Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 289: Everything Has Its Limits

Upon hearing this question, Laozi showed a hint of confusion. Under normal circumstances, he would have answered readily, but today his mind was cluttered with many past memories, and he was utterly baffled by the unpredictable actions of “that person,” losing much of his usual composure. Most critically, he faintly sensed signs of disorder in his own Dao heart—a situation he had never encountered since he began his spiritual journey.

Seeing Laozi in such a state, Wukong continued, “Every action a person takes is determined by the heart. What seems like acting on impulse is ultimately driven by one’s intentions. What the true heart desires is what constitutes my Dao.”

Wukong’s view on the true heart actually clashed greatly with Laozi’s teachings on the Dao, so naturally, Laozi would not accept it. He said, “From the perspective of moral cultivation, it is actually about finding a way for heaven, humans, and nature to ‘communicate’ with each other. Though the true heart seems to be in control, it still must submit to nature.”

Wukong thought to himself, “How can you know how powerful humans are at transforming nature?” But today he wasn’t here to debate with Laozi. A supreme figure like Laozi of Taoism couldn’t be persuaded with just a few words; only harsh reality could shake him.

Wukong smiled and said, “Enough, enough. It’s simply a matter of who has the final say. Truth and falsehood—there’s no way to distinguish them in debate.”

Laozi replied, “If you can’t distinguish them, others might not even be better than you.”

Hearing Laozi’s implication, Wukong suddenly remembered the fake Wukong and asked directly, “Where is the Six-Eared Monkey now?”

Laozi chuckled and said, “You still remember this?”

Caught off guard, Wukong replied, “I was framed and faced many troubles—how could I forget?”

Laozi said, “Since the Six-Eared Monkey emerged from the three realms, it has never left my second disciple Lingbao. It was defeated by you in the three realms and, filled with resentment, practices diligently every day, determined to surpass you.”

Wukong said, “How can the Six-Eared Monkey be so narrow-minded? It still remembers things from years ago. After all, we share the same origin—why bother?”

Wukong knew the Six-Eared Monkey was a clever divine ape, so Laozi wouldn’t find it strange. He said, “It has lived in isolation since birth. Aside from my second disciple Lingbao, it hasn’t had much contact with others. Lingbao only sees it once every hundred years, gives it some guidance, and then leaves it alone. It would be strange if it weren’t reclusive.”

After thinking for a moment, Wukong said, “In that case, the Six-Eared Monkey’s pursuit of Zhu Bajie must all be orchestrated by Daoist Lord Lingbao.”

Laozi smiled and said, “The word ‘orchestrate’ sounds rather awkward.”

Wukong sneered, “If that’s the truth, do I really need to praise his clever tactics?” When he saw the fake Wukong, he had already made a judgment—he hadn’t ruled out the possibility that the Three Pure Ones were behind it, but he thought they wouldn’t go to such lengths to cause trouble for him, so he was quite dissatisfied now.

Laojun said, “Don’t misunderstand. This plan was truly a last resort. Back then, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother issued the ‘Edict of Unification,’ leaving only one in the thirty-six heavens. Once this edict took effect, the heavenly court would surely fall into chaos. Ziwei and Zhenwu would surely take this opportunity to rebel, leading to an uncontrollable situation. By then, Taoism would truly collapse.”

“Ziwei and Zhenwu? They want to seize the Jade Emperor’s throne?” Wukong didn’t know much about Ziwei, but Zhenwu had shown him some kindness, probably because of his status as a wise divine ape.

Laojun replied, “Exactly. These two hold considerable power in the heavenly court. If they join forces against the Jade Emperor, it will result in mutual destruction.”

“Mutual destruction? Are Ziwei and Zhenwu that powerful?” Wukong asked.

“If these two really take action, the heavenly court’s current strength isn’t enough to deal with them. But if the Jade Emperor calls upon the eight or nine Golden Immortals, Ziwei and Zhenwu will surely be defeated, and the heavenly court will also suffer a severe blow!”

“The Three Pure Ones naturally don’t want Taoism to tear itself apart, so they came up with a trick to distract attention. Life is like a game of chess—most people only focus on the conflict between Chu and Han. You surely understand this principle. The group on the pilgrimage to obtain the scriptures is like children trying to cross a river. With everyone watching, who could be a better choice than them? Although it seems like Tang Seng is the leader, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven has a famous reputation and has a history of attacking the heavenly court. If the Six-Eared Monkey isn’t pretending to be you, then who else could it be?”

“Originally, Tianpeng wasn’t within the Three Pure Ones’ sight, but just then he was exiled, marking the beginning of his conflict with Tang Seng. If the Six-Eared Monkey pretended to be Wukong to kill him, in his desperate situation, he would surely seek shelter.”

“And Tianpeng was always under the control of the heavenly court. His ability to become a general there wasn’t due to his own merits—it was someone who paved the way for him. That person must be a high-ranking figure in the heavenly court.”

“As expected, Tianpeng was terrified and went straight to the Immortal Island for help. The Six-Eared Monkey caused a ruckus among the Eastern Emperor’s followers, prompting the Eastern Emperor to go to the Queen Mother to complain. By threatening and bribing Ziwei and Zhenwu, I added fuel to the fire, raising opposition to the Edict of Unification. After weighing the pros and cons, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother preferred to reclaim their lost territory from the Western Lands rather than act recklessly and provoke further anger.”

Wukong nodded. This strategy was indeed ingenious. If anyone in the Heavenly Court came to cause trouble for Wukong, it would naturally disrupt the journey to obtain the scriptures, thus sparking a conflict between the Heavenly Court and Buddhism. In comparison, internal conflicts within the Heavenly Court would surely be diminished.
Wukong said, “The Three Pure Ones are truly good at strategizing. But… is this really letting things take their natural course?”
Laojun was astonished and replied, “Acting in accordance with the situation isn’t forcing things. To tell you the truth, if it weren’t for this, the Three Pure Ones would probably have to take action to intimidate them.”
“Intimidate whom?”
“The Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother, Ziwei, Zhenwu… Hmph! A bunch of self-important fools. But unless it’s absolutely necessary, they certainly won’t do such a thing!”
Wukong sighed, “The more you try to cover it up, the more obvious it becomes. Laojun clearly hopes for the revival of Taoism to surpass that of the Western Heaven, yet he pretends to follow the principle of ‘non-action’ and only competes in secret. Why go to such lengths?”
Laojun said seriously, “That’s completely wrong! What do you think I am? If Taoism were to rise, why go through all these troubles? The Three Pure Ones need only raise their voices—not to mention within the Heavenly Court, but even in the Western Heaven, many would likely join them. Do you believe that?”
Wukong was shocked and immediately realized that the Three Pure Ones had begun planning since the beginning of this cycle, having laid countless hidden and overt strategies across the four great continents. He knew this wasn’t an exaggeration. “I certainly believe that!”
Laojun added, “But if that were the case, the world would be at peace, and it wouldn’t be much different from the last cycle.”
The last cycle? What happened in the last cycle?
In that era, Taoism was revered above all else, dominating completely, with no room for other religions at all. Then, when the calamity of that cycle arrived, they all vanished without a trace… As the saying goes, “No two cycles are alike.” Laojun was changing his tactics! He still feared that if Taoism became too powerful, it would lead to the same outcome as the last cycle. But hadn’t that person also suffered a heavy defeat?
Laojun slowly said, “I have a guess. That person tried to accomplish something major in the last cycle, and it was clearly not about overcoming the calamity of that cycle. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he could have simply hidden in the Furnace of Creation and remained safe.”
“I don’t know what he tried to do, but it failed. Given his personality, he couldn’t accept defeat easily and would surely try again. That’s why I won’t let Taoism dominate this time. I want to disrupt the world’s fate through this opportunity, hoping to uncover some clues.”

Laojun’s thoughts coincided with Wukong’s, but hearing them from Laojun’s mouth made Wukong feel quite uncomfortable. The two had vastly different statuses; though Wukong was a wise and intelligent monkey, his reputation in the world was far lower than Laojun’s. Laojun was the leader of Taoism, and a single misstep on his part could bring about countless changes in the world. Seeing that Laojun now harbored a stubborn determination to find an answer at all costs, Wukong sighed inwardly. Although Laojun regarded him as a peer, in this matter, Wukong feared his voice would carry little weight. If possible, he would seek out Yuan Shi and Ling Bao—other than these two, it was unlikely anyone else could persuade Laojun. Laojun was lost in thought, pondering something unknown. Wukong thought that though what Laojun said was sensational, firstly, the matter was of great significance with countless complex aspects; secondly, many doubts remained unconfirmed. Thus, it was best to keep these thoughts aside for now and focus on handling the immediate tasks. Wukong then thought of the Eastern Mountain Emperor and asked, “Laojun, what’s the deal with the Eastern Mountain Emperor?” Laojun replied, “Since you mention him, it must be that he’s blocking your path to obtain the scriptures.” “Exactly. He’s the supreme advisor in Chechi Country and took away my passage permit, leaving me in a difficult situation.” Laojun laughed heartily and said, “So, Liu Er’s plan has worked!” Seeing Wukong’s displeased expression, he quickly stopped laughing and added, “The Eastern Mountain Emperor is the younger brother of Donghua. He’s hot-tempered and likely won’t let you pass easily this time.” “Donghua Emperor? Hmph, I doubt he’ll live much longer!” Wukong said casually, recalling Guanyin’s words. “What?” Laojun was surprised. “Why do you say that?” Wukong recounted how Zhu Bajie killed Tang Seng with the Xuanyuan Bow and repeated Guanyin’s words. Hearing this, Laojun slammed the table in anger and shouted, “That reckless scoundrel! How dare he try to kill Jinchanzi!” Still furious, he added, “Swine! Truly a swine! That Donghua brat is even worse than a swine!” Seeing Laojun so enraged, Wukong asked, “Is this truly unforgivable?” “Unforgivable! Not only unforgivable—it deserves to be torn to pieces!” Laojun roared. “Tang Seng was chosen by the Tathagata and was once his second disciple in a past life, so he’s always been highly favored. The Tathagata sent him to the Eastern Land—who knows if it’s a ruse to endure suffering in the West? Everyone with eyes to see knows this. Although people try to hinder his quest and create trouble, most are just showing their attitude to impress others. How many are truly serious?”

“This Donghua Emperor really takes a feather as a sacred order and dares to attempt to assassinate Tang Seng? If Tang Seng dies like this, Tathagata will surely retaliate violently. By then… it makes me furious!”
When Wukong heard the Old Lord say such a witty remark, he couldn’t help but laugh. It turned out that no matter how many tens of thousands of years one practiced, they remained human. He naturally understood what the Old Lord meant.
It seemed that among those on the journey to obtain the scriptures, Tang Seng was an untouchable bottom line—he could be captured, tricked, but absolutely not killed. No wonder in “Journey to the West,” those demons would always find an excuse to lock Tang Seng up; there must be higher orders at play. And this Donghua Emperor… well, this is going to be interesting!