Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed Chapter 537: Treat with Sincerity

The qilin was dozens of zhang in length, while Wukong was barely over four zhang tall. Seeing Wukong’s agile movements, the qilin transformed into human form, clad in red robes, and landed on the ground.

Since a battle was inevitable, Wukong rallied his spirits. This qilin was far stronger than the one in the furnace, yet its magical power didn’t seem much greater than his own. He had rarely had the chance to fully display his skills, but now, in this realm, he could fight without hesitation.

Upon learning the rules of this world, Wukong understood it was different from the furnace—here, one had to rise through strength. If he lost, how could he bear being a slave for ten thousand years?

But as his fighting spirit flared, seeing the qilin in human form, much of his combat drive faded. This qilin resembled the one from the furnace in appearance, giving him the same feeling as fighting that qilin before. How could he bring himself to attack?

Noticing Wukong’s strange gaze, the qilin asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wukong didn’t hide it. “Your attire reminds me of an old friend.”

The qilin curled its lips and sneered, “Stop talking nonsense. There’s no other qilin in this world, nor anyone who dares to look like me. If you’re afraid, beg for mercy—don’t talk trash!”

Wukong thought to himself that the qilin lineage was all so warlike. He held up the Tianji Stick in front of him and said, “Be careful!” Without further words, he charged forward, unleashing all his strength with his Tianji Stick techniques. Shadows of the stick surrounded the qilin.

“Good!” The qilin raised its hand to meet them. It had no weapons or magic artifacts, but its physique was no weaker than any blunt instrument. It met each strike head-on, fighting fiercely.

After exhausting all his stick techniques, Wukong still couldn’t defeat the qilin. But he wasn’t surprised—both were at a spiritual level, and their moves were merely tests. True victory would depend on divine powers and spells.

Yet the qilin seemed unsatisfied. Seeing Wukong’s attacks slow down, it launched a full-scale assault. Wukong wielded the Tianji Stick skillfully, and with each clash, he felt a hint of primordial energy flowing in. At first, he didn’t pay it much mind—the stick had once absorbed reverse primordial energy, showing its mystery. But over time, Wukong realized that though the energy given by the qilin was pure, it differed greatly from the energy within him.

In that world, he was a creature of creation, a wise and intelligent ape. But here, he was no longer that being. Yet his understanding of creation remained unchanged. The power of the Qilin’s creation was needless to say, but what surprised Wukong was that this creation contained immense forces of the Five Elements. In that world, only Pangu possessed these ultimate forces of the Five Elements, but here, they seemed nothing extraordinary. If Wukong wanted to uncover the connection between this world and that great furnace, he must not overlook even the slightest clue. Could the ultimate forces of the Five Elements be one of the conditions for attaining sainthood? And what level of cultivation did Pangu have in this world?

While fighting back, Wukong pondered. The first time he met Pangu underground, Pangu’s cultivation hadn’t been greatly diminished, but back then his own cultivation was too low to truly assess Pangu’s strength. Now, recalling that even the Kunpeng reached the pinnacle of yin and yang, Pangu must have long since reached the realm of wisdom. If one was in the realm of wisdom, it meant they had the cultivation of a sage in this world. Yet even with such a sage-level cultivation, Pangu still served as a slave—showing just how terrifying that person’s cultivation must be.

The Qilin, unable to overcome him after repeated attacks, exclaimed, “It’s strange! How can a newly risen sage be so powerful? Who exactly are you?”

Wukong didn’t answer. Instead, he used one of the Thirty-Six Transformations, “Subduing Dragons and Taming Tigers,” sending an invisible force at the Qilin. This divine skill was the first time Wukong had used it in battle. It allowed him to instantly multiply his pressure, crushing his opponent’s morale. Subduing dragons and taming tigers were tasks seemingly impossible for ordinary people, but there were indeed those among mortals who could do it. What did they rely on? Naturally, their skills were essential, but more importantly, they had a presence that matched that of dragons and tigers!

Since the Qilin belonged to the beast race, this skill was particularly effective against him. An invisible pressure struck, and the Qilin’s expression changed as he quickly stepped back and demanded, “You came down from Mount Mahamaya!”

Seeing the Qilin stop attacking instantly, Wukong found it strange too. What was Mount Mahamaya? After a brief thought, could this skill be a signature of Mount Mahamaya? But the Thirty-Six Transformations were taught to him by Ran Deng, and that jade box was given to Ran Deng by Tathagata. Was Tathagata… from Mount Mahamaya?

Wukong shook his head and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve already said I came from another world.”

The Qilin looked confused and said, “Another world? Who could create a world where sages can be cultivated? That’s truly extraordinary!”

Wukong asked, “What is Mount Mahamaya?”

The Qilin didn’t answer but said, “Show me all the other divine skills you know.”

Wukong had an idea and used the simplest spell to turn stones into gold, then asked, “Even beginners in cultivation know this spell. What’s the difference?”
The qilin seemed somewhat disappointed and said, “I was right after all. You truly are from Mount Mahamaya.”
Wukong was surprised and asked, “What’s the difference?”
The qilin replied, “Not much, just that the fate there is different!”
“The fate in the world is nothing but yin and yang. What’s the difference?”
The qilin shook its head and said, “It may seem the same, but in reality, there’s a huge difference. The descendants from Mount Mahamaya possess the purest fate, beyond our comparison.”
Wukong asked, “What exactly is Mount Mahamaya, and who is its master?”
The qilin said, “You truly are a strange person. Clearly from Mount Mahamaya, yet you still come to ask me.”
Ever since the qilin saw Wukong display his thirty-six transformations, it had determined that he was a descendant from Mount Mahamaya and became much more polite in its speech. Wukong thought to himself that Mount Mahamaya must be something extraordinary, as the qilin seemed to feel some fear.
Wukong smiled bitterly and said, “If I knew, why would I bother asking you?”
The qilin thought for a moment and said, “I’m really curious. How about you come with me to the Qilin Palace?”
Wukong nodded without hesitation and said, “Then I’ll trouble you.”
So the qilin led the way, and together they arrived in the center of Tihe Continent. Tihe Continent was extremely vast, almost as large as the four major continents combined. It had a large population, with countless beasts and caves in the mountains. Even in the plains, there were few sages—most were ruled by demons.
The qilin said, “I am the king of all beasts. Everyone on Tihe Continent is my beast race.”
Wukong replied, “That’s something I already know. I wonder where the phoenix is. Is he also the ruler of this continent? Are all the inhabitants birds?”
“Oh? You say you’ve just arrived, yet you know about the phoenix?”
As they spoke, they reached a towering mountain peak shrouded in clouds. At the top, a magnificent golden palace could be faintly seen. The two descended, and the qilin led Wukong up the stairs. The demons and beasts on either side knelt down in succession as they saw the qilin return.
Upon entering the grand hall, the qilin dismissed all the demons and beasts. With a single shout, they all left. Wukong took a quick glance and confirmed that this was indeed the style of a continent’s ruler. Just the hundred or so people in the hall all had cultivation levels no weaker than that of the Kunpeng, clearly at the pinnacle of yin and yang cultivation. Naturally, Tihe Continent’s strength went far beyond this. From this, it seemed that that great furnace was merely a toy in the hands of a sage.

Qilin looked solemn. He first invited Wukong to sit down, then got straight to the point: “Do not be offended, fellow cultivator. I’m straightforward by nature and speak as I think. Today’s incident really surprised me, which is why I boldly invited you here. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Wukong replied, “It’s fine. To be honest, I’m new to this precious land too, and I have many questions I’d like to ask Brother Qilin.”
Qilin said, “I challenged you earlier out of curiosity, with no other intent. Do you know that in this Tihe Continent, no sage has emerged in many years? With no one to compete with, I’ve been extremely bored.”
Wukong laughed and asked, “So is Brother Qilin the only sage in Tihe Continent?”
Qilin shook his head. “There’s another one, but I’d rather not fight him.”
“Oh, who is that?”
Qilin replied, “It’s my son. Fighting him would be neither appropriate nor effective—it’s better not to fight at all.”
Wukong had an idea and asked, “Is your son… a Lion-Man? Or a Qilin?”
“A Lion-Man King—how do you even know that?” Qilin was greatly surprised. Although the Lion-Man King had also become a sage, he rarely showed himself. Only his closest confidants knew of his existence; it was almost impossible for outsiders to know.
“Where exactly do you come from?” Qilin asked urgently.
Wukong hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to reveal it or not. Since there was a Lion-Man King, son of Qilin, in this world, he had an idea: perhaps that Great Furnace was created imitating this world. Just as the Three Pure Ones created the Three Realms to explore the changes in the primordial calamity of the world, maybe that Great Furnace was also meant to uncover the mysteries of this world.
If that were the case, wouldn’t it be endless? Beyond the Three Realms lay the Great Furnace, beyond it lay the world, and beyond that, who knew what else? It was a chain with no end in sight.
Unconsciously, Wukong asked, “Brother Qilin, have you heard of the Primordial Calamity?”
Qilin was utterly confused. “The Primordial Calamity? What is that? Is it dangerous?”
Wukong shook his head slightly and asked again, “How many years has this world existed?”
Qilin was stunned. “How many years… I don’t know. I only know that I’ve been the ruler of Tihe Continent for tens of millions of years.”
“Oh.” Wukong felt slightly relieved. If there was no Primordial Calamity, it meant the answer still lay within this world.
Seeing Qilin’s anxious expression, Wukong couldn’t help but think of the Qilin inside the Great Furnace. The temperaments of these two Qilins were so similar. He wondered what connection there might be. This Qilin before him only gave him the illusion that the two Qilins were one and the same, indistinguishable from each other.

Sigh, I might as well just say it. I suppose this Qilin doesn’t have any ill intentions either. If one wants to be believed, honesty is the first thing required.