Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled, Chapter 547: Uphold One’s True Heart

The Great Sun Tathagata realized that the person sitting across from him resembled him in appearance to the point of no difference. Looking at each other was like looking into a mirror, giving him a sense of illusion.
The Tathagata said, “I truly admire you for coming up with so many ways to escape from the Furnace of Destruction. But you must know that against an irresistible force, all schemes are futile.”
The Great Sun Tathagata asked, “Did you deliberately set me free today?”
“Yes. If I hadn’t agreed, how could you have escaped?”
The Great Sun Tathagata sneered and said, “Was it also your silent approval that allowed the Intelligent Divine Ape to emerge from heaven? Where is he now?”
Mentioning Wukong made the Tathagata feel a hint of anger, though it vanished instantly. He already sensed something ominous—since the Lord of Mount Mahasumera was involved, he must have seen through his actions. What other tricks might await him next? But then he thought, even if the Lord of Mount Mahasumera was powerful, that was just in the past; why should he fear him?
The Tathagata replied, “If I could get your help, I would become the greatest being in the world. Not to mention an Intelligent Divine Ape—even if the Lord of Mount Mahasumera reappeared, I wouldn’t fear him!”
A flash of anger passed through the Tathagata’s eyes as he said, “If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place? You call me a mere evil thought of yours—why did you abandon me back then?” At the word “abandoned,” the Tathagata felt a slight pain in his heart, as if he had indeed been cast aside by someone.
The Tathagata continued, “As I mentioned earlier, for one’s spiritual thoughts to be immortal and to achieve eternal truth, this path is necessary.”
“This path? Is it to divide one’s own spiritual thoughts into two?” the Tathagata asked in return.
The Tathagata didn’t confirm or deny it and instead said, “I divided my spiritual thoughts into two—good and evil. Since I achieved the great path through Buddhism, these two kinds of thoughts can also be called one Buddha thought and one demon thought. Back then, when I seized Mount Lesser Sumera, I used the demon thought. That’s why you probably understand why Pangu wouldn’t let you leave heaven—because in his eyes, you were evil!”
The Great Sun Tathagata said, “You’re the one who started it all.”
The Tathagata replied, “You know it’s me, and so do the people of the world. But Pangu doesn’t know. As long as he doesn’t know, that’s enough.”
“That’s not true! You’re lying to me!” the Great Sun Tathagata said.
“I’m not lying.”
“We only met by chance back then. What does that have to do with good or evil thoughts? I still remember that day clearly,” the Great Sun Tathagata said.

“What is true and what is false? Can’t you see it yet?” the Tathagata asked softly. “There are seven essence elements in the furnace. You have changed—you spend your days pondering your own demons. You tried many times to escape heaven but failed repeatedly. You invented a reason to enter the furnace, and over time, you even deceived yourself. Right or wrong?”
Hearing this, the Vairocana Tathagata did not refute it. Were his previous thoughts true or false? Were they his own inventions or just dreams?
The Tathagata smiled bitterly and said, “The funny thing is, I thought that by getting rid of evil thoughts, I could focus on achieving the Great Way. But once those evil thoughts left, new ones arose in my heart. These evil thoughts seem endless.”
Vairocana Tathagata asked, “Are you saying I was just one of your past evil thoughts?”
The Tathagata nodded and said, “Exactly! But without you, my sense of the Way remains incomplete. Still, throwing you into the furnace was a blessing in disguise. I was surprised to find that the sense of the Way could grow on its own. In other words, you are much stronger now than when you first separated from me.”
Vairocana Tathagata said, “So this is why you want me to merge my sense of the Way with yours?”
The Tathagata shook his head and said, “Though you grow quickly, your roots lie with me. I need these evil thoughts to complete my sense of the Way—nothing else is involved. But seeing your sense of the Way grow has given me some insights…”
Vairocana Tathagata thought for a moment before suddenly asking, “Did you release the Spirit Ape to nurture his sense of the Way?”
The Tathagata’s eyes lit up as he praised, “Indeed, it’s my evil thought. You even figured that out.”
Ignoring the Tathagata’s praise, Vairocana Tathagata murmured, “So this furnace is just a realm where you raise your sense of the Way.”
The Tathagata looked excited and said, “What do you think of this idea? It’s truly earth-shattering! Haha, since the sense of the Way is immortal, I’ll gather the senses of the Way from all the sages in the world and implant them in this furnace using illusionary techniques. They will grow on their own. When the sense of the Way reaches perfection, all these sages’ senses will belong to me… By then, I’ll be the one with the most senses of the Way in the world.”
Vairocana Tathagata stared at the Tathagata. He wasn’t sure if what the Tathagata said was feasible, but the idea was indeed extremely strange.
The Tathagata continued, “When the time comes, I’ll divide the sense of the Way. The immortal sense of the Way will seek its own paths in the world, but ultimately, it will still all belong to me!”
Vairocana Tathagata suddenly shook his head and said, “Useless.”
The Tathagata was stunned and asked, “What? Useless?”
Vairocana Tathagata replied, “Indeed, useless! If the sense of the Way is truly immortal, whether there’s one or ten thousand, what’s the difference?”

Tathagata smiled and said, “You don’t know this. Have you heard of the art of devouring Dao thoughts? Once Dao thoughts enter my body, I naturally have many ways to strengthen them. All the sages in the world may live long lives, but in the end, they all must die. By then, I can devour theirs. Just imagine—having all the strongest Dao thoughts in the world under my control—what a delightful thing that would be!”
The Great Sun Tathagata was speechless for a moment. He suddenly realized that Tathagata was truly a madman, whose goal was to possess all the Dao thoughts of the sages in the world.
Seeing shock in the Great Sun Tathagata’s eyes, Tathagata said with slight pride, “Well? There’s no difference between us. In this unprecedented feat, you naturally also have a share.”
The Great Sun Tathagata understood that Tathagata had no need to explain so much to him. The reason he could exaggerate his abilities was to gain control over him. Reconsidering what Tathagata had said earlier, he found two points unclear. So he asked, “You said to collect Dao thoughts and then use illusion magic to implant them in the furnace—what kind of magic is that? Dao thoughts are originally intangible—how can they be transformed into human forms? Moreover, where do you get those sages’ Dao thoughts from? Aren’t you afraid they’ll be discovered?”
Seeing that the Great Sun Tathagata was indeed very interested, Tathagata said enthusiastically, “Let me ask you—what is a Dao thought?”
The Great Sun Tathagata was taken aback. He wasn’t an ordinary cultivator, so he naturally had his own unique understanding of Dao thoughts. He replied, “A Dao thought is the will and belief in cultivating the Dao, as well as one’s words and actions in the world.”
Tathagata said, “That’s more or less correct. But it’s still just a glimpse of the whole picture.”
Slightly unconvinced, the Great Sun Tathagata asked, “Then tell me—what exactly is a Dao thought?”
Tathagata replied, “A Dao thought is what remains after removing all tangible elements.”
The Great Sun Tathagata understood immediately. This explanation of Dao thoughts was incredibly precise. In other words, whether it’s a human immortal or a sage, they all have their own Dao thoughts. All tangible things in a person are unrelated to Dao thoughts; rather, their thoughts, insights, and perceptions are the essence of Dao thoughts.
The Great Sun Tathagata asked, “Since Dao thoughts are intangible, how do you collect them?”
Tathagata replied, “That requires considerable effort. To collect someone’s Dao thoughts, one must first recognize that person. Fortunately, my discerning eye differs from that of ordinary sages; I can see through essence. To be honest, just collecting Dao thoughts took me over five million years.”
The Great Sun Tathagata asked, “And what about transforming them into tangible forms and implanting them in the furnace—what’s that method?”

Tathagata said, “The art of transforming souls through mental power is truly unprecedented in history; it took me 2.5 million years to master it.” His words were vague, but the Great Sun Tathagata didn’t care—there was no way he could learn such a technique.

The Great Sun Tathagata asked again, “As for ‘mental power consuming itself,’ how confident are you?”

Tathagata replied, “This supernatural ability is only just beginning to take shape. But if I devote myself to perfecting it, there’s no reason why I can’t succeed.” His voice remained calm and composed, yet his words carried immense confidence, even a hint of persuasion.

The Great Sun Tathagata nodded. The path Tathagata had chosen was indeed beyond anyone’s imagination. Then, he suddenly thought of Yin Yang and said, “That one who came out with me—”

“No need to worry about him,” Tathagata shook his head. “The Yin Yang Divine Ape is the manifestation of King Fuxi’s mental power. If I take him now, it might bring unnecessary trouble.”

The Great Sun Tathagata asked in confusion, “Are you afraid of Fuxi?”

Tathagata smiled. “Who in this world could I fear? But I have important matters to attend to—how can I risk everything for something trivial?”

The Great Sun Tathagata asked further, “If you’re afraid of trouble, then why do you insist on seizing the Divine Ape’s mental power?”

At the mention of Wukong, Tathagata’s smile vanished instantly. He said slowly, “He is different from others.” Then, looking at the Great Sun Tathagata, he added, “How many years has it been since I spoke so much? Still hesitating about what we discussed earlier?”

The Great Sun Tathagata replied, “There’s no need to hesitate anymore. I will never agree to your request.”

Tathagata’s expression darkened. In the eyes of the Great Sun Tathagata, it seemed as though the heavens had collapsed. Tathagata said, “If you refuse, I’ll send you back to that furnace—how about that?”

“What!” The Great Sun Tathagata exclaimed in shock. He had just emerged from that furnace, had yet to see the world outside, and after just a short while, he was to be sent back? Merging with Tathagata’s mental power meant his own consciousness would be completely swallowed, leaving no chance of escape. Though he might gain immortality through Tathagata’s power, losing himself would be worse than death.

At that moment, the Great Sun Tathagata suddenly remembered a phrase Wukong had said: “Do not lose your true self—help others keep theirs!” Strangely, upon thinking of these words, his heart suddenly calmed down. He said calmly, “Then send him back.”