Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 423: Shooting Down the Nine Suns

In the Qitian Ridge, Wukong sat alone on a towering ancient pine, appearing relaxed, yet never ceasing to think.

The world was still divided into three factions. Although the Western Spirit Mountain had been split in two, the Randaling sect shared a common destiny with the Qitian Ridge, so considering them as one faction would not be excessive.

The Qitian Ridge harbored deep enmity toward Buddha, with no possibility of reconciliation. Beasts like the Qilin, the Creative Divine Ape, the Great Peng, and the ancient gods—all had suffered at Buddha’s hands. Had it not been for luck, they would have been doomed forever. Just look at figures like Zhuanxu, Shaohao, Chiyou, and Gonggong to understand the consequences. The Creative Divine Ape had even been destroyed many times by Buddha through others’ hands; its once supreme status as the ruler of heaven and earth had turned it into a mere wretch.

The Heavenly Court operated quietly, but Wukong knew that the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother also harbored great ambitions. Though the Jade Emperor was called the ruler of all heavens, his title was more form than substance—he merely held power in this world. Yet this status was not his ultimate goal; he used it to control the netherworld and secretly plot something unknown to others.

The main culprit was still Buddha. Buddha, the Muli Bodhisattva, and the Vairocana Buddha—these three were actually one being, each more mysterious and powerful than the last. Together with the Three Thousand Buddhas, their combined strength might be beyond even the Qitian Ridge or the Heavenly Court. But since the Three Thousand Buddhas were refining the essence of creation in the Furnace of Creation, they could not all be mobilized at once. If only he could uncover the secrets of the Three Thousand Buddhas and the Eight or Nine Golden Immortals, his actions would be much easier in the future.

Pangu had said that he and Buddha both came from beyond the heavens, where their true homeland lay. If that was the case, Buddha had no intention of staying in this world—he wanted to leave!

Thinking of this, Wukong gradually understood Buddha’s motives. Back when he was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain, his only thought was—to get out! Those who had never experienced it could never understand such a feeling. To get out! Only by leaving could one achieve freedom, only by leaving could one escape control!

And Buddha, living in this world, probably had only one thought in mind—to leave!

While he had suffered for just a few decades before nearly dying, Buddha’s desire to leave had been suppressed for seven eons, hundreds of thousands of years! In comparison, the depth of Buddha’s ambitions far surpassed his own by countless times!

Thinking of this, Wukong couldn’t help but feel understanding for Tathagata. Was Tathagata wrong? He wasn’t wrong; he just wanted to return to his homeland, so as not to drift aimlessly in chaos. And what about the Goddess of Mysteriousness, the Three Pure Ones, and the Divine Ape of Creation… were they wrong? No, they weren’t either. Acting for the sake of all beings in heaven and earth, how could they be wrong?

Imagine if Tathagata had absorbed the essence of Pangu’s creation—perhaps it wouldn’t have affected this primordial essence, but then there would be no more Pangu to create the world, and everything would remain in eternal silence. All those things that should have emerged in the world never got the chance to appear because of one person—this was surely Tathagata’s fault. Tathagata’s intentions were good, but by focusing only on his own desires while ignoring the feelings of others, that was his greatest mistake…

As Wukong was lost in thought, someone called out, “Wukong, when will my son return?” Looking down, Wukong saw the Bull Demon King under the tree. Wukong leaped down and asked, “Why are you looking for him?”

The Bull Demon King replied somewhat shyly, “It’s not me who’s looking for him; it’s his grandmother.”

“His grandmother?” When did Red Boy get a grandmother? Wukong thought for a moment and realized, Oh, it must be her.

“Are you referring to Hu Yu’s mother?”

The Bull Demon King nodded and said, “That’s right. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She keeps saying she wants to meet my precious son and give him some benefits, passing on some skills to him.”

Wukong laughed and said, “What a lucky grandson—getting all the benefits. But Red Boy is still in cultivation and can’t come out anytime soon. If you’re anxious, go and look for him yourself.”

The Bull Demon King asked, “Where? I really want to go look for him.” Wukong pointed out the hot spring area near the Zhu Zi Kingdom, and the Bull Demon King rushed off there.

It was somewhat surprising that Qingqiu was showing goodwill toward Red Boy. Perhaps Qingqiu felt guilty for capturing the Divine Ape with Extending Arms and was trying to apologize to the Bull Demon King in this way? Or maybe Qingqiu missed the nine-tailed fox Qinglin and, to ease her loneliness, tried to create a familial bond through Red Boy? Wukong preferred to believe the latter.

Recalling the Spring of Purification, Wukong couldn’t help but think of the legend of “Hou Yi shooting down the nine black birds.” This legend had many doubts. Since he had time today, why not ask about it?

When he reached the peak where Hou Yi lived, he saw Hou Yi holding a bow and looking up at the sky, with a short arrow nocked on the bow. Seeing Wukong arrive, Hou Yi put down his bow and smiled, “What a rare visitor!”

Wukong asked, “What are you doing?”

“Of course, practicing archery.”

Wukong was puzzled, “What’s there to see in the sky?”

Hou Yi replied, “There are tiny particles in the sky, and I’m trying to shoot them down.”

“Then why not just shoot?”

Hou Yi smiled and said, “You must know that archery is a specialized skill. Most of one’s time is spent aiming in normal times, only to be able to act as one pleases when facing enemies.”
Wukong inwardly thought, “How ashamed I am.” Hou Yi’s archery skills were already peerless, yet he still practiced the most basic techniques. How many people in the world could show such diligence?
Hou Yi asked, “Wukong, did you come to see me for a reason?”
Wukong nodded and said, “I’d like to ask about some past events. Do you mind?”
Hou Yi replied, “Go ahead and ask.”
Wukong asked, “What exactly happened back then when the elders shot down nine suns?” He glanced at the sun in the sky and added, “Could you possibly shoot down this remaining one as well?”
Hou Yi shook his head and laughed, “Wukong, you’re teasing me. This sun in the sky is not one of those ten from back then.”
Wukong realized this was indeed the case. The nine suns that had fallen to earth and turned into hot springs were a fact, and the remaining sun was the sun of the Fire Cloud Palace in the Realm of Calamity. But now, instead of ten suns, there were eleven—what was going on? Wukong asked, “Who created those ten suns and sent them to cause havoc on earth?”
Hou Yi replied, “It’s hard to give a definite answer. Although the ten suns were created by the Three Pure Ones, they weren’t created to cause harm but for the sake of ordinary people in the world.”
It was indeed the Three Pure Ones. After learning that the Fire Cloud Palace was the remaining red sun, Wukong suspected it was related to them. But why would the Three Pure Ones create ten suns and then ignore them, allowing them to scorch the people of the world?
Hou Yi said, “You should know that there are seasons in the human world—cold and heat, with four seasons in total. Among these, spring, summer, and autumn are relatively manageable, but winter is extremely harsh. In ancient times, people had no way to keep warm. Although they could start fires, many still died from cold and hunger.”
“The Three Pure Ones, out of compassion, came up with a solution. They created ten suns and released them at the end of autumn, scattering them across the sky to illuminate the earth. Since then, there has been no winter in the world.”
Wukong nodded and said, “The intention behind this was indeed good.”
Hou Yi continued, “But this good times only lasted a few years. That winter, the Three Pure Ones released the ten suns as usual, but they didn’t take them back until the end of spring.”
“Oh? What happened to the Three Pure Ones?” Wukong asked.
Hou Yi replied, “I didn’t know at the time. I only knew that those ten suns were actually ten fireballs. Due to the extreme heat, the forests caught fire and turned to ashes. The monsters had nowhere to live, so they went to human villages in search of food. Rivers dried up, water monsters appeared, and the crops withered. People had no food to eat, and almost everyone starved to death.”

“At that time, there were many talented people in the world, but everyone knew the Three Pure Ones were formidable, and no one dared take action against the Ten Suns. Only Emperor Yu was unafraid; he ordered me to shoot down the Ten Suns. I was full of confidence at that time and without hesitation, I shot down nine of them. When I went after the last sun, I met Chang’e…”
Wukong laughed heartily. He never expected that Chang’e’s appearance would actually result in the creation of the Fire Cloud Palace.
Just then, Chang’e came out of the room carrying two cups of tea. Seeing that Chang’e’s cultivation level was low, Wukong guessed she must have been an ordinary person tens of thousands of years ago, which puzzled him. What kind of speed did Hou Yi possess when chasing the red sun? If Chang’e were an ordinary person, it would be impossible for her to see Hou Yi, so how could she call out to him directly?
Wukong took another close look at Chang’e and immediately found the answer—there were faint traces of the secrets of the Mysterious Void Art in her eyes. Indeed, the Nine Heavens’ Mysterious Maiden was extremely cunning. To deceive others, she not only made Chang’e’s appearance very similar to hers but also faked this divine ability.
But where were the Three Pure Ones at that time? Since they had created the Ten Suns, they must have had a kind heart. If it weren’t for some extremely important matter that kept them occupied, how could they allow the Ten Suns to wreak havoc on the world?
Wukong asked, “Do you know where the Three Pure Ones went at that time?”
Hou Yi replied, “After I shot down nine of the suns, those nine fell to the ground and turned into nine hot springs. Only one red sun escaped, but even that alone wouldn’t cause much trouble, so I had no intention of chasing it. A few days later, the Three Pure Ones appeared and took back that sun. Yu went to question them why they released the red sun and didn’t take it back. The Three Pure Ones were deeply ashamed but were vague about where they had gone, saying only that they encountered enemies and couldn’t escape.”
“Do we still not know who those enemies were?”
“There was a Taoist priest named Ran Deng at that time. Who else but him could confront the Three Pure Ones?” Hou Yi said.
“Hmm,” Wukong nodded. At that time, the Tathagata had not yet appeared, and Ran Deng and the Three Pure Ones were not friends. Only he could be the culprit. Indeed, it was the gods fighting while ordinary people suffered. It’s unknown whether Ran Deng later changed his ways and felt remorse for this incident.
As Wukong was sighing over this, he heard Earth Mother call out, “I’ve been looking for you for a while. Who would have thought you’d be here?”
Earth Mother descended from the sky, and the three of Wukong stood up to greet her. Chang’e said, “Sister, come and sit.”
Earth Mother waved her hand and said, “I can’t sit today. There are important matters to attend to.”
Seeing Earth Mother’s serious expression, Wukong asked, “What happened?”
Earth Mother replied, “Let’s go to the Jade Pure Palace to discuss how to capture Xiang Liu.”
Hou Yi raised his eyebrows and said, “I’ll go too! Let’s go together!”

Wukong asked, “Leave right away?”
Hou Tu replied, “If I didn’t need to leave right away, why would I rush to find you?”