Volume 4: The Revelation of Heaven’s Secrets Chapter 413: Entering the Body
After hearing what the Phoenix had said, Wukong roughly understood the situation. Since achieving Nirvana and surviving the calamity of the Great Cycle, the Phoenix had sensed something amiss in the world, which led her to think of leaving it.
Yet this heaven was extremely high, and this earth extremely deep. Even the Phoenix could not find a way out. It was then that she met Tathagata. What was remarkable about Tathagata was that he could understand what the Phoenix was thinking. But this wasn’t surprising—Pangu had said this was already the seventh Great Cycle. Having lived in this world for so long, Tathagata must surely know everything about all things.
When the Phoenix saw Tathagata reveal the secrets of the world with just a few words, she must have been deeply shocked. Thus, with their own needs, the two entered into a transaction filled with mutual vigilance.
Wukong couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Once wisdom was awakened, exploration and pursuit became an innate instinct—true for humans, and no less so for other species. Though this world was vast, it still had limits. The greatest temptation always lay in the unknown, or rather, in what could not be obtained.
At that moment, the Phoenix suddenly frowned slightly. Wukong asked urgently, “What’s wrong?” Seeing her show signs of pain, he realized that with her cultivation level, neither Zhenwu nor Qilin could match her. Such an expression meant something serious was at hand.
The Phoenix said, “Wukong, I need your help with this. I’ve heard you lifted the restrictions on Zhenwu and Qilin. The restriction I have is much older than theirs.”
Wukong smiled and said, “It’s worth a try.” He was confident that as long as it was within the bounds of fate, he could solve it. Following Wukong’s instructions, the Phoenix extended her left hand. Wukong entered her body through her meridians, and what he saw shocked him greatly.
The meridians in the Phoenix’s dantian were incredibly vast, far beyond what Zhenwu and Qilin possessed. Within them, fragments of fate floated like feathers in the dantian. Wukong silently groaned in pain as he began searching through each fragment.
It took over two hours before he finally found that faintly black fragment of fate. He drew it out. The Phoenix showed delight and praised, “Indeed, the lineage of fate is truly extraordinary!”
Wukong’s first question was, “What are your plans now, elder?”
The Phoenix replied, “I must first find my old friend Qilin, then go to the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth to destroy the Pillar of Heaven that powers that formation.”
“Oh? So that formation…” Wukong asked in surprise.
The Phoenix said solemnly, “That formation was set up by me and Xiangliu. Xiangliu is highly skilled in formations, and there are many mysteries I don’t understand. But after observing it for a long time, I’ve grasped some of the key points.”
Wukong was overjoyed. That formation had always remained a mystery—only those above the level of Hunyuan Jinxian could even approach it. Buddha had gone to great lengths to set it up with the Phoenix and Serpent, so it must be extremely useful. If they could break it, it would be a great achievement.
Wukong asked, “Has the senior spent all these years trying to decipher the secrets of this formation?”
The Phoenix replied, “How could I waste my life? At first, I thought the formation was related to escaping the universe. It wasn’t until recently that I realized its immense power—it requires the blood of the kings of the five categories to fully unleash its potential.”
Oh? Wukong knew that when the blood of the kings of the five categories was combined with the blood of a nine-headed, nine-tailed creature, it formed the Supreme Spirit Liquid—the only thing in the world capable of melting the Pillar That Supports the Heavens. Could this formation amplify the effects of that Spirit Liquid? Did Buddha really intend to collapse the Pillar That Supports the Heavens?
After some thought, Wukong felt this idea was absurd. The Pillar That Supports the Heavens was incredibly solid and massive; no matter how powerful the formation, it would be hard to shake it.
Wukong asked, “Does the senior believe Buddha can shake the Pillar That Supports the Heavens?”
The Phoenix was stunned. “Shake it? Dream on!”
“Then what does he plan to do?”
The Phoenix shook his head. “It’s definitely nothing good.”
Houtu said, “Since this formation requires the blood of the kings of the five categories, we’d better be cautious.”
Wukong pondered silently. With the Phoenix on their side, they already had three of the kings of the five categories—all extremely powerful figures. Among Buddha’s ordinary Buddhas, only the Medicine Buddha had a slight advantage, but capturing any of them would be extremely difficult. The key point was that since Buddha wasn’t worried about the consequences and boldly set up the formation right away, he must have a plan to capture the kings of the five categories.
Three thousand Buddhas, countless Bodhisattvas… This was truly troublesome. Did they really have to take the initiative first?
Zhenwu, seeing Wukong deep in thought, stood up and said, “Gentlemen, it’s not that I’m driving you away. This is an extraordinary time. If you need anything, feel free to come to my Purple Cloud Palace anytime.”
The Phoenix agreed. He got up to leave, and Zhenwu said, “I’ll go with you to see the Qilin.” He got along well with the Qilin and became close friends after just a few meetings. With all three kings of the five categories gathered now, it was a rare opportunity. Besides, if the Phoenix went alone, it might arouse suspicion. It was better for him to go and explain things.
Wukong called out to the Phoenix, “Senior, what about Brother Peacock?” Wukong was worried that if the Phoenix defected to Qi Tian Ling and Buddha found out, he might take his anger out on the Buddha’s mother, Peacock, so he reminded him.
The Phoenix turned around and replied slowly, “It’s not up to me.”
Wukong sighed. What the Phoenix said was indeed true. Yet even the Phoenix could see that what Tathagata was doing was wrong—since it involved matters of utmost importance to the universe, his own son meant little in comparison. Moreover, even if he devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving Tathagata, he couldn’t guarantee that the Peacock would have a chance to survive. In Tathagata’s eyes, the entire world was nothing but trivial.
Wukong glanced at Hou Tu and said, “Sister, let’s go too.”
Hou Tu nodded, and the two set off again for Qingwei Heaven. Upon entering the Jade Pure Palace, Xuan Nu and the Three Pure Ones already knew Wukong would come here, so they weren’t surprised. They simply pointed to the cushions and asked them to sit down.
Laojun said, “The netherworld has been destroyed.”
Wukong nodded. “I wanted to come earlier, but Zhenwu pulled me away for a chat.”
Laojun said, “Now that the netherworld is destroyed, it’s even harder for the heavenly court to refine the heavens. There’s only one path left now.”
Wukong thought for a while and really didn’t know what the heavenly court could do. According to Laojun, the heavenly court relied on creation as its foundation. Without creation, it was like water without roots—eventually it would run dry.
Wukong asked, “What other path is there?”
Laojun replied, “Seize the Buddhist hell.”
Wukong blinked, as if he hadn’t heard clearly. He asked again, and Laojun asked, “Don’t you believe it?”
Wukong said, “The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were sent by Tathagata. How could they dare oppose him? And how could Tathagata not use hidden tactics to control them?”
Laojun said, “People’s nature is changeable. The current Jade Emperor and Queen Mother are no longer the children they once were.” At these words, Laojun looked wistful, as if recalling those days.
Laojun was right. The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother had ruled the heavenly court for tens of thousands of years, with absolute power over life and death, and no one dared defy them. Since their birth, with the assistance of the Three Pure Ones, they had ascended to the highest position in the universe. How could they be willing to give up everything they had?
Yuan Shi suddenly said, “The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother will never escape Tathagata’s grasp.”
Hearing Yuan Shi’s absolute tone, Wukong asked, “Why do you say so, Great Supreme Being?”
Yuan Shi replied, “Firstly, Tathagata is using this Creation Furnace to overcome the crisis of the Primordial Era. Who knows what tactics he’ll use this time to make the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother willingly refine the heavens for him? The eight or nine Golden Immortals in the Creation Furnace were also created using secret methods passed down by Tathagata. This Creation Furnace must be extremely important—how could Tathagata give it up so easily?”
Everyone found Yuan Shi’s reasoning sound and nodded, waiting for his next words.
“Secondly, I’ve spent days studying formations. Though I can’t claim to have reached perfection, I’ve improved greatly since before. Having grasped the essence of Pangu’s creation, I’ve also begun to understand the formations related to yin and yang in the universe.” Yuan Shi paused briefly before continuing, “The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother have formations within their bodies.”
Upon hearing this, everyone found it utterly astonishing. In the art of formations, few could surpass Yuanshi. Could formations also be deployed within the human body without the host even realizing it?
Wukong asked, “Does the Great Heavenly Venerable mean… the Jade Emperor and Empress are unaware of this?”
Yuanshi nodded and said, “Of course they don’t know.”
Wukong asked, “Why did the Heavenly Court create the Creation Furnace? Could the Great Heavenly Venerable explain a bit?”
Yuanshi pondered for a while before saying, “Now that it has come to this, it doesn’t hurt to explain.”
Xuan Nu snorted and said, “What’s so special about it? It’s nothing but matters related to creation and the essence of creation.” Unhappy with Yuanshi’s hesitation, she spoke mockingly. Laojun said with a pained expression, “Sister, that incident happened so long ago. Why do you still remember it?”
Wukong asked curiously, “What incident?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Don’t you know? If it weren’t for those three being foolish enough to let Buddha manipulate them and elevate the Jade Emperor and Empress, even if the whole world united against Buddha today, where would the Heavenly Court be? And where would those Eight or Nine Golden Immortals come from? The Jade Emperor and Empress may not be fearsome, but if the Heavenly Court’s power falls under Buddha’s control, huh! Let’s see how you’ll handle it then.”
Wukong suddenly understood. It turned out Xuan Nu had always ignored the Three Pure Ones precisely because of this. Wukong knew that the Three Pure Ones were the supreme deities in Taoism. Though they were highly insightful, their beliefs were deeply rooted in their hearts. As the saying goes, the deeper one accepts something, the stronger one’s belief becomes—this wasn’t something that could be changed easily. Besides, how many people in the world could compare to Xuan Nu in intelligence? By the time she saw Buddha’s hidden schemes, the Three Pure Ones would likely still regard him as a strict teacher and kind father.
Xuan Nu’s words left the Three Pure Ones speechless. Hou Tu, seeing their embarrassed state, covered her mouth and laughed. Wukong quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, “It may be a blessing or a curse; if it’s a curse, it can’t be avoided. What’s the use of talking about this now? Great Heavenly Venerable, please continue with the story of the Creation Furnace.”
Strangely enough, Xuan Nu always vented her temper on the Three Pure Ones. As soon as Wukong spoke, she fell silent. The Three Pure Ones were also amazed—this clever divine ape was truly resourceful, even earning Xuan Nu’s respect.
Yuanshi said, “Uh… Sister is right. The matter of refining the heavens is nothing but creation and the essence of creation. This Creation Furnace in the Heavenly Court collects the essence of creation in the world. First, it serves the Eight or Nine Golden Immortals for cultivation. Second, it sustains the Peach Garden. Third, it maintains the time difference between one day in heaven and one year on earth. The rest is used to support these thirty-six heavens.”
Yuanshi didn’t dare say more, fearing Xuan Nu might start gossiping again. He briefly explained the purpose of the Creation Furnace. After hearing this, Wukong fell deep into thought.