Chapter 52: The Buddha Will Surely Fall

"You little monkey, tell me, will you dare to be so mischievous again in the future? You’ve suffered enough now, haven’t you?"

Under the all-seeing gaze of the Divine Eye, Sun Wukong had lost all his former brilliance. What lay beneath the mountain now was nothing more than a very ordinary monkey. He cried to the heavens, but no one answered; he pleaded with the earth, but it remained silent.

"Please, sir, save our elder brother," pleaded Fat Ox and Iron Fan, both kneeling toward a certain spot in the heavens. No one knew why Sir refused to reveal his true form—perhaps he had his own reservations and did not wish to expose his identity before all the immortals.

"A’Shan, Fatty, get up—there’s no need to kneel. Since your master is already here, it is only natural that he has come for that monkey," said Chu Xiaoyu.

Her words sent a wave of dread through the hearts of the gods in the Celestial Palace. A mere monkey had already wreaked havoc in their heavenly court, and none among them could match him. They had all been forced to flee, utterly humiliated. Now, with Sun Monkey being so fierce, another figure, as imposing as the Primordial Lord of Heaven, had arrived—someone even the Buddha seemed unable to subdue.

Heavens! If the monkey were to be freed, what would become of them?

Panic gripped the hearts of all the gods. Tathagata, seeing through their thoughts, looked calmly to the distant sky and said, "Celestial Immortal, every nation has its laws and every family its rules. Since your disciple Sun Wukong has erred, he must accept his punishment. His rampage in the Celestial Palace is a grave violation of the heavenly laws—he..."

"Ha, I’m afraid you’re mistaken," Chu Xiaoyu interrupted. "My wayward disciple is not subject to any of your authority in the Celestial Palace. He is not one of your number, so such grand words of punishment are a little hollow, don’t you think? As his master, I will discipline him myself. You need not concern yourselves."

This display of confidence by Chu Xiaoyu was truly peerless—her poise and dignity were unparalleled, her presence utterly captivating.

"Very well. If that is the case, I have nothing more to say. As long as I am here, who would dare act recklessly?" Tathagata, resolute, prepared to confront Chu Xiaoyu directly.

Under the surveillance of the Divine Eye, Chu Xiaoyu promptly summoned Fat Ox and Iron Fan. "A’Shan, Plate, return at once."

"Elder brother, we’ll go back first. Sir will surely rescue you," they called out. It seemed a great battle was now unavoidable. Responding to the summons, Fat Ox and Iron Fan invoked their magic and sped toward the Gate of Immortality.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom shook the air! Tathagata was casting his spell: layers upon layers of radiant golden shields descended upon Five Fingers Mountain, enveloping it in an endless, intricate web.

"Look! Tathagata is working his magic!" cried someone.

"So powerful! So domineering!"

"Ha! Now that monkey will truly suffer."

"Indeed. When the Buddha acts, it is never ordinary," the immortals at the Southern Heavenly Gate chattered excitedly.

One golden shield after another encased Five Fingers Mountain, each layer wrapping tighter than the last, sealing the monkey beneath. Sun Wukong, filled with despair, wept bitterly as he shouted at the distant, ethereal sky, "Immortal Master, please leave! Pay me no heed. This is the punishment I deserve."

Tathagata’s incantations grew even more ferocious. The golden radiance flooded heaven and earth, its brilliance stretching to the farthest corners. A terrifying display.

"Tathagata, it’s useless. No matter what spells you wield, you cannot stop me. Today, I will rescue this monkey—nothing will stand in my way."

What a bold and resounding declaration!

"Celestial Immortal, I will not stoop to argue with you. If you truly have the power to break my Buddhist magic and rescue the monkey, then I have nothing more to say."

"Ha, is that all? Such tricks are nothing to me," came the reply. "Tathagata, know this: today, you will be defeated!"

What a display of power and authority! To dare speak thus to the Buddha himself—was she not afraid of bringing ruin upon herself? The immortals of the Celestial Palace looked on with undisguised contempt.

But in the next instant, a strange sack appeared in the sky. Spinning, it descended and covered Five Fingers Mountain, absorbing all those golden shields of light within.

"Look! What is that? How can it absorb the Buddha's golden shields?"

"That treasure is too terrifying!"

"That... that looks like the Universe Pouch—it can contain all things under heaven!"

"Then, doesn’t this mean the monkey is about to be rescued?"

Panic erupted in the Celestial Palace. The Jade Emperor’s face turned ashen. Tathagata, in the western palace, was equally grim. He had never imagined that the Universe Pouch could so easily nullify his magic.

"Celestial Immortal, may I ask where you obtained that Universe Pouch?" Tathagata inquired, his heart heavy with a sense of defeat. To think he could not even subdue a mere monkey—what a failure he was as Buddha. Before the Universe Pouch, all things in heaven and earth were as ants.

"A wise man has his ways, Tathagata. Time is running short—I won’t waste words with you," came the reply.

"Universe Pouch—collect!"

With a single command, the towering Five Fingers Mountain was instantly drawn into the Universe Pouch, leaving nothing behind but a vast crater.

Everyone was stunned, petrified with disbelief. That mighty mountain, gone in the blink of an eye—a jagged pit all that remained.

"Amitabha! What a wretched fate. Enough, let it be," Tathagata murmured, closing his eyes and departing westward.

With Five Fingers Mountain destroyed, the monkey was naturally freed. If even the Buddha could do nothing, what hope remained for the immortals of the Celestial Palace? Their days ahead would surely be filled with misery. If the monkey sought revenge, the Celestial Palace would know no peace. It would no longer be a palace of heaven, but a realm of torment.

Cries of lament echoed on all sides. The Jade Emperor collapsed in despair. The days ahead promised nothing but agony. What could they do now? Wait for the monkey to storm the heavens again? Why had the Buddha abandoned them so utterly?

All the immortals’ faces were ashen with hopelessness.