Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 443: Seizing the Immortal Life

As the Holy Mother of Lishan said, Guanyin indeed had an restless heart. For years, she had shuttled between Lingshan and the Heavenly Court, and she had also participated in the Journey to Obtain Scriptures, giving her insight into numerous hidden struggles and intrigues among immortals and Buddhas that others lacked.

In Guanyin’s eyes, there was no difference between the Heavenly Court and Lingshan—both were realms governed by the law of the strong preying on the weak. Her actions were naturally aimed at serving her own interests: to survive, and to survive better.

What she didn’t expect was that Tathagata was even more sinister and terrifying than she had imagined. She, the leader of all bodhisattvas, was worth nothing in Tathagata’s eyes—useful only when needed, disposable otherwise.

Guanyin felt little sense of loss. She was extremely intelligent and would reflect on what she had done wrong to deserve Tathagata’s decision to end her life. After much thought, she came to a conclusion: she had been too adept at navigating various situations. One’s dedication to the path should be unwavering—this applied equally to life itself.

Whether it was Tathagata or Maitreya, they remained both close and distant, both intimate and guarded toward her. In the end, none of them treated her as a true confidant. Everything revolved around calculation and exploitation.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that, even at the last moment of the Journey to Obtain Scriptures, she was still used by Tathagata. When the nine-ring staff touched Tang Seng, Guanyin suddenly realized what she was doing. What had she been doing all these years? Had she ever done anything for herself? It seemed she had been busy serving others, yet what was the result?

She thought she had harmed Tang Seng and that Wukong would become furious, with people from Qitianling rushing at her, putting her life in danger. Alas, now that things had come to this, what could she do?

But what she didn’t expect was that Wukong, this seemingly controlled divine monkey, was actually hiding even deeper than Tathagata! It was tragic—everyone thought she had orchestrated the entire Journey to Obtain Scriptures, yet she turned out to be the biggest fool.

What surprised her even more was that Wukong simply let her go, as if nothing had happened. That wise monkey could see through everything…

Back in the South Sea, Guanyin sat in meditation for months, her mind filled with thoughts of truth and falsehood. The world was like floating clouds; even after seeing through them, there were still illusions. Within those illusions, what was real and what was false? How could one tell the difference?

One day, while passing by the purple bamboo forest on the back mountain, she was struck by its graceful swaying and gained an epiphany. “Bamboo, with its joints, has a pure and empty heart.” The truth was simple beyond measure—did she still need to seek answers elsewhere?

She went to the bamboo forest and spent days cutting bamboo to make baskets. She would gaze at the hollow bamboo in her hands for long periods, pondering before moving her hands again. Making a basket out of bamboo was like trying to draw water with it—was emptiness truly meaning nothing? Not necessarily!

Bamboo has its joints; where is my own integrity? The core of bamboo seems empty, yet its veins and bones are visible—its true essence is not empty. I, Avalokiteshvara, have toiled tirelessly, seemingly involved in everything, but in reality, what do I actually hinder in this world?
I don’t know how many bamboo baskets I’ve woven. Avalokiteshvara realized that this world already has no need for a powerful, skillful Avalokiteshvara. The great vow she made when she first entered Buddhism—to be the compassionate, liberating Avalokiteshvara—was her true original intention…
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Gou Chen, the Heavenly Emperor, was taken aback by Avalokiteshvara’s unyielding attitude. Beyond surprise, he felt anger and said, “What do you intend to do?” With a thought, Avalokiteshvara replied, “Amitabha. The Buddha once said that natural treasures have their own owners. It’s better not to act rashly.”
Having understood the difference between truth and falsehood, Avalokiteshvara could lie without batting an eye, as if returning to her playful childhood spirit. She thought to herself, “Though I left Buddhism, few know about it now. It’s time to cause some trouble for the Buddha.”
Gou Chen was stunned and said, “Nonsense! The Ten Continents and Three Islands have always belonged to the Heavenly Court. What does it have to do with your Western Heaven?”
Avalokiteshvara replied, “Oh? Did you say that? If I want to claim them for myself, what can you do?”
Gou Chen suppressed his anger and said, “This is no trivial matter. Be careful.”
Avalokiteshvara smiled and shook her head. “Life is like chess—no need to be cautious. If I lose, I’ll try again.”
The Eastern Emperor, who was standing nearby, already had his hand on his sword hilt. Gou Chen sighed, “I never thought I’d have to fight against Avalokiteshvara one day.”
Avalokiteshvara said, “Whether you want it or not, it’s not up to you.”
Gou Chen drew his twin whips and said, “My apologies!”
The Eastern Emperor drew his Sword of Slaying Immortals, leaped into the air, and pointed the sword tip at Avalokiteshvara. “The Jade Emperor orders that outsiders must not interfere in matters concerning the Ten Continents and Three Islands!”
Avalokiteshvara replied calmly, “Aren’t you outsiders then?”
Gou Chen swung his twin whips together, attacking from both sides. Avalokiteshvara darted aside. In a flash, she was gone from sight. Gou Chen was shocked, realizing that Avalokiteshvara’s cultivation was superior to his own.
But he was stubborn by nature. Since he was already in a difficult situation, if he failed even this time, the Jade Emperor would surely be furious.
The Gods of Fortune and Prosperity quickly retreated far away. Although the Penglai Island belonged to them, since this matter involved a conflict between the Buddha and the Jade Emperor, they dared not get involved. Cultivating immortality was merely for longevity—fighting and killing were far too dangerous.
Seeing Avalokiteshvara approach, the Eastern Emperor sent a sword beam, like a rainbow from the sky, toward her. Avalokiteshvara shook the willow branches in her bottle and grasped a green whip, wrapping it around the sword beam.

As the two swords clashed, the Eastern Emperor felt a shock in his arm; the Sword of Slaying Immortals nearly slipped from his grasp. A whip tip fell from the air. Guanyin’s expression changed slightly as she examined the Sword of Slaying Immortals and asked, “What kind of sword is this?”
The Eastern Emperor sneered in reply and launched two more attacks with his sword.
Guanyin’s Pure Vessel and Willow Branch were both extremely precious; having a small piece cut off pained her greatly. Seeing the sharp sword light, she simply used the Pure Vessel in her hand to block it. With two clear sounds, the Eastern Emperor’s expression changed drastically. He switched his sword to his left hand, as his right arm was too sore to lift.
The God of Gouchen swung his twin whips, releasing a purple electric net that rushed toward Guanyin.
By then, Wukong had already plundered all the treasures on the island and rushed back. Seeing the God of Gouchen and the Eastern Emperor attacking Guanyin together while she only defended without counterattacking, Wukong secretly thought she was truly merciful.
Wukong raised his staff to meet them, taking on the attack from the Eastern Emperor. The Eastern Emperor’s eyebrows raised in anger—how dare a mere Monkey King like Hui’an confront him? He ignored his own safety and launched an attack with sword energy.
Wukong’s Heavenly Fate Staff had already changed shape, looking no different from Mu Zha’s iron staff. He raised his staff to block, using only a fraction of his strength. The Eastern Emperor’s left-hand swordsmanship was already clumsy, and his underestimation of Wukong led to his Sword of Slaying Immortals being knocked away by Wukong’s staff, flying straight toward Guanyin.
Without even turning around, Guanyin rolled up her sleeves and swept the Sword of Slaying Immortals into them. With a flick of her right hand’s willow branch like a serpent, she sent the twin whips flying apart, and the electric net vanished instantly.
The Eastern Emperor was shocked. The Sword of Slaying Immortals was his most precious treasure; he couldn’t afford to lose it. Knowing he couldn’t take it from Guanyin, he used all his skills to attack Wukong, planning to capture Monkey King Mu Zha first and then exchange for his sword.
If Wukong had put in a little more effort, he could have killed the Eastern Emperor with one strike, but he didn’t want to reveal his strength, so he mostly dodged. Guanyin naturally understood Wukong’s intentions and shouted, “Dare you bully my disciple?”
With a flash, Guanyin appeared in front of the Eastern Emperor, wrapped him in her willow branch, and pulled him down. By then, the God of Gouchen had just arrived. Seeing Guanyin using force, he realized they were no match for her and said, “Bodhisattva, please show mercy.”
Guanyin snorted, released the Eastern Emperor, and said, “Next time we meet, I won’t spare you.”
The Eastern Emperor was still preoccupied with the Sword of Slaying Immortals and tried to say something more, but the God of Gouchen pulled him away and flew off on clouds—nothing was more important than his life.
Guanyin didn’t even glance at the Gods of Fortune and Prosperity. She took Wukong with her and flew eastward. Wukong asked, “Where to?” Guanyin replied, “Creating trouble? It’s the same everywhere.”

Wukong said with a smile, “Great Sage, let me see that sword.”
“Well, have you also recognized its quality?” Guanyin took out the Sword of Exterminating Immortals and handed it to Wukong.
Wukong examined the sword carefully. Its blade was as clear as water, emitting a chilling glow—it was truly an extraordinary weapon. Seeing Wukong’s admiration, Guanyin said, “Since you defeated it, it naturally belongs to you.” Wukong thanked her repeatedly, then put away the sword. The Four Swords of Exterminating Immortals naturally belonged to Wang Yu, but he didn’t know where the other three were.

After leaving Penglai Island, the two arrived at Yanzhou. The island was completely deserted; not a single immortal could be seen. It was barren, with hardly any green trees.
Wukong wondered, “How can this island be counted among the immortal islands? It’s even worse than ordinary islands.”
Guanyin laughed and said, “Have you forgotten the sins you committed?”
“Oh? What does that have to do with me?”
Guanyin replied, “You forgot that you killed the ruler of Yanzhou with your staff. After that, the treasures on this island were coveted by other island rulers, and within a few days, everything was plundered.”
Wukong glanced at Guanyin and said, “It was Zhuanxu who killed the ruler of Yanzhou. How can you say it was me?”
Guanyin was momentarily stunned, then nodded at Wukong and said with a smile, “I guessed it.” Without looking back, she flew away. Wukong was stunned for a while. A guess? How could it be a guess? Was it the Dragon Maiden, or someone else who told her?
Seeing Guanyin’s mysterious demeanor, he realized he probably wouldn’t be able to get any more answers. As Guanyin walked away, Wukong chased after her, and the two arrived at Jukuzhou.

Jukuzhou, Fenglinzhou, Liuzhou… The cultivators there had low levels of cultivation and didn’t dare to oppose Guanyin Bodhisattva. But this time, Guanyin didn’t just come to plunder and leave. Instead, she intended to uproot all the immortal herbs, elixirs, and treasures on these islands. From then on, there would likely be no more such sacred lands as the Ten Continents and Three Islands in the world.

On Yingzhou, there were green mountains and waters, red cliffs and trees, auspicious clouds and fragrant mists. It was a place filled with immortal herbs and rare plants. The Nine Elders of Yingzhou sat around a chessboard, each holding a cup, looking worried.
One elder said, “The Jade Emperor is coming to Yingzhou to take its treasures. It’s hard to predict how many will come.” No sooner had he finished speaking than a group of heavenly soldiers descended from the sky. Leading them was the God of Gouchen, accompanied by 108 generals of the Thunder Army, followed by the Eastern Extreme Qinghua Emperor and the Easternhua Emperor.

The Eastern Extreme Qinghua Emperor, who had been injured by a qilin last time, appeared for the first time. He looked vibrant, his cultivation far stronger than before.