The Wuxing Mountains are five large linked mountains symbolizing "Golden, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth." They are said to have imprisoned the Monkey King, who caused a great commotion in heaven five hundred years ago.
Now that the Buddhist image has been uncovered, the Great Saint has turned over, and immediately the mountains collapsed and the earth split open.
The Wuxing Mountains without the Buddhist image cannot withstand the Monkey King.
A stone monkey bursts out from the collapsed Wuxing Mountains.
The stone monkey laughed heartily, "What a clever old Buddha! He wants that Tang Sanzang to rescue me in the future, for me to repay his kindness, and go with him to retrieve the scriptures from the West, making me a loyal dog. Hmph! He really thinks he's smart!"
"Little do they know, I have brought along Jiang Liure and Tang Sānzàng!"
The Great Saint, riding on auspicious clouds, soared towards Tang Sānzàng and Jiang Liú'ér.
He spoke with politeness and in a proper manner, bowing, "Thank you both for coming such a long way. You have restored me to my freedom by uncovering the Buddhist image."
Jiang Liure looked curiously at the Monkey King.
But to his surprise, the other party did not seem as fearsome as he had imagined.
With a pointed monkey mouth and golden eyes, his head has moss and his ears have lianas. His temples have sparse, green grass, and he has a beard without whiskers, with green sedge at the bottom.
His eyebrows have soil, and his nose has mud.
Fingers thick, palms calloused.
A lot of dust and grime remains.
Extremely shabby.
"You monkey, you've been pressed down for nearly five hundred years, your fur has grown grass, and where's the spirit of causing chaos in heaven you had back then?" Tang Sānzàng said, "First get yourself cleaned up before talking!"
The Great Saint was startled and reached out to touch his head. Indeed, it was covered in grass and dirt.
His eyes flashed with fierce temper, but it wasn't directed towards Tang Sānzàng and Jiang Liú'ér. Instead, he glared towards the west, "If the Jade Emperor hadn't despised me, how could I have caused a commotion in heaven? If the Buddha hadn't suppressed me, how could I have been so wretched? Today I emerge from under the Five Elements Mountains. Tomorrow, I will surely take revenge!"
"In such a disheveled state, what's the need for cleaning up? Old Monkey can just perform a spell," the Great Saint said as he flicked his fingers. The grass, soot, mud, and moss all scattered away.
His monkey fur was as sleek as could be, but he didn't have any clothes on.
"Ha ha! Without any clothes, no problem. I'll go back to the Dragon Palace once again. That old dragon king and I are old friends. The last time he gave me a lot of nice things, so this time when I visit, it's likely that he'll do the same."
The Great Saint laughed a few times, making Jiang Liure feel that actually, the elder Great Saint was not as cold and proud as he had imagined.
It's just that he's been imprisoned under the Wuxing Mountains for a long time.
His temper might have become more irritable.
The Great Saint said to Tang Sānzàng and Jiang Liú'ér, "Why don't you two come with me to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits? I'll have my monkey grandchildren treat you well."
"No need," Tang Sānzàng declined. "Our visit here is for two reasons. One is to uncover the Buddhist image, and the other is to gain an understanding of your world's depth. Now that the image has been uncovered and its depth known, it's time to return."
Tang Sānzàng continued, "It's Jiang Liure who personally uncovered the Buddhist image and called you a senior. Just thanking him isn't enough; show some appreciation as well."
Tang Sānzàng, the senior, was taking the initiative to curry favor with the senior Great Saint on my behalf!
Jiang Liure knew that it was best to keep silent at such a time.
Matters concerning adults should be resolved among themselves.
He's still just a twelve-year-old boy!
"I'm not a stingy monkey, old Monkey." After thinking for a moment, the Great Saint said to Jiang Liure, "My teacher who taught me martial arts did not forbid me from mentioning him. Nor did he forbid me from teaching the cultivation methods. Since that's the case... I will teach you the 'Seventy-Two Changes of the Earth' to repay you for uncovering the Buddhist image."
"But if I teach you too much, you might get overwhelmed. So I'll start with the first three changes. Once you're proficient, come find me for the next three. This pattern will repeat twenty-four times, and you'll master the seventy-two changes. When fully mastered, you can avoid the three calamities of heavenly thunder, hellfire, and bixi wind."
Said and done.
The Great Saint pointed a finger at Jiang Liure's forehead, and Jiang Liure immediately understood the cultivation methods and incantations for the first three changes of the 'Seventy-Two Changes of the Earth'.
"Great Saint Senior, what are the three calamities, and why should they be avoided?" Jiang Liure asked curiously.
The Great Saint said, "When you one day attain the art of longevity and immortality, the three calamities will seek to kill you. And if you can avoid those three calamities, you will transcend the six realms and be beyond the five elements."
Speaking with the tone of someone who has been through it before, he added with a hint of pride, "Alive forever, invincible and immortal!"
Jiang Liure was taken aback.
What a powerful art form!
According to what the Great Saint Senior said, he seems to have already attained immortality!
"Thank you, Great Saint, for imparting the wisdom!"
......
Jiang Liure did not stay in the world of "Tianchi Big Saint Sun Wukong" for long.
He vaguely sensed that the Great Saint Senior might be about to undertake something significant.
If he lingered a bit longer, it would be a distraction to the other party.
After parting with the Great Saint and Tang Sānzàng, Jiang Liúér returned to the cave with a mix of excitement and joy.
"Tong Yōu," "Qū Shén," and "Dān Shān" are the first three changes that Jiang Liúér learned from the Great Saint.
"Tong Yōu" means being able to communicate with ghosts and gods, and to enter the underworld.
If perfected, the practitioner can traverse the Nine Utmost Depths, the Eighteen Hells, and come and go freely, with no ghosts capable of hindering them.
"Qū Shén" means the ability to command lesser gods in the mortal world, such as local deities and mountain spirits. However, commanding heavenly soldiers and strongmen is quite difficult.
But if perfected, even the Heavenly Soldiers and Strongmen may not necessarily be impossible to command.
"Dān Shān" is the ability to bear the weight of a mountain, so even with a mountain pressing down on your back, you can move swiftly and freely.
If one were to perfect this art, even being crushed by the Wuxing Mountains without the Buddhist image could be withstood, allowing one to lift the mountain or even overturn it.
What a great 'Seventy-Two Changes of the Earth'!
Said to be a way to avoid the three calamities, it contains seven dozen supernatural powers.
How could Jiang Liúér not be pleased?
"The kind benefactor, you've returned?" Hu Yuyu's voice came in a timely manner.
She transformed into her human form and ran to his side.
She first squeezed his hand and poked his face, then sniffed him closely before revealing a look of joy.
"It's true, it really smells like the benefactor's!"
"But..."
Hu Yuyu was a bit puzzled, "Why is there also a smell of monkey?"
How can you smell it?
Jiang Liure replied without a change in expression, "I went to see an elder friend of mine, who is a monkey spirit. By the way, how long have I been gone? How many hours have passed here?"
"Only two pillars of incense?" Hu Yuyu thought for a moment before deducing.
Two pillars of incense...
It seems that the time between the two worlds is identical.
Jiang Liure was still worried about the "observing the chess game leads to rotting the knee" situation.
He was afraid that when he came back, Hu Yuyu might have turned into a dried skeleton.
He was also afraid that Fa Ming the elder might have turned into a pile of yellow soil.
He was even more afraid that his yet-to-be-recognized mother might have been reborn several times over.
Fortunately...
Everything is normal!
Shaking off the distractions in his mind, Jiang Liure said, "The elder friend I met today imparted me with three divine arts. In the next two days, I need to practice them well. I'll go to the Wolf Gully Cave two days later."
Hu Yuyu nodded repeatedly, happily saying, "All according to the benefactor's instructions."
......
"The Golden Silkworm's rebirth body has disappeared, and even Master you can't calculate it. It has been two sticks of incense without any news, what are we going to do?"
Muzha's temperament was rather impatient, and he was unable to settle his mind as he held the heavy iron staff.
He stepped on the divine cloud and couldn't stop pacing back and forth.
"Jīn Chánzi has returned."
Suddenly, Guanyin opened her eyes: "I heard him speak. Indeed, there is a master with great spiritual powers teaching him cultivation. This master is quite extraordinary; even with my power, I cannot figure out who he is."
"According to the reincarnated body of the Golden Cicada, this person is a monkey spirit." Guanyin paused for a moment, thinking of the Tianchi Big Saint who had caused chaos in the Paradise of Mars five hundred years ago.
......
......
