Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Unrivaled Aspiration in My Heart Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Unrivaled Aspiration in My Heart Wukong slowly ascended the Spiritual Mount, while the entrance to the Thunderclap Monastery was guarded by Vajra.

“Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Buddha Ancestor is discussing matters with Burning Lamp Buddha and Maitreya Buddha. Please do not disturb them.”

“Oh!” Wukong nodded, his body dissolving into nothingness, avoiding the watchful eyes of the Vajra and slipping inside directly.

In his dreams, he possessed the Heavenly Dao Saint Realm. In this world, he was virtually invincible, even capable of transforming Di Jun into a Taiyi Golden Immortal in a dream and then perfectly overwhelming him. Naturally, doing this within a dream was nothing but an illusion, serving no real purpose. Moreover, at this moment, Wukong did not know he was dreaming.

The key to this dream lay with Zixia.

Wukong entered straight into the Mahavira Hall, where the three Buddha Ancestors were seated, discussing matters.

Holding the Jingu Bang in his hand, Wukong approached with an expressionless face, exuding extreme calm.

The three Buddha Ancestors felt a slight surprise in their hearts. Tathagata asked, “Victorious Fighting Buddha, for what purpose have you come?”

Wukong stood with his left hand upright and nodded slightly, “I have come here to discard the false and uphold the true, to become a true Buddha!”

Tathagata couldn’t help but laugh, “A true Buddha? Do you mean to say that you are not a true Buddha now?”

Wukong replied, “I am not, and neither are you.”

Tathagata asked, “Then what does it take to be one?”

Wukong said, “To kill you all, to shatter the illusions, so I can achieve the state of a true Buddha.” He paused, “To achieve the state of a true Victorious Fighting Buddha. You plot against me, so I will fight you, battle you, and defeat you!”

Hearing this, Tathagata let out a cold laugh, his tone laced with irony, “You have been a Buddha for how many days? What do you know about being a true Buddha?”

Wukong lifted his Jingu Bang and said, “Thus have I heard! So long as there is Buddha in the heart and it does not betray one’s true nature, that is Buddha! The meat and wine pass through the gut, but Buddha stays in the heart; slaughter fills the world, but Buddha stays in the heart; taking a wife and bearing children, Buddha stays in the heart…” Wukong’s words grew faster, “Shatter the great illusion, Buddha stays in the heart!”

He suppressed his strength to the level of the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm to fight fairly against Tathagata and the others to break through the illusions.

The more the three Buddha Ancestors listened, the more alarmed they became. This Victorious Fighting Buddha respected no one but himself, revered only his own true heart, his own Buddha-heart! Naturally, they were not like Wukong, for they had not yet realized the truth; this was the Tao of Amitabha Buddha, but his Tao had been misinterpreted, perhaps deliberately so by Amitabha Buddha. After all, in the Western Heaven billions of people, if each said “Amitabha Buddha,” how powerful would that collective wish be?

Wukong reprimanded, “You false Buddhas, wait for me to clear away the illusions and attain true Buddhahood!”

With those words, Wukong slammed his staff into the ground, and instantly, ten thousand rays of golden light exploded forth, intimidating and awe-inspiring.

Seeing Wukong’s might, neither Tathagata, Burning Lamp, nor Maitreya dared to be negligent, and they all began to chant the Six Syllable Mantra. But Wukong broke it with a single word, a word that was not a mantra, but simply—Buddha!

A giant “Buddha” character descended, heavier than ten thousand kilos, its profound meaning strong enough that once fully understood, it could be expressed to its fullest.

The Six Syllable Mantra was crushed under this enormous “Buddha” character, and the three Buddha Ancestors were even more astonished.

Wukong declared, “When I have fought and emerged victorious, that will be the day I become Buddha!”

Swinging the Jingu Bang in his hand once around him, the Primordial Dao Fruit within him began to rotate, generating the Yin and Yang energies, and with one strike, he shattered the void. The head of the staff suddenly appeared right above Tathagata’s crown, aiming a blow towards the Niwan Palace.

Tathagata was incredibly shocked. When Wukong wreaked havoc in the Celestial Palace, he was at the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal, and even after completing the Journey to the West, he had not achieved perfection in that realm. How had he suddenly broken through to the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm now? Could it be the Buddhist Sutras they had been reading to him in recent days had led him to comprehend the true meaning of the Buddhist Family?

Buddha, this word was not meant to represent hypocrisy.

Buddha, its profound meaning is endless. The Buddhist Law is boundless, the Buddha-sea is immeasurable, but the Buddhas of this world have strayed from their path. They betrayed their true nature, found themselves bound by strict precepts and ordinances, and walked the path tremblingly, their hearts yearning to Somersault Cloud away ten thousand eight hundred miles yet ultimately remained seated within the confines of Spiritual Mount.

If even a Buddha could be restricted, what kind of Buddha is that?

Tathagata pinched a Dharma Seal between his fingers, and a Great Lion Seal manifested, as a formidable and majestic lion clamped down on the Jingu Bang with its mouth.

Free from the intent to kill, yet embodying such will; unarmed, yet commanding the armies of the world!

Wukong was solely focused on shattering illusions, his heart devoid of even a trace of the will to kill, a wondrous state of being.

Wukong gave a flick of his wrist, and the majestic lion was struck by a beam of golden light, sent flying and crushed into dust. At that moment, Maitreya attempted to capture Wukong with the After Heaven Bag, enveloping him from above, but from within the bag there came a soft shout from Wukong, “With Buddha in the heart, all is but illusion!”

Then, a trace of golden light seeped from the After Heaven Bag, causing Maitreya’s complexion to change drastically as he exclaimed, “This is bad!”

He intended to use a spell to release Wukong, but it was already too late. The Jingu Bang, like a divine dragon ascending the heavens, lifted amidst a host of golden dragons, tearing the After Heaven Bag to shreds!

It is known that this After Heaven Bag, Maitreya’s prized Magical Treasure, once ensnaring its target, made escape virtually impossible. Yet, Wukong managed to forcefully rip it open with immense determination! In his heart lay a thought, a thought known as invincibility, the path he must take to achieve the rank of Victorious Fighting Buddha. Those with invincibility in their hearts naturally become unbeatable in the world, and such invincibility is not of the ignorant, but rather, it is backed by tremendous strength.

Tathagata’s expression darkened as he said, “I fear that within the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm, he may already have no equal. Whether his path is right or wrong, he claims to achieve true Buddhahood, he who is named the Victorious Fighter, bears the belief of invincibility in his heart. Those who believe they are invincible, indeed, become invincible in the world.”

As his face grew graver, he then bellowed, “What of being invincible! I am the revered ruler of Western Heavenly Mountain, charged with the world’s governance! Even if you are invincible, I will see you defeated by my hand!”

Tathagata, having grasped the Heavenly Dao Laws, was amongst the peak masters of the Sect Founders. Naturally, he did not believe there was anyone within the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm who could stand against him, even the Victorious Fighting Buddha with his belief in invincibility.

Maitreya raised his Golden Alms Bowl, and it flew towards Wukong, aiming to ensnare him.

This Golden Alms Bowl was indeed formidable; once clasped, even if you were at the Great Perfection stage of the Primordial Golden Immortal, you would instantly turn into a pool of blood.

Wukong had no other Magical Treasures on him; if one were to speak of his most powerful treasure, it would be the indomitable belief in being a Victorious Fighter in his heart at this moment!

“Clang!”

With a horizontal strike of his staff, Wukong caused the Golden Alms Bowl to tremble repeatedly while he shouted, “I shall be the Victorious Fighter, and no one can stop me!”

The Jingu Bang transformed at will in his hand, countless shadows of the staff enveloping the Golden Alms Bowl and ferociously striking it, creating a scene akin to a blacksmith’s forge with sparks flying and the sound of hammering iron incessant. Astonishingly, the bowl was struck until a crack appeared!

This Golden Alms Bowl, being Maitreya’s Life-Bound Magical Treasure, was damaged by Wukong’s blow, which naturally made him spit out a mouthful of blood. His Primordial Spirit felt faint as he quickly performed Seal Techniques to stabilize his being.

Seizing the opportunity, Burning Lamp raised twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls, which immediately erupted in bursts of Seven-Colored Divine Light, engulfing Wukong and blinding him; he couldn’t even extend his Divine Sense, for as soon as he did, it would be scorched by the light. Originally belonging to Zhao Gongming, these pearls had fallen into Burning Lamp’s hands, and after his refinement, their power had become even more terrifying!

Wukong bellowed, “Even if my eyes cannot see, my heart can! Inner vision, open!”

Upon saying this, Wukong turned and delivered a mighty blow with his staff onto the shoulder of the advancing Burning Lamp within the Seven-Colored Divine Light, knocking him off balance and tumbling to the ground, his arm bones shattered into powder. Then with another sweep close to the ground, he caused the tiles within the Mahavira Hall to shatter, hitting Burning Lamp and sending him flying.

“If your eyes cannot see, and your Divine Sense cannot extend, how did you see me!” exclaimed Burning Lamp in panic and fear.

The twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls, once raised, emanated the Seven-Colored Divine Light, rendering the opponent blind and vulnerable to a stealthy attack—a tried and true tactic!

“While others use their eyes to see, I use my heart,” Wukong said, standing in place with the Jingu Bang sloped towards the downed Burning Lamp, in a calm tone.

Most mortals rely on sight for understanding the world, forgetting their true hearts, bound by the world’s strictures and rules, ultimately betraying their inner selves. Upon thoroughly understanding one’s heart, an inner vision arises, enabling one to observe all things under heaven and earth, the ugliness of mortals, and even the changes of the Heavenly Dao.

Upon hearing this, Tathagata was taken aback, pondering silently: “Seeing with the heart? How marvelous, truly marvelous!”

“This monkey, as the Intelligent Stone Monkey, left over from when Goddess Nuwa patched the sky, has had such an epiphany!” Burning Lamp marveled internally as well.

Maitreya conjured a Sarira and flung it towards Wukong’s Niwan Palace, aiming to dislodge his Primordial Spirit.

Without even turning back, Wukong swept his staff, striking the Sarira directly, and sent it flying off.

Wukong spoke indifferently, “Maitreya, among the three Buddha Ancestors, you truly have the least insight! My inner vision is open, yet you still try to imperceptibly strike me with a Sarira. Do you think your subterfuge surpasses that of Burning Lamp with his twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls?”

With inner vision unleashed, there is no more illusion, no more confusion.

Maitreya’s face flickered uncertainly at Wukong’s words.

Wukong held his staff in one hand while erecting the other, forming it horizontally across his chest, constructing a Dharma Seal. “I send you to Nirvana,” he said, “so you may attain true Buddhahood in your next life.”

There is a poem to witness this event, which goes:

“Zixia calls to Buddha’s heart with her demise, the Victorious Fighter harbors an invincible drive. Discerning the emptiness to ascend Spiritual Mount, who will recall the enlightenment of the three Buddhas in time.”

As for the fate of the three Buddha Ancestors, please listen to the next installment for the resolution.