Volume Two: Entering the State. Filtering dust is merely the beginning; after attaining such a state of mind, one must further sit in meditation to regulate one’s energy and reach a state of self-forgetfulness. When one’s heart becomes as subtle as dust at the bottom of a lake, then it is accomplished. At this point, the world resembles a clear lake, its surface as smooth as a mirror of the heart. Everything within a thousand miles that one wishes to see is reflected in this mirror—this is the mastery of distant vision.
Volume Three: Preserving Truth. This volume discusses how to discern truth from falsehood and identify the true nature of all things in the world. All things in the world, whether alive or dead, are divided into yin and yang and the five elements. Ordinary people can only distinguish between male and female, but the energies of yin and yang and the five elements must be identified through subtle observation. The energies of yin and yang complement and blend with each other, sustaining life endlessly, while the five elements interact in cycles of generation and restraint, governing the growth, acceptance, nourishment, and ascent of all things in the world. If these energies are forcibly altered by magic, traces will surely remain. Volume Three is the most difficult, as it requires a thorough understanding of the principles governing all things in the world and a clear grasp of their natural behaviors in order to discern what is true and what is false.
This volume covers an extremely wide range of topics, yet there are no examples provided—only guidance to explore through practice over time.
Wukong read it carefully. The first two volumes were effortless for him. Having reached the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal, filtering dust and entering the state were as simple as flipping one’s hand; he mastered them after just a few attempts. As for Volume Three, he had some understanding of the energies of yin and yang and the five elements, but where could he find guidance on the principles of all things?
The principle of discerning truth from falsehood is easy to understand. For example, if a crow flies across the sky and you are well-accustomed to crows, you would notice something unusual if you saw it flapping its tail while flying.
But for Wukong, who had only been in this world for a short time, not to mention all the creatures in Flower-Fruit Mountain, he might not even recognize them all yet. Alas, he could only take things one step at a time.
Without leaving his cave, Wukong spent half a month mastering the first two volumes thoroughly.
One day, he heard calls coming from outside, realizing that something serious had happened. He hurriedly rushed out of the Water Curtain Cave. Indeed, the sky was filled with soldiers from the Heavenly Court. Leading them was not Li Jing, but a dignified Taoist priest with a solemn expression.
Wukong’s heart tightened. Had they provoked the Three Pure Ones? If so, Flower-Fruit Mountain would be doomed!
The other seven Great Saints stood at the cave entrance waiting for Wukong. Seeing him emerge, their worried expressions eased slightly, except for the Nine Spirit Primordial Saint, who seemed gravely ill, sitting head bowed on a stone chair.
Though worried, Wukong knew that the overall situation came first. The Bull Demon King stepped forward and whispered a few words to him. These words left Wukong at a loss—although it wasn’t the Three Pure Ones, the person before him was still a powerful figure in the Heavenly Court.
It turned out that the leader was none other than the Supreme Emperor of the Northern Pole, the Ziwei Emperor. As the ruler of all stars, he was in charge of the celestial constellations. Though he sounded formidable, this was merely the tip of the iceberg. There were countless stars in the sky, and every star with a name had corresponding celestial generals. If these generals achieved merits, they would be promoted to heavenly generals or marshals and assigned important positions in the heavenly court. Thus, the Ziwei Emperor could be said to have countless followers in the heavenly court; if he stamped his foot, even the Great Luo Heaven would tremble. Standing to his left was no ordinary person either—he was the Supreme Emperor of the West, the Gouchen Emperor, who controlled all thunder in the world and was also known as the Nine Heavens Resonant Thunder Universal Enlightenment Venerable. On the right, one could immediately tell he was the Immortal of the Southern Pole, also known as the God of Longevity, with a large bald head and riding a white deer. Not far from these three stood three monks dressed in black robes. All three wore precious crowns on their heads and adorned collars around their necks, clearly coming from the Western world. One of them rode a green lion, looking extremely arrogant, another rode a white elephant with a long trunk that kept flaring and making strange noises, and the third had no mount, holding a demon-subduing staff whose radiant light made it clear he was no ordinary person. Without the introduction of the Bull Demon King, Wukong recognized these three—those on the green lion were Manjushri Bodhisattva and those on the white elephant were Samantabhadra Bodhisattva; the third was almost certainly Lingji Bodhisattva. Wukong took a deep breath in shock—this lineup was truly terrifying! It seemed Huaguo Mountain was in danger today! Among the Eight Great Saints, only the Golden-Winged Roc continued to sneer indifferently, saying, “When enemies attack, we meet them with soldiers; when water comes, we block it with earth. Do we still need to talk peace now?” Hearing this, Wukong laughed loudly and shouted, “My third brother is right! When we fight these little devils, the King of Hell will surely appear—it’s not something we didn’t expect today.” Seeing Wukong’s unyielding fighting spirit, growing stronger in the face of adversity, the others were inspired. At that moment, a man emerged from the ranks of the heavenly soldiers. He wore golden armor, had a red face and long beard, a red robe draped over his shoulders, and his eyes glowed with fury. In his left hand was a fire-wheel that spun even faster than Nezha’s, and in his right hand was a golden whip, exuding great might and bravery. Flying above Huaguo Mountain, he shouted arrogantly, “You demons and bandits! Who dares to fight me?” The Bull Demon King said, “This man is a Taoist guardian general in charge of surveillance in heaven and earth. He is a trusted general of the Jade Emperor, but now he serves as an aide to the Sacred True Lord. His name is Wang Shan, the Lingguan. He is known for his integrity and strength, and his abilities are extraordinary.”
Upon hearing this, Wukong suddenly understood—this man was none other than Wang Lingguan, the one who had fought him fiercely for dozens of rounds in front of the Lingxiao Palace. No wonder only he had fought so desperately; he must be an insider of the Jade Emperor. Such a man willing to serve the heavens wholeheartedly definitely couldn’t be spared, regardless of whether he was upright or evil.
Wukong said, “This guy is extremely arrogant. Which brother will go and capture him to boost the prestige of our Flower Fruit Mountain?”
Fuhai Jiao frowned and said, “It’s not that I’m afraid, but fighting on land gives me no advantage. I’m worried it might demoralize us.” At that moment, Wang Yu stepped forward and said, “I will.”
Seeing it was Wang Yu, Wukong felt greatly reassured. Wang Yu always acted low-key but never undertook anything without confidence. His skills were incredibly elusive, leaving no trace. It was time to see how he would deal with Wang Lingguan.
Wang Yu lightly landed in front of Wang Lingguan and said, “You look human—why don’t you speak human language?” Wang Lingguan saw a thin little monkey and immediately cursed at it. Suppressing his anger, he said, “What nonsense are you talking?”
Wang Yu replied, “We’re both outlaws. You’re in the heavens, and we’re on earth. In this battle, at its core, it’s us fighting each other. Why not lay down our arms and work together to rule the world?”
Wang Lingguan flew into a rage and attacked without hesitation. Wang Yu blocked with his Demon-Slaying Sword, and their strength was evenly matched. Wang Lingguan used his whip with precise, powerful moves, none of which were wasted. Wang Yu, on the other hand, used clever tactics with his sword—aside from the first move, he avoided direct clashes, instead striking from the most unexpected angles, forcing Wang Lingguan to scramble and defend himself with his whip.
Niú Mó Wáng, watching from below, frowned and said, “Why isn’t Wang Lingguan’s Wind-Flame Wheel on his left moving at all? Has he forgotten it?” Wukong chuckled and said, “That can’t be. If I’m not mistaken, that’s his ultimate move.” Niú Mó Wáng replied, “Oh? It seems Wang Lingguan has some cunning too. Brother Wang Yu, be careful.”
Indeed, after dozens of rounds, seeing he couldn’t gain any advantage, Wang Lingguan swung his steel whip in a wide arc. Wang Yu quickly retreated, while Wang Lingguan had already thrown his Wind-Flame Wheel earlier, which now lay in Wang Yu’s path, ready to trap him. The more powerful demons below saw this clearly and exclaimed in shock.
Yet Wang Yu remained calm. He silently recited a spell, and a shiny circle flew out from his chest. As the wind blew, the circle grew larger. When the Wind-Flame Wheel encountered it, it was like a swallow diving into a forest—immediately captured.
Wang Yu put away his Divine Slaying Ring and smiled, saying, “Your ring is like a son who wants to return to his birth mother the moment he sees her.” Seeing that he had lost his magical weapon, Wang Lingguan was extremely angry, but he knew he could do nothing to Wang Yu and dared not fight anymore. Thus, he returned to his camp in shame.
The Purple Micro Emperor wasn’t concerned at all by Wang Lingguan’s defeat. After offering a few words of comfort, he began discussing the situation with the Gou Chen Emperor and the Southern Pole Immortal.
The Ox Demon King said from below, “Although that old man from the Southern Pole is highly skilled, he doesn’t know how to fight. He must be here to take advantage of the situation for personal gain. There’s no need to worry about him.”