Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 55 - But Say the Past is Like Smoke

“The Azure Emperor Ling Weiyang should mean no harm to me…” Wukong thought to himself, casting Soaring Earth Golden Light to move and circulating Hongmeng Purple Qi to heal.

Many coveted the Azure Emperor’s Magical Treasure; if a master set their sights on it, although unafraid, it would still be quite troublesome.

This time, Wukong set out for Accumulated Thunder Mountain to find the Bull Demon King, who also had a significant background and should know something.

Upon reaching Moyun Cave in Accumulated Thunder Mountain, he saw the Bull Demon King being intimate with the Jade-faced Fox, blindfolded and trying to catch the Jade-faced Fox.

Wukong chuckled secretly in his heart, casted an invisibility Dharma Decree, somersaulted in front of the Jade-faced Fox, just as the Bull Demon King reached out and embraced a full bosom, while Wukong transformed into an extremely ugly old crone.

“Great King… what are you doing!” Wukong chided.

The Bull Demon King and the Jade-faced Fox both got startled and hurriedly jumped back two steps. He took off the blindfold, and exclaimed in shock, “Where did this foul-smelling old crone come from!”

Wukong replied, “You Great King are so unreasonable. Just now you embraced me, and now you despise me.”

The Bull Demon King looked embarrassed, and even the Jade-faced Fox started to laugh out loud.

Although the Bull Demon King was rough, he had a soft spot for chivalry, not bullying old women.

Wukong teased him a bit, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing, waved his sleeve and revealed the appearance of the Heaven-Defying Taoist, greeting with a bow and a smile, “Great Sage Equaling Heaven, all well I presume?”

Seeing it was him, the Bull Demon King also burst out laughing, not minding the earlier teasing, and chuckled, “Ah, Taoist Master still entertains himself at my expense! What brings you here today? Surely there’s something?”

The Jade-faced Fox, seeing that the two were old acquaintances, laughed even more joyfully. This demon fox’s charm technique was extremely powerful, her laughter truly bewitching, no wonder the Bull Demon King was so enchanted, utterly fascinated.

“Yu’er, fetch some fine wine and meat for the Taoist Master. I need to drink three hundred cups with the Taoist Master!” Bull Demon King laughed heartily.

The Jade-faced Fox bowed and then slowly withdrew, directing apprentice demons to fetch drinks and exotic fruits from the storehouse, and prepare fine roasts.

“What brings Heaven-Defying Taoist Master to seek out this old bull?” asked the Bull Demon King.

“Hehe.” Wukong, after downing a bowl of wine, smiled slightly and said, “I’ve come from Southern Ridge Demon Mountain. Great Sage Equaling Heaven, being a great master within the Demon Tribe, must have heard of the ancient prophecy ‘The Dragon emerges from Luo Waters, carrying the River Map’?”

The Bull Demon King replied, “I’ve heard of it, what’s your insight?”

Wukong then said, “The River Map and Luo Book have emerged. But it attracted a Taoist who tried to seize them. That Taoist came from the Northern Region Demon Abyss, leading the Demon Tribe Ancient Azure Emperor to intervene. This Azure Emperor was wounded, unable to withstand alone, called this Taoist ‘Duobao’. Later, a dragon’s roar was heard, and then this Duobao Taoist exclaimed in shock ‘Ying Long Clan.'”

At this, the Bull Demon King could not help but interrupt, “Azure Emperor Ling Weiyang? Ancestral Dragon Ying Long Clan? They are alive?”

Wukong nodded and said, “He was not dead, just injured by Heavenly Dao’s wound. Later, Ling Weiyang forced his Great Magical Power to operate despite the injury. Suffering a blow from a Twelfth Rank Black Lotus, he met an untimely death. His Green Lotus was acquired by me, a gift from Green Emperor before his demise.”

After hearing this, Bull Demon King slapped the table and exclaimed, “Very good, very good. It was rumored that Ling Weiyang’s Green Lotus was nourished by a lotus root seed from the Heaven-Opening Blue Lotus, possessing infinite Creation. Since it was gifted to you, Taoist Master, it indeed indicates a certain fate.” He drank a bowl of wine, “You say Green Emperor called this person ‘Dharma Treasure Taoist’? And that Black Lotus appeared? Hehe… there seems to be a chain of cause and effects here that you do not know.”

“Oh?” Wukong’s curiosity was piqued, knowing that Dharma Treasure Taoist was Tathagata’s previous life, he quickly asked.

“Back then, the Supreme Revered Taoist transformed into a Buddha, causing the Dharma Treasure Taoist to reincarnate, taking refuge under the Western Religion’s leader, and he later managed to become the Tathagata Buddha. Have you ever heard that Tathagata sat under the Bodhi Tree at Mount Sumeru, unwavering under the burning Karmic Fire for five hundred years, painfully meditating on the path?” Bull Demon King said with a laugh.

“I have indeed heard about that,” Wukong said.

Bull Demon King then drank three large bowls of wine in quick succession. Goodness, after six pounds of strong alcohol, he still did not even blink, truly impressive! After patting his swollen belly, he continued, “That Karmic Fire consumed his body, but Tathagata, with great perseverance, Slayed the Three Corpses to attain enlightenment. The Buddhist Family’s idea of Slaying the Three Corpses doesn’t cut mere good, evil, or obsessive thoughts like the Taoist Faction… they target past, present, future. Although so, it’s not any simpler than the Taoist Faction’s way of Slaying the Three Corpses.”

Upon hearing this, Wukong then said, “So Tathagata cut off his past, then transformed into Dharma Treasure Taoist?”

Bull Demon King drank another two pounds of wine, his face slightly flushed, burped, and while eating a deer leg, he spoke, “Taoist Master is indeed sharp, well said! Those five hundred years Tathagata meditated, cutting out a past self, was none other than Dharma Treasure Taoist. Little did we know Dharma Treasure Taoist, tainted by the Karmic Fire, developed evil thoughts, took the opportunity when Tathagata was unguarded, and directly fled to the Demon Abyss in the Northern Region. Hehe… Tathagata had cut one corpse but let this fellow escape, quite infuriating, and fearing that the path to enlightenment through Slaying the Three Corpses now became unviable, he had to accumulate Merit instead.”

Only then did Wukong realize there was such an affair. Why hadn’t the Bull Demon King mentioned this before? Thinking it over, there was probably a significant reason; back then, he himself was a pawn, maybe even the brotherhood formed with the Seven Great Sages was under those people’s control.

“So there was such a story!” Wukong said, enlightened.

“Hehe. Tathagata truly has bad luck, spent five hundred years meditating to cut out his past self, only to be contaminated with Karmic Fire and develop evil thoughts, then straightaway escaped.” Bull Demon King mocked, feeling amused by the situation.

“And what about that Black Lotus?” Wukong asked further.

“That Black Lotus? That Black Lotus is an item of Ancestral Demon Luo Hou from the Demon Abyss in the Northern Region, one of the three Twelfth Rank lotus stands, the World-Ending Black Lotus, extremely powerful, not easily moved by Saints,” Bull Demon King laughed.

“Did the Old Lord tell you all this?” Wukong asked.

“Yes…” Bull Demon King, having drunk quite a bit, answered directly, then coming to his senses, exclaimed, “Huh?!”

But Wukong said, “If not from the Old Lord, how would you know? Hehe, Bull Demon King, you are also a disciple of the Old Lord, and perhaps there’s some connection with the Old Lord’s Green Ox mount?”

Today’s Wukong was no longer the same macaque from before, having navigated through life and death, he had gained great wisdom and carefully pondered the conspiracies of the Journey to the West, finding the struggle between Buddhism and Taoism entwined within! The Old Lord’s apprentice and Green Ox both came to the mortal realm, evidently to obstruct the Journey to the West for scriptures… Later, Bull Demon King also obstructed at Flame Mountain, battling Wukong and Bajie several times, later captured by emissaries from the Western Heaven but soon released, likely due to the influence of the Old Lord.

Thus, thinking through it, the first of the Seven Great Sages they met was Bull Demon King, who played a significant leading role in the setting. He coordinated with the Three Pure Ones to delicately lay out the plans, leading Wukong step by step to conflict with the Heavenly Court, all the Seven Great Sages collectively opposing the Heavenly Court, and yet Wukong naively took up a post there. The other six Great Sages dispersed like birds and beasts… Such actions were traceless, cleverly hidden in plain sight.

However, Wukong did not blame Bull Demon King. Bull Demon King often mentioned Wukong, and his regret was evident.

Bull Demon King exclaimed, “How did you know?”

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Wukong laughed loudly, “Where in the world can such coincidences occur? Rakshasi is a disciple of the Old Lord, and the Green Ox is the Old Lord’s mount, and you just happen to be an ox… Hehe, with such careful deduction, plus some minor details, it’s not hard to confirm.”

Stunned, Bull Demon King bowed, saying, “Taoist Master is truly incomparably clever, even such a matter you could deduce.”

Wukong became even more sure in his mind.

That Journey to the West, the play of Buddhism and Taoism, he was a chess piece.

Let’s not discuss Patriarch Subhuti for now; he was the first to teach Wukong magic.

Secondly, Bull Demon King formed ties with Wukong, who then met the other five Great Saints, strengthening the force of Water Curtain Cave; Wukong thus believed he had the capital to challenge the Heavenly Court, leading him to clash with it. Probably due to a summoning by a Saint, the core forces of the Heavenly Court didn’t make a move, only allowing Wukong to stir up a massive tumult.

Later, Tathagata suppressed Wukong.

Five hundred years later, the play of Buddhism and Taoism officially began, and the ninety-nine eighty-one tribulations were key to this game.

Wukong pondered more and more, only today did he fully understand the matter of the Journey to the West. Although late, it settled a concern at last.