Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled, Chapter 541: The Thousand-Year Sage

Wukong was puzzled as well—why could both the Qilin and Fuxi tell he was from Mount Dasi Mi, while he himself had no connection to it at all, having only heard of it.
Then Buddha smiled and said, “King of Men, you’re joking. In Mount Dasi Mi, are there any sages you don’t know?”
Fuxi gave a faint smile and said, “My eyes are weak; I mistook him.” With that, he turned and left.
Wukong was stunned. He hadn’t answered Fuxi’s question yet—why did Fuxi just say “I mistook him” and drop it? Did Fuxi also have his concerns?
Just as Fuxi turned away, Dayu spoke up, “King of Men, you didn’t mistake him. This monkey indeed comes from the lineage of Mount Dasi Mi.”
Fuxi quickly turned back and smiled at Buddha, “It seems I wasn’t mistaken.”
Dayu and Fuxi agreed with each other, and Buddha remained unangry, saying, “So what if it’s Mount Dasi Mi? Pangu was also from Mount Dasi Mi once.”
Upon hearing this, Fuxi’s expression changed. Buddha’s words seemed to show that he didn’t take Mount Dasi Mi seriously at all.
At that moment, Wukong seized the opportunity to shout, “I’m not from Mount Dasi Mi—I’m from Buddha’s realm!”
Hearing Wukong’s words, Buddha waved his hand, creating a barrier. Fuxi raised his hand, and a beam of golden light flashed—slipping just above Buddha’s palm with perfect control. Buddha’s expression turned stern as he said, “What does it matter to you?”
Before Fuxi could reply, a loud shout came from afar, “Save that monkey!” Hearing this, Wukong was overjoyed—it was the Qilin’s voice.
The Qilin had struggled hard to break free from Buddha’s magic. As soon as he emerged, his first task was to find Wukong. Knowing he wasn’t Buddha’s match, he first went to summon his friends Phoenix and Zhenwu before locating Wukong.
When Buddha saw Phoenix and Zhenwu arrive, his expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his prayer beads slightly and nodded at them. Phoenix and Zhenwu had already heard the Qilin explain the situation, and they too realized this monkey was of great importance. They both focused their gaze on Wukong.
Wukong glanced at Zhenwu and Phoenix, whose appearances were not much different from those of the two in the furnace. Unconsciously, he glanced at Buddha as well.
Buddha’s situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, yet he remained calm. Looking at Wukong, he said to everyone, “Mount Xiao Dasi Mi deals with its own affairs—what does it have to do with you?”
Wukong stared into Buddha’s eyes, sensing two bottomless abysses that seemed ready to swallow him whole. The blazing flames within represented endless greed.

He shuddered and forced himself to look away from Buddha’s gaze. Then the Qilin said, “King of Men, this monkey is from Buddha’s realm!” Wukong had already said this before, but Fuxi was still skeptical. If Wukong truly came from Buddha’s realm, how could he have escaped with Buddha’s powers at his disposal? But now that the Qilin repeated it, Fuxi began to believe it a bit more.

The Qilin seemed to know something—there were probably some unsavory secrets in Buddha’s realm. Yet, fighting against Buddha just for this monkey wasn’t what Fuxi wanted.

These days, the master of Great Mount Sumeru had not been seen for ten million years, and the old hermit on Joyful Island also refused to leave his home. Coincidentally, all this happened before Buddha took control of Little Mount Sumeru. Neither the master of Great Mount Sumeru nor the old hermit interfered, and it seemed as though they had given their silent approval.

The Qilin added, “In Buddha’s realm, imitating the sages of heaven and earth is surely a violation of the rules!”

“Is that really the case?” Fuxi looked at Buddha.

Buddha remained smiling and pointed at Wukong, saying, “Nonsense! Just based on this monkey’s word?”

Realizing Buddha wouldn’t admit it, Wukong prepared to retort. Then Fuxi said, “Buddha, this monkey is indeed from the lineage of Great Mount Sumeru.”

Buddha nodded and said, “Correct. He is a disciple of Pangu, so naturally he belongs to the lineage of Great Mount Sumeru.”

The Qilin shouted, “That’s just empty talk! Make Pangu come out and confront him!”

Buddha shook his head and said, “After Pangu was defeated by me, he willingly agreed to guard my realm for ten thousand years. He won’t come out.”

The Qilin said, “How can that be! Even if defeated by you, he would only be a slave for ten thousand years—where does this ‘ten thousand years’ idea come from?”

Buddha replied, “Pangu volunteered to do it. What can I do?”

The Qilin was speechless. He knew Buddha’s words were false, but since Pangu was nowhere to be found, who else could be brought forward for confrontation? Everyone knew that Pangu had been defeated by Buddha five million years ago, and the loser became a slave. No one knew where Pangu had gone, nor did anyone have the right to question him.

Most importantly, ten thousand years later, the master of Great Mount Sumeru paid no attention to Pangu, his only disciple, so others naturally became even more cautious. The master of Great Mount Sumeru was the benchmark of this world. Even figures like the Three Pure Ones, Ksitigarbha, and Fuxi were considered juniors in his presence and dared not overstep.

Wukong didn’t know what other rules existed in this world, but he could tell that the Qilin cared deeply about Pangu. So he said, “Pangu is still in that realm, but now his life is worse than death!”

He thought that saying this would shock everyone, but aside from the Qilin raising his eyebrows, no one else showed any reaction. Fuxi asked Wukong, “Do you have any proof?”

“A token? What token?” Wukong thought to himself. What could be Pangu’s token? Could it be Pangu’s axe? But after Pangu used the axe to create the world, it was divided into eleven divine weapons, all given to the Creative Divine Monkey, leaving Wukong with none at all. All he had was the Heaven’s Secret Staff…

Thinking of the Heaven’s Secret Staff, Wukong couldn’t help but glance at Buddha. That staff was the key to leaving heaven, and along with the formations in the River of Heaven, they were all paths out of heaven left for him by Buddha. According to Buddha’s plan, he should have let Wukong leave, but now that Wukong had come to this world, Buddha became furious and started chasing after him. It seemed Buddha’s goal was to control him.

Yet Wukong had another question. If Buddha was the master of the Furnace, wouldn’t it be easy for him to capture Wukong and take him out? Why wait until Wukong left before acting? Could there be something in the furnace that Buddha feared, preventing him from entering?

Wukong thought about this and couldn’t help but laugh. Ever since he and Yin-Yang had gone to that anti-creation space, Buddha must have known Wukong was about to emerge. Likely, he had been watching that furnace constantly, waiting outside for Wukong. But what exactly happened the moment Wukong came out that made Buddha unable to divide his attention? Buddha seemed calm on the surface, but who knew how angry he was inside.

Wukong said to Fuxi, “I don’t have a token!”

Fuxi replied, “Without a token, how can I trust you?”

Wukong smiled bitterly. “I’m just a stone monkey that was born a thousand years ago in Buddha’s realm. I just stumbled out here without knowing I needed a token.”

Hearing this, Fuxi’s heart stirred. He suddenly remembered something.

Fuxi clearly remembered that when he first became a sage, with Pangu’s introduction, he met the master of Mount Mahasumera. Wanting to understand the origin of this world, Fuxi asked the master questions.

At that time, Fuxi asked, “Do heaven and earth have a beginning or an end?”

The master replied, “All things have life and death, and heaven and earth are no exception.”

Fuxi asked, “What will happen to us when heaven and earth perish?”

The master said, “Our lives are limited. Compared to heaven and earth, our existence is but a fleeting moment. We won’t be able to witness their rise and fall.”

Fuxi fell silent for a while. He thought that by reaching the level of a sage, one could become immortal. The master saw through Fuxi’s thoughts and said, “There is nothing eternal in this world, let alone a spiritual body.”

Fuxi suddenly asked, “So even you—”

The master nodded and said, “There’s no difference.”

Fuxi was confused. With his current cultivation level, he thought he had already achieved an immortal body. The master of Mount Mahasumera was far stronger than him—how could he die?

Only the master of Mount Mahasumera spoke, “The path of seeking the Dao knows no end. All things in the world are subject to birth and death; all tangible things ultimately cannot escape destruction.”
Fuxi, being clever, sensed there was more to the master’s words and asked, “Then what about things that are not tangible?”
The master replied with a smile, “Only the thought of the Dao endures.”
Fuxi pondered for a long time, engraving these words firmly in his mind: the thought of the Dao endures!
Many years later, the master of Mount Mahasumera specifically asked Pangu to summon Fuxi to the mountain.
On Mount Mahasumera stood a grand hall called the “Hall of Spiritual Clarity.”
When Fuxi entered the hall, he found he was not alone—the rulers of the twelve continents and Pangu were all present. Only the Island of Freedom had sent no one.
The master slowly emerged from the back hall, greeted everyone, then said calmly, “I will enter seclusion.”
Upon hearing this, the others exchanged glances. The master’s seclusion was not a major event; at such a high level of cultivation, retreating for ten thousand or eight thousand years was quite ordinary. Why then summon everyone and announce it specially?
Yet, out of great respect for the master, none dared ask. The master continued, “This seclusion is to seek a lasting solution, to inquire about the path to eternal life.”
Xuan Nu asked, “Master… could there be some omen?”
The master replied, “I have reached the pinnacle of true sainthood; my cultivation can no longer progress. Cultivation is like rowing against the current—if you do not move forward, you fall back, and if you fall back, you may drift far away.”
He looked at the gathered, all of whom appeared confused, and explained further, “You will not understand this principle for many years yet. To advance from a high position, one step in the wrong direction could lead to eternal ruin!”
“I enter seclusion now—success means eternal life, failure means annihilation. There is nothing to regret,” the master said calmly.
Pangu stood behind him, his towering frame trembling slightly, clearly troubled by his master’s decision.
The master added, “As long as I am here, the world remains peaceful. Whether immortals or mortals, all live in safety. If I enter seclusion, disasters may arise.”
Yuan Shi said, “Even if the master is absent, we are here. We will govern the world as before—who would dare challenge the sages of the world?”
The master smiled and said, “The enemy of a sage is still a sage.”
Yuan Shi was stunned and did not respond immediately. Ling Bao said, “Then we’ll simply defeat them utterly.”
Xuan Nu reminded, “If it were something we could do, why would the master need to say more?”
The master nodded and said, “When that day comes, you won’t be able to do it.”
“Oh?” They asked in unison, “Who then can?”

Qilin, impatient, blurted first, “I know! It must be the old sage from Xiaoyao Island!”
The mountain master still shook his head and said slowly, “If there were someone who had achieved sainthood after a thousand years, perhaps they could avert this calamity.”