Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 285: The Great Secret

After giving Wu Kong a few words of advice, Guanyin set off westward to report to Tathagata. Wu Kong said, “Bodhisattva, please go slowly. At least give me some magical treasure to use so I can feel more at ease.”
Guanyin laughed, “You already have treasures on you—why do you still ask me for more?”
Wu Kong replied, “I’m completely penniless—where could I have any treasures?”
Guanyin said, “The golden rope you got from the demons last time—didn’t the Buddha give it to you?”
Wu Kong smiled, “Bodhisattva has a good memory. I don’t even know what use that golden rope is. I just saw the Buddha take it away with a mere gesture.”
Guanyin said, “That golden rope is truly remarkable. If your opponent knows the incantation, it’s useless; but against someone who doesn’t understand it, it’s extremely powerful. Otherwise, how could the Golden-Horned King have captured you?”
Wu Kong had never been accustomed to using such magical treasures. If Guanyin hadn’t mentioned it, he would have truly forgotten. It seemed he really needed to find an opportunity to try it out.
Guanyin asked, “You said that Taoist had remarkable skills. What did he look like?”
Wu Kong described the man’s appearance and clothing. Guanyin suddenly realized, “It’s him. It seems Donghua the Old One is quite narrow-minded.”
Wu Kong asked, “Bodhisattva, do you recognize him?”
Guanyin nodded and said, “It’s very likely the Emperor of Eastern Mount.”
“The Emperor of Eastern Mount? What’s his connection to the Emperor of Eastern Huaxia?”
Guanyin replied, “The Emperor of Eastern Mount is the biological brother of the Emperor of Eastern Huaxia. Truly, brothers fight together in battle!”
Wu Kong asked, “The Emperor of Eastern Mount is in charge of Mount Tai. Is he taking advantage of the Heavenly Court’s expansion to create trouble for his brother?”
Guanyin said, “This man’s cultivation is extraordinary. Don’t underestimate him.”
Wu Kong laughed, “The pass permit is in his hands. If I try to snatch it forcefully, I’m afraid it might get damaged.”
Guanyin said, “The Emperor of Eastern Mount is stubborn but easily broken. You should think of a strategy to deal with him. If you go head-on and summon all the Emperors of the Five Great Mountains, it will be troublesome.”
Wu Kong nodded in agreement, already planning how to retrieve the permit.
Guanyin said, “I’ll give you three more jade beads. If something urgent happens, just crush them, and I’ll come to you immediately.”
Wu Kong was delighted and said, “Thank you, Bodhisattva.” Guanyin had already given him three hairs that he hadn’t used yet, and now she gave him three more jade beads. With these in hand, Wu Kong felt much more at ease.

Wukong thought of Zhu Bajie and asked Guanyin, “What should we do with this Zhu Wuneng?” Guanyin replied, “He was demoted by Tang Seng and pursued by you, so naturally he harbors resentment. But he’s straightforward and lacks strategy; surely he was incited by the Eastern Emperor to harm Tang Seng. The Jade Emperor has ordered expansion westward, and many elders in Taoism will surely become emboldened. The depression they’ve felt suppressed by Buddhism for years will burst forth all at once—who knows what chaos that might cause?”
“To make them restrain themselves, we must repel them step by step. That’s why your confrontation with the Eastern Emperor is extremely important. The Eastern Emperor holds great prestige; if you defeat him, the petty elements of Taoism will surely be terrified and dare not trouble you again.”
At these words, a rare sharp glint flashed in the Bodhisattva’s eyes. She said, “The Eastern Emperor wants to kill Tang Seng, thinking he can achieve great fame. Such recklessness naturally makes him an enemy of Buddhism. As for him and Zhu Wuneng, someone else will deal with them—there’s no need for you to worry.”
Seeing Guanyin’s determination, Wukong replied respectfully. The Bodhisattva, her white robes fluttering, ascended on a cloud and headed west.
Wukong pondered the true meaning in Guanyin’s words. From her tone, it seemed that in the Buddha’s eyes, Taoism’s expansion westward wasn’t a major issue—hindering the pilgrimage and seeking Tang Seng’s life were the real offenses.
The Sword of Slaying Immortals and the Xuanyuan Bow were called divine weapons born from chaos. It was unknown whether the Sword of Slaying Immortals was one of the Four Swords for Slaying Immortals. Yang Jian had said that the Pangu Axe shattered into many divine weapons and treasures, likely possessing immense power.
Wukong put away the three jade beads and rushed off to the Country of Chachi. On the way, he suddenly heard someone calling from the sky, “Slow down a bit.”
Hearing this voice, Wukong was overjoyed—it was none other than the Supreme Lord Laozi. Since their last encounter, Laozi had disappeared after hearing about the King of the Five Categories.
Laozi said, “Come into my divine treasure!”
Wukong soared upward and saw Laozi standing faintly among the clouds, holding a crimson gourd and smiling at him. Not knowing why, Wukong shrank down and entered the red gourd.
Inside the gourd was a separate world, with tables and chairs. Sitting on one of the chairs was another Laozi.
Wukong asked, “What trick are you playing, Lord Laozi?”
Laozi replied, “It’s just an avatar. Talking here, time seems to stand still, so no one will know.”
Hearing this, Wukong realized there must be something extremely important, as Laozi, with his usual carefree nature, had never been so cautious.

Wukong was taken aback by Laojun’s polite demeanor and felt a bit unaccustomed. Smiling, he said, “Why speak like this, Laojun? What great secret could the King of the Five Elements have to shock you so?”
Laojun replied, “As one lives longer, it’s easy to rely on one’s age. To be honest, we should treat each other as equals—that would be proper.”
Wukong quickly said, “I dare not. Laojun is highly respected and possesses divine powers. You’re too kind. In Wukong’s heart, Laojun has always been his teacher.”
Laojun nodded and said, “The Creative Divine Ape… In terms of age, I may be slightly older than you—”
Wukong couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re older than me?” The Creative Divine Ape existed before heaven and earth. If Laojun said he was even older than it, didn’t that mean he existed before heaven and earth? He remembered Fengtong once saying that before the Creative Divine Ape, only Pangu and the Kunpeng existed, along with the Creative Furnace, which also emerged around the same time. Everything else, like the Peach Tree and the Ginseng Fruit seeds, came much later.
Laojun’s expression was neither sad nor happy, yet it carried an indescribable sorrow. He said calmly, “How could I speak rashly about such a profound matter? I came to see you today to reveal the secrets from before the creation of heaven and earth.”
At that moment, Wukong could sense the marks of countless years etched upon Laojun, something far beyond his reach.
Laojun continued, “You must have heard something about the calamity at the beginning of time. In the three realms, we tried to imitate heaven and earth but failed. All this effort didn’t help much with that calamity, but it did greatly enhance our understanding of the Dao. So it wasn’t entirely in vain.”
“The three of us managed to create the Taiyi Mysterious Gate and comprehend the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. We certainly don’t dare claim all the credit, but we did receive… the help of another person.” When mentioning “the other person,” Laojun’s expression became awkward, seemingly touching a hidden pain in his heart.
Wukong sensed that “the other person” must conceal a great secret.
Laojun added, “This world seems to be afflicted by some curse. Every 129,600 years, it reverts to its original state, as if being remelted. All living beings within it must be reformed. No matter whether they are Golden Immortals or sacred beings, magical treasures or pills, metal, wood, water, or fire—everything turns to nothingness, leaving only chaos.”
“After thousands of years in chaos, some unknown force causes life to emerge again. Pangu appears, and his axe is formed, allowing heaven and earth to be created. Then the Kunpeng emerges. It draws in the breath of heaven and exhales the breath of earth, separating the pure from the impure and clarifying the heavens and earth. Thus, heaven becomes clear and earth becomes peaceful. Originally, heaven and earth were in stillness. Then the Creative Divine Ape appeared, guiding the forces of creation and setting heaven and earth in motion, giving rise to the Five Elements and all things.”

Wukong found what Laojun said to be exactly the same as what Kunpeng had described. He suddenly realized that Laojun’s words, “I may be a bit older than you,” could very well not be empty talk.

Laojun continued, “In this endless cycle, the heavens and earth have been destroyed countless times and recreated just as many times. All things in the universe are as if being tortured repeatedly in a furnace. Ordinary people are fine—after just a hundred years, they return to reincarnation, forgetting everything from their past lives, thinking this is an eternal existence. But the most suffering are those who have attained immortality through cultivation. They thought they had uncovered the secrets of the universe and found the path to eternal life, only to find that in times of great crisis, it was all in vain.”

Wukong couldn’t help but ask, “So… there has never been a single exception?”

Laojun stared at Wukong steadily and said, “Good question. In the last cycle, there was a man of extraordinary intelligence. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe him as having innate talent. All the realms that cultivators aspire to reach seemed effortless for him, as simple as taking something from one’s bag. After just a thousand years of cultivation, he became a Taiyi Golden Immortal. In just twenty thousand years, he reached the realm of sainthood. After another ten thousand years, he uncovered the mysteries of that cycle. And then…”

Wukong asked eagerly, “Did he escape from the calamity of that cycle?”

Laojun nodded. “You guessed right!”

Wukong asked, “What was he doing during those years when he uncovered those mysteries?”

Laojun replied, “You’re too impatient. I’ll explain it slowly. If you rush straight to the point, many details will be missed.”

Wukong smiled awkwardly—he really wanted to know the answer too much.

Laojun said, “At that time, he dominated the entire universe; naturally, no one could match him. The Three Pure Ones, including me, Yuan Shi, and Ling Bao, were once also invincible figures, but in front of him, we were like children, able only to look up to him.”

Wukong listened quietly before suddenly jumping up. “What!”

Laojun snapped, “What’s the matter? Be careful! You might step on my gourd!”

Wukong paid no attention to the gourd and asked, “Are you saying that you, the three of you, took this person as your master—?”

This was truly shocking—so the Three Pure Ones were actually figures from the last cycle!

Laojun said, “The three of us had long heard of that man’s name. When we first met him—just after breaking through to the level of Taiyi Scattered Immortals—we were full of pride and wanted to fight him!”

“That battle remains etched in our memories to this day. He didn’t even move a finger to subdue the three of us. Then he said, ‘Would you like to take me as your master?’”

Upon hearing these words, two words suddenly popped into Wukong’s mind—“Hongjun”!

From Laojun’s account, it was clear that the Three Pure Ones must have taken this person as their master. Otherwise, how could they have survived the calamity of that cycle? Unless this person had helped them.

In ancient Chinese mythology, besides Hongjun, who else could be the master of the Three Pure Ones? Yet Hongjun’s name does not appear in Journey to the West. Could it be that the entire book is only about surface-level events, with deeper secrets yet to be uncovered?