Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 511: Master and Disciple Meet

Wang Yu soared into the sky and rushed toward those dark clouds. Xuan Nu hurried after him. The dark clouds vanished in an instant. When the two reached the west, they could no longer find any trace of them.

Wang Yu said, “If it’s the Buddhist hell, why did they disappear as soon as we came out?”

Xuan Nu replied, “Perhaps Buddha did it on purpose. Or maybe he revealed a flaw in order to absorb the power of opposing fate.”

Wang Yu said, “The latter is possible, but why would Buddha deliberately appear? Wouldn’t he be afraid…”

Xuan Nu slowly said, “What is there for him to fear? The whole world is searching for him. Any move he makes will disturb countless people.” After thinking for a moment, she added, “I need to go look for Wukong and Yin Yang.”

Wang Yu opened his mouth to speak, but Xuan Nu said, “It’s better if you don’t go. Qitian Ridge is not what it used to be. With such a vast empire here, let the Five Divine Apes guard it!”

Although Wang Yu was highly skilled, he still dared not defy Xuan Nu’s wishes. So he flew east with her. Upon arriving at Qitian Ridge, Wang Yu couldn’t help but say, “Master, it’s been a long time since I last saw Wukong and Yin Yang.”

Xuan Nu replied, “Wukong is in seclusion. He doesn’t have the leisure right now. You’ll reunite soon enough.” With that, she flew east. Wang Yu stared at her retreating figure, feeling uneasy.

Suddenly, he saw Xuan Nu pause slightly before vanishing from the sky! Wang Yu was shocked. Qitian Ridge was just a short distance from the Tongtian River. Xuan Nu couldn’t have used teleportation—where had she gone? Could she have been captured? Who else in the world had the ability and reason to capture Xuan Nu besides the Great Sun Buddha?

Without hesitation, Wang Yu rushed to where Xuan Nu had disappeared, but found no trace of her. He continued flying east and arrived at the Tongtian River.

Yin Yang was carefully feeding colored lotus flowers to Wukong, feeling slightly worried. Earlier, when Wukong absorbed the power of fate, he was still able to talk and laugh as he gathered many treasures. But now, Yin Yang gradually felt that Wukong seemed quiet—no, utterly silent.

This silence wasn’t simply the closure of his six senses, nor was it an ordinary invisibility spell. Wukong was clearly sitting there, yet Yin Yang felt his presence growing weaker and weaker. Normally, the Bloodline of the Divine Ape of Fate connected their hearts, so how could they not sense each other from such close range? But at this moment, Yin Yang experienced this utterly strange feeling—that Wukong was gradually drifting away from him.

Just then, Wang Yu arrived in a flash from afar. Seeing Yin Yang, he exclaimed urgently, “My master has been captured!” Yin Yang immediately understood and said, “The Great Sun Buddha?”

Wang Yu said, “Just now, our master said he saw the Buddhist hell appearing in the west. When the two of us went to check, it was gone without a trace. On our way back, our master suddenly disappeared into thin air—it must be Tathagata!”
Yin Yang sighed and said calmly, “Even if we know it’s Tathagata who captured them, there’s nothing we can do.”
Wang Yu urged, “If we can’t find Tathagata, won’t people like the Three Pure Ones, Zhen Wu, Qilin, Maitreya, and others all be in danger?”
Yin Yang replied, “If Wukong wakes up, the two of us might be able to find Tathagata in this realm. But right now, Wukong’s condition is extremely strange. I should just stay by his side.”
Wang Yu glanced at Wukong and was also surprised, but since the matter concerning Xuan Nu was urgent, he didn’t have time to think deeply. He said, “I need to go greet the Three Pure Ones and the others right away.”
Yin Yang said, “Go ahead. If you’re worried, bring them all to Qitianling to stay there. With the Five Elements Divine Apes around, Tathagata won’t dare to mess with them.”
Wang Yu felt a little more at ease. His master and Xuan Nu being captured really troubled him, but since even Yin Yang said they couldn’t find Tathagata, what else could he do? The only thing to do was to take precautions and protect the other important figures for now.
Wang Yu was right—Xuan Nu had indeed been captured by Tathagata. As she flew in the sky, she suddenly felt darkness surround her and found herself in an extremely dark place. This atmosphere was all too familiar to Xuan Nu—it was the Buddhist hell.
Though frightened, Xuan Nu wasn’t afraid. The Tathagata she knew was very different from the one Wukong knew. Although Tathagata could commit acts of destruction, he wasn’t a bloodthirsty person. Everything he did was for his own purposes. As for those uninvolved, Tathagata wouldn’t even touch a single hair of theirs.
The Tathagata Buddha, who seemed to disregard all living beings in the eyes of others, actually harbored endless indifference toward this world.
Upon entering the Buddhist hell, Xuan Nu felt that the power of counter-creation here was countless times stronger than before. It seemed Tathagata had found a way to harness this power, and his strength as the Great Sun Tathagata would grow by leaps and bounds. But why had Tathagata captured her and brought her here?
At that moment, a light dot appeared in front of her, flickering in the dark Buddhist hell before quickly taking the form of Tathagata.
Xuan Nu knew this wasn’t Tathagata’s true form but a phantom image of him. Her heart remained calm; she no longer cared about her own safety. What occupied her thoughts more was Tathagata’s reason for capturing her.
Tathagata said, “Xuan Nu, my plan is about to succeed.”
Xuan Nu replied, “So what?”
Tathagata said, “You are my most beloved disciple. In terms of cunning and strategy, you far surpass the Three Pure Ones. Alas!”
“You sigh because of me?” Xuan Nu was slightly surprised.
Tathagata nodded.

Xuan Nu said, “I’ve hindered you many times from achieving your goals—don’t you hate me?”
Tathagata smiled and said, “You may have known me for a long time, but have you ever seen me hate anyone? Everything you do has its own reason. The same is true for Pangu and Kunpeng. Though their struggles differ, each holds their own views. Who can say that others are definitely wrong?”
Xuan Nu asked, “Are Pangu and Kunpeng different?”
Tathagata replied, “Though both belong to the realm of creation, one acts through human effort while the other is determined by fate—there’s a huge difference.”
Xuan Nu said, “A huge difference? Yet both of them are your enemies!”
Tathagata said, “Pangu’s intention to stop me from leaving heaven is obvious. Kunpeng opposes me only to borrow the power of the Divine Apes. I bear no grudges against him.”
Hearing about Kunpeng’s secret motives, Xuan Nu wanted to ask more and said, “If even Kunpeng can’t do it, can the Seven Divine Apes?”
Tathagata replied, “Most things in the world are like this—those in high positions also have their limits.”
Xuan Nu asked again, “Then what does Kunpeng want to do?”
Tathagata said, “He? Naturally, he wants to leave heaven.”
“Leave heaven? What’s the point of that? You’ve never explained,” Xuan Nu said.
Tathagata sighed and said, “You’re truly stubborn. You surely know about the cosmic furnace. Are you willing to stay trapped in it for life? When the cycle of reincarnation comes, all your cultivation will be lost, and you’ll live like a primitive beast. Even if you become the ruler of heaven and earth, what sense of achievement would that bring?”
Xuan Nu asked, “Do you think heaven and earth aren’t big enough?”
Tathagata shook his head and said, “You’re wrong. I simply… refuse to be controlled by others. I am who I am—why should I let others determine my fate?”
His tone was calm, yet utterly firm. After hearing these words, Xuan Nu gained a new understanding of Tathagata. It seemed Tathagata hadn’t done anything wrong. Fighting for one’s freedom and fate—what was wrong with that?
No! If he wanted to fight, then let him. Since the beginning of time, how many people had Tathagata harmed? The Three Pure Ones, the Jade Emperor and Empress—all were within his schemes. The kings of the five realms were either coaxed or hunted by Tathagata. Now only Zhenwu and the Qilin remained free. The Divine Apes were used by Tathagata to be hunted by immortals and demons time and again. Even worse for those immortals and demons—their darkest instincts were awakened, and they unknowingly became Tathagata’s enforcers, dying without realizing who was really behind it all! Those innocent mortals, those believers who willingly contributed to Tathagata’s plans generation after generation, those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas controlled by a single scripture…
“You’re wrong!” Xuan Nu declared firmly.
“Where am I wrong?” Tathagata asked calmly.

“You are wrong for using the divine ape as bait, for ignoring all living beings, for scheming against the world!”
“Oh? Even you think so?” Buddha smiled. “The divine ape can die and be reborn; those who perish also undergo reincarnation. Even if I don’t scheme, when the calamity of the Yuan era arrives, everything will turn into chaos—so what difference is there between dying early or late?”
Xuan Nu sneered, “You don’t want your own fate to be controlled by others, so why force others to change their fates? Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. You haven’t lost your true nature and are not wrong, so why force others to change theirs?”
“True nature? Not losing one’s true nature? That’s well said. As long as I don’t lose my true nature, I’ve fulfilled myself—why should I worry about others?” Buddha said.
“And now you’ve become the enemy of the whole world, yet you still don’t realize it?” Xuan Nu said.
Buddha was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “The enemy of the whole world? I’ve never cared about such things at all! They are but ants in the furnace—why talk about the world?”
Xuan Nu remained silent. She knew Buddha’s resolve was unshakable; it was impossible for her to persuade him.
Buddha continued, “Have you noticed that you’ve changed?”
Xuan Nu asked, “How have I changed?”
Buddha replied, “The Xuan Nu of old was the smartest and most perceptive person in the world. But today, you seem almost like a stubborn, deluded fool who has lost his true self. Can’t you see the reason for this?”
“What reason?” Though she didn’t agree with Buddha’s words, Xuan Nu still wanted to know what he meant.
Buddha said, “Not only have you changed, but Yuan Shi has changed too. The forces of creation imposed themselves on you and the others. Though there are slight benefits, with those forces in mind, how much of what you do is truly your own?”
Xuan Nu felt a stir in her heart. Could what Buddha said be true? In the previous Yuan era, she had only doubted Buddha’s actions, trying to uncover the secrets behind them. But in this Yuan era, after becoming the Eye of Creation, she had begun to see Buddha as her rival. It all started with killing the Dragon Tree. Could it be that Pangu was using her?
At the thought of this, Xuan Nu was shocked by herself. Pangu had always been peaceful, nurturing all living beings—how could he do such a thing?
Buddha said, “You won’t believe me even if I tell you. When the day I leave this world comes, if you’re still here, I will show you the true face of heaven and earth and reveal the truth to you.”
Xuan Nu couldn’t help asking, “Why do you insist that I see it?”

Tathagata said leisurely, “Whether it’s you, the Three Pure Ones, or anyone else, someone must be there to witness it. Do you know? Whether they are ordinary people or Buddhas, when they accomplish something great, they always hope someone will see it, so that they can feel much more at ease.”