Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled, Chapters 545: Entering the Ancient Hall

Wukong was filled with excitement. Since the Phoenix said he did not resemble Fuxi, then he must resemble the master of Mount Mahamaya. The master, named “Lingming” and also an ape, was nothing short of another divine Lingming Ape. His connection to the master had grown even closer.
Indeed, the Phoenix said, “You bear a striking resemblance to the master. That’s why I believed you right after hearing just a few words from you.”
Wukong was slightly surprised. The fact that the master was an ape was something the Phoenix had shared with him as a secret—did no one else know? He asked, “How does Senior Phoenix know this?”
The Phoenix replied, “In this world, there is the master of Mount Mahamaya and the human king Fuxi. Although I arrived later than them, it wasn’t by many years. As for the others, they never had the chance to see the true forms of the master and Fuxi.”
Wukong asked, “Then has the master also attained his second true form?”
The Phoenix said, “Of course.”
Suddenly, a towering peak appeared ahead. The Phoenix said, “We’ve arrived at Mount Mahamaya!”
Wukong looked ahead. Mount Mahamaya loomed darkly, reaching into the clouds. There were no plants on its summit—just a bare, unattractive landscape. Clearly, this was not the scene he had seen when he first arrived in the realm of Lingming.
The group flew to the summit. The Phoenix circled the peak once and found nothing suspicious before saying, “The rocks here are extremely hard; it’s impossible to hide anyone inside. You can rest assured.”
Wukong also knew that the rocks on Mount Mahamaya and Mount Xiaomahamaya were used to create the pillars that supported the sky. Their hardness could only be shaken by sages. But how did Tathagata create those pillars and the sky itself?
Although the blood of the five kings could melt the rocks of Mount Mahamaya, given that the Phoenix, Qilin, Zhenwu, and Tathagata did not seem to get along, it was clearly impossible for Tathagata to obtain their blood.
The sages dispersed and took positions in all directions, guarding against Tathagata coming to search for Wukong. Only the Phoenix and Fuxi followed behind Wukong to protect him.
Before arriving at the main hall on the summit, Wukong glanced at the three characters “Lingming Hall” and forgot about how the rocks of Mount Mahamaya could be melted. The Phoenix said, “There is only this one hall on Mount Mahamaya—it’s the master’s residence. Alas, it seems like just yesterday when the master taught the great truths here.”
The master of Mount Mahamaya, who had also understood the ways through his journey, said sadly, “The master sequestered himself in this very hall. Among those who practice immortality in this world, there is probably no one with such a humble abode.”
This Lingming Hall was indeed very simple, built from large blocks of black Mount Mahamaya rock. It was no wider than ten zhang and about twenty zhang deep.

Wukong watched for a while and also found the hall to be extremely simple and ancient, seemingly existing since ancient times. Compared to the magnificent palaces in the world, it seemed to belong to another realm. He walked around the Lingming Hall once and saw nothing unusual, so he entered through the door. As soon as he stepped in, Wukong suddenly stopped—there was a strange aura in the hall, unfamiliar yet familiar, as if it could stir something deep within his soul. He turned to look at Phoenix and Fuxi; both of them looked wary, clearly on guard against Buddha. Apart from that, nothing was abnormal. “Only I can sense this aura,” Wukong thought to himself. The hall was empty except for a stone wall in front, with a small door about four feet tall right in the middle. Not understanding why the door was built so low, Wukong asked Phoenix, “What is this…” Phoenix replied, “There are words beside the door. Look carefully.” Hm? The stone wall was completely black, and since Wukong had been focused on sensing the strange aura upon entering the hall, he hadn’t paid attention to anything else. He stepped closer and indeed saw a few fine inscriptions beside the door. He read aloud, “One must enter with a proud and confident stride.” These words described the conditions for entering the door. In just a few words, they contained several pieces of information. First, one must use their true form, not any transformation magic; second, they must enter with their back straight, never bending or kneeling. After thinking about it, Wukong secretly praised the Mountain Master—these words seemed not too strict, but in reality, they kept countless people outside. First, those who could reach the top of Mount Sumeru were certainly not ordinary people; they were likely saints at the very least. Second, even those like Phoenix and Qilin, who were already dozens of feet tall, could not enter without transforming. Third, those with human-sized bodies like Fuxi and Dayu could enter even if they bent down, but the requirement of “a proud and confident stride” kept them out as well. Hmm? Wukong suddenly thought that Fuxi also had an ape-like body—could he enter? He asked aloud, “King of Men, have you ever entered?” Fuxi, who possessed his second true form, did not hide it from Wukong and said with a wry smile, “To be honest, I am originally an ape. If I returned to my true form, I could enter.” “Oh? So you have entered before?” Wukong asked. Fuxi shook his head and said, “No. After attaining my second true form and becoming the King of Men, I made a vow that I would never use my true form again. Alas.” Phoenix laughed and said, “If the King of Men had known the Mountain Master left such words, he would never have made that vow in the first place.”

Fuxi said, “I make this vow for the peace of the four continents.”
Wukong understood at once—of course, the ruler of all must be a talented person. If the people of the four continents learned that their ruler, who had governed them for countless years, was actually a monkey, they would surely feel extremely uncomfortable. Although Fuxi held great prestige, such thoughts among his subordinates were not good.
Wukong took a deep breath. He no longer paid close attention to what Fuxi said. He only knew that this door was meant for him alone; no one else in the world had the qualifications to enter it.
Seeing Wukong’s solemn expression, the Phoenix knew he wanted to enter the back hall and said, “The back hall is where the mountain master retires for seclusion.”
People like the Phoenix and Fuxi, who had reached the realm of sages through cultivation, had reaped great benefits from the mountain master. They naturally believed that such a truly sage as the mountain master must be sitting in the back hall, meditating on the way. After thousands of years, how could anyone affect him? Wukong’s entry might disturb the mountain master, so the Phoenix gave him a reminder.
Fuxi, however, appeared relieved. He waved his hand and said, “Since you’re here, go ahead. Being able to enter this door is a stroke of fate; there’s no need to worry about timing.”
Suddenly, a strange divine presence surged in from the outer door of the hall. The first to sense it was Wukong.
The peculiar aura inside the hall seemed closely tied to his own fate, as if the entire hall was under his control. Any slightest change could be detected immediately.
That divine presence was none other than the aura of Tathagata!
Wukong was shocked. Tathagata had managed to break through the defenses of over a dozen sages outside silently—such power was truly extraordinary. Without further thought, he dashed inside. At that moment, Tathagata appeared, stretching out a hand between the Phoenix and Fuxi to capture Wukong.
As soon as that white jade-like palm entered the hall, it was blocked by an invisible wall and bounced back. By then, Wukong had already entered. Turning back, he saw Tathagata’s furious expression, which reassured him—this hall was indeed the safest place in the world.
Only then did the Phoenix and Fuxi realize what was happening. They each used their divine powers to attack Tathagata from the sides. Since Tathagata failed to catch Wukong, he quickly retreated, avoiding a fight with them. Without capturing Wukong, everything was meaningless. In a flash, Tathagata left the hall and soared into the sky, disappearing without a trace.
The Phoenix and Fuxi also felt a hint of fear. If it weren’t for Wukong’s quick reaction and timely entry into the hall, Tathagata would most likely have captured him. But where exactly had Tathagata hidden himself? Why hadn’t figures like Qilin Zhenwu noticed anything?

By this time, Wukong was safe and unharmed, so the Phoenix and Fuxi felt relieved and began to search. Buddha had just jumped in through the palace door; clearly, he still hesitated to enter the main hall. The Phoenix and Fuxi could also sense something unusual inside the hall, but since it wasn’t their first time there and they were at ease, they didn’t pay much attention. When they reached the palace door, Fuxi pointed at the ground and said, “Look!” On the extremely hard summit of Mount Sumeru, right at the entrance of the Lingming Hall, there was a tiny hole. The Phoenix used her divine senses to investigate and exclaimed in shock, “This is actually the work of the insect race!” Fuxi could see it as well and sighed, “I thought only those of us with intertwined bloodlines could defeat the stones of Mount Sumeru. I never imagined there would be such a remarkable thing in the world.” The Phoenix said, “The existence of such a thing isn’t surprising. What’s remarkable is that Buddha even knew about it. It shows how much effort he put in to get hold of Wukong.” Everyone knew that the stones of Mount Sumeru were incredibly hard. Even if a sage exerted all his strength, he might only manage to slightly damage them—only in the case of columnar or flaky rocks that were more susceptible to force. It was extremely difficult to cut off a piece from a solid rock. Yet Buddha managed to drill a hair-thin hole in Mount Sumeru and hide himself inside it—how could this not astonish people? The Phoenix said, “Xiang Liu is truly restless.” She immediately detected remnants of a creature called the Soft Worm from Xiang Liu’s clan in that hole. When the Phoenix first reached the summit of Mount Sumeru, she had already surveyed it thoroughly, but knowing the rocks were hard, she didn’t pay much attention to the ground. Moreover, since Buddha was hidden deep in the hole with Mount Sumeru’s stones covering it above, it would have been hard to discover him without searching carefully. The Soft Worm was the weakest type of insect in Xiang Liu’s clan, with a body as soft as water and formless. Who would have thought that the weakest and softest creature in the world could be the nemesis of the hardest and strongest stones of Mount Sumeru! Suddenly, Fuxi’s expression changed, and he said, “I finally understand why Buddha must seize control of the Lesser Mount Sumeru.” The Phoenix asked, “Do you mean he wants to occupy the Lesser Mount Sumeru so he can silently cut away the stones using the Soft Worm?” Fuxi replied, “Exactly! Mount Sumeru is a forbidden place. Buddha doesn’t dare to come here casually, nor can he stay for long to avoid suspicion. As for the Lesser Mount Sumeru, it belongs to Pangu. If Buddha doesn’t use legitimate means to take it, Pangu won’t hand it over to him easily.” The Phoenix said, “Don’t forget that with Buddha’s status, even if he asked for a few peaks, Pangu wouldn’t refuse him.”

Fuxi said, “This proves that just a few peaks alone are likely not enough to satisfy what the Tathagata needs.”