Great Demon Sun Wukong-Chapter 677 - 619: Another Space Rift
This time, Tang Sanzang's tribulation was not any difficult matter, and there was no need for Sun Wukong to lend a hand or for it to require Wukong to increase the might of the Heavenly Tribulation as he had for Zhu Bajie. It was just the minor tribulation that typically occurs when moving from the primary grade of Unity Dao to the intermediate grade. The three successively different Heavenly Tribulations fell one by one, and Tang Sanzang, with his own cultivation and the power of the Transcendence Bloom, managed to pass without much danger. However, just as the tribulation clouds in the heavens were slowly dispersing, countless petals suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the sky.
Pink petals, white petals, red petals, not only on this small island; even the entire Buddha Lotus Pure Land began showering a rain of petals. These petals were not real but were shapes formed entirely from condensed spiritual power. For a moment, the entire Buddha Lotus Pure Land Realm was abuzz. A petal rain descending from the heavens certainly indicated a breakthrough by some powerful being of Buddhism. This was the first time such an event had occurred in the Pure Land Realm; they had only heard of it before, never having witnessed it themselves. The falling petal rain continued for a full quarter of an hour before gradually fading away.
After the rain of petals dissipated, Tang Sanzang's tribulation had thus smoothly passed. But Wukong was shocked. That a tribulation could cause a rain of petals, this was truly surprising to Sun Wukong, who had never incited such a distinct sign from heaven and earth. Watching the scattering rain of petals, Wukong felt an inexplicable worry rise within him, as for what he was worried about, even he could not clearly say. Yet that not-so-great premonition, or rather his intuition, emerged once again.
Just as Wukong was about to step forward and inquire about his master's condition, a familiar and shocking scene reappeared before him. Around Tang Sanzang, small and large space rifts emerged once again. This time, Wukong wasn't too panicked, with the experience from last time, he knew these space rifts wouldn't cause any harm. However, just to be safe, Wukong immediately flashed to Tang Sanzang's side and grabbed his hand. The space cracks, previously still, suddenly moved when Wukong grabbed Tang Sanzang; the nearest rift dramatically expanded, and an enormous pulling force dragged Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang into it.
Although Wukong had experienced this once before, Tang Sanzang had not. But before Sanzang could even cry out in shock, they had already landed. Just like the last time, the space was pallid; barren, stretching as far as the eye could see, with nothing but an endless expanse of white. "Wukong, what, what's happening here? Has your master failed the tribulation?" Sun Wukong smiled and said, "Master, don't panic. There's no danger here. We're just here to watch a play; once it's over, we'll leave."
As Wukong's voice fell, a scene appeared before Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang, much like the last time. The scene was initially still, but soon began to move. Wukong had thought that he would once again see a scene of a great battle like before, but to his surprise, this time the scene started with nothing but Chaos and nothingness. However, Wukong did not rush; he knew he would eventually see something.
As if to confirm Wukong's thoughts, the original Chaos suddenly split as if cleaved by something, dividing into two halves. Then, part of the Chaos began to slowly rise and another part to gently descend. This should have been an extraordinarily prolonged process, but in the span of a few breaths within the scene, the rising part became clearer, while the descending part grew murkier. As he watched on, Wukong suddenly realized what he was seeing—it wasn't this the legendary scene of Pangu creating the world?
Soon after, the clear-colored mass rose higher and higher, while the murky mass sank lower and lower, separating a space between them. However, at this point, the space seemed empty. Suddenly, a figure appeared abruptly within the empty space, then the figure stretched out its arms as if holding up the heavens, and grew taller and taller. When the figure's hands touched the upper clear air, Wukong could clearly see the figure's features. He wasn't expecting what he saw, and his mouth opened wide in shock.
Because the person he saw, with arms holding up the heavens and feet standing on the earth, was not the legendary Pangu, it was himself. Of course, it wasn't him as he looked at the present moment, but as he would appear after transforming into his true form. Looking at the figure exactly like his true form, Wukong suddenly recalled an event. Back when he was following Patriarch Bodhi for cultivation at his mountain Lin Tai Fangcun, once during cultivation, he became suddenly enraged and transformed into his original form—a giant ape over ten meters tall—with nothing but a desire for utter destruction in his heart.
Then Patriarch Bodhi acted, subduing him and causing Wukong to revert back to his human form. After this, Patriarch Bodhi told him that his true form was incredibly powerful and that he must not transform back into it lightly, unless facing a life-threatening danger. Afterwards, Wukong asked Patriarch Bodhi what his true form was called, to which the Patriarch pondered before telling him that his true form greatly resembled an ancient ferocious beast known as the Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape, so it would be fitting to call his true form the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape.
Since then, Wukong always referred to his true form as the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, and when in human form, as the Ling Ming Stone Monkey. In fact, he had always carefully adhered to Patriarch Bodhi's words and never revealed his true form. Now, Wukong knew that the ancient ferocious beast the Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape that Patriarch Bodhi spoke of was not just similar to him; it was a spitting image, in spirit and in the slightest detail, there was no difference at all. And this Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape, indeed, was holding up the heavens.
But this doesn't match with the myth that has always persisted in the Pangu Realm. It is said that Pangu split the world with his axe, and then, worried that the world might close up on its own, he stood on the earth with his feet and held up the heavens with his hands, inch by inch expanding the entire world. But now it seems possible that the one who created this world might really have been Pangu, but the being holding up the entire sky turns out to be the Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape. Of course, Sun Wukong doesn't completely believe what he's seeing before him, after all, he has long been preoccupied with the legend of Pangu creating the world.
However, Sun Wukong quickly realized two things. First, the legend says that Pangu held up the heavens until he died, and his body evolved into everything within the Pangu Realm. But Sun Wukong knew that Pangu the Great God was very much alive, which left only two possibilities. Either the legend was incorrect, or the one who created the world was just a doppelganger of Pangu. Now, combining what he's currently seeing, the first possibility seems very likely.
R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.
The second thing was that Sun Wukong remembered a person who looked almost identical to himself, and another was the pioneer he saw in the previous scene. During Bajie's tribulation, he had clearly seen the giant who stood ten thousand meters tall fighting a person suspected to be the Underworld Venerate in the ancient battle. Now, thinking carefully, the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape holding up the sky with both hands looked exactly the same as the ten thousand meter-tall pioneer. What was going on? In the scene he saw last time, the pioneer had apparently died for some unknown reason after defeating the Underworld Venerate. That should have meant real death. But now, how was it possible that he ended up in the Pangu Realm and then was creating the world?
Or was it that the pioneer had first created the Pangu Realm and then engaged in that great battle? But that didn't match up with the timeline either, as the existence of the Pangu Realm had already spanned tens of billions of years. Even if time in the Divine Kingdom was a hundred times that of a smaller world, that wouldn't make sense. The great battle happened a million years ago, and the span of time was just too vast. Although it was indeed a possibility that the pioneer had created the Pangu Realm tens of billions of years ago and then died in that battle a million years ago, it still seemed too incredible. And soon, Sun Wukong outright dismissed the idea that the pioneer had first created the world and then fought the great battle.
Because the scene in the image suddenly sped up, Sun Wukong could see the Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape growing taller and taller, and the world expanding wider and wider. Finally, the distance between heaven and earth reached a limit and could never be closed again, and it was then that the Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape finally let go. But the moment his hands left the heavens, he had already died. Then his entire form transformed into everything within the Pangu Realm, which, again, matched quite well with the legend.
So, does this mean that everything in the Pangu Realm now is derived from the flesh of the Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape? Then is this Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape the pioneer? Not giving Sun Wukong much time to think, the scene stopped at this point. Although the scene stopped, Sun Wukong wasn't in a hurry because, based on the last time, there should be more scenes to follow. But to Sun Wukong's surprise, the scene twisted several times and then dissipated. Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang were then suddenly thrown out of that vast expanse of white space.
Sun Wukong was quite astonished. Why was he thrown out after only one scene this time? Shouldn't there be others? What did this scene mean? Pangu creating the world? The Heaven-Supporting Divine Ape? The pioneer? And looking exactly like himself?
As Sun Wukong pondered the message observed this time, Tang Sanzang suddenly said, "Wukong, it seems that the legend of Pangu creating the world is indeed true."
Sun Wukong was startled and asked subconsciously, "Master, how do you know that was Pangu? That should have been a monkey!"
Tang Sanzang suddenly smiled mysteriously and said, "That was indeed Pangu, the Transcendence Bloom told me, and there's no mistake!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote on Starting Point (qidian.com) with monthly passes or recommendations. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
