Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 261 - 250: Dare to Ask Where the Great Way Lies

Chapter 261: Chapter 250: Dare to Ask Where the Great Way Lies

Wukong emerged from the Tai Qing Celestial Realm, tossed the Purple Gold Talisman into the air, and injected a stream of Mana into it.

Once Mana was infused, the talisman activated and shot towards the depths of the Celestial Realm, flying incredibly fast. Wukong hastily deployed his Somersault Cloud to follow, but even with his current speed, he had some difficulty keeping up though it wasn’t a major problem.

The depths of the Celestial Realm were shrouded in clouds and mist, home to various mythical beasts kept by Hong Jun. All possessing the Cultivation Level of a Primordial Golden Immortal, presumably Hong Jun’s precaution for the ordeal of Yuan—these beasts, upon sensing the aura of the Purple Gold Talisman, naturally did not trouble Wukong, merely lifting their eyelids before lazily closing them again, continuing their slumber.

Following the Purple Gold Talisman, Wukong flew for three days and nights before he finally located Hong Jun and Di Jun.

The two were sitting cross-legged on the ground with the Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map raised, suppressing the shattered void around them. Their Golden Cores were rotating, exuding a profound sense of the Great Dao. This was the aura of Great Dao Sages, enigmatic and unfathomable.

Wukong dismounted the Somersault Cloud, walked forward, and gave a respectful salute, saying, "Junior pays respects to the Taoist Patriarch and the Heavenly Emperor."

Hong Jun nodded slightly and said, "Wukong, there’s no need for such formalities."

Di Jun smiled and said, "Good lad, you truly have not disappointed my expectations."

Wukong replied, "Heavenly Emperor flatters me."

Hong Jun gestured to a spot on the ground and said, "Sit, let’s talk slowly."

Upon seeing Hong Jun and Di Jun, the urgency in Wukong’s heart extinguished, and he sat cross-legged on the designated spot.

Hong Jun said, "You are the Sky-mending Stone crafted from Nuwa’s Essence Blood during Ancient Times. Back then, I was too busy setting laws of earth, water, wind, and fire to help combat the Ordeal of Heaven’s Opening, leaving only Nuwa to prepare. After Nuwa fell in battle, you were her remaining Essence Blood. The Dao should be selfless, but due to my guilt towards Nuwa, I bestowed upon you a thread of Hongmeng Purple Qi when Tathagata tried to kill you, granting you a slim chance of survival. However, not even I anticipated that you would achieve such great heights, truly a cause for comfort."

Listening to Hong Jun, Wukong had a moment of enlightenment. No wonder when Tathagata’s palm struck down, he suddenly felt an indescribably mystical sensation, grasping at that fleeting opportunity to escape amidst the disintegration into ashes.

Wukong asked, "Who was it that tore through the firmament with that colossal hand seal that time?"

Hong Jun replied, "It was a Chaos Heaven Demon nurtured by the Dao, with extraordinary combat prowess, capable of battling a Great Dao Sage."

Di Jun said, "It covertly ripped through the Heavenly Dao Laws undetected by the Taoist Patriarch and me, thus allowing it a chance. That hand seal was specifically aimed to kill you. Fuxi’s predictions were accurate. The Chaos Heaven Demon, aiming to completely destroy our world, thus sought your death under its palm. Once someone ascends the Deification Platform, the way of the saints would be void, and any talk of creation would be mere jest."

Wukong then asked, "Is there a way to make our world eternally indestructible and avoid the Immeasurable Calamity inflicted by the Dao?"

The Immeasurable Calamity, also known as the Ordeal of Yuan, occurs every one hundred twenty thousand and nine hundred sixty years—a force of the Dao that cannot be reversed.

Both Hong Jun and Di Jun nodded.

"There seems to be a way to make our world eternally indestructible; it involves the attainment of four Great Dao Sages! Form the Four Symbols Great Array to suppress the four corners of the world. Thus, the Great Dao Principles won’t be able to detect the existence of our domain. Without detection, naturally, there won’t be an Immeasurable Calamity or the Ordeal of Yuan," said Di Jun. "This is the conclusion that the Taoist Patriarch and I have deduced recently. But to achieve four Great Dao Sages, how difficult would that be!"

Wukong also felt that becoming a Great Dao Sage seemed impossibly hard. Though he had not yet reached the level of a Heavenly Dao Saint, his Dao was already complete, thorough, and had reached its end. There was no path ahead, the ultimate end of the Dao with no new paths to forge toward the realm of a Great Dao Sage.

The ambitious Tong Tian Sect Master, endowed with significant fortune and resolve, might have the potential to become the third Great Dao Sage. Had Nuwa not perished, she might have become the fourth. But with the Ordeal of Yuan drawing ever nearer and the Immeasurable Calamity about to descend, there seemed no other capable of achieving the rank of a Great Dao Sage in the remaining few thousand years—except for Tong Tian, who continuously strove to break through to that realm.

"My Dao has reached its end," Wukong could not help but sigh.

"No, perhaps it has not," Di Jun said with a smile.

Hong Jun also nodded slightly. To make this world eternally indestructible, Wukong was the last hope. The Tong Tian Sect Master already had a great chance to attain the Great Dao Sage, and only recently, Hong Jun had given him the Creation Jade Butterfly to deeply study the principles within.

Wukong frowned and said, "Revolutionizing Heaven and Earth, the Three Thousand Great Paths. All have been pushed to their extremes. After slaying Tathagata and settling the great karmic debt, I will achieve the level of a Heavenly Dao Saint. What other paths are there to take?"

Hong Jun said, "Yes. If you can think of Tathagata, how can you not think of this path?"

Wukong, being a wise man, mulled it over carefully and his eyes suddenly lit up. He said, "Are you suggesting that one should achieve the state of the Turning Wheel Sage King?"

Hong Jun and Di Jun spoke in unison, "Precisely!"

The Turning Wheel Sage King, the supreme deity of the Buddhist Sect, was achieved by Tathagata with the body of a Primordial Golden Immortal. With unmatched combat prowess, he could contend with Saints. Moreover, this was only a temporary achievement through the method of sacrifice, and his realm had not truly been reached. If a Heavenly Dao Saint were to thoroughly comprehend the true essence of the Turning Wheel Sage King and achieve that state, they would likely exist on the same level as a Great Dao Sage. Then, with four such Great Dao Sages, they could suppress the four directions and ensure the eternal stability of heaven and earth.

Wukong nodded slightly and said, "Tathagata only had the cultivation level of a Primordial Golden Immortal, and used the method of sacrifice to grant the temporary descent of the Turning Wheel Sage King—such combat power is indeed only rivaled by Saints! If one were to achieve this state with the cultivation level of a Heavenly Dao Saint, truly comprehending the essence of the Turning Wheel Sage King, not through sacrifice but by direct attainment, then one would likely possess the realm of a Great Dao Sage indeed."

Hong Jun and Di Jun nodded slightly too. Although Hong Jun was the ancestor of the Daoist school, Buddhism and Daoism shared a common origin. What’s more, the Buddhist Sect now controlled by the Victorious Fighting Buddha seeks the same Great Dao; reaching the summit of cultivation, they would both be Great Dao Sages.

Wukong furrowed his brow and said, "But the Turning Wheel Sage King is elusive, merely an assumption by Amitabha Buddha. Although that assumption is correct and Tathagata has temporarily summoned him through the Sacrificial Great Method, even Tathagata has not grasped its essence. How could one possibly achieve the state of the Turning Wheel Sage King? The difficulty is indeed immense."

Hong Jun replied, "The Dao is carved out by those who traverse it. When I became a Heavenly Dao Saint, I thought I had reached the end of the path, but instead, I obtained the Creation Jade Butterfly. By penetrating the mystery of the Great Dao within it, I ultimately captured the Three Thousand Great Paths, becoming a Great Dao Sage. The Great Dao is the end of cultivation, there is no doubt. Buddhism and Daoism share the same root; the Turning Wheel Sage King is the only path for the Buddhist Sect to achieve the Great Dao Sage. Since no one has yet succeeded, you must explore it diligently on your own."

What Hong Jun said was true. Since the Turning Wheel Sage King truly exists, one needs to carefully explore and carve out this path to achieve the state of the Turning Wheel Sage King!

Wukong nodded slightly and said, "I will try every possible method. The Victorious Fighting Buddha has already tried by embracing the collective will of sentient beings, multiplying his combat power, but he still couldn’t sense the existence of the Turning Wheel Sage King... Even invoking a powerful collective wish by having all beings in the Ultimate Bliss World call out ’Victorious Fighting Buddha’ yielded no clues."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha, having battled with the Turning Wheel Sage King once, understood his formidable strength. Therefore, he has been pondering on the method to achieve the Turning Wheel Sage King for over a decade.

Hong Jun and Di Jun did not have much understanding of the Turning Wheel Sage King either. They hoped that Wukong would be able to figure out this path that no one has ever walked. Therefore, regarding the achievement of the Turning Wheel Sage King, both of them didn’t say too much. Speaking more might negatively affect Wukong’s own judgment.

As for the matter of the Turning Wheel Sage King, it was left to Wukong to ponder. Hong Jun spoke no further and said directly, "Tathagata is hiding within a broken realm in the Chaotic World. You have a deep karmic connection with him. I can take a thread of karma from you, create a talisman, unlock the Heavenly Dao restrictions, and you will be able to go out. Then you can follow the talisman to find him. However, the Chaotic World is extremely dangerous, with Chaos Heaven Demons roaming and Chaos strange beasts and so on... If you go, you must be careful. After killing Tathagata, return immediately without delay."

Wukong said, "Good!"

Hong Jun then pinched a spell with both hands and pointed at Wukong as if with a sword. Then Wukong felt as if something had been taken from him—it was a thread of the grand karma tied to Tathagata, now grasped in Hong Jun’s palm.

Great Dao Sages are unlike Heavenly Dao Saints who come into contact with karma yet remain unaffected; they are utterly untainted and immortal, existing as one with the Dao. Like Ancestral Witches, they can be temporarily killed, but before long, they will be restored by the Great Dao Principles and come back to life. This is the great power of a Great Dao Sage!

Hong Jun refined the taken thread of karma with True Fire, and plucked a strand of his hair, which transformed into a talisman. The thread of karma was infused into the talisman, and four characters emerged on it, written with the forcefulness and agility of a dragon or snake—they were the name of Tathagata: Sakyamuni.

Hong Jun handed the talisman to Wukong and said, "Once you are outside the Chaotic World, you just need to inject a strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi into the talisman, then loudly call out ’Sakyamuni’ three times. The talisman itself will lead you to Tathagata."

Wukong nodded and asked, "Why is Hongmeng Purple Qi necessary?"

Hong Jun explained, "Hongmeng Purple Qi is the closest to the Great Dao; the Chaos World is filled with Chaos. Only the Great Dao can navigate it with ease. Merely infusing it with Mana is useless."

After hearing this, Wukong understood. He stored the talisman in his pouch and said, "Thank you, Hong Jun Taoist Patriarch. I will ensure that Tathagata has nowhere to be buried this time!"

Di Jun flipped his palm and produced three feathers, saying, "These are three feathers from my Golden Crow Body. Take them with you. Do not use them unless it is a matter of life and death."

Wukong said, "Understood."

And thus, he took the three feathers from Di Jun.

To find out what happens next, please follow the next installment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please visit m.qidian.com to