Shattering the Heavens: I Refuse to Become the Victorious Fighting Buddha

Five hundred years later, the Victorious Fighting Buddha opened his eyes. The lotus throne was warm, the incense sweet, and his golden body immortal. Yet somehow, something felt wrong. They said he had won. He had won a kasaya, a hall filled with chanting, and the prostrations of the Three Realms. But when Sun Wukong lowered his head, all he saw was his shadow cast upon the jade tiles. At its edges, silent ripples were beginning to spread. So Sun Wukong rose and tore apart his kasaya. He pulled from his ear the needle that had slept for far too long. Under the horrified gaze of the gods and Buddhas filling the sky, he raised his staff against the eternally tranquil heavens above and struck his first blow. The sky shattered.