Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 402: Moving the Pillars of Heaven

Wukong thought to himself, “One multiplied by nine equals nine; nine multiplied by nine equals eighty-one. Beyond that, I wonder if there are more branches. Are these Pillars of Heaven truly used to support the sky? Without these eight pillars, could anything in the sky really fall?”
As he climbed higher, he found the gale so fierce it seemed capable of scattering souls, so he dared not move further. Xuan Nu came over as if strolling leisurely and asked, “Wukong, what are you doing here?”
Wukong replied, “Back then, when Gonggong struck Mount Buzhou, I wanted to see where the traces remained.”
Xuan Nu said, “There are eighty-one of these here. How can you find it like this? Follow me.”
She was extremely familiar with this realm. She led Wukong downward at an angle until they reached one of the branches in the northeast. From afar, Wukong saw that one branch had broken off.
Hesitantly, he looked at Xuan Nu and asked, “Is this the one Gonggong broke?”
Xuan Nu nodded and said, “Exactly!”
When Wukong got closer, he examined the broken branch carefully. The break was fresh, and despite being exposed to the winds for tens of thousands of years, it showed no signs of wear. The material of these Pillars of Heaven was truly incredibly hard. Ran Deng had once said that if he hadn’t taken material from here to make the Creation Furnace, Gonggong would never have been able to break them. From what Wukong saw now, this branch was several miles thick—so the Creation Furnace must be enormous!
Yet Wukong couldn’t understand why this broken branch, having no support above, didn’t fall. He glanced at Xuan Nu, who said, “If we climb higher, I can’t go very far either. I suppose there’s some kind of support above, which is why it doesn’t fall.”
Wukong said, “Back then, when Gonggong struck Mount Buzhou, the northwest collapsed while the southeast sank. Since this branch is just one of eighty-one, even if it breaks, it shouldn’t have much impact.”
Xuan Nu replied, “Is that because you notice the rich spiritual energy in the southeast and the barren land in the northwest?”
Wukong nodded, “Exactly!”
Xuan Nu shook her head and smiled, “That’s completely wrong. The distribution of spiritual energy in the world has nothing to do with Gonggong striking Mount Buzhou. Once you master the secrets of the Xuan Kong technique, you’ll understand.”
Wukong said, “Gonggong was said to have crashed into Mount Buzhou in a fit of rage. But today, it seems he was actually very calm.”
Xuan Nu smiled and nodded, “Gonggong wasn’t angry at all. He was extremely suppressed, which is why he tried to collapse Mount Buzhou. Mount Buzhou only had a weak point here, but the material of the Pillars of Heaven is the hardest thing in the world. That’s why Gonggong’s neck broke and he died.”

Wukong thought to himself that since Gonggong had managed to reach this place, his cultivation was nearly at the level of a sage. How could he just die with a broken neck? If he wanted to live, he would surely find a way. If he was dead, then it meant he had resolved to die.

Gonggong, like Dayu and the others, had killed the Creator Ape, and his life force was on the verge of extinction. But why didn’t he enter the belly of the Kunpeng at that time instead of going to Mount Buzhou to fight against Zhuanxu? At first, it seemed unimportant, but upon reflection, there were many inconsistencies.

Xuan Nu saw Wukong lost in thought and said, “Let’s go to the Spirit Mountain.”

Wukong nodded absentmindedly. Xuan Nu grabbed him and stuffed him into her sleeve. Wukong was both amused and puzzled. Neither of them had transformed, yet they were simply put into her sleeve and stood on her delicate wrist—a truly strange feeling. After all, he was a Supreme Sage of Hunyuan. To be captured and tossed around in a sleeve like this—such world-creating magic was truly miraculous.

Inside Xuan Nu’s sleeve, Wukong could see nothing and could only rely on his ears to hear. After a while, he sensed that Xuan Nu had stopped moving.

At that moment, the Buddha’s voice rang out, “Bodhisattva Virupa has arrived.” Wukong was shocked. Had they already reached the Spirit Mountain? The Buddha’s tone sounded calm, as if nothing had happened.

Xuan Nu said, “The Mahavira Hall is very lively today.”

Another voice spoke, “It seems there won’t be such liveliness again in the future.” This voice belonged to the Eastern Buddha.

The Buddha said, “Venerable Maitreya, that’s not quite right. There are thousands of Buddhas in the world, but there is only one true Buddha.”

The Eastern Buddha chuckled and said, “Of course. There’s only the Buddha Tathagata; everyone else is just an imitation, right?” His words carried a hint of mockery, like ordinary people bickering, rather than monks debating.

The Buddha said, “Today, in the battle at Qitianling, three Buddhas perished, and the demonic flames were rampant. It’s truly a misfortune for all people.”

Then, Ran Deng said, “Strange. Even if there are a few formidable figures at Qitianling, no one could defeat the Medicine Buddha. Moreover, with the Vairocana Buddha backing them, what exactly happened?”

Hearing Ran Deng feign ignorance, Wukong couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

The Buddha said, “To find out, we’ll have to ask Bodhisattva Virupa.”

“Oh?” Ran Deng said, “Bodhisattva, could it be that you were also at the battle? Are the people at Qitianling really that strong?”

The Buddha said, “Bodhisattva Virupa turned the tide. Of course she was there. Not only was she present, but she also intervened twice to control the Medicine Buddha and Vairocana Buddha…” At this point, the Buddha suddenly raised his voice, “What do you mean?”

“Ah!” Ran Deng was shocked. Then he pointed at Xuan Nu and said, “Bodhisattva, why did you do this?”

Seeing Ran Deng’s reaction, Xuan Nu couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Ancient Buddha Ran Deng, it’s time for you to judge this matter.”

Ran Deng wore a troubled expression and said, “Bodhisattva, perhaps you should explain—where did today’s events stem from?”
Xuan Nu glanced at Tathagata and said, “At this point, do you still need to feign innocence? The ways of fate are full of uncertainties. I intervened because I didn’t want to see the Spirit Mountain collapse!”
Tathagata frowned but smiled and said, “They say fate plays tricks on people, but haven’t you heard that man can overcome fate? What is there to fear?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Though I intervened in today’s events, the outcome wasn’t due to me. You know who that person is in your heart.” She was naturally referring to Kunpeng and didn’t believe Tathagata dared to confront him.
To her surprise, Tathagata said, “What I do cannot even be stopped if Pangu were to rise again.” His words were filled with dominance and immense confidence.
Xuan Nu’s heart stirred. Could it be that Tathagata didn’t know Pangu was still alive? But since he said so, it seemed he didn’t care about her and Kunpeng intervening. She then said, “If you have such lofty aspirations, why bother with trivial matters?”
Before coming to the Spirit Mountain, Xuan Nu already knew that today there would be a great battle between the Spirit Mountain and Qitian Ridge. If she intervened, it would surely cause strife within the Spirit Mountain. It seemed that Ran Deng and Venerable Maitreya would leave the mountain, splitting apart, while Tathagata still intended to hold them back.
Tathagata said coldly, “Very well, let it be my delusion. This world you guard is actually insignificant. Only I know the true path of the Dao!”
The Buddha of the East smiled and said, “In that case, it’s a shame to waste the World Honored One’s good intentions.”
Tathagata snorted and said, “I’m not short of people.”
Upon hearing this, Wukong had an idea. Tathagata was right—he indeed wasn’t short of people. The three thousand Buddhas and countless Bodhisattvas possessed immense power that could overturn the world. He had lured Ran Deng and Xuan Nu to join him merely for convenience. Wukong absolutely didn’t believe that without them, he couldn’t succeed.
Xuan Nu said, “Very well. Even if you represent the true path, those with different paths cannot work together.”
Tathagata gave Xuan Nu a deep look and said, “You only know the sweetness at the entrance but not the bitterness inside. This is precisely how fate plays tricks on people.”
Xuan Nu replied, “I know my own feelings; no need for further words.”
Tathagata sighed, swept his sleeves, and left the Mahavira Hall. His voice came from afar, “The Spirit Mountain was originally built by Ran Deng. I take nothing from it. Only the Stupa was built by me later, and I will take it away now.”
Ran Deng and Xuan Nu exchanged a glance. Tathagata was telling the truth, so there was no reason to stop him. But they knew that the Stupa was actually connected to the Buddhist underworld. If the Stupa was moved, the consequences…

The two hurriedly chased after them. They saw Tathagata’s figure appearing before the stupa tower. With just a gesture of his hand, the entire stupa tower was uprooted and came into his palm.
Xuan Nu looked at the ground—it was as smooth as a mirror, with not a trace of anything. Even using the secrets of the Xuan Kong method, she could detect no arrays or restrictions.
Ran Deng was shocked. Unbeknownst to him, Tathagata had already changed this place without him realizing it.
Tathagata put away the stupa tower and shouted, “Follow me, and you’ll follow the Dharma; defy me, and you’ll face destruction!” As soon as these words were spoken, countless figures flew out of the Spirit Mountain—Buddha of Medicine, Buddha of the Precious Banner, Buddha of the World Lamp, Vairocana… along with arhats,Vajra guardians, and Yakshas—all following Tathagata eastward.
Xuan Nu was stunned to see Vairocana moving freely. The technique she had used was the “Great Seal” from the previous era, one that only Tathagata and she could decipher. But now, since Tathagata was only at the level of a Hunyuan Golden Immortal, how could he break her seal? Just then, Tathagata let out a fierce roar that shook the heavens and echoed endlessly.
Xuan Nu was shocked again. When had Tathagata become a sage?
Ran Deng suddenly remembered something and said urgently, “The Mother and Child River.” He rushed eastward, with Xuan Nu closely following behind. At that moment, all the Buddhas, arhats, and saints turned around and formed a strange array to block Ran Deng and Xuan Nu’s path.
Ran Deng frowned and tried to leap over them to move forward, but dozens of Buddhas immediately blocked his way. Ran Deng shouted, “How dare you stop me?”
The Buddha of Medicine, who led them, said, “Everything is as it was before.” Since Tathagata had escaped the Spirit Mountain, there was no longer any cover for them. From then on, Ran Deng was even lower than an ordinary person.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, Ran Deng didn’t engage in a fight with the Buddha of Medicine. With a wave of his hand, he created a realm, and he and Xuan Nu entered it. The Buddha of Medicine, knowing that Ran Deng’s realm-creation skill was extraordinary and that he could no longer attack him, dissolved the array and slowly headed eastward.
Ran Deng’s realm stretched for thousands of miles. By the time he emerged, he had already overtaken the Buddha of Medicine and the others. When they arrived at the Land of Women, they took a look, and Ran Deng murmured, “We’re a step too late!”
Wukong, who had been in Xuan Nu’s sleeve, could no longer hold back and kept shouting, “Since we’ve already broken off relations, why won’t you let me out?”
Xuan Nu smiled and said, “We were in such a hurry that we forgot about you.” She shook her sleeve, and Wukong fell out. His first thing was to look toward the Land of Women. That glance made him grind his teeth in rage.
The once bustling Land of Women was now a sea of blood, filled with corpses—there wasn’t a single living person left. Where the original palace used to be, a giant tower had suddenly risen—it was the stupa tower that Tathagata had brought from the Spirit Mountain!

Wukong was extremely angry and ready to leap over to smash the tower. Ran Deng grabbed Wukong and said, “Do you want to act like a moth flying into a flame?”