Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed – Chapter 449: The Mortal Kingdom

Danling Zhenlao’s cultivation base was slightly higher than Wukong’s, but his five-colored radiant energy was effortlessly dispelled by Wukong, and even the branches of the Peach Tree were destroyed by him. Filled with shock and fear, Danling Zhenlao could hardly recover under the shadow of Wukong’s Heavenly Fate Staff.

Against an ordinary opponent, one could decide victory or defeat solely through supernatural powers. Taoist immortals always relied on magic, but Danling Zhenlao’s powers were merely those of the five elements, which Wukong, skilled in the arts of the five elements, easily countered. Yet Danling Zhenlao could not withstand Wukong’s Heavenly Fate Staff.

As the balance shifted, Wukong struck Danling Zhenlao’s left shoulder with his staff. Danling Zhenlao immediately felt his shoulder bones shatter, filled with anger and frustration. This monkey clearly had a weaker cultivation base than himself, yet his own magic could do nothing to him, as if he were born to be Danling Zhenlao’s nemesis. In desperation, Danling Zhenlao used his escape spell to flee. Guanyin, who had been watching for this, deployed a vast net of willow branches to trap him.

Danling Zhenlao’s gaze turned fierce as he stretched out his index finger and fired a blood arrow. Thinking it was some powerful spell, Wukong focused intently. But as the blood arrow was shot, Danling Zhenlao seemed to be pulled away by the blood, suddenly disappearing into it, with the blood itself vanishing into thin air.

Wukong and Guanyin exchanged glances. What kind of escape spell was this? Using blood as a lure yet leaving no trace—if such a spell existed, one could only prevent escape by killing instantly.

But since he had escaped, there was nothing to be done. After all, the five great Taoist immortals also had formidable cultivation bases. Yet even if they fled, they might still carry out their plan to destroy nations. The world was so vast that it was impossible to guard against everything.

Wukong asked Guanyin, “How did you track down this demon?”
Guanyin replied with a wry smile, “What else could we do? Though the world is vast, there are only so many nations. I, Maitreya, and the Venerable of Ling Mountain each reside in one of the four great continents. As long as Di Ting reports something, we immediately set off.” Wukong had once searched for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for this very reason. It seemed that if Di Ting was dedicated enough, he could indeed detect such things. Back then, it was to prevent people from the Buddha’s hell realm from destroying nations, but now it was to guard against the Heavenly Court.

Yuan Shi had explained the purpose of the Heavenly Court’s Creation Furnace. Without it, it would be difficult for the eight or nine golden immortals to advance in cultivation, and the peaches in the Peach Garden would not grow. Thus, the Creation Furnace was extremely important to the Heavenly Court. Hence, although destroying nations was a last resort, it was still necessary.

It seems that the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother also knew the Three Pure Ones were severely injured; otherwise, how would they dare to make such a major decision on their own? But since they did it anyway, once the Three Pure Ones found out, they would surely go their own way from the Heavenly Court. With the Queen Mother’s cunning, how could she not realize this? Whether it was a last-ditch effort or out of necessity, since Wukong came out of the “Other World” garden in the Jade Pool, he had reached this conclusion—the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were actually not afraid of the Three Pure Ones. Their previous respect and admiration were merely to take advantage of the Three Pure Ones’ influence in Taoism.

After thinking for a while, Wukong murmured, “When a sage gets angry, mortal kingdoms are destroyed in an instant—how can anyone be quick enough to save them?”

Guanyin replied, “If he kills them one by one, I surely can’t stop him. But spells that can destroy thousands of miles of land still require some time to prepare, so most of them can be halted.”

Wukong asked, “So, are there still some that can’t be stopped?”

Guanyin replied gloomily, “Of course. We are weak and helpless; we can only do our best.”

Wukong sighed, “It’s been two years. This is a matter concerning everyone in the world—it should be addressed together.” He then turned to Guanyin and said, “Great Lady, come with me.”

The two left the Lion Camel Country and headed straight for Qi Tian Ling.

Guanyin had been to Qi Tian Ling before, but back then as an enemy; now as an ally. Recalling what had happened there, she couldn’t help but feel emotional. This group, which she had regarded as demons, had behaved upright from the very beginning of the journey, as if they were the true masters of heaven and earth. Yes, masters—only masters know how to cherish and protect; others only know how to plunder and destroy. That’s the essence of the difference.

Guanyin couldn’t help but gaze deeply at Wukong. Was all of this really done by this Stone Monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain?

In no time, they arrived at Qi Tian Ling. The two flew straight to Hou Yi’s residence. Before even landing, they heard Zhu Rong’s shouts. Without rushing to land, they saw Zhu Rong competing with Hou Yi atop the mountain.

Zhu Rong fired arrows one after another. With a flick of her pale, delicate fingertips, a tiny fireball was sent flying. Her mastery over fire was unmatched in the world. These countless fireballs intertwined in the air, forming a vast web of flames.

At that moment, there was a “buzzing” sound. Hou Yi must have drawn countless strings on his bow, and countless thin beams of light shot out from the ground. Each beam hit a fireball precisely, without a single one escaping. The web of flames vanished in an instant.

Zhu Rong, naturally unwilling to accept defeat, fired yet more fireballs in a chaotic flurry. Hou Yi, as if in meditation, didn’t even move his eyes. Only his right hand moved swiftly across the Sun-Shooting Bow, and invisible arrows, like gusts of wind, blew out the fireballs.

Zhu Rong snorted and snapped, “I’m not coming!”
Hou Yi laughed and said, “Sister, you’re being too kind to me. If it were any more, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Zhu Rong replied, “Who asked you to come?”
Dayu said, “The elixirs of the Old Lord are truly miraculous; my fingers are as agile as before.”
Hou Yi said, “The severed arm regrew, as if I’d been reborn—this really exceeded my expectations.”
At that moment, Wukong brought Guanyin down and said to Hou Yi, “Your wounds have healed. Congratulations.” Hou Yi nodded, looking at the cloaked Guanyin with slight surprise.
Wukong then said to Zhu Rong, “Your injury has also healed.” Zhu Rong smiled and said, “I’ve been fine for a while. You didn’t even come to see me.”
Wukong replied, “I went and did something important. I haven’t been in the human world for these past two years.” He turned to Dayu, Hou Tu, and the others, gestured with his right hand toward Guanyin, and said, “Once the Bodhisattva Guanyin, now the Great Lady Guanyin—her boundless compassion has come to this world to save all people. What are your thoughts?”
Hou Tu glanced at Guanyin and asked, “Why are you wearing black?”
Guanyin replied, “Whether it’s black or white depends on one’s heart.”
Dayu and the others didn’t understand what Wukong meant, but since it was said to be an important matter, they naturally wanted to know more. So Wukong recounted how he had gone to the Ten Continents and Three Islands to cause chaos, trying to ruin the Jade Emperor’s plan to rebuild the netherworld. He also talked about his attempt to steal peaches from the heavenly court, where he encountered the Seventy-Two Hunyuan Golden Immortals, over thirty sages, and the Central Yellow Extreme Yellow Horn Immortal. Everyone was shocked upon hearing this—such power existed in the heavenly court, which was truly astonishing.
Hou Yi pondered and said, “I’ve seen that Yellow Horn Immortal once.”
“Oh?” Wukong was slightly surprised. He knew nothing about the Yellow Horn Immortal and had been planning to ask someone about him. Hou Yi continued, “Back then, in order for Chang’e to live forever, I went alone to the heavenly court to steal the immortal peaches. The one guarding the peach tree had yellow horns on his head. But at that time, he was only at the level of a Golden Immortal. To think he’s reached such a high status now is beyond my imagination.”
Wukong said, “The heavenly court has its own secret methods. We don’t need to worry about that. Right now, the Five Elders of Taoism are wreaking havoc on earth, aiming to destroy nations. Guanyin, Maitreya, and Ksitigarbha are having trouble dealing with them.”
“What?” Zhu Rong was the first to react angrily. “Destroy nations? Why?”
Wukong briefly explained the heavenly court’s plans to gather and manipulate fate. The others didn’t ask further, knowing that what Wukong said must be true. Dayu said, “Why didn’t you come earlier?”

Wukong saw Da Yu looking displeased and hurriedly said, “There was a formation protecting the Peach Tree, so I spent two days guarding among the Thirty-Six Heavens before I could assess the strength of the immortals in the Heavenly Court. As for Ksitigarbha, Maitreya, and Guanyin, they think it’s better for Qitianling not to get involved for now—after all, the war with Buddha has just ended, and it’s time for rest.” Wukong said this to provide an excuse for Maitreya and the others; since they weren’t very familiar with Qitianling, it was only natural for them to feel somewhat distant.

“Hmph!” Da Yu’s expression turned as gloomy as water. In his mind, the world belonged to all people, and he strongly disapproved of Ksitigarbha and the others’ approach. But with Wukong and Guanyin present, he didn’t dare say much.

Wukong smiled and said, “Da Yu, don’t be angry. I’m not here to ask for help.”

Hou Yi asked, “Where did those Five Elders of Taoism come from?”

Guanyin replied, “They are Qingling Shilao, Yuanling Yuanlao, Danling Zhenlao… The five of them rarely appear, so few people know about them.”

Wukong said, “The Five Elders are just five of the Thirty-Six Sages. If the Heavenly Court really wants to exterminate nations and seize control over mortals, there are many others they can use.”

Houtu glanced at Wukong and asked, “Does Wukong mean that it’s difficult for just us to resist the Heavenly Court?”

Wukong said, “That’s one reason. But if the Heavenly Court uses tactics to reinforce their forces, it might still be possible to win.”

“Tactics to reinforce forces?” Guanyin raised an eyebrow. “Good idea!”

Wukong continued, “With those people guarding the Peach Tree, they surely won’t act rashly. In my guess, half of them at most would dare to move. If we manage to cause some trouble in the Jade Pool, making the Queen Mother panic, I’m sure even half of them wouldn’t dare to act. Then, we can wipe out the immortals on earth—what do you think?”

Houtu smiled and said, “It’s ruthless enough. But have you considered that such actions will only make the Jade Emperor furious, creating a deep enmity? If the Buddhist underworld takes action now, Qitianling will be attacked from both sides. Can it really withstand that?”

Wukong shook his head. “Of course not.”

Houtu added, “Your original intention in going to the Ten Continents and Three Islands was to divert the Heavenly Court’s anger toward Buddha. But the Jade Emperor isn’t reckless—he won’t fulfill your wishes. Now, by using Qitianling’s forces to oppose the Heavenly Court, you’ve clearly exposed all of Qitianling’s allies, both openly and secretly.”

Wukong nodded but remained silent. Houtu’s words made sense, as they were also for the good of Qitianling and Wukong. Wukong asked Da Yu, “What do you think, Emperor Da Yu?”

Da Yu shook his head and said, “I don’t want to think about it!” Those few words showed that Da Yu had made up his mind. He wasn’t unaware of what Houtu had said, but seeing the suffering of all living beings, how could he remain indifferent? That was no longer Da Yu.

Wukong said, “What an attitude of ‘not wanting to!’ True heroes are those who proceed despite knowing it’s impossible. This suits my ideals perfectly!”
He turned to Hou Tu and said, “Wukong knows that Sister also cannot stand the Heavenly Court’s persecution of sentient beings. What I said before was merely to remind myself. But Sister should understand my true intentions. If I act only for personal gain, what does the world have to do with me? But if I lose my true self, what meaning is there in living in this world?”