Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 939 The Queen Mother Gifts the Mirror of the Universe

The conversation with the Heavenly Emperor made Chu Tai somewhat worried, and he couldn't help but look at the Taiyi Zhenjun of the Taiqing World.

This Heavenly Emperor, who originally confined his origin to one world, began to expand his influence after the Heavenly Demon and Heaven were sealed away. He gradually seized more sovereignty over the world and repaired the distorted result of the Heavenly Fate.

During the expansion, he also consciously cooperated with the Buddha to test Sun Wukong.

During Chu Tai's efforts to save the world, Sun Wukong in two or three smaller worlds had already become the Victorious Fighting Buddha, hanging in the shadows outside many worlds, not yet descending again. A small portion of Sun Wukong's first-grade Dao Fruit had solidified.

Clearly, the appearance of those Victorious Fighting Buddhas caused a phenomenon of recombination of the differentiated fruits of enlightenment.

Among them, the one who had the greatest influence on this Dao Fruit was none other than the one in the world where Chu Tai was transformed into Taiyi Riyao Emperor, Taiyi Qingtong True Lord, and the Sage Who Saves from Suffering.

At this moment, Sun Wukong also embarked on his journey to the west.

Interestingly, Sun Wukong was a disciple of the mind, and his path to enlightenment also contained the meaning of the mind.

The golden cudgel in his hand, after being reforged by Laozi, still weighed 13,500 catties. This weight was in line with the principle that a person breathes 13,500 times in a day and night. After regaining this item, Sun Wukong felt refreshed and his heart was at ease, and his eyes also shone with golden light.

In addition, since its Dao Fruit inherently contains the Dao of [Change], it also has many more abilities to understand and discern various methods of change, and even gains the ability to see through the gloom in people's hearts.

This also led to the fact that when Sun Wukong was on his journey to the West, he was nominally Tang Sanzang's disciple who was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, but in reality he was guiding Tang Sanzang everywhere and repeatedly telling him that as long as he saw his true nature and was sincere, the place he looked back to was the Vulture Peak.

After all, Jin Chanzi had given up many of his past supernatural powers and become an ordinary person who could feel fear, cowardice, and superstition, but also had his own principles.

At this moment, he symbolizes the human body, while his eldest disciple Sun Wukong symbolizes the human heart. Accepting Sun Wukong as a disciple means that the body gains the heart, and the heart guides the body.

Then the second disciple, Zhu Bajie, symbolizes emotions and desires, which are a test of the heart and the body. He cannot sever them, but he must restrain them. Only by purifying them can he hope to attain the true path.

The third disciple, Sha Wujing, corresponds to a nature and instinct that lacks much self-awareness. He simply acts according to fixed logic. Only by forging his nature, guiding it towards goodness, revealing its golden light, and then stabilizing it and forging a golden body can he endure.

Finally, the white dragon horse represents willpower, the driving force for moving forward, and the entity that most needs guidance. Only by setting a clear goal can one concentrate wholeheartedly.

From this perspective, these five people perfectly symbolize "body, mind, emotion, nature, and will," and the journey to the west is precisely because these five aspects are gradually perfected.

Their trials were conducted in a comprehensive manner, and even Chu Tai's mount, the nine-headed lion, received special instruction from Taiyi Zhenjun and Buddha Tathagata, gaining enlightenment on the Nine Thoughts Path.

When you see, think clearly; when you hear, think intelligently; when you look, think gently; when you appear respectful; when you speak, think loyally; when you act, think reverently; when you are in doubt, think about asking; when you are angry, think about the consequences; when you see gain, think about righteousness.

Having grasped this truth, the nine-headed lion became one of the few beings in the world capable of suppressing Sun Wukong.

After all, once the nine thoughts were completed, his mind was at peace, and Sun Wukong naturally couldn't cause any trouble. He was bitten by the Nine-Headed Lion and almost couldn't escape, which angered him so much that he rushed into the Qingxuan Mansion to ask Chu Tai for help.

Meanwhile, Chu Tai, in this world, was communicating with several female immortals from Yaochi.

These people could be considered old acquaintances of Chu Tai. They were the three goddesses, Qingniao, Suhua, and Yuzhen, representing the Kunlun lineage and seeking Chu Tai's help.

The goddess Suhua said that because of Chu Tai's actions in Shangqing Heaven, she and her two sisters had been able to vaguely sense some things over the years. After the Queen Mother of the West learned of this, she used her divine power to let them see many secrets and witness the actions of many female immortals who were either sinking into depravity or going mad amidst the collapse of heaven and earth.

They then thought of using the power of the Eastern Emperor Bell portal to build a communication platform exclusively for female immortals, so that they could help each other.

During the exchange, the female immortal presented a gift from the Yaochi lineage: the Kunlun Mirror, a priceless treasure held by the Queen Mother of the West.

"Your Majesty told us that the Emperor's cultivation is all-encompassing, and he is not only proficient in the Dao of the Universe, but also quite accomplished in the Dao of the Light of Time. This item is a partial manifestation of the Dao of the Light of Time in the heavens, and it can help you improve your Dao of the Light of Time. We only ask that you have great mercy and bestow your grace so that we can save the other female immortals."

As she spoke, the three goddesses slowly bowed.

Sun Wukong rushed in and witnessed this scene, making the group quite embarrassed.

Chu Tai coughed and said, "You monkey, didn't you say you were accompanying Jin Chanzi on his reincarnation journey to the West? What brings you here?"

This interruption prompted Sun Wukong to deliberately feign anger, saying, "It's all because of you! You couldn't keep an eye on your mount, letting it escape to the human world and causing Tang Sanzang to be captured."

Although he already knew the reason, Chu Tai deliberately showed a puzzled expression and asked, "My lion cub may have some supernatural abilities, but it seems to be far inferior to you. He captured your master, and you can't even defeat him? Why not just subdue him directly?"

Sun Wukong waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I don't know what kind of supernatural power your mount has cultivated. As soon as nine heads appeared, I couldn't move. If it weren't for your guidance earlier, which helped me understand transformation and freedom, I'm afraid I would have been caught by it too."

After saying that, Sun Wukong sat down on the ground, making it seem like he wouldn't leave until Chu Tai helped him.

The three goddesses stood up, and Chu Tai said, "You three wait here for a moment. I will go with the Great Sage to capture that lion cub first."

With that, he pulled Sun Wukong away from Qingxuan Mansion.

As soon as they stepped out of the mansion gate, Sun Wukong laughed and said, "I saw that those three female immortals had pure auras and were first-rate immortals. Moreover, that mirror was no ordinary object; it was not much inferior to my previous golden cudgel. What could it be that made them beg you like this?"

"I suppose you are aware of the secrets of the world today, and you know that there are worlds beyond worlds."

Sun Wukong nodded, and Chu Tai continued, "I once traveled to other realms and encountered three individuals who were the same as those three in those realms. I helped them and gave them some guidance. Unexpectedly, as the conditions of those realms improved, they sensed the aura of the three I had encountered before, and even sensed some changes in other realms. They then asked me to create a communication platform between various realms to facilitate mutual assistance." Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong agreed, "Female immortals are currently somewhat inferior to male immortals. Most newly promoted ones are based on merit and cultivation, and are lacking in combat and warfare. If there could be a platform for them to communicate, it would indeed be a great act of merit. Why don't you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai rolled his eyes at Sun Wukong and said, "They are from Yaochi, and the Queen Mother of the West is also an ancient deity with manifestations in many realms. Why do you think she didn't take action but instead made me do it?"

"So that mirror is the legendary Kunlun Mirror of the Queen Mother of the West?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "They've brought out such a precious treasure; it seems this matter is not simple. Can you tell me what the difficulties are?"

"Building the platform isn't actually difficult; the problem is that once it's built, many destinies become intertwined. The Heavenly Fate is already distorted, and if something like this happens again..."

Halfway through his explanation, Chu Tai clarified the state of Tian Siming for Sun Wukong, emphasizing that Tian Siming was the original body of Bodhi Patriarch. However, he did not reveal the identities of Tian and Tianmo to Sun Wukong, since his golden cudgel did not possess a first-grade true Dao fruit. Knowing about those two might prevent him from being discovered by them and thus from having any influence.

"So you're worried that chaos will cause even more negative consequences? That's why you're hesitating?"

Sun Wukong asked a question in return, which was immediately denied by Chu Tai.

"When it comes to saving lives, why hesitate? I was actually deducing and thinking about whether I could solve the follow-up problems caused by the chaos. After all, there are quite a few like-minded people in the Tian Siming group now, and many of them are indifferent to the establishment of the platform."

"Including the founder?"

"Including the founders, most of them believed that as long as the spiritual light had not been extinguished, it could be saved. As for those memory bodies that had already fallen, whether they could be saved or not was already determined, and there was no need to intervene in advance."

After saying that, Chu Tai sighed again: "Although they don't mind me going to save people, I can't possibly drag others down with me just because of my own thoughts, or make others put in several times, or even dozens of times, more effort for my own kindness, or even cause those two guys to lose their power."

"I think it's better for you to ask them what they really think about this kind of thing."

Sun Wukong offered his suggestion, and Chu Tai nodded, indicating that he thought so too. However, the previous act of the three immortals bowing down seemed to put him on a pedestal, so he needed to use Sun Wukong's matter as an excuse to come out first, so that he could find someone to talk to.

Finally, Chu Tai added, "This matter shouldn't have been orchestrated by those three. Given their cultivation levels, even if they thought of this method, they wouldn't risk testing me. It's probably that the Queen Mother of the West who wants me to do something. Afterwards, it would be better if I went to Yaochi myself. As for now, let's help you capture that lion cub."

With a flick of his wrist, the green branch came into his hand. With a gentle shake, sweet dew fell, nourishing the spirits and letting the Nine-Headed Lion Saint know that Chu Tai had arrived. He gathered his disciples and grand-disciples around him, told them that he was leaving, taught them some techniques, and then sent them to the place he had arranged earlier.

Then, the Nine-Headed Lion, along with Tang Sanzang and his two disciples and a horse, walked out of the cave and revealed its true form.

Sun Wukong went down to untie Tang Sanzang and the others, then bowed respectfully to Chu Tai and watched him ride the nine-headed green lion to the Western Paradise to meet the Buddha.

Buddha showed great respect for Chu Tai's visit, manifesting a blue lotus next to his throne and inviting him to sit down.

Chu Tai didn't stand on ceremony and, after sitting down, told him about his doubts.

The moment Chu Tai opened his mouth, the Buddha revealed boundless Buddha light, creating a scene of preaching.

Secretly, he communicated with Chu Tai to express his stance.

“Amitabha, it would be best if one person could be freed from suffering sooner. But the other fellow Daoists are not wrong either. The memories and body of one lifetime are merely the illusion of self and others and the combination of the four elements. In the end, they are just illusions. If this delays the speed of repairing the world, it will become a situation where saving one person harms ten thousand.”

"Does the Buddha mean to leave it alone?"

The Buddha immediately retorted, "Of course not. It's just that I think you, fellow Daoist, must consider what the Queen Mother of the West's purpose in coming here really is."

Chu Tai asked, somewhat puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"Fellow Daoist, you should know that as the Heaven and the Heavenly Demon are sealed off, one by one the worlds return to normal. After some worlds reach their end, we plan to release the selected, sufficiently resilient and powerful spiritual beings, or some illusory Dao fruits, out of the Three Pure Heavens, so that they can return to the Pure and Eternal Blessing Great Heaven and help the various post-Saint Emperors return to normal."

As he spoke, a Buddha seal appeared in the palm of the Buddha, and looking at Chu Tai, he said, "This is the illusory Dao Fruit prepared by my Buddhist sect. It is a replica of my Tathagata Dao Fruit, but it is not yet fully formed."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai made no comment. He had already discerned that the essence of this Buddha seal was a portion of the original source of the Buddha's Dao fruit in front of him. It was a manifestation of the Dao fruits of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats in this world. Placed in any world, it could be said to be a Dao fruit that directly leads to the Buddha's position.

The power and origin contained within it are in no way inferior to the [Sinful] Dao Fruit that Chu Taixin obtained. In fact, judging from the attitude shown by Tathagata, this thing can be improved by one or two levels, pushing it to the level of containing a portion of the first-grade true Dao.

After thinking for a moment, he could only ask, "What does this have to do with the Queen Mother of the West's thoughts?"

"I think the Queen Mother of the West may believe that those three are the most suitable to leave the Three Pure Ones Heaven with her, or the most suitable to sit in the Jade Pool after she leaves. That's why she hopes you can help them improve their cultivation faster, or have a solid foundation for their lives."

Chu Tai paid less attention to the latter part of the speech; his focus was entirely on the first part.

"Is the Queen Mother of the West leaving?"

"That's right. Besides the Buddhist seal in my hand, our Buddhist sect also has twelve Bodhisattvas who will escort the spiritual light of many beings belonging to Buddhism back to the Pure and Blessed Great Heaven after this world comes to an end, and repair the Buddhist sect's mistakes within the Great Heaven. This is a necessary part, and it is also the reason why the Queen Mother of the West needs to return. This time, many spiritual light from the Yaochi lineage will also be returning, and there must be someone who can sit in charge or influence the original deity in the Three Pure Ones Heaven to accompany them."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai asked with some concern, "The suppression of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Emperor?"

"After further sorting out the Heavenly Fate, it can be made to serve as the first barrier against Heaven and Heavenly Demon, just like before, to cut off the leakage of their power. In addition, we should cultivate more new people. For example, after I reach the end of the world in about two or three days, after ensuring that Heaven and Heaven cannot easily break the seal, I will return to the Great Heaven and guide that person back to the right path."

(End of this chapter)