Chapter 77: Settling Scores After the Harvest

Meanwhile, in another parallel universe of the Journey to the West, within the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave.

Sun Wukong, Fat Ox, and Iron Fan had been summoned by their master, Patriarch Bodhi. The patriarch’s face was grave as he looked at them, his expression growing even darker when his gaze fell upon Sun Wukong.

Hmph!

How bold!

This wretched monkey dared deceive his master. Unforgivable!

“Um… Master, is there something urgent you need from us? Why did you call us here so hastily?” Iron Fan asked timidly.

This must have something to do with Eldest Brother, she thought.

Fat Ox, who remained silent, shared the same suspicion.

“Sun Wukong, after all that’s happened, do you truly have nothing to confess to your master?” Patriarch Bodhi asked, struggling to contain his anger.

Outrageous! This monkey had already acknowledged another powerful immortal as his teacher before coming here, yet still chose to apprentice himself to Bodhi. The patriarch could not comprehend it.

“Master, I…” Sun Wukong began, but then, with a thud, he dropped to his knees. “Master, I had no other choice in this matter.”

“Hmph!” Bodhi let out a cold laugh. “No other choice? Why don’t you explain that to your master properly?”

Sun Wukong knew well there was a deeper meaning in the patriarch’s words.

He had come here to seek knowledge and skills only because he’d been guided by an Immortal Lord. The purpose that brought him here was not entirely pure; how could he possibly explain this? There was nothing he could say to justify himself.

“Master, regarding this matter with Eldest Brother, I do know a little,” Iron Fan gathered her courage and spoke up. “Before Eldest Brother took you as his master, he already had another formidable teacher, whom we called ‘Sir.’ Both Fat Ox and I knew about this.”

“So, all of you knew, and only kept your master in the dark? How thoughtful,” Patriarch Bodhi sneered.

Realizing she might have spoken out of turn, Iron Fan hurriedly explained, “Master, please let me explain. It’s not as you imagine. I only learned of this after I graduated and followed Eldest Brother through a strange Celestial Gate to another… another world, I suppose. The things there were wondrous, and only after meeting Eldest Brother’s other master did I finally understand.”

Fat Ox quickly chimed in, “Yes, yes, Master, it’s just as Junior Sister said. Eldest Brother—”

“Enough, both of you. I want to hear what this monkey has to say. Hmph. If not for your rampage in Heaven and your subsequent imprisonment under Five Finger Mountain by the Buddha, I’d never have discovered that you, Monkey, had such a powerful and domineering Immortal Lord guiding you.”

Natural Law Immortal?

Who was this mysterious being? Even when clashing with the Buddha, this figure never revealed themselves, remaining hidden in some enigmatic way.

Not even the Buddha could uncover the slightest detail about their identity.

This left Patriarch Bodhi utterly astonished.

“Master, please don’t be angry. First of all, I admit it was wrong of me to keep this from you,” Sun Wukong confessed.

“When did all this begin?” the patriarch pressed.

Seeing there was no longer any way to conceal the truth, Sun Wukong simply admitted, “It all began when I first apprenticed myself to you, Master. My Immortal Lord told me that beneath this Spirit Platform Mountain was a great Patriarch Bodhi who could teach me the art of longevity and enlighten me…”

Since there was no hiding it, he decided to reveal everything.

After hearing the whole story, Patriarch Bodhi’s expression grew strange—not angry, but rather deeply surprised.

This Immortal Lord of “Natural Law,” as Sun Wukong called him, seemed to control everything beyond the six realms of heaven and earth, perceiving all there was to know.

Such power was truly the most terrifying.

Not even the Buddha could do anything about him.

“Well, what’s done is done. There’s little point in pursuing it now. You came here to learn because your Immortal Lord guided you, but there’s something I still don’t understand,” Patriarch Bodhi said, stroking his beard. “If your Immortal Lord is so powerful, why didn’t he teach you himself? Why send you all the way to Spirit Platform Mountain to learn from me? Why was that?”

Sun Wukong hurried to answer, “My Immortal Lord’s ways are too overwhelming and powerful. He said my foundation was too shallow to learn from him directly, so he sent me to become your disciple, Master.”

“Too overpowering, too powerful?” Patriarch Bodhi was shaken. “How so?”

Iron Fan interjected eagerly, “Master, I know. That ‘Sir’ is truly extraordinary. He only needs to snap his fingers lightly, and in an instant, he can stop all things in heaven and earth.”

“Yes, exactly,” Fat Ox added quickly. “Especially his estate—it’s incredibly mysterious. The plants he grows there, once watered with a magical spring, can mature, bloom, and bear fruit overnight, even if only one person is present.”

“What? Such a miraculous estate exists? If what you say is true, I’m tempted to visit myself, to see what kind of wonder it is,” Patriarch Bodhi said with longing.

“Master, it’s really like that. The Immortal Lord’s estate is very strange, with a natural barrier. Once we enter, all our immortal spells and arts are stripped away, and we become as ordinary as any common person; nothing works,” Sun Wukong confirmed.

Patriarch Bodhi was thoroughly amazed. “What? Such a bizarre array exists in this world? Marvelous! You make me want to explore it myself.”

“Of course you can, Master,” Iron Fan explained, “but you have to pass through the strange Celestial Gate first. It all depends on fate—if one tries to force their way, the mysterious and terrible power will immediately throw them out.”

“Splendid! Truly a place of miracles. By the way, Wukong, when you were suppressed under Five Finger Mountain by the Buddha, your formidable Immortal Lord used a magical artifact to break the Buddha’s formation and free you. What was that item called? I seem to recall hearing it called the Universe Pouch, is that right?”

It was able to dismantle the formation of Five Finger Mountain laid by the Buddha and rescue the monkey, causing a profound shock throughout the Three Realms.

In the end, even the Buddha was forced to retreat westward in defeat.

From then on, the name “Natural Law” shook heaven and earth.