Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapters 344: The Dragon-Killing Tree

Wukong’s mind trembled. How could he think of the Dragon Girl at such a critical moment? He focused his energy, guiding all the elements of creation into the Hunyuan Dao Fruit in his lower dantian, carefully examining it. Only then did Wukong realize that it wasn’t entirely dark gray—only the white, green, and red colors were hidden beneath a black aura.

As more elements of creation gathered around it, the Hunyuan Dao Fruit slowly grew at an imperceptible pace. Once the dark gray elements entered the fruit, they vanished within it. The Hunyuan Dao Fruit absorbed all these elements, revealing the four colors of white, black, green, and red, along with a trace of extremely faint earthy yellow—this was the seed of his earth element divine power, which he had grasped while meditating in the snow on Jinpao Mountain.

By the time all the dark gray elements within him were gone, the Hunyuan Dao Fruit had grown by half again, its four-colored auras more vivid, with the white and black colors standing out even more sharply.

Wukong could sense that his water control divine power had also improved significantly, which filled him with awe. The power contained within this peach was truly immense—just one such peach was enough to perfect his metal and water element divine powers.

As he pondered, he suddenly noticed a change in the Hunyuan Dao Fruit. The round, multicolored pearl cracked open, and from the fissure emerged a green, crystal-clear seedling. At first, it had only one stem and two leaves, but in no time, it sprouted new branches and leaves. Wukong was shocked—could the power of that peach still not be exhausted?

The seedling grew taller and taller. To his astonishment, it turned out to be a peach tree! Could he cultivate a peach tree within his own body? At this thought, Wukong was overjoyed. Cultivating peach trees and bearing peaches… In that case, why should he worry about lacking elements of creation?

Suddenly, the peach tree changed shape, transforming into Jumang’s Immortal Tree, with endless winding branches. When the peach tree disappeared, Wukong felt slightly disappointed. His thoughts followed the path of the Immortal Tree’s branches, leading him into a profound state.

The treetop of the Immortal Tree stretched infinitely. Why did this path seem so familiar? It turned out that he had climbed up this very tree step by step before. Now, with his mind wandering outside his body, he experienced it even more deeply. After all, the essence of wood element divine power lay in its continuous, endless growth—yet human spiritual power was limited; how could one achieve infinity?

Seeing the growth of this Tree of Immortality, Wukong gradually understood something. At first, he thought that by mastering wood-related divine powers to the extreme, one could create a self-sustaining cycle within the body, thereby achieving eternal life. But it seemed not to be the case. No matter how such a cycle worked, it could never lead to true immortality. The reason this Tree of Immortality had no end was because there was a seed hidden within the Hunyuan Dao Fruit.

He hadn’t yet cultivated this seed, and what he saw before him were merely illusions, not real existence. Yet Wukong firmly believed that if he could truly extract this seed from the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, he might gain endless magical power. Only now did he realize that wood-based spells and powers were still just superficial techniques; the deepest mysteries lay here. Of course, upon returning, he would need to consult Gou Mang to verify his thoughts.

At the moment Wukong understood this, the Tree of Immortality stopped growing, and a flower slowly bloomed at its top. The flower was extremely red, its petals moving on their own without wind, swaying within Wukong’s body like a tiny flame.

No—it was fire. A red flame grew larger and larger, and in an instant, the entire Tree of Immortality was ablaze. The fiery tree was magnificent but couldn’t last long; soon, its shape vanished, replaced by a sea of fire.

This fire was also an illusion. Wukong looked inward and soon grew solemn. Within this sea of fire, the scene on Spirit Mountain appeared!

A person sat in the center of the Mahavira Hall—none other than the current Buddha, the ruler of the world. Five hundred Arhats stood on either side, along with many Vajra Deities serving behind the Buddha.

Another person, dressed in ordinary monk’s robes, stood below the steps. Though he seemed of low status, no one dared to look directly at him. His every move exuded an air of authority. When Wukong saw this person, his heart trembled—this monk was none other than his past-life Bodhisattva Nagarjuna!

The Buddha looked at Nagarjuna with admiration. Over the past century, Nagarjuna had made great contributions to spreading Buddhism in the East, far exceeding his expectations. If things continued like this, the day when Mahayana Buddhism would spread throughout the world was not far off.

Just then, a cold female voice came from outside the hall, saying, “Come out!”

Upon hearing this voice, the Buddha’s expression changed drastically. The eight great Vajra Deities behind him saw the sage and stepped forward to block her entrance. The Buddha waved his hand and said with a bitter smile, “You can’t stop her.”

The Buddha leaped up from the lotus platform and soon arrived outside the hall. There, he saw a female Taoist priestess standing in the clouds, her expression indifferent as she gazed at the Mahavira Hall.

The Buddha stepped in front of her and asked, “Xuan Nu, what is your intention?”

Xuan Nu? This person was none other than the Nine Heavens’ Xuan Nu!

The Nine Heavens’ Xuan Nu said, “It’s simple—I’ve come to an understanding!”

“What does it matter if I’ve figured it out?”
Jiutian Xuannu withdrew her gaze from below and turned it toward Tathagata. Under her stare, Tathagata felt uneasy. He wondered to himself, What kind of magic is this?
Jiutian Xuannu said, “Nagarjuna is Lingming, isn’t he?”
Tathagata was astonished. “How do you know?”
Jiutian Xuannu didn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Do Yin and Yang also lie in your hands?”
Tathagata was shocked. He had intended to spread Buddhism using the wisdom of Lingming. Though it was a great secret, he knew he couldn’t hide it from many highly skilled beings. But Yin and Yang had been reincarnated many times, and he had always kept them hidden in the Stupa Tower. How could Jiutian Xuannu know?
It seemed as though Jiutian Xuannu could see through Tathagata’s heart at a glance. “Indeed!” she said.
Tathagata asked, “Xuannu, what do you care about the world?”
Jiutian Xuannu replied, “Perhaps it had nothing to do with me before, but now…” She lowered her eyelids, as if recalling something, before raising her gaze after a long while. “All matters of fate are now related to me!”
Tathagata laughed heartily. “Do you think you’re Pangu, the Kunpeng, or the Divine Ape of Fate?”
Xuannu shook her head. “Let go. No one can control fate!”
A mocking look appeared in Tathagata’s eyes. “No one can control it? But I can!”
Xuannu said, “I want to take Lingming away.”
Tathagata replied, “He isn’t Lingming. He’s Nagarjuna, the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna!”
Xuannu frowned. “What magic have you used to make him lose his true self?”
Tathagata said, “Don’t you know my powers?”
Xuannu replied, “He who manipulates fate will surely face retribution!”
Tathagata seemed impatient. “Xuannu, don’t forget how you overcame the crisis of Huiyuan.”
Xuannu said calmly, “Where there is life, there is death.”
Tathagata declared, “With me here, I can ensure you’re safe forever!”
Xuannu shook her head. “No need. You don’t understand fate.”
Tathagata could no longer hold back. With a cold smile, he said, “You can’t take Nagarjuna away. He was born solely to spread Buddhism. Taking him away… is no different from killing him!”
Xuannu remained expressionless. “Then I’ll kill him!”
Tathagata was stunned for a moment before laughing. “He who kills fate will be abandoned by fate!”
Xuannu said, “I’ll help him reincarnate, so that you can no longer manipulate him at will. If that’s possible, it’s worth sacrificing my life.”
Tathagata shouted, “Why do you insist on doing this? Why do you have to oppose me?”
Xuannu replied, “You see the world as a chessboard, but you don’t realize you’ve already become obsessed with it. Sooner or later, you’ll be trapped in it!”
Tathagata’s sarcasm grew even stronger. “Even if the world collapses back into chaos, I still have a way to escape. Who can stop me?”

Xuan Nu did not reply and turned to enter the Mahavira Hall.
Tathagata did not stop her. Two figures flew out of the hall and attacked Xuan Nu together. These two held exalted status in the Western Heaven, with cultivation depths beyond measure. Xuan Nu fought against two opponents but could not gain the upper hand despite her urgency.
After a brief struggle, Xuan Nu raised her hand and conjured a bright white circle. Tathagata shouted, “Retreat quickly!”
Heeding Tathagata’s warning, the two quickly pulled back dozens of feet. Xuan Nu pushed them aside and rushed straight into the hall. Seeing the Jade-like Dragon Tree Bodhisattva inside, she felt indescribable pain.
Dragon Tree glanced at Xuan Nu and said gently, “Your heart is obstructed!”
Xuan Nu already knew Dragon Tree was fearless of life and death and spread Buddhism to everyone he met, and she also hated Tathagata’s actions. She knew killing Tathagata was useless; only by killing Dragon Tree first could she delay the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to the East.
Xuan Nu stared deeply at Dragon Tree and said, “Forget this life—seek your true form!” With a heart full of resolve, she struck Dragon Tree on the head, causing this great monk to perish.
Xuan Nu reached out and grabbed the air above Dragon Tree’s head, then flew out of the Mahavira Hall and headed east.
Seeing Xuan Nu vanish, Tathagata silently returned to the hall. Gazing at Dragon Tree’s corpse, he sighed regretfully, “What a pity!”
Anuo stepped forward, terrified, and asked, “Master, why didn’t you stop that person?”
Tathagata shook his head and said, “It was impossible to stop.” After saying this, a faint smile appeared on his lips. In a voice only he could hear, he added, “So be it. I want to see who can stop me in the next life.”
At this point, the sea of fire surged, with all the red flames turning purple. The scene disappeared, leaving only raging flames.
Wukong felt furious upon seeing this. It was clearly the scene of the Nine Heavens’ Xuan Nu killing his past-life Dragon Tree Bodhisattva.
It turned out his past life was just like Jin Chanzi’s—controlled by Tathagata. He had always wondered why the reincarnated Yin-Yang Divine Ape always took human form, and why he was human in his past life but an ape in this one. It turned out all this was due to Tathagata’s secret magic.
The Nine Heavens’ Xuan Nu refused to let Tathagata control fate because she had inherited the purpose of Pangu’s creation. With the heart of creation passed down through generations, she was willing to sacrifice herself to kill Lingming—no, not kill, but rather liberate Lingming. Was it worth such a great cost?

The circle in the hands of the Nine Heavens Goddess seems almost identical to Wang Yu’s God-Slaying Circle. Could it be that Wang Yu is her disciple? Tsk tsk, no wonder Wang Yu said his master’s status is only slightly inferior to that of the Primordial One—his background is indeed remarkable! But where did that circle go after that? Why wasn’t it passed on to Wang Yu, forcing him to forge one from scratch?

The Nine Heavens Goddess killed Dragon Tree and reached out into the void—this gesture seemed unnecessary. Wukong guessed that this move must have already captured Lingming’s soul. Lingming the Divine Ape was able to thrive in the blessed land of Flower-Fruit Mountain and cultivate within the immortal stones of the nine orifices and eight pores—very likely because the Nine Heavens Goddess had chosen this place for him!

It seems that, without even realizing it, I also owe a great favor to the Nine Heavens Goddess. Otherwise, I might still be living a muddled life under Buddha’s control, just like Tang Seng.