Volume 4: The End of Heavenly Secrets Chapter 523: Entering the Realm of Clarity

In the realm of chaos, is it still impossible to escape heaven? If not, by the time I wake up, I should be in the realm of clarity. By then, there should be no problems at all.
As Wukong was thinking, Kunpeng said, “I dare not assert anything about escaping heaven. Tell me, how did you and Yin-Yang get out that day?”
Wukong replied, “Sigh, to escape heaven, one just keeps going upward—but in reality, it’s impossible! To escape heaven, one must first enter the river; that’s the only way!”
Kunpeng asked, “So, you’ve seen those wind beasts too?”
Wukong said, “Of course. Have you been there as well? Where did those wind beasts come from, and why are they so powerful?”
Kunpeng smiled bitterly. “Not only have I been there, but when I couldn’t find a way out and was filled with anger, I even fought one.”
“Fought one?” Wukong couldn’t imagine how earth-shattering a battle it must have been given Kunpeng’s cultivation level. “Who won?” he asked.
“Won? That Zhu Long had some skill, but if we had continued fighting, it would have affected the entire universe. So, we only exchanged a few blows.” Kunpeng spoke indifferently, as if destroying the universe were merely a matter of waving a hand.
Hearing this, Wukong realized Kunpeng had the upper hand. He hadn’t expected Kunpeng’s desire to escape heaven to be so strong. But Yin-Yang had once said that Kunpeng was born from the spirit of freedom in chaos. Since he was free, he would never be content to be confined within this universe. During these seven ages, Kunpeng’s suffering was likely no less than that of the Tathagata.
“Why must one enter the river first to escape heaven?” Kunpeng asked.
Wukong explained in detail how he used the Heavenly Secrets Rod to touch the formation in the Tongtian River. Even Kunpeng found it fascinating and then sighed, “The Tongtian River truly lives up to its name. It seems your rod is like a key to opening the door to heaven. Though there are heavens beyond heaven, you’ve at least taken one step further than I have.”
Wukong asked, “Although the Heavenly Secrets Rod is in my hands, I don’t know its origin.”
Kunpeng replied, “This magical artifact existed before me. How could I know? But since you crafted it properly, it can be considered to have returned to its rightful owner.”
Speaking of the creation of the Heavenly Secrets Rod, Wukong couldn’t help but think of Randeng. It was Randeng who taught him the method. Such a miraculous rod—regardless of its other functions, just its ability to help escape heaven made it incomparable to any other magical artifact. Randeng actually knew how to create it, and that method was also inside that mysterious jade box.

The mysterious jade box was also given by Tathagata to Ran Deng; everything was interconnected, and in the end, it still returned to Tathagata. Strangely, if Tathagata knew the function of the Heaven-Revealing Staff, why didn’t he seize it? What else could be hidden here?
Wukong sensed something was wrong. Tathagata’s goal was to escape this world, and since he knew the way, why not use it directly? Was the path through the Tongtian River the wrong one?
Kunpeng asked, “Since you went out, why have you returned?”
Wukong replied, “I never wanted to come back. Someone threw us back.”
“Indeed, someone was involved! What did that person say?” Kunpeng asked urgently.
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “That person only said a few words: ‘Hey, it’s actually you two?’ That’s right! Those were the words!”
Kunpeng remained silent for a long time. Wukong asked, “Is there something wrong?”
Kunpeng said, “Yes!”
“What is it?” Wukong pressed.
“This path is probably wrong.”
“How do you know?” Wukong was shocked.
Kunpeng replied, “It’s extremely simple. Why do you still ask? Let me ask you instead: Was that person from beyond the heavens?”
“Of course!”
“Let me ask again: Is that person powerful?” Kunpeng continued.
“Extremely powerful. He didn’t even leave a trace before throwing me and Yin Yang back to this world.”
“Let me ask one more thing: Is that person from beyond the heavens the master of this world’s furnace?”
“Very likely!”
“Did he create this furnace to imprison all beings?”
“Almost certainly!”
Kunpeng exclaimed, “Then it’s all clear! This world is a prison. For you to escape is like breaking out of prison. If that person from beyond sees this, how could he just stand by? So, if you go out again and he sees you, the outcome will be the same. Do you believe me?”
Wukong was speechless. This was truly cruel. He had gone through great effort to find a way to escape, only to be thrown back so easily. And Kunpeng was right—this world was meant to imprison beings. How could it allow them to leave at will?
Wukong murmured, “Tathagata must know how to escape!”
Kunpeng said, “Tathagata is indeed an anomaly.”
“If Tathagata can really escape, I still don’t want to ask him for help. I have many accounts to settle with him,” Wukong said.
“You’re wrong!” Kunpeng said.
“I’m wrong? You can’t understand Tathagata’s evil. Evil will be punished; heaven and earth are just! What fault do I have?” Wukong asked.
“Who do you want justice for—for heaven and earth, for all beings, or for the Creator?” Kunpeng pressed.

Wukong said, “Those who kill are always killed in return. I merely seek justice for the ordinary people harmed by the Buddhist hell—what’s wrong with that?”
Kunpeng asked, “How many people has Tathagata killed?”
Wukong was stunned and replied, “I’ve never counted.”
Kunpeng continued, “How many people were killed during the Calamity of Huiyuan?”
Wukong was instantly speechless. He understood Kunpeng’s point immediately: though Tathagata was evil, he had only destroyed nations and killed tens of millions at most. But since the Calamity of Huiyuan, all beings in the four great continents—humans, animals, birds, beasts, plants, flowers, and fruits—had been utterly annihilated. If evil existed, then the beings who caused the Calamity of Huiyuan must be infinitely more evil than Tathagata!
Wukong had always regarded Tathagata as his mortal enemy. Kunpeng’s words shocked him greatly, but he couldn’t figure out a way around this dilemma right away. Should he just let Tathagata go?
Kunpeng added, “In this world, you observe events like watching beasts in a garden—only seeing them fighting, without seeing the person behind the wall feeding them.”
Wukong remained silent. He was convinced that Tathagata must be at fault! If Tathagata wanted to ascend to heaven, he would stop at nothing, harming the Divine Ape of Creation and scheming against the immortals and demons in the human world, as well as all living beings. How could he just let Tathagata go so easily? Great evil must be punished, and even minor evil cannot be tolerated. Moreover, Tathagata’s evil paled in comparison to that of the beings from beyond the heavens, but in this world, he was the greatest villain, the originator of all conflicts!
Kunpeng sighed and said, “Enough. I won’t persuade you any further. We’ll talk again when you wake up.”
Waking up? How easy could that be?
After talking with Kunpeng, Wukong’s mind became even more chaotic. If what Kunpeng said was true, then to ascend to heaven, he would almost certainly need Tathagata’s help. And if Tathagata refused, there might still be a struggle.
But Wukong knew that in Tathagata’s Furnace of Creation, a place had already been reserved for the Seven Divine Apes. If he wanted to ascend to heaven, he would also need the power of the Divine Ape of Creation.
Should he really turn Tathagata from an enemy into a friend to ascend together? Wouldn’t that go against his true nature? No, he absolutely couldn’t compromise. Tathagata must be severely punished. Justice lies in people’s hearts. If he lost justice, it would be hard for him to remain the leader of the Seven Divine Apes.
Once Wukong made up his mind, his thoughts became much clearer. He was determined that even if everyone opposed him, he would fight Tathagata to the end! As for ascending to heaven, he still had to take the path through the River of Heaven. He would eventually have to confront those beings from beyond the heavens—how could he avoid that?

What is the Way? The foremost requirement is to have a firm heart dedicated to it. I’ve heard that Zhao Sheng had to pass seven trials: remaining unmoved by insults, untempted by beauty, refusing gold, unafraid of tigers, not being stingy in giving silk, not defending oneself against false accusations, having the intention to help others, and sacrificing one’s life to follow a master—only then could one be considered to have passed the trials. If even an ordinary person can achieve such things, and one has already reached a state of chaos yet still has to weigh pros and cons in actions, isn’t that falling short?

Wukong’s mind suddenly became clear. After talking for so long, he had forgotten about the Black and White Creation Ball. At that moment, he realized that his control over the white creation had returned!

Wukong suddenly understood that in the realm of creation, one must cherish creation above all else; only by valuing creation can it willingly be used by one. His earlier decision, though claimed to be for ordinary people and justice, was actually still based on his judgment that Buddha had disrupted creation. Once a direction was set, creation, recognizing his sincere heart, would be at his disposal.

As for the stage of attaining enlightenment through freedom, Kunpeng had already explained it clearly: remain tranquil and non-actionful, and let black and white separate on their own.

This was an extraordinary joy. Wukong used his mental power to open the way, and strands of white creation slowly emerged from the Creation Ball—so simple! Black and white separated on their own!

In just a moment, the Creation Ball split into two, one black and one white, hovering above his dantian.

With yin containing yang, he embedded the white creation into the yin fish of the Taiji diagram. Wukong was cautious, murmuring in his heart, “Good exists within evil, white within black, isolated yin cannot grow…” The white Creation Ball slowly moved toward the yin fish. Upon contact, it seemed as if someone pressed it down, and it immediately fit in. Wukong was astonished—how could it be so simple?

Once the creation settled on the yin fish, the black counter-creation also found its own place, falling onto the yang fish and silently fitting in as well.

Before Wukong could ponder the reason, countless memories surged in like a tide.

Past events came vividly to mind, leaving him deeply shocked!

It took a long time before he murmured, “So this is the state of spiritual clarity! So this is what lies beyond the heavens!”