Volume 4: The End of Cosmic Secrets, Chapter 475: Unpredictable

Wukong laughed heartily. “Just because you say so, I’ll back down?” He had fought against that severed arm for a long time and had already figured out the nature of this force that defied fate. All the supernatural powers derived from the forces of fate were utterly ineffective against it, only the Cosmic Rod could gradually drain this force.
Wukong changed his strategy—the Cosmic Rod transformed into a soft whip, which wrapped around his white jade palm. This feeling was all too familiar. Faint strands of dark-colored fate energy flowed from the white jade palm through the Cosmic Rod into Wukong’s body.
What surprised him this time was that the white jade palm offered no resistance or attempt to escape, unlike that severed arm. Unaware that he had already absorbed all the force of fate from that severed arm, Wukong now possessed far more of this force than the white jade palm. Even if it tried to flee, it would be powerless.
Tathagata’s expression shifted unpredictably as he stared intently at the Cosmic Rod. He knew something about it as well, but he could never have imagined that it possessed the ability to counteract the force of fate.
Given the situation, it was obvious that the white jade palm was ruined. Though saddened, Tathagata realized that nothing significant could be accomplished today. The Bodhisattva Nili was already suppressed by the Immortal Huangjiao and the Nine Heavens Goddess. If he couldn’t deal with Wukong, he himself had no more strength left to use. There was still another severed arm in the Stupa Tower, but what good would it do to bring it out? It would only serve to help that monkey.
Thinking of this, Tathagata glanced at the Furnace of Fate, feeling reluctant. However, refining it required many days, and without sufficient strength, it would be impossible to guard it.
Seeing the white jade palm grow weaker, with its bright white light fading gradually, Tathagata made up his mind. He vanished and entered the Stupa Tower. Surprisingly, the Stupa Tower disappeared into thin air.
Wukong exhausted all the force of fate from the white jade palm. The palm turned from solid to translucent, then gradually dissolved like ice turning to water, water turning to vapor, leaving no trace at all.
The other four divine apes were astonished. This strange palm, which they feared so much, had been subdued by Wukong with ease. How was that possible?
Wukong used the secret technique of the Mysterious Void to investigate where Tathagata had been standing, but found nothing unusual. Where had Tathagata gone?
In the distance, the Bodhisattva Nili suddenly surged forward, using all his skills to force the Nine Heavens Goddess and the Immortal Huangjiao to retreat. Seizing the opportunity, he vanished and entered the Buddhist Hell.
Wukong rushed toward the Buddhist Hell. No longer fearing the force of fate, he wasn’t afraid even of entering the Buddhist Hell. With Tathagata just having suffered a defeat, it was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot.

As soon as he touched the edge of the Buddhist Hell, to his surprise, the entire Buddhist Hell vanished into thin air! It was truly an absurd and incredible miracle!
The Tathagata entered the Stupa Tower, and then the tower disappeared—this was already extremely strange. Logically, the Stupa Tower was a magical artifact of the Tathagata, so it should have been the Tathagata himself who stored it away. Even if the Tathagata entered, someone else would have to store it for it to vanish like that. Wukong thought it was the Bodhisattva Nili who had stored the Stupa Tower, so he rushed to Buddhist Hell. Yet both the Bodhisattva Nili and Buddhist Hell disappeared one after another, in a manner identical to the spells used by the Tathagata.
Ultimately, who had taken away Buddhist Hell? Could it be that the Tathagata had created another hidden space that no one could see?
Wukong and Xuan Nu were filled with confusion, looking at each other. Together with Yuan Shi, they used the secret techniques of the Mysterious Sky to search, but the vast heavens were clear and devoid of any trace.
Wukong had a premonition: the world was now filled with the power of anti-creation, and this force kept flowing in from beyond the heavens. If the Tathagata wanted to create the body of the Great Sun Tathagata, he no longer needed to go through all those complicated steps to gather the power of creation; the anti-creation power could be obtained at any time, making it much easier to form the body of the Great Sun Tathagata.
At this thought, Wukong regretted not paying enough attention to the arrays on the Pillar of Heaven. After much speculation, he never imagined that the Tathagata would use these arrays to draw in the anti-creation power from beyond the heavens. Alas, the Tathagata had planned ahead, gaining the upper hand with this move.
Wukong asked Xuan Nu, “Is it possible to find him?”
Xuan Nu, understanding Wukong’s intentions, replied, “If he doesn’t come out, we won’t be able to find him.”
Wukong said, “If he wants to create the body of the Great Sun Tathagata, it must be related to this world; otherwise, how could he draw in that power?” Xuan Nu smiled bitterly and said, “The world is so vast—what kind of luck would it take to run into him?” Wukong knew Xuan Nu was telling the truth, so he decided to put the matter aside for now.
Xuan Nu glanced at the Creation Furnace and said to Wukong, “This thing is crucial; we must take it.”
Wukong nodded and flew toward the Yellow-Horned Immortal.
The Yellow-Horned Immortal also knew that the Tathagata had left, and the two sides would surely become enemies. In terms of strength, he was no match for Xuan Nu, Yuan Shi, or the Five Divine Apes. He was straightforward too—without saying a word, he turned and flew downward, not even looking back.
Wukong was stunned and asked Yuan Shi, “Who is this man?”
Yuan Shi shook his head. “He is a master created by the Queen Mother using secret techniques. All his magical power comes from the Peach Tree Mother.”

Wukong was alarmed and said, “That’s bad! He must be going to find the Mother Peach Tree!” He rushed downward at full speed and said to Xuan Nu, “You two go and seize the Creation Furnace!” Yuan Shi, seeing Wukong’s incredible speed, grew worried and said to Xuan Nu, “He—” Xuan Nu waved her hand and said, “It’s fine. Have you ever seen Wukong do something he’s not confident about?” There were still seventeen sages in the Creation Furnace, but to Xuan Nu and Yuan Shi, they were nothing to fear. With the help of the Four Divine Apes, defeating them was more than enough. Wukong instantly arrived at the Jade Pool. The vast heavenly palace was now completely empty; Laojun, Lingbao, and other Buddhas had gone somewhere else to fight. Entering the back garden of the Jade Pool, he indeed saw the Yellow-Horned Immortal standing under the Mother Peach Tree, watching. Wukong wondered why, if he wanted to take the tree, he hadn’t acted yet and was instead pondering there. When Wukong approached, the Yellow-Horned Immortal turned as if meeting an old friend after a long time and said, “All my cultivation skills stem from this tree.” Wukong asked, “So what?” The Yellow-Horned Immortal replied, “But the moment I saw you, I knew this tree was created for you.” “Oh? How do you know?” Wukong asked in confusion. The Yellow-Horned Immortal said, “I’ve been guarding this place for tens of thousands of years and am extremely familiar with the power of the Mother Peach Tree.” Wukong thought for a moment and asked, “Haven’t you eaten any peach fruits?” The Yellow-Horned Immortal replied, “To me, peach fruits are no different from ordinary elixirs; they just possess stronger creative energy.” Hearing this, it seemed the Yellow-Horned Immortal had also eaten the peach fruits from the tree. It appeared that the Queen Mother had gone to great lengths to create a supreme master. The Yellow-Horned Immortal continued, “I’ve only eaten one peach from this tree. Of the creative energy contained in one peach, less than one-tenth remains after it enters my body. Since then, I’ve refused to waste such precious resources.” Wukong nodded. What the Yellow-Horned Immortal said was true. Of all kinds of treasures, only the Creative Divine Ape could absorb their creative energy completely; others naturally lacked such talent. Yet his words carried the essence of the creative lineage. The Yellow-Horned Immortal added, “I came today just to take a look at this tree; I have no other intentions.” Wukong said, “This tree was created by Pangu for us. I’m here to take it away.” He paused, seeing no reaction from the Yellow-Horned Immortal, and continued, “If you miss it, you can go see it anytime.” The Yellow-Horned Immortal shook his head slightly and said, “No need. It’s not mine. What’s the point of looking?” After saying that, he gazed deeply at the Mother Peach Tree for a long time before floating away. Wukong asked urgently, “Where are you going?” The Yellow-Horned Immortal’s voice came from afar, “The world is vast—where can’t I go?” Wukong asked again, “Why do you want to help the Queen Mother?”

Huang Jiao said, “Times have changed.”
Wukong asked again, “Why do you want to seize the Creation Furnace?”
Huang Jiao replied, “It’s not about seizing the furnace; it’s about protecting it. He who controls this tree of creation should be the master of the Creation Furnace.”
Only then did Wukong understand that Huang Jiao was guarding the Creation Furnace to prevent others from taking it. But when Wukong appeared, Huang Jiao gave up on the furnace and stopped fighting. This Huang Jiao was truly an extraordinary being.
Seeing that Huang Jiao had vanished without a trace, Wukong examined the Mother Peach Tree more closely. Seeing its lush branches and leaves, he couldn’t help but leap up and sit on the trunk.
The Mother Peach Tree itself emitted a force of creation, though far weaker than that of the peaches. Yet it was perfect for ordinary immortals to cultivate with.
After much thought, Wukong still couldn’t figure out where to move the tree. It wasn’t an ordinary plant—it could grow with sunlight and soil. To nurture it, a strong force of creation was needed. Naturally, the Heavenly Court had the strongest such force, far surpassing that of mortal lands.
Suddenly, Wukong remembered a question: When the world first began, there was no Heavenly Court. So where did the Mother Peach Tree grow back then? He wasn’t fully awake, so he didn’t know, but the other five divine apes were fully awakened, and he could ask them.
At that moment, Xuan Nu descended from the sky. Wukong went up to her and asked, “Have you obtained the Creation Furnace?”
Xuan Nu nodded and said, “The sage inside the furnace has been driven away, but the Creation Furnace is connected to the creation energy of this Mother Peach Tree. Without refining it, it still can’t be moved.”
Wukong asked, “Who should refine it?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Yuan Shi is well-versed in formations, so he’s the only one suitable.”
Wukong asked, “What does it mean that creation forces are connected?”
Xuan Nu explained, “Creation energy is linked to countless paths. When creation forces are connected, it’s actually a type of formation. Not only can’t the Creation Furnace be moved, but even this Mother Peach Tree can’t be moved right now.”
Wukong had an idea and said, “What if we move them together?” Then he shook his head and laughed, “No need to move them. The Heavenly Court is now empty, and Buddha has also been greatly weakened. It’s safer to leave them here.”
Xuan Nu shook her head and said, “No, it must be refined and moved as soon as possible.”
Wukong asked, “Why must it be done this way? The Heavenly Court is just another realm in the sky. If the Jade Emperor has it, does that mean I can’t have it?” Xuan Nu didn’t answer, only smiled at Wukong.
Suddenly, Wukong remembered something and slapped his head, saying, “My apologies! I understand now.”