Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 385: If You Defy Me

After leaving Lion Camel Ridge, Guanyin Bodhisattva made her way toward the South Sea. By now, she had lost all three restraints given to her by Tathagata, which had fallen into the hands of Qi Tian Ling. How depressed she felt!

Unconsciously, Guanyin recalled how, half a year earlier, a note had silently appeared above the South Sea, reading, “Xuanzang is both yin and yang; his rebirth is a form of creation, no different from killing!”

One can imagine the shock Guanyin felt upon seeing this note—it was even more terrifying than the moment her life force was cut off. Her hatred toward Tathagata surged uncontrollably.

Thinking of all these years spent working hard on the quest for the scriptures, rushing around to set up the Five Elements Formation, being summoned at will like a household servant, while Tathagata treated her as such… She remembered her once exalted status in the world—everyone from the heavens to the underworld respected her as the foremost of the four Bodhisattvas, with a place even in the Western Heaven. It all started from then…

Guanyin destroyed the note and sat in seclusion by the South Sea for a whole month without leaving. At first, she was filled with anger, but over time, she gradually calmed down.

Tathagata had countless followers at his disposal—why target her specifically? First, he wanted to use her influence in the world; with her in place, he wouldn’t have to worry so much about the quest. Second, since she originally belonged to Maitreya’s camp, this move was a way to undermine them, shifting the balance within Buddhism. Third, it might be a warning—if Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and others learned of this, how could they remain unmoved? Guanyin smiled bitterly, realizing she had become such an unfortunate figure.

Upon further reflection, who could have given her this note? Her life force being cut off was a highly secret matter. Someone who could reveal such details must be no ordinary person—someone who opposed Tathagata… Could it be the Three Pure Ones, the Jade Emperor, or Ran Deng? Probably the Three Pure Ones.

The quest was nearing the Western Heaven, yet now someone was trying to turn Guanyin against Tathagata. She really didn’t know what to do. Her feelings toward Tathagata were a mix of hatred and fear—he was unpredictable, seemingly weak yet actually strong; she simply couldn’t figure him out.

After much thought, Guanyin pretended nothing had happened. She knew that even if what the note said was true, she couldn’t immediately leave Buddhism to join someone else. Since she was now part of Tathagata’s faction, she would stay that way for now. As for the future… Well, the note hinted that something major was about to happen in the world. She would just adapt as circumstances demanded.

Avalokiteshvara was on her way, already able to see Mount Luojia. Suddenly, she saw Vajra Yongzhu from the west coming on clouds. Her heart sank—she knew it must be the Tathagata calling her. Had he learned about her losing the three collars? Indeed, Vajra Yongzhu appeared before her and said, “Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha has summoned you.” Avalokiteshvara nodded; though it was called a “summon,” it was still nothing but orders. Upon arriving at the Spiritual Mountain, the Tathagata looked displeased and asked her directly, “Were those three collars destroyed?” Avalokiteshvara trembled. “Destroyed?” The Tathagata nodded. “Not only those three collars—even the golden ring on Wukong’s head was broken. Now that ring is just an ornament, with no restraining power left at all.” Avalokiteshvara was horrified. She knew the functions of those three collars, yet even she couldn’t figure out their secrets or how to counter them. Could it be that someone from Qitianling was behind this? Could it be Qilin, Dayu, or others? The Tathagata sighed and murmured, “Yuan Shi actually dared to interfere in this matter. I underestimated him.” Avalokiteshvara was shocked again—Yuan Shi, the Supreme Heavenly Lord! He usually didn’t interfere in worldly affairs—why was he concerned about the pilgrimage now? Or rather, was he concerned about the Divine Ape? Avalokiteshvara said, “I truly have no idea. Back then, I used a tight collar to trap a black bear spirit, but Qilin stole the bear spirit. Earlier this year, I used tight collars and restraining collars to capture two divine beasts, Yingzhao and Taifeng, to use as servants. But today, they rebelled. I was occupied by Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng and the Golden-winged Roc, unable to divert my attention. As for how those three collars ended up in Yuan Shi’s hands…” The Tathagata didn’t answer. “Though those three collars are powerful, they have serious flaws when used. I wonder who guided them to come up with such a method.” Avalokiteshvara said, “That person is deliberately trying to hinder the Buddha’s cause—how detestable!” The Tathagata said, “Tang Seng was captured at Shizilaoling, but he’s not in much danger. You needn’t worry about it. The Lion Roc would never harm Tang Seng; he will eventually let him continue on his journey to the west.” Avalokiteshvara didn’t understand what the Tathagata meant and simply agreed. The Tathagata said, “I’ll teach you another mantra. If Tang Seng also rebels and refuses to continue the pilgrimage, recite this mantra to force him to keep moving westward without stopping.” Avalokiteshvara couldn’t help asking, “Does Tang Seng also have a collar?” The Tathagata smiled. “It’s not a collar. Remember this well.” He passed the mantra to Avalokiteshvara. It consisted of just a few dozen characters, all strange and unusual, which she memorized. The Tathagata said, “Those who refuse to see reason and try to defy me—I’ll teach everyone else to defy them.” Avalokiteshvara’s heart chilled. Was this a warning meant for her?

The Tathagata said again, “Go now.”
Guanyin forced a smile, suppressing her unease and displeasure, and bid farewell to the Tathagata. The Tathagata had spoken hastily, and Guanyin hadn’t had time to think carefully at the time; now, reflecting on it, every word seemed to hide deep meaning.
If the Tathagata hadn’t mentioned it, she would have thought those three bands were still on the heads of the Black Bear Spirit and his companions, not realizing they had already been secretly destroyed. And the golden band on Wukong’s head seemed to be of the same origin as those bands. Of course, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable wouldn’t take those bands seriously; it must have been the golden band on Wukong’s head that prompted him to act. Wukong—this monkey truly cannot be underestimated. He has such a close relationship with the Three Pure Ones. Or rather, although the Three Pure Ones remain in the shadows, they have always paid close attention to the matter of the Divine Ape of Fate.
The Tathagata said that the monsters on Lion Camel Ridge would never dare harm Tang Seng, and those three bands had been destroyed at Qi Tian Ridge. So, it seemed Wukong and the people of Qi Tian Ridge had been on the same side from the start. But since Qi Tian Ridge had repeatedly hindered Tang Seng’s quest for the scriptures, Wukong must have feigned battles—his acting skills were truly remarkable.
If that were the case, the ordeal at Lion Camel Ridge might very well have been Wukong’s idea. Could he really refuse to leave? If he didn’t leave, would Tang Seng still go? A spiritual divine ape, a yin-yang divine ape, the Bodhisattva of Dragon Tree from the past, and Jin Chanzi from a past life—everyone outside seemed to have intricate connections with Buddhism, but in reality, there was deep-seated hatred…
Guanyin thought that the Tathagata must have given her these mantras because he saw that Tang Seng’s determination to obtain the scriptures would change greatly, so he took precautions. But now, should she recite these mantras?
Thinking of the Tathagata’s words, “If you defy me, I will make everyone in the world defy him,” Guanyin felt a chill. The Tathagata appeared kind like a gentle old man, but when angered, a single cold sentence could plunge one into despair. Enough, enough. Since they hadn’t yet fallen out, she should follow the Buddha’s instructions.
Suddenly, Guanyin felt something strange—many of the profound Buddhist scriptures and mantras she had studied before were utterly useless at this moment. Even she herself felt like a rootless duckweed, drifting wherever the wind blew.
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Wukong and Fengtong sat quietly aside, waiting for Tang Seng to wake up. Wukong kept pondering one question: if Tang Seng woke up and knew he was a yin-yang divine ape yet still in human form, how would he react? Could he transform back into his original monkey form?
He shared his doubts with Fengtong, who replied, “His form has been fixed in this life. How could he transform back? Even if Yin and Yang woke up, he would still be in his current appearance.”

Wukong thought to himself that Tang Seng, having taken human form, must have been blessed by Buddha with a secret spell, but it also had something to do with his own lack of vital essence. In his past life, he had been Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, but thanks to Xuan Nu’s rescue, he was placed inside a stone cave in a blessed land, allowing him to be reborn as a monkey in this life. If Tang Seng did not replenish his vital essence, it would likely be difficult for him to regain his true form even in his next life.

Wukong asked Fengtong, “When will he wake up?”

Fengtong shook his head and said, “The Yin-Yang Divine Monkey’s physique is too weak; we can’t rush it.”

Wukong said, “If that’s the case, stay here and keep watch. I’ll go find Yingzhao and Taifeng to ask them some questions.”

When Wukong arrived at the main cave, the Bull Demon King, seeing him come out, shouted, “Where have you been hiding? Come and drink!” Wukong glared at him. With so many important tasks ahead, how could he have the mood for drinking?

Wukong went before Yingzhao and said, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

Yingzhao, knowing that Wukong was the savior of the qilin, held him in high regard and said, “It’s fine. We have nothing to do anyway.” Wukong asked, “What has Guanyin been doing over these past year or so?”

Yingzhao replied, “She’s been searching for people. She taught us how to identify people with different elemental constitutions and sent us to search throughout the four great continents.”

Wukong nodded. It seemed she was still busy with the Great Five Elements Spirit Blood Formation. He then asked, “Have all twenty-five people been gathered?”

Yingzhao was surprised and asked, “They have been gathered, but… how do you know about the Great Five Elements Spirit Blood Formation?”

Wukong smiled and said, “I’ve known about it for a long time. Has Guanyin avoided you two in her actions?”

Yingzhao replied, “Guanyin relies on powerful spells to control us, so her supervision isn’t very strict. Over these days, we’ve had countless chances to escape, but if we didn’t know Guanyin’s secrets, it would be all in vain.”

Wukong asked further, “Where is that formation located?”

Yingzhao looked troubled and said, “I only know it’s within the South Sea, in a palace on the seabed. As for the exact location, I’ve never been there, so I don’t know.”

Taifeng interjected, “We’ve also tried to find it, but the South Sea is vast, and it’s impossible to locate.”

Wukong thought to himself that it was most likely in that Zizai Palace. After some thought, he realized that only he and Fengtong had been to the Zizai Palace in the South Sea. If he wanted to destroy that formation, he couldn’t expose himself. Fengtong was very skilled with formations and knew the way, so he would be the perfect choice. But since Tang Seng hadn’t woken up, who knew what might happen? It was better to put this aside for now.

Wukong said to Yingzhao, “It’s not urgent anyway…” Suddenly, Fengtong’s voice reached his ears: “He’s awake!”