Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed Chapter 530: Building a Magpie Bridge

Wukong had not expected someone from beyond the heavens. In his mind, how could such a being get involved in matters within the world? If this was a game, it was the greatest violation of the rules—unless… he could no longer control the course of events. So, what exactly had happened to provoke such fury in this being from beyond?

Wukong asked, “Has something like this happened before?”

Tathagata replied, “Unless the calamity of the Primordial Being arrives, that person will never interfere in the affairs of this world. But this time, it’s clearly an accident.”

“An accident?”

Tathagata said, “Did that sensation just now remind you of someone slapping hard outside the furnace?”

Wukong nodded. Tathagata’s comparison was indeed apt—the shock had indeed come from the outside in. The world itself didn’t possess such great power. If Pangu were at his peak, he might have been able to do such a thing, but Pangu was now extremely weak, so it was impossible for him to do so.

That being from beyond surely knew the power of such a slap, but the lives of ordinary people in this world were not even on his mind. Only he would disregard human lives so recklessly!

“Why?” Wukong asked again.

Tathagata replied, “There’s only one answer: something in this world has happened that he cannot tolerate.” Tathagata smiled and said, “I’ve always sat here peacefully, yet I didn’t realize anyone else could provoke him.”

Suddenly, an idea struck Wukong—their fury might well be related to Pangu! From the master’s perspective, Pangu’s actions were nothing short of betrayal! Abandoning the essence of creation to help the Divine Ape ascend from heaven was probably not what that being wanted.

Tathagata asked, “Do you know why?”

Of course, Wukong wouldn’t say. If Tathagata knew Pangu was weak, he would likely hesitate not a moment before taking the Great Sun Tathagata and entering the earth to leave this world. So he shook his head and said, “Do you really think I’d ask you?”

Tathagata pondered for a moment before saying, “Apart from me, the only ones who matter to that person are Pangu and the Divine Ape. The answer isn’t hard to find. Go and ask.”

Wukong said, “Enough! Things have come this far! You just said this is crucial for me. Why is that?”

Tathagata suddenly said, “I’m not a villain.”

Wukong was stunned. He laughed and said, “Whether one is good or evil is determined by public judgment, not just by you.”

Tathagata said, “Though I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, I know the dire situation in the four great continents. Do you want to save them?”

“Save them? How?” Wukong found Tathagata’s words utterly unbelievable. Since it had already happened, how could it be reversed?

Tathagata seemed somewhat helpless and said, “With your abilities, you can probably use all thirty-six divine powers of the Heavenly Gang, right?”

It was not surprising that the Tathagata knew the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Stars. Yet these words awakened Wukong, who suddenly remembered that among them was a technique called “Reversing Heaven and Sun,” which could move the sun’s shadow eastward—essentially a supernatural power to reverse time. Back then, the Patriarch Bodhi had used this power in the Cave of the Three Slanting Moons and was utterly captivated by it.

At this thought, Wukong grew excited. Though he had never tried it before, he believed that with his current power, using the Thirty-Six Transformations would be no problem at all. The fact that the Tathagata had shared this with him showed some kindness on his part. As for any hidden motives, Wukong didn’t even consider them. He was undoubtedly the greatest being in the world, while the Tathagata, unable to even overcome yin and yang, no longer had the right to challenge him. The Tathagata was merely trying to please him to avoid being stopped from leaving heaven.

Leaving the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth, Wukong arrived at the River of Heaven with trepidation. Xuan Nu and the Six Divine Apes were nowhere to be seen. The earth’s tremors had also shocked them greatly; they must have gone to investigate the Four Great Continents.

Wukong chose the River of Heaven for a reason. Every supernatural power has a range of effect, and since the River of Heaven lay at the center of the world, using powers here would maximize the chance of affecting all four continents.

“Reversing Heaven and Sun” was, in essence, just a mantra. It required immense power, something Wukong had dared not attempt before. But now that the Taiji diagram in his dantian was complete, he had no more concerns.

Standing by the River of Heaven, Wukong focused his energy, circulating it throughout his body to mobilize all his powers. Then he uttered this mantra, which no one had ever used before in the world.

At that moment, a strange light emanated from Wukong and spread outward. When it touched the River of Heaven, its water instantly stopped flowing and began to flow backward. On the nearby cliffs, rocks rose on their own and fell back onto the peaks. On the plants, they slowly released a trace of their vital energy, shortening by mere millimeters…

That moment seemed both endless and fleeting. Soon, Xuan Nu and the Six Divine Apes flew back and landed by the riverbank. Only then did Wukong cease his power.

He was deeply shocked. The power of “Reversing Heaven and Sun” was truly terrifying. If time could be reversed, what couldn’t be accomplished in this world? Everything returned to its original state, and the previous calamity seemed like a nightmare.

Yet Wukong still felt uneasy. If it was indeed Pangu who had provoked the beings from beyond heaven, this strike would likely be unavoidable. Pangu had sacrificed the essence of creation—unknown how many days ago—and Wukong’s mantra could only reverse time for half an hour. Attempting it again would leave him lacking the strength.

Wukong landed, and Xuan Nu immediately asked, “Have you met Tathagata?” Seeing that Xuan Nu did not mention the earthquake, Wukong realized that in their memories, such an event had never happened. So he said, “I have met him, not only that, I even killed him once.”
“What? Killed him… once?” Xuan Nu was puzzled.
Wukong replied, “Tathagata cannot be killed.”
Yin Yang stood up upon hearing this and said, “If you can’t kill him, I’ll go!”
Wukong asked, “If I can’t kill him, do you think you can?”
Yin Yang was stunned and asked, “Did you hold back?”
Wukong said, “If we’re going to kill him, we must destroy both his body and soul! But Tathagata’s divine consciousness arises without any root—how can I kill him? Isn’t he exactly what you mean by ‘arising without a root’?”
“Arising without a root? Isn’t the Buddha Ran Deng also…” He stopped mid-sentence, as if remembering something, then said, “If even that can’t kill Tathagata, then isn’t the Buddha Ran Deng—”
“Also able to arise without a root?” Wukong finished.
Xuan Nu said, “This matter is far too mysterious. No one can say for sure whether Ran Deng can be revived. Stop making wild guesses.”
Wukong chatted with everyone for a while, feeling increasingly calm. That palm strike never appeared again. It seemed that what Pangu had done didn’t concern the beings from beyond heaven much. But if it wasn’t Pangu, then who could it be?
Suddenly, he remembered he still had one thing to do—he had promised to take Nagarjuna to meet the Dragon Maiden and Guanyin. With time having reversed earlier, he would have to make another trip.
Wukong bid farewell to everyone in haste and headed back to that nameless Taoist temple. Upon arrival, just as a game of chess ended, Wukong made his move, just as before. After exchanging a few words with Meng Ke, he sent Nagarjuna to Mount Luojia in the Western Heaven.
Everything was as before, but the moment the Dragon Maiden and Nagarjuna walked hand in hand toward the back mountain, another loud explosion rang out! Wukong stood motionless, his face pale. He suddenly understood—that palm strike wasn’t for any other reason but because of Nagarjuna!
Who exactly was Nagarjuna? Why did the beings from beyond heaven care about him so much?
Ignoring Guanyin’s shock, Wukong flew back to the River of Heaven without hesitation. He couldn’t tolerate ordinary people suffering such great calamities, so he had to use his divine power once again.
After using it once more, Wukong felt his magical energy depleted, so he sat by the shore to recover, while constantly thinking about Master Nagarjuna.
Nagarjuna wandered freely in the world, unbothered by anyone. Yet whenever Wukong brought him to the Dragon Maiden, the beings from beyond heaven would become furious. It was truly strange!

There was an incident that made Wukong even more convinced that Nagarjuna was sent to this world by beings from another realm, and that Nagarjuna was extremely important to them! What was Nagarjuna doing as he traveled across the four great continents? Seeking the path!
By taking Nagarjuna to the Dragon Maiden, what was his intention? To inquire about her feelings!
The answer seemed obvious—the beings from another realm wanted Nagarjuna to seek the path and not get entangled in romantic affairs!
What should he do? Should he start over from scratch?
Since this matter had such a significant impact on those beings, should he confront them? At that moment, Wukong remembered Buddha and Pangu’s evaluations of that person: foolish and stubborn!
It was likely the same outcome if he tried again. Sigh, what were those people’s true intentions?
After much thought, Wukong decided to try once more! Other than anything else, the Dragon Maiden’s tearful face lingered in his mind, and his true desire was for Nagarjuna and her to meet.
One’s true desire cannot be changed!
It was the same scenario again—starting over on Mount Luojia, the two holding hands, with earthquakes still shaking the ground! Returning to the nameless Taoist temple, the earthquakes persisted!
After two more attempts, Wukong couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He was actually competing with beings from another realm in this way—probably making them laugh and cry at the same time!
It seemed this method wouldn’t work. After deep reflection, Wukong decided not to confront that person head-on. Bringing Nagarjuna there so openly, coupled with his repeated challenges, likely had already angered that person. Anyway, his goal was just for the Dragon Maiden and Nagarjuna to meet. Since they both had feelings for each other, he only needed to create an opportunity for them to meet—no need for him to do it himself.
He would stage a scene to make the two meet by chance. He doubted that person could still bear to take out their anger on someone else. But this scheme wasn’t easy to devise either.