Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed – Chapter 476: Difficult to Enter the City

Seeing Wukong’s embarrassed expression, Xuan Nu laughed and said, “What do you know?”
Wukong replied, “If I take control of the Heavenly Court, King Ksitigarbha surely won’t allow it. Thus, the Heavenly Court is sustained by the forces of the netherworld. As someone from that lineage, how could I dare to disrupt such forces so recklessly?”
Xuan Nu said, “Exactly. The forces of heaven and earth should belong to heaven and earth, while the forces of humans should belong to humans.”
Recalling the scenes in the netherworld, Wukong felt even more ashamed. Mortal souls contain much of these forces, and after passing through the netherworld, eight or nine out of ten are lost. All these forces are used merely to sustain this extravagantly luxurious heavenly palace. Upon reflection, this is even more cruel and vicious than any form of exploitation.
If a mortal’s foundation of these forces is strong, it greatly benefits their lifespan. No wonder this land, though blessed with outstanding people, has short-lived inhabitants—this is the reason.
Wukong said, “Good. Once I take the Mother Peach Tree and the Force Furnace, along with the treasures in the Peach Garden, the Heavenly Court will naturally cease to exist.”
Xuan Nu agreed, “Exactly! Now, we should handle some follow-up matters.”
Xuan Nu led Wukong out of the Jade Pool and stood on the 36th heaven to observe. They saw Laozi and the other Buddhas still fighting fiercely, now reaching as high as the 34th heaven. The two flew over, and Wukong unfurled his Heavenly Fate Staff, using his martial arts along the way. Which of the Buddhas could withstand him? Wukong shouted, “The Tathagata has been defeated. Why do you still persist in fighting?”
One Buddha replied sternly, “The righteous laws of heaven and earth, the radiant light of Buddhism!”
Wukong was speechless. These Buddhas were nothing but mindless puppets, utterly incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. The Buddhist hell wasn’t just for ordinary people—it was also a hell for these brainwashed Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Xuan Nu sighed, but her eyes flashed with a cold light. She took out a needle, flicked it out, and it darted through the crowd, taking the life of each Buddha it passed.
Wukong also hardened his heart. These Buddhas had long lived in the Buddhist hell, their hands stained with countless mortal bloods. Though they acted under orders, they had no chance of change in this life. Keeping them was pointless. He unfurled his Heavenly Fate Staff. He had rarely killed so many in his life, but under his staff, not a single one of these sages or Hunyuan Golden Immortals could survive a single strike—anyone touched by it died instantly.

Laojun had already stopped fighting and stood aside, sighing, “War is an inauspicious tool, not fit for a gentleman. It should only be used as a last resort, and indifference is the best approach.” Lingbao snorted in response, “Today you killed four more than I did. How can there be indifference?” Laojun retorted, “I defeated my enemies with a single move, unlike you, who cause bloodshed with every strike yet fail to kill them. Doesn’t that add more suffering?” Lingbao said, “I thought these Buddhas would know when to retreat, but they’re all desperate, and killing them is the only option.”

The Old Mother of Lishan said, “Tathagata truly has great skill, able to make these experts willingly serve him.” Laojun replied, “Evil methods disrupt people’s hearts and are not worthy of being called a path.”

Watching blood fly everywhere and corpses fall to the ground, Ziwei sighed, “It seems that causing people to lose their true nature is truly an unforgivable evil!”

Wukong and Xuannu wiped out all these Buddhas without leaving a trace. When the last corpse fell, Xuannu said, “We also need to go to the Kunlun Immortal Island.”

The two rushed downward, passing by Laojun. Xuannu said indifferently, “False compassion!” Laojun was startled and quickly asked, “Where is it false?” Wukong laughed, “It’s not Laojun showing false compassion; it’s Xuannu being true to her nature.” Laojun snapped, “You monkey, born of fate yet disregarding it, killing so many people and still mocking us here.” Wukong replied, “If we didn’t kill them, wouldn’t they continue to cause havoc in the world?” Now that Tathagata and Nilī had disappeared, these Buddhas and bodhisattvas had unchangeable obsessions in their hearts. If not eliminated, they would slaughter people in the world and cause disaster. Wukong’s words weren’t unreasonable—had there been even a trace of kindness or remorse in their hearts, he wouldn’t have carried out such mass killings.

The battle on Kunlun Immortal Island had ended. The five hundred bodhisattvas were either killed or captured; none were spared. When Dayu and the others saw that Wukong was unharmed, they were overjoyed and asked where Tathagata had gone. Wukong said, “Tathagata and Nilī have vanished without a trace, so they’re no longer a threat.” He knew that when Tathagata reappeared, he would surely bring the Great Sun Tathagata with him. But since they had just achieved a great victory, it was necessary to say so to boost morale.

Hearing this, Dayu wasn’t pleased. He said, “Tathagata’s defeat this time was a serious blow. The Heavenly Court is gone now, and Qitianling is Tathagata’s only major enemy. We must be more cautious in the future.” Wukong was left speechless. Dayu was so steady that it was rare to see him excited. It was unclear how Houtu could tolerate his extremely cautious nature.

Zhurong said cheerfully, “Wukong, the Heavenly Court must be in disarray now. When will they move to Qitianling?”

As Zhu Rong finished speaking, Guanyin quietly said from the side, “It’s not possible!” Zhu Rong glared at her; though he said nothing, he thought to himself, “How dare you speak?” Unexpectedly, Wukong added, “Guanyin is right—it truly isn’t possible!” Zhu Rong asked in surprise, “Why not?” Wukong replied, “Sister, I’ll explain this to you in detail later. There’s still a thousand-zhang piece of jade on Kunlun Island that needs to be obtained. Once this matter here is settled, we’ll naturally deal with the Heavenly Court.” Dayu pointed at the Nine-Layer Zengcheng and said, “There are strange beasts inside, and even Bodhisattva Nili is at a loss. We must be careful.” Xuan Nu glanced at Laojun and asked, “What should we do about those thousands of Kai Ming beasts?” Laojun replied, “The Kai Ming beasts only obey Lu Wu, and Lu Wu only obeys the Queen Mother. Now that the Queen Mother is dead, who else can do anything?” Xuan Nu suggested, “How about I go into the city and kill Lu Wu?” Laojun asked, “Nili doesn’t even have such power—how can you?” Wukong proposed, “What if I use my invisibility spell to enter?” Laojun pondered and said, “Invisibility… that could work. But the Kai Ming beasts have nine heads and eighteen eyes, never resting for a moment. If you’re caught in their gaze, you’ll immediately reveal your true form. Are you sure you can avoid them?” After thinking for a while, Wukong realized that with thousands of Kai Ming beasts in the city, that meant hundreds of thousands of eyes. He wasn’t sure he could avoid them at all. At that moment, Hou Yi stepped forward and declared firmly, “Let’s lure Lu Wu out—I’ll shoot him dead with one arrow!” Without hesitation, Wukong agreed, “Good idea!” Hou Yi was renowned for his archery skills, and no one present doubted him. Even Nili had suffered greatly under his arrows. It seemed this was the best option—risk-free almost. Laojun said, “If that’s the case, I’ll go call Lu Wu. Hopefully, with my reputation, I can trick him into coming out.” Laojun flew on clouds above the Nine-Layer Zengcheng and called out loudly, “Immortal Lu Wu, it’s your old friend Laojun. I just wish to meet with you.” After a while, Lu Wu’s voice came from inside the city, “Venerable Taoist Lord, since when have you associated with demons?” Laojun laughed and said, “You’re too kind, Immortal. I’m a Taoist who has always followed the ways of heaven and earth. Outside the city are those of the Creation lineage, ancient deities, and the True Warrior Qilin—none of them are evil demons!” Lu Wu snorted, “I don’t know any of these names. If you’re not associating with demons, why are you here spreading lies?” Laojun suddenly felt embarrassed. He had thought his reputation as the Supreme Lord Laojun would be enough to trick Lu Wu out, but Lu Wu refused to recognize anyone—no matter if it was Laojun or the True Warrior. He would simply hold onto the Nine-Layer Zengcheng.

Laojun held back his anger and said, “Immortal Lu Wu, I know you harbor resentment, but both the Supreme Heaven God and the Queen Mother of the West were destroyed by Buddha’s hand—what does that have to do with us?”
Lu Wu replied, “It has nothing to do with you. Why have you come here if not for the Thousand-Foot Jade in the city?”
Laojun admitted it outright, saying, “It’s called sharing a common enemy. I want the Thousand-Foot Jade only to deal with Buddha. We’ve never had any grudges against each other. How could I ruin the reputation of our Taoist sect?”
Lu Wu shouted, “The Kunlun Immortal Island is a sacred place for Taoism. Without this jade, it will become a desolate island. How can you bear to do that? Do you truly care about our Taoist sect?”
Although Lu Wu appeared rough and bold, like a brute, he was actually meticulous and eloquent. No matter how Laojun tried to persuade him with flattery, Lu Wu refused and did not appear.
The qilin, already angry, roared, “If he won’t come out, I’ll drag him out!”
Without hesitation, the qilin charged headfirst at the nine-story gates of Zengcheng. The gates couldn’t withstand its horns, and with a loud crash, they burst open, revealing countless Mingming beasts, yet no sign of Lu Wu.
The qilin rushed in, but after flying just ten feet, it was surrounded by the Mingming beasts. As they roared together, the qilin stopped in its tracks, its eyes filled with disbelief, before plummeting like a kite with its string cut.
Guanyin quickly intervened, stretching out a hundred-foot-long willow branch to pull the qilin back. But as soon as the branch entered the city, it was also targeted by the Mingming beasts and couldn’t move forward another inch.
Everyone was shocked—the Mingming beasts could harm not only people but also magical artifacts. In this case, even Hou Yi’s divine arrows might struggle to enter the city!
As for Wang Yu, his personal magical artifact, the God-Slaying Circle, had been sent flying into the sky by the white jade hand. He rushed after it urgently, for this artifact was crucial to him and a gift from Xuan Nu—how could he give it up so easily?
The force of the white jade hand’s gesture was astonishing. The God-Slaying Circle flew higher and faster, and Wang Yu couldn’t keep up. Unwilling to give up, he knew that even if he couldn’t catch up, the circle would eventually fall.
He continued upward, but the stronger the gales became the higher he went. After a while, Wang Yu could no longer ascend another step. Disheartened, he had no choice but to wait on the spot for the God-Slaying Circle to fall.
He waited for a full fifteen minutes, yet saw no sign of it. Staying in the fierce winds drained his magical energy, and gradually, he gave up, realizing he lacked the strength to go any further. He would have to return and ask Xuan Nu for help.
With this thought, Wang Yu decided to retreat. Just then, he suddenly felt the connection between him and the God-Slaying Circle reestablished. Could it be that the circle had fallen?

Wang Yu widened his eyes and looked up. Suddenly, a most strange feeling spread through his heart, filling him with extreme joy. He saw a figure descending from the sky, holding in her hands nothing other than his own God-Slaying Ring!