Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 363: Ksitigarbha Appears

A Great Destiny!
Wukong suddenly remembered that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had once told him that only the eyes of destiny could see the great destinies in the world. Xuan Nu was those eyes of destiny—she knew well about past cosmic cycles and possessed extremely high cultivation. Why then didn’t she do many things herself but instead use others as proxies?
Since Ran Deng also said so, he must strive to master the Secrets of the Mysterious Sky. With the five elements perfected, stars appeared in his right eye. It was said that the wise divine ape had stars in its eyes—could it be that only he could fully unleash the power of these Secrets? Wukong grew excited. What exactly was this great destiny in the world?
Ran Deng said, “Don’t rush to cultivate heavenly powers. Master the thirty types following the Heavenly Gang variables, and you’ll hardly find any opponents in the world. Now that your cultivation has greatly improved, even Tathagata may not be able to do anything to you. But you still must go on the pilgrimage. Though conflict is inevitable sooner or later, it’s better if it happens later rather than sooner.” Ran Deng gave Wukong some advice and then added softly, “I also want to see what Tathagata will do!”
At this moment, Wukong disagreed with Ran Deng’s words. If Tathagata was indeed acting feigning ignorance, as he claimed, and only needed to trick Wukong into going on the pilgrimage to succeed, then wasn’t the pilgrimage itself a secret that couldn’t be revealed?
Ksitigarbha had said that with each step westward, the pilgrims would feel more sorrow. Given his status, this surely wasn’t baseless talk. Wukong asked, “Master, by going west, are we fulfilling Tathagata’s wishes? With my desire to uncover secrets, Tathagata might be complacent too. Is this right or wrong?”
Ran Deng was stunned and asked, “What do you plan to do? Do you intend to stop halfway?”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “It’s not that I won’t go, but I want to test things out. It shouldn’t cause any trouble, right?”
Ran Deng pondered and said, “Hmm, testing once is fine. Let’s see how much effort Tathagata is willing to put in to support the pilgrimage.”
Wukong said, “Master, many of my doubts have been resolved today, beyond my expectations. I’ll take my leave now.”
Ran Deng laughed and said, “How can you just leave like that?”
Wukong asked, “Why not?”
Ran Deng replied, “If you go now, you can’t avoid many eyes. The Buddhas in the Spirit Mountain are very powerful.”
Wukong asked, “Then what should I do?”
Ran Deng asked, “Where do you want to go?”
Without hesitation, Wukong replied, “I want to go to the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds!”
“The Abyss of Nine Netherworlds? What do you want there?” Ran Deng asked.

Wukong said, “The Armored Divine Ape is practicing there; I have business with him.” He had originally intended to seek out Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, but if Ran Deng Ruo asked further questions, to avoid revealing the judgment of fate, he would have to fabricate a lie, so he simply brought up the Armored Divine Ape instead.
Ran Deng Ruo pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, “Then I will take you to the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds.” He led Wukong to the back hall and into a room.
The room was empty except for a Taiji symbol glowing brightly on the floor. Wukong asked, “Master, what is this?” Ran Deng Ruo replied, “You have come from the three realms; you should know what this formation is.”
Wukong blurted out, “The Eight Directions Cosmic Dao Formation?”
Ran Deng Ruo confirmed, “Exactly. Though when used by just one person, it naturally lacks the earth-shattering power seen in the three realms, but saving you alone is no problem.”
Wukong stepped onto the Taiji symbol. Ran Deng Ruo warned, “Wukong, remember—once you leave, never appear in the world again in this form.”
Wukong nodded, then suddenly felt dizzy, as if swept up by a whirlwind, unable to see anything around him. In an instant, a faint light appeared before his eyes, and he found himself in the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds. This formation was truly remarkable, Wukong thought to himself.
The Abyss of Nine Netherworlds remained as quiet as before. Wukong quickly reverted to his monkey form. He kept in mind Ran Deng Ruo’s warning: if Zhuanxu reappeared in the world, Tathagata would surely be extremely displeased with Ran Deng Ruo, and even the Buddhist Buddhas might not approve of his actions—it would be a loss outweighing any gain. Walking on earth in his form as a spiritual divine ape felt rather uncomfortable. The clever divine ape was still pretending to be him and heading west; if anyone he knew saw them, they would be greatly astonished—how could there be two Sun Wukongs on earth?
For safety’s sake, Wukong concealed his form and passed through the Ten Halls of Yama, flying straight toward the Hall of Ksitigarbha.
The Hall of Ksitigarbha was as before, with many evil ghosts and souls kneeling there, listening to Ksitigarbha preach. Wukong couldn’t help but feel admiration for Ksitigarbha. With his supreme cultivation, he could go anywhere in the world, yet he chose to stay in this land of the dead. Who knew how many thousands or millions of years he had endured such perseverance—it was truly admirable.
Ksitigarbha transmitted a message, “Wukong has arrived.” His tone carried a hint of joy.
Wukong entered the hall. Di Ting tilted his head briefly before lying down to sleep again. Ksitigarbha told Wukong to sit first and asked, “Do you have any business here today?”
Seeing Ksitigarbha’s smiling face, Wukong thought that most matters in the world were already within his awareness, so there was no need to ask further.
Wukong replied, “Nothing. Has Di Ting, the divine beast, detected anything?”
Ksitigarbha immediately became solemn and said, “There have been many major events recently!”
Wukong pricked up his ears immediately and asked, “What major events? Please tell me quickly, Bodhisattva.”

Ksitigarbha King said, “It is not easy for people to live on earth. There are frequent disasters that destroy entire nations, leaving no trace of them—no one knows where they go. It’s truly heart-wrenching!”
Wukong asked, “Are the three kingdoms you mentioned the Kingdom of Benbo, the Kingdom of Yueduo, and the Kingdom of Gaochang?”
With a sad expression, Ksitigarbha King replied, “You know about these three kingdoms. Besides them, there are seven or eight more kingdoms that have successively faced disasters—these are all recent events.”
Wukong was shocked and asked, “Are they all located in the region of Xiniuhézhou?”
Ksitigarbha King nodded and said, “Exactly!”
Wukong felt like gnawing through his steel teeth, filled with rage. Undoubtedly, this must be the work of the Buddhist hells. He couldn’t believe they were so cruel and unscrupulous in destroying lives!
Noticing Wukong’s unusual state, Ksitigarbha King asked, “Wukong, do you know who’s behind this?”
Wukong countered, “Don’t you know who’s responsible?”
Ksitigarbha King shook his head and said, “I don’t.”
Wukong was astonished and asked, “Even Di Ting can’t figure it out?”
Ksitigarbha King replied, “Di Ting can mostly hear about matters in the world of heaven and earth, but he’s unable to understand what happens in other realms.”
“I see!” Wukong said. “Last time I left this place, I went to the River of Mother and Child to search. Guess what I found, Bodhisattva?”
Ksitigarbha King asked, “Did you find a great hell?”
Wukong wondered, “If you even know about the Buddhist hells, how come you don’t know who’s responsible for such atrocities?”
Ksitigarbha King said, “I’ve only heard about the Buddhist hells; it must be something in another realm, so I’m unaware of the details.”
Wukong said, “That’s right—I found the Buddhist hells.” He recounted everything he saw and heard in the hells, not hiding even the stories of the Bodhisattvas Ran Deng and Ni Li.
After hearing this, Ksitigarbha King remained silent for a long time, lost in thought, occasionally breaking into bitter smiles.
Wukong clearly saw tears streaming down Ksitigarbha King’s eyes. Worried, he said, “Bodhisattva, every crime has a culprit. Why are you so sad? Sooner or later, I’ll uncover the truth and bring the real culprit to justice!”
Ksitigarbha King ignored Wukong and closed his eyes in deep thought. Di Ting, sensing Ksitigarbha King’s turmoil, also began to make strange grunting sounds, becoming restless.
Not daring to disturb him, Wukong waited quietly nearby.
Ksitigarbha King pondered for a whole day and night. Finally, he opened his eyes and said to Wukong, “You’re right!”
Wukong was puzzled. What had he said? Last time he came here, he had indeed talked with Ksitigarbha King for a long time, but which of his words did Ksitigarbha King refer to?
Ksitigarbha King said, “Saving people here is indeed trying to mend the fold after the sheep are lost!”

Wukong remembered that he had indeed said before, “Since King Ksitigarbha has such a grand aspiration, why not go to the human world to spread his teachings? Wouldn’t that be better than trying to mend the fold after the sheep are lost?” Yet King Ksitigarbha had kept this in mind.
Wukong said, “It’s hard to say whether it’s right or wrong.”
King Ksitigarbha replied, “Evil lies in people’s hearts—undoubtedly true. But compared to the evil of emperors, the evil of ordinary people is truly insignificant.”
Wukong pondered these words carefully and felt pleased. If King Ksitigarbha had expressed such a view, could it be that he intended to leave the world?
King Ksitigarbha continued, “At first, I thought saving one person meant saving just one person. I believed that evil in this world would eventually disappear. Alas, I never imagined that the evil of one person could affect thousands. Trying to turn evil into good is nothing but a foolish delusion!”
Wukong thought to himself, “When it comes to understanding good and evil, you’re far inferior to Laozi. Although Laozi lacks your foolishness, he has the courage to use ordinary people as experiments and has long understood that evil can give rise to good within the three realms.”
King Ksitigarbha added, “From today onward, I will no longer engage in this futile effort. I simply can’t understand why there’s a need for an underworld—after all, is there anyone in this world who thinks there aren’t enough hells?”
Wukong said, “The hells in Buddhism are probably closely tied to fate. To seize the fate of countless people to satisfy one’s own desires—that’s what makes such people truly despicable!”
King Ksitigarbha replied, “All evil has its origin. Then I’ll eradicate these Buddhist hells and see what happens.”
Hearing this, Wukong felt both exhilarated and worried. He didn’t know how powerful King Ksitigarbha really was, but he believed that even if he were formidable, he would still be no match for Buddha’s third Dharma body. If King Ksitigarbha truly tried to destroy the Buddhist hells, even if Randen didn’t interfere and even if Nili couldn’t defeat him, how could Buddha just let it go? Once Buddha became enraged and summoned his third Dharma body, the world would likely turn into a battlefield!
Wukong stammered, “Well… this is a very serious matter that requires careful consideration.”
King Ksitigarbha was puzzled and asked, “If you know there’s evil, why not eliminate it?”
Upon hearing this, Wukong realized King Ksitigarbha was extremely stubborn, determined to carry out this plan. Knowing he might not be able to persuade King Ksitigarbha, he said, “Bodhisattva, since you belong to the lineage of Pangu, why not consult Xuannv about such a major matter? That way, you’ll have support.”
Upon hearing Xuannv’s name, King Ksitigarbha indeed fell into deep thought before saying, “That makes sense. But Xuannv also belongs to the lineage of fate; she should share my views.”

When Wukong heard Ksitigarbha agree, a weight was lifted from his heart. Since he couldn’t persuade Ksitigarbha, he had no choice but to pass on this burden to Xuan Nu. Xuan Nu was far-sighted and surely had her own views on the Buddhist hell. Ksitigarbha, if only you could persuade Xuan Nu, then I wouldn’t have to worry about this matter either.