Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 159: Meeting the Three Pure Ones

Inside the Celestial Cave, Wukong stayed indoors, shut out from the world, desperately pondering a way to deal with the Three Pure Ones. He knew that relying solely on his eloquent tongue might not be enough to persuade them; if all else failed, he might have to resort to his ultimate trump card.

By noon the next day, as expected, the Bull Demon King rushed over to find Wukong. The two of them soared upward on clouds to the ninth heaven.

In the frigid winds high above, Wukong asked, “Why keep flying upward? If we go on like this, we might pierce the heavens.”

The Bull Demon King replied with a smile, “Since it’s called ‘the heaven beyond heavens,’ it must naturally be outside the heavens.”

Unable to discern anything with the naked eye, Wukong employed the “Secrets of the Mysterious Sky Technique.” He had never used this technique since practicing the arts of the five elements, but now, using it, he felt a significant improvement. Vaguely, he saw faint shapes at the top of the heavens, realizing that this “heaven” was actually not a true heaven but merely a formation.

The Bull Demon King led Wukong through the formation. When they lost direction, the Bull Demon King would close his eyes in deep thought, actually listening to voices in his ears, before continuing onward.

Observing the Bull Demon King’s behavior, Wukong guessed that the formation in this “heaven beyond heavens” might well be the method to transcend realms.

When they reached an open area, the Bull Demon King whispered to Wukong, “Wait here. My master will arrive in a moment.”

Wukong sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and calmed his mind, rehearsing several times the words he had prepared after much deliberation. Just as he was thinking, he suddenly sensed three figures appearing a few dozen feet ahead. Without opening his eyes, he knew it must be the Three Pure Ones.

Wukong opened his eyes. The surroundings were still shrouded in mist, but no one was visible. Indeed, the power of the Secrets of the Mysterious Sky Technique was remarkable—enough to let him see through part of the Three Pure Ones’ formation.

Wukong was astonished, but the Three Pure Ones were even more surprised. This formation was set up by the Primordial Lord; not even the Supreme Golden Immortal could fully comprehend its intricacies. Yet, as soon as the three arrived, they saw Wukong open his eyes, clearly having noticed their presence. This wise and mysterious ape was truly unfathomable.

At that moment, Wukong stood up and respectfully bowed as a disciple. Though he was the reincarnation of a divine ape, the Three Pure Ones had always shown great kindness toward such apes, so even this simple gesture was sufficient as an expression of respect. Moreover, since they were under their protection, it was only proper to show deference. Since Wukong had a request, it was only natural to treat him with courtesy.

After bowing, Wukong stood up and said, “The names of the Three Pure Ones date back to the beginning of time. It is my great fortune to meet you today. I, Sun Wukong, humblely pay my respects.”

Laojun chuckled and said, “What an impressive Sun Wukong—truly remarkable.”

Wukong replied, “My humble cultivation is like a firefly compared to the bright moon in front of such elders. It’s not worth mentioning at all.”

Laojun said, “The path of the Dao is unpredictable and grows day by day. You have only practiced for a few days and have already reached the rank of Taiyi Golden Immortal—this is truly astonishing. What’s difficult is how you managed to attain this true form; I simply can’t figure it out.” Laojun chuckled self-mockingly and added, “Could you reveal a bit? Otherwise, I’ll be unable to sleep peacefully with this matter on my mind.”

Wukong thought to himself that he could tell anything else but not this—even if it were the Supreme Lord Laojun, he probably wouldn’t believe in the existence of time travel. So he said, “To be honest, I simply transformed into this human form at random. I never knew what my true form was, and it just happened by chance.” He wasn’t lying; Wukong truly didn’t know what his true form was before, so he spoke quite calmly.

Laojun said, “It seems that fate truly is beyond human control. Since that’s the case, I won’t insist.”

“I’ve long heard that you are clever and good at making decisions. That’s why, after capturing you, I sent you into the Three Realms to experience some fate. Since you entered this realm, you have tamed the three demons—tiger, deer, and sheep; ended the famine in the Realm of Good and Evil; taught Mencius about the Dao; obtained the Queen Mother’s peaches; preserved compassion in the Gate of Life and Death; developed a resolve to kill yet cherished fate; understood the mysteries of the Primordial Dao in the Realm of Tribulation; grasped the way of emotions through the chapters of stories; achieved a second true form in my realm; harbored a desire to save the heavens; restored order in the City of Self-Reflection; sought to save the world, and searched for the Kunpeng…” Laojun spoke endlessly, clearly knowing everything Wukong had done since entering the realm. Finally, he said, “To be fair, Wukong, what you’ve done far exceeds our imagination.”

“The Divine Ape was created by fate. If you hadn’t broken through, you would have remained like a clever but ignorant ape, and we wouldn’t have revealed the truth. But since you happened to meet Wu Zhiqi early on and learned the secrets of the divine ape, many things can no longer be hidden from you.”

Wukong deeply agreed. He had taken a completely different path from the original Monkey King, starting from the moment he met Wu Zhiqi.

Laojun added, “I know exactly what you’re thinking. We three have full awareness of it. After managing the Three Realms for ten thousand years solely for the sake of achieving the Primordial Dao, such a great feat of fate is within your reach—enough to let you leap straight to the rank of Hunyuan Golden Immortal. Why not do it?”

Wukong asked, “I dare to ask—why were these Three Realms created in the first place?”

Laojun replied, “It won’t hurt if I tell you. Initially, these realms were created to study the changes in heaven and earth. After we three realized the peril of the Primordial Dao of heaven and earth, we racked our brains to find a solution and finally came up with this method. When the Three Realms were first formed, we were full of ambition, thinking it was almost certain to succeed. But as time passed, we realized that these realms only had the form of heaven and earth, but no deities of heaven and earth. In the end, it was just a foolish act.”

Wukong interjected and asked, “What is the god of heaven and earth?”
Laojun replied, “Yin and yang are the ways of heaven and earth! Yin and yang are the guidelines for all things, the origin of change, the foundation of life and death, and the basis for deities. With yin and yang existing in heaven and earth, the two energies combine to give rise to all things.”
Laojun chuckled and said, “In these three realms, though there is no lack of yin and yang energies, not even a single blade of grass can grow. All the initial creatures in these three realms came from the self-created heaven and earth.”
Hearing this, Wukong sighed inwardly. This was quite similar to what happened in later times—humans could build aircraft carriers and satellites but could not create a true living being out of nothing. It seemed that neither in past nor present lives could one escape this fundamental truth: all things are born of heaven and earth!
Laojun continued, “Although it seems we three succeeded in creating these realms, we were actually on the wrong path from the start. Or rather, there is no true solution to escaping the calamity of the primordial era. Yet even so, these three realms were not created in vain.”
“Tens of thousands of years ago, we already knew the secret of creating the Divine Apes of Creation. Later, due to various coincidences—details of which need not be explained—many things you already understand. Now, there are already four such Divine Apes in these realms. If these three realms were to collapse, with such immense power, who else in the world but these Divine Apes could handle it?” Only then did Wukong realize that the Three Pure Ones had helped the Divine Apes enhance their strength on a whim.
Wukong asked, “The Divine Apes have nothing to do with Taoism. Why do they keep helping them?” He deliberately hid the fact that he knew the secret of Taoism seizing the Peach Tree, wanting to see what the Three Pure Ones would say.
Laojun asked, “Who do you mean by Taoism?”
Wukong replied, “The Three Pure Ones are surely the founders of Taoism. What’s there to dispute?”
Laojun nodded slightly and said, “Among the major religions in the world, there are only Buddhism and Taoism. Taoism is led by the Three Pure Ones, while Buddhism reveres the Tathagata. You’re right.” Wukong thought to himself, Since what I said is correct, why do you repeat it?
Laojun added, “Now that Taoism has declined, many foolish men and women mistakenly regard the Heavenly Emperor as the founder of Taoism, which is a grave mistake.”
“The Jade Emperor? Isn’t he part of Taoism?” Wukong blurted out.
Laojun replied, “It’s true that he belongs to Taoism, but among the Three Pure Ones and the Six Imperial Deities, the Three Pure Ones come first, followed by the Six Imperial Deities. Although the Jade Emperor is titled as the ruler of all heavens and holds the highest status, in Taoism, he ranks only fourth.”
Hearing this, Wukong’s mind stirred. Laojun said the Jade Emperor was “appointed” as the ruler of all heavens—by whom? Who had the authority to appoint such a ruler?
If the Jade Emperor was appointed, then what about the Three Pure Ones? Were they also under someone else’s control?

Laojun said again, “We were entrusted by someone to assist the Jade Emperor in securing the Celestial Palace, but we never expected that our good intentions would backfire.”
Wukong replied, “Indeed, the gods in the Heavenly Court appear united on the surface but are actually divided inwardly—this was within my expectations.”
Laojun let out a soft sigh and said, “Heh, explain then—how is it that they appear united but are actually divided?”
Wukong answered, “When the Heavenly Court sent a hundred thousand soldiers to attack Flower-Fruit Mountain, if they had fought together as one, the mountain would have long been destroyed. But from observing the battles, the soldiers of the Heavenly Court were all timid and hesitant; few of the celestial officials and generals truly fought hard. That’s why I made such a guess. After all, Flower-Fruit Mountain is just a small place—how can it compare to the Heavenly Court’s accumulated strength over tens of thousands of years? If they couldn’t conquer it after prolonged attacks, it must be due to internal discord!”
Laojun agreed, “True. The Heavenly Court has been divided for a long time, and even outsiders can see it. The Jade Emperor wields supreme power yet remains insatiable. He even colludes with outsiders to steal the fortune of Taoism. I can no longer tolerate this.”
Hearing Laojun’s cold tone, Wukong felt a chill in his heart. Colluding with outsiders? Aside from Buddhism, could there be any other force worthy of the Jade Emperor’s alliance? So Buddhism and Taoism are also at odds—could the Three Pure Ones use this as an opportunity to turn against the Jade Emperor? If so, it would truly bring chaos to the world.
Laojun added, “But if we turn against him now, we would be failing those who entrusted us with this task.”
Hearing Laojun mention this person for the second time, Wukong realized this person must be extremely important and couldn’t help but ask, “Who is this person, to have such influence?”
Laojun remained silent for a long time without responding. It had been Laojun speaking the whole time, but now another voice rang out—it was the Celestial Venerable Lingbao: “That person has long since passed away. It’s better not to mention them.”
Hearing the sorrow in the Celestial Venerable Lingbao’s voice, Wukong understood that this person must have been extremely important to the Three Pure Ones.
For a while, no one spoke. In this realm beyond the heavens, through layers of mist, Wukong could faintly sense that the Three Pure Ones seemed to be people who valued loyalty as well.