Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 414: The Way Has No Plan

He had constantly pondered the purpose of the Creation Furnace but never came to any conclusion. “Refining the heavens” sounded as though it involved transforming the heavens themselves, yet it turned out to be a metaphorical expression, not an actual attempt to do so.
Wukong considered the four uses of the Creation Furnace as described by Yuan Shi. At first glance, they seemed unremarkable, but upon closer reflection, they held great mysteries.
First, it was used for the cultivation of the eight or nine Golden Immortals. That was understandable—creation was meant for immortals to cultivate. Since these Golden Immortals had easier access and could use the creation energy drawn from the Furnace to enhance their powers, what was so extraordinary about that?
Second, the Furnace absorbed creation energy to nourish the Peach Garden. This also didn’t seem unusual—peaches were part of creation energy, similar to ginseng fruits. Using creation energy to nurture more creation energy was logical. But Wukong remembered the mother peach tree. Ordinary peaches contained creation energy, but eating one of the mother peaches granted pure essence of creation energy!
If ordinary peaches could also increase the essence of creation energy, then the mother peaches wouldn’t be so precious. Wukong suddenly realized that the mother peaches were unique in the world because they could transform creation energy into its purest form. Although the process was slow, there was likely no other treasure like it in the world.
Third, Yuan Shi said that the Heavenly Court consumed a great deal of creation energy to maintain the difference between one day in heaven and one year on earth. Wukong couldn’t figure out the purpose of this. If this was the case for the Heavenly Court and the Spirit Mountain, slowing down time wouldn’t benefit cultivation. Were they deliberately wasting creation energy?
Fourth, it was used to support the thirty-six heavens. This might have been due to the Jade Emperor’s vanity, and there wasn’t much to say about it.
Hou Tu, seeing that Wukong remained silent for a long time, nudged him and said, “If there’s nothing else, let’s go. There are still important tasks to attend to.”
Wukong shook his head, saying he still had something important to mention—the phoenix changing sides. This was no trivial matter, and he should discuss it with the Three Pure Ones.
Wukong said, “On my way here from the Purple Cloud Palace, tell me—who did I see?”
Laojun replied, “Not many people can enter the Purple Cloud Palace at will. Could it be the Emperor of Zi Wei?”
Wukong said, “It wasn’t Zi Wei. It was the phoenix.”
“Oh?” Laojun was surprised. “The phoenix and Zhen Wu are old enemies. Could it be…”
Wukong nodded. “That’s right. They have truly resolved their past grievances.” He recounted the deal between the phoenix and Buddha. Everyone was astonished to learn that the phoenix was from the previous cycle.
Xuan Nu said, “That’s impossible!”
Wukong asked, “Why do you say that?”

Xuan Nu thought for a moment before shaking her head and saying, “It’s not entirely impossible.” Seeing everyone staring at her in surprise, she smiled and explained, “Ran Deng once used the blood of the five kings to create the Creation Furnace. I thought that blood came from the previous cycle. If that were the case, the Phoenix should recognize Tathagata. Now it seems Tathagata may not even know how many cycles have passed, nor is it necessarily from the last cycle.”
Wukong took some time to figure it out. Xuan Nu was indeed right, but he didn’t believe that Tathagata had no desire for the blood of the five kings. After all, Tathagata knew that the more blood of the five kings there was, the better—after all, it was an essential ingredient for creating the Creation Furnace. With this realization, Wukong felt even more admiration for the Phoenix. Since the Phoenix didn’t recognize Tathagata, it meant that Tathagata hadn’t dared to target it during the previous cycle. It seemed the Phoenix, capable of attaining nirvana, was indeed not easy to deal with.
Laojun said, “The Phoenix is good.”
Xuan Nu asked, “What’s good about him?”
Laojun replied, “He has endured for so many years and must know many secrets about Tathagata, which will surely be of great benefit to us.”
Xuan Nu countered, “During the last cycle, I was by Tathagata’s side for tens of thousands of years yet saw nothing. The Phoenix and Tathagata already distrust each other—what could he possibly know?”
At that moment, Wukong thought of Xiang Liu. He couldn’t help scolding himself. After conquering the world, he had become so rigid and dogmatic that he couldn’t even use the simplest tactics. If he could capture a few of Tathagata’s confidants, with their powers, surely he could get some information out of them.
So Wukong said, “I recall you all discussed destroying the Stupa Tower and breaking the Buddhist hell. I wonder how things have progressed with that plan?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Although we intend to do it, we can’t act rashly. Though we don’t consider ourselves particularly important, if any of us are lost, no one will be able to hold Tathagata in check. Therefore, we must win this battle at all costs!”
Wukong said, “Of course. I have a plan, though I’m not sure if it will work.” He shared his idea of capturing Tathagata’s confidants, and everyone, including Hou Tu, was shocked.
Laojun asked, “How could you think of such a thing?”
Yuan Shi also said, “The Creation lineage would resort to blackmail?”
Xuan Nu laughed, “Wukong is interesting.”
King Ksitigarbha remained silent the whole time. Now he shook his head and said, “No, no. It will only bring shame upon us all!”
Wukong was speechless. He thought his plan was quite ordinary, but he ran into a bunch of stubborn old folks! It seemed unlikely he could persuade them.
With a bitter smile, Wukong said, “If you all think it’s inappropriate, then just consider it as if I never mentioned it.”

At that moment, a Taoist boy came in and said to Yuan Shi, “Great Heavenly Venerable, there are guests visiting!”
“Oh?” The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances. Who could be so bold as to come straight to the Jade Pure Palace? The Taoist boy added, “The one in charge is the Great Emperor Zhenwu, and the two behind him are strangers. I dare not make a decision on my own.”
Wukong was pleased upon hearing this and said, “Quickly invite them in.”
The Taoist boy glanced at Wukong but didn’t move. Yuan Shi also hurriedly said, “Invite them in!”
Xuan Nu got up early to greet them. Whoever Zhenwu led must be Phoenix and Qilin, almost certainly. Soon, Xuan Nu brought in the three of them—indeed, it was them.
These people were neither entirely familiar nor completely strangers. At this moment, in the Jade Pure Palace, the greatest masters in this world had almost all gathered here.
But anyway, since Phoenix had just revealed his feelings, aside from Wukong, who had complete trust in him, the others were somewhat cautious.
Qilin was the most straightforward. As soon as he entered, he laughed and said, “There are quite a few people here!”
Wukong asked, “Uncle, what brings you here?”
Qilin replied, “I’ve been separated from Phoenix for a long time, and I’m overjoyed to see him again. His decision to turn away from darkness and embrace light is truly a joyous event, isn’t it?”
Wukong said, “Of course it is. But it’s not really him turning away from darkness—it’s just Phoenix’s strategy.”
Qilin said, “Whatever it is, we’re all one family now. The three of us discussed a plan on earth, but we couldn’t hold back our excitement, so we came to see you. As expected, Zhenwu guessed right—you’re indeed in the Jade Pure Palace.”
Wukong asked, “What plan? Tell me.”
Phoenix said, “The plan actually revolves around just one person—Xiang Liu.”
Hearing this, Wukong was delighted. Could it be that Phoenix had thought of the same thing as him?
Phoenix continued, “I’ve known Xiang Liu for a long time, and we’re very familiar with each other. He’s a disciple of the Bodhisattva of Mudra and knows many secrets about the Buddhist underworld. If we can capture him, we’ll surely be able to extract many secrets from him.”
Laojun glanced at Wukong and scolded, “You monkey, what a clever plan you have!”
Wukong was startled and quickly said, “Laojun, you’ve misunderstood. This is really just a coincidence.”
Phoenix asked, “How so? Are you also discussing this matter?”
Wukong replied, “Elder, I just proposed capturing Buddha’s confidant, but no one agreed.”
Phoenix was surprised and asked, “Why is that?”
Xuan Nu smiled and said, “It’s all about righteousness and morality—what else could it be?”
Zhenwu, who knew well Yuan Shi, Laojun, and the others, said, “It’s about distinguishing what’s light and what’s heavy.”
The Three Pure Ones and Ksitigarbha remained silent. Yuan Shi said, “You go ahead if you want, but I won’t be involved in this.”
Hearing this, Qilin was displeased and said, “Then forget it. It seems we’ve come for nothing.” With that, he turned to leave.

Wukong quickly grabbed the Qilin and said, “Uncle, different paths of thought are common.”
The Qilin snorted, “What paths of thought? They’re all self-deception.”
The Phoenix replied, “Not so. Though I don’t know much about the Three Pure Ones, the path of thought is the foundation of cultivation and should not be taken lightly.”
Zhenwu nodded and said, “Then we shouldn’t impose it on others. Fortunately, this plan doesn’t require many people. Capturing Xiangliu isn’t difficult.”
Xuan Nu asked, “What’s Xiangliu’s weakness?”
The Phoenix said, “Exactly. Xiangliu loves earth and often cultivates underground. I know where he cultivates. We just need to wait there; I’m sure we’ll catch him.”
Hearing this, Wukong said to Hou Tu, “Sister, won’t you help me either?” Wukong knew that Hou Tu’s power over earth was unmatched in the world. If she intervened, capturing Xiangliu would be almost certain.
Hou Tu thought for a moment and said, “Since you’ve asked, how could I refuse?”
Wukong rejoiced, “With your help, this task will surely succeed.” He then turned to the Phoenix and asked, “Senior, you didn’t come just for this matter, did you?”
The Phoenix replied, “There’s another matter—the formation on the Pillar That Supports the Heavens.”
Upon hearing mention of this formation, Yuan Shi’s eyes lit up. “Could it be you can also decipher this formation?” Yuan Shi had long known there was a formation on the Pillar That Supports the Heavens, and he immediately recognized it as Buddha’s work. Though he had delved deeply into formations, he couldn’t break it—nor even approach it—having pondered it for years.
The Phoenix said, “Most of this formation was set up by Xiangliu. I have some guesses, but I need to verify them first. To ensure success, we must capture Xiangliu first before dealing with this formation.”
Yuan Shi said, “This formation is extremely intricate. Even those above the Hunyuan Golden Immortal level can’t even touch it.”
The Phoenix said, “Exactly. Among the Taiyi Golden Immortals, is there anyone who understands formations well?”
Wukong quickly asked, “What about Feng Tong?”
Feng Tong was Yuan Shi’s disciple, so he naturally knew best. Yuan Shi said, “For Feng Tong to break the formation, he must first understand its intricacies. Without a clear target, how can he succeed?”
The Phoenix said, “I have an idea. The difficulty of deciphering this formation lies in its elusive nature. But all formations in the world have a foundation. If we can destroy that foundation, the formation will be broken.”
Wukong thought for a moment and understood the Phoenix’s meaning. “Are you saying we need to gather the blood of the kings of the five elements and then destroy the foundation of the Pillar That Supports the Heavens?”
The Phoenix replied, “That’s right! But even to destroy the foundation, a Taiyi Golden Immortal must enter the formation first.”
Wukong nodded. “I see. So only a Taiyi Golden Immortal can break this formation, yet none of them can see through its foundation. Buddha is truly cunning—creating a nearly unsolvable puzzle.”

Phoenix said, “I happen to know that formation.”