wukong laugh loudly and say, “Are you trying to scratch me?” Samantabhadra’s face turned red in shock. This man’s staff technique was extraordinary, and his physical strength was equally formidable.

Anuo reminded him, “This man is the ancient Emperor Zhuanxu. Be careful, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra!”

Puxian stepped back, took out his magical weapon, the Vajra Bell, and shook it, saying, “The merits of one’s inherent nature—wonderful sounds that arise spontaneously!” Wukong paid no attention to the bell. Although he heard strange noises, it only caused a slight tremor in his heart, with no further sensation. He then swung his staff at it, saying, “What a joke!”
During their previous battle with the Bull Demon King, Puxian had nearly captured him using the Vajra Bell. He thought that even though Zhuanxu was powerful, he could still slow him down. But to his surprise, this ancient Zhuanxu was completely unaffected. Filled with fear, he turned and fled.
Wukong chased after him, swinging his staff at Puxian’s back. Suddenly, a Buddhist chant was heard: “Amitabha!” A very long string of prayer beads appeared in midair and wrapped around his Tianji Staff, blocking that seemingly inevitable strike.
Puxian and Manjushri returned to their formation, still shaken. It had been many years since they had encountered such a formidable opponent. If they had retreated any slower, it might have become a source of eternal regret.
At the end of the prayer beads was an old monk. Pulling on the beads, he said, “Please show mercy, kind sir!” Wukong pulled hard, but the Tianji Staff didn’t budge at all. He then retracted his staff with a cold laugh and said, “Who has ever shown mercy to me?” He wasn’t referring to Zhuanxu but rather to the killing of the Seven Divine Apes.
This old monk was a peak figure of Hunyuan. He was known as the Buddha of Sun and Moon Pearl Light. His prayer beads possessed the power of the sun and moon. Yet he was surprised that he couldn’t even grasp Wukong’s iron staff.
The Buddha of Pearl Light floated forward and said, “You have committed countless sins. Why not come with me to Ling Mountain? I will chant sutras day and night to save you. What do you say?”
Wukong was surprised and asked, “What sins have I committed? Tell me.”
The Buddha of Pearl Light replied, “You killed the Great Buddha of Great Wisdom and Power. Isn’t that a grave sin?”
Wukong said, “Everyone dies eventually. What’s so special about that?”
The Buddha of Pearl Light replied, “How can a Buddha be compared to ordinary people?”
Wukong sneered, “What’s so different about a Buddha? They just have some magical powers to deceive ordinary people and seize their fate. Without those powers, I’ll turn you all back to your original forms sooner or later!”
The Buddha of Pearl Light clasped his hands and chanted, sighing, “Since you refuse to see the truth, then there’s nothing else to do.”
Wukong laughed heartily and said, “If you want to fight, then fight. Why talk so much nonsense? You’re even less straightforward than those androgynous bodhisattvas!” In Buddhism, the four great bodhisattvas often travel among mortals and must maintain a majestic appearance in people’s hearts. Therefore, they usually wear crowns, adorned with garlands and robes made of precious stones and agate. Wukong’s description of them as androgynous was quite apt.

The pearl-adjacent Buddha was not good at arguing, nor was he angry. He waved the prayer beads in his hand and slowly moved toward Wukong. Wukong focused intently in response. Just in terms of mental fortitude, this old monk was far stronger than Manjushri and Samantabhadra—there was no way to underestimate him.