Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 469: Seizing the Secret of Heaven The tense atmosphere had eased somewhat due to the questions and answers between Wukong and Tathagata, but everyone knew this dialogue was no trivial matter. Their paths differed—one was for the public good, the other for personal gain. Among the countless beings in the world, it was hard to say which path had more followers. Wukong asked Tathagata if he had a heart, without any hint of mockery. It is said that all paths arise from the heart, for the heart is the master of all things. Buddhism focuses on enlightening the heart, Taoism on cultivating it, and Confucianism on preserving it—all centered around the heart as the path. The heart has two natures: the human heart and the Tao heart. The human heart refers to the tangible heart within the body, visible to ordinary people. The Tao heart does not depend on birth or death; those who live in ignorance and confusion cannot see it. One must understand that heaven has its laws, earth has its principles, humans have reason, objects have their physical laws, and events have their logic. When reason prevails, order exists; when it is lost, chaos ensues. The Tao heart, or the Tao itself, is formless and colorless—invisible and inaudible. It is everywhere yet nowhere, governing all things without exception. *Journey to the West* In the first chapter, the title is “The Spiritual Root Gives Birth to All Things; Cultivating the Heart Leads to the Great Way.” “Spirit” refers to the mind, “root” to the foundation, “source” to the origin, and “flow” to everything that emerges from that source. All phenomena arise from the mind, and all vanish when the mind ceases to exist—the mind is the source of all things. No matter how skillful one’s deceptions may be, they cannot deceive one’s own heart. Once there is an obsession in the heart, that becomes a flaw. Tathagata thought for a moment before smiling and saying, “The ten directions of emptiness exist within your heart, like a cloud dotting the vast expanse. Can you see through it?” Wukong sneered, “How dare you speak of the ten directions of emptiness? Even in this single world, you cannot see through it or escape—right?” Tathagata’s greatest obsession was actually to escape this world. Wukong’s words struck at the core of his pain, but how could he care about such a trivial provocation? He stopped answering Wukong, stretched out his palm, and struck downward, shouting, “Do you still remember the Five Elements Mountain?” The Five Elements Mountain? Wukong saw that Tathagata’s palm contained the power of the five elements, much like the one that had trapped him there before. Only then wasn’t Tathagata a sage, nor was Wukong the same Taiyi Golden Immortal. The power of the five elements posed little threat to Wukong. He leaped forward to meet it, shouting, “If I hadn’t done it on purpose, how could you have trapped me?” Wukong knew Tathagata was skilled in strategy, but he wanted to undermine Tathagata’s confidence. While you scheme against others, someone else is scheming against you. It was I, Sun Wukong, who caused chaos during the quest for the scriptures—what can you do about it?

With a swipe of his palm, the shadow solidified, resembling the weight of the Five Great Mountains pressing down. Wukong shook his Tianji Stick and effortlessly formed a swirling motion, scattering the mountain shadows. He then unleashed a firestorm from the sky, before swinging his Tianji Stick like a force that split the heavens toward the Medicine Buddha.

The Eight Medicine Buddhas did not dodge. The Medicine Buddha sat firmly in the center like a mountain, while the seven surrounding Buddhas spun rapidly around him. Tathagata, who was originally above the Medicine Buddha’s head, now moved to directly below him, forming a sacred seal with his hands in front of his chest.

The other Buddhas followed a similar pattern. The eight Buddhas had different skin colors, and their sacred seals were either golden yellow or red-black. The eight seals instantly coalesced and were released together to confront the Tianji Stick.

Wukong was filled with boldness. He had never imagined he would possess the strength to confront the Eight Medicine Buddhas. He wielded the stick with full force, colliding it with the eight seals.

These eight seals, like eight spinning wheels, were sent flying everywhere by the Tianji Stick. Two of them struck the stone pillars of the Central Heavenly Gate, shattering those pillars that were over ten feet thick.

As the Tianji Stick’s momentum slowed, it still headed toward the Medicine Buddha’s head. The Medicine Buddha stretched out his left hand and grabbed the front end of the stick. He pressed down with his arm, and starting from his fingertips, his jade-like white palm cracked like glass, extending all the way to his left shoulder before stopping. Yet, his hand still held onto the Tianji Stick tightly.

The seven other Buddhas understood what to do and reached out to seize the stick as well.

Wukong sneered, changed his strategy, and the Tianji Stick instantly transformed into a hooked blade covered in barbs. Wukong twisted the stick in his hand, producing a loud screeching sound of metal grinding against metal. Countless shiny fragments fell from the Medicine Buddha’s palm. Despite the pain, the Medicine Buddha did not let go.

Wukong pulled hard with all his might. At that moment, seven more hands grabbed the stick, holding it firmly. With only his own strength, Wukong could not compete against eight people. He felt a hint of panic—losing the Tianji Stick would mean incalculable losses.

In his urgency, he suddenly felt a subtle movement in the yin and yang energies in his dantian, and a strange force flowed into the Tianji Stick. In that instant, the stick trembled at an imperceptible frequency.

The Eight Medicine Buddhas’ palms felt as if struck by lightning, and they all released their grip. Wukong quickly took advantage of the situation to retrieve his stick.

Tathagata narrowed his eyes and said coldly to Wukong, “The power of creation and destruction? How did you learn it?”

Wukong replied, “What’s so remarkable about it? What do you know about the Divine Ape of Creation?”

Tathagata laughed dryly twice and said, “Well, the Divine Ape of Creation has such wonderful abilities. Truly impressive.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two screams were heard in the distance. Two Buddha corpses fell to the ground. Wang Yu held the Sword of Exterminating Immortals in his right hand and the Circle of Slaying Gods in his left. More than a dozen flying swords circled around him, while two more flying swords, covered in blood, slowly returned. Six or seven Buddhas surrounded him from afar, but none dared approach.

The Tathagata looked at the magical weapons in Wang Yu’s hands, filled with both envy and hatred—clearly, the Four Swords of Exterminating Immortals were all gathered there. When he glanced at the battlefield around him, he was even more shocked.

Tong Feng fought against eight opponents at once. The Everlasting Tree in his hands created a green barrier, keeping the eight Buddhas at bay. From time to time, the whip would strike suddenly, catching them off guard, allowing him to remain invincible.

The Six-Eared Monkey used a fan in his left hand and a fire fan in his right, fanning wildly in all directions, making it difficult for others to get close. Two of the Buddhas had torn and charred clothes, likely having been struck by his attacks.

Wu Zhiqi’s Sea-Submerging Whip was even more terrifying. Water arrows shot from nowhere, their power comparable to that of the saints’ flying swords. Coupled with his unmatched strength and iron-like body, although trapped in the battle circle, he could only attack and not defend, thus holding a significant advantage.

At that moment, the Armored Divine Ape emitted yellow light. The Buddhas around him acted like drunk immortals, moving up and down uncontrollably, seemingly under some spell.

The Tathagata naturally knew that the Pangu Axe had split into various divine weapons, but he didn’t realize that these weapons were so closely linked to the Seven Divine Apes.

The Everlasting Tree was originally in the hands of Jumang, the Four Swords of Exterminating Immortals were scattered everywhere, the Sea-Submerging Whip was under the control of the Sea-Submerging Dragon of the Northern Sea, the Earthly Spirit Pearl had always been inside the Corpse-Buried Buddha, and the two Banana Fans were Laojun’s treasures. How did these magical weapons suddenly end up in the hands of the Creative Divine Ape? Who revealed this secret to the divine apes?

Pangu? It must be Pangu!

Thinking of Pangu, the Tathagata felt intense hatred. That wretched servant had prevented him from leaving heaven from beginning to end, yet he couldn’t even kill him—how detestable!

The Tathagata looked around. Although the Buddhas were outnumbered, aside from the two groups surrounding Zi Wei and the Holy Mother of Li Shan who had a slight advantage, the rest were at a disadvantage. Especially the five divine apes seemed almost invincible.

As a great hero throughout his life, the Tathagata made an immediate decision. With the power he had now, it was almost impossible to defeat the Creative Divine Ape. The only option was to plan for the long term. Fortunately, the force of counter-creation had already seeped into the world, something no one could reverse. He would find a hidden place, quietly cultivate his body as the Great Sun Tathagata, and then pursue his grand ambitions.

In the heavens, there was still a Creation Furnace that had not been seized—this was a treasure that must be taken. As for the Peach Tree, it seemed useful but was actually of no use. The Peach Tree only bore peaches every ten thousand years, while the force opposing creation in the world was growing increasingly strong, making it much easier to attain the body of the Great Sun Tathagata than before. With this in mind, the Tathagata recited a spell, and then the body of the Eighth Buddha of Medicine rushed upward beyond the Thirty-Six Heavens. The other Buddhas abandoned their opponents and followed behind.

Yuan Shi Tian Zun knew that beyond the Thirty-Six Heavens lay the Creation Furnace. Since the Tathagata was heading there, it was obvious he was aiming for the Creation Furnace. Shouting, “Don’t let him seize the Creation Furnace!” he chased after them.

Wukong immediately understood. With a swift movement, his shadow flashed by as he rushed upward into the heavens, leaving the Tathagata and the others behind. The other divine apes and the Three Pure Ones each displayed their supernatural powers, charging into the Buddha army and fighting fiercely.

Seeing that Wukong’s speed surpassed his own, the Tathagata, in desperation, took out a magical artifact from his bosom—it was actually a Stupa Tower! He tapped the top of the tower, and from within emerged a limbless being that chased after Wukong at lightning speed. Sensing something strange behind him, Wukong turned and swung his staff.

The limbless being twisted like a serpent, evading the strike with eerie agility, before sweeping sideways at Wukong. Too late to pull back his staff, Wukong raised his hand to block. At that moment, he suddenly remembered the white jade hand from the Buddhist hell—could it have originated from this limb?

Upon collision, Wukong felt an overwhelming force strike him, his arm bones screaming in pain as he was flung a hundred miles away.

Indeed! Apart from the evil power of that white jade hand, what else could be so formidable? That limb was filled with the force opposing creation. Wukong was not yet proficient in using the Yin and Yang leaves, and his recovery of the Tian Ji Staff had not been voluntary either. Thus, he suffered a great loss against this limb.

The limbless being pursued Wukong relentlessly, delivering another heavy blow. This time, Wukong was more prepared and used the Tian Ji Staff to block. Yet upon collision, he felt a heaviness in his chest as the force opposing creation flowed into the staff and silently entered his body, merging with the black leaves in his dantian.

This was not the first time the Tian Ji Staff had shown such anomalies. Back in the Purple Thunder Formation of Heavenly Gangs and Earthly Fiends, it had absorbed lightning energy and stored it within. In the Buddhist hell, it had also absorbed the force opposing creation. Now it happened again. Wukong was secretly pleased—the Tian Ji Staff must have many wonders, and what he knew was just the tip of the iceberg. With this staff, why fear the Tathagata?

Thinking of this, he swung his Tianji Stick, unconcerned with how the severed arm would attack, focusing only on protecting himself. As for Tathagata, he only wanted the severed arm to entangle Wukong, while the Eight Buddhas of Medicine flew upward without pause.