Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 924 Wukong Says It's Not Empty

With a single blow from Sun Wukong's staff, the demonic energy left behind by the Heavenly Demon in this world dissipated, and the turbid energy of the Heavenly Court collapsed.

But the Heavenly Demon didn't let Sun Wukong off easy either. The remaining demonic energy pierced his heart, and the gradually collapsing Golden Cudgel couldn't protect his mind.

Blood tears streamed down Sun Wukong's face, and his body began to show signs of mutation and demonization. He frantically pounded his head, trying to shake his indestructible body and cause it to gradually dissipate. However, the Heavenly Demon stirred up the demonic energy, causing the dissipated energy to transform into illusory Sun Wukongs that ran around.

"Fine, this is a bit crude, but you haven't left me any other way. Let me see what you've got..."

Before the Heavenly Demon could finish speaking, the nine-headed lion beneath Chu Tai roared, biting several immortals whose turbid energy had dissipated and whose minds were shaken. Chu Tai then leaped up and lashed out with a green branch, shattering the Heavenly Demon's phantom.

“Tathagata!”

As Chu Tai's shout subsided, the Buddha extended a palm and chanted the Buddhist mantra: "Namo Amitabha Buddha!"

A clear, bright, and peaceful light rose up. Interestingly, this light did not rise from the Buddha's hand, but rather emerged from below.

In the Buddhist worldview, all concrete things, emotions, desires, and karma reside in the lowest realm of desire. Above that is the realm of form, where sentient beings, though free from the desires of lust and food, still possess pure physical form. Above that is the realm of formlessness, where sentient beings, devoid of material existence, reside only in the four mental states of feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness.

The entire process begins with desire and karma, gradually leading to a state of extreme stillness, wonder, and emptiness, ultimately transcending the three realms and attaining enlightenment.

And now, the Buddha's palm strike is the best embodiment of this worldview.

Chu Tai had seen similar methods in the Buddha Tathagata in the past, but the other party imparted his own insights to him, helping him to expel all demons, both internal and external, and to separate and get rid of all kinds of karmic obstacles such as form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. This allowed him to become a formless heavenly being in a very short time, and even to attain the great liberation and bliss that is infinitely close to that of the Buddha.

Finally, in this extreme situation, he withdrew his supernatural powers, causing people to instantly fall back into the sea of ​​suffering in the mortal world.

The whole process is like making people feel boundless joy. At the most joyful moment, they are pushed into the cycle of reincarnation, where many impurities taint their bodies, causing their five aggregates to become intense. At best, a hundred thoughts arise and their magical power goes against their will; at worst, their original mind becomes confused and they are entangled in all kinds of karma. It can be described as an extremely vicious method.

But now, the Buddha's approach is completely different.

The Buddha before them was truly saving all sentient beings. A golden lamp appeared in his palm, and with a single strike, it was imprinted on Sun Wukong's chest.

The layers of black mist and the shattered phantom of Sun Wukong began to recombine, gradually transforming into a flickering but ever-shining light.

Within those lights, there is the mortal world, strife and karmic obstacles, yet the lights are bright and cannot be obscured or extinguished. In fact, those karmic obstacles and impurities become the fuel for the lights.

Seeing this, Chu Tai flicked his green branch, and a wisp of light flew out as well. On the other side of the Three Pure Ones Heaven, another Taiyi Zhenren revealed a slight smile. Behind him, the illusory figure of Salvation lowered his eyes, and the bright lamp in his palm flickered, separating a wisp that merged into the light that Chu Tai had flicked out.

After falling into Sun Wukong's chest, it instantly refined most of the evil and filth, making the light of the lamp more complete and unobstructed, radiating the meaning of eternal existence.

It was also in the lamplight that Chu Tai sensed the ingenuity of the Buddha's move; it was a near-invincible defensive technique.

After all, most of the methods used by cultivators in the mortal world require their own thoughts to be activated. However, under the Buddha's intervention, all kinds of karmic obstacles, such as form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, are separated under the Buddha's light. As the Buddha's light rises, they gradually understand the profound principles of Buddhism. Without attachment or thought, it is naturally difficult to shake the Buddha's light.

To generate such thoughts, one must break free from the all-encompassing light and depart from the concept of transcendence of the three realms constructed within the Buddha's light.

It transcends the emotions, desires, and karma of the Desire Realm, the purity and immaculateness of the Form Realm, and the formlessness and intangibility of the Formless Realm, the wondrous state of neither perception nor non-perception.

"Chu Tai, do you think you can save Sun Wukong like this? He already had the will to die, how can you save him now?"

The illusory image of the Heavenly Demon condensed again, attempting to stop Chu Tai while continuing to bewitch Sun Wukong.

As for Tathagata, the Heavenly Demon knew very well that the guy's current state had already reclaimed most of his corresponding first-grade true Dao fruit position, which was not something that his incarnation could shake.

But Chu Tai, whom he faced, did not make things easy for him either. The manifestation of the Dao of Taiyi appeared as the two wheels of Heaven and Man.

At the same time, a radiant light belonging to the Taiyi of humanity appeared behind Sun Wukong's head.

The exploration and improvement of the Taiyi of humanity is also the self-understanding of the Taiyi of heaven.

Therefore, the understanding of the Heavenly One can naturally be equated to the traces of the Human One's past to a certain extent.

After Chu Tai recreated Sun Wukong's past experiences in this world before his eyes, Sun Wukong's mind, which was entangled by demonic energy, stirred slightly.

With a shift in demonic energy, numerous strange phenomena were conjured up in Sun Wukong's past.

In an instant, precious light rose from both inside the Heavenly Court and within the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Patriarch Bodhi walked to the mountain gate and looked at a phantom little monkey at the entrance. Snowflakes fell from the sky, their colors being gray-black and gray-white, a result of Sun Wukong's confusion and the influence of the Heavenly Demon.

The patriarch sighed, flicked his whisk, and a golden light flew out from it, circling around and sweeping away the flying snow. He looked at the little monkey and said, "Come in with me."

The little monkey didn't move, but instead looked up timidly and asked, "Master, did you take me as your disciple because of him?"

"There was one at the beginning, but the one who spent so many years with me and caused me so much trouble was you! Wukong, you are my disciple."

The Patriarch squatted down, patted Sun Wukong's head, and looked towards the direction of the Heavenly Court, where he saw the names of Bi Ma Wen and Qi Tian Da Sheng shining brightly.

That was an honor bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor, and also a protection granted to Sun Wukong by the Heavenly Court.

The Patriarch protects the current Sun Wukong's destiny and fate up to the time before he completes his training, while the Heavenly Emperor protects his destiny afterward.

In comparison, the Heavenly Emperor's pressure is naturally much greater, but he is not fighting against the Heavenly Demon alone. He also has the help of Chu Tai, Buddha Tathagata, and Bodhi Patriarch.

The Heavenly Demon watched as Sun Wukong's mind was gradually being sorted and reorganized, then looked at the lamp that emitted a faint light.

He looked at Chu Tai and said, "I never expected that your Taiyi Dao would have such an effect, being able to save people from the past to the future, even through the barriers of the Three Pure Heavens."

"You and the power of Heaven can move freely throughout the Three Pure Realms, so why can't my power?"

Chu Tai countered with a question, flicking the green branch in his hand, causing streaks of green phantoms to continuously materialize, like whips lashing out at the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon.

With each azure shadow that fell, wisps of turbid energy vanished into nothingness; the overlapping shadows, like a rosy cloud, with each surge, repelled the heavenly demons who tried to speak.

After a few exchanges, Tianmo realized that Chu Tai didn't want him to speak, but who was Tianmo? The more Chu Tai tried to stop him, the more he wanted to ask. Furthermore, he was extremely curious about Chu Tai's methods.

Looking back at Sun Wukong's condition, Chu Tai, who was also trying to buy time, took the opportunity to explain a few words to the increasingly violent behavior of the Heavenly Demon, thus slowing down its attack.

“I have suspended the Great Unity of Heaven above, just as you entrust the True Dao to the outside world. I am only using a portion of my power, which is enough to influence the Three Pure Ones, many times and spaces, and countless worlds.”

"We rely on the characteristics of the First-Grade True Path. Do you have that level of cultivation?"

The Heavenly Demon seemed stunned by Chu Tai's slap and began to mock him. Chu Tai replied without hesitation, "But I have the Eastern Emperor Bell! And I haven't been locked in a dark room, so it's much easier for me to mobilize it than for you, okay?"

As he spoke, Chu Tai reached out and summoned the phantom of the Eastern Emperor Bell, which shattered the wisp of almost demonic energy clinging to the green branch, and then began to strike fiercely once more.

Each time the green branch rose and fell, a phantom of a celestial demon let out a scream and a wail.

The sounds rising and falling made Bodhi Patriarch turn around, sense them, and laugh and scold, "You must have a lot of free time."

"This wasn't done by me. It was Fellow Daoist Taining from beyond the heavens who was indignant and felt that this Heavenly Demon needed to be taught a lesson. Therefore, he mobilized some of his power to influence the actions of this avatar. Although I don't think this kind of thing would make the Heavenly Demon feel anything bad."

Chu Tai sold off his true self without hesitation, leaving the Chu Tai true self outside the heavens feeling helpless.

However, the Heavenly Emperor, who was standing nearby, spoke up to comfort him: "He probably doesn't know that you are testing your abilities right now."

"No, he probably knew, but he just didn't care."

Chu Tai himself responded with a single sentence, then looked across the many realms of the Three Pure Ones.

Just as its incarnation, the Heavenly Demon, said, "Hang the Heavenly Taiyi high. Influenced by the Heaven and the Heavenly Demon, Chu Tai, after understanding the subsequent cultivation, immediately thought of using the innate characteristics of the Eastern Emperor Bell to stabilize the position of the Heavenly Taiyi, and then let himself be able to connect with the power of the Taiyi of different people in different time periods."

This action accelerated his cultivation speed and allowed him to quickly leave traces of his Great Dao in many worlds by taking advantage of the flow of spiritual energy on the Heavenly Emperor of the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation, thus continuously perfecting the Great Unity of Heaven.

At the same time, it also forms a closer connection with the first period, the Yin-Shang period of the Investiture of the Gods.

The wisp of light that Chu Tai's avatar borrowed earlier was the power of the treasure lamp in the palm of Taiyi's avatar during the first time period.

As for the scene of the Heavenly Venerable lowering his eyes, Chu Tai couldn't say whether it was a manifestation of the power of the Taiyi Zhenren or a genuine new round of Heavenly Venerable's spiritual response.

If it's the former, then it means that Master Taiyi's cultivation has improved rapidly, which is a good thing.

If it is the latter, it is a sign of divine mercy and a great blessing.

'Furthermore, does the Heavenly Venerable's compassion and divine intervention signify that the calamities befalling the Three Pure Ones realm are about to end?'

As this thought flashed through Chu Tai's mind, he silently mobilized the power of the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Previously, the third-grade Dao Fruit of the Three Buddhas Dao Fruit system within the Eastern Emperor Bell was shattered, and its power strengthened the Buddhist scriptures covered by the Tathagata Buddha. Now, Chu Tai shakes the Eastern Emperor Bell again, mobilizing the power of the Heavenly Taiyi, and begins to continuously gather some of the properties of the Heavenly Demon to Sun Wukong's side, whipping him until he cries out in despair.

Although such methods do not cause much harm to the Heavenly Demon itself, they are extremely humiliating and have greatly improved Chu Tai's mood.

Of course, it would be even better if this could disrupt the nature of the severely injured demon incarnation.

Thinking of this, Chu Tai couldn't help but look at Patriarch Bodhi.

After Chu Tai's incarnation finished speaking, the patriarch understood part of his thoughts.

Seeing the disciple who kept wailing but still clung to him like a leech, the patriarch waved his sleeve, and streams of clear light surged forth. With the power of his mind, he temporarily suppressed part of the Heavenly Demon's power, allowing it to take on a physical form.

As soon as the Patriarch made his move, the Heavenly Emperor's gaze fell upon him, and the Buddha's palm light also brightened slightly.

Even Laozi, who was blocking the sky, took out his banana leaf fan, looking somewhat eager to try.

Sensing something was wrong, the Heavenly Demon immediately understood the other party's meaning. Even knowing it wouldn't affect his true self, the other party still intended to thoroughly mess with his avatar.

After all, whether it's to annoy him or to vent your anger, this approach is a good choice.

Realizing this, the Heavenly Demon immediately relinquished a portion of his consciousness. He wanted to take this opportunity to disgust Chu Tai and the others, and ideally leave behind some seeds of emotion for future sabotage or provocation.

He doesn't have a penchant for being beaten up.

Upon realizing this, the Buddha was the first to act, strengthening the lamp to illuminate Sun Wukong's mind and spirit.

The patriarch squatted down, picked up the little monkey, and took it into the cave.

As he walked, the patriarch whispered the words that Sun Wukong had spoken when he became his disciple.

“You resemble a monkey that eats pine cones, so I’ll take a surname from your appearance. If I were to name you ‘Monkey,’ removing the beast radical, it would be ‘Gu Yue.’ ‘Gu’ means old, and ‘Yue’ means yin. Old yin cannot nurture, so ‘Monkey’ would be better. Removing the beast radical, it would be ‘Zi Xi.’ ‘Zi’ means son, and ‘Xi’ means infant. So I’ll name you ‘Sun.’”

At this point, the Patriarch patted Sun Wukong's head: "Sun means the original nature of an infant. As for the name Wukong, apart from the generational order, it is also a hope that you can understand this nature, comprehend this emptiness, know that existence and non-existence are the same, that form and emptiness are unobstructed, and understand the principle that the ultimate nothingness contains, and the ultimate emptiness contains reality."

"If this is you, then you will abandon the acquired emptiness and cultivate the innate emptiness, gain vast wisdom, and understand the true nature of the sea."

"But all of this is ultimately just what we think. Your life, though it has nature, is actually without nature; though you are called Wukong, it is not empty. What path you take is ultimately up to you. Since he is Wukong, then he is empty. What does it have to do with you? Why do you care what he thinks?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was stunned for a moment. He was only a part of the real Sun Wukong and could not understand these things well. He just felt inexplicably sad and wanted to find a place to cry, but he didn't know where to go. In a daze, he arrived at Fangcun Mountain.

Hearing the words of the Patriarch, his confusion dissipated considerably. Just as he was about to speak, the Patriarch sent him away.

"You should go back now. If you really don't want to, then come back to Fangcun Mountain. I won't shortchange you on a single peach tree."

At the same time, in the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor also looked at the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in front of him and waved his hand, saying, "You can decide what you want to do. After the commotion in the world before, the power of the Heavenly Demon has been reduced by 90%. I can control the heavens by myself."

(End of this chapter)