Chapter 655 - 68: Today, I Shall Raid the Home of the West (Part 2)

Chapter 655: Chapter 68: Today, I Shall Raid the Home of the West (Part 2)

While the two Supreme Beings were talking amongst themselves, back in the Human World.

「Inside the thatched cottage.」

"These are the secrets of Daluo. You can try to peer into them, but you must restrain yourself. Do not step directly into the Daluo Realm."

Lu Xuan’s main body reached out and tapped a finger. A ray of Spiritual Light entered the battered body of the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

The old monkey bowed in gratitude:

"This junior gratefully thanks Elder Lu for his immense kindness!"

"Oh, you..." Lu Xuan looked at the old monkey, and then at the little monkey from The Beginning of Ancient Times. His heart suddenly filled with emotion, and with a soft sigh, he said:

"You have suffered."

The old monkey was a little confused. ’Why is this great elder being so familiar with me?’

He didn’t dwell on it, instead immersing himself in the secrets of Daluo. For a brief moment, he transcended the River of Time, looking down upon history.

In fact, the bit of Daluo Spiritual Light Lu Xuan had given him had already surpassed the level of Daluo itself.

The old monkey wasn’t just looking back on this one Ancient History. He was connecting to the countless past Ancient Histories, which had been supplanted innumerable times by the changing of the Dao Fruit.

In a daze, the countless past memories of himself from across innumerable volumes of Ancient History flooded his mind. The old monkey let out a muffled groan and began to slowly sort through them.

Tens of billions of memories of the Journey to the West flooded his mind, each one largely the same with only minor differences.

In some memories, the journey was undertaken by a group of three; in others, a group of five; and in some, he was a lone monkey on the road.

In some memories, he caused the Great Turmoil in Heaven; in others, he wreaked havoc on Sumeru Mountain; and in some, he raised chaos at the Jasper Pool.

However, in the vast majority of memories, his master was the same person: Bodhi Ancestor Master. All his interactions with Bodhi Ancestor Master surfaced, and they were almost all identical.

"Master, look! A really big dragon just flew by in the sky!"

"Silence."

"Master, in the Seventy-two Earthly Fiend Techniques, what is the true essence of the Netherworld Communication Skill...?"

"Shut your mouth."

"Master, look! I went into the forest and picked some peaches for you. They’re all plump and delicious!"

"Not another word."

"Master, you..."

"Stop talking. As punishment, you will kowtow in the ancestral hall for three days and practice a vow of silence for three months. Why must you talk so much?"

"I’m sorry, Master. I won’t ask anymore."

In every memory, there was a similar scene, and in the end, it always concluded with the same words.

"Once you leave Fangcun Mountain, you are forbidden to say I am your master. I will not remember your name. You will act as if I do not exist, and I will do the same for you."

Then, he would be thrown out of Fangcun Mountain by a gale of wind.

It was the same every time.

The old monkey sighed. At first, he felt a pang of sadness, but he quickly dismissed it. He was used to it.

He had grown numb.

’All masters in the world must be like this.’

He had received all the memories from every Ancient History and was now just one step away from Daluo, yet he restrained himself from taking that final step.

Suddenly, the old monkey had a flash of inspiration. He tried to connect with the ’himself’ of this era—the little monkey.

Scenes appeared before his eyes: the Innate Fusang Tree, the Heaven-Supporting Buzhou Pillar, the Giant Bird Kunpeng...

In the memories, the little monkey asked question after question, and the Daoist answered each one. The little monkey never stopped, and neither did the Daoist.

"So..."

The old monkey’s eyes reddened slightly.

"A master can be like this, too..."

He let out a genuine, envious laugh, yet he also curled up a little, enduring the pain in his spine where Bodhi had whipped it broken. He murmured softly to himself:

"How wonderful."

...

「The Beginning of Ancient Times.」

The Little Monkey hopped and skipped about, chirping:

"Are the three grandmasters inside? Is the grandmaster who performed the Creation of Heaven and Earth in there too?"

"They are. Mind your manners when you go in."

"Mm-hm, I know, Teacher! You’ve already told me several times. You’re so naggy!"

"You little monkey..."

Lu Xuan chuckled softly, tapping the little monkey on the head before leading him into the Daoist Palace atop Kunlun Mountain.

Inside the Daoist Palace, The Three Pristine Ones sat enthroned. Primordial was on the left, symbolizing the Pioneer. Supreme was in the center, symbolizing Existence. Spirit Treasure was on the right, symbolizing the end.

At that moment, The Three Pristine Ones slowly opened their eyes, faint smiles appearing on their faces.

"You’ve arrived?"

Lu Xuan, leading the little monkey, bowed respectfully.

"Your disciple has brought my student, Sun Wukong, to be recognized by our lineage."

The Three Pristine Ones glanced over at the little monkey, who was looking all around, and nodded slightly. Of course, they were all very familiar with Sun Wukong...

But the past was the past. Now that he was a student under Xiaoxuan, he was their own grand-disciple.

Supreme smiled faintly.

"Little Monkey, since you haven’t formally become a disciple yet, we’ll owe you a meeting gift for now. On the day you are truly initiated, we will make it up to you."

Seeing the legendary grandmasters were so amiable, Sun Wukong relaxed a little and obediently bowed.

"Greetings, greetings..."

"This is your First Grandmaster, and that is your Second and Third Grandmasters,"

Lu Xuan introduced them with a smile. The little monkey obediently greeted each one in turn. After bowing, he stood respectfully to the side, his eyes constantly darting about, gleaming with curiosity.

He exchanged pleasantries with his three Masters for a while. In front of the little monkey, they didn’t discuss any secret matters, just made small talk about everyday things.

Finally, Lu Xuan glanced at the Little Monkey and patted his head.

"Sun Wukong."

The little monkey jolted and quickly bowed.

"Your student is present! Present!"

"Now that I have recorded your name, you must know the rules of my lineage."

"This student is listening! Just say the word, Teacher!"

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle as he slowly explained:

"You are of the Sanqing Lineage. The greatest and most important rule of the Sanqing Lineage is this: when calamity comes, you must face it; when disaster strikes, you must not flee."

"I will teach you every Dharma and Dao you are capable of learning. I will teach you *how* to fish and guide you onto the path of the Dao. But as for your future tribulations, unless someone senior bullies you, I, your master, will not interfere in any way. This is true even if you are utterly destroyed, body and soul... Do you understand?"

"This student understands, this student understands!" the little monkey nodded vigorously, grinning foolishly. "I can learn anything... heheh! I can learn anything!"

Lu Xuan was exasperated. ’This little guy...’

He glanced over at his three smiling Masters, and his heart was suddenly filled with emotion as he recalled all that had happened in the past, remembering the scene of his own initiation.

With utmost solemnity, Lu Xuan bowed deeply to his three Masters.

"Disciple Lu Xuan pays his respects to his three Fathers."

The Three Pristine Ones were taken aback for a moment, then they all burst out laughing—a laugh mixed with both gratification and annoyance.

Supreme smacked his lips, feeling a bit put out. ’Fathers... a title that means both master and father.’

’But a man can have many masters, while he can clearly only have one father. Three fathers? What kind of nonsense is that??’

His gaze suddenly turned dangerous. He casually reached out a hand, and from the depths of the East Sea in the era of the early Journey to the West, he pulled out a staff. He glanced sideways and said:

"Wukong, take a look at this staff of your grandmaster’s. Do you think it looks good?"

The Little Monkey craned his neck and stared for a good while before nodding forcefully.

"It looks great, great!"

"Next time, it’ll look even better... Alright, you two go handle your business!"

Lu Xuan swallowed hard and beat a hasty retreat, dragging the bewildered little monkey with him.

After the man and monkey had scurried away,

Supreme gripped the staff and glanced sideways unhurriedly. The Blind Daoist curled his lip.

"This is The Beginning of Ancient Times. What do you think you’re doing?"

Supreme thought for a moment, then retracted his gaze and swung the staff toward the Lame Daoist, whose face had turned ashen.

"Let me borrow some of the Dao Rhyme from your Dao Fruit to make this Dog-Beating Stick I’m gifting my grand-disciple look a little nicer!"

"Supreme! You bastard!" the Lame Daoist roared in grief and fury. "Do you only know how to pick on the weakest one?!"

The Beginning of Ancient Times was closer to the Years of Nature and far from the final apocalypse. Therefore, Primordial was the strongest, Supreme was second, and Spirit Treasure was the weakest.

...

As they descended Kunlun Mountain, the little monkey skipped along. He suddenly recalled the scene from before, tilted his head in thought for a moment, and then also bowed deeply to Lu Xuan with utmost solemnity.

"Disciple Sun Wukong pays his respects to Master!"

"You little monkey, you haven’t been initiated yet, so you can’t call me Master!" Lu Xuan patted his head, amused. Seeing the little monkey’s crestfallen expression, he quickly changed his tune.

"Alright, alright, don’t look so upset. If you want to call me that, then go ahead. As long as you behave yourself, your initiation is just a matter of time anyway..."

"Alright! Master!" The Little Monkey’s face lit up with a grin again.

"Let’s go. It’s time to get down to business."

Lu Xuan smiled and with a wave of his hand, transformed the little monkey into a Little Daoist Child. He then drew upon the blank world-will of The Beginning of Ancient Times to conceal him.

Immediately after, Lu Xuan led Sun Wukong toward the West.

As they walked, he said:

"I’m taking you to see the so-called birthplace of the Buddhist Path. Today, your master is going to raid the Buddha Land’s old home..."

The Daoist Child that the monkey had become looked up, confused.

"Raid a home? Raid what home?"

"I misspoke. We are going there to preach the Dao and expound on the Dharma, to bring Cultivation to all living beings."

Lu Xuan said with a smile.