The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 76 - 0 Monkey King Discusses the Dao with Three

There are numerous Immortal Officials in the Heavenly Court, with three hundred and sixty-five major gods, each leading countless minor deities. Wukong did not recognize this person, but felt the old Daoist had a certain style and decided to chat with him. With a somersault, he flipped onto the immortal mountain, saluted with cupped hands, and said, “Old Daoist, you truly seem to be enjoying your leisure time here. May I ask which official you are? ”

The old Daoist replied with a smile, “Oh, it’s the newly conferred Great Sage Equalling Heaven. I am Daoist Xuandu, I have long admired the Great Sage’s reputation.”

“Daoist Xuandu? Could it be the Xuandu Grand Master?” Wukong pondered to himself.

Wukong said, “Old Daoist, just now you mentioned the ‘Yellow Court,’ a book of Taoist moral maxims. Could you recite it for me twice?”

Daoist Xuandu replied with a smile, “I too have limited knowledge and learning; how could I be worthy to recite scriptures for the Great Sage? May I ask if you have grown accustomed to the Heavenly Court yet?”

Wukong replied, “Not accustomed at all; the Heavenly Court is rather too dull for my taste.”

Daoist Xuandu laughed heartily, unconcerned, and said, “Indeed! You see most of the Immortal Officials here in the court, living their lives in drunken stupor, filling positions without merit, completely without purpose. It’s a wonder why everyone aspires to be an official in the Heavenly Court. Truly dull, so dull indeed!”

“This fellow Daoist has a most exquisite insight. May I ask if you are the Xuandu Grand Master from Laojun’s sect?” Wukong inquired.

Daoist Xuandu simply gave a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying, as if implicitly agreeing.

Wukong chuckled, “Old Sun here really dislikes you folks, always pretending to be unfathomably profound.”

After hearing this, Daoist Xuandu was momentarily stunned, then burst into a great laughter, saying, “The Great Sage’s words are quite entertaining. In a moment, I have two fellow Daoists coming. I wonder if the Great Sage would be willing to meet them.”

Wukong responded, “I am carefree and spontaneous, always eager to make new friends. Since you are a disciple of Laojun, you must be a person of high morality, and the Daoist friends you know won’t be any less. Of course, I would like to meet them.”

Daoist Xuandu smiled faintly and said, “Look, my fellow Daoists have arrived.”

Wukong looked up and saw two Daoists riding auspicious clouds: one in a green Taoist robe and the other in a white Taoist robe; the first with a kindly and gentle face, appearing middle-aged; the second with sword-like eyebrows and a sharp visage, also appearing middle-aged.

The two Daoists descended from their clouds upon the mountain and, seeing Wukong, smiled and said, “Is this the newly appointed Great Sage Equalling Heaven of the Heavenly Court?”

Wukong nodded and said, “Old Sun it is.”

The Daoist in the green robe then said, “I am the Jade Void Daoist.”

The Daoist in the white robe added, “I am the Green Wander Daoist.”

Wukong found the three Daoists unfamiliar, only assuming that Daoist Xuandu was the Xuandu Grand Master. As for the other two, he did not know their stature. The Xuandu Grand Master was the sole disciple of the Supreme Laojun, vastly skilled in mana and endowed with extensive divine skills, very formidable indeed.

“What brings you three Daoists to these wild and forsaken ridges? Old Sun might also want to join in,” Wukong inquired.

“I have invited two fellow Daoists here to discuss Taoist arts. Would the Great Sage care to join us?” asked Daoist Xuandu.

Wukong smiled and said, “What a coincidence, a coincidence indeed! Old Sun’s knowledge of Taoist arts is shallow, and I would like to witness how the sages perform their Taoist arts.”

Daoist Xuandu laughed and said, “Then we are most fortunate.”

Had it been in the past, Wukong surely wouldn’t have had the patience to discuss the Dao with others. He was quite impetuous in his previous life, and he might have passed this great mountain and even noticed this old Daoist but never took it to heart. Opportunities always come to those who are prepared. Unable to fathom the depth of these three Daoists’ powers, engaging in a discussion of the Dao with such sages would surely bring great benefits.

The Jade Void Daoist nodded and said, “Discussing the Dao first requires a clear mind. I have some Heart-Purifying Pills here, which are perfect for our fellow Daoists to use.”

No sooner had the Jade Void Daoist flipped his palm than a bottle of elixirs appeared. He poured out four pills, which the Green Wander Daoist and Xuandu Daoist then took one each. Wukong also didn’t hold back, snatching one of the Heart-Purifying Pills for himself. The pill was red, with a luminous glow circulating within, obviously not comparable to ordinary elixirs.

The three Xuandu Daoists each swallowed the elixirs, and without hesitation, Wukong did the same. The pill had no poison, and these individuals surely would not attempt to take his life without reason. As he swallowed it, he felt a gentle comfort throughout his body, the power of the medicine spreading within him, inducing a yearning for the celestial. Making such a Heart-Purifying Pill wasn’t easy; it required ninety-nine precious medicinal ingredients and a special fire for refinement. After being well-refined, it had to be frozen within ten-thousand-year mystical ice for a hundred years before it could be consumed.

Many would consume a Heart-Purifying Pill when they encountered a bottleneck in their cultivation, then enter seclusion and meditate to grasp the principles of the Dao.

This Jade Void Daoist was truly generous, presenting four pills at once, and without any display of distress, which suggested a wealth of possessions!

After ingesting the elixir, Wukong felt clarity in his spiritual platform and calmness in his mind. He bowed slightly and said, “Jade Void Master, this pill is indeed miraculous. Upon taking it, one feels at peace and calm. It is truly a fine object!”

But the Jade Void Daoist merely smiled faintly and said, “While the elixir is good, it is after all an external thing. It’s okay to eat a few occasionally, but one cannot consume them every day.”

Wukong nodded and replied, “That makes sense, I shall remember it.”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Green Wander Daoist asked, “May I ask, Xuandu Fellow Taoist, what is the Dao or teachings you wish to discuss with us?”

“Speaking of the Primordial Great Way,” Xuandu Daoist said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, the other Jade Void Daoist and the Green Wander Daoist immediately showed peculiar expressions. Wukong frowned and said, “This Primordial Great Way is the supreme and utmost Dao. Could it be that Xuandu Fellow Taoist has peered into the mysteries of Hunyuan? I wonder what cultivation level you possess?”

Xuandu Daoist did not answer his question but merely laughed and said, “The Primordial Great Way is also the Dao of Saints; upon realizing this Dao, one can become a Saint. In the past, the Three Pure Ones were transformations of Pangu’s Primordial Spirit, having advantages from Heaven, accumulating the merit of opening the sky, Pangu had already understood Hunyuan, thus it was natural for the Three Pure Ones to become Saints; The Two Saints of the West had Zhun Ti Buddha Ancestor, who dreamt during the day, dreaming through twelve myriads and nine thousand six hundred Spring and Autumns, becoming a Saint in one dream, and there was Amitabha Buddha, who proclaimed a grand wish, earning countless disciples with a single ‘May I be capable,’ and ultimately achieved the Great Way using the merit of founding a religion and the incense offering from the people; Goddess Nu Wa created humans from clay, amassing boundless merit, also realizing Hunyuan, a shame that she perished during the time of mending the heavens. Would fellow Daoists share your own views on the Primordial Great Way?”

Green Wander Daoist promptly said, “The Primordial Great Way is vast and limitless, each has their own Dao. The Dao evolves in fortynine parts, withdrawing one, grasping this ‘one’ is the Primordial Great Way. One should dare to break and dare to establish, using oneself as the Daoist sword of the law, to cut through all the falsehoods in the world, and seize the slim chance of survival!”

The Jade Void Daoist merely said serenely, “In cultivating Hunyuan, one should follow Heaven and act in accordance, comply with the will of Heaven’s Dao, and uphold its tenets as truth.”

However, Xuandu Daoist laughed and said, “I believe Hunyuan is about great wisdom and virtue, touching the Great Dao with one’s wisdom and virtue, and achieving Hunyuan.”

Wukong listened intently, his heart startled. What were the origins of these Daoists, who so casually spoke of “Hunyuan” and the “Great Dao”? What mana, what level of cultivation did they possess?

“What does the Great Sage consider to be the Primordial Great Way?” Xuandu Daoist turned his head to ask Wukong.

Wukong pondered long, what was the Primordial Great Way? He wasn’t at that level and couldn’t see what “Hunyuan” was.

The backgrounds of these three Daoists were obviously significant, daring to discuss the Primordial Great Way, and each held quite different views, creating their own schools of thought.

Suddenly, Wukong said, “I think, the Primordial Great Way is Integration.”

“Integration?”

Wukong said, “The Tao Te Ching states: ‘The Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, three gives birth to all things.’ All things in the universe follow their own paths, but ultimately they come from the same source. When it’s time to return to silence, everything will ‘return to one’ and assimilate into the Great Dao. My understanding of Hunyuan is that it is Integration. This ‘one’ is not the slim chance of survival mentioned by Green Wander Daoist, nor is it the ‘Tao gives birth to one’ of Laojun, but the original source of the Great Dao.”

Internally, Xuandu Daoist mused, “Ultimately, it is still derived from the concepts of the Tao Te Ching. Well, planting a seed of Hunyuan in his mind is also good.”

Such insight was not easy to come by; all three Daoists nodded slightly.

“If you hold onto ‘one,’ naturally you will attain the Dao of Hunyuan,” Wukong said, but then felt something wasn’t quite right.

This Great Dao was too complex for him, hard to understand, hard to penetrate, too nebulous—incomprehensible even with a glimpse through the bamboo.

This profound mystery could only be experienced by oneself. Others might speak, but you wouldn’t understand. Only when one’s realm reached a certain level would you understand when others spoke.

“Integration…”

Suddenly, Wukong slowly stood up, the expressions of the three Daoists each different. He took no notice and closed his eyes, slowly moving his feet, extending one hand forward, the other pressing on his lower dantian, slowly shifting his feet apart with his weight between them, shoulders relaxed. It looked somewhat like a martial arts stance.

“Hmm?” Xuandu Daoist suddenly let out a cry of surprise, standing up and forming a spell.

Green Wander Daoist suddenly said, “Heaven, earth, man, the Three Talents in Integration! The Dao as Heaven, Buddhism as Earth, Confucianism as Man… Unity of the Three Teachings, the Three Talents in Integration.”

“Excellent, excellent.”

“Marvelous, marvelous.”

If you want to know what happens next, please listen to the following breakdown.