Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 454: Final Emergence

As Wukong sensed, the world seemed to calm down suddenly. The Heavenly Court no longer sent immortals to the mortal realms to commit evil deeds. Most of this was due to previous heavy setbacks, and another reason was that the Netherworld had been gradually completed, with its cycle of life and death now barely sufficient to meet the needs of the Heavenly Court.

Speaking of the Netherworld, it was largely thanks to the Southern Pole Immortal. Since taking charge of it, he seemed to have completely changed his attitude, becoming diligent and meticulous in his actions.

At the same time, as the Buddhist hell realms seemed to disappear from the world, the number of demons in the Netherworld grew rapidly. In just ten years, its scale had reached almost the same level as before. However, whether there was an abundance or scarcity within it was invisible to outsiders; only the eight or nine Golden Immortals in the Creation Furnace could sense it.

If there was any surplus after refining in the Creation Furnace, it would spread across the thirty-six heavens. Even the Queen Mother could notice that the thousand-zhang jade on Kunlun Island, which had not grown for a long time, finally began to grow slightly again. This alone was enough to bring great relief to the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, who rewarded the Southern Pole Immortal twice within thirty years.

Among the Six Sovereigns, Gou Chen and Dong Ji had perished. The Purple Micro Emperor and the Heavenly Court maintained a superficial unity while being actually estranged. Hou Tu had never been under the Jade Emperor’s control. Now, only the Southern Pole Immortal remained to serve the Heavenly Court. How could the Queen Mother not feel moved?

The Heavenly Court quietly stopped targeting the mortal realms. Maitreya, Ksitigarbha, and others, after guarding for a few years, also returned to Mount Ling. Dayu and Hou Tu continued to live on Qitian Ridge. Upon learning that Wukong and the Five Divine Apes were in seclusion in the Zhu Rong Realm, they refused to leave even for a moment.

Great changes had taken place on Qitian Ridge. With the Heavenly Court ignoring this world, the task of controlling weather across the four great continents now fell entirely on Chi Songzi of Qitian Ridge. Chi Songzi, accompanied by many divine beasts, was busy day and night. Seeing the favorable weather and prosperous lives of the people in the four continents, he felt greatly satisfied. Gradually, the name of the Rain Master became widely known throughout the world, and he was worshipped by all.

Fights among immortals became fewer, while the demon races on earth gradually revived. In the barren mountains, deep valleys, and dangerous ravines, the number of beasts and birds increased. Qitian Ridge benefited the most. Within fifty years, the number of demons there reached 150,000, with both the southern and northern peaks filled with them.

The Buddhist hell realms truly seemed to have vanished from the world. Not only was not a single person from Buddha’s side visible, but even the Western Liang Women’s Kingdom remained completely silent, with not a single soul in sight, except for a solitary stupa tower standing there.

Though there was no Tathagata on earth, the Buddhist sect still existed. Maitreya, Ksitigarbha, and Guanyin traveled across the four continents, often demonstrating the Dharma through their own examples and preaching, causing the number of Buddhist believers to soar rapidly. In comparison, Taoism naturally declined in strength.

The Three Pure Ones and the Goddess Xuan Nu had not been seen since leaving the Buddhist hell last time. The gates of the Tushita Palace, Shangqing Palace, and Yuqing Palace remained tightly closed, refusing to admit outsiders. Yet for a hundred years, no one had come to disturb them. From then on, Taoism declined, and the Taoist temples on earth became deserted, unable to regain their former prosperity.

As for Mount Ling, it was even more bustling than during the time when the World-Honored Buddha was alive. Believers from all over the world would travel thousands of miles to pay homage to this sacred place and see the true faces of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Despite the bustle, Mount Ling was no longer as luxurious as before. All the magical formations were gone, and the scenes of colorful blossoms and glowing treasures could no longer be seen. In their place were simple monastic houses with green tiles, accompanied only by the sounds of morning bells, evening drums, and wooden fish.

In the Zhu Rong Realm, regardless of the passage of time, Wukong focused solely on maintaining the five veins of creation and channeling them into the bodies of the five divine apes. He found that even among the divine apes, there were significant differences in their ability to absorb creation.

The five divine apes belonged to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Initially, these five veins of creation were identical, but over time, they took on the colors of the five elements, forming five arching curves in the air, as if each divine ape had opened its own door to welcome creation into its body.

Wukong was amazed. It seemed that the five divine apes belonging to the five elements were destined from birth. At the beginning of the world, they naturally knew their roles, but over tens of thousands of years, they had been killed and lost all their memories, gradually forgetting their true nature. Fortunately, through a series of coincidences, they were able to rediscover their true selves.

Watching these colorful veins of creation, Wukong couldn’t help but recall a saying: Everyone has their own color; don’t try to change it arbitrarily. The purest self is the simplest and strongest.

By manipulating creation, Wukong naturally consumed his own magical energy, but with countless immortal herbs and elixirs around him, he could simply take what he needed. During this process, he found that his cultivation also improved. What surprised him even more was that the five colored veins of creation gradually connected to his Dantian’s Hunyuan Dao Fruit through the thousand-foot jade.

Gradually, they became the creation of the thousand-foot jade, first circulating within Wukong’s Hunyuan Dao Fruit before being passed on to the other five divine apes. At first, Wukong was worried—wouldn’t all creation end up in his own hands? But he realized that the creation was merely passing through. With each cycle, it accelerated the rotation of his Hunyuan Dao Fruit, but it didn’t stay for long before being distributed to the five divine apes.

Day after day, year after year, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Dayu and Houtu came to check three times and left on their own when they saw nothing amiss. The Qilin, Jiuling Yuansheng, Niuma Wang, Dapeng, and others remained sequestered inside, while the Golden God and Wood God, bored, sat by the boundary and began to cultivate. Only Hou Yi stood firm like a mountain, holding his two bows, not even blinking. Chang’e often came to visit, spoke a few words with Hou Yi, and left without any trace of resentment. In the fifth year, Guanyin suddenly appeared, looking for Chang’e. Chang’e was slightly surprised; back in the Heavenly Court, she was merely the ruler of the Guanghan Palace, while Guanyin was often a guest at the Jade Emperor’s court. Their statuses were worlds apart, and though they knew each other, they had never spoken a word. Still dressed in black, Guanyin took out a jade rabbit from her sleeve upon seeing Chang’e and said, “I went to Tianzhu Country to spread the Dharma and saw this jade rabbit causing trouble there, so I captured it for you.” Chang’e quickly thanked her, but upon seeing the rabbit covered in filth, she frowned slightly. Guanyin said, “The jade rabbit of the Heavenly Court once had an ethereal appearance, but now it’s not the same as before.” Chang’e replied, “Just leave it in the mountains; let it go wherever it wants. If I can’t keep it, it’s not mine.” So Guanyin threw the rabbit into the grass below the peak and left. Seeing Guanyin go, the rabbit cautiously crawled out of the grass, hopped over to Chang’e, and looked at her with tearful eyes, clearly begging for mercy. Seeing the rabbit’s peach-blossom-like eyes, Chang’e sighed, “Times change, and people shift. You desire to return to the mortal world. I won’t judge right or wrong, but with such recklessness, never come near me again.” The rabbit raised its front paws and pleaded again, but Chang’e swatted it away with her sleeve and turned back to her room. The rabbit, looking pitiful, dared not approach again and quickly disappeared into the grass. Twenty more years passed. Wukong let out a loud roar in the Zhurong Realm, causing Zhurong’s ears to ring. Zhurong cursed, “You damned Wukong! Why are you shouting? You scared me!” Wukong laughed and said, “Sister, don’t be angry. All the divine treasures have been used up. After staying in seclusion for so many years, do you admire me?” Zhurong snorted, “No matter how many years you’ve spent, I’ve done the same. What’s there to admire?” Wukong asked, “Look at those five. Have they changed at all?” Upon seeing the five divine apes, Zhurong was first shocked, and upon closer inspection, he could hardly hold back his emotions.

It turned out that after entering seclusion, these five divine apes had undergone many changes in appearance. The intelligent Divine Ape, the Six-Eared Monkey, who had originally had a regular face, now had a larger left ear and a smaller right ear, as well as a smaller left eye and a larger right eye, making him appear extremely strange. The Arm-Extending Divine Ape had a tuft of white hair on its chest, which now resembled the tail of a dust brush and was about a foot and a half long. The Wind-Channeling Divine Ape’s white hair on its forehead was even more peculiar—it floated in the air like dandelion seeds, appearing both real and illusory. Wu Zhi had extremely thick white hair all over his head; upon close inspection, it resembled towering white waves. The most terrifying of all was the Divine Ape King Yu—his claws were over a foot long, flexible, with sharp golden light shining from their tips, while his eyes were blood-red, eerie in appearance.

What surprised Zhu Rong the most was not these changes. Among the five divine apes, Wu Zhi had originally had the highest cultivation level, only reaching the peak of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal. Yet now, even Zhu Rong could no longer discern their true cultivation levels. Were they saints or not? As the five stood together, a mysterious aura circulated among them, as if naturally forming an illusionary array.

Zhu Rong stood up, rubbed his eyes, and left that realm. The group emerged from underground and arrived at the summit of Qitian Ridge. Hou Yi was also greatly surprised upon seeing Wukong and the five divine apes. He said to Wukong, “Your eyes.”

Wukong naturally knew that the starlight in his eyes had finally become fully visible and could no longer be hidden. The difference was that the starlight in his left eye shone constantly, while the right eye still flickered occasionally. He didn’t recall any additional memories. He knew that the Spiritual Brightness Divine Ape was the hardest to awaken; it seemed that only when both eyes emitted constant starlight would he truly awaken.

Standing on the summit of Qitian Ridge, the five divine apes felt a surge within them. Unlike Wukong, they had already remembered their past lives while cultivating within that realm. A hundred and twenty years had passed outside the realm, but over thirty thousand years had passed inside. This period of seclusion was both easy and difficult to describe.

Gathering all the divine apes was already an extremely rare feat. Coupled with Wukong’s great powers, which allowed him to obtain the essence of the five elements from Pangu, along with the blessings of the Ten Continents and Three Islands, they finally all became saints. When the five were together, they felt as one; if they combined their forces in a single attack, no one in the world would be able to resist them.

During this period of seclusion, Wukong also benefited greatly. He faintly felt that although there hadn’t been significant changes in the yin and yang energies within his body, after connecting with the Hunyuan Dao Fruit and the five divine apes, the essence of the five elements had replaced the previous blessings. Now, when he used his divine spells, they were countless times stronger than before.

Looking at the Five Divine Apes, who were now safe and secure in this world, Wukong was greatly relieved. He gazed up at the sky and remembered an important matter, so he broke through the clouds and flew higher and higher.