Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 337: The Prison within the Realm

Wukong stared at the jade box before him, unaware that he had already become utterly obsessed. Inside were the peaches—he longed for those very peaches from the sacred tree!
Laojun waved his hand and put away the jade box, saying, “It will eventually be yours. Why rush?”
Wukong really wanted to reach out and snatch them, but first, he couldn’t defeat Laojun, and second… he truly couldn’t. Laojun was using the peaches to tease him—how infuriating!
Laojun smiled at Wukong and said, “You can’t just eat the peaches for free…”
Wukong replied, “Hmm. Ask away.”
Laojun said, “You’re quite aware of this. I do have doubts about recent events.”
Wukong said, “It’s not just you. I’m also full of doubts.”
Laojun said, “Take your time. Let me ask you first—why did Guanyin stop Tang Seng and head north?”
Huh? Didn’t Laojun know that the Yin-Yang Divine Ape was Tang Seng?
Wukong shook his head and said, “I was already trapped at Qitian Ridge at that time. I don’t know what happened, but I guess she was worried about Qitian Ridge’s safety, so she took a detour.”
Laojun said, “I’m afraid it’s more than that.” His gaze became intense as he stared at Wukong.
Wukong thought to himself that if it weren’t for the peaches as bait, he wouldn’t have told him. So he said, “At that very time, Anuo and Kasyapa, disciples of Buddha on the Spirit Mountain, led dozens of people to attack Qitian Ridge.”
“Hmm,” Laojun nodded. “Although I didn’t know about this before, I did see the qilin fight against the Indestructible Buddha. Just relying on one Indestructible Buddha to attack Qitian Ridge is absurd.”
Wukong said, “I’m afraid that’s just a decoy. Among those people, there are three monks in gray robes—not the same three as before.”
“Oh?” Laojun was surprised. “They’ve been replaced?”
Wukong nodded and said, “Those three aren’t very strong either. I captured one of them using my Golden Rope Trick.”
Laojun was stunned. Pointing at Wukong, he laughed loudly, “You monkey, you have no good intentions!” Wukong felt a bit embarrassed; his plans had been seen through by Laojun so easily.
Laojun then became serious and said, “More troubles are likely to follow. If those monks are among the Three Thousand Buddhas, wouldn’t Buddha come to save them?”
Wukong asked, “What’s so special about the Three Thousand Buddhas?”
Laojun replied, “The Three Thousand Buddhas are all inside the Pagoda on the Spirit Mountain. They don’t emerge for ten thousand years, and their powers cannot be underestimated.”
Wukong asked, “Ten thousand years without emerging? Can’t they come out, or don’t they want to?”
Laojun said, “I can only guess. They must be maintaining some great formation. Normally, not even one of them can move.”

Wukong seemed to have an epiphany and said, “It seems that Tathagata has found some way to have others replace those three. By rotating them in threes, they can also get a taste of the outside world.”
Laojun replied, “That’s just one aspect. Once action is taken in the Western Heaven, the Heavenly Court will surely panic, and the Eight or Nine Golden Immortals will soon appear.”
Wukong faintly felt that if the Eight or Nine Golden Immortals truly appeared, the Heavenly Court probably wouldn’t remain so calm either. It seemed life in Qitianling would become increasingly difficult.
Laojun smiled mysteriously and said, “Your tactic of using a big flag to scare away tigers is timely. Just a golden rope can make Tathagata suspicious. The Taoist sect has never regarded Qitianling as a real opponent; they’ve only dealt with it perfunctorily. Otherwise, how could Qitianling keep winning?”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “So, to put it this way, the Heavenly Court even supported Qitianling to help it reach its current strength?”
Laojun replied, “That’s not the case. To put it simply, it’s just two words—showing weakness!”
Wukong recalled previous battles where the Heavenly Court lost in disarray, with no true top figures stepping forward. Yet the cost of showing weakness was indeed high.
Laojun, knowing what Wukong was thinking, said, “This isn’t anything serious. Compared to the difficulties in my domain, the Taoist sect is still less ruthless than those in the Western Heaven.”
Wukong was shocked. “Laojun also knows about the difficulties in your domain?”
Laojun said, “How could I not know about such a major event? Not only in my domain, but also the Yueduo Kingdom to the south of Jingjiling and the Gaochang Kingdom to the north are both in trouble.”
Wukong was horrified and stood up. “Why?”
Laojun asked, “You know and still ask me?”
Wukong said, “Is it just to frame them, to find a reason to send troops?”
Laojun nodded. “Exactly!”
Wukong grew even angrier. “If that’s all, why destroy three kingdoms?”
Laojun replied, “It’s a precaution. We’re worried that if the people of Qitianling don’t notice, the destruction of these three kingdoms will eventually be discovered.”
Wukong was so indignant he couldn’t speak. After a long while, he said, “What do they really think of ordinary people?”
Laojun replied, “Sages show no compassion…”
Wukong cursed, “Nonsense! Even if they lack compassion, they should just let things take their course. Such actions will surely bring divine punishment!”
Though these words weren’t directed at Laojun, he still felt uncomfortable hearing them. He sighed and said, “Tathagata’s actions are truly excessive.”
Impulsively, Wukong blurted out, “It must be related to the Avici Hell!”
Laojun was stunned. “Avici Hell?”
Wukong realized he had spoken too much. But at that moment, he hated Tathagata deeply and didn’t care about the consequences. Hoping someone would stand up for justice, he said, “Laojun… you don’t know about the Avici Hell?”

Laojun said, “The Buddhist scriptures certainly mention ‘Avici Hell,’ but it has never been seen in this world.”
Wukong sighed, “I didn’t expect even the Three Pure Ones were unaware of this.”
Laojun became interested and asked, “Where is Avici Hell? How do you know about it?”
Wukong recounted in detail his encounter in the River of Mother and Child in the Western Liang Women’s Kingdom, but omitted the matter of the Heavenly Fate Staff. The more Laojun listened, the darker his expression grew. After Wukong finished, Laojun cursed, “A bunch of fools! Not a single one of them, not even the Three Pure Ones, has any brains.”
Wukong asked, “Why say such things?”
Laojun replied, “From what you’ve said, the Buddhist hell is no less vast than the Netherworld. No wonder the Heavenly Court lacks resources—half of all resources in the world seem to go there. Only then would it truly be terrifying!”
After cursing for a while, Laojun glanced at Wukong and said, “Huh? You already knew about this last time we met. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Wukong replied, “Because you refused to help me save people.”
Laojun pointed at Wukong and said, “You monkey, so vengeful! That person wasn’t seriously hurt. Why go to the trouble of using my golden elixir?”
Wukong smiled and said, “I’m not that petty. I didn’t tell you last time because… it was due to the Earthly Mother Goddess.”
Laojun asked, “What does she have to do with this?”
Wukong replied, “The Earthly Mother Goddess has also been to Avici Hell. There, she met a Bodhisattva named Nili. They fought, and the Earthly Mother Goddess had no chance to defend herself. So she swore an oath not to mention it. Since she kept it secret, I knew it was a serious matter, so… I kept it hidden for a few days.”
Laojun was skeptical and asked, “Nili Bodhisattva? Who in the world could be that powerful? Even the Supreme Deities wouldn’t dare boast like that.”
Wukong said, “It was what the Earthly Mother Goddess herself said. I’m not exaggerating.”
Laojun asked, “You said you entered through a formation. So you still don’t know where you are?”
Wukong replied, “I don’t know. Perhaps the Earthly Mother Goddess knows. I’ll ask her when the time is right.”
Laojun looked at Wukong and smiled eerily, a smile that made Wukong’s hair stand on end. He asked, “Why are you smiling, Laojun?”
Laojun replied, “You only tell me this after hearing about the troubles in my country. Are you trying to use others to kill?”
Wukong was caught off guard again, but he defended himself firmly, “Those who disregard human life deserve retribution!”
Laojun said, “This requires careful consideration. Since Buddhism dares to create Avici Hell, it must bear the consequences. But I’ve already explored all four great continents—why didn’t I find this place?”
Wukong replied, “The world is so vast; it’s impossible to explore everything. A slight oversight might lead to missing it.”

Laojun shook his head and said, “Not so. That realm is so vast—I get it now!”
Wukong also guessed the answer at that moment and said, “Inside another realm?”
Laojun replied, “Exactly. Such a huge Buddhist hell wouldn’t dare be built between heaven and earth; it must be somewhere within another realm!”
Wukong asked, “So, the Mother and Child River is the entrance to that realm? Then how did the Earthly Mother enter?”
Laojun said, “There’s nothing strange about that. The Earthly Mother is different from you. With her abilities, it’s not hard for her to break through realms.”
“What will the Jade Emperor think if he finds out about this?” Wukong asked.
Laojun frowned and thought for a while before saying, “It’s hard to say.”
“How can it be hard to say?”
“Heaven and earth are vast, but fate is even greater. I really can’t say what will happen.”
Wukong couldn’t help but say, “It’s best to fight until both sides are destroyed!”
Laojun smiled silently and said, “Do you only wish for Qitian Ridge to be the greatest? It’s impossible for both sides to be destroyed. Neither the Jade Emperor nor Buddha is reckless. Without the eight or nine Golden Immortals of the Heavenly Court stepping in, there won’t be any action for now.”
Wukong asked, “Won’t the Three Pure Ones get involved in this?”
Laojun shook his head and said, “How could they get involved?”
Wukong was speechless. He had hoped the Three Pure Ones would all appear together to defeat the Buddhists, but since Laojun didn’t seem to have such intentions, he wasn’t sure what Laojun really thought.
Laojun giving himself peaches and helping himself eat ginseng fruits clearly favored the divine ape faction. Both the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven were busy refining the heavens, each possessing a Creation Furnace. With the Three Pure Ones refusing to get involved, it was indeed strange.
Laojun said, “In matters of the world, we can only stir the waves but must not take action ourselves.”
Wukong asked, “Then… why is Laojun giving me peaches at this time?”
Laojun replied, “You are the leader of the divine apes. The higher your cultivation, the more benefits you’ll gain. Though I don’t know what those benefits are, since they stem from fate, they should benefit all things in the world. I’ve long intended to fetch these three peaches for you, but I needed the right moment—that little girl, the Queen Mother, is extremely stingy.”
Wukong couldn’t help but praise, “As long as the Three Pure Ones act impartially, the world will be at peace.”
Laojun said, “One must be cautious at every step!” Then he asked Wukong again, “Do you really think it’s that simple for Guanyin to lead Tang Seng and the others around Qitian Ridge?”
Wukong smiled and said, “Laojun still remembers this matter.”
Laojun replied, “The original purpose of the pilgrimage is to fear no difficulties and forge ahead through obstacles. It’s meant to show Tang Seng’s sincerity as well as the power of Buddhism. Qitian Ridge is empty now—now is the perfect time to cross it. Why go around?”
Wukong found Laojun’s reasoning sensible. He knew the reason behind bypassing Qitian Ridge during the pilgrimage, but he wasn’t sure whether to tell Laojun about the Yin and Yang divine apes.

Laojun said again, “There are the Wind-Bringing Divine Ape and the Divine Driving Ape on Qitian Ridge. Could it be that we need to avoid them?”
Wukong let out an “Ah” and asked, “Who needs to avoid them?”