Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 438: For Whom to Keep It?

With just a few words from Maitreya, Wukong’s mind became clear. What is life and death? What is separation and reunion? The meetings and partings of people in this world are determined by fate—letting things take their natural course is best; forcing things is the greatest form of attachment.

People have an unchangeable inherent nature. What can they do against the whims of fate? And who knows—perhaps fate itself also has its own inherent nature?

After seeing Maitreya and the master of Ling Mountain off, Wukong went to Hou Yi’s residence. Zhu Rong was also there recovering, while Dayu, Hou Tu, and Chang’e were chatting leisurely.

When Wukong arrived, he saw that Zhu Rong had largely recovered, but Hou Yi would need some time for his severed arm to grow back. Chang’e looked at him with deep affection; her eyes often shimmered with love and concern for him.

Hou Tu said, “I dare not let you go fighting again. Look how worried Sister Chang’e is.”

Hou Yi replied, “That’s not true. If one arm is lost, there’s still the other; if one leg is lost, there are still both feet.”

Hou Yi laughed heartily, but Chang’e spat and said, “Then you’ll become an ugly freak.”

When she saw Wukong enter, Chang’e immediately regained her cool demeanor and greeted him politely. Seeing that Wukong had reverted to his Zhuanxu form, Zhu Rong realized that now that Ran Deng was gone, Wukong no longer had any reservations and could use this second form freely again.

She had prepared many words to comfort Wukong, but seeing that he seemed unchanged, as if nothing serious had happened, she asked, “Why are you all looking at me?”

Hou Tu asked, “What immortal pills or miraculous medicines have you brought?”

Upon seeing Hou Yi, Wukong slapped his head and said, “It’s my fault! Laojun surely has some medicine to promote healing. He’s still severely injured, but I’ll go check his gourd in a moment.”

Hou Yi smiled faintly and said, “It’s fine. It’s good to rest for now.”

Dayu said seriously, “We should heal as soon as possible. The Buddhist hell is truly the most dangerous place in the world. We’ll probably have to go there again in the future.”

At these words, everyone shuddered. The people from Qitianling had never lost a battle before, not even on Ling Mountain. That ghostly-looking Muli Bodhisattva and those eerie white jade palms were truly terrifying.

Wukong said, “If I’m not completely sure, I’ll never go there again.” The deaths of the Phoenix and Ran Deng in the Buddhist hell had dealt a huge blow to Wukong. If those around him kept leaving one after another, he would find it emotionally unbearable.

“What does ‘complete certainty’ mean?” Dayu asked.

Wukong replied, “That’s exactly what I want to ask Sister Hou Tu and Sister Zhu Rong.”

Zhu Rong snapped angrily, “You just saw me.”

Wukong stuck out his tongue and said, “I saw you earlier. I was just afraid your injuries weren’t fully healed, so I didn’t dare speak too much.”
Zhu Rong snapped, “Stop talking nonsense! If you have something to ask, ask quickly and leave right after.”
Wukong replied, “It’s indeed an important matter. I just want to ask—how long will it take for the Intelligent Divine Ape and the Armless Divine Ape to master the extremes of earth and fire?”
Hou Tu said, “Do you still need to ask? Don’t you remember Wu Zhiqi mastering the extremes of water? Their cultivation levels are inferior to Wu Zhiqi’s. It will take at least three hundred years.”
“So long?” Wukong exclaimed in surprise.
“What’s so strange about that? What are you in such a hurry to do?” Zhu Rong asked.
Wukong said, “I’m worried that once Buddha’s third form is perfected, with just one palm already being so powerful, what if it has a full body? It’s terrifying just to think about it.”
Hou Tu said, “If he can master it that quickly, then we’re doomed.”
Dayu also added, “That palm of his disappeared the moment you took it out of the Buddhist hell. It seems Buddha’s third form can only exist within that realm; once it leaves, it vanishes. It’s unclear how long it will take for him to form a complete arm. If he could move his whole arm, how would he still have any strength left?”
Wukong found Dayu’s reasoning sensible and said, “Fortunately, he can’t leave the Buddhist hell, which gives us a chance to breathe.”
Hou Tu said, “Once Zhu Rong’s injuries are healed, I’ll send the Metal God and the Wood God to assist the divine apes in mastering the extremes of the five elements. The faster they train, the better.”
Wukong nodded and then said to Hou Yi, “Once Senior Hou Yi’s injuries are healed, I’ll need your help to go to the Heavenly Court as well.”
“Why only me?” Hou Yi asked in surprise.
Wukong smiled and said, “Because you’re familiar with the route.”
“Oh?” Hou Yi’s eyes lit up. “Are you planning to steal the peach fruits?”
Wukong nodded firmly. “Exactly!” He had long been plotting to steal the peach fruits from the Heavenly Court. In this world, nothing improved one’s strength faster than those peach fruits from the sacred tree. If he could eat three or five of them, who knew what level he might reach? By then, the secrets of the Mysterious Void Technique would likely be fully mastered, and even the mysteries of heaven and earth would be within his grasp.
Hou Yi said, “Although this might harm my reputation, it concerns the survival of heaven and earth. I’ll reluctantly agree.” It was rare for Hou Yi to joke, causing everyone to laugh heartily.
Wukong said, “In that case, you two rest quietly. I’ll bring the medicinal pills right away.”
After leaving that place, Wukong circled around the ridge and was surprised to find that there seemed to be no living beings there. Everyone who came out of the Buddhist hell was in seclusion. It seemed that after encountering the powers of Ni Li, they had suffered great setbacks and devoted themselves to cultivation.

Xuan Nu had just recovered from her own injuries and then healed the Three Pure Ones one after another, which took a considerable toll on her. When Wukong entered the cave, he asked Xuan Nu for sacred healing potions for Hou Yi and Zhu Rong. Without hesitation, she took out a jade bottle from Laojun’s gourd and tossed it to Wukong, saying, “One pill is enough.” Wukong shook the jade bottle, which contained at least thirty to fifty pills. Delighted, he took advantage of Laojun’s unconsciousness and Xuan Nu’s generosity—she was truly kind. He immediately went to Hou Yi’s residence and gave each of them three pills before returning. After resting, Xuan Nu let out a long sigh and said, “Today, Tathagata suffered significant damage.” “Oh? Why do you say that?” Wukong thought that the damage at Qitianling was already severe; in the Buddhist hell, Ni Li was hardly affected at all, and only a half-dead Buddha was captured—what was that compared to? Xuan Nu replied, “Not to mention you absorbed an entire pool of primordial energy and stole the Dead Buddha and the Earth Spirit Pearl, just the fact that you forced Tathagata’s third avatar to intervene already counts as a great victory today!” Wukong asked, “Shouldn’t Tathagata’s third avatar have intervened earlier?” Xuan Nu nodded and said, “If he had wanted to act, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until Ni Li Bodhisattva retreated? That white jade palm must have taken him many years to cultivate. Tathagata must be furious now.” Wukong said, “By that logic, Tathagata will surely have to hide his strength for a while.” Xuan Nu nodded and said, “Among the Buddhists, aside from Ni Li and the Great Sun Tathagata in the Buddhist hell, I don’t care about anyone else. If we don’t go to the Buddhist hell anymore, we can go anywhere in the world.” Wukong asked, “Can we go to the Heavenly Court?” Xuan Nu, being extremely clever, asked, “Do you want to uncover the secrets of the Primordial Furnace or steal the Immortal Peaches?” Wukong laughed and said, “Nothing escapes you.” Xuan Nu said, “In my opinion, it’s better not to provoke the Heavenly Court for now. The Heavenly Court has ruled the world for tens of thousands of years and has accumulated immense strength. At this moment, Tathagata is still the proper opponent for Qitianling.” Wukong asked, “If he just stays hidden, what can we do to him?” Xuan Nu replied, “You drained an entire pool of primordial energy from the Buddhist hell. What Tathagata needs to do now is replenish that energy. To cultivate his third avatar, he will need a great deal of primordial energy, which must ultimately be obtained from the mortal world.” Wukong suddenly understood Xuan Nu’s meaning and said, “You mean the Buddhist hell still has to draw primordial energy from ordinary people in the world. But the four great continents are so vast—it’s impossible to guard against everything.” Xuan Nu pondered for a while and said, “That’s indeed a difficult problem. But… go find Ksitigarbha. Perhaps Dharma Listening will have a solution.” Wukong nodded and said, “Noted.”

Xuan Nu took it into her arms and pulled out a jade box. Upon seeing it, Wukong immediately recognized it as the very jade box that Ran Deng had thrown to Xuan Nu before his death.
“The source of all evil!” That was Ran Deng’s judgment of this jade box.
Ran Deng had once said that inside this box were the “Instrumentary Canon,” cultivation methods from Buddhism and Taoism, the foundations of Buddhism, the art of crafting the Creation Furnace, the secrets of building Stupas, and the methods to refine the heavens!
Recalling these, Wukong couldn’t wait to open the box and take a look.
Xuan Nu gently lifted the lid. The interior of the box was exquisitely designed, divided into many small compartments. In one of them was the “Instrumentary Canon,” along with cultivation methods from Buddhism and Taoism. Wukong ignored these, focusing only on the secrets of building Stupas and the methods to refine the heavens—things that were crucial to Buddha’s ultimate goal.
Xuan Nu picked up the thin booklet with the title “The Gates of the Stupa” on its cover. After flipping through a few pages, she said, “Hmm, this was left by Buddha. I’ve heard Lao Jun talk about Stupas before.”
Hearing this, Wukong also wondered how Lao Jun could know about the secrets of Stupas. Xuan Nu flipped through a few more pages and nodded, “Well, there are still many differences. The ‘Gates of the Stupa’ mentioned by Lao Jun represent the ultimate path of goodness, but this book is full of methods to seize creation. They may seem similar, but they’re actually different.”
Wukong flipped through the booklet and found that most of its contents were indeed about how to seize creation, with the words “slaughter nations and kill living beings” clearly written in it. Wukong cursed, “Buddha truly regards all people as worthless.”
Xuan Nu said, “Don’t dwell on this either. Buddha isn’t from this world. To him, the living beings in this world are just like chickens and sheep in a pen—whether to kill them or not depends solely on the master’s will.”
Wukong didn’t respond and flipped through the book “The Way of Refining the Heavens.” To his disappointment, it contained only a highly detailed diagram, nothing else.
Wukong asked, “What is this? Who could understand it?”
Xuan Nu picked it up and examined it carefully. “Isn’t this exactly the design for building the Creation Furnace?” Wukong was shocked. “The Creation Furnace?”
Xuan Nu nodded. “Exactly. Look closely. The design of the furnace isn’t fully shown, but the 3,008 positions inside are clearly marked. Of these, the 3,000 below are naturally for the 3,000 Buddhas. As for the remaining eight— the top one is for the Great Sun Buddha, and the other seven…”
Wukong’s body trembled as he exclaimed, “Could they be reserved for the Divine Ape of Creation?”