Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 359: The Transformation of the Mysterious Lady

Wukong was asking about the jade box, but in his heart he was thinking of one of its contradictions. When the calamity of this cycle arrived, everything in chaos was naturally destroyed, so it was impossible for the jade box to exist. Yet the box contained various martial arts and secrets, so it surely couldn’t have appeared naturally. Moreover, Randeng was born even before Laojun and the others created the Creation Furnace. Although his age was not as great as that of the Creation Divine Ape, it was still extremely early. How could anyone master so many techniques in such a short time? Thus, this jade box definitely wasn’t from this cycle. If it wasn’t from this cycle, then it must be from the previous one. If it was a treasure from the previous cycle, then how did it end up in the Tongtian River? From the previous cycle to this one, only the Creation Furnace could store things—well, that was the only explanation.

So, who secretly took the Creation Furnace and placed this jade box in the Tongtian River? Who knew that Randeng would appear in the Tongtian River, or that someone would happen to emerge to inherit these techniques and spread Buddhism? Among those he knew who were associated with the Creation Furnace, the Three Pure Ones had no reason to do this, and the Jade Emperor and Queen probably didn’t have the ability. Thus, the answer became clear: it was most likely the teacher of the Three Pure Ones—the Tathagata of the previous cycle. There was a 10% chance it might also be the Mysterious Lady. In fact, Wukong already believed it was the Tathagata, but he still couldn’t see through the Mysterious Lady, so he retained some doubt.

Even so, Laojun said that the person disappeared in a puff of smoke as soon as he left the Creation Furnace—this must have been a deception. The person didn’t really disappear but chose not to appear in the world under his original appearance, thus disappearing into the shadows. Although Wukong didn’t know why the person did this, he could infer that it wasn’t that he couldn’t, but rather that he didn’t want to!

Wukong said, “Though this person is meticulous, he still left clues.”

After being questioned by Wukong, Randeng thought for a while and also saw the pattern, saying, “I was indeed blinded by the situation. I always felt something was off here, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

Wukong asked, “Master, do you remember what that person’s appearance was? Was it the current Buddha Tathagata or the Bodhisattva Nili?”

Randeng shook his head and said, “That person had a strange appearance. Although I saw him, I only remembered his eyes; everything else was blurry. It definitely wasn’t the current Buddha or Nili.”

Wukong clasped his palms together and said, “Then this person must be one of the three Dharma bodies of the Tathagata!”

Randeng smiled and said, “If this person can enter and exit the Creation Furnace freely, then it must be him!”

Thinking of this, Wukong still had doubts. Among the three Dharma bodies of Tathagata, he had only seen two of them. The most frequently seen one, Tathagata, who roamed the world, was merely at the peak of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal level, which seemed rather inadequate. With such a low level of cultivation, not to mention the Three Pure Ones, even Qilin and Dayu could easily defeat him. Wasn’t Tathagata afraid of being killed? And that Muli Bodhisattva in the Buddhist hell was incredibly powerful, leaving almost no chance for resistance even with the power of the Earth Goddess. Wukong didn’t need to beat around the bush when facing Randeng and asked, “With such a low level of cultivation, Tathagata must be the weakest among these three Dharma bodies. Isn’t he afraid of being killed?” Randeng looked solemn and shook his head, saying, “Those with the ability to kill him mostly know the truth and dare not do so!” Wukong asked, “What’s the truth? Could killing him bring some kind of reward?” Randeng replied, “He isn’t part of the cosmic order, so there’s no such reward.” After saying this, Randeng suddenly fell into deep thought. Wukong didn’t interrupt him but waited quietly. Suddenly, Randeng said, “I finally understand the deeper meaning in her words!” Wukong asked, “Whose words? What deeper meaning?” Randeng replied, “She said Tathagata’s third Dharma body dares not enter this world, but if Tathagata is killed now, he can summon the third Dharma body to stay in this world forever using his physical body!” Wukong wondered, “What kind of strange power is this?” Randeng replied seriously, “Turning relics into Buddha bodies!” Wukong suddenly remembered how Zhuguang Buddha created a phantom Buddha body with his arm and asked, “Was it this power that Zhuguang Buddha used?” Randeng glanced at Wukong and laughed, “That’s right. You saw this power when you fought him. Haha!” Wukong asked, “Why are you laughing, Master?” Randeng said, “This power of turning relics into Buddha bodies is related to the cosmic order. Tathagata must be utterly puzzled as to why an ordinary person like you could break through this technique.” Wukong asked, “How do you know this power is related to the cosmic order? And who is ‘she’?” Randeng sighed and said, “I’ve never spoken so much in my life.” Wukong pressed on, “Master, is she the Nine Heavens Maiden?” Randeng was greatly shocked. The Nine Heavens Maiden had warned him not to mention herself, yet Wukong had guessed correctly! Seeing Randeng’s expression, Wukong laughed and said, “As I expected! I knew the Maiden must have feigned death!” This time, Wukong was truly happy. If the Maiden were still alive, she would still be Tathagata’s greatest rival. To hide her identity, she must have either gone into seclusion or changed her appearance.

Wukong pulled on Ran Deng’s sleeve and said, “Master, who is the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden? Is she the Holy Mother of Li Mountain or the Bodhisattva Vairocana?”
Ran Deng looked helpless and said, “Alright, it’s Vairocana. Who told you that?”
Wukong replied, “I guessed it.”
Ran Deng said solemnly, “Wukong, tell me, have you awakened?”
Wukong scratched his head and asked, “Master, what does it mean to be awakened?”
Ran Deng said, “Transform back into your ape form so I can see.”
Wukong felt uneasy. “Here?”
Ran Deng said, “What, no one dares to enter my Dingguang Hall!” Though he said this, Wukong still felt uneasy, as this was the territory of the Spirit Mountain. With a thought, he transformed into the form of the Divine Bright Ape and stood before Ran Deng.
Ran Deng examined Wukong’s eyes carefully and shook his head, saying, “You still haven’t awakened.”
Wukong asked, “How does Master know?”
Ran Deng replied, “I’ve seen the Divine Bright Ape too. Its eyes are like ever-burning stars, without any flickering.”
Wukong uttered an “Oh.” If that was the case, he still had a long way to go. In truth, Wukong wasn’t too concerned about whether he was awakened or not. He felt that every little clue uncovered was a surprise. Meeting Ran Deng today had yielded a great deal of knowledge, and he realized that no matter what schemes that person had, it would be difficult for him to confront so many formidable figures.
The Three Pure Ones, Ran Deng, the Mystic Maiden… plus the Qilin and the Dragon God—how vast was the world? Since that person couldn’t enter this realm, he could only fret outside!
Wukong seemed to see a glimmer of light in the dark sky and said, “Master, that person surely won’t succeed!”
Ran Deng raised his eyebrows and asked, “Why so sure?”
Wukong replied, “The balance of power in the world has been settled. With all these formidable figures on one side, it’s obvious. The Three Thousand Buddhas and the Eight or Nine Golden Immortals wouldn’t dare act rashly. That person can’t enter this realm either. Tathagata’s powers are limited, and Nali’s abilities can only be fully utilized in the Buddhist hells… Am I right?”
Ran Deng smiled and said, “More or less, but you’ve forgotten one thing.”
Wukong asked, “What is it?”
Ran Deng replied, “If Tathagata weren’t confident, why wouldn’t he destroy himself and summon his third Dharma body?”
Wukong said, “Even if his third Dharma body is extremely powerful, it must have serious flaws. How could he come here so easily?”
Ran Deng shook his head and said, “Not necessarily! In the past era, all three Dharma bodies were displayed before the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden. These aren’t supernatural powers—they’re actual Dharma bodies! Do you understand?”

Wukong said, “So what if it’s a Dharma body? A person only has one thought at a time. If another one is created… Hmm, Master, since the Nine Heavens Goddess has already transformed into Vairocana Bodhisattva, why did she create Chang’e?”
Randan pretended to be angry and said, “You monkey, full of wild guesses!”
Wukong replied, “Master, it’s not a wild guess. These two events are closely related.”
Randan said, “It’s quite simple. The Nine Heavens Goddess also knows that killing and creating will bring retribution. The reason she dared to kill your past-life Bodhisattva Nagarjuna wasn’t because she did it herself.”
“Oh? Really?” Wukong guessed, “Was it also a Dharma body?”
Randan nodded and said, “Smart! Perhaps the smartest person in the world is the Nine Heavens Goddess. She saw the Tathagata use his supernatural powers only a few times and then figured out on her own how to create Dharma bodies.”
“Her first Dharma body was herself. A long time ago, she transformed into Vairocana Bodhisattva to deceive the Tathagata’s vision. Her second Dharma body was the Nine Heavens Goddess who killed Nagarjuna. This Dharma body had the same appearance as the Goddess, but its intimidating power was even greater. Even if the Buddhas in the Western Heaven united to stop her, she might not succeed. But she calculated that the Tathagata’s cultivation wasn’t strong enough, so she preferred to sacrifice one Bodhisattva Nagarjuna rather than weaken the fighting strength of the Western Heaven.”
“Her third Dharma body was Chang’e. Chang’e, being naive, was actually a mark created by the Goddess herself. She lied by claiming Chang’e was her daughter, thus deceiving the Tathagata once.”
Wukong finally understood and, in admiration, continued, “The Tathagata also knew the Goddess was powerful, so naturally he didn’t believe she would sacrifice her own life to kill Nagarjuna. But since the Tathagata suspected reincarnation, he would surely look for it among those who appeared after the Goddess’s death, and naturally wouldn’t suspect Vairocana Bodhisattva!”
Randan sighed, “I thought I was already extremely intelligent. Who would have thought that after meeting the Three Pure Ones and the Goddess, I realized I’m just an ordinary person!”
Wukong laughed and said, “Master, you’re too modest. Who else could have a disciple as amazing as you?”
Randan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. “You’re indeed much smarter than me. Perhaps the Tathagata gave me that jade box because he saw my lack of cunning.”
Wukong suddenly remembered something trivial and nodded, “I see!”
Randan asked, “Why?”
Wukong chuckled and said, “No wonder the Jade Emperor in heaven always goes to look for Princess Chang’e and asks her to dance for him. Probably he saw a reflection of the Nine Heavens Goddess in Princess Chang’e. Maybe… they also believe Chang’e is her reincarnation.”
Randan said, “To deceive the Tathagata, Chang’e’s appearance does indeed bear some resemblance to hers.”
Wukong replied, “Then the Goddess must be extremely beautiful too.”

Ran Deng said, “That’s only natural. Otherwise… cough cough, if I say this, I might seem disrespectful to my elders.”
Wukong noticed Ran Deng’s strange expression and asked, “What’s wrong, Master?”
Ran Deng replied, “Laojun once told me that the Jade Emperor’s heart had long been with Xuan Nu—it was sown in the Furnace of Fate back then.”
Wukong was stunned, then burst into laughter. No wonder the Jade Emperor had been so displeased when he and Hou Yi went to heaven to bring back Xuan Nu—turns out they were rivals in love!
What was even funnier was that Laojun, at such an advanced age, would talk about this with Ran Deng—a Taoist priest and an old monk… Wukong suddenly remembered a saying, which made him laugh even harder.
The saying was: “You bald fool, daring to compete with me for the nun?”