Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed – Chapter 405: The Empty Mountain

The more Wukong listened, the more confused he became. If even Pangu couldn’t do it, could he?
Wukong asked, “What abilities do I have?”
Pangu remained silent.
After some thought, Wukong asked again, “Where is the Kunpeng?”
“Oh, you’ve seen the Kunpeng?” Pangu finally spoke.
“Yes.”
“It’s good that the Kunpeng takes away yin and yang.”
Since Pangu said so, Wukong felt reassured. He was gradually figuring things out. The enemy of Buddha was undoubtedly Pangu. The Seven Divine Apes all belonged to the same origin, so from the day they were born, Buddha had started plotting, with Pangu still being his ultimate goal. Since Buddha came from beyond heaven and earth, then he must have entered this world—or this chaos—at its inception. How long had he been here? Two cycles? Or longer?
“How many cycles have passed here?” Wukong asked.
“The seventh.”
“Have you… been here since the first cycle?”
“Yes.”
“Is the calamity of each cycle Buddha’s method to destroy the world?”
“The calamity of each cycle?” Pangu thought for a moment before saying, “You mean the end of each cycle. That has nothing to do with Buddha.”
“Then who is responsible?”
“Nobody,” Pangu replied. “Whether it’s a calamity or a blessing for the cycles… it’s hard to say.”
“Oh?” Seeing Pangu hesitating, Wukong wanted to ask more, but Pangu said, “Why have you come looking for me?”
Noticing Pangu’s impatience, Wukong said, “I’m here to find the extremes of the five elements for crafting the Heavenly Secret Rod.” Only then did Wukong realize why Ran Deng knew the method of crafting the rod—it all stemmed from Pangu.
“That’s very simple,” Pangu said.
After waiting a while, Wukong felt the rocks and soil around him move. Five square-three-inch bright stones appeared before him, in white, green, black, red, and yellow.
“Are these… the extremes of the five elements?”
“Of course,” Pangu replied, his voice slightly trembling, unlike its usual steadiness.
Wukong’s heart stirred. Was Pangu injured? The extremes of the five elements must have a profound impact on him. Taking one piece from each of his internal organs must be painful. Unconsciously, Wukong asked, “Pangu, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Pangu said. Though he claimed to be fine, his voice still sounded off. He added, “I’ve long been accustomed to birth and death.”
Wukong knew that at the end of each cycle, Pangu could not escape destruction, but at the beginning of each cycle, he could emerge from chaos. What was this mysterious force that gave birth to Pangu? What did Pangu rely on to be reborn time and time again? Wukong was very curious.

In the chaotic realm of heaven and earth, apart from the Pillar That Supports the Heavens, only the School of Creation remains constant. Among these nine members of the School of Creation, each possesses the same vital essence. Other than them are Ran Deng, Yuan Shi and Xuan Nu, Di Zang, and Di Ting.

According to Xuan Nu, Ran Deng existed in the previous cycle, while the four members of Yuan Shi became part of the School of Creation in this cycle. Buddha is constantly changing—so isn’t Pan Gu also constantly testing things?

Thinking of this, Wukong couldn’t help but feel admiration for Pan Gu. He had always thought Pan Gu was boundless and unchanging, but now he realized that Pan Gu had been subtly opposing Buddha all along.

Buddha’s goal was to leave this world, while Pan Gu wanted to prevent him from going. This raised another question: Buddha wanted to go outside, as that was his homeland—a feeling easy to understand. But why didn’t Pan Gu go with Buddha? Why did he insist on keeping Buddha here?

At that moment, Pan Gu said, “The Ultimate of the Five Elements—aside from using it to forge the Heavenly Mechanism Staff, you won’t need much of it. The rest can be given to the Five-Element Divine Apes.”

Wukong was overjoyed. Just by hearing the name “The Ultimate of the Five Elements,” he knew it contained all things related to the five elements in the world, and it would surely be highly beneficial for the other divine apes to practice with it.

Pan Gu said, “Go now.”

Huh? He had no idea how far below the surface he was. If it weren’t for the protection of the Three Pure Ones, he wouldn’t know when he would arrive. Yet Pan Gu was telling him to go on his own.

He called out “Pan Gu” a few more times, but there was no echo in the pitch-black depths. Wukong put “The Ultimate of the Five Elements” in his bag and began climbing upward, lost in thought.

During their conversation, Pan Gu had been vague and evasive, seemingly hiding something from him. But since Pan Gu was willing to give it to Wukong, he must hold the School of Creation in high regard. Perhaps Pan Gu also had his own reasons.

Wukong used his earth-control magic. He found that even when using it at full strength, his speed was quite fast. Yet he didn’t know how many days it would take to reach his destination.

Patienceately moving through the soil—never having traveled so deep before—he discovered that the earth contained everything, holding everything within it.

Along the way, he encountered gold, fire, water, and wood, witnessing countless wonders beneath the surface. Gold veins originated in the soil, fire veins flowed through it, water veins passed through it, and wood veins were hidden within it…

Suddenly, Wukong had an idea. He followed the veins to explore the five elements. Though he didn’t encounter anything extraordinary, the insights he gained were valuable. With something to do, he didn’t feel bored. He collected many rare treasures underground, planning to give them to Zhu Rong and Hong Hai Er to play with—surely they would like them.

Thus he continued on for half a month, following his heart’s desire without worrying about when he would reach the surface. One day, as Wukong walked, he suddenly felt joy in his heart and stopped moving, sitting in a meditative position with his palms facing upward. He was astonished to find that the Five Elements Essence he carried emitted a gentle warmth, which felt very soothing. Wukong knew well that the Five Elements Essence was the vital essence from Pangu’s body—surely a precious thing. Yet within moments of sitting down, the warmth disappeared. Before he could feel disappointed, he suddenly sensed a connection between the Five Elements, and his vision also became much sharper underground. Overjoyed, he realized he had finally mastered the Secret Art of Mysterious Void! It sounded easy, but in reality, mastering this art was by no means simple. Wukong had learned this spell from the day he met Yang Jian; he completed the first volume effortlessly and the second as well, but the third volume proved extremely difficult. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to have the help of the Five Elements Gods in laying the foundation, the guidance of the Mysterious Maiden who taught him the principles and gave him peaches, and Pangu who entrusted him with the Five Elements Essence. Thanks to all these factors, he was able to fully master this art, which was considered the most difficult in the world and only achievable through divine favor. With the Five Elements in harmony, he could switch between various supernatural powers without any hindrance, allowing him to move much faster underground. Overjoyed, he rushed upward. After another two days, Wukong felt lighter and saw a bright light ahead—he had emerged from underground. Taking on his human form, he looked around. Huh? He found himself in a cave—what a coincidence! It turned out that when the Three Pure Ones entered underground, they moved straight up or down. When Wukong came out, he ran around blindly, not knowing where he was. As a result, he was now far from where he entered. As he looked around, he heard voices. A woman said, “That old lady truly has great vitality—she drained a strong man yesterday and knocked out a young monk today.” Another woman laughed and said, “You’re new here; you haven’t seen the cave master in his prime yet.” Wukong found their conversation suspicious. The two women spoke in a mocking tone, and from what they said, it seemed to be about some kind of sexual ritual. Whose cave was this? Wukong concealed himself and circled the cave, seeing only a group of minor demons but no powerful ones. It seemed the “old lady” they mentioned had left. The cave’s paths were intricate, and he couldn’t find the exit. As he searched, he suddenly smelled strong incense. Wukong thought to himself that with incense, there must be offerings—he wanted to see whether these demons worshipped Buddha or Taoism.

Wukong followed the fragrance into a cave, where he saw a lacquered altar carved in the shape of a dragon’s mouth. On the altar stood a large golden incense burner, from which fragrant smoke wafted out. Above it hung a large golden plaque inscribed with “In honor of King Li of the Heavenly Army,” and below that, “In honor of Prince Nezha, the Third Prince.”

Upon seeing this, Wukong suddenly realized he had stumbled upon the Bottomless Cave in Mount Xiankong by chance.

Inside the Bottomless Cave lived a golden-furred rat demon, who had caused great trouble to the pilgrims in “Journey to the West.” Though she couldn’t defeat Wukong in a fight, she was highly skilled in the art of disguise, nearly succeeding in stealing Tang Seng’s vital life force. Wukong remembered that this rat demon originated from the Spiritual Mountain in the West. She didn’t seek him out personally but aimed solely to seize Tang Seng’s vital energy, likely having heard from Buddha about its extraordinary properties. It was even Zhu Bajie aware that a woman who slept with Tang Seng could attain the True Form of Taiyi; it wasn’t surprising that the rat demon, being close to the scene, knew about it as well.

This time, the rat demon had come specifically for Tang Seng. As for the Yin-Yang Divine Ape, he had already severed ties at Lion Camel Ridge, so it was uncertain whether the rat demon was aware of this.

At that moment, Wukong recalled a few verses spoken by Master Wuchao, including one that said, “Be careful in the Black Pine Forest.” Hadn’t Tang Seng encountered the rat demon in the Black Pine Forest? This meant that Ran Deng must also be aware of her existence.

Along the way, there had been only a few who sought to steal Tang Seng’s vital energy—first, the king of the Women’s Country, and now this rat demon. Wukong concluded that she must also be sent by Ran Deng.

Although Prince Nezha claimed the rat demon was captured for stealing Buddha’s fragrant flowers and precious candles, how could Buddha possibly send someone to harm Tang Seng?

Ran Deng knew Tang Seng was doomed, yet he still left the rat demon here. Did he have another purpose in mind, or did he simply disregard her? Since he had come here and encountered this evil creature at work, he decided to act according to his own conscience.

As he thought this, he suddenly sensed a strong demonic aura in the cave—surely the rat demon had returned. Wukong leaped out and used his unique, extraordinary eyes to scan the area. At a glance, he saw a stunningly beautiful female demon.

She was exquisitely charming, and aside from Chang’e and Xuan Nu, Wukong had never seen anyone so beautiful. The demon sat on a throne, cradling two young boys in her arms. Both boys were about fourteen or fifteen years old, with rosy lips and white teeth. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be twin brothers, looking almost identical.

Though handsome, they had vacant eyes, clearly under some spell cast by the demon.