Volume 4: The End of All Secrets, Chapter 550: Meeting the King

Wukong was convinced that Tathagata intended to capture him and take him back. Tathagata was the master of the furnace, and the Heavenly Secrets Staff was left by him. Tathagata within the realm had told Wukong that only the Spirit-Aware Monkey could use the staff to pass through the formations in the River of Heaven. It seemed that Tathagata outside the realm had intentionally left a backdoor for himself.
However, allowing him to emerge was by no means granting him freedom. Wukong secretly hoped that something had detained Tathagata, preventing him from escaping as he left the great furnace.
Wukong couldn’t understand—Tathagata possessed Mount Sumeru and such great cultivation; what more could he not obtain? Even if Wukong reached the realm of spiritual clarity or achieved an unprecedented level of pseudo-saintly cultivation within that furnace, what did that mean in Tathagata’s eyes?
Wukong used the art of the Cloud Jump, while Tathagata spread his two large sleeves like bird wings and flapped them lightly twice; with each flap, he covered distances of hundreds of thousands of miles. If Wukong had looked back at that moment, he would have recognized that the divine power Tathagata was using was very similar to that of the Golden-Feathered Roc.
Wukong had no time to look back. He could sense that Tathagata was getting closer and closer. Using the secrets of the Mysterious Sky Art, he looked ahead and saw a very tall mountain faintly visible in the distance. Wukong thought to himself, “This is bad! How is this mountain so similar to the one I escaped from? Could this be Tathagata’s lair?”
On impulse, Wukong flew northward. Tathagata followed slowly behind, and no matter how desperately Wukong tried to escape, the distance between them continued to shrink.
As Wukong was using his movement skills, he suddenly felt as if he had hit a wall, with restraining forces emerging from all directions, trapping him. He quickly used the Reverse Heaven and Earth Art to escape, but by then, Tathagata was already very close.
Wukong was horrified. Just moments ago, there had been thousands of miles between him and Tathagata, yet Tathagata could still wield such powerful divine powers. Tathagata stared intently at Wukong and asked, word by word, “Did I let you out?”
These words made Wukong extremely uncomfortable. Tathagata’s tone suggested that Wukong was merely a pet of his. No! Not just Wukong—everyone inside the furnace was seen that way by Tathagata.
Unfazed, Wukong met Tathagata’s gaze. He knew that this handsome, heroic, and even somewhat sinister monk before him was the culprit behind the calamity of Huizhen! Wukong had countless questions he wanted to ask, but upon seeing Tathagata’s eyes, he realized those questions were no longer necessary.

The Buddha’s eyes were like two bottomless abysses. Upon closer inspection, endless flames rose from their depths, seemingly containing boundless desires.
What did the Buddha seek? In this state, he had only his own fervently pursued goal in mind; nothing else mattered to him. The creatures of this world were, in his eyes, mere subjects whose lives and deaths could be determined with a single thought.
Wukong felt as though he were sinking into those abysses. It seemed… the Buddha’s target was himself.
“Hahaha…” A hearty laugh rang out. Wukong shuddered and instantly regained his senses. Only then did he realize there was no abyss, no flames—unaware, he had fallen for the Buddha’s trick. Thankfully, that laugh awakened him.
Hearing the laugh, the Buddha first frowned slightly, then lowered his gaze. A string of prayer beads appeared in his hand. His appearance remained unchanged, but his expression became devout and humble, clearly that of a highly accomplished and indifferent monk.
Wukong remained motionless. Seeing the Buddha’s feigned humility, he knew this person was someone the Buddha couldn’t afford to provoke.
In the exact north direction, three figures appeared and soon came closer.
Wukong recognized two of them. The one on the left, dressed in green, handsome and resolute as a mountain, was Dayu; the one on the right, with thick brows and a straight nose, carrying a giant bow on his back, was the archer god Houyi. Dayu and Houyi flanked the figure in the middle.
This man was half a head taller than Dayu and Houyi, with a robust and imposing build. His face was sharply defined, radiating integrity and leaving a lasting impression.
The Buddha no longer acted arrogantly like when facing the Qilin. Instead, he calmly said, “The King of Men has arrived.”
King Fuxi! Even great figures like Dayu and Houyi were willing to serve under him. He ruled over the four minor continents, commanding numerous skilled warriors. In terms of the number of sages, Fuxi had the most.
With such power, no one in the world could underestimate him—even not the Buddha.
Fuxi’s voice resonated like a bell, echoing through the air: “Is this the newly ascended sage?”
The Buddha shook his head slightly. “Just a runaway slave.”
Fuxi nodded slightly. All major forces in the world had some hidden experts unknown to others, so this wasn’t surprising. But seeing that this monkey possessed the cultivation of a sage and was almost as strong as Dayu and Houyi was quite astonishing.
A runaway slave?
Suddenly, Fuxi felt that the Buddha before him didn’t seem like the Buddha at all. Even if the Buddha relinquished his position as the ruler of the world, he would still remain a Buddha. Since all beings are equal, how could the term “runaway slave” arise?

Tathagata has always been unknown and obscure. In the Buddhist teachings of the Western Ox and Joy Continent, there is no strife with the world. The leaders of this religion, such as Ratnasambhava, Tathagata, and Maitreya, all concern themselves with the suffering and happiness of all beings in the world, without distinction of status or rank.

Tathagata’s most significant act was to voluntarily resign from his position as the ruler of the world five million years ago, then left the Buddhist community alone to compete for control of Lesser Mount Sumeru. The original ruler of Lesser Mount Sumeru was Pangu, but since Tathagata challenged him for that position, Pangu had no choice but to confront him. The world consists of twelve continents, two mountains, and one island—fifteen regions in total—and those who rule these regions are none ordinary. Yet there is also a rule: once you hold such a position, you must always be ready to face challenges from others.

The strong prevail—that is the rule of this world.

Of the fifteen regions, there are twelve rulers, with Fuxi alone occupying four continents as a human king. Qilin, Zhenwu, Xiangliu, and Phoenix each rule one continent, leading the beast, scaled, insect, and feathered races respectively.

Since the division of these fifteen regions, no one has ever thought of challenging those four continents, for they represent four races descended from common ancestors. Even if someone were to challenge them and defeat Qilin, Zhenwu, and the others, what could they do? The beast and scaled races within those continents would never obey a foreigner’s rule and would instead turn against them. Thus, challenging these individuals is a futile and self-destructive act.

Fuxi, who rules four continents alone, naturally draws resentment from many. But since his birth, he has never been defeated. Those who once challenged him, such as Houyi and Chi You, have since become his subordinates. Since then, no one has dared to take such risks.

As for the four great continents, the Three Pure Ones, Maitreya, Ksitigarbha, and the Dark Maiden are almost unattainable for new saints. Even the established saints know that the four great continents are deeply rooted, and disturbing even one of them would likely disrupt the entire world.

As for the two mountains and one island, they represent beings beyond the mundane world. On the Island of Freedom, not only has no one ever seen Laozi or Zhuangzi act, but even Kunpeng has never been defeated. Who would dare to provoke such beings?

Greater Mount Sumeru and Lesser Mount Sumeru are connected. Although Pangu, the ruler of Lesser Mount Sumeru, is somewhat weaker, remember that the ruler of Greater Mount Sumeru is Pangu’s mentor, the supreme being in this world. With such protection, who would still dare to trouble Pangu?

Logically, no one would dare, but Tathagata did just that!

Few witnessed that battle, and not even the ruler of Greater Mount Sumeru was present, which puzzled many. Almost no one knows how the battle unfolded. Those who watched it from start to finish, such as Fuxi, Qilin, and the Three Pure Ones, remained silent afterward, leading to many speculations.

But everyone knew the outcome—Tathagata won, Pangu lost! From then on, Tathagata became the ruler of Lesser Mount Sumeru, while Pangu, having been defeated, became a slave. What was even more puzzling was that the mysterious ruler of Greater Mount Sumeru turned a blind eye to this whole affair. His only disciple, Pangu, lost Lesser Mount Sumeru and became Tathagata’s servant, yet he did nothing. After that, no one ever saw the ruler of Greater Mount Sumeru again. Some began to speculate that the ruler was afraid, fearing he too might not be able to defeat Tathagata. Thus, Tathagata became famous through this battle and was regarded by the world as one of the three most likely true sages. Fuxi glanced at Wukong and asked Tathagata, “A sage? A slave?” Tathagata replied with just two words: “Exactly!” Fuxi was skeptical. He had been present at Tathagata’s battle with Pangu back then and had to admit that Tathagata’s cultivation was indeed far superior to Pangu’s; the victory was clear and just. But Tathagata was already a transcendent figure in Buddhism—what made him abandon his great empire in Western Ox and Joy Continent and risk offending the ruler of Greater Mount Sumeru to set his sights on Lesser Mount Sumeru? Millions of years had passed since then, and over time, people almost forgot about Pangu’s existence, as if the world had always been this way, with Tathagata as the ruler of Lesser Mount Sumeru being an obvious fact. Yet there were always those who did not forget. Pangu was a humble and gentle person who had made many friends in the world, including Fuxi. All these years, Fuxi had not seen Pangu again, and he began to suspect that Tathagata’s motives were likely not just about Lesser Mount Sumeru. Time is the most powerful weapon in the world! Since Tathagata took control of Lesser Mount Sumeru, he had taken no action, and over time, Fuxi almost forgot his doubts about him. But seeing Wukong today reignited those doubts. This monkey was actually a sage! A sage becoming a slave—unless it was a newly ascended sage being tamed, but such an event would shock the world; how could no one know about it? Could Lesser Mount Sumeru suddenly produce a sage without anyone noticing? Fuxi turned to Wukong and said, “Since you also seem to possess sage-level cultivation, how did you come here?” While the two were talking, Wukong continued to gather his magical power. When Fuxi asked him, he used the technique “Reversing Heaven and Earth” to instantly escape from his invisible prison. Wukong found that this technique was invincible—even Tathagata could not trap him. Just as he stood firm ready to answer, Fuxi exclaimed in shock, “Tathagata, how dare you imprison someone from Greater Mount Sumeru!”