Volume 4: The End of Cosmic Secrets Chapter 522: The Spirit of Freedom

The spirit of freedom is essential for attaining enlightenment, but how can one truly be free? At this moment, Wukong’s entire focus was on that Cosmic Ball, entangled with black and white threads like a tangled mess—how could he possibly think of freedom? After much effort, he still couldn’t figure out the solution. Initially, he could control the white cosmic energy, but now it seemed frozen, utterly motionless. Wukong had always had complete control over such cosmic forces, so he had never encountered such a situation. After repeated failures, he finally realized that his mind was in chaos.

This was not the time to display supernatural powers in the world around him; instead, it was necessary to use his consciousness and mental focus within his dantian. All magical techniques were useless now—only his state of mind mattered. Realizing this, Wukong forced himself to calm his restless emotions, shifting his focus away from that tangled Cosmic Ball for the time being.

Xuan Nu and the Six Divine Apes sat in a circle around Wukong. Concerned for him, they all felt uneasy. Yin Yang suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the horizon, saying, “Is that… the Buddhist Hell?” Everyone rose into the air to take a closer look. Indeed, a dark cloud covered half of the sky in the northwest—that was the Buddhist Hell. Feng Tong sighed and said, “Just by looking at the scale of the Buddhist Hell, it seems that the cultivation level of the Great Sun Tathagata far exceeds ours. Yet why is he only a Heavenly Saint?”

Yin Yang replied, “The Tathagata’s understanding of forces that defy cosmic order far surpasses ours! Hmph! Since he dares to show himself, I’ll go meet him!” Xuan Nu hurriedly said, “Wait!”

Surprised, Yin Yang stopped and asked, “Why stop me?”

Who was Yin Yang? He was the Cosmic Divine Ape who had been persecuted by the Tathagata for ten lifetimes! He was the pilgrim who was manipulated by the Tathagata to journey from the Eastern Lands to the Western Heavens! He was Tang Seng, who was pierced by the Cosmic Heart Staff and forced to die in agony! His hatred toward the Tathagata could only be described as overwhelming rage. It had been a long time since his cultivation improved, and this was the first time he had seen any trace of the Tathagata. He had held back his anger for so long, yet to his surprise, Xuan Nu tried to stop him!

Strangely enough, Xuan Nu belonged to the Cosmic lineage and should have sided with Yin Yang. But now, she seemed worried about the Tathagata. With decades of hatred and a cultivation level higher than that of the Great Sun Tathagata, if a fight broke out, the Tathagata would likely be at a severe disadvantage. Whether she could persuade Yin Yang was uncertain. For the first time, Xuan Nu felt helpless. She thought, “Wukong, Wukong, why haven’t you woken up yet? If Wukong were here, his sense of justice would make things easier to handle.”

Seeing Yin Yang’s puzzled expression, Xuan Nu said, “If you go to find the Tathagata, is it to seek revenge?”

Yin Yang said, “That’s only natural.”
Xuan Nu replied, “This matter still requires careful consideration.”
Yin Yang showed signs of anger. If it weren’t for his knowledge that Xuan Nu was none other than Bodhisattva Vairocana, as well as the teacher of Wang Yu and the School of Creation, he might have turned on her on the spot. “What needs careful consideration?” Yin Yang asked.
“Do you wish to leave heaven?” Xuan Nu had no choice but to reveal her biggest trump card.
“Leave heaven? I can leave heaven on my own—what does it have to do with Tathagata?” Yin Yang retorted.
Xuan Nu glanced at Yin Yang with deep meaning and said, “Have you forgotten? Tathagata is someone from beyond heaven.”
Before Yin Yang could reply, the dark cloud in the west gradually shrank. Everyone watched in confusion, unsure of why. Xuan Nu continued, “Since Tathagata dares to appear, he must be fearless. If he really wanted to hide, could you find him?”
Yin Yang remained silent, staring at the dark cloud disappearing into thin air, lost in thought. Once the cloud vanished completely, Yin Yang let out a deep sigh and said, “Good. We’ll discuss this again once Wukong wakes up.”
His sudden change surprised Xuan Nu, who asked, “What did you see?”
Yin Yang replied calmly, “Tathagata has sent all the people from the Buddhist hell away. This realm is gone—there will be no more Buddhist hell in the world from now on.”
Everyone was shocked. This realm was gone? The Buddhist hell was such a powerful force—how could Tathagata bear to abandon it? Had Tathagata truly changed his nature?
Xuan Nu murmured to herself, “Is this considered sincerity?”
Unconsciously, everyone turned their attention back to Wukong and the Six Divine Apes. Xuan Nu and they were all at a loss, especially since Lingming was still asleep.
At that moment, a loud rumbling sound came from the sky, followed by a gust of fierce wind. Indeed, it was a fierce wind that swept across the ground, knocking Xuan Nu and the Five Divine Apes off balance.
Everyone was terrified—how could there be such a powerful wind in the world? Yet the person controlling it handled it perfectly, leaving not a single plant or tree damaged.
Only Yin Yang remained unmoved. He exclaimed, “The Kunpeng!”
No one appeared. The fierce wind lifted Wukong’s body and carried him straight into the sky.
Tong Feng wanted to chase after him, but Yin Yang waved his hand to pull him back, saying, “There’s no need to chase. It’s not a bad thing that the Kunpeng has taken Wukong away.”
The Kunpeng appeared suddenly, silently, without even leaving a trace, and took Wukong away. This sudden change was utterly unexpected. Tong Feng asked anxiously, “Why… why didn’t the Kunpeng show himself?”
Yin Yang replied seriously, “If he showed himself, it would truly be a disaster…”

Wukong was still immersed in his own world, unaware that the Kunpeng was chasing after him. His six senses had been lost, leaving him completely insensitive to the outside world. He gathered his thoughts, forcing himself to stop thinking about that Creation Ball for the time being. It took a long while before he could calm down. Suddenly, Wukong heard a voice: “You are Lingming!” That voice sounded somewhat familiar. Right, it was the Kunpeng! It was indeed him! Back then, in the vast expanse of the three realms, Wukong and the Kunpeng had had a long conversation. Now, the Kunpeng spoke much more fluently than before. “It’s me!” Wukong thought. “Are you the Kunpeng? How did you come here?” “It’s not me who came; it’s you who went,” said the Kunpeng. “I went? Where did I go?” “With the spirit of freedom, you’ve traveled throughout the nine heavens. I haven’t seen you for countless years, yet I found traces of you here,” sighed the Kunpeng. “The spirit of freedom?” Wukong was puzzled. He longed for freedom but was tormented by the Black and White Creation Balls. What kind of freedom was this? Yet the Kunpeng had sensed it. In “The Wandering Journey,” the Kunpeng is also mentioned: “In the northern seas, there is a fish called Kun. Its size is unknown—thousands of miles long, perhaps. When it transforms into a bird, it’s called Peng. The back of Peng is also thousands of miles long; when it flies in anger, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky…” Suddenly, Wukong had an idea. The author of “The Wandering Journey” was the famous Zhuangzi. His description of the Kunpeng seemed as if he had seen it with his own eyes. People throughout history had thought this was just Zhuangzi’s extraordinary imagination. But who would have thought that in this World of Journey to the West, such a sacred being as the Kunpeng actually existed? If the Kunpeng existed, then where was Zhuangzi, who had seen it? Wukong really couldn’t help but want to ask the Kunpeng if he knew someone named Lao Zhuang. But then he thought again—since the Kunpeng appeared in Lao Zhuang’s writings, perhaps in Lao Zhuang’s eyes, the Kunpeng was just like a fish in a pond or a bird in the sky. Though rare, it was merely used as a metaphor. In this world, though the Kunpeng held a lofty status, in Zhuangzi’s eyes, it might not mean much after all. Wukong was shocked by his own thought. If Zhuangzi really existed, then where was he? Inside the heavens? That possibility was extremely slim. Outside the heavens? Could one see the Kunpeng outside the heavens? Standing outside the furnace and observing what happened inside—it was quite possible. Wukong wandered in wild thoughts, conjuring up Zhuangzi out of thin air, lost in delusion. The Kunpeng said, “Lingming, do you still remember our words from back then?” “Back then? What did I say?” Wukong really had forgotten.

“When you asked me back then why heaven and earth came together and why they separated, do you understand now?”
Wukong replied, “I have some understanding. Heaven is not truly heaven, earth is not truly earth; everything is shaped by human actions.”
The Kunpeng sighed and said, “When I speak of heaven and earth, you respond with heaven and earth. But have you ever thought about what exists after chaos?”
Wukong was stunned and said, “After chaos comes yin and yang.”
The Kunpeng said, “Once yin and yang are distinct, within yin there is yang, and within yang there is yin. As the saying goes, ‘Isolated yin cannot give birth, and isolated yang cannot grow.’ You understand this principle.”
Wukong said, “I do understand it, but what if yin and yang mix together?”
The Kunpeng replied, “Once black and white are distinct, you need not worry about them.”
“Not worry about them? How can I not worry?”
“Simply stop worrying. Buddhism says ‘let go of attachments,’ Taoism says ‘go with the flow,’ and Taoism also teaches ‘unity of man and nature, tranquility, and non-action.’ Do I really need to explain such basic things?” the Kunpeng said.
Wukong thought to himself, You don’t know. I’m just an ordinary person. I can recite passages from Buddhist scriptures and Taoist teachings coherently when I remember them, but when it comes to truly understanding them, they’re all contradictory. The only phrase I remember most clearly is ‘do not lose your original heart.’
Wukong agreed, “Okay, okay, I’ve remembered it.”
The Kunpeng said, “If you truly understand, you will naturally awaken.”
“Awaken? Truly awaken, or…?” It was unclear whether the Kunpeng meant the awakening of the wise monkey or breaking free from the current state of losing his six senses.
The Kunpeng said, “There’s not much difference. Awakening in chaos means achieving wisdom. At that time, you will naturally be able to find yourself again.”
“What? Chaos? Am I in a state of chaos now?”
“What do you think it is? You’re in a daze yet unaware of it?” the Kunpeng said.
If I’m in a state of chaos, isn’t that even higher than the state of yin and yang? My current cultivation has already surpassed yin and yang—shouldn’t I be the greatest person in this world?
Yet, despite being so powerful, I feel no excitement, only slight surprise. The speed of my cultivation improvement is truly too fast.
Seeming to read Wukong’s thoughts, the Kunpeng said, “Most of the miraculous creations in the world have been gathered by you. These creations include those from Buddhism and Taoism, immortals and mortals, humans and ghosts. Some were born naturally, some were created by the earth, some were achieved through self-realization, and some were given by others. You’ve obtained all of them without any loss. It would be strange if you didn’t reach chaos.”
Wukong asked, “Is it possible to go beyond heaven in the state of chaos?”
At these words, the Kunpeng fell into a long silence.