Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 78 - Who is the Patriarch Bodhi

Everyone had already finished discussing matters by then and dispersed to continue their closed-door cultivation.

Wukong said, “Let her in.”

The green snake spirit, it must be Little Green, Wukong wondered how her cultivation was faring.

Little Green came into the bronze hall, and as soon as she saw Wukong, she attempted to perform a courtesy, saying, “Greetings, Green Emperor.”

Wukong flicked his finger and Little Green felt her body stiffen, unable to continue her bow, and then she heard Wukong say, “As of now, I order the abolishment of old customs, and all those bowing rituals can be dispensed with! We are all born of heaven and earth, all beings are equal, and there is gold beneath the knees, how can we easily bow to each other?”

Only then did Little Green forego the formalities and stood still, somewhat awkward.

Wukong pointed to a chair nearby and smiled, “Sit.”

Little Green sat down.

Wukong smiled and said, “Aren’t you usually quite carefree? Why are you so uncomfortable today?”

Little Green sighed inwardly, thinking, “Now you are the hero of the Demon Tribe, the Green Emperor, how could I not feel uneasy?” But she answered, “Some days ago, I was chased by a green lion spirit, so I fled all the way to the Water Curtain Cave to find you.”

Wukong’s mind stirred, thinking, “Green lion spirit? Could it be the spiritual tooth fairy of the past from Jie Taoist, who is now the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva?” He looked at Little Green and said, “You’ve also reached the High Immortal level now, just avoid provoking those formidable beings, and you’ll be able to protect yourself. Why were you being chased again? What happened?”

Little Green puffed her cheeks, annoyed, “That creature said I disturbed his nap and wanted to take me back to be his maid, which of course I refused, so we ended up fighting. That creature’s mana is powerful, and he defeated me in just a few moves, taking several Magical Treasures you gave me, and chased after me all the way until he had to retreat once I entered the bounds of the Water Curtain Cave.”

Wukong’s name had already spread far and wide across the Four Domains, and everyone knew that the Heaven-Defying Taoist was none other than the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, including Little Green.

Wukong knew there was something fishy about this matter, the green lion being Manjushri Bodhisattva’s mount might mean Manjushri himself had some plans against him. But with his present increase in mana, and having refined the Great Revolution Seal, he did not fear him. He plucked three monkey hairs from his head and gave them to Little Green, instructing, “If you encounter danger again, just call out my name three times, and I guarantee you’ll be safe and sound!”

Little Green, beaming with joy, took the monkey fur and called out, “Thank you, Brother Monkey!”

Wukong waved his hand and said, “No need to thank me! The land is thrown into chaos now; you must be careful.”

Little Green nodded and responded, “I will soon reach the cultivation level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal. It won’t take much longer.”

Wukong nodded and suggested, “That is very good. If you wish, you can also stay in my Water Curtain Cave, which will ensure your safety for the time being.”

Little Green hesitated for a moment, then said, “Thank you for your kindness, Brother Monkey, but I need to temper myself through experiences in the outside world!”

Wukong replied, “That is also fine.”

After receiving three strands of Wukong’s fur, Little Green chatted for a while before setting out on her own to admire the scenery of Water Curtain Cave.

Upon stepping out, Little Green saw a troop of soldiers drilling at the base of a distant mountain. How could she tell? There’s a poem to prove it, which goes:

“Blades and spears raised to alter the mandate of heaven,

Warriors stride bold and true, wielding their halberds on steeds of spirit.

A thousand days spent raising an army, for the day it’s needed,

To shroud their valorous souls in horsehide for eternal rest.”

What a spectacle of drilling troops; every single person full of spirit, weapons clashing in well-ordered drills, battle formations tidy and precise, murderous aura piercing the sky, blades flickering, and sword qi crisscrossing, dazzling the onlooker’s eyes.

Bewildered by the military exercise, Little Green’s heart yearned to join them and bring about a great revolution under the heavens.

Meanwhile, Wukong sat in the bronze hall, sighing. He stood up, left the hall, and entered the Water Curtain Cave. Settling into a cross-legged position, he began to meticulously cultivate his Golden Core. This Golden Core had already accumulated a thousand Great Paths, but alas, it still lacked two thousand more—the journey was long and arduous!

“Fuxi’s River Map and Luo Book speak of ‘sowing a Golden Lotus to create a world.’ What does this notion of sowing a Golden Lotus mean? What kind of strategy is implied?” Wukong mused for a moment but couldn’t grasp the meaning, so he stopped pondering further.

Wukong wasn’t in a hurry to cultivate at this moment. Instead, he carefully thought over the events that had occurred since he captured the thread of life, extracting some doubts from them. Having been schemed against before, he now had to act with utmost caution. The fact that Manjushri’s mount, the Green Lion, came to kill Little Green could mean that the Buddhist Sect is up to something. Manjushri is known for unmatched wisdom; their actions this time must be far from simple.

“Heh, Lord Lao is quite admirable. He helped me a lot during the past Journey to the West. It’s just that I was too mischievous back then, ingesting so many Immortal Pills and peaches without knowing how to refine them, wasting them all for a Vajra-Indestructible Body, which was quite foolish! Upon reflection, I owe Lord Lao quite a favor!” Wukong thought to himself, his fingers gently caressing the gourd that contained two Nine Revolutions Immortal Pills.

The Nine Revolutions Immortal Pill is a miraculous medicine that requires eighty-one years to refine. Made from the finest of heavenly materials, it is rarer even than ginseng fruits and flat peaches. Although the time it takes to create the pills is shorter than the time for ginseng fruits and flat peaches to mature, its value lies in its ingredients. Every single herb used is far from ordinary, extremely rare, and precious.

Wukong knew the powerful effects of these Immortal Pills and was reluctant to use them; they were life-saving treasures. To consume them just to enhance his cultivation would be akin to hoarding the gifts of heaven. Lord Lao couldn’t refine many of them every eighty-one years; giving him two was already very generous.

Wukong contemplated, “But who exactly is my master, Subhuti from Mount Sumeru? His actions are like those of a great Confucian scholar, yet he taught Taoist Magic and adopted Buddhist names. Heh, no matter who he is, he is surely plotting against me! With sky-reaching abilities, he just watched as I was captured by Tathagata and then impersonated Zen Master Wuchao halfway to teach Buddhist Law to Tang Sanzang.”

Zen Master Wuchao taught Tang Sanzang a scroll of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra on the road, an eminent text vital to Buddhist cultivation! This means that Zen Master Wuchao held a high status in the Buddhist Sect. For some reason, upon their first encounter, Wukong felt that Zen Master Wuchao looked familiar and suspected him to be his old master, Patriarch Subhuti. Frustrated that he had been trapped for five hundred years without his master’s rescue and, instead, met with tricks on the road, he attempted to beat him with his staff but failed to overcome him, losing face.

After fighting with him, he was finally certain that he was Subhuti, so much so that he cursed his name on their Westward Journey, trying to learn more but never getting to the heart of it.

Now, with a heart full of profound wisdom, everything that happened in the past was etched vividly into Wukong’s mind.

“In the old days, Buddhism and Taoism were one family, both originating from Hong Jun’s profound gate. Subhuti taught Taoist Magic and took such a name; it all makes sense. Could it be that he is one of the two saints of Buddhism? Is it Zhun Ti or Amitabha?” The more Wukong pondered, the clearer his thoughts became; the identity of Patriarch Subhuti seemed on the verge of revelation, yet there was always something just beyond his grasp.

Wukong speculated silently, “Heh, it might not be so simple! If Zen Master Wuchao is Subhuti, then perhaps Zen Master Wuchao is a part of him he has severed! Well, I’ll have to face it sooner or later; overthinking is futile.”

He stopped his wild conjectures, took out the Great Revolution Seal, and raised it to the sky as he began to comprehend the Great Paths.

Now with a thousand Great Paths and still two thousand short, it required gradual accumulation. Although it was uncertain how many tens or hundreds of years it would take, Wukong felt that his combat power had significantly soared after the Great Paths reached a thousand, barely touching upon that rule… allowing for a slight distortion of space.

“With the Three Thousand Great Paths completed, it will be the time for you all to perish. Those who once deceived, insulted, and humiliated me, each and every one… slain by this staff!”