Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed – Chapters 467: The Enlightened Beast

The primordial true power was activated, causing the muddled yellow flag to swell like a balloon. Nine flying swords were shot at the flag, with six of them piercing through it before being pulled back by the flag, slowing their momentum. The Holy Mother of Lishan and the Great Emperor of Ziwei joined forces to retrieve four more flying swords.
The remaining five flying swords changed direction and headed toward Ziwei. Everyone thought Buddha’s target was only Yuan Shi, but Buddha’s intentions shifted so quickly—he realized he couldn’t harm Yuan Shi, so harming Ziwei would suffice. Caught off guard, Ziwei saw the five flying swords rushing toward him and could only wave his sleeve to block them.
Yuan Shi and the others retrieved the flying swords, but this wasn’t a permanent solution. These swords were magical artifacts refined by the Buddhas, possessing sentience. Though in the hands of Yuan Shi and the others, they still struggled to break free. Once freed, they would return to their original owners, so they needed to keep a tight grip on them.
Ziwei had no one else to rely on. His sleeve could barely block two flying swords at most. The Four Swords of Exterminating Immortals were extremely powerful; if struck, it would surely cause serious injuries.
At that moment, a strange voice shouted, “Retreat!”
A bright white circle flew in from the South Heavenly Gate. From afar, the five flying swords were drawn toward it like iron filings to a magnet. Even the flying swords in Yuan Shi and the others’ hands began to stir, trying to break free.
Soon after, a short figure leaped down from the clouds—it was the Divine Ape King Yu.
It turned out that Wukong and Xuan Nu had gone to observe the situation in heaven. The people in Qitianling were extremely anxious, but Wukong had instructed them to wait there, so no one acted rashly. Even the irritable Qilin understood the gravity of the situation and patiently waited in the cave.
After waiting for half a day with no sign of Wukong, they had no idea he had already gone to the heavenly realm to pick peaches. A while later, Zhenwu rushed over in haste.
Dayu and the others went to meet him. Zhenwu briefly explained that the Jade Emperor had died and Buddha wanted to seize control of the heavenly realm. He said the Three Pure Ones were too weak and needed the help of Qitianling.
Dayu thought for a moment and said, “This is a grave matter; we dare not act rashly.” This was because Wukong had told them they couldn’t leave Qitianling unless he came to inform them.
In fact, Wukong had his reasons for this. Buddha’s purpose in coming to Kunlun Island was the Thousand-Foot Jade. Wukong believed a great battle between Buddha and the heavenly realm would inevitably arise over it.
Every move in Qitianling depended on the Thousand-Foot Jade, so the timing of sending troops had to be perfect. If they acted too early, they might get caught up in the battle; if too late, they might not even get a chance to intervene.

Who would have thought that despite the Heavenly Court’s considerable strength, it still had severe flaws in the eyes of Buddha. As early as when he first emerged from the Creation Furnace, Buddha had placed restrictions on the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, keeping their lives in his grasp at any moment. This struggle was almost one-sided—most of the powerful warriors in the Heavenly Court above the level of Hunyuan Jinxian were defeated in battle. Huangjiao Daxian and the Thirty-Six Saints regained their freedom and went off to roam the world.

When Wukong arrived at the Three Pure Ones’ abode, he learned after just a few words that Zhenwu had already gone to Qitianling for help. He then rushed to Qitianling without delay. He knew that neither the Qilin nor Dayu, Houyi, nor even the Creation Divine Ape would send troops to assist Zhenwu, as it might cause misunderstandings, which was not his intention.

Sure enough, Zhenwu was slightly displeased upon hearing Dayu’s refusal. The situation was urgent; if they arrived too late, the Three Pure Ones might not be able to hold on. While Zhenwu was at a loss, Wukong descended from the sky and said, “The Dragon God is fast!”

After saying that, Wukong exclaimed, “The Jade Emperor has been harmed by Buddha! The Heavenly Court is doomed. Kunlun Immortal Island is now in Buddha’s control. Let’s fight now!”

Everyone had been boiling with anger for a long time. They had emerged from the Buddhist hell and practiced hard for over a hundred years just to avenge themselves one day. To be fair, the Heavenly Court had never really gained much advantage from Qitianling, and the people there also knew that Buddha was the real culprit behind the chaos of the world.

The Qilin let out an angry roar and flew eastward, followed closely by the Nine Spirits Sacred One, the Great Peng, and the Bull Demon King. The Gods of Metal, Wood, and Fire, along with Houyi, followed behind Dayu and Hou Tu. Guanyin and Zhenwu exchanged a smile and joined them, while Wukong led the Five Divine Apes straight toward Kunlun Immortal Island.

Suddenly, the Bull Demon King shouted ahead, “If we seize the Heavenly Court as our stronghold, life there will be far better than on earth!” Wukong laughed at this. The old bull was straightforward in nature. Though his words might have been a bit arbitrary, they weren’t entirely unfounded. Even if the Heavenly Court was poor, it was still better than any treasure land on earth. If they could take it as a gathering place for demons, it would be perfect both in terms of prestige and practical benefits.

At that moment, Xuan Nu rushed up from behind, accompanied by someone—Qingqiu, the Nine-Tailed Fox. Qingqiu had learned from the Bull Demon King that Buddha was on Kunlun Immortal Island and insisted on coming along, so Xuan Nu had no choice but to take her with her.

When they caught up with Wukong, Xuan Nu said only one thing: “Destroy the Heavenly Court!”

Ah! Wukong was greatly shocked. Why? Could it be that Xuan Nu believed Qitianling and the Three Pure Ones would surely be defeated by Buddha and refused to let the Heavenly Court fall into his hands?

After saying these nonsensical words, Xuan Nu led Qingqiu away at full speed. Wukong instinctively chased after her, but his agility was not as good as hers, so he could only follow behind. Though slow, they soon reached the Kunlun Immortal Island. The island was almost empty, with only the extremely tall Nine-Layer Zeng City bustling with activity. Wukong and the others were still far away when they saw a burst of golden light inside Zeng City, followed by a deafening roar that shocked everyone. Xuan Nu walked at the front, swinging her hands backward to stop everyone from moving forward. Wukong caught up and used his secret technique to look down at Zeng City, asking, “What kind of monster is that?” Xuan Nu replied, “The Kai Ming beasts have finally appeared.” At that moment, Bodhisattva Ni Li stood below Zeng City, feeling extremely frustrated. He thought that with the power of the Five Hundred Boundless Bodhisattvas, it should be easy to conquer this Nine-Layer Zeng City. The thirty-six thousand-zhang jade artifacts were something Buddha must obtain, and after that, he still had to go to the Thirty-Six Heavens to help Buddha take control of the heavenly court. Seeing that the celestial officials in the heavenly court scattered without hesitation after the Emperor of Heaven was killed and the Queen Mother was subdued by Buddha, there was not a single soldier left outside Zeng City. Ni Li sent fifty bodhisattvas straight at the Nine-Layer Zeng City. As they approached the city gates, they saw them open wide, and from inside stepped a middle-aged man with a thick beard, followed by over a hundred monstrous creatures. These creatures all looked similar—green manes, yellow skin, tiger bodies with human faces, and nine heads on their necks. They stared solemnly with wide eyes at Bodhisattva Ni Li and the other bodhisattvas. The middle-aged man with the beard was naturally Lu Wu. He roared, “How dare you approach Kunlun!” Bodhisattva Ni Li took a closer look and realized that Lu Wu was only at the initial stage of enlightenment, while these monsters only possessed the power of a Taiyi Golden Immortal. Even if there were a hundred of them, what difference would it make if there were a thousand? The fifty bodhisattvas used their supernatural powers to attack Lu Wu. It was clear from the situation that he was the master of these Kai Ming beasts, and once he was subdued, the beasts would no longer pose a threat. Lu Wu retreated quickly into the herd of Kai Ming beasts, and the Boundless Bodhisattvas pursued closely. Just then, all the Kai Ming beasts stopped their right front legs simultaneously, emitting a dazzling golden light from their eyes. At the same time, they opened their nine mouths and let out a thunderous roar. No one could have imagined that despite being only at the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, these beasts could produce such a powerful roar.

After that roar, the fifty bodhisattvas froze mid-air, as if stunned. Even the Bodhisattva of Nili felt his ears buzz and numb, his magical powers nearly disappearing in that instant. What kind of strange magic was this? Having long lived in the Buddhist hell realms, the Bodhisattva of Nili had great cultivation but limited knowledge, and he didn’t know what to do for a moment.

At that time, the fifty bodhisattvas fell from the sky, and a group of Kai Ming beasts pounced on them, biting and clawing. But due to their low cultivation, they couldn’t pierce through the bodhisattvas’ flesh.

Lu Wu chanted a spell and summoned the Kai Ming beasts back. It took the fifty bodhisattvas some time to get up, all showing fear on their faces. If not for the low cultivation of the Kai Ming beasts, they would likely have died at that moment.

The Bodhisattva of Nili growled, “Come back!”

The five hundred bodhisattvas had varying levels of cultivation, all hovering around the peak of Hunyuan Jinxian. Even those who had reached the status of sages were only at an early stage; going any further would be useless.

The Bodhisattva of Nili rose gracefully, moving like a black streak through the air. He closed his six senses, concentrated his power in his palms, and struck at the Kai Ming beasts. Since the five hundred bodhisattvas were ineffective, only he could act.

Lu Wu had seen the Bodhisattva of Nili in action before and knew he was no match for him. He kept drawing back the Kai Ming beasts while growling continuously. Within the nine-layered Zeng City, countless more Kai Ming beasts emerged, their golden eyes all focused on the Bodhisattva of Nili.

The Bodhisattva of Nili changed his movement rapidly, but even so, he couldn’t outpace the speed of the Kai Ming beasts’ eyes. He felt uncomfortable all over but couldn’t explain why. His powers of creation and destruction seemed trapped like a bull in mud, unable to be exerted.

The group at Qitian Ridge stood in the clouds, watching the battle in Zeng City from afar.

Dayu sighed, “Kai Ming beasts—such ancient mythical beasts still exist in the world.”

Wukong, noticing that Dayu seemed very familiar with them, asked, “What abilities do these beasts have?” Hou Yi recited, “Their angry eyes are like lightning strikes; one roar can split mountains.”

Wukong asked again, “If they can leave the Bodhisattva of Nili at a loss, aren’t these beasts invincible in the world?”

Dayu said, “The Queen Mother is truly extraordinary. In ancient times, there were only two Kai Ming beasts. I don’t know how she managed to breed so many. Most ancient mythical beasts live alone, so ones like Tai Feng, Ying Zhao, and Hua She usually have only one or two offspring. Yet here in this city, there are thousands of Kai Ming beasts. What’s going on here?”

Wukong urged, “What does it matter how they came about? How powerful are these beasts? If they were here, wouldn’t it be difficult for us to obtain the Thousand-Foot Jade too?”

Hou Tu said, “If there’s only one or two Enlightenment Beasts, they’re certainly not worth fearing at all. But the electricity in their eyes and the roars of their nine heads can amplify each other. That’s why when a thousand Enlightenment Beasts attack together, no one in this world can stop them!”
Wukong scratched his head and then noticed something, saying, “Where is Buddha?”