Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed Chapter 539: The Buddha’s Fear

Pangu… is actually the master of Little Sumeru Mountain? This was utterly beyond Wukong’s expectations.
Pangu and the Buddha—within the Great Furnace, these two were the only ones from beyond the heavens. The Buddha was a prisoner, and Pangu was the jailer; this was an absolute truth, unassailable. Moreover, from their words, it was clear they had far broader perspectives than the others in the furnace.
According to Qilin, it made sense that the Buddha defeated Pangu, seized Little Sumeru Mountain, and then enslaved Pangu. But why would the Buddha imprison himself?
Therefore, Wukong concluded that the Buddha in the furnace was likely fake!
Wukong asked further, “Who else is on Great Sumeru Mountain?” Since there were two types of Sumeru Mountains, logically, Great Sumeru should be above Little Sumeru.
Qilin showed an expression of awe and said, “On Great Sumeru Mountain resides the world’s most recognized True Sage. No one knows his birth or origin, nor has anyone seen him fight.”
“If no one has seen him fight, how can he be called the True Sage? What’s the difference between a true sage and a fake one?” Wukong asked.
Qilin replied, “A fake sage has a form, but only a true sage possesses a spirit.”
“What form? What spirit?”
Qilin shook his head. “Someone like me, who is just beginning to grasp the basics, how could I explain it clearly? That master of Great Sumeru once preached the Great Way thousands of years ago. I was fortunate enough to hear a few words from him, which led to my current achievements.”
Seeing Qilin’s reverent expression, Wukong was moved as well. What kind of being was a true sage? Could he be considered the master of this world?
Wukong looked up, his gaze piercing through the roof. So far, he hadn’t really observed the sky. Above, there was a red sun—apparently it was the Si hour. This was the real sky and real sun!
Wukong felt excited. Was this his original universe? If the two were connected, did he still have a chance to return? Though he knew his chances were slim, it was still better than staying in the furnace.
To be honest, Wukong didn’t hold much hope of returning to modern society. He absolutely didn’t believe that the electronic age of cars and airplanes could accommodate a cultivator of such spiritual prowess. No, probably not even a scattered immortal would be tolerated. The sense of disorientation was too strong. Though unfounded, he felt it was impossible.
Was this sky, this sun, truly unattainable? Could the master of Great Sumeru have the answer?

At that moment, the Qilin said, “The one who created this realm might just be playing around, or perhaps he has other motives. Though my false body is in that realm, I have no awareness at all, so I think it’s not a big deal. But according to the rules of this world, this realm must be destroyed!”
Wukong shuddered. What? This realm must be destroyed? What kind of logic is that?
Wukong said, “The one who created the realm is at fault; the beings within it are innocent!”
The Qilin was quite surprised and said, “What does that have to do with you?” Then, suddenly realizing something, he added, “You came from that realm; surely you must have formed bonds with its inhabitants. Alas…” His sigh was filled with helplessness.
Wukong asked, “Why? Can’t these rules be broken?”
The Qilin shook his head and said, “If you ask me, what’s the harm in destroying a realm? If you like it, just create another one.”
Wukong sneered, “That sounds easy. But will the new realm be exactly like the original?”
The Qilin replied, “It’s not difficult to make it identical.”
Wukong asked, “Will those people also be the same as before?”
After thinking for a moment, the Qilin said, “It’s possible with some effort.”
Wukong shook his head and asked, “Can you create another Pangu?”
The Qilin was stunned and exclaimed, “Pangu? Is there a real Pangu in that realm?” Wukong nodded. The Qilin stood up, paced back and forth on the ground a few times, then stopped and said, “This is no trivial matter. I need to meet with a few people.”
Wukong nodded. Since this matter involved many complexities, its consequences would be far-reaching. With such rules in the world, the Qilin naturally needed to find more saints to increase the chances of uncovering the creator of this realm from hiding.
“First, find Zhenwu, then the Phoenix!” The Qilin led Wukong straight through the roof of the hall. As soon as they saw the blue sky, a gentle voice came from above, saying, “Qilin, that monkey is a disaster!”
Hearing this voice, the Qilin’s expression changed. He said nothing and stared at Wukong.
Wukong remained calm and asked, “Who is it?”
The Qilin replied, “It’s the Tathagata of Little Sumeru Mountain.”
Suddenly, Wukong’s mind became clear. He understood— the master of that great furnace was the Tathagata of Little Sumeru Mountain! Having left the great furnace of the world, he would eventually be discovered, especially since he had damaged the array on the door. But what Wukong didn’t expect was that the Tathagata had found him here in just half a day.
A golden light burst forth, as if a sun had risen right above the sky, enveloping Wukong and the Qilin. A person descended from above. This person wore only a plain white monk’s robe, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a kind face.

When Wu Kong saw this, he thought to himself, “Is this the Tathagata? Why does he look like a little monk?” He tried to gauge the Tathagata’s strength by sending his mental energy out, but it was blocked by an invisible force. The Tathagata remained calm, glanced at Wu Kong, and then said to the Qilin, “This monkey is a calamity to heaven and earth; he must not be kept.”

The Qilin replied, “I have some matters I need to verify with him. If you’re free, why not go together?” Although the Qilin knew the Tathagata was extremely powerful and beyond his match, he was furious that the Tathagata had once forced Pangu to become his slave by stealing Mount Xiaoxuimi from him. Hearing Wu Kong say that Pangu too had been imprisoned by the Tathagata, he realized this matter was serious—how could he hand Wu Kong over to the Tathagata so easily?

The Qilin had already made up his plan: if he could find the True Martial Phoenix, he would be able to confront the Tathagata. Then, Wu Kong could reveal to the world the Tathagata’s act of creating realms, and the Tathagata would naturally become guilty.

The Tathagata smiled warmly and said, “I won’t go.”

The Qilin laughed heartily and said, “Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Stay!” the Tathagata commanded sharply, his sleeve pressing down on Wu Kong like a mountain. Wu Kong thought, “Isn’t this the ‘World in the Sleeve’?” The Qilin opened his huge mouth and spat out colorful lights. Those lights, of unknown nature, wrapped around the Tathagata’s sleeve and tightened it.

With a slight shake, the Tathagata sent the Qilin’s lights scattering like shattered glass. He said, “You haven’t made any progress!”

The Qilin’s face turned red as he remained silent. He knew he was no match for the Tathagata, but those words stung him deeply. He shouted, “Go east! He won’t dare hurt me!”

Wu Kong didn’t hesitate. He was roughly on par with the Qilin, and seeing that the Qilin couldn’t defeat the Tathagata, he knew he would also lose. Following the Qilin’s advice, Wu Kong rushed eastward. Suddenly, the Tathagata sneered, and Wu Kong tried to escape using his cloud somersault technique, only to find himself trapped as if by a giant net.

He had never encountered such a strange phenomenon before. Looking back, he saw a yellow light surrounding the Qilin, freezing him in midair. That yellow light seemed eerily familiar, reminding him of the light from the Lamp-Burning Sage.

The Tathagata was truly formidable. It seemed there was a vast difference between sages—even among them. None of the mystical techniques the Tathagata used could be understood by Wu Kong. Forces of the five elements, concepts of yin and yang, creation and destruction—all seemed useless. With just a wave or a thought, the Tathagata possessed incredible powers.

In just two moves, both the Qilin and Wu Kong were captured without a fight.

Wukong felt an indescribable sorrow. It took him immense effort to escape that realm, and before he could even fully see this world, he fell back into Buddha’s grasp. His own safety didn’t really matter much. Wukong vaguely sensed that his origins were extraordinary and assumed Buddha wouldn’t harm him. As for the Qilin, it was the true king of all beasts and had good relations with the Phoenix, Zhenwu, and others—Buddha surely wouldn’t dare harm it! Yet, it was highly likely he would be captured and thrown back into the furnace. Seeing Buddha abandon the Qilin and fly toward him, his gaze was gentle, yet it seemed to conceal something. Strange—this gaze wasn’t filled with hatred or anger; it seemed to hold… fear? Could Buddha be afraid? With his level of cultivation, probably only the master of Mount Mahasumera could subdue him. Suddenly, Wukong remembered something—he seemed to have a vague idea of what Buddha feared. The Qilin had said that this world had rules: sages who created realms must not imitate the things in this world. Since these rules were widely known, they must be highly authoritative. Who in this world could have such power that everyone would obey without daring to defy them? The answer was obvious—most likely the master of Mount Mahasumera. Was Buddha afraid of him? If he were Buddha, what would he do next? After a brief thought, Wukong felt a chill in his heart—this idea was too terrifying, and he almost didn’t want to think further. When mortals committed wrongful acts and they were exposed, the first thing they did was destroy evidence to eliminate any grounds for accusation. And what was the evidence in the realm created by Buddha? It was the people who looked exactly like the sages in this world—Qilin, Dayu, the Three Pure Ones… If he didn’t want to be discovered, would he destroy this realm? If so, everything would vanish. Just one calamity would erase everything. No, he must prevent Buddha from doing this. Only by gaining freedom could he expose Buddha’s actions. As Buddha approached and reached out to grab Wukong, in desperation, Wukong shouted, “Reverse the Heavens and Earth!” Buddha’s smile grew even wider. “Your thirty-six transformations all come from me. I don’t believe you can—” Before he could finish, Wukong used a magic spell and stood outside the invisible net. Buddha was stunned, his face showing fear. He wasn’t too surprised that Wukong could escape the net—he knew Wukong could use “Reverse the Heavens and Earth.” But it was precisely the power of creation that Buddha dreaded the most.

Freeing himself from the giant net, Wukong rushed west at lightning speed. The Qilin told him to go east, likely intending for him to seek help from the Phoenix and others. But to Wukong, east, west, south, and north were all the same. He knew no one in this world—why should strangers help him? Seeing Wukong’s rapid progress, Tathagata frowned and chased after him.