Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled, Chapter 552: The Stop of Time

Old memories flashed through Fuxi’s mind. Wasn’t this monkey before him the one who had achieved sainthood after a thousand years, fulfilling the prophecy of the Great Sumera Mountain’s master? But where was the calamity spoken of by the mountain master?

Over the past tens of millions of years, aside from Buddha seizing Little Sumera Mountain, there had been no major events. Although the change of ownership of Little Sumera Mountain caused great shock, it was far from a cosmic calamity. Could it be that the Great Sumera Mountain’s master had also miscalculated?

Fuxi recalled those past events. How could the Qilin, Phoenix, Zhenwu, and Buddha forget them? Except for Buddha, the others were somewhat puzzled. Indeed, the one who had achieved sainthood after a thousand years had appeared, but where was the calamity?

Buddha slowly said, “This monkey is talking nonsense. You have existed for tens of millions of years—how dare you claim to have achieved sainthood after a thousand years? In this world, no one dares to claim such a thing, let alone in my realm! Your lies have gone too far.”

Fuxi and the others glanced at Buddha and largely believed him. If Wukong were from Buddha’s realm, how could Buddha allow him to grow so powerful and let him roam the world?

Wukong knew he knew almost nothing about this world and couldn’t compete with Buddha’s eloquent words. Seeing that Fuxi and the others seemed convinced by Buddha, Wukong quickly thought of a plan.

At that moment, the Phoenix suddenly asked, “What is your name?”

Wukong replied, “My surname is Sun, and my name is Wukong!”

The Phoenix asked again, “The Qilin said that in your realm, there are also Phoenixes?” It seemed unconcerned by Buddha’s words and assumed Wukong’s statement to be true.

Wukong was secretly pleased and said, “That’s right. The Phoenix has two sons: the elder is the Peacock, and the younger is the Roc.”

The Phoenix’s eyes lit up, and she asked in slight surprise, “What else do you know?”

Wukong thought for a moment and said, “Both the Peacock and the Roc possess divine powers. The Peacock’s skill is called ‘Peacock Feathers,’ while the Roc’s power is ‘Heavenly Roc Transformation!’” He didn’t know if it was the same in this world, so he simply told the truth.

The Phoenix seemed excited and asked, “Then do you know my divine power?”

Wukong looked at the Phoenix and said slowly, “Phoenix Nirvana!”

The Phoenix let out a clear cry and declared loudly, “Correct!” She turned to Buddha and said, “Buddha, you say Sun Wukong is a sage in this world, a disciple of Pangu. But not to boast, aside from me and the Great Sumera Mountain’s master, no one else knows my divine power. How did Sun Wukong know?”

Buddha shook his head and smiled, “You come to ask me? Who else should I ask? Do you really believe in achieving sainthood after a thousand years?”

The Phoenix replied, “It’s hard not to believe.”

Fuxi silently rode on the clouds forward, getting closer to Wukong, and asked, “Is there any trace of me in that realm?”
Wukong replied, “There’s no trace of you, but there are Dayu, Houyi, Hou Tu, and the Three Gods of Metal, Wood, and Fire.”
Fuxi was also surprised and said, “How much do you know about them?”
Wukong calmed himself down. It seemed that what he had said earlier had indeed impressed the Phoenix, which proved that many things within the Great Furnace corresponded to those in this world. Wukong continued, “Dayu is upright and kind-hearted, caring for all living beings; he is skilled in using the blue Yu Ding and the Xi Rang Furnace. Houyi is an excellent archer, skilled in using the Arrows of Time. Goddess Hou Tu is the Earth Goddess, whose control over earth is unmatched in the world. Am I wrong in what I said?”
Fuxi also showed a look of shock and murmured, “Amazing… truly amazing.”
Wukong smiled and said, “What’s there to be surprised about? That realm was created based on this world. The Three Pure Ones, Xuan Nu, Maitreya, and Ran Deng are all important figures in that realm. But as for why there’s no king like you, I really don’t know the reason.” After saying this, Wukong became cautious. Since he had spoken so clearly, it seemed they already knew that Tathagata had broken the rules. Given Tathagata’s unpredictable nature, they needed to be careful of his sudden attack.
Sure enough, Fuxi asked Tathagata, “Tathagata, why have you done this?”
Tathagata didn’t answer but instead asked Wukong, “You said there are so many people in that realm—is there any trace of me, Tathagata?”
Not understanding his intention, Wukong nodded and said, “Yes.”
Tathagata laughed heartily and said, “Did you hear that? If I created that realm, would I include myself in it?”
Wukong suddenly remembered something Tathagata had said and said, “Then Tathagata is a demon.”
Tathagata was stunned and said, “A demon? That doesn’t sound like me. Since I attained enlightenment, I haven’t killed a single being.”
Wukong sneered and said, “During the Calamity of the Cosmic Cycle, countless beings are reduced to chaos—does that not count as killing?”
Tathagata frowned and asked, “What is the Calamity of the Cosmic Cycle?”
Wukong said to Fuxi, “King, Qilin, Zhenwu, Phoenix—since that realm was established, it has gone through seven cycles of creation and destruction. Every time the Calamity of the Cosmic Cycle strikes, all beings in that realm are erased, unable to control their own lives or deaths, at the will of the realm’s ruler. I wonder—does that not count as killing?”
The Phoenix replied, “If it’s true, then certainly it does!”
Wukong remembered another thing and said, “Phoenix, Shangyi Continent is under your jurisdiction. Do you know about Zhu Yin in the Wind and Marsh region?”
The Phoenix replied, “Of course I do.”
Wukong asked further, “How many years have you not seen him?”
After thinking for a while, the Phoenix said, “Hmm, I hadn’t noticed until you mentioned it. Zhu Yin seems to have disappeared without a trace—at least a million years have passed.”

Wukong said, “So that’s it. Zhu Yin and the thousands of wind beasts in Fengze are all generating strong winds in that realm right now to prevent its inhabitants from coming out.” Seeing that everyone was increasingly leaning in his favor, Wukong pointed at Buddha and said, “Dare you confront me?”
Buddha still smiled and asked, “Confront you about what?”
Wukong replied, “The great furnace is on Little Sumeru Mountain, isn’t it?”
Buddha remained calm and said, “Are you saying you want to go to Little Sumeru Mountain to look for it?”
Wukong thought to himself that since the cosmic furnace was so huge, Buddha probably wouldn’t carry it with him. He decided to trick him for now.
Sure enough, Buddha said, “You’re quite bold. Can one just go to Little Sumeru Mountain as they please?”
Wukong laughed heartily and said, “So it’s exposed after all. Just now you said I was from Little Sumeru Mountain, and now you won’t let me go up?”
Fuxi’s expression also turned grim as he asked Buddha, “Why do you do this? What secrets lies in that realm? Is the calamity spoken of by the mountain master related to your realm?”
With Fuxi’s question, everyone grew serious. Indeed, Buddha was doing everything possible to hide the affairs of this realm—could he really have some ulterior motives?
Buddha sighed and said, “What I do has nothing to do with you.”
Qilin shouted, “Tch! Just because you say it has nothing to do with us, does it really? Have you forgotten the rules of this world?”
Buddha didn’t get angry either. He calmly asked, “Rules? Who set those rules?”
Qilin replied, “They were set by the master of Great Sumeru Mountain. Don’t you agree?”
Buddha said, “Bring him here, and then ask me if I agree or not.”
Qilin was stunned and shouted, “If he were here, I’m afraid you wouldn’t dare speak a word!”
Buddha shook his head, his gaze drifting, and slowly said, “I truly admire him. At the pinnacle of true sainthood, he still strives to go further. On the path of enlightenment, he is ahead by one step. But!” Buddha turned his gaze back to the crowd and said, “Have you ever thought that he might have been wrong from the start?”
Everyone was astonished. They were all highly skilled cultivators, and in the face of the master of Great Sumeru Mountain, they could only look up to him—how could they dare doubt his judgment? Zhenwu, who had remained silent for a long time, asked, “Buddha, have you also glimpsed the path to true sainthood?”
Buddha nodded and said, “Exactly! To be honest, I am now at the threshold of distinguishing truth from falsehood.”
Zhenwu asked, “Why do you say the mountain master is wrong?”
Buddha didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Wukong and said, “You managed to achieve sainthood in a thousand years. Instead of thanking me, you repay my kindness with hostility. How strange!”
Wukong suddenly understood. So that’s how it is!

No wonder his cultivation progressed so rapidly, step by step in an astonishingly smooth manner—turns out there was a Realm Lord secretly helping him. Yet even if Wukong knew this, he wouldn’t feel the slightest gratitude toward Tathagata. He felt like a pet kept in captivity; no matter how well-fed, it was only to please its master, and perhaps it couldn’t even escape the killing blow. Wukong said, “You act out of self-interest—how can I thank you?” Tathagata shook his head and said, “Anyway, I must take this monkey away today.” Hearing this, everyone immediately stepped in front of Wukong. Fuxi asked, “In the realm of discarding falsehood and retaining truth, what kind of divine power do you possess?” Tathagata smiled slightly and said, “Discarding falsehood and retaining truth boils down to two words—choose a path!” As soon as he finished speaking, Tathagata thrust his hands outward and shouted, “Stop time!” Seven beams of black light rushed toward the seven people. In that instant, Wukong had an illusion—that Tathagata’s divine power was none other than Hou Yi’s Time Arrows! Without time to think further, he used the technique “Flowers Bloom in an Instant,” a method to accelerate his movements. He then used “Leap and Disappear” to dash far away. Seeing this, Hou Yi was also greatly surprised. He didn’t have time to lower his bow; he simply swung it behind him and shouted, “Time Arrow!” At the same time, a black arrow flew out, colliding head-on with the black light sent by Tathagata. Tathagata then emitted a beam of white light and said, “Repel evil!” The white light circled around the Time Arrow, causing it to lose its force and fall straight down. The Qilin was shocked by this divine power—“Repel evil” was the Qilin’s innate ability, yet Tathagata had used it so effortlessly. This surprised the Qilin even more than anything else. Not only they were astonished, but Fuxi and Dayu also knew well the power of Hou Yi’s Time Arrows. But since Hou Yi always aimed his arrows outward, they only knew of its effectiveness and never imagined they might have to face it themselves. In their shock, the black light flashed by, freezing them all in place. It seemed Hou Yi knew Tathagata could counter his Time Arrows. He fired two more arrows—Piercing Armor Arrows and Breaking Magic Arrows—two red and white arrows shooting from left and right at Tathagata. Tathagata used the technique “Stop time” and tried to leap after Wukong, but seeing Hou Yi’s two arrows fired simultaneously, he had no choice but to stop. Hou Yi’s archery skills were unmatched in the world; there was no way to dodge, so he could only withstand them. He thrust out two fingers, striking the arrow tips with a “clang” sound. By then, Wukong had already dodged “Stop time” and fled thousands of miles away.

Zhenwu and the Phoenix were also affected by Buddha’s divine powers, causing their movements to stall. In this round of confrontation, it was actually Hou Yi who played a major role.