The Unfolding of the Great Sage

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong's powers within the Eight Trigrams Furnace activated automatically. The torture instruments from the Demon Slaying Platform had been unable to harm him, but now the true flames within the furnace posed a threat, causing his figure to blur into afterimages as he darted rapidly between the eight trigrams positions.

Neither the true flames nor the smoke could get close to him; instead, they allowed Sun Wukong to temper his physique. He first completely refined the Golden Core within his body, forging an indestructible body. Then, he absorbed the vital energy of the innate Eight Trigrams, which was tempered by the true flames. This process transformed his physical body from post-natal to pre-natal, achieving a pre-natal indestructible body.

When his divine abilities reached completion, the furnace's effects naturally dissipated. The true flames within the furnace could no longer harm him in the slightest.

Sun Wukong sat in meditation within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, forming seals with his hands, engrossed in his cultivation.

Forty-nine days passed in the blink of an eye. Grand Supreme Elder Lao, seeing the flames soaring from the furnace, chuckled, "The demon monkey has been refined. The furnace can be opened."

Before his words even fell, Sun Wukong in the furnace suddenly opened his eyes, golden light shooting from them. This was the Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze he had refined. Two beams of golden light, just like when he had broken out of the stone, shot straight up into the sky.

With a BANG, the top of the Eight Trigrams Furnace was blown open. Sun Wukong, radiating purple-gold light all over, leaped out holding the Golden Cudgel, shouting, "Old man, Old Sun is coming out on his own!"

Grand Supreme Elder Lao was both shocked and amazed. He watched as the golden light from Sun Wukong's eyes swept across, and the Tushita Palace collapsed with a RUMBLE. He kicked over the alchemy furnace and punched the assembled immortals, none of whom could stop him.

Laojun flew out of the ruins and, seeing Sun Wukong heading straight for Lingxiao Hall, exclaimed, "This monkey must have a powerful master behind him!" He hastily mounted a cloud to give chase.

Outside Lingxiao Hall, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, Nezha, the Four Great Vajras, and other Heavenly Generals were gathered. The gods of the Thunder Department had also come out in full force. But the current Sun Wukong had achieved an indestructible body, and his Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze possessed infinite power. None of the gods were his match.

Sun Wukong swept through, heading straight for Tongming Hall. Spirit Officer Wang led five hundred Spirit Officers to meet him, but they still couldn't block his momentum.

Laojun rushed into the hall to report, "Your Majesty, this subject was unable to refine the demon monkey. Instead, he destroyed my Tushita Palace. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The civil officials in the hall looked tense. The Jade Emperor said calmly, "Dao Ancestor, there is no need to blame yourself. This monkey is extraordinary; ordinary means cannot deal with him."

Outside Lingxiao Hall, the sounds of battle were deafening. Emperor Wenchang stepped forward and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please quickly summon Emperor Zhenwu and Heavenly Venerable Puhua of Thunder to capture the demon monkey."

Lord Taibai, however, advised, "That demon monkey's power has greatly increased after being tempered in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. I fear the two Emperors may have difficulty subduing him. This subject believes we should invite Tathagata, the Buddha from the Western Heaven, to subdue the demon."

The Jade Emperor immediately summoned the True Lords Tian You and Yi Sheng into the hall and issued an edict ordering them to hasten to Spirit Mountain to invite Tathagata to subdue the demon. The two True Lords accepted the command and sped towards the mortal realm.

In the Great Thunderclap Temple on Spirit Mountain, Tathagata suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. As he was deducing its meaning, a Vajra reported that an envoy from the Heavenly Court sought an audience. Tian You and Yi Sheng entered the hall, paid their respects, and detailed the demon monkey's rampage in the Heavenly Court.

Tathagata said to the assembled Bodhisattvas, "Please remain seated on your lotus thrones. I shall go subdue the demon." He then took the two Venerables Ananda and Kasyapa and ascended on a cloud straight to the Ninth Heaven.

At this moment, Sun Wukong had already fought his way to the front of Lingxiao Hall. Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were desperately defending the hall's entrance. Tathagata appeared and shouted, "Cease your fighting and allow me to speak." The generals retreated, and Wukong leaped out before the formation, shouting, "Who are you?"

Tathagata smiled, "I am Shakyamuni from the Western Heaven. I heard you caused havoc in the Heavenly Court. What is your purpose?" Wukong arrogantly replied, "The Jade Emperor sits in the honored position. Why shouldn't Old Sun sit there?"

Tathagata said sternly, "The Jade Emperor attained the Great Dao after enduring ten thousand kalpas. How dare you, a monkey spirit, speak such nonsense? Quickly submit and avoid disaster!" Wukong said sharply, "Stop your nagging! If I don't get the Heavenly Palace, I will surely turn the universe upside down!"

Tathagata retorted, "What abilities do you possess to speak such arrogant words?"

Sun Wukong grinned, "Old Sun has plenty of skills! The Seventy-Two Transformations, the Somersault Cloud, the Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze, and an indestructible body, living as long as heaven and earth. To speak only of the Somersault Cloud, one somersault covers a distance of one hundred and eight thousand li. How could I not be worthy of a seat of honor in the Heavenly Court?"

Tathagata the Buddha nodded, "Since that is the case, let us make a wager. If you can leap out of my palm, I will ask the Jade Emperor to move to the Western Heaven, and the Heavenly Palace will be yours. If you cannot leap out, you shall return to the mortal realm to cultivate and cease your clamor."

Sun Wukong glanced at the Buddha's palm and inwardly sneered, A mere palm-sized area isn't even enough for Old Sun to stretch! Aloud, he asked, "Is your promise binding?"

"It is binding," the Buddha replied.

Sun Wukong readily agreed, "Old Sun accepts this wager!"

Tathagata the Buddha stretched out his right palm:

Sun Wukong leaped onto the Buddha's palm, raising his head and saying, "Old Sun is about to somersault. Watch carefully!"

"Please do," the Buddha said with a smile.

Before his words had even finished, Sun Wukong had already soared into the air. He suddenly recalled the matter of Zhuang Yan's earthen jar, and a warning bell rang in his heart: I must be careful! He immediately changed direction, speeding downwards towards the Jambudvipa World.

No matter how large your palm is, can it cover the three thousand worlds? As Sun Wukong was feeling smug, he suddenly felt the world turn upside down. When he steadied himself, he saw five colossal pillars reaching into the sky before him.

Have I reached the end of the heavens? I shall inscribe a message as proof. He wielded his brush and wrote "Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here" on the giant pillars. He then urinated, feeling satisfied before turning back.

"Old man!" Sun Wukong shouted loudly, "I have already reached beyond the heavens and left my mark. Hurry and go verify it!"

Tathagata the Buddha shook his head, "The impudent monkey is disrespectful. Look closely at where you wrote."

Sun Wukong looked back and was shocked to see that the five heavenly pillars were actually the Buddha's fingers, with his ink marks clearly visible. This old man must have cheated! He was eager to investigate further but was pressed down by Tathagata flipping his palm.

Sun Wukong's figure flickered, and he actually broke free from the Buddha's palm's grasp. He burst into laughter in mid-air, "You sore loser, trying to ambush your Grandpa Sun!"

Inside Lingxiao Hall, the Jade Emperor and the assembled immortals exchanged glances. Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole whispered, "It seems it wasn't the Buddha's true form." Everyone nodded—if it were Tathagata, he would never have revealed such a flaw.

Suddenly, five-fingered mountain peaks erupted from the ground, dust obscuring the sky. Yet, that monkey head stood perfectly fine in the air, winking at Tathagata, "Admit defeat! If you cheat like this, aren't you afraid the Three Realms will laugh at you?"

Tathagata the Buddha's lips curved upwards. His gaze swept over Sun Wukong's body, and he said softly, "I thought you had some heaven-defying abilities, but it turns out you merely cultivated the art of Great Concealment."

This art of Great Concealment was, in fact, the law of heaven and earth, the very divine ability protecting Sun Wukong.

Upon hearing this, a warning bell rang loudly in Sun Wukong's heart. Tathagata's left palm suddenly spread out, reaching directly for him.

This old man is strange. It's not advisable to confront him head-on today. Sun Wukong's mind raced, and he immediately mounted his Somersault Cloud to escape.

Who would have thought that this ten-thousand-eight-thousand-li Somersault would fall directly between Tathagata's fingers? The Buddha's thumb and index finger closed gently, and a crisp sound was heard.

Far away in the Three-Star Cave on Samsung Mountain in the Western Ox Continent, Zhuang Yan's eyes suddenly snapped open—the laws he had placed upon Sun Wukong had been crushed by Tathagata's fingers.

At this moment, Sun Wukong was being held by the scruff of his neck and lifted up, all his magical powers gone. Tathagata brought him to his face and asked with a smile, "Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"

Sun Wukong looked up at the Buddha, feeling a mountain-like pressure for the first time. He grinned and said, "Old sir, I know I was wrong. I don't want this Heavenly Court throne anymore. Will you let me go?"

Tathagata shook his head, "You insolent monkey, it's easier to change rivers and mountains than your nature. I shall press you down for five hundred years to temper your wildness before you can achieve the Righteous Fruit."

With that, he pulled up the Five Finger Mountain from the mortal realm with his right hand and pressed Sun Wukong down with his left, then covered him with the peak.

Only Sun Wukong's head was left exposed, and he cried out repeatedly, "This is unbearable!"

"What shall we do?" Tathagata asked.

He released his hands.

Tathagata adjusted as instructed. Sun Wukong then said, "There's nothing to support my neck, it's so stiff and sore."

The Buddha then manifested a stone platform to cushion his neck. Sun Wukong tested it and laughed, "Old man, this is much more comfortable now, thank you."

Tathagata chuckled, "If you had been this polite from the start, would you have ended up like this?"

Sun Wukong mused to himself, How can mere mountains trap me? I'll break free once you leave. He then asked, "What is your dharma name, old sir?"

"Tathagata."

Sun Wukong was secretly shocked, It's the Buddha himself! I must fly far away once he leaves. On his face, however, he smiled, "Buddha Tathagata, I've noted it down."

Tathagata nodded, "Reflect well on your actions." With that, he retracted his divine form and returned to the Heavenly Court to report.

When Tathagata returned to Great Luo Heaven, Grand Supreme Elder Lao, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi of Salvation, and a host of other immortals had been waiting for a long time. The immortals, holding precious treasures and exotic fruits, congratulated him in unison, "Thanks to Buddha for subduing the demonic monkey! We are now invited by the Jade Emperor to a banquet, and we've come to express our gratitude. Please, Buddha, bestow a name upon this grand gathering."

The Buddha smiled and replied, "It may be called the Heaven Pacifying Assembly."

The immortals exclaimed in unison, "Wondrous! The Heaven Pacifying Assembly!"

During the banquet, delicacies flowed endlessly, immortal music drifted through the air, and dances were enchanting. Just as the immortals were lost in revelry, Sun Wukong, imprisoned beneath Five Finger Mountain, suddenly exerted his strength, shaking the mountain. The entire peak trembled violently. Heavenly Soldiers rushed to report to the Jade Emperor, and all the gods and immortals present were startled.

The Buddha calmly produced a Golden Post and ordered Venerable Ananda to go to Five Finger Mountain. Ananda took the post to the mountaintop and affixed a Buddhist Verse onto the rocks. Instantly, the mountain settled back into place, connected to the Earth Veins, and no matter how the monkey king struggled, he could no longer move.

Sun Wukong roared up at the sky, "Jade Emperor! Tathagata! Old Sun will not let this go!"

Time flowed beneath Five Finger Mountain, but the Great Sage Equal to Heaven's renown spread throughout the Three Realms. Although the Jade Emperor retained his title, he was often bothered by immortal officials and former subjects using this incident to offer advice.

One day, Zhuang Yan was sipping tea outside his divine abode when he saw Fire Spirit True Immortal leading several young attendants to pick fruit in the peach orchard. Vanguard Hu, who had been meditating with his saber, approached immediately upon hearing the summons.

After inquiring about the recent situation in Guangci Prefecture, Zhuang Yan instructed, "Pay close attention to mortal affairs. Report immediately if anything unusual occurs." He specifically added, "Tell your wife to visit Liu Zhen Peak often to look after Lu Hanzhi and help her with anything she needs."

Vanguard Hu did not understand the meaning behind this. Zhuang Yan smiled without answering, a hint of deep light flashing in his eyes.

Vanguard Hu scratched his head and said, "Does the Divine Lord have feelings for her? That Lu Hanzhi is indeed quite beautiful."

Zhuang Yan kicked Vanguard Hu away and chided with a laugh, "Stupid tiger, always thinking of nonsense. Am I someone who is infatuated with the mortal world?"

"Heh heh." Vanguard Hu approached with a fawning smile, "Divine Lord, please don't be angry. I've noted down everything you've instructed and will tell Lan'er later."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly, just as Chi Ling arrived, holding fresh peaches and beaming.

"Divine Lord, these are Immortal Peaches specially offered to you by Sister Fire Spirit," Chi Ling said crisply.

Vanguard Hu's eyes widened in surprise, "Good heavens! Where did you pick such plump peaches?"

Zhuang Yan examined them closely. The peach skins were crystal clear and translucent, and the fruity aroma was intoxicating. He activated his Cave Heaven True Sight to investigate and was suddenly astonished, "These are Immortal Peaches containing spiritual energy!"

Chi Ling was taken aback, then quickly called out towards the peach grove, "Sister Fire Spirit, come quickly!"

Fire Spirit True Immortal put down her bamboo basket and hurried over, asking, "What's the rush?"

Chi Ling pointed at the Immortal Peach in Zhuang Yan's palm and exclaimed excitedly, "Sister, look! We've grown spiritual peaches!"

Fire Spirit True Immortal was initially dismissive, but upon seeing the spiritual light flowing on the peach, her voice trembled, "Divine Lord... could you let me examine this peach closely?"

Taking the Immortal Peach, Fire Spirit True Immortal's fingertips trembled. When she confirmed the spiritual energy flowing within the peach, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, "Thirty whole years! We finally see a glimmer of hope!"

"Congratulations," Zhuang Yan said with a smile, cupping his hands.

Amidst everyone's congratulations, Fire Spirit True Immortal solemnly presented the peach, "Please, Divine Lord, taste this first spiritual peach."