Journey to the West: The gods and Buddhas panicked when the monkey was trapped inside him.

"Big brother, what's the next act?" Sun Wukong asked skillfully in his mind.

"I'm not acting anymore."

Li Chen's voice was completely flat, yet it was like a bucket of ice water being poured over his head.

Sun Wukong was stunned: "Not going to act anymore? Brother, didn't you say before that if you're going to put on an act, you should go all the way?"

"That's to give you a reasonable explanation for seeking immortality and enlightenment." Li Chen's tone was cold and stern, revealing an unprecedented seriousness.

"From this moment on, you will be facing the master of this mountain, a terrifying being who is truly beyond the Three Realms and outside the Five Elements."

"In front of such a person, any pretense or deliberate effort you make will be as conspicuous as black ink on white paper."

"Acting will only make him think you're scheming and even disgust him."

Sun Wukong scratched the hair on his cheeks, his expression becoming completely serious.

"So what should I do?"

"Show me your true heart in seeking the Dao!" Li Chen said, enunciating each word clearly.

"You crossed the vast Eastern Sea and endured harsh weather in Jambudvipa for over a decade. Did you not even harbor the slightest desire for immortality?"

"Isn't there even a sliver of desire to control one's own destiny?"

"Release these real things without reservation!"

"Besides keeping my existence a complete secret, whatever Patriarch Bodhi asks you, you must answer truthfully."

"There's no need to hide your talents or play dumb."

"He wants to see your sincerity, so show him your purest and most genuine self. Sincerity is the ultimate weapon that can overcome all defenses!"

Sun Wukong remained silent, and slowly closed his eyes.

Images flashed through my mind of the days and nights spent in the raging winds atop Flower Fruit Mountain, of the raft that nearly shattered in the stormy East China Sea, and of the dark coffin in the small town of Southern Jambudvipa.

Immortality.

They hold destiny in their hands.

These were never acts; over the past decade or so, this obsession had taken deep root in his soul, transforming into an indelible ambition!

Sun Wukong suddenly opened his eyes, and his original hunched, tired, and wretched wild monkey demeanor vanished instantly.

His back was ramrod straight, and his golden fur gleamed in the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.

In those eyes, only a deep, calm stillness and an unwavering determination remained.

"Brother, I understand." Sun Wukong's voice was deep and resolute.

"Good to know." Li Chen's voice began to drift and become ethereal in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"From the moment you set foot on this mountain, don't initiate any more communication with me, not even in your mind."

"I will contact you when the time is right."

Sun Wukong's heart skipped a beat: "Yes, elder brother."

"Go, Wukong, go and claim the fortune you deserve."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chen's consciousness completely subsided, without the slightest ripple.

"Big brother, I will never let you down."

Without lingering for a moment, Sun Wukong strode out of the miasma forest and climbed towards the mountaintop along a winding ancient stone path.

The mountain path was quiet and secluded.

As we walked halfway up the mountain, a powerful and resonant song pierced through the forest and reached our ears.

"Watching chess, the axe handle rots; the sound of chopping wood echoes; strolling slowly along the valley entrance by the clouds."

"Selling firewood to buy wine, laughing wildly to amuse myself. Where we meet, they are either immortals or Taoists, sitting quietly and discussing the 'Huang Ting' (Yellow Court Classic)."

His singing voice was powerful and resonant, exuding a carefree and ethereal quality.

Sun Wukong followed the sound and turned a corner in the mountains, where he saw a woodcutter in green robes wielding an iron axe, chopping down withered pine trees in the forest.

With each swing of the axe, wood chips flew everywhere.

Sun Wukong strode forward, stood a dozen feet away, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, venerable sage."

Upon hearing the sound, the woodcutter paused slightly in mid-air with his iron axe.

He turned around and discreetly sized up the golden-haired monkey in front of him.

He possessed no trace of demonic aura or ferocity; his eyes were so clear they were startling; and his entire being exuded an untainted, profound Daoist essence.

A strange glint flashed across the woodcutter's eyes, then he propped his axe on the ground and chuckled.

"You monkey, you know how to be polite. You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm no god, just a rough woodcutter."

"Old Immortal, don't be modest," Sun Wukong said sincerely.

"In the lyrics you just sang, there were phrases like 'either an immortal or a Daoist,' and 'sitting quietly and reciting the *Huang Ting Jing*.' If one is not an immortal, how could one understand these profound truths?"

The woodcutter waved his hand: "That's a song the old mountain deity taught me to sing, to help me relax and relieve fatigue."

Sun Wukong's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and he eagerly took a step forward.

"Is there really an old immortal? May I ask, brother, where does that old immortal live?"

"It's on this mountain." The woodcutter raised his hand and pointed south to a secluded path shrouded in mist.

"Follow this road and walk south for seven or eight miles, there is a cave called 'Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave'."

"There is a Bodhi Patriarch in the cave, who is the immortal you are looking for."

"Thank you so much for showing me the way! I will never forget your kindness!"

Sun Wukong bowed deeply, and without any hesitation, turned around and ran off in the direction the woodcutter had indicated.

The woodcutter stood still, watching the straight back of that figure, who was moving forward without hesitation, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

The next second, his figure gradually faded into the mountain mist, as if he had never appeared at all.

The seven or eight miles of mountain road were just a short distance for Sun Wukong at this moment.

After passing through a dense bamboo forest, the clouds and mist in front of us suddenly dispersed.

A magnificent cave dwelling stands prominently beneath a steep cliff!

The cave entrance was tightly closed, and on either side of the entrance stood a ten-zhang-tall white jade stele with ten powerful characters inscribed on it.

Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

The handwriting faintly conveys the supreme Dao; just one glance is enough to stir the mind and make the soul tremble.

Sun Wukong strode forward, grabbed the copper ring on the door, and knocked hard on the cave door.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The dull knocking sound echoed through the valley.

A moment later, accompanied by a heavy scraping sound, the two heavy stone doors slowly opened inward.

A beautifully sculpted fairy boy with two topknots stepped out.

"Who are you?" The fairy boy's voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of the aloofness of a fairy boy.

"My ancestor just ascended the platform to preach, and suddenly asked me to come out and open the door, saying that a cultivator had come to visit. Could it be you?"

Sun Wukong suddenly raised his head, his face filled with wild joy.

He clasped his hands together, his voice trembling violently with extreme excitement: "It's me! It's me!"

"I come from Flower and Fruit Mountain in Aolai Country of Dongsheng Shenzhou, specifically to seek out the old immortal and learn the art of immortality!"

The fairy boy glanced at Wukong from head to toe. When he heard the words "Eastern Continent of Divine Victory," his arrogant expression froze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Two great seas, one great continent!

How could a mere mortal monkey, devoid of any demonic energy, possibly have made it all the way to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain alive using only its bare feet?!

How much hardship and bitterness must one endure?!

"Since you are truly seeking the Dao, then come in with me." The fairy boy suppressed his shock, his attitude softened considerably, and he turned to lead the way.

Sun Wukong wiped the dust off his face and followed closely behind the fairy boy.

The moment I stepped across the threshold, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

From the outside it looks like a cave, but inside it is a boundless world.

Layer upon layer of white jade pavilions rose from the ground, rare flowers and exotic herbs shone everywhere, and exotic beasts roamed through the forest. The rich spiritual energy in the air turned directly into a thick white mist.

But Sun Wukong didn't even turn his head.

He didn't want to look at his surroundings at all.

What are those rare and exotic flowers and rare herbs, what are those jade pavilions? They are worthless in the face of more than a decade of birth, aging, sickness and death!

At this moment, all he could see was the Jade Terrace at the end of the road, and the ethereal path to immortality.

He walked with firm steps, his eyes fixed straight ahead. This pure and utter composure deeply impressed the celestial boy who was leading the way.

After passing through numerous corridors, the man and the monkey finally arrived at the foot of a magnificent jade platform.

On the Jade Terrace sat an elderly man with white hair and a beard.

He was dressed in a Taoist robe with Bagua symbols and held a whisk. There was no dazzling golden light around him, nor any imposing pressure.

He sat there, seemingly completely integrated with the entire mountain and the whole world, unfathomable.

Below on both sides, more than thirty little immortals sat cross-legged, listening to the lecture with their eyes closed.

Bodhi Patriarch!

Without any hesitation, Sun Wukong strode to the center of the Jade Terrace and slammed his knees heavily onto the white jade bricks with a "thud".

The force was so great that the ground seemed to tremble.

He lay prone on the ground, his forehead slamming against the jade brick. His voice was hoarse, yet it revealed a fanaticism and madness that no amount of hardship could diminish.

"Master! Master! Your disciple bows in reverence! Bows in reverence! I beg you, Master, to grant me the path to immortality!"