The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 325 - 296: Celestial Emperor Fuxi Discusses the Great Calamity

Chapter 325: Chapter 296: Celestial Emperor Fuxi Discusses the Great Calamity

Wukong returned to his mountain gate and dispersed the common people of Xi Qie Mi.

He entered the quiet room to cultivate with the aid of the Nirvana Pearl, a pre-birth treasure that likely originated from another world. But it didn’t matter where it came from as long as it was of great use to him. Holding the Nirvana Pearl, he sat cross-legged on the lotus platform.

Sitting cross-legged is a special method for those practicing cultivation. The Bubbling Spring acupoint on the sole of the foot connects to many meridians and channels throughout the body. Placing both soles on the thighs, facing upward, enhances the absorption of congenital true qi. This is "Five Hearts Facing the Sky," a practice embraced by both the Daoist and Buddhist sects during cultivation.

"The Heart of Heaven is my heart, the will of Heaven is my will; Nirvana is impermanent, my spirit roams the universe; the three souls and seven spirits leave the body with the Primordial Spirit!" Wukong chanted a spell and began his cultivation, holding the Nirvana Pearl.

At such an advanced stage of cultivation, true qi was no longer the most crucial element. He had already condensed a fair amount of Hunyuan True Qi. The most important thing was to grasp the principles, penetrate the origin of the world, and master the means of creation to become a creator himself! Reaching the status of a creator, his power would undergo a transformation, much like the difference between hitting someone with a pound of cotton versus a pound of iron; the cotton does not hurt, but the iron certainly does.

"Heavenly Dao Laws, empower my body; with heart imprinting upon heart, to accomplish the Great Dao!"

Wukong silently sensed the changes in the Nirvana Pearl. His divine thoughts left his body, drawn by the Pearl, and he found himself roaming through the void, beginning to comprehend the true essence and origin of the world.

Let’s set aside Wukong’s monotonous cultivation for now and turn to Enlightenment Dao, who returned from Yingzhou Island to the Southern Toad Continent to seek out Chi Songzi.

He harbored many doubts that needed the explanations of Chi Songzi, or perhaps those like Emperor Fuxi. Proficient in Divine Sky Taoist Magic, Chi Songzi, a renowned master, had provided hundreds of years of teaching. If even a pig received such guidance, it would manage to cultivate some mana.

Enlightenment Dao rode his sword to Shushan, where the people there were already quite familiar with him. After exchanging customary greetings, he headed straight for Shennong’s Secret Realm.

Although the Sword Cliff of Shushan was destroyed, almost everyone knew that Chi Songzi was located at Shennong’s Secret Realm within Sword Cliff. The Demon Path Sects had suffered greatly at his hands, and although they were restless, they dared not attack Shushan again.

Enlightenment Dao entered Shennong’s Secret Realm and found Chi Songzi before bowing deeply and saying, "Senior, I have come to seek guidance from Emperor Fuxi regarding my confusions."

Chi Songzi nodded and said, "Revealing Emperor Fuxi in his saintly form consumes a vast amount of incense power and wishes. However, if he manifests only a divine thought to speak with you, it won’t require as much."

He had been pondering over the Swallowing Dragon Stele but could not get to the heart of it. Many things needed to be explained by Fuxi himself.

Chi Songzi summoned the Heavenly Emperor Sword, and a strand of Fuxi’s divine thought appeared in a saintly form. His lower body was that of a dragon, with dragon horns on his head—an image of a great sage.

In ancient times, people would discern fortune and character from one’s appearance. Those with unique appearances generally possessed great destiny, like Liu Bei, who had ears reaching his shoulders and hands extending past his knees.

"Greetings, Emperor!" Enlightenment Dao bowed to Fuxi.

"I knew you would come to find me," Fuxi said with a smile to Enlightenment Dao. All the schemes, including Wukong’s rebirth, originated from him.

Enlightenment Dao spoke up, "I’ve come to resolve the doubts in my heart."

Fuxi replied, "Ask your questions."

After pondering for a moment, Enlightenment Dao asked, "Who are these Various Heavens exactly? If it is said that Heaven and Earth are indifferent, why then do Various Heavens invade our Four Great Continents?"

Heaven and Earth are indifferent, without sentiment, treating all things equally, like sacrificial straw dogs. If Heaven had sentiments, it would also age — if Heaven had emotions, it would no longer be Heaven.

Fuxi pondered for a moment and replied, "I do not know this myself. Perhaps only our Heavenly Dao Hongjun Daozu can answer this question. Hongjun Daozu oversees the Heavenly Dao and is also an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao. However, after being injured in a great battle during the Middle Ancient Times, clashing with the Heavenly Dao of another world, both sides were hurt. He is now recuperating and difficult to find."

Enlightenment Dao then asked, "How powerful is this other world exactly, that we can’t even match it? They even allowed this imposter Tathagata to Swap Heaven and Earth, replacing the Buddhist sect."

Fuxi offered a bitter smile, "It’s not that they were stronger, our strengths were not much different. It’s just that they caught us by surprise, instantly injuring our world’s Nine Heavens, which caught us off guard. Moreover, the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan betrayed us, forged the Sky-Breaking Divine Arrow to severely wound the Nine Heavens, opened the gate between the two realms, leading wolves into the house. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been placed in such a passive situation."

Wudao Qi was puzzled, "Why would the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan betray us?"

Fuxi explained, "The Ancient Hate Heaven Clan was born suppressed under the South Sea Ruins; it was the will of the Heavenly Dao. They were not allowed to leave the South Sea for their entire lives, hence they harbored resentment. Utilizing all the resources of their clan, they forged the Sky-Breaking Divine Arrow. There were a total of ten arrows, nine of which injured the Nine Heavens and have been destroyed. The remaining one should be in the hands of the Daoist Equal to Heaven. We constructed the Tower Connecting Heaven in the North Sea, entering the Extraterritorial Battlefield to fight against Otherworld invaders. Then the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan opened the gate of the South Sea Ruins again, and we had to rush to the South Sea to suppress it! The battle was extremely rushed, and coupled with the betrayal of the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan who injured the Nine Heavens, we were suppressed by the Otherworld."

"How powerful are these Ancient Hate Heaven Clan deities to injure the Nine Heavens? The Nine Heavens are nine great saints!" Wudao exclaimed in shock.

"That Ancient Hate Heaven Clan has been suppressed in the South Sea Ruins since the beginning, guarding the gate of the two realms there. As they could never leave the South Sea, they changed their name to ’Hate Heaven’ out of their resentment towards heaven and earth. The clan itself had many powerful beings, and with their exceptional talent, it’s not surprising that they could forge such divine arrows after generations of effort. Moreover, these arrows are fused with the Heavenly Dao Laws; they might not be powerful against ordinary people, but their power can increase by millions of times against the Nine Heavens," Fuxi said with a shake of his head and a sigh.

If it weren’t for the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan, they might not have been so passive. The Otherworld invasion came suddenly, catching them unawares. To prevent the Otherworld from breaking through the Four Great Continents, they constructed the Tower Connecting Heaven in the North Sea’s War God Secret Realm to bridge the two realms and fought amidst endless Chaos. Later, they barely repelled the Otherworld’s masters, and the Three Emperors and Five Emperors joined forces to sever the Tower Connecting Heaven. Then, when the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan opened the gates of the South Sea Ruins, they had to rush to the South Sea for another battle, during which Gonggong’s crazed rampage caused damage to the Heavenly Dao, leading to Nu Wa’s death while repairing the heavens and a severe loss of powers in the Four Great Continents, eventually resulting in the downfall of numerous ancient masters during the battle in the South Sea.

Now he finally had an idea about the grand battle of the Middle Ancient Times. So that’s how it was!

Fuxi continued, "The Various Heavens had long laid plans for our world. They sent dreams to Zhunti and Amitabha Buddha, urging them to understand true awakening and establish Buddhism, dividing our realm’s Mystic Sect! The Jade Emperor wanted to seize power, making Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch’s twelve disciples swear fealty. Additionally, King Zhou of Shang was foolish and manipulated by the Various Heavens, desecrating a sculpture of Goddess Nu Wa, which caused her to become furious. Only then did six saints jointly endorse the Investiture of the Gods, using the turnover of human dynasties to complete the immortal calamities and settle karma."

"This Investiture of Divine Enthronement calamity led us to further internal strife... Our Heavenly Dao’s fortunes also suffered considerable losses because of it," Wudao said thoughtfully.

Fuxi nodded, "That’s right. There were already many calamities in Ancient Times; after each was triggered, the fortunes of the Heavenly Dao would be damaged and would take a long time to recover. The calamity of Investiture of Divine Enthronement was the largest of all, involving all immortals within the Three Realms and Six Paths to settle their karmas. This internal strife was the most severe."

Chi Songzi just sat cross-legged on the side, silently listening. He did not understand these matters as deeply as Fuxi did.

Fuxi said, "I arranged the Bagua and performed calculations on the void, predicting your arrival. You are a Stone Monkey born from heaven and are in great alignment with the Heavenly Dao, which is why this great task has fallen upon you. Now, after the battle that damaged the Kunlun Dragon Veins, the fortunes have leaked, and my innate divination can no longer be effective. From now on, we can only take each step as it comes."

Wudao took out the Swallowing Dragon Stele and asked, "I understand the Middle Ancient Great War, but what exactly is this Swallowing Dragon Stele?"

Fuxi explained, "The text on the Swallowing Dragon Stele consists of Heavenly Dao Runes, and one piece was personally carved by me. It contains some information about the reason for your resurrection, to let the Spiritual Treasures know about this matter and make cunning calculations to gain the initiative. The inscriptions within these nine steles are expressed by the Heavenly Dao; I cannot fully comprehend them all, but I vaguely sense that they could be a marvellous Cultivation Technique. You should delve into them carefully; I am not fated to do so."

The Swallowing Dragon Stele, with the dragon biting its own body, symbolizes the eternal cycle, prebirth, the ultimate beginning, and Chaos; its profundity is profound and unfathomable.

Wudao asked solemnly, "If I want to resurrect someone who has died, but the Heavenly Dao does not allow it, is there a way?"

Fuxi shook his head, "Resurrecting the dead is an act too contrary to nature. Even if the Nine Heavens have not returned, the Heavenly Dao would sense it on its own and slay you! And now that the Nine Heavens have returned, the moment you entertain such a thought or attempt it, the Nine Heavens will strike you down instantly! To resurrect the dead, one must comply with the Heavenly Dao when the time is right."

Wudao sighed and asked, "Where are the Two Saints of the West now? Does Emperor Fuxi know?"

After considering for a moment, Fuxi replied, "The Two Saints of the West were in mortal peril in the battle of the South Sea and later survived by a narrow margin after Tathagata occupied Mount Meru. They did not die, and their current whereabouts are unknown."

If it wasn’t for Fuxi’s foresight and precise predictions, this world would have already been dominated by Tathagata. Fuxi’s divinations were even more exquisite and profound than those of a saint.

"The great calamity of heaven and earth is approaching. I vaguely calculated that Buddhism will soon flourish again because someone has inherited a thread of Maitreya’s fortunes at the time of death. It is also the cycle of extremes meeting; for many years, the Human Emperor was male, but this time it has fallen upon a woman to shine in the sky. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, there was the Song Dynasty when the Complete Truth Sect flourished due to Zhang Boduan. After Song’s decline, came the Yuan Mongol ruling, during which the Complete Truth Sect thrived through Qiu Chuji. And after the demise of Yuan came the Ming Dynasty when Taoism gained prominence during Emperor Jiajing’s cultivation period... Beyond that, it’s hard to predict, but it seems the fortunes of the Taoist Sect will be destroyed all at once, completely replaced by Buddhism." Fuxi sighed deeply.

Although the order of the Heavenly Dao has become chaotic and difficult to predict, he is still Fuxi, the creator of "The Book of Changes," and the ancestor of divination. While the details may be unclear, the overall trend could still be divined.

"I must say, Donghua the Great Emperor’s rebirth and re-cultivation during this calamity has significantly bolstered the fortunes of the Complete Truth Sect!"

To find out what happens next, please wait for the next installment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your vote for Recommendations and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)