Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 482: The Way of Heaven

Everyone was stunned at first, then burst into laughter. Now they understood everything. It turned out that Laojun, seeing Xuannu insist on following him into the Peach Garden, had been planning something all along. Although the peaches in the garden were not as good as those on the mother tree, their abundance made them valuable. He had finally gotten the chance to pick as many as he wanted, but Xuannu saw through his intentions. With her higher cultivation level, it was difficult for him to compete with her—this loss was inevitable.

Yet Laojun had his own plans. No matter how powerful Xuannu was, if they picked peaches together, he could still get some for himself. Besides, Laojun had a powerful technique—“Pocket of Heaven and Earth.” If he could catch Xuannu off guard, he might be able to gain an advantage.

Once inside the Peach Garden, Laojun proposed a bet to Xuannu, “Senior sister, your cultivation is extraordinary. How about we have a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“There are 3,600 peach trees in this garden. You pick from the front, and I’ll pick from the back. Let’s see who can pick more,” said Laojun. He knew that the 1,200 peach trees at the back bore peaches with purple patterns and golden cores—these were the most precious, with one worth ten of those from the front.

Even if he couldn’t outnumber Xuannu, he could compensate with quality, so he might not suffer a loss after all.

Xuannu smiled and said, “Alright. When shall we start?”

“Now?” asked Laojun.

“Good!” With a lift of her hand, Laojun felt restrained, unable to even open his mouth. He could only watch in shock as Xuannu moved through the garden. When she wanted a ripe, red peach, it would fly off the branch on its own and land in her bag. There were so many peach trees that it took Xuannu half an hour to pick most of them.

She spun around and appeared in front of Laojun, lifting the restriction from him. “You lost,” she said.

Laojun was so angry that his beard trembled. Pointing at Xuannu, he shouted, “You wretch!”

Wukong and the others laughed heartily after hearing this. Laojun took out his storage bag and poured out some peaches, looking upset. “She took all the big ones! Only a few small ones are left for me.”

Xuannu asked, “What do you need these peaches for? Just to make pills and medicines? Hmph! It’s all unnecessary.”

Laojun hated it when others criticized his pill-making skills. He exclaimed, “The art of alchemy is profound—how could you possibly understand it?”

Wukong had also tasted Laojun’s golden pills and knew that no one could compare to him in this field. So he said, “Xuannu is being unfair. Everyone knows that Laojun’s immortal pills are unmatched in the world.”

Xuan Nu said, “Perhaps you’ve only seen the benefits of a Golden Elixir, but you don’t realize how many precious resources are needed to create one. Take these Immortal Peaches, for example—if one peach can grant a person a hundred years of vitality, after turning it into a Golden Elixir, only fifty years remain. It’s a simple calculation—why go to such lengths?”
Laojun defended himself, “That’s not true. My elixirs each have unique benefits—strengthening the body, healing wounds, helping one break through barriers—their power is immense; how can they be compared to Immortal Peaches?”
Xuan Nu replied, “I don’t care about other things. In any case, creating elixirs inevitably consumes vitality. Do you admit that?”
Laojun said, “Sister, if someone takes this Immortal Peach, can they truly use all its vitality? Out of ten parts of vitality, five or six might be lost. It’s better to use my elixirs for other purposes.”
Xuan Nu said, “That’s exactly it. To preserve the vitality, we can give all these Immortal Peaches to the Vitality Divine Ape—thus, no loss at all.”
“Oh! You’ve stolen so many Immortal Peaches just for the Vitality Seven Divine Apes?” Laojun asked.
Xuan Nu replied, “Of course. Aside from the Vitality Divine Ape, no one else has much use for this world. How could I do something pointless?”
Laojun stamped his foot and said, “If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have competed with you. This is just asking for trouble.”
Xuan Nu smiled and said, “Stop pretending to be a good person. But since you’ve worked so hard, from now on, I won’t enter this Peach Garden anymore.”
Laojun was pleased and said, “We’re all one family. Why make a distinction between us?”
Wukong thought for a moment and asked, “Once the Heavenly Court is destroyed, won’t the Peach Garden be affected too?”
Xuan Nu replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. Laojun can still afford to maintain this Peach Garden. It won’t fall without others’ vitality.”
“Oh, so it’s about dividing and governing,” Qilin said. “I once heard Zhenwu mention moving the Purple Sky Palace to the mortal world. That’s quite an ambitious plan.”
Laojun said, “It’s not that difficult. Though he might struggle alone, with the help of the Purple Star Emperor and the Holy Mother of Lishan, it’s nothing to worry about.” Looking at the towering palaces and halls in the Heavenly Court, he sighed, “Since the Purple Sky Palace and the Purple Cloud Palace are to be moved, I should go back and tidy up my own Douluo Palace.”
Wukong was puzzled and asked, “Laojun, if Zhenwu can create his own realm so easily, why can’t he move the Purple Sky Palace by himself?”
Laojun laughed and said, “You monkey, your cultivation is probably even higher than mine, yet you ask such a question.”
Wukong scratched his head and said, “If I don’t understand, I ask.”
Laojun replied, “If it were just the Purple Sky Palace, even an ordinary sage could move it. But do you know how many realms are inside that palace?”

Wukong suddenly understood—it turned out there was a world within the palace. With Zhenwu’s abilities, even if he couldn’t create the three realms of the Three Pure Ones, this world would surely be extraordinary.
Xuan Nu said to Wukong, “I’ve sealed the Peach Garden. Now that the Heavenly Court is free of worries, I’ve brought all the treasures back to Qitian Ridge. We can count them later.”
Wukong asked, “So where should we go now?”
Xuan Nu replied, “I’ll take over guarding Yuan Shi for the Five Divine Apes. Since your seven brothers have gathered together, there must be much to talk about.”
Wukong thought for a moment and realized there were indeed many important tasks left. The thirty-six Jade Stones of Creation should all be given to the Five Divine Apes, and he also needed to hurry up and refine the two peaches he had with him.
Xuan Nu flew Wukong to the Furnace of Creation. The Five Divine Apes, all looking identical, sat in a circle, cross-legged in midair, in meditation. Xuan Nu quickly entered the Furnace of Creation. When she came out, she held two magical artifacts in her left hand and a cloth bag in her right, saying to Wukong, “The Heaven-Confusing Flag and the Chaos Yellow Banner are naturally meant for the Yin and Yang Divine Apes. These peaches are also prepared for you all—don’t be stingy.”
Wukong took them, feeling grateful. There was no need for further words; those who shared the same path of creation naturally understood each other, and whatever they did together was only fitting.
Wukong led the Five Divine Apes straight to Qitian Ridge. Upon arriving, he saw Dayu, Hou Tu, and the gods of metal, wood, fire, and water had returned from the four seas. With Zhenwu’s token in hand, the dragon kings of the four seas had no objections at all.
Zhenwu looked excited, but seeing that almost all the demon races above the rank of earth immortals in Qitian Ridge had been called to the Heavenly Court, he felt slightly disappointed. Wukong said, “Elder Dayu, what you’ve accomplished is the greatest feat in the world. Why rush at this moment?”
Dayu agreed—it was true he had been too hasty. Hou Tu laughed and said, “Let’s go back and rest for now. The Heavenly Court is so vast; it will take some time to move everything there.”
Dayu replied, “Such an important matter—we still haven’t discussed it with Chi Songzi. Even if he agrees, we should still inform him and discuss it first.”
Wukong took the Five Divine Apes to find Yin and Yang. When they entered the cave, they saw Yin and Yang arranging the thirty-six Jade Stones of Creation in a strange pattern on the ground. As they approached the cave entrance, Yin and Yang just placed the last, thousand-zhang-long jade stone in place. Seeing Wukong and the Five Divine Apes arrive, Yin and Yang rushed over and said, “You came at just the right time.”
Wukong was puzzled. When he left the cave, Yin and Yang were still meditating inside. How could they have arranged the thousand-zhang-long jade stone so precisely now? Could it be just a coincidence?

Yin Yang glanced at Wukong with an inquiring expression. There was a subtle connection between them; if one thought carefully, one could roughly guess each other’s thoughts. Yin Yang seemed to be answering Wukong, yet also speaking to himself: “The way of the universe is always just right.”

Oh? Hearing this, Wukong’s heart stirred. Those above the Hunyuan Golden Immortal level already understood the way of the universe and thus mastered the art of creating and controlling realms. Even sages knew little about it.

Yu referred to space, while Zhou referred to time. In this world, which sages no longer valued, the way of Yu was no longer a decisive weapon. Even if the Bodhisattva Ni Li encountered the time-reversal technique used by the Yin Yang Divine Ape, he would likely be helpless and could only let Yin Yang dictate his fate. Could it be that the Yin Yang Divine Ape had surpassed the realm of sages?

What he meant was that the control over time through the way of the universe was extremely precise, wasting not a single moment, which allowed them to arrange the thirty-six thousand-zhang jade pillars the instant Wukong and the others entered the cave. It sounded extremely mysterious, but for those well-versed in the ways of Yu and Zhou, it was nothing special.

Wukong couldn’t help but ask, “Have you already surpassed the realm of sages?”

Yin Yang nodded and said, “There are the realms of Human Sage, Earth Sage, Sky Sage, followed by the realms of Yin Yang and Chaos. I am now in the Yin Yang realm.”

Wukong exclaimed, “What about me?”

Yin Yang looked at Wukong and smiled, “You don’t even know your own realm?”

Wukong replied, “What Earth Sage or Sky Sage? No one has ever told me about these.”

Yin Yang said, “Sages are few and far between. Among all people, only Xuan Nu has surpassed the Sky Sage realm. But even she doesn’t know about these realm divisions, because it is a great secret in itself.”

Wukong asked in confusion, “It’s just a matter of who is stronger. What’s the difference from Tai Yi and Hunyuan? What secret is there?”

Yin Yang thought for a moment and said, “Even if I tell you now, you won’t understand. Better not rush.”

Wukong asked, “Then when will I understand?”

Yin Yang replied, “After eating the two peach fruits in your arms and taking these thousand-zhang jade pillars, perhaps you’ll understand.”

Wukong was shocked and said, “How can so many benefits all be given to me?”

Yin Yang smiled instead and said, “If not to you, then to whom?”

Wukong turned around and pointed. Wang Yu and Feng Tong had very strange expressions. While Wukong and the Yin Yang Divine Ape were talking, they seemed like students being scolded, all lowering their heads and listening attentively, none daring to interrupt.

The Yin Yang Divine Ape sighed and said, “Sigh, Yin Yang. The realm of Yin Yang is the pinnacle of cultivation. Don’t you know that yet?”

“The pinnacle of cultivation? Can’t you advance any further?” Wukong asked.
Yin Yang Dao replied, “It’s impossible!”
“What about them?” Wukong pointed backward.