Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 424: Who Will Be the Bait?

Upon arriving at the Jade Pure Palace, everyone had been waiting for a long time.
Fenghuang said, “We should act sooner rather than later to avoid arousing Buddha’s suspicion.”
Wukong still didn’t know that Yuan Shi had discovered the formation within Fenghuang’s body. He exclaimed with joy, “If we capture Xiang Liu, we’ll surely be able to extract many secrets. We must proceed with caution.”
Fenghuang replied, “As long as Hou Tu accompanies us, capturing Xiang Liu will be a sure thing.” In truth, he knew that Xiang Liu was walking straight into a trap, so there was no way he couldn’t be captured. But Xiang Liu couldn’t just wait to be caught—doing so would arouse suspicion. Hence, a fight was necessary.
Hou Tu smiled and said, “Of course I’ll go. I’ll use my divine powers to trap him, then let Hou Yi shoot him to death with a few arrows.”
Yuan Shi said, “He can’t be shot to death!” What he really thought was that even if Xiang Liu was killed, losing some information was a minor issue; revealing Fenghuang’s identity was the real concern. Yet when he spoke, he said, “It’s easy to kill him, but capturing him is what truly counts as a merit.”
Hou Tu replied, “Fine, then let’s shoot him until he’s half dead.”
Wukong asked, “How many people do we need?”
Xuan Nu said, “Not many. Just the four of us will suffice.”
Dizang led Diting forward and said, “I’ll go!”
Wukong thought that with Fenghuang, Hou Tu, Hou Yi, Dizang, and himself, even if they encountered the Bodhisattva of Mud Plow, they could still fight it out. Capturing Xiang Liu would be a piece of cake. So he said, “Then let’s go!”
The five people and one beast left the Jade Pure Palace. Fenghuang led them northwest. As they gradually reached west of the Tongtian River, Wukong couldn’t help asking, “How much further?”
Fenghuang replied, “We’ll be there in a moment.”
After passing Jin Dou Mountain, they saw another deep pool. Only then did Fenghuang stop and say, “Xiang Liu often practices here beneath this pool. If we’re lucky, we might encounter him.”
Without hesitation, Hou Tu used her divine power to create a path that extended underground, allowing them to move through the soil. She showed no restraint, while Wukong, watching her use her powers from behind, could only feel admiration. Though he possessed perfect mastery over the five elements, it paled in comparison to the power of her spells after she had attained mastery over earth. He thought to himself, it would be great if the Armless Divine Ape could become this powerful after mastering earth as well.
After descending far underground, Hou Tu suddenly said, “There are faint signs of human activity ahead.” She knew the earth very well and could tell that someone had lived there for a long time.
Fenghuang said, “This must be the place.”
Hou Tu replied, “Xiang Liu isn’t here. It seems we’ll have to wait here.”
Fenghuang said, “Though he’s often here, he’s not always present. In no more than a year or two, he’ll definitely come back.”

Hou Tu said, “The earthly energy here is very strong. This ugly creature really knows how to choose a place.”
Wukong replied, “It’s better to hide our forms. Xiang Liu is no ordinary opponent. If he spots our weaknesses and escapes, how can we face anyone again?”
All of them were more skilled than Xiang Liu, so they hid in different directions. After waiting several days with no sign of Xiang Liu, they began practicing cultivation together. Cultivation, like many worldly matters, requires persistence over time. Those willing to invest time will surely see results.
Another half year passed without Xiang Liu showing up. Phoenix wondered why he hadn’t come. He thought he hadn’t revealed any clues, so Buddha couldn’t possibly know he had secretly gone to Qitianling. Even if he changed his plans last minute, he should have informed them.
Phoenix thought, “Waiting like this isn’t a solution. We’d better go back for now.”
Wukong said, “It doesn’t hurt to wait another year or two.”
Phoenix shook his head. “There’s something strange about this. I need to go back and investigate. Maybe Xiang Liu has other matters to attend to. If he’s occupied, it would only waste our time.”
Wukong agreed, and they all emerged from underground and returned to Qitianling. Phoenix spread his wings and flew off, unknown whereabouts.
Not long after arriving at Qitianling, Phoenix returned in less than ten minutes. He said, “It turns out Xiang Liu is indeed occupied. In three or five days, he’ll definitely head there. We can set off tomorrow.”
The next day, just as they were about to leave, Zhu Rong came out of his cave and asked, “Where are you going? Why not take me with you?” Wukong asked, “We’re going to fight. Will you come?”
Zhu Rong replied cheerfully, “I’ve been idle anyway. I’ll go!”
Wukong asked, “How’s the Smart Divine Ape doing?”
Zhu Rong said, “The Smart Divine Ape is far smarter than you. I only taught him for half a month, and he already grasped the essentials. He can practice on his own without much trouble.” Wukong remembered competing with the Smart Divine Ape in the Realm of Calamity. Indeed, it was extremely intelligent and good at drawing inferences from one instance.
With familiarity, they reached the underground area in no time and hid again. This time, by the fourth day, Xiang Liu indeed appeared, slowly moving through the earth.
Seeing that only Xiang Liu was coming, Hou Tu was eager to go out and capture him. Wukong sent a message, “Sis, don’t rush. Wait until we’re closer!” Hou Tu calmed down and waited until Xiang Liu entered their encirclement.
But Xiang Liu moved slower and slower, stopping about ten miles away from them and looking around.

No one understood his intention, but they patiently waited. After observing for a long time and seeing no movement, Xiangliu moved closer again. As he got nearer and nearer, he suddenly shouted, “Bad!” and turned to flee.

Houtu was both anxious and angry. After waiting for over half a year, if he escaped again, it would not only be a loss of face but also a waste of time! She immediately chased after him, shouting, “Where can you run?”

Wukong was puzzled. These people were hiding so well that even he couldn’t detect any flaws without using the secrets of the Mysterious Void Technique. How did Xiangliu discover them? Could it be that Tathagata knew someone wanted to capture Xiangliu and was using a trick?

But this thought flashed through his mind only for a moment. The situation was urgent, so Wukong didn’t dwell on it and chased after them. Since Houtu and Wukong had revealed themselves, the Phoenix and the others had no choice but to follow.

Although Xiangliu was the ruler of all insects, when moving through the earth, who could compare to Houtu? In the blink of an eye, they had traveled thousands of miles.

Xiangliu was at the front, followed closely by Houtu. Behind them were Wukong, Ksitigarbha, and the Phoenix, while Houyi and Zhurong were at the back. Just as Houtu was about to catch up with Xiangliu, the scene around them suddenly changed—there was no earth anywhere, and they found themselves inside a giant lava peak!

Houtu and Wukong exclaimed in unison, “The Buddhist Hell!” They never expected that Tathagata would use Xiangliu as a bait to lure them into the Buddhist Hell.

Recalling the immensely powerful and mysterious Muni Bodhisattva described by Houtu, Wukong shuddered with fear. He cursed himself for being too eager for success and failing to use the secrets of the Mysterious Void Technique to investigate the truth. Yet even so, the ability to create such a realm was extraordinary—enough to deceive all these sages.

Seeing his mission complete, Xiangliu turned around while everyone was stunned and laughed, “Now that you’re here, why not surrender?” Before his words faded, a silent black feather arrow appeared beside him, instantly immobilizing Xiangliu. Immediately afterward, two feather arrows—red and white—swooped through the air, one piercing Xiangliu’s head and the other his chest.

Seeing that everyone had fallen for the trap, Houyi couldn’t help but act first, aiming to capture Xiangliu at all costs. Houtu reacted quickly, leaping in front of Xiangliu and releasing a yellowish earth energy from her hand, which spread out and sealed Xiangliu tightly inside. Then she used another spell to trap him.

Wukong said with a wry smile, “How do we get out?”

Houtu replied, “It’s fine. If I could break through the realm to enter, I can surely break through to leave!”

The Phoenix came up from behind, looking extremely upset, and said, “It was not my intention.”

Wukong knew that the Phoenix was worried, fearing that everyone would think he had secretly orchestrated this to lure them here. Wukong deliberately smiled reassuringly and said, “It was the cunning of Tathagata; surely it has nothing to do with the elder. You’re overthinking it.”
The Phoenix replied, “This matter started because of me. Anyway, I’ll make sure everyone gets out.”
The group turned and flew back, not realizing that a dense crowd of Buddhas had appeared behind them, standing tall like stacked arhats, blocking their path.
Wukong’s fighting spirit surged as he drew out his Tianji Stick and shouted, “Tianji appears—no bloodshed yet!” Zhu Rong laughed, “The utmost power of fire is also just testing its edge.”
While the two were still gearing up, the Phoenix took the lead, spreading its wings and charging forward. With each flap of its wings, flesh and blood flew everywhere as it slashed down two Buddhas.
Wukong leaped forward, swinging his stick. The Buddha in front of him had not yet reached enlightenment; he was only at the level of a Hunyuan Golden Immortal. How could he withstand the power of the Tianji Stick? In one swing, the Buddha was reduced to a meat paste, with a trace of black essence leaking out and drifting into the Tianji Stick, disappearing without a trace.
Wukong was stunned. The Tianji Stick had such an effect—something he had never heard of before. As a being of essence, he accepted any essence that came his way. In that case, didn’t the Tianji Stick function as a treasure for storing essence?
Zhu Rong waved his hands, unleashing two crimson fire chains that resembled heated whips, lashing out at the crowd. These fire chains were formed from the utmost power of fire, extremely scorching. No fire in the world could surpass it. The Buddhas’ flesh would break and snap at the slightest touch, leaving them utterly unable to defend themselves.
Hou Yi put away three feather arrows and switched to ordinary ones, firing them continuously. His arrows targeted the gaps in his opponents’ defenses. Since these Buddhas were far less powerful than him, they couldn’t even dodge. Even those hit by his arrows remained silent, their willpower unbowed.
After fighting for a while, Wukong glanced back and saw an endless tide of Buddhas surging forward. He suddenly remembered something—Ran Deng had said that Tathagata was practicing the art of collecting relics. The relics from any Buddha who died could be taken by the Great Sun Tathagata, which would be extremely beneficial for him in creating a third body.
Among their seven, only Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva remained steadfast. But even as the other six charged forward, it was hard to find anyone who could match them in battle. If they continued fighting like this, wouldn’t they be fulfilling Tathagata’s wishes? But if they didn’t fight, how could they carve a path out of this Buddhist hell?

Isn’t this a dilemma with no way out? No matter what he does, it seems to fulfill the Buddha’s will. Wukong saw those Buddhas fear death not at all, charging forward foolishly, like sheep falling into the tiger’s den in front of these seven sages. He felt both sorrow and disgust. At that moment, the Heavenly Fate Staff spontaneously absorbed several strands of black essence, and Wukong had an idea.