Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 552: Balance of Heaven and Earth

Tathagata sat high atop the precious elephant, exuding an air of supreme dominance over the world. The Chakravartin was indeed an unexpected blessing brought about by that demonic thought. He never imagined that the Great Sun Tathagata would take everything written in the Buddhist scriptures about the Chakravartin’s miraculous powers as truth.

Tathagata had also considered the idea of becoming a Chakravartin, but the seven treasures associated with it were signs of extraordinary phenomena that appeared without any prior indication. Even if he wanted to cultivate them, he didn’t know where to start. As for the four virtues of a Chakravartin, they seemed far too easy for him. Most importantly, Tathagata never truly believed in the concept of being a Chakravartin.

In the practice of cultivation, faith is of utmost importance; without it, everything is void. Though he didn’t believe it, the Great Sun Tathagata did. And within the great furnace of cultivation, he never gave up on this idea, striving in that direction constantly.

Now, Tathagata began to doubt this as well. If one could achieve excellence in the four virtues—wealth, compassion, wisdom, and longevity—so as to be unmatched in the world, would that make one a Chakravartin? It seemed far too simple!

Yet the truth was right before his eyes—the phenomenon of the seven treasures, which Tathagata had never seen before. But he could sense that at that very moment, he suddenly possessed this ability. With mere will, he could summon these seven treasures at will.

Why, why exactly at this moment? As for wealth and compassion, there was no need to say more. Tathagata owned Mount Sumeru and possessed great magical power; few things in the world were beyond his reach. In terms of appearance, he was handsome and elegant, moving hearts of those who saw him. What Tathagata cared most about were wisdom and longevity.

Unmatched divine powers in the world! Immortality, living and dying alongside heaven and earth! Wasn’t this exactly what Tathagata desired? Had he truly achieved it?

If he was a Chakravartin, that meant the intelligent divine ape trapped in the deep cave was inferior to him! What Tathagata feared most was the main consciousness of Mount Mahasumeru. Without that threat, he would act without restraint.

At that moment, Ksitigarbha suddenly stepped forward and said, “Tathagata, you are not worthy!”

Tathagata glanced at him sideways, ignoring Ksitigarbha. Seeing that he was already a Chakravartin, Ksitigarbha still spouted such nonsense. Ksitigarbha continued, “The ‘Mahayana Mahasamgraha Ksitigarbha Sutra’ states: ‘Good man, just as a Chakravartin possesses the seven treasures, whatever he does, the treasure wheel leads the way, with the other treasures following, circling the four continents!’”

Tathagata asked, “What does that mean?”

Ksitigarbha replied solemnly, “In Buddhism, a good man should uphold the five precepts. Can you… uphold them?”

The Tathagata was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. Seeing that he had already become the Cakravartin, Ksitigarbha still asked such a question—it was as ridiculous as someone seizing the throne in the mortal world and then being asked, “Are you the crown prince?”

Ksitigarbha ignored the Tathagata’s mockery and pointed downward, saying, “On Mount Lesser Sumeru, there used to be a thousand Buddha halls and ten thousand monasteries. Now the mountain has collapsed, and almost no one has survived. This is a grave sin of killing beings. Do you dare admit it?”

The Tathagata remained unperturbed. He naturally did not care about the lives and deaths of these people. In his eyes, all things in the world were heartless. If all things were heartless, why should he be compassionate?

Ksitigarbha continued, “You imitated the sacred mantras to nurture beings in this world, committing the sin of theft. Do you dare admit it?”

The Tathagata grew slightly impatient. He knew Ksitigarbha would soon mention his other violations of the precepts, such as speaking falsely and harboring anger. He had no mood to listen to his accusations. So, with a wave of his hand, the two deities in front of the Dharma Chakra strode toward King Ksitigarbha and swung their golden fists at him.

King Ksitigarbha raised his iron staff to defend himself. With a clang of metal, the two deities retreated a few steps, but his staff was bent!

As if nothing had happened, the two deities rushed at Ksitigarbha again. Randen shouted, “The seven treasures of the Cakravartin are indestructible!”

Ksitigarbha stepped forward and declared loudly, “These deities are not the seven treasures; they are merely servants to protect them!”

Randen knew that among the seven treasures, the Dharma Chakra was the most extraordinary. It “penetrated darkness with its light, capable of extinguishing even the light of the sun and moon. But if the king harbors a thought, it could destroy all things that are strong.”

Judging from the Tathagata’s expression, he didn’t know exactly how useful the seven treasures were. Randen transmitted a message to everyone, “Hold back the Tathagata!” He and Maitreya raised their magical weapons to assist Ksitigarbha.

These two deities were extremely strong but knew no supernatural powers. Relying solely on their robust bodies and brute force, they still overwhelmed Ksitigarbha.

Maitreya took out his Posterior Heaven Bag and recited a spell. Instantly, the two deities shrank in size and slipped into the bag. Maitreya was surprised—how effective was this?

Before Randen could act, Maitreya had already succeeded. Realizing this, Randen quickly told everyone, “Don’t attack head-on; use more magic!” None of these sages were clumsy, so they each unleashed their greatest skills. Indeed, the other two deities and the precious elephant under the Tathagata could withstand the magical attacks. The two deities held out for a few rounds before being captured by the Great Yu Ding, while the elephant, thanks to its sturdy body, was hard to harm even without fighting back.

The Tathagata shouted urgently, “Retreat!”

As this shout was uttered, everyone felt an immense pressure approaching. Since it was invisible, it seemed even more terrifying, prompting them to retreat hastily. Tathagata showed signs of extreme joy—the power of the Wheel King’s shout exceeded his expectations. More importantly, at that moment, Tathagata clearly sensed the forces of heaven and earth pouring into his body; he could now harness the power of creation itself. From now on, who could stand against him?

Dozens of saints stepped back far away, their faces filled with fear. With the Wheel King being so powerful, it was impossible to even attempt to confront Tathagata.

At that moment, a figure flew in from the east. Upon seeing it, everyone stopped what they were doing, and Tathagata narrowed his eyes, watching quietly.

It was a giant bird. With a couple of flaps of its wings, it arrived nearby—none other than the greatest divine creature in the world: the Kunpeng!

On the back of the Kunpeng stood five people. Three of them wore Taoist robes, their hair and beards completely white. Beside them stood a beautiful female Taoist priestess—none other than the Three Pure Ones and Tathagata. The one standing at the front, however, had an unremarkable appearance, seemingly just like an untidy scholar at first glance.

Who could have guessed that this was the most mysterious saint in the world—the master of Xiaoyao Island: Lao Zhuang.

Upon seeing the Kunpeng, Tathagata knew that Lao Zhuang must have followed. He didn’t take the Three Pure Ones and the female priestess seriously, but facing this rarely seen Lao Zhuang, he felt a slight sense of wariness.

Apart from the master of Mount Mahavira, Lao Zhuang was widely recognized as the saint most likely to have reached the realm of a true sage. After Tathagata’s shout drove away dozens of saints, Lao Zhuang suddenly appeared—clearly, he was not afraid of Tathagata!

One true sage, one Wheel King—whose was stronger?

Lao Zhuang tapped the back of the Kunpeng with his toes, rising into the air and floating slowly toward the Wheel Jewel. He said to Tathagata, “Do you understand now?”

Everyone else was confused, but only Tathagata knew that since Lao Zhuang asked this, it was surely referring to that shout earlier. The place where everyone was located was a realm of its own. When the primal forces of heaven and earth stirred, those capable of sensing them would naturally feel it.

Tathagata suddenly understood the meaning of the phrase “governing the world with the true law.” It turned out that this force was the power to govern the world, the true law of heaven and earth. He replied, “It’s not hard to understand.”

Lao Zhuang nodded and said, “If you understand, it’s not difficult.” He glanced around at everyone and softly said, “Retreat.”

Though his voice was gentle, some unknown supernatural power was at work. A wave of spiritual force, like a gentle breeze, pushed everyone backward. How could they not understand? Clearly, Lao Zhuang intended to fight Tathagata, and he ordered them to retreat to avoid harming them.

Tathagata said, “Laozi and Zhuangzi, I rule the world with the true Dharma. Do you still wish to fight me?”
Laozi and Zhuangzi laughed and said, “If you have the true Dharma, don’t think I don’t have it too. Your so-called true Dharma claims to rule all four continents of Sumeru, but you must know the world is far larger than just four continents!”
Tathagata replied, “Though the world now includes more than four continents, one day those four continents will be the entire world.” What he meant was to take these four continents as the center and expand outward, just like how the Western Ox-Herding Continent in the Great Furnace Realm expanded, aiming to encompass the whole world within those four continents.
Laozi and Zhuangzi raised their eyebrows and said, “The Cakravartin is merely a true sage of Buddhism. Don’t think this gives you the right to claim supremacy.”
“What do you mean by a true sage of Buddhism?” Tathagata asked.
Laozi and Zhuangzi replied, “There are true sages in Buddhism, in Taoism, in human sects, and even among beasts. It’s just that some appear earlier and some later.”
“Nonsense!” Tathagata retorted. True sages are not something ordinary cultivators can easily become—having one every ten thousand years is already an exaggeration. If each sect had a true sage, that would mean there are at least six or seven such sages in the world. Where is any evidence for this?
Laozi and Zhuangzi shook their heads and smiled, “You only see what’s in front of you. How can you know what lies behind?”
Tathagata asked, “Then how do you know?”
Laozi and Zhuangzi looked up at the sky, putting aside their playful expression and saying solemnly, “I guessed it.”
Tathagata frowned slightly. Given Laozi and Zhuangzi’s status, it was unlikely they would speak falsely. If they said it was a guess, it seemed they didn’t want to tell him. Yet this made Tathagata believe them a little more.
Laozi and Zhuangzi continued, “Do you understand the principle of balance in the world?”
Tathagata stared at them without saying a word. He had also delved deeply into Taoism and naturally understood these concepts.
Laozi and Zhuangzi said, “As a former World Honored One, you must have read extensively. But just because you seem to understand doesn’t mean you truly do. You must know that the transformation of all things is controlled by an invisible force. Everything in the universe remains in balance, thanks to this principle. This principle is like light and dust—encompassing everything from Sumeru to the smallest mustard seed…”
After saying this, Laozi and Zhuangzi suddenly raised their voices and said, “If Buddhism becomes strong, Taoism will weaken. If beasts become strong, birds will weaken. If scaled creatures become strong, insects will weaken. But if only you achieve enlightenment in this world, everything else will weaken—wouldn’t that create a severe imbalance?”
Tathagata sneered and said, “Have you said this to him too?” By “him,” Tathagata naturally meant the master of Great Sumeru. Since birth, the master of Great Sumeru had been undisputedly the greatest person in the world, with no one ever able to compare to him. Tathagata’s point was: If the master’s cultivation was already so powerful, why didn’t you say the world was unbalanced? Why did you bring it up regarding me instead?