Chapter 194 - 189: Master and Disciple Meet to Resolve Doubts
The Daoist Equal to Heaven, as he passed through Upper Pure Heaven, overheard the Celestial Venerable of the Spiritual Treasure expounding on the "Yellow Court Classic". A flash of spiritual light crossed his mind, and he entered the Biyougong Palace, where, to his surprise, he indeed managed to trick the Venerable out of hiding.
Patriarch Subhuti is, after all, a transformation of the Celestial Venerable of the Spiritual Treasure. Although this sounds rather incredible, there are many reasons to believe it’s true. Yu the Great, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, was a disciple of the Celestial Venerable of the Spiritual Treasure and achieved great accomplishments after practicing the "True Scriptures of the Precious Luminaries". The Jingu Bang, originating from Laojun’s Bagua Oven, was later used by Yu the Great. The reason why Wukong felt no obstruction when he obtained the Jingu Bang might well be due to sharing the same school of thought with Yu the Great.
The Daoist Equal to Heaven said with a bow, "Master, you hide in Upper Pure Heaven and live at leisure, but when the Tathagata captured me, you didn’t help me."
The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating scoffed, "You knew early on that the Tathagata would come for you, and had already positioned yourself accordingly. Why trouble me for help?"
The Daoist Equal to Heaven of course knew that his misadventures began with Wusheng’s instigation, which was clearly Subhuti’s intention. Then, as the matter ballooned out of control and reached the Heavenly Court, it weakened the Jade Emperor’s authority and gave the Tathagata a pretext, laying the groundwork for the Journey to the West.
"Master, how did you know that I am aware of my past and present lives?" asked the Daoist Equal to Heaven.
The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating replied, "One of the Dragon-Consuming Steles contained the reason. I deduced it by analyzing the runes on it."
The Daoist Equal to Heaven released five of the Dragon-Consuming Steles and said, "I obtained the first in the Peach Garden, the second in the South Sea Ruins, the third was a gift from a fellow female disciple, the fourth I acquired at Mount Shu, and this fifth was hidden within the magical treasure of Huang Tuqiu. I also obtained one during the refining of my Primordial Spirit. Each Dragon-Consuming Stele seems to be protected by a Heaven-Avoiding Coffin. What is the origin of these Steles and Coffins?"
After a moment of contemplation, the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating said, "Your experiences of life and death, enlightenment, and upheavals have given you much clearer understanding than in your past life. Some things can now be disclosed to you. These Dragon-Consuming Steles were carved by skilled craftsmen and masters of Daoist arts, as decreed by Yu the Great, with runes bestowed by Heaven. They, alongside the Nine Tripods, anchored the Nine Provinces, stabilizing the national destiny. As for the origin of these runes, I know a little."