Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 246: Ksitigarbha Buddha

Hou Tu said, “I’ve heard this person say a phrase that became widely known throughout the world. I wonder if you’ve heard it—‘As long as hell remains unfilled, I vow not to achieve Buddhahood.’”
Wukong exclaimed, “Ksitigarbha Buddha!”
Hou Tu replied, “That’s right!”
This Ksitigarbha Buddha appeared only once in the entire *Journey to the West*, but this appearance was extraordinary. From this brief glimpse, one could tell his true power was immense.
When the Six-Eared Monkey disguised itself as Wukong and it was hard to tell the truth from falsehood, it turned to Ksitigarbha Buddha for help. Ksitigarbha did not appear in person but instructed his divine beast, Di Ting, to listen to distinguish truth from falsehood. Di Ting, realizing the seriousness of the matter, did not expose the Six-Eared Monkey directly but advised them to seek the Buddha for a decision.
Even Guanyin Buddha could not resolve the issue of the true and false Monkey Kings, nor could the gods in heaven do anything about it. This shows that both Ksitigarbha Buddha and Di Ting possess powers that are utterly unfathomable.
Wukong originally thought Ksitigarbha was just a minor character; even if he had great powers, Wukong didn’t take him too seriously, as there were many formidable figures in the world of *Journey to the West*. From the incident with the true and false Monkey Kings, Wukong even considered him part of those who stayed out of others’ affairs.
Unexpectedly, Ksitigarbha Buddha got involved in the quest for the scriptures early on and even deliberately tried to disrupt Buddha’s plans. He sought help from Hou Tu and arranged for a mysterious spirit to disguise itself as the White Bone Spirit—how cunning! If Hou Tu hadn’t revealed it, Wukong would never have suspected Ksitigarbha Buddha.
Wukong asked Hou Tu, “If Ksitigarbha Buddha wants to disrupt this matter, what benefit can he gain?”
Hou Tu smiled and said, “You, this divine ape, can still ask such selfish questions. It’s beyond my expectations.”
Wukong always thought in this way: everything in the world is driven by self-interest. Gods are no different from ordinary people except for their greater powers. He said, “If I don’t calculate others against me, it’s out of necessity.”
Hou Tu nodded and said, “It would be better if you thought like this from the start.” She then changed her tone and added, “But while your calculations may work for others, applying them to Ksitigarbha Buddha is like using a petty mind to judge a noble person.”
Wukong laughed and said, “I simply don’t believe there are truly selfless people in this world. Even if they care about sentient beings and do good deeds on their own, why go to such lengths to prevent a conflict between Buddhism and Taoism? Could it be that… he truly sees things so clearly?”

Hou Tu said, “Do not underestimate him. The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha is ‘patient and immovable like the earth, calm and deeply contemplative like a secret treasure.’ His magical powers are boundless; even I do not know the full extent of them. Moreover, his divine beast, Di Ting, is truly unique—no sound from the four great continents can escape its ears. He has always been compassionate and eager to help others. In my view, only he deserves the title of a merciful being who relieves suffering in this world.”

Seeing Hou Tu’s high regard for the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, Wukong became cautious. Based on his experience in judging people, such individuals were often extremely stubborn and might cause trouble, hindering their journey to obtain the scriptures. As for Di Ting, Wukong took it even more seriously—its ability to hear sounds from across the four great continents was like having an ultra-powerful wiretap device, an ultimate enhanced version capable of reaching thousands of miles. Such a skill was truly beyond normal limits.

Wukong asked, “What is Di Ting’s origin?”

Hou Tu replied, “I am not aware of that. Ever since I met the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, Di Ting has been by his side. It is said that this beast can distinguish between good and evil, wise and foolish. Since it recognizes the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha as its master, it naturally regards him as the most virtuous and wise person in the world.”

Wukong remained silent. The appearance of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha had given him more thoughts. He had limited his perspective to what he already knew, always seeking clues in the Western Heaven, the Heavenly Court, or the Three Pure Ones whenever problems arose. With such a narrow view, it was of no benefit. It seemed that the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism involved not just these two religions but anyone with some ability in the world.

Hou Tu said, “If you want to obtain the scriptures, go now. Do not delay your journey.”

Wukong replied, “Your words have truly enlightened me. Thank you in advance.”

Hou Tu smiled and said, “You’re welcome. If you have time, come visit me often. I haven’t spoken so much in a long time.”

Seeing that Hou Tu intended to see him off, Wukong got up to bid farewell. He returned along the same path, using his earth-burrowing technique to emerge from the black rocks and arrive at the entrance to the Hall of the Wheel King in the Netherworld Abyss.

As soon as he stepped out, Wukong sensed something unusual. Turning back, he saw a skeleton hanging in midair, seemingly waiting for him for a long time. In the pitch-dark depths of the Netherworld Abyss, the skeleton emitted a eerie glow, startling even the bold Wukong. Realizing it was the Armored Divine Ape, he shouted, “At least make it look presentable! In this state, it’s a disgrace to the identity of a divine ape.”

In front of this Armored Ape, Wukong suddenly dropped his pretenses, treating it no differently from Wang Yu and the others. Hearing Wukong’s words, the Armored Ape hesitated not for a moment before escaping through the White Bone Peak’s entrance. A faintly black spirit drifted out, and without any magical support, the white bones fell straight into the dark waters at the bottom of the abyss, disappearing in an instant. From then on, there was no more White Bone Spirit in the world.

Wukong was stunned. The Armored Ape really listened to him. He said again, “Find your own body soon—don’t stay in a half-dead state! We’ll wait for you!”

The Armored Ape circled in the air once, paused for a moment, then plunged straight into the black stones and vanished without a trace. Wukong didn’t know whether it had heard him or not, but he hoped that the Armored Ape would resolve its inner conflicts soon and reunite with its kin.

Wukong had been out for most of the day. It was time to go back and look for Tang Sanzang. But as he stared at the dark cave entrance across from him, he suddenly had an idea: What was the soul of Emperor Li Shimin, the Tang King, doing now that it had entered the two-headed monster fish?

Daring to act on his thought, he turned invisible and rushed into the cave, heading straight for the Hall of All Souls.

The Hall of All Souls was filled with ghosts and spirits, but it was completely empty here. It seemed that few of those who should have been able to be reborn had been trapped here. Wukong arrived by the Wei River. After a quick search, he was overjoyed—the two-headed golden carp was still in the river. Its eyes were wide open, but dull and unfocused, as if it were half-asleep, drifting with the currents in the underworld river.

Wukong had already made up his mind. He came here to take this golden carp back!

Last time he mentioned the matter of the five kings to Laojun, Laojun’s expression changed drastically, indicating that this matter must be extremely important. Since the hidden master behind this wanted to gather the five kings, Wukong certainly couldn’t let him succeed. By taking back the two-headed carp containing Emperor Li Shimin’s soul to Qi Tian Ling, it might cause him some trouble as well.

Wukong flew over the water’s surface and reached out to catch the carp. Just as he lifted the two-headed carp out of the water, something unexpected happened!

Wukong sensed something strange at the bottom of the water. In an instant, the waves parted, and a figure appeared from the water. Its face and head were indistinct, but a long neck stretched from its waist, with a head on it—it was the Nine-Headed Worm!

Without time to be shocked, Wukong used his invisibility spell, which greatly reduced his magical power. But if he revealed himself, he would surely be recognized by the Nine-Headed Worm.

The Nine-Headed Worm showed no sign of movement before, clearly not having noticed him. It appeared because it saw the Two-Headed Carp leave the water’s surface. At that moment, the long-necked monster head at its waist had wrapped around Wukong’s leg. Wukong drew out his Ruyi Tianji Stick and struck it directly. Though the force wasn’t very strong, it was invisible and sudden. The monster head retracted under the strike, and the Nine-Headed Worm leaped into the air, waving its crescent shovel wildly. Unable to see Wukong, it struck blindly. Its face, indistinguishable in shape, turned bright red—likely from extreme anger. The more intensely the Nine-Headed Worm reacted, the more important this Two-Headed Monster Fish must be! Wukong had no intention of fighting it. He used his agility to leave the Wei River and head straight for the exit of the Netherworld Abyss. Although the Two-Headed Carp was out of water, Wukong had water-controlling spells to protect it from drying up and dying. After leaving the underworld, Wukong rose above the clouds from the bottom of the abyss to high altitudes. Seeing that no one was following, he revealed his true form and used a cloud somersault to reach Qitian Ridge. The Nine-Headed Worm had actually gone to the Wei River to guard the Two-Headed Monster Fish. Wasn’t it supposed to be in the Zizai Palace at the bottom of the South Sea? The Zizai Palace had a luminous wall from the Western Sea Dragon Palace, which was most likely given by Guanyin Bodhisattva. Given Guanyin’s power, she should be the master of this palace, so the Nine-Headed Worm surely couldn’t surpass her. Then, why had it come to the Wei River? If it was Guanyin’s doing, there was only one reason: she had formed an alliance with that mysterious person who sought to gather the five types of kings. If the Nine-Headed Worm was merely a guest in the Zizai Palace and not under Guanyin’s control, then this matter was likely related to Xiangliu. As Yu the Great had said, the Nine-Headed Worm and Xiangliu shared some similarities. Whatever the truth, Wukong had already classified this Nine-Headed Worm as an enemy. Fortunately, he had hidden himself in the underworld, and from what had happened, the Nine-Headed Worm hadn’t recognized him. Yet the fact that it knew he had once appeared as a scholar in white remained a potential threat. Before the Nine-Headed Worm got involved in worldly conflicts, Wukong hadn’t taken it seriously. But after today’s incident, he thought he needed to find an opportunity to get rid of it to feel at peace. Wukong had already made up his mind: once he reached Qitian Ridge, he would go straight to find the Qilin. This Two-Headed Monster Fish was no ordinary creature; it needed someone of the highest cultivation to watch over it. Besides, the Qilin was also one of the five types of kings—perhaps it could reveal some clues.

Upon entering the forces of Qitianling, the first thing Wukong sensed was the presence of King Yu of Ventilation. He suddenly felt a bit guilty, as he had originally planned to share the ginseng fruit with them, but out of some inexplicable reason, he ate it all himself. Sigh, who says divine apes don’t crave fortune? When it’s right before their eyes, their desire for fortune isn’t any weaker than anyone else’s.
Upon entering the Qilin Cave, the Qilin was sitting alone in the cave. Seeing Wukong enter, he stopped practicing his cultivation techniques and said cheerfully, “Wukong! How did you find time?”