Volume 4: The End of Secrets Chapter 557: Determined to Go

During the time when Wukong fought against Buddha, Zao Hua remained silent. Zao Hua came without a trace and left without a sound; Wukong couldn’t find even the slightest sign of him. He called out, but got no response. Not knowing Zao Hua’s temperament, Wukong stopped trying to summon him. Lao Zhuang, holding up the realm, looked at Buddha sitting inside it and chuckled, “He is quite calm.”

Wukong had an idea and declared loudly, “I have a method to manipulate time—allowing one day inside this realm to equal ten thousand years outside.”

Lao Zhuang asked, “What’s the use of that?”

Wukong replied, “Buddha is extremely intelligent. I’m worried that one day he might leave this realm and manipulate time to slow down his cultivation. Even if it takes him a hundred years to exit, hehe, who knows how many true sages will be left in the world by then? How could I possibly stop him?”

Lao Zhuang was stunned for a moment before saying, “Even wisdom can have such scheming thoughts—this truly broadens my horizons.” Wukong thought to himself that if someone were truly wise, they would likely only understand the righteous path and lack the playful ideas he had.

Wukong added, “To prevent him from cultivating here, I’d better take control of all the elements within this realm. Without them, his cultivation progress will be halted.”

Buddha heard this clearly and suddenly stood up, saying, “Wisdom, why do you insist on opposing me?”

Wukong shook his head. “It’s not that I oppose you. I simply believe that if kindness prevails in the world, peace will reign. What you do displeases Zao Hua, and thus it displeases me as well.”

While sitting earlier, Buddha had been using his spiritual senses to probe the edges of the realm. He saw clearly that there was nothing special about it—just a simple barrier created by Zao Hua. Yet it was precisely this thin layer of barrier that prevented him from escaping. He realized that Wukong’s cultivation level was far beyond his own. Even if he practiced for millions of years, he might still not be able to leave this realm.

After hearing the conversation between Wukong and Lao Zhuang, Buddha became even more disheartened. If that were indeed the case, what good would it do him to escape? Even after millions of years, even if Wisdom were no longer around, there would still be Lao Zhuang, Fuxi, and many other sages. By then, he would likely be even less able to cause trouble. And since Wukong held grudges against him, it was utterly impossible to persuade him to let him go.

Wukong saw the Tathagata lost in deep thought. With a wave of his hand, he erased all the creations in that realm. The Tathagata’s mind was far beyond that of ordinary people; further words were useless—only time would allow him to think things through. Wukong naturally hoped that before he left this world, the Tathagata would voluntarily give up his evil thoughts and come out of that realm, thus relieving a burden from his own heart. But if the Tathagata insisted on staying, Wukong couldn’t wait for him here. The plan Wukong had left behind was a straightforward strategy, and though the Tathagata knew this, he couldn’t counter it, as he could never escape in the short term.

Wukong said to Laozi and Zhuangzi, “I have a favor to ask before I leave.”

“Leave? Where are you going?” asked Laozi and Zhuangzi.

Wukong felt a hint of bitterness. He was somewhat distant from those outside the furnace, but here, he knew this was the real world—inside the great furnace, it was merely a realm hundreds of feet wide. Yet what left a deep impression on him during this journey was the bonds he formed with others inside the furnace. Logically, he should return to say goodbye to them. But Wukong suppressed this thought. He knew that by going back and forth, he had not only changed the outcome of the Journey to the West but also the fate of the world within the furnace. Even the world outside had become much more peaceful because of him. He had done enough. If he returned to the furnace, what more could he do but take one last look at them?

Those sages didn’t need to come out. All they needed was a world free from the calamities of the “Huiyuan.” Just like farmers who only wished for favorable weather and reduced taxes each year, they didn’t need to know how big the world was—being happy in their own world was enough.

The path of cultivation, though called “seeking the Way,” was actually about seeking inner peace. After several calamities of the “Huiyuan,” the world within the furnace had finally stabilized. From Pangu down, there were various divine apes, the Three Pure Ones, the Mysterious Maidens, Ksitigarbha, and Houtu—each with great powers, but without any intention of deceiving others or seeking to dominate them. This was the foundation for the eternal stability of the world. If so, was it really necessary for him to stir up more turmoil inside the furnace?

Once his decision was made, Wukong didn’t change his mind. He still had two things to do before striving to find a way to leave.

Laozi and Zhuangzi said, “Just speak plainly.”

Wukong said, “Go and persuade Fuxi not to trouble yin and yang. Let him decide whether to stay here or return to the world within the furnace. What do you think?” Laozi and Zhuangzi laughed and said, “We thought it might be something serious. This is actually a trivial matter.”

Wukong nodded and said, “This realm is solid— the Tathagata can never escape. If his good thoughts emerge, just find him a place to go as you see fit.”

Laozi and Zhuangzi said, “This is as easy as flipping one’s hand.”
Wukong replied, “If that’s the case, I have no more worries. I’m off!”
“Where to?” Seeing Wukong’s expression of detachment, Laozi and Zhuangzi were deeply intrigued. They both loved freedom, and at this moment, seeing Wukong free from concerns, they wished they could go with him.
Wukong stared at the realm held in Laozi and Zhuangzi’s palms, then suddenly reached in and swiftly took something out from Buddha’s sleeve. Buddha’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “You—”
Wukong gently lifted the object and said, “I knew you wouldn’t want to part with this furnace.” What he held was indeed the Cosmic Furnace. Buddha’s heart sank; even before fighting Wukong, he had hidden the furnace out of fear that an earthquake might harm the beings inside. But his action wasn’t out of compassion—it was to preserve the Dao energy within. Buddha believed he would win this battle, and the Dao energy was the foundation of his pursuit of the Great Dao, so he wouldn’t give it up easily. Yet even this trick was seen through by Wukong. Though Wukong’s grab was fast, if it had happened outside, Buddha might have escaped, but now, inside the realm, he had no choice but to be at Wukong’s mercy.
Wukong slowly said, “It’s easy for me to take your life, but I only kill the evil and spare the good. Whether you remain a prisoner here forever or keep your useful good thoughts and regain your freedom—your choice!”
Wukong carried the Cosmic Furnace, bid farewell to Laozi and Zhuangzi, and flew straight toward the summit of Mount Sumeru.
Standing in front of the Lingming Hall, Wukong gently sent the furnace inside the back hall. It stood beside the corpse of Mount Sumeru’s master. As the furnace grew larger, it seemed about to tear through the roof. Without even thinking, Wukong broke the restrictions and removed the roof. The Lingming Hall now resembled a tower spire, appearing even more majestic than before.
Wukong re-established the restrictions, believing that no one could break them now. Then he shrank in size and entered the furnace. Wukong didn’t go in to reunite with anyone—he went straight to look for Zhu Yin. He still remembered that before leaving the furnace, he had promised Zhu Yin, “If I can establish myself outside, you may take any stone from Mount Sumeru you need.” Though it wasn’t a major matter, since he had made the promise, he intended to keep it.
Zhu Yin was overjoyed to see Wukong return and called out, “Sage!” before trying to bow down. Wukong gently lifted Zhu Yin and said, “Come with me.”
Zhu Yin was stunned and said, “But… the deadline hasn’t arrived yet…” The deadline he referred to was the one set with Buddha; before it came, he naturally wouldn’t dare act rashly.
Wukong smiled and said, “The person I made a deal with with you will never trouble you again.”

Zhu Yin was startled. Seeing Wukong’s calm expression, he dared not ask any further questions. He knew that Wukong would surely not deceive him. So he raised his head and let out a howl filled with joy and excitement. As the howl faded, many wind beasts rushed over from afar at lightning speed and gathered behind Zhu Yin.

Wukong rolled up his sleeves and said, “Come into my sleeves; I’ll take you all home.” Mentioning “home” made Wukong feel a bit sad. They were going home, yet he still didn’t know where his own way home was.

After leaving the great furnace, they reached the top of Mount Sumeru. Wukong set the wind beasts free. Standing on the summit, their eyes widened in shock. Instantly, as if responding to some command, they all lay down on the ground and touched the rocks of Mount Sumeru. They had worked hard for millions of years just for a few of these rocks. But even now, despite being here, they lacked the strength to take them down.

Wukong said to Zhu Yin, “Wait a moment.” He flew down, circled Mount Sumeru a few times, randomly picked out a hundred or so rocks, and then returned to the summit. He threw these rocks on the ground and asked, “Is this enough?”

Zhu Yin saw that most of the rocks were square, only an inch thick or thin, clearly carefully selected by Wukong. How could he repay such kindness? Without hesitation, he knelt down, tears streaming down his face, too speechless to speak. The thousand-plus wind beasts behind him also knelt down and thanked him together.

Wukong used gentle strength to lift them up and said, “I kept my promise back then, and today I’ve fulfilled it. Go now.” Zhu Yin replied respectfully, picked up the rocks of Mount Sumeru, and rushed back to his hometown in Wind Marsh, full of joy.

As the figures of the wind beasts gradually disappeared, Wukong thought to himself that without their obstruction, the people inside the furnace would have it easier. But if they wanted to escape, there was still the sky made of rocks of Mount Sumeru blocking the way. Inside the great furnace, the one who most wanted to escape was now Kunpeng. If Yin and Yang returned, they would surely explain everything outside to Kunpeng and Pangu. Knowing that the great furnace would now be forever secure, would Kunpeng still try to escape? Sigh, he couldn’t control such things anymore.

The furnace shall remain unshaken forever. Hehe, by eating twelve peach fruits, the furnace shall remain unshaken forever. These words were spoken by Tathagata himself. Tathagata left these words for Pangu clearly on purpose, yet Pangu took them seriously. The wise divine ape could only escape the furnace by eating twelve peach fruits. Tathagata’s goal was to protect his own spiritual principles; he didn’t want to enter the furnace for fear of failing to resist the temptation of the Great Sun Demon’s thoughts. Yet, human plans often fall short of divine will. Although he escaped the furnace, he was no longer under Tathagata’s control. Instead, the situation reversed, and Tathagata’s grand plan was ruined. Human plans? Divine will? Wukong faintly felt that it wasn’t he who was secretly fighting against Tathagata, but rather the master of Mount Sumeru. Just then, a voice suddenly said, “I finally understand!” Hearing this, Wukong was overjoyed. That voice was none other than Creation!