Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 360: The Utmost Strength

After laughing his fill, Ran Deng glared fiercely at Wukong and said, “Living in dissipation—how does this resemble the way of a cultivator?”
Wukong struggled hard to hold back his laughter, thinking to himself, “You’ll never know why I laugh.” He focused his mind, reverted to his original form as Zhuanxu, and said to Ran Deng, “Master, you only told half of that story earlier. What happened next?”
Ran Deng asked, “What do you mean, what happened next?”
Wukong replied, “The Three Pure Ones captured you. Surely they wouldn’t just let you go without saying a word.”
Ran Deng said, “Of course not. They pressured me to reveal where I learned my cultivation techniques, but of course I wouldn’t tell. Yet the Three Pure Ones aren’t unreasonable either. Since I refused to speak, they had no choice but to imprison me, claiming my hands were stained with blood.”
“I did kill quite a few people back then, but those people came for the Creation Furnace. They were certainly not good people. What did it matter if I killed them?”
Wukong asked, “Then why did the Three Pure Ones release you? Did you beg for mercy?”
Ran Deng replied, “Do you think the Three Pure Ones are children who will be swayed by pleas? It was Xuan Nu who spoke a few words on my behalf that made them release me.”
“Oh? What did Xuan Nu say?” Wukong asked.
Ran Deng narrowed his eyes in memory before saying, “Xuan Nu said, ‘Keeping him is useful.’”
“Just those four words?”
Ran Deng nodded. “I was also surprised at the time. It seems the Three Pure Ones greatly respected Xuan Nu. With just those words, they released me.”
Wukong thought to himself that given Xuan Nu’s cunning and skill, she must have realized that Ran Deng’s cultivation techniques came from that person. By releasing him, she was actually playing a strategy of feigning leniency to lure him in. The Three Pure Ones might not know that that person had been destroyed, but Xuan Nu very likely did. Since the affairs of the previous era hadn’t ended, they would continue within this era. From then on, Xuan Nu became cautious, while the Three Pure Ones… were probably still in the dark! The more Wukong thought about it, the more he admired Xuan Nu. Though she never sought attention, she was always involved in everything.
Recalling what Laojun had said—that person had warned Xuan Nu in the Creation Furnace, “Don’t go astray. Be careful,”—it seemed that in that person’s eyes, only Xuan Nu could be considered a rival.
Ran Deng said, “After that day, I also began to doubt and ponder the affairs of these eras. But by then, I had already spread the rumor of ‘The Divine Ape’s Destruction of the World’ as instructed in the jade box, and it was impossible to undo what had been done.”
“That person was truly formidable. He understood human nature well. That rumor struck a chord with many people. How could the pinnacle of all creation be led by a bunch of apes? Thus, the campaign to exterminate the Divine Ape began!”

Wukong couldn’t help but say, “Master was indeed exploited by someone, but you were already extremely dependent on this jade box at that time, so it’s no wonder.” Ran Deng waved his hand and said, “Wukong, I’ve lived for so many years; I certainly don’t need your comfort. As long as this matter can end well in my lifetime, I’ll be satisfied.”
Wukong asked, “What happened after that? How did Master get along well with the Three Pure Ones?”
Ran Deng replied, “It was still Xuan Nu who acted as the intermediary. For some reason, she didn’t want to interact much with the Three Pure Ones but often came to visit me. The more I spent time with her, the more I realized how wrong I had been. Over time, I discovered that the Three Pure Ones also had great doubts in their hearts.”
Wukong also found it strange. Xuan Nu and the Three Pure Ones actually had no conflict between them—they were both figures from the previous cosmic era and shared the same teacher, so they should have been close. But why did she choose to take a longer route and start with Ran Deng?
Wukong asked, “Master, I don’t quite understand. If that person founded Taoism, why did he also found Buddhism?”
Ran Deng said, “Buddhism and Taoism share the same origin, but their practices are vastly different—one is slow and the other fast, one is quiet and the other active, one is non-being and formless, one embraces simplicity while the other seeks enlightenment, one purifies the mind while the other illuminates it.”
Wukong laughed and said, “After all you’ve said, the word ‘Wukong’ seems the most familiar to me.”
Ran Deng replied, “I gave you this name not to teach you the eighteen empties of Buddhism, but to hope that you would transcend these empties and rise above Buddhism and Taoism!”
“What lies above Buddhism and Taoism?” Wukong asked.
Ran Deng replied with melancholy, “I don’t know either. Perhaps life has its own destiny. There are many things that only those with the right fate can accomplish; no matter how hard others try, it’s all in vain.”
Wukong thought about it several times. If one could rise above Buddhism and Taoism, wouldn’t that mean surpassing that person? Ran Deng had complex feelings toward that person—neither gratitude nor hatred—and thus didn’t want to slander him in person, but he probably hoped that Wukong would break through the patterns of the world.
Wukong became distracted again and suddenly remembered something, saying urgently, “Master, in this Spirit Mountain, is it true that one day here equals a thousand years on earth?” Ran Deng laughed and said, “It’s somewhat true, but not that fast. It’s just a myth passed down.”
Wukong said, “That’s not it. How long have I been here? By now, Tang Seng must have reached the Western Heaven!”
Ran Deng laughed and said, “How could I be so careless? You can stay here for ten or eight years without any problem!”
Wukong breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down. He then asked, “Master, after you finished examining that Creation Furnace, did you start making one right away?”

Ran Deng nodded and said, “It’s strange—sometimes, even though we know something might not turn out well, we still feel compelled to give it a try. Naturally, I created this Creation Furnace; otherwise, how could there be two in the world?”
Hearing about this Creation Furnace, Wukong was somewhat skeptical. Everything in the world couldn’t withstand the chaotic power of the Primordial Disaster—so how could such a hard object survive unscathed? Could it be thanks to some formation?
Wukong asked, “Master, since the Creation Furnace is so sturdy, what is it made of?”
Ran Deng replied with a hint of teasing, “Let me test you! Guess!”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “From what I’ve seen, such objects are either extremely hard or extremely soft. Am I right?”
Ran Deng said, “I’ll tell you—this Creation Furnace is the hardest thing in the world, yet you might still not be able to guess it.”
The hardest thing in the world? Wukong racked his brains. What could possibly be the hardest thing? His Qi Tian Gun was incredibly hard, but it could be refined in the Xirang Furnace with the flames of Zhu Rong. The power of chaos surely couldn’t be weaker than Zhu Rong’s fire.
Another hard object was the shell of the old turtle in the South Sea, but that wasn’t the hardest either. He couldn’t break it, but maybe someone else could find a way.
The Bull Demon King had a body as hard as diamond, yet it was pierced by the Pogang Needle. The Pogang Needle was also made of metal, though no one knew what material it was…
Suddenly, Wukong remembered the Pillar of Heaven in the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth. That pillar had stood in the fierce winds for ages without any damage—wasn’t it the hardest thing in the world?
Just as he was about to say, “The material is the Pillar of Heaven,” he remembered that the pillar was also toppled by Gonggong, the Water God. Could it be that Gonggong’s skull was the hardest? But when Ran Deng created this Creation Furnace, Gonggong probably hadn’t even been born yet, or else he would have lived in the world long ago. It definitely couldn’t be his skull.
After thinking for a long time with no answer, Wukong said dejectedly, “I can’t guess!”
Ran Deng smiled and asked, “Have you ever seen the Pillar of Heaven?”
“Of course,” Wukong replied urgently. “That’s impossible! Though the Pillar of Heaven is hard, it was still toppled by Gonggong!”
Ran Deng said proudly, “If it weren’t for me digging out a huge piece from Mount Buzhou, how could Gonggong have moved it even a little?”
“Ah!” Wukong was shocked. So that’s how it was! I see!
No wonder people like Dayu didn’t know the reason. Even Gonggong probably didn’t know the truth. Mount Buzhou had already been damaged, and that part was dug out by Ran Deng…
Suddenly, Wukong said, “That’s not right!”
Ran Deng asked, “What’s not right?”

Wukong said, “Master said the Pillar of Heaven is the hardest substance. Then how did you dig it out? Was the tool you used even harder than the Pillar of Heaven?”
Ran Deng replied, “This is the principle that one thing overcomes another. To be honest, it wasn’t dug out—it was melted together.”
“Melted together? With what?”
Ran Deng said, “The Supreme Spirit Liquid! The mixed blood of the king of the five elements and the creature with nine heads and nine tails!”
So that’s how it is! Wukong suddenly felt enlightened—so that’s what the Supreme Spirit Liquid was used for.
Wukong said, “I see now. Master asked Bodhisattva Vimalakirti to capture the Nine-Tailed Scorpion Spirit so that Buddha wouldn’t obtain supreme power.”
Ran Deng nodded. “Just to be on the safe side.”
Ran Deng said with a wry smile, “I spent countless efforts to create the Creation Furnace, only to find that it was merely used to serve others. But since this Buddha and that Buddha share the same origin, it’s as if they’re just borrowing my efforts.”
Wukong said, “That man is truly detestable—always relying on others to do his work! But why did Master give the Creation Furnace to Buddha without reason? Could it be that Master can’t defeat him?”
Ran Deng said, “Do you think I gave it to him willingly? As soon as Buddha was born, the Creation Furnace became under his control—he could open or close it at will. It really infuriates me!”
“There must be some amazing formation,” Wukong said.
“What’s most infuriating is that although I created this formation, I can’t control it. Sigh.” Thousands of years have passed since then, yet Ran Deng still spoke with indignation.
Wukong asked, “Then… Master surely didn’t prepare all three thousand Buddhas as well, right? Where did these people come from?”
Ran Deng replied, “I later asked Xuan Nu. She said there are many differences between the Creation Furnace on Spirit Mountain and that in the Heavenly Court. As for the three thousand Buddhas, it’s an even more mysterious matter.”
“After Buddha took control of the Creation Furnace, he simply sent in some ordinary monks after a few days. At first, I thought he sent people to clean it, but unexpectedly, no one came out. Only later did I realize they were all cultivating inside. Up to now, as you can see, they’ve all become Buddhas.”
Wukong was confused. He knew these people were chosen from the Buddhas on Spirit Mountain, but they were just ordinary monks. How could they become Buddhas?
Ran Deng continued, “The Creation Furnace is full of mysteries. Inside, there are formations that gather cosmic energy. Cultivating inside it can truly be described as making rapid progress.” Wukong asked, “Is it like enlightenment through wisdom?” Ran Deng replied, “It can also serve as a supplement.”

Wukong couldn’t help but exclaim that this was truly a technique that defied the laws of nature—masters could be produced in bulk. No wonder Buddha had gone to such lengths to collect the bloods of the kings of the five categories and items with nine heads and nine tails; he also wanted to build a Creation Furnace!