Volume 4: The End of Secrets Chapter 498: It’s You After all, dawn had arrived unnoticed. Wukong had already calculated the distance; it was time to reach the territory of the Eastern Earth God. Seeing a small city below, he looked down. Flags fluttered atop the city walls, and several miles away, there were many camps. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was two armies facing off. What luck—having come here, he hadn’t yet seen ancient soldiers fight. But then he thought, in war, countless lives would be lost, leaving orphans and widows, families shattered. Wukong used his secret technique to observe carefully and saw a large character “Chu” written on the flag atop the city walls, while the flags in the camps below bore the character “Han”! The Chu-Han Contention? Could it be Liu Bang and Xiang Yu? Wukong found it extremely strange. For the first time, he felt as if time was flowing backward. Before that, it was the Sui and Tang dynasties; last time, it was the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Now, he had returned to the Chu-Han era… In a few thousand years, might he even return to the primitive ages? With this thought, Wukong transformed into a gust of wind and wandered around the city. When he returned to the clouds, he murmured, “It really is the Overlord of Chu!” He remembered clearly the changes in dynasties throughout history—Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, and so on. But these were known only to him. Who else could he tell? Even if he did, no one would believe him. Unconsciously, he glanced up at the sky. Who could be driving this reversal of time within the furnace? He had come here just to see this. The Dragon Maiden had taught him how to navigate the world. Now, he felt impatient. He was no longer that naive being; with his identity as a traveler from a later era, though young, his mindset and knowledge far surpassed those around him. Meeting Monk Longshu had already been a pleasant surprise. There was no one else in the world he particularly wanted to see. At this moment, Buddha was likely working day and night to refine his body as the Great Sun Buddha. If he succeeded, the world within the furnace would be turned upside down. After some thought, Wukong looked down, then turned and flew away toward Qitian Ridge. He knew the outcome of the Chu-Han Contention. Though he didn’t want to see suffering, he couldn’t intervene. Whether in history or reality, everything followed its own laws. With his current abilities, he could indeed change these things, but wouldn’t that go against the principle of “helping people retain their true nature”? Before reaching Qitian Ridge, he saw Xuan Nu and Yin Yang heading east. Wukong stopped them and asked in surprise, “Where are you going?” Yin Yang wasn’t surprised to see Wukong back. “Xuan Nu invited me to break through the formation,” they said. “Break through a formation? What formation?” Wukong asked Xuan Nu.
Xuan Nu said, “It’s naturally the Sky-Piercing Jade Pillar formation. If we can contain the power of reverse creation, why worry about the Great Sun Tathagata?”
Wukong asked, “Has the Primordial Great Heavenly Venerable succeeded?”
Xuan Nu replied, “There’s only a 70% chance, but we can no longer afford to delay.”
Wukong asked cautiously, “What if it fails?”
Xuan Nu said, “Anyway, the power of creation has already entered. What difference does it make if it fails?”
Wukong thought it made sense and they headed together to the Jade Pure Palace.
Upon arriving at the Jade Pure Palace, the Primordial Great Heavenly Venerable was still staring intently at the Creation Furnace. When the three entered, he put away the furnace and said, “We must try, regardless of success or failure!”
Xuan Nu said, “If your junior brother can’t break this formation, no one else can.”
The Wuzhuang Temple was located in the east, so the four of them flew eastward toward Qingqiu Mountain. In an instant, they entered the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth. When they reached the point where the Sky-Piercing Jade Pillar branched into nine limbs, the Primordial Great Heavenly Venerable stared at the invisible formation on the ground. If he hadn’t mastered the secrets of the Mysterious Void technique, he wouldn’t have been able to see through this formation clearly, and even now, his understanding was somewhat vague.
He had seen this formation before, but his impression now was different from before. Could it be that the formation was capable of changing on its own?
Breaking this formation was of utmost importance. Xuan Nu and Wukong stood on either side, scanning the distance. Although the world was stable, they still had to be cautious. If someone disturbed his focus while he was in meditation, all their efforts might be wasted.
Wukong glanced westward and exclaimed, “There are people on Mount Shihu!”
All four were surprised. The Golden Heaven and Silver Earth were not ordinary places; ordinary people couldn’t reach them, and even immortals had to surpass the realm of the Primordial Golden Immortal before they could set foot there.
In this world, those who could enter the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth were mostly either on Qitian Ridge or Mount Ling in the Western Heaven. Other than that… no one else seemed likely to come here.
Yin Yang said, “Let’s go take a look!”
With their cultivation levels, these four could traverse the world fearlessly, so they put aside the task of breaking the formation for now and flew together toward Mount Shihu in the northeast of the world.
As they got closer, Wukong said with a smile, “That person isn’t an outsider—it’s the Great Immortal Huangjiao.”
On Mount Shihu were, of course, the Great Immortal Huangjiao and over twenty saints. They were also above the nine branches, busy with some unknown task. When they saw Wukong, Xuan Nu, and the others arriving, they didn’t hide.
Back in the Jade Pool, the Great Immortal Huangjiao had generously given up the Peach Tree, so Wukong held no ill will toward him. But now, upon seeing him, Wukong grew suspicious.
In the back garden of the Jade Pool, whether it was the Yellow-Horned Immortal or the Thirty-Six Sages, they were all under the rule of the Queen Mother. Even though the Yellow-Horned Immortal was powerful, how could he bring together so many sages who had scattered in panic back then? Wukong couldn’t help but think that this Yellow-Horned Immortal was by no means an ordinary person.
When the Yellow-Horned Immortal saw Wukong and Yin-Yang, surprise appeared in his eyes—their cultivation levels were far beyond his comprehension. Yet he still smiled and stepped forward, saying, “What a coincidence to meet you here.”
It’s better not to attack those with smiling faces, so Wukong replied, “Indeed, quite a coincidence.”
Xuan Nu, however, hurriedly urged Yuan Shi to break the formation and asked directly, “What are you doing here?”
Xuan Nu’s tone was somewhat rude, but the Yellow-Horned Immortal didn’t seem to mind and said, “With golden skies and silver lands, along with strong winds, this place is perfect for cultivating the body.”
Xuan Nu sneered, “Yellow-Horned Immortal, even lies shouldn’t be this absurd. There isn’t even a trace of the power of creation here—how can one cultivate?” The Yellow-Horned Immortal laughed and said, “We cultivate using immortal pills; why do we need the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?” After saying this, he raised his arm and swung it above his head in a strange gesture, causing Xuan Nu and Yuan Shi to instinctively take a step back.
Realizing something was wrong, the Yellow-Horned Immortal lowered his arm after a moment and said, “Since you all want to use this precious place, how about we step back?”
Before Xuan Nu could reply, Yuan Shi suddenly shouted, “Yellow-Horned, you are the Queen Mother of the West!”
Everyone was shocked at Yuan Shi’s words. Wukong glanced at him and saw his serious expression—how could jokes be made in such a situation?
The Yellow-Horned Immortal was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. “What is Yuan Shi talking about? The Queen Mother of the West was already killed by Buddha. If I were her, wouldn’t I be seeing ghosts?”
At first, Wukong thought the Yellow-Horned Immortal was a master created by the Queen Mother using secret techniques, so he hadn’t examined him closely. Hearing Yuan Shi’s words, Wukong immediately used the secrets of the Mysterious Sky Technique to observe the Yellow-Horned Immortal carefully.
Uncomfortable under Wukong’s gaze, the Yellow-Horned Immortal still smiled and said, “What can you see?”
Wukong glanced into the Yellow-Horned Immortal’s dantian and saw that it was vast and rich in creative energy, but there was a streak of dark red blood floating within, which was quite unusual.
Wukong immediately asked, “Yellow-Horned, whose blood is that streak in your dantian?”
The Yellow-Horned Immortal was slightly surprised but then said, “That blood was planted by the Queen Mother of the West. Her soul blood is connected to ours, and she can take our lives with a thought. If not for that, how could I risk my life for her?”
Wukong found the Yellow-Horned Immortal’s explanation reasonable and turned to look at Yuan Shi.
Yuan Shi said, “I don’t know what magic he’s using, but this man indeed bears an 80% resemblance to the Queen Mother of the West.”
Wukong glanced at Huangjiao again and couldn’t help shaking his head. The Queen Mother of the West was exquisitely beautiful and noble, while this Huangjiao Immortal looked as strange as a bamboo pole—how could they possibly be similar?
Yuan Shi said, “My method of observing people is vastly different from yours. Mortals judge people by their appearance, while immortals observe their aura. As for me, I examine every subtle detail in their words and actions, ignoring even their physical appearance.”
Hmm, no wonder Yuan Shi dared to make such a judgment. It turned out that no matter how peculiar Huangjiao Immortal’s appearance might be, he simply ignored it, yet not a single word or action escaped Yuan Shi’s notice. This skill seemed simple, but it required him to break through countless illusions before he could master it.
Huangjiao Immortal said to Yuan Shi, “Does the Great Heavenly Venerable miss the Queen Mother? If so, go and seek Buddha to avenge her.”
Yuan Shi shook his head and said, “The Queen Mother of the West has grown up by my side since childhood; I know her extremely well. Just now, when you raised your hand, you were actually trying to touch the hairpin on your head, wasn’t that right?”
Huangjiao Immortal laughed and said, “How could that be? The Great Heavenly Venerable is overthinking things.”
Yuan Shi waved his hand again and said, “Ah, girl, you may be able to deceive others, but not me. I already knew that Buddha had set up a formation inside you, but this formation is connected to the one on the Jade Emperor’s body, making it extremely difficult to break. Otherwise, I would have already eliminated this major threat from both of you.”
When Yuan Shi mentioned the Jade Emperor, Huangjiao Immortal’s eyes flickered. Wukong saw this clearly and believed what Yuan Shi said.
Yuan Shi continued, “I thought Buddha had you both firmly in his grasp, and you’d likely never escape his control in this life. But it seems you also had a plan—using the technique of ‘the golden cicada shedding its shell.’ It’s quite ingenious. Did you devise it yourself?”
Huangjiao asked, “Where in the world could there be such a technique that allows two people to swap places?”
Yuan Shi replied, “Indeed, there isn’t. But this body of Huangjiao can control your soul and blood—what’s the difference from your own body? Those who practice cultivation live through their spiritual energy, right?”
Although Huangjiao was highly skilled, he lost his composure in front of Yuan Shi and blurted out, “Stop guessing randomly! There is only Huangjiao—no Queen Mother of the West anymore!”
The more he insisted on this, the more determined Yuan Shi was to clarify things. He said, “Ah, Buddha is truly ruthless—killing the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother like that. It seems you really aren’t the Queen Mother of the West. I misjudged this time.”
Wukong was puzzled. Seeing that Huangjiao’s defenses had weakened and he might confess with just a few more questions, why did Yuan Shi stop pressing further?
So Wukong asked Yuan Shi, “Why isn’t she it then?”
Yuan Shi said again, “There’s something you don’t know. The Queen Mother of the West and the Jade Emperor are like sisters and brothers. If she had such a life-saving method, would she only think of herself? She would definitely pass it on to the Jade Emperor so that they can both survive.” Upon hearing this, Huang Jiao clenched his pale hands tightly and said slowly, “Good, you guessed right. I am the Queen Mother!”