ã€ŠGreat Demon Sun Wukongã€‹


 Chapter 1: Old Tales

    As I knelt before the Buddha and removed the Golden Hoop, that very moment, I finally remembered who I truly am. "Monkey, you¡¯ve lost. I granted you another chance, yet there you are, crawling at my feet. When you wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Pce, you imed I deceived you, so I only suppressed you for five hundred years. And now, aren¡¯t you the same? Kneeling before me like a dog.

    Oh, but not even, for the you of today has even lost the Jingu Bang¡ªhahaha."

    "So what? Without my staff, old Sun still has his fists. You¡¯re nothing more than a mere Doppelganger, I fear nothing. So what if I am kneeling before you now? What if you suppress me for another five hundred years? Once I y my three corpses, it will be time for you, Tathagata, to go up in smoke.

    Tathagata, you cannot kill me. From the moment I was born, I have been one with the world. Unless you destroy everything. Otherwise, sooner orter, I will topple you with my stick."

    "Golden Cicada, this is your eldest disciple, Sun Wukong? Merely a Stone Monkey, yet dares to be so presumptuous at the Great Thunderp Monastery? It seems your journey to the Western Paradise has not made you any wiser."

    Without waiting for Golden Cicada to say anything, Tathagata intoned a chant and continued, "Monkey, in reality, you now have only two paths before you.

    Either ept my decree and be the Victorious Fighting Buddha of the Western Paradise, and I will return your Ruyi Jingu Bang, or your one hundred thousand monkeys and monkey grandchildren from Flower Fruit Mountaine to the Western Paradise. I believe you know what to do."

    A towering rage extinguished in an instant. Indeed, Sun Wukong feared neither heaven nor earth, but he still had Flower Fruit Mountain, and although those one hundred thousand monkeys and monkey grandchildren had their names marked in the Book of Life and Death and became immortal and indestructible beings, Tathagata could still convert them.

    Turning them into thoughtless puppets of Buddhism was still within his reach.

    Moreover, Flower Fruit Mountain was no longer as powerful as it was during the time when the allied forces of the Demon n caused chaos in the Heavenly Pce; those Demon Kings with some abilities either perished or were taken in by Bodhisattvas and Immortals. Flower Fruit Mountain now existed in name only.

    "s, Amitabha Buddha." A sigh escaped from Golden Cicada¡¯s mouth, echoing throughout the entire Spiritual Mountain.

    Every time the red sun rose, at the peak of the tallest mountain in Spiritual Mountain, there would always be a figure staring silently at the dazzling morning glow.

    Every time the full moon was high, on the tallest tower of Spiritual Mountain, there would always be a silhouette quietly gazing at the moon within reach.

    Every time the wind and rain came together, in the quietest corner of Spiritual Mountain, there would always be a figure looking at the torrential downpour with closed eyes, deep in thought.

    Every time the monks chanted scriptures, every time themon people prayed, every time Tathagata preached the Dharma, there was always one person with slightly furrowed brows.

    And then there was the Golden Body Arhat who, since being decreed, diligently fulfilled his duties, as if everyone had forgotten him.

    Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, what is a Buddha? And why Buddha? Is it to save all sentient beings in the world? Is it to rescue the suffering and the distressed? Is it for the happiness of all living creatures? Or, is it merely to ensure the supreme status of Tathagata Buddha?

    Otherwise, why is it that once the Demons achieve some cultivation, they are either taken in by Bodhisattva Arhats as mounts or by various Immortals as their mounts? And those who do not submit are annihted! If they can¡¯t be destroyed or refuse to be mounts, they end up like Sun Wukong, bing a Buddha, serving as an Emissary Arhat.

    In the end, be it the Heavenly Pce or the Spiritual Mountain, they will never allow the existence of those beyond their control.

    But this time, they finally made a mistake. You suppressed me for five hundred years, and I am not resentful; without those five hundred years, old Sun wouldn¡¯t have shed that rashness and arrogance. Believing that no one in the world could stand against old Sun, the Heavenly Pce was full of cowards who only made me more contemptuous.

    Little did I know, ¡¯the taller the tree, the harder the wind will blow¡¯. Such was I, bound to suffer a great loss eventually.

    However, over these five hundred years, I have pondered day and night¡ªwhy was it I, Old Sun, who was suppressed under the mountain and not the Tathagata? Why is the Jade Emperor still the Jade Emperor, while I, Old Sun, am no longer the Great Sage Equalling Heaven?

    Ultimately, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven is a loser, aplete and total failure. Not only was I pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, but I couldn¡¯t even protect those monkeys and monkey grandchildren of mine.

    So, five hundred yearster, I learned to be patient. I knew that with just my own power, I could aplish nothing. Heaven is too vast. Spiritual Mountain is also too grand, grand enough to destroy me with a flip of the hand.

    Thus, I apanied Tang Monk to journey to the Western Paradise for scriptures, thus I pretended to greatly diminish my magic power, thus I diligently and wholeheartedly traveled westward. One hundred and eight thousand miles, it¡¯s merely a tumble away. Even if I were to walk, it would only take a few decades at most. None of these matter as long as you let me out.

    I said, I am not resentful of Tathagata for suppressing me; what I¡¯m resentful of is that Tathagata actually sneaked three thousand Buddhas onto Five Elements Mountain to recite scriptures day and night, attempting to convert me, to make me take refuge. Take refuge? Pah.

    Actually, looking back carefully now, this poor farce was full of holes from the start. It¡¯s just that I, Old Sun, was ultimately too new to the world. A mere few hundred years, neither my cunning nor my schemes were anywhere near enough, hence I ended up in such a wretched state.

    The deception started from the moment Tathagata and I had our bet.

    People say that monks do not speak lies, which means monks do not deceive others. But what about the Tathagata, the Progenitor of Buddhism? First, he bet with me, saying that if I could not fly out of his palm, then I would lose, and I would go back to the Lower Realm to remain a demon ande back to discuss after another few hundred years of cultivation. But what was the result?

    I admit that I lost, but in the moment I conceded, Tathagata, without another word, pressed down on me. Was this letting me return to the Lower Realm to be a demon? Was this letting me continue my cultivation?

    Let¡¯s talk about that bet then. Not fly out of his palm? If I, Old Sun, had used all my strength to fly yet still found myself in his palm, I would have epted my defeat willingly. But what did Tathagata do? He transformed his palm into a sky-supporting pir, tricking me into believing I¡¯d flown to the ends of the earth with nowhere left to go, only to turn back. Is this not deceit?

    However, I¡¯ve alreadye to know the true face of those in Western Paradise. So is the Tathagata, so is Bodhisattva Guanyin, that so-called embodiment of greatpassion and mercy!

    Later on, no one knew of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong anymore. All that remained was the title "Victorious Fighting Buddha." It was as if the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, who once roamed unchecked between heaven and earth, had dissipated into the cosmos.

    The Great Sage Equalling Heaven, who oncemanded the armies of myriad demons in the Three Realms, was now a Buddha under Tathagata¡¯s seat. And the once formidable Seven Saints of the Demon n had scattered far and wide, their fates unknown.

    Tianpeng Marshal, who once secretly burst the Milky Way open to allow the defeated allied demon forces to escape, now became a silly pig demon, although Tathagata had ordained him as Happy Buddha.

    Juanlian, who once opened the gates of the Lingxiao Pce for the Great Sage, was cast down to the mortal world by the Heavenly Mother and destined to live only as a demon for smashing the crystal goblet. Although Tathagata crowned him as the Golden Body Arhat, it did nothing to dispel the Demon Qi within Sandy.

    It seemed like everything hade to an end, and there were no longer any so-called demons in the world.

    Yet, nobody knew that this monkey had already eliminated one of his corporal forms, one step closer to the Great Dao.

    Tathagata duped me, suppressing me under Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years. Guanyin duped me, tricking me into wearing the Tightening Spell, tormenting me to a point where life was worse than death. However, I endured it all.

    Many people don¡¯t know, do they? That Golden Hoop wasn¡¯t so simple. Oh, Guanyin, when you were still the merciful Daoist master, your methods were nowhere near this severe. Let¡¯s talk about this Golden Hoop then. Everyone knows that every time my master recites the Tightening Spell, I get a headache. But who knows why I get a headache?

    It¡¯s because every time the master recites the Tightening Spell, the Golden Hoop splits off a wisp of Tathagata¡¯s Divine Sense to invade my spirit sea, attempting to devour my Spiritual Essence. Otherwise, how could a mere Golden Hoop ever subdue my Vajra Indestructible Body?

 Chapter 2 - 2 Past Events

    You now know why, whether it¡¯s the Heavenly Pce or Spiritual Mount, they all wanted to im me as their own. It was all for the Spiritual Essence in my brain. Why is the Spiritual Essence in my brain so formidable? It¡¯s because it came from a Divine Stone left behind when Nuwa mended the heavens.

    As the Divine Stone mended the skies, the Spirit Stone in my brain gradually assimted with the worlds of the heavens. You could almost say the world is me, and I am the spirit of the world. Should anyone consume this Divine Stone, they would effectively rise above all the worlds of the heavens.

    Hehe, is it too shocking? Hahaha, well then, let me continue to tell you stories about the Tathagata Buddha!

    Many times, I¡¯ve wondered what exactly I was born to do. I¡¯ve caused trouble in the Heavenly Pce and journeyed to the Western Paradise. But, whates after?

    Whenever it came to this point in the past, I¡¯d always turn to my master. He would say that everyone has their own path, and he didn¡¯t know how I was supposed to proceed, only that my current path was to journey West.

    Sometimes, master knows a lot, but at other times, he knows nothing at all. Now that master is not by my side, I don¡¯t know who to ask, so I have to think for myself.

    I thought and thought until I recalled the days of frolicking with fellow monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain, the sensation of seeing the Jingu Bang for the first time in the Dragon Pce of the East Sea, the delight of feasting on peaches in the Peach Garden, the agony inside Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Alchemy Furnace, the rage after wearing the Golden Hoop, and that other Sun Wukong who looked just like me, who was actually the Six-Eared Macaque that Tathagata spoke of.

    Thinking of this, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Tathagata sure went to a lot of trouble. Six-Eared Macaque, haha, when I first saw this Sun Wukong who was the spitting image of me, I couldn¡¯t stopughing. Why did Iugh? Because Tathagata thought he was so clever, transforming his incarnation into my likeness.

    He managed to deceive master, the Jade Emperor, even the Demon-Revealing Mirror, and Guanyin Bodhisattva, but he could never fool me.

    The Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils I acquired in the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s furnace are not just for seeing through demons¡¯ disguises. Tathagata¡¯s mana and cultivation might indeed surpass mine by a great deal, but he still underestimated my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils.

    He should have considered that the Six-Eared Macaque is of the monkey kind. Back then, I had erased all monkeys¡¯ names from the register of death, so that all monkeys revered me. Although there truly was a Six-Eared Macaque that could perceive the Universe, he was not included in the Five Elements of the Three Realms. Actually, where he was, only I knew.

    With this charade of the true and false Beautiful Monkey King, Tathagata was trying to tell me that he could create another Sun Wukong at any time and ce to rece me, and no one would be able to tell.

    Although monks are not supposed to kill, if one kills a person and then another appears to take their ce, and nobody can tell, then no one would ever know that he, the Tathagata, had killed someone.

    I am merely a monkey, a monkey who fears neither heaven nor earth.

    Unknowingly, it¡¯s been over a thousand years since I sprang from the stone. A thousand years is neither too long nor too short. Long because a thousand years have changed many things and people. Short, because over these thousand years, some things have never changed. Like those monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Ever since I first dived behind the Water Curtain, a thousand years have passed with one call. No matter where I am, no matter whether I do good or bad, they still call me king.

    Even if I caused the heavens to rain fire on Flower Fruit Mountain, even when I was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain and they suffered at the hands of demon hunters, they never changed; they still remain as lovable as they were at the beginning. When I am there, they serve me; when I¡¯m not, they wait for me.

    So I know, even if there¡¯s no ce for me in the entire world, Flower Fruit Mountain will always be home to me, Old Sun.

    Yet so much has changed beyond recognition, like my sworn brother the Bull Demon King. Back in the days, we caused mischief on Flower Fruit Mountain together and became sworn brothers after a brawl, spending our days carefree, drinking, and fighting. But ever since I embarked on the journey Westwards, everything changed.

    The old bull not only forgot our brotherly love of old but even became my enemy, battling me for three days and nights on me Mountain.

    But I don¡¯t me him; he has his reasons. I know Guanyin taking his son, Hong Hai¡¯er, as a disciple under the guise of the Wealth-Deity Child was to threaten the old bull, keeping us from happily returning to Flower Fruit Mountain. But even knowing this, what can be done? It¡¯s not yet time for an open conflict, what we can do is fight, even if our opponent is a former brother.

    Bide your time, old bull, and all those brothers from the past. All you can do now is to pretend not to recognize me, treat me as the sworn enemy who betrayed the Demon n, and do your best to obstruct my journey West. Otherwise, the Demon n would sooner orter be taken away by those Bodhisattvas and Heavenly Gods.

    s, the time is still not right.

    I don¡¯t know what the oue of this will be. Perhaps it will end in failure, and then everything will disappear. My Flower Fruit Mountain, my monkey children and grandchildren, my brothers, and my master Tang Xuanzang, my junior brothers Bajie, Wujing, and the White Dragon. Oh, and her.

    Despite this, some things still need to be done. It¡¯s not a question of stubbornness, but a war between two races. After five hundred years of preparation, giving up now would truly be to waste all earlier efforts. I can¡¯t let the blood of the Demon n who died five hundred years ago be shed in vain, and certainly, I won¡¯t let those so-called deities continue to do as they please.

    This world isn¡¯t controlled by one person, or a group of people, the world belongs to the living beings within it.

    So what if we are from the Demon n? Does the Demon n not consist of living beings? Must demons be the mounts and pets of deities to be epted? True, many demons do evil deeds, but not all demons are like that. Many demons do not dispute worldly matters, focusing on cultivation to attain the Dao.

    But, what¡¯s the use? When immortals attain the Dao, they join the ranks of immortals, living forever without aging. But what about demons who attain the Dao? What do they be?

    After more than five hundred years of preparation, the Demon n finally possesses the strength to make one final gamble. If the Demon n loses, then there will be no demons in this world henceforth. If the Deities lose, then Heaven shall belong to the Demon n.

    Those monks you speak of? Don¡¯t forget the purpose of my journey to the West. I¡¯ve made it my condition for entering Buddhism that Tathagata not interfere in the conflict between the Demon n and the Deities. Besides, I am the victorious fighting Buddha as well as the Beautiful Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain¡ªit¡¯s under my leadership that the Demon n unites.

    If I became the Jade Emperor, Tathagata would stand to gain benefits without any drawbacks, so why would he obstruct me?

    Ha-ha, and besides, Tathagata might not even have the time to deal with me. Perhaps he¡¯ll be too busy dealing with his own troubles by then!

    I really want to see the expression on the Jade Emperor¡¯s face when I attack the Heavenly Pce once again. I¡¯m also curious to see Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s reaction when I turn the Eight Trigrams Path upside down again. It¡¯s a pity, though, that the Queen Mother¡¯s peaches are not yet ripe, otherwise I¡¯d definitely have another feast.

    All you deities in the sky, don¡¯t be impatient. It will be very soon, really very soon. Old Sun will give you another surprise and let you all know there¡¯s a monkey that not just anyone can mess with.

    Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sun Wukong.

    Tianpeng Marshal, Zhu Ganglie, Zhu Bajie

    Juanlian Major General, Flowing Sands River Demon, Sha Wujing

    Golden Cicada, Tang Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang

    When everyone has in their three corpses, it will be the time for the Demon n alliance to sweep across again.

    Great Sage Equalling Heaven¡ªSun Wukong

    Great Sage Calming Heaven¡ªBull Demon King

    Great Sage Covering Sea¡ªFlood Dragon Demon King

    Great Sage Mixing Heaven¡ªPeng Demon King

    Great Sage Moving Mountains¡ªLion Camel King

    Great Sage Ventting¡ªSix-Eared Macaque

    Great Sage Expelling Gods¡ªYutu King

    The Seven Saints of the Demon n will once again gather at Flower Fruit Mountain,manding myriads of demons to march towards the Heavenly Pce.

    There are also many foreshadowsid down during these five hundred years that will explode one by one, dealing fatal blows to Heaven. As for the gods of Heaven, enjoy yourst moments, because soon, a great battle will erupt, and it¡¯s uncertain who will live and who will die.

    Whether it leads to the suffering of all living beings or the rampant onught of demons, a battle is inevitable.

 Chapter 3: Preparing for Battle

    The night was deep and quiet, but I knew many people were not asleep. Tathagata was not, Jade Emperor was not, Master was not, and neither was I. Perhaps the only one fast asleep was Bajie, that fool. He¡¯s been carefree ever since he followed me from the time his Cloud Ladder Cave was burned down back at Gao Vige, which is several hundred years till now.

    I don¡¯t know if it was right or wrong, but had I not existed, Master would still be a monk, going through countless reincarnations just for the sake of acquiring scriptures, Bajie would still be a pig demon with his heart set on Moon Pce, and our younger brother Sha would still be at Flowing Sands River, searching for pieces of his cassock, and the White Dragon would still be reigning as the Water Dragon King.

    But if it was always ¡¯if,¡¯ the beginning wouldn¡¯t have been as such, nor would the oue be the same. Now, the only thing I can do is to conserve energy and build up strength, preparing for the great battle ahead.

    Spiritual Mount, Great Thunderp Monastery.

    "Kashyapa, how well prepared is the War Buddha?"

    "Amitabha Buddha, Buddha, the War Buddha has severed his two corpses, but he has yet to formally attain Nirvana and certify the Dao. Perhaps he is afraid of rming the Jade Emperor."

    "Well, that¡¯s good. You should also prepare. It¡¯s not certain that our Spiritual Mount can stay out of this.

    Notify the Buddha of the Past, the Buddha of the Future, The Four Heavenly Vajra Kings, the Buddhas of the Five Directions, the Eight Bodhisattvas, the Ten Great Disciples, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Eighteen Brahmas, as well as the Twenty Heavenly Gods toe to me, I have something to say. Amitabha Buddha, go now."

    "Yes, Buddha."

    Mount Wuzhuang, Five Vis View.

    The Grandmaster Zhen Yuanzi flicked his sleeves and murmured to the Ginseng Fruit Tree, "Back then, Sun Wukong uprooted you with his staff. Although Guanyin revived you, you still need time to recover. Well, it¡¯s also a karmic connection. This time, I will lend that Monkey a helping hand, after all, I once made an eight-prayer brotherhood oath with him.

    Infinite Life Buddha, I wonder if it¡¯s right or wrong."

    A long sigh seemed to sway heaven and earth, and the only response seemed to be from the Ginseng Fruit Tree itself.

    Emerald Cloud Mountain, Banana Leaf Cave

    "Husband, have you really thought it through? Are you truly going to help that monkey?"

    "My dear wife, I know you bear a grudge against the monkey, but he had no choice back then. Besides, so many years have passed, and our daughter Hong is fine, isn¡¯t she? Although Guanyin took her to the South Sea, thankfully, her life was not in danger. Moreover, I and the monkey are sworn brothers; I cannot refuse to help him.

    Even if I put aside all that, even if it¡¯s just for the sake of avenging Hong, I have to make amotion. Let all the Heavenly Gods and Buddhas know that I, Bull Demon King, am not one to shy from conflict."

    "Sigh, I know I can¡¯t dissuade you, but I¡¯m just worried for your safety. This time is not like before. If we lose, we¡¯re done for."

    "So what? I, Old Bull, am not afraid of that. Back in our days, the seven brothers swore a brotherhood to seek freedom and happiness, but could not bear the heavy-handed treatment from the Heavenly Pce. This drove us brothers to scatter and hide, not seeing each other for over a thousand years. They even instigated me to fight against the Monkey King, an affront that must be avenged.

    Mydy, after I leave, you must protect our home well to prevent other demons from taking over in my absence."

    "Husband, your wife understands."

    With that, the Bull Demon King stepped out of the cave, where a dense crowd of various demons filled the sky, but no one made a sound.

    "My minions!"

    "Here!"

    A roaring shout thundered through heaven and earth.

    "Good, this time, we will assist Flower Fruit Mountain in storming the Heavenly Pce, making everyone aware that our Demon n is not to be trifled with. However, some of us may die; are you afraid?"

    "We are not afraid."

    "What if there are too many enemies?"

    "Even if only one remains, we will fight to the death!"

    "Hahaha, minions, tell me, where do youe from, whose demon soldiers are you?"

    "Mount Pingding, Demon Cloud Cave, Bull Demon King. Fight, fight, fight."

    "Hahahaha, Monkey, Old Bull ising."

    North Sea Dark Abyss Water Pce

    "Report, Your Majesty, five hundred thousand water soldiers are ready, and the cave is about to be closed, ready to follow Your Majesty into battle any time."

    "Good, tell everyone, we will march at dawn tomorrow, destination: Flower Fruit Mountain."

    Monkey, it¡¯s not that I fear death, just that the Heavenly Pce is too powerful for me to shake alone, so I retreated to the shores of the North Sea, conserving strength and biding my time. Now, atst, I can be put to use.

    The War Buddha of the North Sea, Flood Dragon Demon King, is finally about to emerge. Monkey, you must wait for me.

    Western Star of Kui Mng

    "Kui Mng, have you really made up your mind?"

    "Jiao Mu Jiao, Big Brother, I¡¯ve made up my mind. This time, I¡¯m determined to help the Great Sage. First of all, although we are one of the twenty-eight stars in heaven, we are essentially members of the Demon n. Since we ascended to heaven, which of the immortals has ever looked at us with respect? This is an opportunity.

    I¡¯d rather face utter destruction after failure than continue living as a blissfully ignorant immortal in heaven."

    "Brother Wolf, I know the second reason is for your Baihua, hehe."

    With a blush, Kui Mng said to the Heart Moon Fox, "You¡¯ve never been in love, so how could you understand the agony of yearning?"

    "Alright, the twenty-eight constetions have always shared honor and disgrace together. After being immortals for thousands of years, continuing as such wouldn¡¯t make much difference. Since this presents an opportunity, let¡¯s stir things up with the Great Sage.

    Even if we fail in the end, at least people will know that the twenty-eight constetions are beings with flesh and blood, with feelings and loyalty."

    The constetions eximed, "Good!"

    South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest

    "Mu Zha, go call for the ck Bear Spirit."

    "Yes."

    A momentter

    "Bodhisattva, the ck Bear Spirit has been brought here."

    "ck Bear, how long have you been with me?"

    "Back to Bodhisattva, it has been more than a thousand years."

    "Have you ever thought of leaving?"

    "That..."

    "Consider yourself honest. This seat knows that you¡¯ve long had the intention to leave. This time, I order Mu Zha to take you to the Heavenly Pce to meet with King of the Heavenly Tower Li Jing and to follow hismands."

    "Yes, I shall heed the Bodhisattva¡¯s decree."

    "Mu Zha, off you go."

    "Yes, Bodhisattva."

    Court of the King of the Heavenly Tower in the Heavenly Pce

    "Father, is, is everything you said true?"

    "Hmm, when has your father ever lied?"

    "But, aren¡¯t we from the Heavenly Pce? Why... why should we help Sun Wukong of the Demon n, although I hold no ill will toward him?"

    "Nezha, do you know why you, a deity of the Three Altars Sea Meeting, bear no malice and even feel kindly toward a demon?"

    "Father, I hold no affection for him. He is a demon, and we are deities; deities and demons cannot coexist."

    "Haha, indeed, I was not mistaken; you truly are not my son Nezha. If it was Nezha, he would certainly have admitted it."

    "Ah? Father, what¡ªwhat are you saying? I am Nezha, I am your third son, Nezha. Don¡¯t you recognize me, Father? Or have I done something wrong?"

    After speaking, Nezha knelt down hastily, his severe panic not feigned at all.

    "Rise, although you are not that Nezha, you are this Nezha."

    "Father, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying."

    "It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t understand, let me tell you a story. Long ago, Fire God Zhurong battled with Water Deity Gonggong. Defeated, Gonggong, in a fit of rage, broke Mount Buzhou, causing the Heavenly Pir to fall and a great hole to appear in the heavens. Consequently, Progenitor of the Demon n Nuwa smelted the Five-Colored Divine Stone to mend the sky.

    However, during the repair, due to the fierce storm, Nuwa inadvertently caused a small piece of the Five-Colored Divine Stone from the tortoise shell that propped up the sky to fall out. Since the Five-Colored Divine Stone had been tempered by the Nine-vor True Fire, it was scalding hot, and the small piece alone was enough to bring another disaster upon the creatures of the earth.

    Therefore, Nuwa, disregarding the burning heat of the stone, swallowed it, preventing another catastrophe."

    Having said this, Li Jing looked up into the distance, pausing for a while in contemtion before continuing, "After Nuwa had mended the sky, a small piece of the Divine Stone still remained in the tortoise shell. Nuwa ced the Divine Stone on the peak of Flower Fruit Mountain, hoping to use nature¡¯s spiritual energy to quench the fire of the Divine Stone.

    Millions of yearster, that piece of Divine Stone gave birth to the current Great Sage Equalling Heaven, the Beautiful Monkey King."

    "Then Father, what about the piece Nuwa had in her mouth? What happened to it?"

    "That piece, Nuwa ced it in whatter became Chentang Pass. She hoped to use the water vapor from the four seas to extinguish its sacred fire."

    "Ah? Father, The Divine Stone, it couldn¡¯t be, couldn¡¯t it...?"

    "Yes, that Divine Stone is indeed you, for at that time it was nourished by the Spiritual Charm of Nuwa, which is why you came into being earlier than that monkey and entered your mother¡¯s womb to take human form."

    "Father, how do you know all this?"

    "Because on the day of your birth, Nuwa descended to Chen Tang Pass and told me all this. The Goddess also said that you were born rebellious, and your existence was meant to destroy heaven and earth. However, you would face many tribtions; if you overcame them, you would be the spirit of heaven and earth, but if you failed, you would turn to ashes and smoke."

    At this point, Nezha stood there, stunned. But Li Jing, seemingly indifferent, continued, "After your birth, Heavenly Pce immediately became aware of your existence. They were afraid, afraid that all of this woulde true, afraid that you would truly destroy heaven and earth.

    Therefore, the Jade Emperor conspired with the East Sea Dragon King to trap you, leading to your wrathful ying of the Dragon King¡¯s son. This gave them sufficient reason, and all that followed was a conspiracy devised by the Jade Emperor, ultimately driving you to a dead end where you took your own life on the city walls."

    At this, Li Jing was full of tears of regret, but he did not stop, and continued to speak, "I curse my cowardice back then, for knowing it was a conspiracy and yet being powerless, I could only watch you die with my eyes wide open. Later, your body was taken by the Immortal Taiyi, who used a lotus root to make a body for you, resurrecting you.

    But, but as your father, I know, that wasn¡¯t really you, that was just one soul and three spirits with a puppet body."

    "Father, why did they have to force me? Why didn¡¯t they send Immortals to kill me directly?"

    "Because in this world, apart from yourself, no one can take your life. However, thankfully, the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp bestowed upon me the Exquisite Pagoda. Though at that time you only had one soul and three spirits, after thousands of years nourished within the pagoda, you have now regained all three souls and seven spirits. It¡¯s only that you¡¯ve lost many of your memories."

    "Father, is there a way to restore my memories? I want to return to my original self, not remain this puppet."

    "There is only one way, and that is for Sun Wukong to transform into the Five-Colored Divine Stone and then infuse you with the essence of the Five-Colored Divine Stone. In this way, you will be your true self. Therefore, we must help Sun Wukong this time, helping him win this war. By the way, your brother will also return to join us in aid of Flower Fruit Mountain."

    "Yes, Father, I will prepare now and head to Flower Fruit Mountain tomorrow."

    That night, Nezha had a dream, in which he and a monkey roamed freely,ughing defiantly at the world.

    Eight Hundred Li of Lion Camel Ridge, Lion Camel Cave

    "Big brother, it¡¯s been a few hundred years since we returned, hasn¡¯t it? Remember how carefree and joyful we were when we imed the mountain as kings - it¡¯s just a pity, s!"

    "You¡¯re still alright, third brother, staying by the side of Tathagata every day, listening to the Buddhist Law and advancing your cultivation. But second brother and I suffered, serving as mounts for Manjushri and Samantabhadra for hundreds of years, only able to eat grass ¨C I¡¯ve even forgotten what the taste of meat is like."

    "Big brother, once that rates, let¡¯s go down the mountain and have a big feast. I¡¯m not nning to go back this time. I¡¯d rather die in battle than be a mount again. Second brother has missed you and big brother greatly over these years."

    "Second brother has it right, I don¡¯t want to go back to Western Paradise either. This time, we three brothers must thoroughly establish ourselves as kings and join that monkey in a fight,"

    The Three Demon Kings had just finished speaking when a gust of yellow wind swept by, dropping a figure nearby.

    "Lion big brother, Elephant big brother, and Roc big brother, I¡¯mte, please don¡¯t me me."

    "Haha, you thieving, oil-guzzling rat, what took you so long?"

    "Hehe, without thieving oil, how could I have achieved today¡¯s cultivation? To be honest, I¡¯m not nning to return to Spiritual Mount either, so I need to take care of that nest of rat progeny."

    "So, Rat, you feel the same way. We three brothers are of the same mind; we really don¡¯t want to return to Spiritual Mount either. Well, this time the four of us will go to Flower Fruit Mountain and make some noise with the monkey. Let the world witness the prowess of the Demon n. Roc, you fly fast, take our fourth brother with you, let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 4: Dispatching the Troops

    Lingxiao Pce of the Heavenly Pce

    "Your Majesty the Jade Emperor, there¡¯s news from the Western Paradise. The Peng Demon King, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, and Bodhisattva Manjushri¡¯s mount, the green-furred lion and the yellow-fanged elephant, have rebelled against the Western Paradise. They have fled in thepany of the Yellow Wind Monster and their whereabouts are currently unknown.

    Furthermore, Sun Wukong, who had been conferred the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha, engaged in a fight with Tathagata for some unknown reason. Having been defeated, he has also fled Spiritual Mountain. The Messenger of the Altar Zhu Bajie, the Golden Body Arhat Sha Wujing, have also escaped. It is presumed they are likely to return to Flower Fruit Mountain."

    "Hahaha, this is good news! That fellow has finally started trouble with Tathagata. It seems even their ce isn¡¯t peaceful anymore. What do you all say, will that monkey also make a bigmotion at Spiritual Mountain?"

    "Your Majesty, this servant thinks there¡¯s something fishy about this matter. Sun Wukong has stayed in Western Paradise for several hundred years, why would he suddenly have a dispute with Tathagata? I fear that something is amiss."

    "The tinum Star of the White Emperor, you are not ignorant of that monkey¡¯s temperament. Even without a reason, he would stir up trouble. These several hundred years, I suppose the monkey had endured enough. Hehe, my loving subject, there¡¯s no need for excessive concern. Over this century, my Heaven has not been idle.

    If that monkey dares to cause another uproar, I will ensure hees but cannot leave. Now then, do the rest of you have any matters to report?"

    "Your Majesty, recently, the demonic creatures of the lower realms have shown signs of restlessness, with frequent and highly secretivemunications amongst the various Demon Kings. Additionally, the Macaque King, one of the Seven Great Sages of the past, has appeared in Northern Jambudvipa, but it is unknown for what purpose. This servant wonders if it might be time to dispatch troops..."

    "Such a mere macaque is not worth worrying over. Let it be. Now, if there are no other matters, let¡¯s end the court session."

    Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain in Ai Country, East Shengzhou

    "Brother Monkey, this time, we might have gone a bit too far. If we lose, your brother Pig here might never see Chang¡¯er again," Bajie said as he ate.

    "Fool, if you¡¯re scared, you don¡¯t have to join in. I never forced you."

    "No, no, that¡¯s not it. Your brother Pig has also endured in silence for several hundred years. Initially, it was all for the hope of returning to the Heavenly Pce, and I bore much. But in the end? I am still this pig. I, old Pig, have thought it over and hold no hope for the Heavenly Pce anymore.

    If we win this time, I will live in seclusion with Chang¡¯er away from this world and strive to cultivate and shed this pig form. If we lose, it¡¯s not scary either¡ªwe¡¯ll just return to the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

    "And you, Sandy?"

    "The decision made by Big Brother is also that of old Sandy. Win or lose, as long as I can be with my brothers, old Sandy is willing."

    "Haha, truly worthy of being a Brother of Sun Wukong. It¡¯s a pity Master isn¡¯t here, or the five disciples could have been all together. Tomorrow, everything will depend on tomorrow."

    "Big Brother, where has Master gone anyway? We haven¡¯t seen him once in the several hundred years at Spiritual Mountain."

    "Old Sandy, do you still remember the Kingdom of Women we visited during our journey to the West?"

    "Aye, I remember, every citizen in the Kingdom of Women was as beautiful as a flower."

    "Of course, you remember. If Big Brother hadn¡¯t fetched the antinatal water, you¡¯d probably have a whole nest of piglets by now, hahaha."

    "Shut it, it¡¯s all because you, you foul monkey, deliberately made a fool of me. Old Pig here lost face so bad, I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll ever face Chang¡¯er again."

    "Since you remember the Kingdom of Women, do you also remember the Queen of the Kingdom of Women?"

    "The one who wanted to be joined in wedlock with Master?"

    "Yes, now, it¡¯s the tenth incarnation of that very Queen. Master has¡­ gone to resolve this tie."

    "I knew it, Master never stopped thinking about the Queen of the Kingdom of Women, and you didn¡¯t believe me. You don¡¯t understand what true love is."

    "Enough talk, let¡¯s all rest. Tomorrow, we will face a great battle."

    "Brother Monkey, your brother Pig has a question, but I am not sure if I should ask it, fearing it might anger you."

    "You have something you¡¯re embarrassed to ask? Go ahead, ask away."

    "Brother Monkey, between all the demon soldiers and demon generals in our Flower Fruit Mountain, we number no more than over a hundred thousand. Apart from the three of us, there isn¡¯t really anyone else capable of fighting. Just relying on us, can we win?"

    "Fool, so that¡¯s what worries you. Rest easy, rest easy. When have I, Old Sun, ever engaged in something I was not sure of? We will have demon soldiers, we will also have demon generals, and even, there might be some surprises beyond your imagination."

    "Always so mysterious, Brother Monkey, you¡¯re being unfair. But whatever, let¡¯s wait for tomorrow. After a good meal, your brother Pig will go on a killing spree. Let them all see the imposing might of the once Tianpeng Marshal."

    That night on top of Flower Fruit Mountain, a monkey sat quietly, staring at the star-filled sky, perhaps lost in thought. After a long while, the monkey reached up and touched his head, then plucked out a single monkey hair and transformed it into a golden hoop, which he put on his head.

    "Heh heh, this looks more handsome."

    The next day, in Lingxiao Pce

    "Report, report, report, this is, this is a great disaster."

    "Who is in the hall? Why such a panic? What kind of decorum is this?"

    "Your, your Majesty the Jade Emperor, there¡¯s a great disaster."

    "Giant Spirit God, how could you be so impolite."

    "Your, your Majesty the Jade Emperor, it¡¯s not because this soldier is being impolite, it¡¯s, it¡¯s that Sun Wukong has once again attacked the Heavenly Pce. Now he has reached the outside of the South Heaven Gate, where the Four Heavenly Kings are engaged in fierce battle. This soldier hase especially to inform the Jade Emperor."

    "What, that monkey has attacked again? How is that possible? Hasn¡¯t he had a falling out with Tathagata? How does he still have the time to attack Heaven? King of the Heavenly Tower, King of the Heavenly Tower, where are you?"

    There was no response in the hall.

    "Where is the King of the Heavenly Tower? Has anyone seen the King of the Heavenly Tower?"

    "Your Majesty the Jade Emperor, before morning court, this humble servant saw the King flying towards the direction of East Heaven Gate with the Third Prince, but the exact whereabouts are unknown."

    "At this time, Li Jing has actually gone to East Heaven Gate? The God of the Warrior Star, where is the God of the Warrior Star?"

    "This soldier is present."

    "I nowmand you as the Great Marshal of Banishing Demons, to lead all the Heavenly Soldiers of Heaven to South Heaven Gate and capture the Demon Monkey Sun Wukong. You must halt him outside the South Heaven Gate."

    "Yes, your servant obeys."

    "Where is Wen the Great Teacher?"

    "Your servant is present."

    "Imand you to lead the Thunder Department gods, the Nine Luminaries Celestial Lords, and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, along with the dual authorities over wind and rain, thunder and lightning, to the East Heaven Gate to pursue King of the Heavenly Tower, Li Jing. Should Li Jing show any signs of unusual activities, capture him on the spot."

    "Yes, your servant obeys the order."

    "The tinum Star of the White Emperor, notify the Great Emperor Ziwu, Great Emperor Gouchen, and Hou Tu immediately toe to the Lingxiao Pce."

    "Yes, your humble servant obeys the order."

    "Thousand Li Eye."

    "Your minor officer is present."

    "Head immediately to the Star Dou Great Hall, and inform the Stars of the Southern and Northern Dippers toe and assist us in the fight."

    "Yes, your minor officer receives themand."

    "Favorable Wind Ear."

    "Your minor officer is present."

    "Set off at once to Guanjiangkou and summon the Eng God here to help in the battle. Also, have him lead the Meishan brothers and 1,200 grass-headed gods."

    "Yes, your minor officer receives themand."

    "Martial Virtue Celestial Lord."

    "Your subordinate is present."

    "Go to Spiritual Mount immediately and request Buddha toe here. Tell him the Demon Monkey Sun Wukong is causing trouble again."

    "Yes. Your subordinate obeys themand."

    After issuing a series of orders, the Jade Emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    However, what the Jade Emperor did not know was that at this very moment, Heaven was already surrounded on all sides.

    "Brother Monkey, where are the reinforcements you mentioned? The South Heaven Gate is about to be taken down. If they don¡¯t arrive soon, we¡¯ll be marching upon the Lingxiao Pce."

    "Fool, what¡¯s the hurry? As soon as we take down the South Heaven Gate, lead some demon soldiers immediately towards the Heavenly River. Break through the riverbed, and you¡¯ll find our helpers there."

    "You wretched monkey, always bossing old Bajie around. The Heavenly River¡¯s riverbed, I can¡¯t believe you thought of that. If a squad of demon soldiers burst out from there, the Jade Emperor is in for a spectacle. Haha, old Bajie is on his way."

    "Report, emergency at the South Heaven Gate! Marshal, the South Heaven Gate can¡¯t hold on much longer; that monkey is extremely formidable."

    "Don¡¯t panic, go and inform the Nine Luminaries Star Lords and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions to deploy the Zhu Tian Lunar Mansions Great Formation. Use the power of the Lunar Mansions to seal the South Heaven Gate."

    "Yes, your subordinate obeys themand."

    Meanwhile, within the Lingxiao Pce, chaos reigned.

    "Oh, Jade Emperor, what are we to do? That monkey has really gone to extremes this time. The East Heaven Gate has already fallen. Who would have thought that King of the Heavenly Tower, Li Jing, would collude with those demons? He truly harbors ulterior motives."

    "The tinum Star, what is the situation at the South Heaven Gate?"

    "Reporting to the Jade Emperor, Marshal Wuqu Xing has activated the Lunar Mansions Great Formation, holding the gate for now. However, your humble servant worries about the North Heaven Gate and the West Heaven Gate¡ªthey may also be in danger."

    Before The tinum Star could finish speaking, another report came.

    "Report, to inform the Jade Emperor, enemy forces from the Demon n have been sighted at both the West Heaven Gate and the North Heaven Gate. At the West Heaven Gate, the Bull Demon King is leading his demon soldiers in a fierce attack, while at the North Heaven Gate, two great Peng birds are using Gang Wind to destroy the gate¡¯s formation.

    And still, outside the North Heaven Gate lies a vast army of demons, watching closely, ready to burst forth should the gate fall."

    "Two great Peng birds? Could it be the Peng Demon King? And who is the other? Investigate further and report back."

    "Yes."

    "Where are the Eight Immortals?"

    "Your subordinates are present."

    "You must rush to the Heavenly River and deploy the Eight Immortals¡¯ formation to seal the river."

    "Yes."

    "Your Majesty, this is the moment to deploy our troops. Why not have the Eight Immortals fortify the South Heaven Gate? If the South Heaven Gate falls, it will be the end."

    "s, I am aware. But I always feel something is not right. This time, that monkey is truly intent on a decisive battle, utilizing the full force of the Demon n¡ªwe cannot be too cautious."

    No sooner had the Eight Immortals left than someone else came to report.

    "Report, Heavenly River has been breached. The former Tianpeng Marshal led demon soldiers to break through the riverbed, and the Flood Dragon Demon King emerged with two hundred thousand naval troops, overwhelming the eighty thousand defenders of the Heavenly River. Now, the Flood Dragon Demon King is leading his troops along the river towards the North Heaven Gate."

    "Heavenly, Tianpeng? He, how could he appear at the Heavenly River? Could it, could it be..."

    "Report, South Heaven Gate has fallen. The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, while setting up the Great Formation, suddenly turned and injured the Nine Luminaries Star Lords, joining the demon forces. Now, Sun Wukong leads his troops into the Ninth Layer Heavens."

    The Jade Emperor slumped in defeat, thinking how Heaven, in all its glory, had been invaded by a hoard of demons in such a short time, and that so many deities had defected.

    "Quick, hurry to the Thirty-Third Heaven and request the Supreme Elder Lord to take action."

 Chapter 5: The Underdog

    Twelve Layer Heavens

    "Haha, Great Sage, I¡¯ve arrived, I¡¯ve arrived! I didn¡¯t expect you all to act so quickly."

    "Tianpeng Brother, it¡¯s you who are too slow. So, did you get it?"

    "Haha, do you even need to ask? Look what this is."

    After speaking, the demon pulled a Vajra Circle off his arm and spat out a small fan from his mouth.

    "Brother Tianpeng, your skill is truly impressive, you¡¯ve not only taken the Vajra Bracelet, but you also got the Banana Fan. This time, let¡¯s see what the Supreme Elder Lord can fight me with."

    "That old goat has used me as his mount for thousands of years, paying this much is only right. Great Sage, let¡¯s not talk much, and continue fighting our way up. Right, has Brother Bull arrived yet? Why isn¡¯t he with you?"

    "Old Bull is at the Western Heaven Gate. You¡¯d better go quickly and lend her your strength. Inside and out, we¡¯ll open the Western Heaven Gate. I¡¯ll continue to fight upwards. Hey, Brother Tianpeng, take the Twenty-Eight Constetions with you."

    "Alright. Finally, we will have a grand battle, and I¡¯ll be fighting side by side with Old Bull. Haha, thrilling, thrilling!"

    Thirty-Three Layer Lihen Heavenly Pce

    "Supreme Elder, save me, please, Supreme Elder, save me quickly!"

    "Brother Wen Quxing, what¡¯s the matter that you¡¯re so panicked? I am at a crucial moment in my alchemy, you mustn¡¯t disturb me."

    "Oh no, why still concoct elixirs? That Monkey has attacked the Heavenly Pce again, he¡¯s almost reached the Jade Emperor¡¯s Lingxiao Pce. Supreme Elder, if you don¡¯t intervene, that Monkey will overturn your Eight Trigrams Furnace again."

    "Oh dear, this is serious. Follow me, I am going to retrieve the Vajra Bracelet and the Banana Fan. How did that Monkey get up here again?"

    The Supreme Elder hastily put down the elixir he was holding and ran to the Treasure Pavilion in a panic.

    "Where¡¯s my Vajra Bracelet? Where¡¯s my Banana Fan? And, and my Green Ox is gone too!"

    Looking at the empty Treasure Pavilion and the ox pen, there was not a shadow in sight. The Supreme Elder quickly calcted and said, "It¡¯s bad, my Green Ox has stolen my treasures to help that Demon Monkey. Go and inform the Jade Emperor, tell him I¡¯m going to ask my younger brother, Master Tongtian, for help, and the Jade Emperor must hold on for a moment. Hurry, hurry!"

    "Yes, yes, much obliged, Supreme Elder."

    Western Heaven Gate, Bull Demon King

    "Wahaha, Old Bull, it¡¯s been hundreds of years since west saw each other?"

    "You as the Green Ox are still just as robust. You¡¯ve been the Old Man¡¯s mount for hundreds of years, and you¡¯ve finally made it to today. You¡¯ve suffered."

    "Why mention this? Back in the day, out of all you brothers, I was the least useful, so this undercover job fell to me. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t just let that old goat ride me all these years for nothing. Now his Vajra Carver and Banana Fan have be my treasures and won¡¯t listen to hismands anymore."

    "Well, let¡¯s not talk about that. Later, I must capture that old goat to avenge our brotherhood."

    "Good. Haha, by the way, where is old Flood Dragon? Haven¡¯t seen him around."

    "That fellow is fighting Zhu Bajie at the bottom of the Heavenly River. Old Flood Dragon nned to lead troops to help the Roc at the North Heaven Gate, but then Zhu Bajie started quarreling with him, iming that the Heavenly River Guards originally belonged to him, and now Flood Dragon has killed them all, he¡¯s demandingpensation."

    "Haha, Zhu Bajie actually cares about his Celestial Soldiers now. No worries, I¡¯ll go and persuade him. Brother, you go assist the Roc at the North Heaven Gate."

    "Alright, take care, Brother Tianpeng."

    "Hm."

    Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie and the Flood Dragon Demon King were fighting fiercely. Both of them were skilled at water battles and their abilities were quite evenly matched, so neither had won after half a day ofbat.

    Zhu Bajie was swinging his Nine-Toothed Rake with ferocity, preventing the Flood Dragon Demon King from getting close; he could do nothing but use a string of purple bells to create a water dragon to sh against the rake.

    As the intense battle continued, a strong wind blew, forcibly separating them. Before Zhu Bajie and the Flood Dragon Demon King could continue their fight, Tianpeng had already stood between them.

    "Enough, enough, we¡¯re all family here, what¡¯s the use of fighting each other?"

    "Tianpeng, youe judge. We agreed that after we breached the Heavenly River to let him in, he wouldn¡¯t harm my eighty thousand Celestial Soldiers. But this wretch killed them all as soon as he got in, not sparing a single one for old Zhu. If I don¡¯t fight him, who will I fight?"

    "You stinking pig, you still me me? As soon as I entered, your Celestial Soldiers charged at me; am I not supposed to fight back, am I supposed to just let your soldiers kill me?"

    "Well, you couldn¡¯t just kill them all, right? After all, I¡¯ve been Tianpeng Marshal for thousands of years, and now they¡¯re all dead."

    "Look, Tianpeng, what battle doesn¡¯t have casualties? But Old Flood Dragon, you did go a bit too far. Here¡¯s the deal, how about I make Old Flood Dragonpensate you, is that okay?"

    "Brother Tianpeng, you said it yourself. How will hepensate me?"

    "Well, Old Flood Dragon, it¡¯s your turn to speak."

    "Hmph, for the Monkey¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll let it slide. You wanted to go rescue Chang¡¯er in the Moon Pce, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯ll apany you."

    "Heh, that¡¯s more like it. Brother Tianpeng, tell Brother Monkey I won¡¯t join the havoc in the Heavenly Pce, I¡¯m off to wreak havoc in the Moon Pce."

    "Alright, go on, you¡¯ve never forgotten about Chang¡¯er after all these years. Take care, both of you, the Moon Pce is guarded by Wu Gang; you must be cautious."

    "Roger that, you hurry and help our Monkey Brother; I hear Yang Jian has arrived."

    Yang Jian, also known as the Eng God.

    A demigod with immense strength, limitless spells, the ability to turn beans into soldiers, master of the arts of mystique, with seventy-three transformations, the Divine Eye in his heaven, holding a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, forged from the Five-Colored Stone that Nuwa used to mend the heavens, and apanied by the Divine Beast, the Howling Celestial Dog.

    Although he was the Jade Emperor¡¯s nephew from his sister¡¯s side, due to an issue with his mother, his rtionship with the Jade Emperor wasn¡¯t that good, even bing another joke in Heaven as "hearing the summons but ignoring the orders." Hence, with Heaven in peril, the Jade Emperor had no choice but to send for Eng God. Whether he woulde or not, even the Jade Emperor wasn¡¯t sure.

    "Report, Your Majesty, the Eng God Yang Jian has led the Meishan brothers to join the battle and is now engaging with the Monkey at the Twenty-Fourth Heaven."

    "Fate is kind for he still remembers our kinship. Otherwise, I do not know what we would have done. While the Monkey has Yang Jian to contend with, what about the other Demon Kings? My ministers, does anyone have a good strategy?"

    None of the attendees under the hall had an answer; they were not fools, but this time the Demon n had obviously been nning for a long time. What about Heaven? The prolonged peace had nearly made Heaven forget what war was.

    "Worthless, what use is it for me to support you all if I must take to the battlefield myself?"

    "Your Majesty, your Majesty, Wen Quxing has just reported that the Supreme Elder Lord has set out to seek the help of his junior brother, Master Tongtian. Moreover, the Great Emperor Ziwei, Great Emperor Gouchen, and the Great Northern Emperor of Banishing Demons have already arrived at Heaven, rushing to the Western Heaven Gate, the East Heaven Gate, and the North Heaven Gate.

    I believe they can surely hold off the enemy for a while. Once Master Tongtian arrives, that Monkey will definitely not have an easy time."

    "s, that¡¯s the only way."

    The battle between Sun Wukong and Eng God at the South Heaven Gate.

    "Haha, Monkey, it¡¯s been hundreds of years, and your mana has indeed grown."

    "Indeed, indeed, I, Old Sun, have suffered a great deal in these hundreds of years. But you¡¯re not bad either, still managing to fight me to a draw."

    "Let¡¯s not kid ourselves, Monkey. We both know our own strength. I know you haven¡¯t been using your full power, otherwise I would have been defeated long ago. But I have no choice, the Jade Emperor is after all my uncle. Even if I don¡¯t like him, I can¡¯t disregard this family bond. Sigh, what a dilemma."

    "Heh, you¡¯ve be more perceptive than before. When I made a ruckus in the Heavenly Pce, you fought me to death. Now, you¡¯ve learned to be smart and don¡¯t gamble your life away for the Jade Emperor. Since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t make it difficult for you."

    With that, Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang suddenly grew with the wind, and with a sweeping motion, he fended off the Eng God.

    "Six-Eared, Extending Arm,e out now."

    No sooner had the voice fallen than two figures leaped out of nowhere, resembling the Great Sage by seven or eight likenesses, clothed in golden armor with a crimson cape, each wielding a bright silver sky-supporting stick.

    Unlike the Great Sage, one had six ears on his head and the other had oddly long arms; these were the Six-Eared Macaque and the Extending-Arm Ape from the Havoc-Wreaking Four Monkeys.

    Just as Sun Wukong was about to leave, a flying Immortal Sword suddenly appeared from the sky, stabbing towards his face. The sword struck with such ferocity that Sun Wukong could not dodge in time and was forced to block. With a "ng," Sun Wukong was pushed back threerge steps, and the Golden Hoop staff in his hand trembled ceaselessly.

    "Who dares to sneak attack Old Sun like this, with such ruthlessness?"

    Two clouds drifted in the sky, carrying two immortals exuding a Taoist aura.

    "Haha, I wondered who it was, turns out it¡¯s just two old Taoist snouts. Supreme Elder Lord, what brings you here from Lihen Heavenly Pce instead of refining elixirs?"

    "You reckless Monkey, it was enough that you caused great havoc in Heaven a thousand years ago. Howe you¡¯ve not learned your lesson, daring to act wildly in Heaven again? And you even dared to instigate my Green Ox to steal my treasures, truly detestable."

    "Brother, there is no need for more words. This Demon Monkey does indeed possess some mana, to withstand a strike from my Immortal-ying Sword and only be pushed back three steps is interesting. Brother, step back; let me set up the Sword Formation and execute this Monkey."

    "Brother, be careful, this reckless Monkey is very cunning, we cannot afford to underestimate him."

    Before Supreme Elder Lord could finish his sentence, Master Tongtian had already summoned his four Immortal Swords. They circled above Sun Wukong¡¯s head for a moment before settling into their positions in the southeast, northwest, and western directions. But just at that time, another unexpected change urred.

    A whisk of jade dust suddenly appeared above Sun Wukong¡¯s head, followed by a heartyugh, "Brother Wukong, what trouble have you gotten yourself into now? You¡¯ve even provoked Master Tongtian to take action personally? And he¡¯s setting up the Immortal-ying Sword Formation too. If this formation ispleted, Brother Wukong, your prospects do not look good."

    "Haha, it turns out to be Brother Zhen Yuan ah. No worries, no worries. When ites to the strong bullying the weak, your Brother Sun has long been ustomed to it, it¡¯s no big deal."

    Following Sun Wukong¡¯sughter, Master Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord both looked towards an empty space. Master Tongtian curled his lips into a disdainful smile and said, "I was wondering who would be so bold as to disrupt my sword formation. It turns out to be none other than Zhen Yuanzi, the Master of Earth Immortals.

    What, were you too bored in your Five Vis View and decided to stir up trouble here as well?"

    "Haha, now you can¡¯t say that. Sun Wukong is my sworn brother. As an elder brother, how can I stand by while he is being bullied? Otherwise, others will think we brothers have no one to rely on. Right, Brother Wukong?"

    "Hehe, Brother Zhen Yuan is correct. It¡¯s not just some people who have brothers. Haha."

    This series of teasing had truly enraged Master Tongtian. Just who was he? The revered Sect Hierarch of the Interception Sect, when had anyone ever dared to treat him this way?

    Anger boiled in his heart, but he refused to let the monkey have thest word.

    "Demon Monkey, if all you¡¯ve got is sharp teeth and a quick tongue, then this is where you will meet your end."

    With a motion of his hand seals, the four Immortal Swords flew outward, their des radiating bright light. "Be careful, Brother Wukong. This old Daoist has expanded the range of the sword formation. Let¡¯s join forces to break it."

    "Alright."

    There was no time for more words. Sun Wukong transformed into the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, and with another wave, a Buddha draped in golden armor appeared, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, embodying the body of the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

    Both avatars, with the force of thunder and lightning, struck towards the south and north against the Immortal Executing Sword and the Immortal Trapping Sword. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong himself aimed for the Immortal Severing Sword. At the same time, Zhen Yuanzi waved his hand, and a branch-like magic treasure appeared in his hand. Clenching a magical decree, he aimed at the Immortal-ying Sword.

    Suddenly, a thunderous boom ripped through the sky, and a wave of mana shed and spread out, knocking the celestial soldiers of the Twenty-Four Layer Heavens off their feet. As the sound subsided and the mana and True Yuan calmed, within the sword array, Sun Wukong and his two avatars trembled uncontrobly, their hands split at the tiger¡¯s mouth, with blood pouring out in great amounts.

    Zhen Yuanzi too appeared disheveled, holding only half of a tree branch, straining to stabilize the chaotic True Yuan within his body.

    In this exchange, the superior party was immediately evident.

    Sun Wukong raised his head, ring at Master Tongtian outside the array, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.

    Because Master Tongtian was calm andposed, obviously having suffered no loss at all. Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s expression was grim, but inside, his heart was churning with a massive storm. Both he and Sun Wukong had already severed their two corpses, but there was still such a huge gap between them and Master Tongtian. This time, it indeed seemed more likely to meet a grim fate than not.

    "Hehe, is this the extent of your ability? Ants daring to match Heaven? Let me, the Sect Hierarch, put an end to you both."

    With a sweep of his sleeve, a stream of blue light shot by¡ªit was the Supreme Rank Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Qingping Sword.

    Just as the blue light was about to pierce Sun Wukong, it was blocked by a Bodhi branch.

    "Master Tongtian, bullying the less powerful doesn¡¯t seem quite proper, does it?"

    Before Master Tongtian had the chance to see who it was, he heard Sun Wukong murmuring, "Master¡­ Master?"

 Chapter 6 - 6 Bodhi

    ```

    "Subhuti? Is that really you? What brings you here?"

    From the void, a figure slowly emerged. d in a in Qing tunic, without any grandiosity, his hands empty, his gaze tranquil. Subhuti nced back at Sun Wukong amidst the Sword Array and said indifferently, "Wukong, it has been over a thousand years since ourst meeting, hasn¡¯t it? Are you doing well?"

    "Disciple is well, disciple is well. Since parting with my master that year, I have thought of you day and night. Master, is your health still good?"

    "You¡¯re still considerate, my health is fine. It¡¯s just worrying about you, this monkey, that¡¯s all."

    "Disciple is unfilial, disciple is unfilial, causing Master worry, disciple is unfilial." As he spoke, Sun Wukong bowed his head to Subhuti, ignoring his hands which were dripping with blood. Tears had already started to fall, rendering him unable to speak.

    Subhuti¡¯s eyes reddened slightly, evidently not as calm inside as he appeared on the surface. With a flick of his wrist, an elixir flew out.

    "Catch this, it¡¯s a Nine-turn Golden Elixir that I¡¯ve refined. Eat it. You¡¯ve been injured quite badly from fighting Tongtian."

    "Thank you, master, thank you, master."

    Catching the Golden Elixir that flew towards him, Wukong did not swallow it immediately; instead, he turned to Zhen Yuanzi and said, "Old brother, you eat this Golden Elixir. My old Sun¡¯s body is quite tough, I don¡¯t need to consume this elixir."

    Before Zhen Yuanzi could refuse, Subhuti flicked his wrist once more, and another Golden Elixir flew into Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s hand. Then Subhuti said, "That Golden Elixir is too domineering, only your Vajra Body can withstand it. Zhen Yuanzi, this is a Nine Purities Soulcontinuation Pill; eat it, it¡¯ll do great good for your injuries and cultivation.

    Besides, take this Bodhi Branch with you, and when you return, merge it with your Ginseng Fruit Tree. That year my unworthy disciple wreaked havoc on your Ginseng Fruit Tree, I assume it has not yet recovered."

    "Master, master, your disciple has caused you trouble."

    "Enough, we will talk about the restter. You two retreat for now, this Sect Hierarch Tongtian is not someone you can deal with."

    "What touching master and disciple affection, it almost moves me. Haha. This monkey is sure to die today. Subhuti, I never imagined you¡¯d be this demon monkey¡¯s master. No wonder he¡¯s so brazen. It must be that having you as his backing emboldened him to be so reckless.

    Like master, like disciple, birds of a feather."

    "Tongtian, don¡¯t you think you talk too much?"

    "You, you... Brother, I¡¯ll hold off Subhuti, you use the Immortal-ying Sword Formation to exterminate the demon monkey."

    "Alright, be careful, brother."

    "Wukong, you and Zhen Yuanzi work together, first use the Bodhi Branch to protect yourselves. I will break the Sword Array and rescue you two shortly."

    "Okay, master, be careful, don¡¯t worry about me."

    Following that, Subhuti formed a Hand Seal, and behind him, the phantom of a Bodhi Tree appeared, every detail distinct. Tongtian, notgging in the slightest, formed a Hand Seal, and a Bronze Bell appeared atop the Bodhi Tree shadow. It was sorge that it seemed to cover the heavens and earth. A flood of Chaos Qi flowed out from within the bell, seeking to envelop and hide the entire Bodhi Tree.

    But the Bodhi Tree was no lesser, as countless Bodhi Seeds took flight from it, hovering about the tree to counterbnce the bell¡¯s descending Chaos Qi.

    "Unexpectedly, Subhuti possesses such cultivation, forcing brother to bring out his Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Clock."

    "Pesky monkey, meet your end. There has never been a survivor under this Sword Array."

    "Never a survivor? That¡¯s because you¡¯ve never met us."

    From the distance, to be exact, from the direction of the Western Paradise gate, six figures flew towards them with the speed of a thunderbolt.

    Once the figures stood their ground, the six positioned themselves between the Immortal-ying Sword Formation and Supreme Elder Lord, each adopting different postures¡ªwhether standing, fighting, or sitting. The onlymonality was that they all wore Battle Armor and wielded their favored Divine Weapons, emanating a formidable, overbearing aura.

    "Who are you people? Don¡¯t you know that I am the Supreme Elder Lord?"

    The one on the far right, a demon with the head of a bull and the body of a human, spoke up, "Supreme Elder Lord? What¡¯s that? You bully with numbers?"

    "Brothers, tell him who we are."

    From the right, the figures stated one by one, "I am the ttens Mountains Great Saint¡ªBull Demon King."

    "I am the Floods Oceans Great Saint¡ªFlood Dragon Demon King."

    "I am the Confuses Heavens Great Saint¡ªPeng Demon King."

    ```

    "I am the Moves Mountains Great Saint¡ªLion Camel King."

    "I am the Venttes Great Saint¡ªMacaca King."

    "I am the Expels Gods Great Saint¡ªRhino King."

    "You, you guys, why are you here? Go, just go, I, Old Sun, don¡¯t need your help."

    "Monkey, back then we wronged you, indeed, we admit, we were afraid of death and greedy for life. When the celestial soldiers attacked Flower Fruit Mountain, all of us ran away except you. But not this time, monkey, this time we won¡¯t run, even if we die in battle right here, we won¡¯t escape." The one speaking was the Flood Dragon Demon King, his face full of shame and determination.

    "Yes, monkey, I, Old Bull, have wronged you the most, but I, Old Bull, know, letting down a brother once, twice, but never a third time. This time I brought everything from my umted Thunder Mountain, monkey, I, Old Bull, will stand with you."

    "And us. Monkey, brothers don¡¯t hope for your forgiveness, but we hope you can trust us."

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong had already been reduced to tears. Who could know that what Sun Wukong felt was not anger, but grievance. When the Seven Demons of Flower Fruit Mountain proimed their sainthood, Sun Wukong was the youngest.

    However, when the celestial soldiers came, it was he, the youngest brother, who resolutely went to meet the battle, and in the end, in the end, was suppressed under Five Elements Mountain for a full five hundred years. This grievance, who else could understand?

    "You¡¯re not abandoning me? You¡¯re not running? You¡¯re not leaving me to fight alone?"

    "Rest assured, monkey, this time we definitely won¡¯t."

    "Then fine, I will temporarily forgive you. But this ount, I will continue to settle in the future."

    "Haha, very well, brothers, let¡¯s break this Sword Array and rescue the monkey."

    "Humph, mere six demons, you dare treat me as if I¡¯m nothing. This Immortal-ying Sword Formation is not something you can break through. Pure delusion."

    "Old Taoist, don¡¯t be so proud, now you¡¯ll see what the brothers can do."

    After speaking, the Flood Dragon Demon King brought out a Bronze Bell, followed by the Bull Demon King, Lion Camel King, and Macaca King, who all put their hands on the Flood Dragon Demon King¡¯s back, simultaneously exerting their power. A tremendous mana poured into the Flood Dragon Demon King¡¯s body, causing his veins to bulge rmingly.

    "Donghuang Bell, break." With a roar as mighty as thunder, the Flood Dragon Demon King pointed from afar, all the vast mana inside him poured into the Bronze Bell, which perilously flew directly above the Immortal-ying Sword Formation.

    "Old Peng, aid me."

    "Good." Following this, the Peng Demon King soared into the sky, transforming into his true form, a heaven-covering great Kunpeng, and the Rhino King pushed forward with both hands, concentrating all his mana, just like the Bull Demon King and the others, pouring all his power into the Peng Demon King.

    Strengthened by the Rhino King¡¯s mana, the Peng Demon King grew evenrger, and with a piercing cry that shook the heavens, the winds and clouds swirled in agitation, and even space itself became somewhat unstable.

    At this moment, the one most frightened was not the Master Tongtian but the Supreme Elder Lord. The Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s hair was in disarray, without any of the immortal¡¯s grace. His eyes focused intently on the Peng Demon King, muttering in disbelief, "How, how is this possible, how can this be, how could it be the descendant of Hun Peng, how could this be."

    With the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s muttering, Master Tongtian also showed a face of shock. Nobody had expected that the Peng Demon King, unassuming as he was, turned out to be the descendant of the Demon Master Hun Peng, Kunpeng, that Great Demonparable to Pangu himself. But the shock did not stop there.

    "Tongtian, quickly withdraw the Sword Formation, quickly, quickly."

    The Sect Hierarch Tongtian was startled and had yet to recover when he saw the Bronze Bell shining with treasure light, then as if hit by an invisible pir, a profound bell sound vibrated, shaking the entire Three Realms.

    Then there was Tongtian¡¯s heart-wrenching bellow because he watched as his Immortal-ying Sword Formation and the four Immortal Swords were pulled into the Bell. Blood spurted out, and Tongtian¡¯splexion suddenly turned three shades paler.

    "Actually, it¡¯s the Donghuang Bell of Donghuang Taiyi, and, what¡¯s more, there¡¯s also the Five-Colored Divine Light of Kong Xuan. No wonder they could break the Immortal-ying Sword Formation."

    "Monkey, run, we can handle this. Remember, your target is the Jade Emperor."

    "Old Bull, I can¡¯t leave, what will you do if I go?"

    "Haha, just an old Supreme Elder Lord, what¡¯s there for I, Old Bull, to fear?"

    As soon as he finished speaking, a seven-inch banner appeared out of nowhere; on the banner, Three Thousand Heavenly Demons swirled around, captivating souls.

    Before the Bull Demon King could react, the banner swept him up, and from it six great Heavenly Demons, each as powerful as the Peng Demon King and others, or even surpassing them by half, struggled out of the small banner, then each flew towards the Bull Demon King and the others.

    "Brother Dao, be careful, this is the Sect Hierarch Tongtian¡¯s Six Soul Banner, made from the grievances of dead Demons of the Three Thousand Great Dao. It can harm even the saints of the Heavenly Dao. You must not let the six Heavenly Demons touch you, otherwise, it would be beyond redemption." Zhen Yuanzi quickly eximed a warning, clearly extremely wary of this Six Soul Banner.

    Many times, many things often exceed our imagination and are beyond our control. Just like the Bull Demon King and the others could not have expected that with a Heavenly Demon Banner, the Supreme Elder Lord could be so terrifying. Each of the six Heavenly Demons was not weaker than the Peng Demon King and the others, and even vaguely surpassed them by a fraction.

 Chapter 7 - 7 Bajie

    "Monkey, hurry up and go! We can hold this ce; don¡¯t worry about us."

    Sun Wukong was not a man to dally. Knowing his brothers were ready to fight to the death, and that his own mission did not concern the Supreme Elder Lord and the others, he somersaulted onto the cloud. Just as he was about to leave, the voice of Patriarch Bodhi rang in his ears, "Wukong, you must be careful. The Jade Emperor is no simple adversary. You must not underestimate him."

    Sun Wukong didn¡¯t look back, but the determination in his eyes deepened, and he soared away.

    "Brothers, the Monkey has left. Now it¡¯s our time to fight to the death. How can we, the proud Demon n, be suppressed by a mere magic treasure?"

    With that, the remaining Six Saints transformed back into their true forms. A mountainous ck bull, a river-long flood dragon, a sky-huge Peng bird; the only one whose size didn¡¯t change was the Monkey King, who didn¡¯t growrger but actually smaller. The six, originally suppressed, suddenly turned the tide and unleashed their ultimate moves.

    This made the six Heavenly Demons look rather insignificant, and they were all severely injured one after another.

    Since his life-bound magical treasure was suppressed by Patriarch Bodhi, Master Tongtian also ran out of strength to maintain his doppelgangers and could only watch helplessly as the Heavenly Demons were wounded, and no longer was he able to remain calm.

    "Brother, what are we waiting for? Use the Eight Trigrams Furnace quickly, or my Heavenly Demon Banner will be ruined."

    The Supreme Elder Lord didn¡¯t speak, but his expression hardened and with a sweep of his great sleeve, he brought forth his life-bound magical treasure, the Eight Trigrams Furnace. As the furnace appeared, the injured Heavenly Demons flew into it. The Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s hands flicked continuously as various elixirs and spiritual medicines shot into the furnace non-stop.

    Then the mes inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace suddenly surged, enveloping both the Supreme Elder Lord and the Heavenly Demons in mes. The residual heat from the mes even forced the Six Saints to continually retreat.

    "Good heavens, what kind of fire is this? Why is it so hot? Next to this, the Samadhi True Fire seems like an ordinary me."

    The Flood Dragon Demon King eximed, his face filled with palpitations. As an aquatic demon beast, he naturally disliked fire.

    "This, this is the Nine Heavens Profound Fire, it is the most domineering me in the world. I didn¡¯t expect the Supreme Elder Lord to have mastered this fire."

    Zhen Yuanzi hadn¡¯t finished speaking when six streams of mes burst from the Eight Trigrams Furnace that was wrapped in the Nine Heavens Profound Fire, each one targeting the Six Saints. The Six Saints were shocked, as just a distant proximity to the Nine Heavens Profound Fire was unbearable. If they let the mes strike them, wouldn¡¯t it burn their souls to ash?

    So, all six reverted to their human forms to barely dodge it. But the fire came too fast; though they evaded it, Peng Demon King was still touched by a strand of me. And this strand of me was not to be underestimated; in merely an instant, it burned away half of Peng Demon King¡¯s arm.

    Peng Demon King was a tough one and, without a second word, swung his right hand, severing his half-burning left arm. Although it seemed that Peng Demon King had lost half an arm, for a Great Demon like him, this injury was not too severe and could, in the future, be healed with the right spiritual medicine.

    But before Peng Demon King¡¯s severed arm even hit the ground, he let out a roar filled with pain and fear. Monkey King shed to Peng Demon King¡¯s side and asked, "Old Peng, what¡¯s wrong? Is there something strange?"

    Peng Demon King forced out a few words through clenched teeth, "This fire, it burns... the soul and divine sense, and it¡¯s... still burning."

    Hearing how potent the fire was, everyone was shocked. The battle was no longer manageable. Peng Demon King was just touched by a strand of the fire and was already in such terrible pain while the six Heavenly Demons were now engulfed in the Nine Heavens Profound Fire.

    Worse still, worrying about Peng Demon King had made everyone gather around him, resulting in being surrounded by the six fiery Heavenly Demons. Now, there was no chance of escape.

    It seemed they had fallen into a desperate situation.

    Some people always like to make an entrance at critical moments, just like Tang Sanzang, who now appeared.

    Just as Peng Demon King and the others were ready to resort to self-harming spells in desperation, sacred chants suddenly filled the sky for no apparent reason, space itself began to tremble, and then a sky-full of flowers burst forth from some point in space-time, the petals upying every inch of visible space.

    If it were just petals, it would be a slight trick, but what made the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s heart palpitate was how these seemingly ordinary petals, falling upon the Heavenly Demons burning with lethal mes, gradually extinguished the ravenous fires. In no time at all, the mes consuming the six Heavenly Demons werepletely doused.

    But the petal rain did not stop there; it intensified to the point where nothing else could be seen in the entire space.

    The Supreme Elder Lord knew there was something strange about the petal rain and, recovering from his shock, was about to conjure up a wind to disperse it, but before he could do so, the petals gradually diminished until they disappeared.

    When he finally took a good look, he was horrified to see that the six Heavenly Demons had vanished, and in their ce stood six bald monks, who in appearance and stature were no different from the Heavenly Demons they had reced.

    Even a fool would know what had happened by now. The six Heavenly Demons had been baptized by the rain of petals and had seemingly turned into Buddhist Arhats!

 Chapter 8 - 7 Bajie_2

    "This, this, this is actually the Enlightenment Flower Rain. How is it possible, how is it possible? How can there be anyone in this world who knows the Enlightenment Flower Rain?"

    Even the usually aloof Supreme Elder Lord was so frequently thrown off-bnce today. If the situation weren¡¯t so bizarre, he wouldn¡¯t behave like this.

    "Enlightenment Flower Rain? What¡¯s that? Zhen Yuanzi, with all your extensive knowledge, do you have any idea what exactly this Enlightenment Flower Rain is?"

    "The, the Enlightenment Flower Rain, it truly is the Enlightenment Flower Rain. I never expected to see it in my lifetime," Zhen Yuanzi recovered from his shock, barely able to contain his ecstatic expression, before he spoke, "This Enlightenment Flower Rain, as legend has it, urred after Pangu exhausted his strength during the creation of heaven and earth, leading to his demise.

    The Enlightenment Flower grew at Pangu¡¯s feet while he was opening up the heavens and the earth. As the heavens and the earth gradually parted, the flower also grew taller. In the end, it reached the same grand height as Pangu himself. The process must have taken tens of millions of years, so the flower unexpectedly developed affection for Pangu.

    After Pangu¡¯s strength was drained and he fell, the flower was heartbroken and chose to end its own life force. All of its petals withered away, and the withered petals are what we now call the Enlightenment Flower Rain."

    "Then what does this flower rain do?"

    "The flower rain, as far as we know, has only one function, and that is enlightenment. Anyone touched by the petals will be enlightened. During the process of enlightenment, the flower bestows a baptism, which is essentially a brainwash. No matter how mighty your divine skills are, they are useless. That¡¯s why the creatures of this world now remember Pangu the Great God.

    It¡¯s because all of creation was once enlightened by the Enlightenment Flower, so every creature in this world bears the will of the Enlightenment Flower."

    "But why haven¡¯t we been enlightened? Also, it seems that the injuries we suffered earlier have healed, and we¡¯ve even made progress, haven¡¯t we?" Peng Demon King, having been the most severely injured, felt this most acutely.

    "Hehe, that¡¯s because this rain of flowers was set by an old friend. That¡¯s why the Heavenly Demon was enlightened while the rest of us healed from our injuries," he said.

    "An old friend? Who has such extensive divine skills?"

    Before Zhen Yuanzi could answer, the Sect Hierarch Tongtian spoke in a voice full of indignation, "Who is this formidable person? Who crippled my six-headed Heavenly Demon? Hiding your head and showing your tail."

    Sect Hierarch Tongtian was truly upset. Not only was his Immortal-ying Sword Formation broken, but he was also restrained for so long by Bodhi, which was enough for him to feel stifled. Now, to cap it all off, some mysterious powerful figure had crippled his six-headed Heavenly Demon. Hierarch Tongtian¡¯s heart ached terribly.

    No sooner had Sect Hierarch Tongtian shouted than a Golden Lotus Throne, carrying a man and a woman, drifted over from afar. The pair were quite unusual. The man was draped in a Kasaya, holding a Magic Wand, and wearing a Pilu hat. Though his attire was in, he was exceptionally handsome.

    Meanwhile, the woman beside him was breathtakingly beautiful; her every frown and smile was a delight to the eyes. Despite her beauty, she inspired no impure thoughts.

    The duo were none other than Tang Monk Tang Sanzang, who once traveled to the Western Paradise for scriptures, and the King of the Kingdom of Women, the Queen of Western Liang.

    Setting aside Tang Sanzang¡¯s surprising appearance and its effect on Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord, at this moment, Sun Wukong had reached the gates of the Jade Emperor¡¯s Lingxiao Pce.

    Just as Wukong was about to storm in, he heard a voice from behind saying, "Brother Monkey, slow down." Wukong turned to look and saw a Heavenly General charging toward him, wearing Canglong Armor, a Sky-Piercing Helmet, and Flying Cloud Shoes, his presence formidable. Without further thought, Wukong opened his mouth and said, "Well met, a most majestic Golden Armor Deity.

    You¡¯re just in time." With that, he flicked his wrist, and one end of the Jingu Bang instantly grew several dozen timesrger, transforming the staff into a huge hammer. His opponent, the Golden Armor Deity, also showed his strength, suddenly brandishing a massive Wolf Fang Club with sharp spikes glistening coldly as if to puncture the sky itself.

    The next moment, a thunderous boom reverberated, and even the Lingxiao Pce seemed to shake. As the dust settled, Wukong¡¯s arm muscles had visibly swollen, his veins bulging; he was clearly exerting immense strength. The Heavenly General, however, was also in a tough spot, his eyes wide with rage and his armor cracks revealing the strain.

    The force of their collision suggested that even Mount Tai could be easily ground to dust.

    Appearing equally matched, they struck each other again, but with less force than before, clearly intending to use the recoil to distance themselves. Wukong flipped over with a somersault, standing on his cloud with heightened vignce, thinking: "Where did this Golden Armor Deitye from to be so formidable? He seems to be on par with Eng God, and perhaps even slightly stronger.

    Since when did Heaven have such a stalwart that I didn¡¯t know about?"

    Though deep in thought, Wukong knew the battle must continue. He calmed the tumultuous mana inside him and readied himself for another strike when he suddenly heard the Heavenly General wail, "This is crazy, Brother Monkey, why are you still so ferocious? You¡¯re even stronger than me now. Not even the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape should be this exaggerated. You¡¯ve cracked my Canglong Armor¡¯s gauntlet.

    I¡¯m done! This is a real loss!"

    Hearing the Heavenly General¡¯sment, which sounded almost like crying, Wukong was taken aback, then asked in absolute shock, as if he had just discovered Tang Monk drinking wine and eating meat, "You, you, you can¡¯t possibly be Bajie, can you?"

 Chapter 9 - 7 Bajie_3

    "What can¡¯t you do, you gue-ridden monkey? Hurry up and use your fiery eyes and golden pupils to take a look; otherwise, if old pig gets hit by your rod again, I really won¡¯t be able to take it."

    Without using his fiery eyes and golden pupils, Sun Wukong had already figured it out. Having spent decades together on the Pilgrimage Route, he knew Zhu Bajie like the back of his hand. It was just that he was too shocked by Zhu Bajie¡¯s current strength to believe it.

    You see, back in the day on the Pilgrimage Route, Zhu Bajie¡¯sbat power was so low that he couldn¡¯t even defeat one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, Kui Mng. But now, he was even stronger than the Eng God, a gap so huge that it was hard to believe¡ªespecially since Zhu Bajie was not this fierce just a moment ago at the Southern Heavenly Gate.

    "Old pig, did you take advantage of the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s absence and swipe his pills from the Douluo Pce or something? How did your strength increase so much all of a sudden? Come on, tell the truth, how many Golden Cores did you steal?"

    "Go away, old pig¡¯s character has always been upright, why would I steal the Elder Lord¡¯s Golden Cores? But, heh, I just happened toe back from Chang¡¯er, saw Douluo Pce unguarded, and identally raided the Elder¡¯s nest, heh heh heh."

    "Idiot, I knew you glutton were always eyeing the Elder¡¯s Immortal Pills. Now you¡¯ve finally gotten your wish, right? Come on, give Brother Monkey a few, that hit just now did hurt me a bit."

    "Brother Monkey, you saying that is like looking down on old pig, isn¡¯t it? Although I¡¯m usually gluttonous, the Elder¡¯s Immortal Pills are not just regr stuff, I have divided them up, five portions in total. Brother Sand, the white horse, Master, and the two of us¡ªone for each. Here, this is yours, and yours has the most."

    "Heh heh, that¡¯s more like it. You¡¯ve improved. But Bajie, these Immortal Pills can¡¯t be eaten too much, you know. Back then, I stole several gourds of the Elder¡¯s Immortal Pills, and the potency was so strong, it almost caused an explosion within me.

    If the Supreme Elder Lord hadn¡¯t refined the potency while smelting me in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, I probably wouldn¡¯t have had my great upheaval in the Heavenly Pce afterward."

    "Don¡¯t worry, Brother Monkey, I haven¡¯t eaten a single Immortal Pill. This strength of mine, it wasn¡¯t gained from eating Immortal Pills."

    "Oh? So what exactly happened? Spit it out quickly. After that, let¡¯s storm the Lingxiao Pce together and raid the Jade Emperor¡¯s dragon throne."

    "The thing is, it goes back to the old days. I was in love with Chang¡¯er and vited the Heavenlyws.

    The Jade Emperor wanted to cast me into the cycle of Reincarnation to suffer the bond of a previous life¡¯s romance, but he was also worried that the Six Paths of Reincarnation wouldn¡¯t be able to cleanse my mana and memory, since I had been an immortal for over a hundred thousand years, and my powers had already merged thoroughly, not so easily washed away.

    Soter, the Jade Emperor stripped me of my mana and sealed it within the osmanthus tree in The Moon Pce. You know the tree, right? The one made from the eyshes of Pangu the Great God. And hemanded Wu Gang to chop at it day and night. Since my mana was inside the tree, each chop made my mana leak out to heal the cuts on the tree.

    Eventually, all of my mana would be gone, and I would lose my immortal status forever and be a mere mortal."

    As he spoke, Zhu Bajie threw an Immortal Pill into his mouth and then sat down cross-legged to restore the mana he had just spent. His Wolf Fang Club also transformed back into a Nine-Toothed Rake. Sun Wukong did the same, sitting cross-legged to recover his mana.

    Zhu Bajie continued, "But there¡¯s a saying that goes, ¡¯A blessing in disguise.¡¯ Although Wu Gang chops the tree every time, what he doesn¡¯t know is that the tree, being made from the eyshes of Pangu, help me, as my true form is the primordial, mythical beast Thunder Horn Overlord Pig from ancient times, and I share a slight blood rtion with Pangu the Great God.

    So instead of depleting my mana, the tree has actually been refining it. Over the years, the mana left in the tree has developed a trace of Pangu¡¯s essence. So after reiming my mana this time at The Moon Pce, I transformed back into Tianpeng Marshal, and even surpassed my past self by a lot. Now my mana has not yet fully integrated.

    If in the future I can refine all the mana from the osmanthus tree, my mana should be two to three times what it is now."

    After Bajie finished speaking, Sun Wukong was so astonished that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth, with only one thought in his heart: The Jade Emperor is really in for it now!

 Chapter 10 - 8 Brothers

    Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie had just risen to their feet, preparing to storm into the Lingxiao Pce when a shouting voice came from behind them.

    ncing back, they saw Sandy approaching on a cloud, as fast as the wind, calling out, "Big brother, second brother, why didn¡¯t you wait for me, old Sandy!" Seeing the dusty and hurried look of Sandy, Wukong couldn¡¯t help but to ask with some suspicion, "Old Sandy, where did you go that you¡¯re in such a rush?"

    Sandy nced at Zhu Bajie beside him and then, unusually for him, showed an awkward, bashful expression, stammering without being able to exin himself. In the end, it was Zhu Bajie who came to Sandy¡¯s rescue, saying to Wukong, "Ah, big brother, don¡¯t ask anymore; these are all trivial matters. There¡¯s time to tell youter. Right now, the important thing is dealing with that old Jade Emperor!"

    Wukong nodded, "Makes sense, makes sense. Heh, well then. Let¡¯s the three of us brothers make a bigmotion today. It¡¯s just a pity that Master and little White Dragon aren¡¯t here." Having said this, he slung the Jingu Bang onto his shoulder and strode boldly into the Lingxiao Pce.

    What Wukong did not notice was that when he mentioned the White Dragon, the corner of Zhu Bajie¡¯s mouth revealed a sly smile, and a fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Sandy¡¯s face.

    The next moment, a thunderous boom was heard. On looking again, the doors of Lingxiao Pce had been shattered by Wukong¡¯s staff. "Old Jade Emperor, your grandfather Wukong hase to make havoc in Heaven again, hahaha!" "And your grandfather Zhu!" "And your grandfather Sandy!"

    Their arrogance was extreme, yet it also contained anger and pleasure. This Heaven could not escape this battle after all.

    As the echoes of their voices faded, the three of them looked up and were immediately taken aback. There, sitting atop the Lingxiao Pce, were four individuals:

    Supreme Jade Emperor Hao Tian Jinque

    Taizhou North Star Middle Heaven¡¯s Supreme Emperor

    Gouchen Upper Pce Southern Extreme Heaven¡¯s Emperor

    True Martial Fumo Emperor of the North

    The presence of the four emperors was tremendous, with an unmistakable intent to kill. What was strange, though, was apart from these four emperors, the grand Lingxiao Pce seemed to be without another soul within!

    It was then that the Jade Emperor spoke, his voice neither hurried nor slow, disying not a hint of panic. "Who is making such a racket?"

    Holding the Jingu Bang upside down, Wukong bowed his head and slowly said, "I am Sun Wukong, the Beautiful Monkey King and Great Sage Equal to Heaven from the Water Curtain Cave at Flower Fruit Mountain."

    After Wukong had finished, Zhu Bajie dragged his rake behind him, gripping only its handle, his voice slightly trembling, "I am Tianpeng Marshal Zhu Wuneng from Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain!"

    Sandy simply touched the Buddha Beads around his neck and spoke with gravity, "I am Sha Wujing, the river demon of Flowing Sands River!"

    Wukong and Bajie both turned to look at Sandy, seemingly puzzled by his deration, but that sentiment was brief.

    After the three had introduced themselves and before the Jade Emperor could speak, Wukong suddenly issued a bold and authoritative challenge, "Who are you people who dare to sit in the revered seats of the Three Realms?" The Jade Emperor watched Wukong with an indescribable yfulness in his eyes, as if the three before him were not there to make trouble, but rather to have tea and present gifts.

    The Jade Emperor paused before saying, "Monkey, enough talk. The old scores between us, or perhaps between your disciples and me, should be settled. Today, let¡¯s end them all together. The three of you brothers fight us four brothers, heh heh, it¡¯s unfair, but I suppose you, Great Sage Equalling Heaven, don¡¯t care about that, do you?"

    With that, the four emperors of the Jade Emperor rose from their seats, exchanged nces, and took out their proud magic treasures, preparing for battle with Wukong and hispanions.

    Seeing this formation, Bajie took a small step back and whispered to Wukong, "Brother Monkey, it¡¯s the four of them against the three of us; this battle won¡¯t be easy. Each of us will take on one, but what about old Sandy? Besides, there¡¯s still one left over."

    Wukong red at Bajie and then said to Sandy, "Old Sandy, among us, you are the one with the least prowess and mana, so when the fight starts, just run away. At the twenty-secondyer of Heaven, our master the Patriarch Bodhi and Zhen Yuan Immortal are there. These emperors are no easy foes."

    Sandy listened and was instantly angered. Tightening his grip on the crescent spade, he said, "Brother Monkey, rest assured, Old Sandy has a clear mind. I won¡¯t slow you and Second Brother down."

    "Good, haha, simpleton, just transform into your true form. We can split into two each, and let Old Sandy enjoy the show."

    After speaking, he flung the Jingu Bang into the air, and then his body began to swell rapidly, growing as tall as a mountain. His muscles intertwined like a mass of twisted roots on his arms, hinting at an unimaginable strength. Zhu Bajie was not to be outdone. With a roar of anger, his body also swelled, transforming into an incrediblyrge pig.

    Although this was supposed to be a pig, upon closer inspection, it barely resembled one. Its tusks jutted towards the sky, and an overwhelming aura of ughter emanated from it, stirring the winds and clouds into chaos. Looking at its body, steel-like bristles stood on end, and there were bone spurs protruding from all its joints, while the thick legs seemed like pirs supporting the heavens.

    In the end, the true form of Zhu Bajie turned out to be even three partsrger than Sun Wukong¡¯s Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape.

    Seeing the simpleton¡¯s form, Sun Wukong panicked, his voice booming like thunder, "Simpleton, why transform into something so huge? Shrink your mana right now and return to normal size. Otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer a great deal in a moment."

    Zhu Bajie, with a voice like a bell, responded, then mana erupted from his body as if he were about to explode. "Sigh, this simpleton still needs my help." After saying that, a gigantic hand pressed down on Zhu Bajie¡¯s shoulder, exerting some force covertly, and the massive Zhu Bajie could be seen gradually shrinking until he was about three times the size of a normal man.

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong also reduced his size to about five times that of a human.

    It turned out that fighting against a high-level opponent like the Jade Emperor, beingrger wasn¡¯t necessarily better. Arger body meant more vulnerabilities, and often, a single w could lead to death. But this was Zhu Bajie¡¯s first time reverting to his true form after possessing such immense mana, so controlling it proved challenging, almost slipping out of control.

    This was why Sun Wukong had to intervene.

    Meanwhile, major changes were also urring where Tang Sanzang and the others were. The Twenty-two Layer Heavens

    "Hmph, I wondered who had captured my Heavenly Demon. It turns out it was you, monk. Golden Cicada Tang Sanzang, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. It seems that those ten lifetimes of karmic force are nothing much after all!" Master Tongtian said with a sardonic tone.

    "Oh? It seems the master knows quite a lot! So you are aware of the matter of my karmic force. But I wonder if the master recognizes my Manifestation Flower," Tang Sanzang said, as a light white flower appeared out of thin air and began to revolve around him ceaselessly. Looking closely, the flower was seen to bloom, wilt, and bloom again in an endless cycle.

    "Hmph, the Manifestation Flower might be wondrous, but I, old Daoist, am not afraid of it." Though his words were brave, a trace of seriousness in his eyes did not escape Tang Sanzang¡¯s notice.

    The advantage that Master Tongtian and hispanion originally had turned into a standoff with the arrival of Tang Sanzang. Both sides were cautious, neither wanting to truly wager their lives.

    Master Tongtian and hispanion truly did not wish to do so, while the Bull Demon King and the others, even if they fought desperately, might not be able to keep Tang Sanzang, given the significance of the title of the Three Purities.

    The situation at the scene became delicate. Patriarch Bodhi used his true Bodhi Tree to suppress Master Tongtian, who, although immobilized, still had a bit of strength left. The Supreme Elder Lord, with the Eight Trigrams Furnace in hand, faced off against the Bull Demon King and the six others. Although Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s aura was fierce, he dared not make another move.

    Without the Heavenly Demon, he could only attack with the Eight Trigrams Furnace. But if the furnace were to leave his side, he would be defenseless if Zhen Yuanzi made a move. Though the Supreme Elder Lord had some confidence in the defensive power of his Eight Trigrams Celestial Robe, he dared not let Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s Ginseng Fruit Tree Branch strike him.

    Furthermore, Tang Sanzang¡¯s Manifestation Flower was spinning idly nearby.

    Though the Supreme Elder Lord dared not make a move, the Bull Demon King and his sixpanions were also in an awkward position. Although they could threaten the elder with theirbined effort, they could do nothing about the Divine Fire of the Eight Trigrams protecting his body; if the fire touched them, they could be utterly annihted. What about Zhen Yuanzi?

    He also dared not act first because he had Eng God by his side, who, despite his light injuries after a fierce fight with Sun Wukong, was not to be underestimated. Eng God had not acted previously because the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Fire-Consuming Heavenly Demon was overpowering, so there was no need to act and it was better to quickly heal.

    But if Zhen Yuanzi acted, the eye on Eng God¡¯s forehead was not to be trifled with.

    As for Tang Sanzang, he was actually quite helpless - only he knew his own situation. He had only recently refined the Manifestation Flower, and it had already been a strain to subdue the six Heavenly Demons, which were the mainstay of Master Tongtian. It wasn¡¯t so easy to convert them. Everyone was just shocked by the entrance of the Manifestation Flower and hadn¡¯t noticed.

    But now, while the Manifestation Flower was defensive, its offensive power wascking.

    And so, the standoff continued awkwardly. Tang Sanzang and his group were actually not in a hurry, because they had too much confidence in Sun Wukong. The strongest members of Heaven, the Three Purities, were here, blocking two of them, and the remaining one, ording to reliable information, was not in Heaven.

    Moreover, the well-known generals of Heaven were either held up by the Demon n or had already be insiders. So the only opponent left for Sun Wukong was the Jade Emperor. Plus, some scores had to be settled by Sun Wukong personally; this was all the help they could offer.

    Interestingly, Master Tongtian¡¯s party also seemed at ease, apparently not worried for the Jade Emperor. As for the reason, it was unknown.

    In this standstill, both sides had realized that without new forces joining, they could not ovee the other. Zhen Yuanzi then spoke up, "Holy Monk, howe you are here? Isn¡¯t the Tathagata..."

    Tang Sanzang replied with a carefree smile, "Hehe, Zhen Yuan Immortal speaks the truth. If it weren¡¯t for an unexpected turn of events, I should be underneath the Nine Serenities right now, entangled by the karmic force of ten lifetimes, my Buddha¡¯s power swept away by the Qi of the Nine Serenities."

    "Ah, how did this happen? Holy Monk, I heard Monkey say you went to the Netherworld looking for the Queen of the Western Liang? Why are you in the Nine Serenities Land?" The Bull Demon King, because of past interactions during the journey to the west, had also formed some acquaintance with Tang Sanzang.

    "That would be a long story, starting from the Mount of Flowers and Fruit Feast of the Lanterns Party three thousand years ago!"

 Chapter 11 - 9 The Truth Behind It

    Originally, at the Umbana Buddhist Conference years ago, the Tathagata preached the Sutra and once said, "I am the Buddha, and the Buddha is me." None of the monks present opposed, except for the Tathagata¡¯s second disciple, Golden Cicada, who raised doubts. Golden Cicada objected, "The Buddha is all sentient beings, and all sentient beings are the Buddha.

    We are merely the manifestations of sentient beings¡¯ thoughts. Without sentient beings, there would be no us." These words stunned the entire hall. The Tathagata¡¯s face turned livid with rage. However, after all, he was the Buddha and, despite his extreme anger, he showed no outward sign. He only remarked that Golden Cicada had his understanding of the Buddha¡¯s intent, admirable indeed!

    A hundred years after the Umbana conference, the Tathagata suddenly summoned Golden Cicada for an audience. In the great hall, the Tathagata asked, "Golden Cicada, how long have you been with me?"

    "Disciple immerses daily in the study of Buddhist teachings and inprehending the intent of the Buddha, without paying attention to the passage of time, hence unaware of the dates."

    "And what have you researched? What have you realized?"

    "Disciple is slow-witted, not yet..."

    Before Tang Sanzang could finish, the Tathagata interrupted, "My Buddha¡¯s vastness is boundless, how can it be fullyprehended within the mere confines of Spiritual Mount? Since you once said all sentient beings are the Buddha, then go traverse the mortal world. Go understand the Buddha in all things and beings."

    After saying this, the Tathagata pointed a finger at Golden Cicada and said, "Golden Cicada, Imand you to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation, be a mortal, and go through ten lifetimes. In these ten lifetimes, you must set out from the east and step by step, make your way to the Western Paradise to seek the True Scriptures.

    If in these ten lifetimes you can obtain the True Scriptures, I will appoint you as the Buddha of all sentient beings. If not, then go to the Nine Serenities Land and redeem the thousands of Asuras!"

    "Yes, disciple obeys the order!"

    He stood up, straightened his back, and gazed at the Tathagata on the throne with neither servility nor overbearing pride.

    "Disciple requests that Buddha retract my Buddha¡¯s power. To let disciple retrieve the scriptures with a tranquil heart."

    "No need, no need. Where is Guanyin?"

    "Here I am."

    "Take Golden Cicada to the Netherworld for transmigration and rebirth."

    "Yes, disciple follows themand."

    Yet in the eyes of Golden Cicada at that moment was a high-spirited will to fight, but with his head lowered, no one saw it.

    On the way to the Netherworld

    "Oh, elder brother, why endure such hardship?"

    "Heh, someone has to stand up. My Buddha resides in my heart, not atop the grand hall."

    "s, elder brother, take care. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll look after you and won¡¯t let you suffer too much."

    Thus, Golden Cicada was reincarnated as a mortal, and in each life, he had to start from the farthest east, oveing eighty-one trials and braving mountains and rivers to reach the Western Paradise. However, in the previous nine lives, he died on the way.

    "Hahaha, Tang Sanzang, it must be said that you have tremendous luck to have survived all these ordeals." The view shifts back to above the Twenty-Two Layer Heavens, where the oneughing was none other than Master Tongtian.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards Master Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord; looking closely, everyone¡¯s expression became somewhat peculiar. It turned out that the Supreme Elder Lord, with nothing better to do, was sitting on the clouds, concocting an elixir. Worthy of being one of the Three Pure Ones, his concentration was truly extraordinary.

    "Not afraid of being possessed by an explosion of power," mumbled the Bull Demon King under his breath.

    "By the way, Holy Monk, what did Tongtian mean by ¡¯karmic force¡¯? Why did he say that you wouldn¡¯t die?"

    Tang Sanzang turned his head and nced at the Western Liang Queen beside him, then looked towards the distant horizon.

    "These ten incarnations to obtain the scriptures, what quest for scriptures? It was all a trap set by the Tathagata. I had once requested the Buddha to take back my Buddha¡¯s power before re-entering reincarnation, but he did not. Zhen Yuanzi should know that immortals are not supposed to interact rashly with mortals. This is because immortals are no longer part of reincarnation.

    Should they recklessly enter the mortal world, they would have karmic force imposed upon them by the power of reincarnation.

    Buddhism is no different. I only understood this in this lifetime. The Tathagata ordered me to seek the scriptures over ten lifetimes, clearly intending to saddle me with the karmic force of ten cycles of reincarnation, dooming me to fall eternally into the Nine Serenitiesnd of Asuras.

    In each life, I started from thend of the east, not knowing how many mortals I encountered, not knowing how much karmic force entangled me, and each time I was reincarnated, my karmic force doubled. After the ten lifetimes, I would have be just an ordinary mortal. Upon death, my soul would remain in the Nine Serenities, without the ability to be reborn.

    In other words, regardless of whether I could secure the True Scriptures, my ultimate end would still be the dispersal of my soul and essence. Although I managed to reach the Western Paradise in thisst incarnation and the Buddha had no choice but to consecrate me as Buddha, it merely dyed the eruption of the karmic force.

    Finally, when Wukong decided to wage war against Heaven, the karmic force within me exploded. I didn¡¯t want Wukong to worry, so I said I was going to the Netherworld to find the soul of the Western Liang Queen. Sigh. Amitabha Buddha."

    Having spoken quietly, Zhen Yuanzi, the Bull Demon King, and the others were so shocked that they couldn¡¯t utter a word. Even Eng God was astounded. The Tathagata Buddha, to be so ruthless?

    "Then, how did you attain enlightenment and control the flower?" Overwhelmed with shock, Eng God had forgotten that the other party was an enemy.

    Tang Sanzang simply nced at Eng God and continued, "As karmic force pulled me and I plunged into the Nine Serenities Land, I chanced upon a small flower floating in mid-air. I put my hands together in prayer, chanted the Buddha¡¯s name, and then let out a sigh.

    Just then, a voice suddenly rose in my heart asking, ¡¯Why do you sigh?¡¯ Without thinking, I replied, ¡¯I just can¡¯t bear to leave my disciples behind. I¡¯m afraid of forgetting them and all the sentient beings of this world.¡¯"

    "Thus, the flower flew before my eyes, releasing a beam of white light, and then, all the karmic force binding me was expelled. Moreover, the flower recognized me as its master and even helped me take control of the entire Nine Serenities Hell."

    After finishing, Tang Sanzang looked at the Queen of the Western Liang. Understanding his gaze, she continued, "After that, my royal brother found me, removed my name from the Book of Life and Death, and used petals of the enlightenment flower to remake my body, bringing me back to life."

    When the queen had finished, there was a silent stillness all around, so quiet that no one even noticed the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s elixir had overcooked. At that moment, everyone shared a single thought, "When I have the time, I too shall visit the Nine Serenities."

    Such is the way of the world, where misfortune and blessing are intertwined. No one can prate it, nor can anyone master it.

    Tang Sanzang gently coughed, and at that, everyone came back to their senses, but now they looked at Tang Sanzang with a hint of peculiarity in their eyes.

    "Oh dear, why don¡¯t I ever have such good luck?" the straightforward Bull Demon King voiced what everyone was thinking. Remembering how weak Tang Sanzang was during his journey to retrieve the True Scriptures, where any minor demon could bully him, and now? Even the Sect Hierarch Tongtian had to treat him with caution. Wasn¡¯t the gap between them as vast as the heavens from the earth?

    As everyone was lost in their thoughts, a cloud charged with murderous intent suddenly arrived from the sky. Though to say it floated would be inurate, as it reached them in the blink of an eye.

    When the mist cleared, arge group appeared at the scene. One by one, they could be identified as the ck Bear Demon, Hong Hai¡¯er under Guanyin¡¯s service, the original three demons of Lion Camel Ridge, Yellow Wind Monster, White Bone Spirit, Nine-Tailed Fox, Rhino Demon, Nine-Headed Demon, Yellow Eyebrow King, Hundred-Eye Demon Monarch (Centipede Spirit), and other Demon Kings.

    And each brought a hundred elite members of their Demon n, standing between Supreme Elder Lord and Tang Sanzang. The battlefield, which had been rtively spacious, suddenly felt cramped.

    Their arrival immediately broke the stalemate between the two sides. The Bull Demon King and the others breathed a sigh of relief, for standing off against beings like Sect Hierarch Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord was unquestionably unpleasant. Their mere presence was suffocating.

    "Humph, another mob of riffraff. You petty fledgling demons now dare to be insolent in front of me?"

    Thest few words were imbued with supreme might by Tongtian, each word thunderous, aiming to suppress the newly arrived demon leaders with his imposing aura. However, just as he finished speaking, a white Vajra Bracelet flew out, vibrated in the air, and Tongtian¡¯s pressure was instantly dissipated. Meanwhile, the morale of his own demon faction greatly surged.

    "You vile creature, stealing my Vajra Bracelet, filching my Banana Fan, and now you dare to show your face before me? I nourished you for a thousand years for nothing. You ingrate, today I shall purge you." With these words, he waved his Eight Trigrams Furnace, and a tongue of fire spouted forth, transforming into a raging green rhinoceros charging towards the demon leaders.

    "Haha, old man, you must be senile to try this trick in the presence of my Vajra Bracelet! Watch as I take it in."

    With a point of his hands, the Vajra Bracelet hovering above everyone shed with light, a powerful suction force erupted, and the fire rhinoceros, with no hesitation, turned and charged directly into the bracelet and vanished. Apart from the Vajra Bracelet appearing slightly reddened by the fire, it was as if nothing had happened.

    "This, this is it? I thought I was done for! That old man¡¯s fire is really frightening." The Peng Demon King said, his heart still racing, having just lost an arm to the me.

    Looking at Supreme Elder Lord, his face was flushed red with rage, his body trembling uncontrobly, especially the hand holding the Eight Trigrams Furnace, shaking so much that it seemed as if it might drop at any moment. If that happened, the expanse of me Mountain would extend far beyond its current eight hundred miles.

    "Elder brother, do not be hasty. It seems that the Rhino Demon haspletely mastered the Vajra Bracelet. Moreover, the strength of these demons is extraordinary. We need to n for the long term and must not act rashly," Tongtian quietly transmitted his thought.

    "Oh, the old man¡¯s fire is really fierce, it even burned off one of my hairs, haha. Old man,e at me again, I want to see how much more fire from your Eight Trigrams Furnace I can contain,"

    "You, you¡¯re too presumptuous! A mere mount, grown arrogant just because you stole a few of my treasures. If you wish to take me, then I¡¯ll allow you to take your fill."

    "Elder brother, be careful!"

    Tongtian immediately realized something was amiss, but it was already toote. All he could do was watch as Supreme Elder Lord bellowed in anger, followed by an enormous "explosion". mes filled the sky behind the elder, and at the same time, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

    "Ah, elder brother, elder brother, why would you do this!"

    Unbelievably, Supreme Elder Lord had self-destructed his Eight Trigrams Furnace, an artifact bound to his very life!

 Chapter 12 - 9.5 The Sanctification

    "Damn, Supreme Elder Lord is really ying with fire. Brothers, do we stand our ground or run for it? Make a decision quick. My Vajra Bracelet can¡¯t take this much fire," the Rhinoceros Demon said as he exerted his greatest magical power to defend himself while looking back at the others.

    "Rhinoceros Brother, aren¡¯t you screwing us over? Why the hell did you provoke that old man when all was calm? He was already frustrated enough, and you had to go and rile him up. Now look at the mess we¡¯re in. Back in the day, when Monkey King knocked a few bricks down, it turned into me Mountain. This time, it¡¯s going to burn down the whole Nine Provinces."

    "Oh, cut the cold jokes, Old Bull. We better go all out now, or you¡¯ll end up as beef jerky," the Peng Demon King urgently said. After this great battle, if the Peng Demon King were lucky enough to survive, he probably wouldn¡¯t go near fire ever again in his life.

    On the other side, Supreme Elder Lord was also secretly wailing. Although the fire was from the Eight Trigrams Furnace and the furnace was Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s signature magic treasure, the fire was docile inside the furnace. But once it erupted, it would truly be terrifying.

    Moreover, in his rage, the Elder Lord had caused the Eight Trigrams Furnace to explode and had added everything inside as fuel to the Eight Trigrams Fire, basically igniting heavenly thunder and earthly fire.

    What kind of treasure was the Eight Trigrams Furnace? It was the object through which Supreme Elder Lord attained enlightenment, an Innate Treasure, and the fire inside was the me that burned in the furnace since Pangu created the world. Now that the two had fused together, you can imagine the might.

    "Junior brother, aid me."

    With just that phrase, the Elder Lord was slightly distracted, and a wisp of Eight Trigrams Fire spilled out, immediately turning that patch of space into nothingness, an expanse of pure ck.

    Seeing the power of this me, faces of the Bull Demon King and the others turned green. This, this isn¡¯t just fire, this couldpare to the Chaotic currents of the Void in the Nine Heavens. The space itself was burned away; if it were to touch one¡¯s body, the mere thought was terrifying beyond belief.

    Thus, everyone¡¯s steps unconsciously began to slowly retreat.

    Silence, utter silence, more shocking and silent than the Transcendence Bloom shower they had just witnessed with Tang Sanzang.

    In this eerie quiet, two sighs echoed. One came from Sect Hierarch Tongtian, and the other was from Tang Sanzang beside Queen of Western Liang.

    Sect Hierarch Tongtian sighed for the pity of Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s lifetime of Cultivation. They had been fellow sect brothers for countless eons, and this depth of feeling was not something trivial.

    But now, with Supreme Elder Lord having self-destructed his signature magic treasure, he had lost eight or nine out of ten parts of his Cultivation and severely damaged his Dao foundation. Even if he survived this time, in the future, he would be reduced to a third-rate Immortal. Unless he chose reincarnation and cultivation from scratch.

    What¡¯s worse, once this wildfire spread into the Mortal World, it would harm countless living beings. The Karmic Force rued from this would be enough for Supreme Elder Lord to bear. In short, Supreme Elder Lord was finished.

    But why did Tang Sanzang sigh?

    Time rewound to when Sect Hierarch Tongtian noticed the Elder Lord¡¯s unusual movement and shouted, "Brother, hold on." At that moment, Tang Sanzang also realized Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s intentions, but he said nothing. His eyes only showed deep reluctance and helplessness. Then he turned to look at Queen of Western Liang beside him.

    The Queen of Western Liang didn¡¯t say anything either, seeming to understand everything. She then extended her wrist, gently hugged Sanzang¡¯s head, and softly kissed his forehead. Her eyes were filled with undissolvable love and finality.

    After the kiss, she took out a smooth little stone from her sachet on her waist and ced it in Sanzang¡¯s hand.

    Then she stood up and began to dance. Next to Sanzang, on the connected tform, under the sharp intent to kill, she danced as if all else ceased to exist, only Sanzang beside her mattered. As her dancing became swifter, her figure grew fainter and eventually faded away entirely. Simultaneously, three vibrant green leaves appeared atop the rotating Transcendence Bloom surrounding Sanzang.

    And Sanzang, tears had already filled his face.

    Clutching the stone in his left hand tightly, he then stood up. In the moment Sanzang stood and lifted his head, a massive aura swept across the Seven Realms and Eight Destes.

    Now there was no sorrow or reluctance in Sanzang¡¯s eyes, only sharp dominance and a readiness to die with courage.

    Tang Sanzang had be a Saint.

    It was not through force nor merit, but a way no one before had ever done. He became a Saint through love.

    Everyone was shocked once again.

    The shock they experienced this day was more than a lifetime¡¯s worth. So much so that everyone thought they were hallucinating, thinking it was just a dream, though the dream felt incredibly real.

    But everyone present, including Sect Hierarch Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord, was unwilling to believe that a person could attain enlightenment so easily.

    After all, since Pangu created heaven and earth, those who had achieved the Supreme Great Dao had done so after enduring countless lifetimes of unwavering belief, with each understanding the Heavenly Dao little by little.

    When Nuwa created humans and refined the Five-Colored Divine Stone to mend the heavens, she became a Saint through merit, showing how arduously difficult it is to be a Saint.

    But did Tang Sanzang truly be a saint just like that? Without doing or saying anything, without earth-shaking events or grand derations, silently, through the simple act of rising from sitting, he became a saint, an immortal and indestructible being.

    Tang Sanzang slowly extended his left hand, and the continually circling Transcendence Bloom gentlynded on the back of his hand. Sanzang caressed it tenderly with his right hand, then, after his right index finger brushed past a green leaf, it dropped down.

    The green leaf, as if having its own spirit, swayed a few times before flying away from the Transcendence Bloom, circling around Sanzang, and thennding on his forehead. However, it didn¡¯t stay long, merely a moment before flying off again. This time, it headed straight for the Peng Demon King and circled around his severed arm.

    What happened next was astonishing. The Peng Demon King, whose arm could never regrow because of the loss of his soul, suddenly began to regenerate anew. Even though the new arm still looked a bit tender, it was undoubtedly a real arm.

    The Peng Demon King, already too shocked to know what to say, felt his once-iplete soul not only be whole again but also purer and more concentrated. He believed that, after going back and stabilizing it a bit, it would be equivalent to three hundred years of arduous cultivation.

    After repairing the Peng Demon King¡¯s arm, the green leaf flew above everyone else. A downpour of verdant mist scattered, and all those touched by this mist saw their wounds heal instantly. Their entire beings also shimmered with a wave of verdant radiance.

    It was then that Tang Sanzang finally spoke, his gaze steady as he looked around and said unhurriedly, "This green radiance can instantly heal everyone¡¯s injuries, and it possesses a strong resistance to fire. Now, please assist me, for I shall transcend Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s mes."

    The calm words, along with the miraculous green leaf and Transcendence Bloom, dramatically boosted everyone¡¯s confidence.

    As one side rejoices, another despairs. At this crucial moment, Master Tongtian¡¯s face twisted with viciousness. He had not expected that Tang Sanzang would be a saint on the spot. While the standstill had already been broken with the arrival of reinforcements like the White Bone Spirit, they were barely holding their ground and could have still fought.

    But Tang Sanzang¡¯s sudden sainthood forced Master Tongtian to fight desperately. Otherwise, the Eight Trigrams Fire from the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s furnace would have exploded in vain.

    These words might seem tedious, but in reality, everything happened in an instant. Just as Master Tongtian was about to fight with all he had, he suddenly felt the suppression from the Bodhi Patriarch weaken slightly. Master Tongtian, being who he was, caught this fleeting opportunity, despite itsting merely a fraction of a moment.

    Mana surged throughout his body, shaking the Bodhi Tree and giving him the chance to break free.

    Expressions flitted across the Bodhi Patriarch¡¯s face before he shouted loudly, "Act quickly, Wukong is in trouble!"

    His cry was like a giant rock plunging into ake, causing ripples to spread.

    The first to act wasn¡¯t Tang Sanzang, but the Bull Demon King.

    The Bull Demon King¡¯s eyes instantly turned blood-red, filled with surging mana. His hands gripping the Mixed Iron Stick clenched so tightly that veins bulged and, with forceful steps, he bolted toward Master Tongtian like an arrow. Raising the iron stick infused with all his strength, he struck down at Master Tongtian with the force to split even Mount Tai.

    However, Tang Sanzang¡¯s green leaf moved just a fraction slower, not flying toward the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s mes, but instead hovering next to the Transcendence Bloom. As if responding, the vibrant petals of the flower quivered, and a countless number of them separated from the main bloom, creating an infinite cascade toward the direction of the Supreme Elder Lord.

    The green leaf stayed next to the flower, and if one looked closely, they could see that the petals continuously emitted a faint green light as they engulfed the area.

    After Tang Sanzang made his move, the rest of the group also came to their senses and unleashed their most powerful techniques.

    The Hundred-Eyed Demon Monarch suddenly opened countless eyes all over his body, shooting blinding beams of light at Master Tongtian.

    Hong Hai¡¯er wrapped his Fire-tipped Spear with Samadhi True Fire and shot it toward Tongtian.

    The pale skull of the White Bone Spirit, the Samadhi Divine Wind of the Yellow Wind Demon, and many others poured their attacks onto Master Tongtian.

    Why were all attacking Master Tongtian and disregarding the Supreme Elder Lord?

    That¡¯s because the Supreme Elder Lord and the skies filled with Eight Trigrams Fire were already cloaked in an endless rain of flowers, amidst which the figures of six transcended Heavenly Demons could be seen swooping and soaring.

    A momentter, a screambined with a roar and a deafening explosion all erupted simultaneously.

    Upon closer inspection, the one screaming was the floating Monkey King. A long, blood-red needle was stuck in his chest, while the Bull Demon King stood behind him. The Bull Demon King was also in dire straits, his arms shredded, with flesh and blood flying, tendons severed, and stark white bones visible.

    The roar belonged to Master Tongtian. Although he had severely injured both the Bull Demon King and the Monkey King, he himself was left in a ragged state from the barrage of attacks.

    "Ah, Monkey King! Ahh. Tongtian, you old Daoist, you and I shall never coexist!"

    As it turned out, the Bull Demon King¡¯s strike didn¡¯t harm Tongtian; it was instead deflected by Master Tongtian¡¯s Supreme Rank Magic Treasure, the Reincarnation Mirror, which bounced back all the force. Thus, the Bull Demon King ended up hurting himself.

    While the Bull Demon King¡¯s arms were rendered useless by the rebound, Tongtian didn¡¯t stop there and shot out another Supreme Rank Magical Treasure, the Blood Shadow Needle.

    The Blood Shadow Needle: A Supreme Rank Innate Spiritual Treasure. It originated from the treasures of the Nether Blood Sea, numbering twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty. An extremely vicious artifact, once unleashed, anyone who was struck would instantly turn into a pool of blood.

    Just as the Blood Shadow Needle was about to strike the Bull Demon King, suddenly, a figure moved at an incredible speed into its path.

    The Blood Shadow Needle pierced deeply into the heart region.

    The Demon n¡¯s Seven Victors¡ªMonkey King¡ªfell in battle. He didn¡¯t even have the chance to utter ast word.

 Chapter 13 - 10 Arranging the Formation

    As the Monkey King¡¯s life dissipated in an instant, the Bull Demon King suddenly stopped all his movements, standing there dumbfounded, staring nkly at the Monkey King¡¯s corpse slowly turning into a pool of blood, his gaze empty and lifeless.

    Although the Bull Demon King had inexplicably ceased to act, the others had not. On the contrary, the death of the Monkey King drove everyone into even greater frenzy. Everyone understood that this was war. What is war? If you don¡¯t fight with all you¡¯ve got, you¡¯ll be dead.

    Therefore, including Tang Sanzang, the majority of people unleashed the strongest attacks they¡¯d ever mustered in their lives.

    And what about Master Tongtian¡¯s side?

    Master Tongtian too had sustained injuries, but he forcefully suppressed them in the face of a formidable enemy. After all, those Demon Kings were no ordinary foes. In particr, the Vajra Bracelet from the Rhinoceros Demon and the hundred beams of rosy light fired by the Hundred-eyed Demon Monarch had inflicted heavy injuries on Tongtian.

    However, the one who suffered the most was the Supreme Elder Lord. He had been severely injured by a direct hit as he attempted to suppress the Eight Trigrams Fire and Sanzang¡¯s Transcendence Bloom together, not only had arge portion of his Eight Trigrams Fire been extinguished, but the elder had also spat out blood, hisplexion sickly and listless.

    "Transcendence Bloom, truly worthy of its reputation, to actually be able to annihte my Eight Trigrams Fire, cough cough, indeed there is always someone better out there," he muttered.

    It turned out that the petals of the Transcendence Bloom released by Sanzang, augmented by that green leaf, were capable of contending with the Elder Lord¡¯s Eight Trigrams Fire, with each petal able to extinguish a strand of me.

    The extinguishing of a single strand of me might seem trivial, but don¡¯t forget, though numerous, the Elder Lord¡¯s mes were finite, while the petals of the Transcendence Bloom, conjured through illusions, were endless. Matching them one by one for annihtion, the oue was clear.

    Only less than a third of the Elder Lord¡¯s mes remained, and due to the annihtion of his mes, his vitality had been greatly diminished. However, Sanzang¡¯s Transcendence Bloom, aside from a slight dimming in color, seemed to bepletely unharmed, and except for a significant drain on his mana, Sanzang bore no other injuries.

    All of this did not escape Master Tongtian¡¯s watchful eyes, who sighed to himself: "Although my elder brother is unmatched in alchemy, when ites to battle, he is always just a step behind."

    After the first round of probing, each side had gained a certain understanding of the other¡¯s capabilities and strength. Next would be a strike of life or death.

    Breath held, expressions tense and solemn.

    "Elder brother, be careful. If you can¡¯t hold out, retreat quickly, and I¡¯ll cover the rear," Master Tongtian transmitted to the Supreme Elder Lord.

    Meanwhile, discussions had started on this side too.

    "Master Sanzang, I¡¯ll leave the Elder Lord to youter. We¡¯ll put all our efforts into holding down Master Tongtian. Aim to severely injure the Elder Lord with the Master¡¯s help, and then we can join forces to take on Master Tongtian."

    This was Bodhi Patriarch secretly transmitting to everyone. Originally, among these individuals, Bodhi Patriarch was the strongest, and Tongtian had always been suppressed by him. However, he had be slightly distracted due to the situation with Sun Wukong, allowing Master Tongtian to break free. Bodhi Patriarch felt quite guilty about this.

    He should have taken on the Supreme Elder Lord by himself.

    But unexpectedly, at the crucial moment, Tang Sanzang achieved enlightenment, bing the strongest among them. Besides, the Elder Lord¡¯s fire was indeed a counter to Bodhi Patriarch¡¯s Bodhi Tree, so the task of facing the Supreme Elder Lord was left solely to Tang Sanzang.

    Indeed, the Transcendence Bloom proved to be an effective counter to the Eight Trigrams Fire.

    Ready for a second strike, they gathered their strength.

    This time, it wasn¡¯t the Bull Demon King who made the first move but instead the other five Great Saints along with the three demons of Lion Camel Ridge.

    Flood Dragon Demon King¡¯s arms vibrated with force, his battle armor shattered to reveal a pair of dragon ws, exceptionally sharp and incrediblyrge.

    The Peng Demon King this time didn¡¯t attack alone, but instead joined forces with the Roc. Both transformed into their original forms, though significantly reduced in size. Their wings crossed as they started to soar, and as the two Rocs took flight, the sound of wind and thunder echoed, sparks of lightning crackling through the air.

    Simrly, the Lion Camel King teamed up with the Azure Lion of Lion Camel Ridge, both transforming into their reduced original forms. The two fierce lions crossed their paws, sparking brilliant fire, and ran crisscrossed toward Tongtian in the sky. Yes, they ran through the air.

    After that, the Yulei King and the White Elephant of Lion Camel Ridge also teamed up to provide cover as theyunched an assault on Tongtian.

    Following these three waves of attacks, there was silence.

    But even with just these seven attacking, Master Tongtian dared not underestimate them; theirbined forces meant the power was far more than just the sum of their parts.

    Master Tongtian raised his hand and released three magic treasures.

    One was the Purple Lightning Hammer, a supreme rank innate spiritual treasure. Dwelling within thews of thunder and lightning, it was one of Master Tongtian¡¯s primary weapons for vanquishing demons and ying fiends.

    Another was the Tai Sui Whip, a supreme rank innate spiritual treasure. Once wielded, anyone struck by it would have their soul and essence scattered, their body shattered to pieces, and their aeons of cultivation would be rendered into nothingness.

    Thest one was the Purple Cloud Dust Brush, a supreme rank innate spiritual treasure. Its power and function unclear, it was a treasured artifact wielded by the ancestral Hongjun, given to Master Tongtian as a handheld treasure when Hongjun distributed his artifacts.

    Having released three treasures, Master Tongtian¡¯s face turned slightly pale.

    However, the Flood Dragon Demon King and the others didn¡¯t give Tongtian any time to rest, for theirbined attack was already upon him.

    The thunderous wings of the two Rocs collided first against Tongtian¡¯s Purple Lightning Hammer. Both were thunder and lightning attacks, and the collision result was a deafening boom. Looking again, the two Rocs were sent flying backward, and the Purple Lightning Hammer returned to Tongtian¡¯s hands, still trembling on its own.

    Soon after, the assault of the two mighty lions arrived, their sharp aura assaulting the senses as the huge crossed wstched onto the Purple Cloud Dust Brush.

    And this time, only two ferocious lions were sent flying backward, their ws used for the attackpletely broken and bleeding profusely. Meanwhile, the Buddha Dust did not retreat in the slightest.

    The ones to let out a miserable scream were the jailor king and the white elephant of Lion Camel Ridge. These two, not particrly strong to begin with, faced the Tai Sui Whip and ended up with severe injuries and blood flowing freely.

    Seeing this oue, Tongtian breathed a slight sigh of relief, but before he could rxpletely, he was faced with an enormous dragon w that had already reached him.

    So, the attacks from the six individuals earlier were just a cover for this single w? A flicker of shock and trepidation showed in Tongtian¡¯s eyes.

    It was toote to summon his Magic Treasure; he had no choice but to awkwardly catch the strike with the Purple Lightning Hammer in his hand.

    A wild roar of a dragon reverberated through thend, thick with the intent of revenge and triumph. Although the Flood Dragon Demon King¡¯s w was hurt from grabbing the Purple Lightning Hammer, causing the flesh to peel back, the enormous force also caused the other end of the Purple Lightning Hammer to strike fiercely against Tongtian¡¯s chest.

    Finally, unable to suppress his injuries, blood flowed from the corner of Tongtian¡¯s mouth.

    In this fierce battle, the most powerful, Sect Hierarch Tongtian, had finally been injured.

    However, it was not yet over.

    An injured Tongtian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked back at the Supreme Elder Lord, and immediately felt his soul leave his body.

    And then, something even more horrific for Tongtian happened. Just as he turned his head back from looking at the Supreme Elder Lord, he realized he was trapped in a Great Formation; one that seemed familiar, yet he had never seen before.

    A thought emerged¡ªall the previous attacks were a diversion; the true killing move was this Great Formation.

    So, what exactly was this Great Formation?

    Want to know?

    Perhaps you¡¯ve already guessed.

    It was the Demon n¡¯s infamous Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation.

    Arranged by the talents of the Demon n, including White Bone Spirit, Fang Monstrosity, Nine-headed Fiend, and many others, the first killing formation of the Demon n¡ªthe Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation. A chill went down Tongtian¡¯s spine. This Great Formation had a notorious reputation, and even though he was a master of formations, he wasn¡¯t confident he could break through it.

    rmed, Tongtian had no choice but to delve into the secrets of this formidable Formation. Once trapped inside the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation, it was like entering a starry expanse; surrounded only by stars, one could see nothing else. Furthermore, no matter which direction you flew, even if you flew until the end of time, there would be no end.

    Tongtian floated in the air, closed his eyes, and the Array Diagram of Immortal ying manifested out of thin air, hovering above his head. Although it was not a formation itself, it was still an ancient and fierce array that shared somemon characteristics.

    What Tongtian intended to do was to use the peculiarities of the Array Diagram of Immortal ying to probe the mysteries of the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation.

    After a long while, Tongtian opened his deep eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly raised with an unmistakable look of triumph, "Hmph, a rabble, relying on an iplete Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation to imprison me? Wishful thinking."

    Having spoken, the light of the Array Diagram of Immortal ying intensified, and it began spinning rapidly, shooting out billions of sharp sword lights. These sword beams angrily shot towards the countless stars within the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation.

    A momentter, a spatial tremor urred and, in the once wless star space, a minuscule hole appeared, where an out-of-ce breath drifted in.

    "Hmph, a w has been revealed. Watch as my Immortal-ying Sword Light breaks this illusory starry facade."

    Before the words had finished, the Immortal-ying Sword Formation transformed into a massive Immortal ying Sword, lightly twirling a sword flower before exploding forth. Its target was the pinhole-sized gap.

    A split secondter, another earth-shattering bang resounded.

    The space trembled, and a figure in a Taoist robe emerged from the void¡ªan opulent Daoist with undisguised satisfaction in his eyes.

    This Daoist was none other than Sect Hierarch Tongtian, who had broken out of the formation.

    What about the elite of the Demon n who had arranged the formation?

    As the formation shattered, those elites and leaders of the Demon n were sent flying back and vomited blood.

    The difficulty of hastily arranging an iplete ancient fierce formation, especially one used to imprison a saint who had attained enlightenment for tens of thousands of years, can only be imagined¡ªtheir mana was depleted just maintaining the formation, let alone activating its killing moves.

    Otherwise, even if Tongtian could have broken the formation, it would not have been so easy.

    However,

    When Tongtian, eyes full of triumph, looked upon the Supreme Elder Lord, who was on the brink of death, his triumph disappeared, reced by towering rage and dread.

    It turned out that while theter Demon n leaders were using the Great Formation to imprison Sect Hierarch Tongtian, Tang Sanzang had risked his life tounch the Transcendence Bloom with all his might,pletely eradicating all the Eight Trigrams Fire behind the Supreme Elder Lord.

    The cost, however, was Tang Sanzang losing all his mana and damaging his Taoist foundation due to forcibly activating the Transcendence Bloom.

    Only the veins of the two green leaves remained on the Transcendence Bloom. Everything else had beenpletely consumed.

 Chapter 14 - 11 Yang Jian

    This was not even the most severe issue; the gravest one was Zhen Yuanzi, who had already fallen into aa.

    Ever since Tang Sanzang had be a saint on the spot, no one knew if they had noticed, but Zhen Yuanzi had made no further moves. Don¡¯t think he was afraid.

    When the Demon n had trapped Master Tongtian, Zhen Yuanzi made his appearance, situated precisely behind the Supreme Elder Lord. Even though the Elder Lord realized it immediately, it was still toote.

    The Eight Trigrams Fire, tangled by the petals of the Transcendence Bloom, was unable to return to his side for defense.

    Furthermore, with six Heavenly Demons, who had been transcended without regard for their own lives, holding tightly onto the Elder Lord with their bodies and arms, he could only watch as Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s left hand, which had turned into a Ginseng Fruit Tree root, fiercely imprinted onto the Elder Lord¡¯s back.

    Thus, the Elder Lord¡¯s fears came to fruition; that hand which had morphed into a root was slowly stretching into the Elder Lord¡¯s skin from behind and was gradually encroaching towards the Elder Lord¡¯s heart. The pace wasn¡¯t fast but seemed unstoppable by any means.

    Keep in mind that although the Elder Lord wasn¡¯t abat-oriented saint, he was still a saint who had achieved sanctity tens of thousands of years ago. In addition, he was the Ancestral Master of alchemy, and his body had been tempered day and night by countless divine treasures and natural wonders. His physical body¡¯s toughness was about the same as that of the ancient mighty Water Deity Gonggong.

    Yet, he couldn¡¯t seem to fend off the tree root.

    At this critical juncture involving his life, the Elder Lord made a ruthless decision.

    A person who could even self-detonate their life-bound magical treasure, when they resolutely decide to give up their life, can be tremendously terrifying, something that perhaps only Zhen Yuan knew too well.

    From the outside, everything seemed to be going smoothly, the Ginseng Fruit Tree root of the great immortal Zhen Yuan had already eroded arge portion, and it seemed that the Supreme Elder Lord would soon be done for. However, just at that moment, Zhen Yuan let out a horrific scream, and with his empty right hand formed like a saber, he chopped down.

    His left arm was severed clean off at the shoulder, still bearing a trace of charred mark from the mes at the point of severance.

    After that, Zhen Yuanzi fell from the sky.

    The remaining people on the sidelines thought that the attack had ended there, but to everyone¡¯s surprise, the Bull Demon King, who had be delirious after the Monkey King¡¯s death, suddenly erupted. The Mixed Iron Stick he had previously wielded was now nowhere to be found. In his hands, shockingly, was his own bull horn.

    This bull horn was as ck as ink, as if it could dye even time and space with its darkness.

    The Supreme Elder Lord, already grievously injured, could not evade this assault.

    The pitch-ck bull horn fiercely plunged into the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s chest. At that moment, a drastic change urred!

    A dazzling liquid too bright to look at directly flowed from the Elder Lord¡¯s chest wound; in the blink of an eye, the ck bull horn was utterly concealed by this liquid. The Bull Demon King, with sharp reflexes, released his grip at the crucial moment, fortunately avoiding the liquid from sticking to his hand. Nevertheless, the bull horn had been rendered useless.

    It was only then that Master Tongtian broke free from the formation. So, the first thing Tongtianid eyes upon was the Supreme Elder Lord, with a massive bull horn embedded in his chest.

    Afterward, everyone felt as if the heavens were copsing and the earth was shattering, followed by terrifying ck fissures spreading from the spot where Tongtian was.

    Anyone with discernment knew that Tongtian had detonated the Array Diagram of Immortal ying, so the space couldn¡¯t withstand it and copsed.

    At this moment, Bodhi Ancestor, who had been silent since the beginning, finally disyed his near-saintly power.

    Tongtian, to save the dying Supreme Elder Lord, set off the Eight Trigrams Formation Map, causing an explosion that shattered more than half of the spatial realm of the Twelve Layers of Heaven. This terrifying force of space made everyone feel an impending doom.

    Yet, the rapidly spreading spatial rifts were being forcefully suppressed by the power of a single individual, and in the presence of such supreme divine skill, space visibly healed at a rate perceptible to the naked eye.

    This person was none other than Bodhi Ancestor, who had all along remained unobtrusive and inconspicuous. As it turned out, Bodhi had refrained from joining the attack so that he could use his enormous mana to suppress Tongtian¡¯s self-destructing magical treasure at the critical moment.

    Although it was uncertain at the outset what Tongtian would do, it was necessary to be on guard. If Tongtian had hardened his heart enough to risk destroying his magic treasures to fight desperately, and their side were unprepared, the situation would have been serious indeed.

    While the exploding force of the Array Diagram of Immortal ying was great, it only just managed to allow Tongtian a moment to fly to the Elder Lord¡¯s side and recall all his protective treasures.

    As soon as Tongtian got ready, the hordes of demons surrounded him again. Even though every one of them was wounded and even though Tongtian wasn¡¯t badly hurt, they still fearlessly encircled him.

    The battle had reached a point where almost everyone present was exhausted to their limits, except for two individuals!

    One was Eng God Yang Jian, who had previously been hit by the Great Saint, and the other was the Six-Eared Macaque, who hade to assist Wukong. Although Six-Eared had nearly picked up the staff to seek revenge when the Monkey King died, he managed to restrain himself.

    The reason was simple: when Sun Wukong left, he entrusted Six-Eared Macaque with a task¡ªto keep a close watch on Yang Jian, Eng God. He absolutely couldn¡¯t allow Yang Jian to free himself and return to Lingxiao Pce to assist the Jade Emperor. Thus, at the end, these two were still the ones with most of their mana intact.

    In the battle of the Twenty-Two Layer Heavens, no one in Heaven perished. Master Tongtian sustained minor injuries, losing three magic treasures. Supreme Elder Lord was critically injured and near death, losing his life-bound Magic Treasure¡ªthe Eight Trigrams Furnace¡ªand the Eight Trigrams Fire within it.

    The Demon n¡¯s Monkey King was killed in action; Bull Demon King and Zhen Yuanzi were poisoned by the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s blood toxin, critically injured and near death; Tang Sanzang, the Golden Winged Great Peng, Peng Demon King, the white elephant of Lion Camel Ridge, Flood Dragon Demon King, Lion Demon King, and the Green Lion were severely wounded; White Bone Spirit, Yellow Wind Monster, Rhino Monster, and the Hundred Eyed Demon Monarch exhausted their mana.

    All the elite members of the Demon n were killed in action. Not one was spared.

    At this moment, the thoughts of the two parties werepletely different. Due to the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s injury, Master Tongtian had lost all will to fight and wanted nothing more than to return promptly to treat the Supreme Elder Lord. As for these people, they could be exterminated any timeter.

    However, the Demon n was still spirited and keen on clustering together to dy Master Tongtian. If they could detain Master Tongtian, there was a chance that the Supreme Elder Lord might perish in the process.

    Thus, the situation became very delicate. Master Tongtian couldn¡¯t let the Demon n see any intentions of retreating; otherwise, he would likely face a desperate onught from the Demon n.

    But the Demon n also couldn¡¯t show Master Tongtian that they were willing to die just to keep him there; otherwise, Master Tongtian might make an all-out attempt to flee. For a saint who had achieved the Dao long ago and wanted to escape, with the current battle strength of the Demon n, no one believed they could keep him.

    Were they about to reach a stalemate yet again?

    The answer was no, because Eng God finally made his move.

    And he did so with full force from the get-go, setting his sights on the severely injured Bull Demon King.

    Hot on the heels of Eng God¡¯s strike was the Six-Eared Macaque. However, he was just a fraction too slow.

    By the time the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s sky-supporting stick barely managed to block the tip of Eng God¡¯s spear, Eng God¡¯s Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword had already prated the Bull Demon King¡¯s chest.

    Fortunately, because the strike was intercepted by the Six-Eared Macaque, the Bull Demon King¡¯s life was saved.

    This incensed every member of the Demon n.

    As they all turned back with furious eyes, Master Tongtian finally found an opportunity and transformed into a streak of blue light, fleeing the scene.

    Now, those present were enraged; the tactics they had prepared to assault Master Tongtian were instead unleashed upon Eng God.

    Though Eng God was valiant, tangled up by the Six-Eared Macaque he couldn¡¯t break free and ultimately had to take all of the attacks head-on. But just when everyone thought Eng God was sure to be obliterated, something unexpected happened.

    Indeed, someone had died, and they were certainly beyond saving.

    But that person was not Eng God.

    It was, instead, the Heaven-piercing Divine Dog.

    In the final moment, the Heaven-piercing Divine Dog shielded its master from all the attacks.

    Seeing this, everyone fell silent.

    Eng God didn¡¯t say anything; he just gently picked up the body of the Heaven-piercing Divine Dog and stood still on the spot, as if waiting for death.

    In the end, it was Tang Sanzang who spoke up, "Eng God, you should leave." Without too many words, the meaning was understood by all.

    Eng God hesitated for a moment, then gave a sped fist salute. His eyes carried a touch of apology and self-reproach as he walked away step by step.

    This battle atst came to an end. Master Tongtian fled with the dying Supreme Elder Lord. The remaining people sat down on the spot to meditate and recover from their injuries.

    Tang Sanzang held the dim Transcendence Bloom in his hands and looked up in the direction of Lingxiao Pce.

    Within less than half a moment, the people at the scene split into two groups. Those with lighter injuries rushed to Lingxiao Pce to aid Sun Wukong, while another group with more serious injuries returned to Flower Fruit Mountain to heal.

    But at Lingxiao Pce, something astonishing had urred.

 Chapter 15 - 12 Fight, Fight!

    At this time, the Lingxiao Pce was embroiled in a chaotic battle.

    Originally, it was the three brothers, Sun Wukong and his disciples, against four Divine Emperors, but as soon as the fight began, Sandy inexplicably hid in the back and sat down cross-legged.

    As a result, it was only Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie taking on four opponents, making the battle extremely brutal. Wukong was still managing okay, fighting ferociously with his Vajra Indestructible Body against the Jade Emperor and the Emperor of Eternal Life, with all three sustaining injuries. However, Zhu Bajie was inplete contrast.

    Although Zhu Bajie¡¯s mana was close to Sun Wukong¡¯s, his execution was severelycking. He had the strength but could notnd a blow, which made the old pig suffer terribly. Fortunately, Wukong would extricate himself at critical moments to lend a hand, but over time, Zhu Bajie was left to simply take a beating.

    Luckily, Zhu Bajie had thick skin and flesh; although he was seriously injured, it wasn¡¯t life-threatening. However, it was clear he couldn¡¯t hold on much longer. As time passed, the tide of battle tilted increasingly against Sun Wukong and his side.

    "Old Sandy, aren¡¯t you ready yet? If you don¡¯t hurry up, you¡¯ll have no second brother left," Bajie called out to Sandy in desperation.

    But that nce back gave the ck Tortoise and Purple Tassel emperors the opening they needed. Theyunched a long-nned joint attack with all their might against Zhu Bajie, sending him flying through the air.

    After that strike, instead of stopping, the two emperors gathered even more powerful spells, aiming to deal a fatal blow to Zhu Bajie while he was vulnerable.

    All of this was seen by Sandy, who immediately had a fierce light in his eyes, ready to interrupt the spell he had been preparing since the beginning.

    "Keep going, Old Sandy, I¡¯ll save the idiot," said Sun Wukong.

    Before his voice even faded, Sun Wukong suddenly threw his Golden Hoop toward the Jade Emperor and Emperor of Eternal Life he was entangled with and turned to rush toward Zhu Bajie, who was still in mid-flight.

    Then, with a thunderous noise, a surge of overwhelming star power burst forth. Looking at the ground, a deep, bottomless pit had appeared for all to see.

    One must understand, this ce was where the Jade Emperor would hold court on a regr day¡ª the Lingxiao Pce. This was the face of the entire Heaven, and the Jade Emperor had taken great pains with it. All the materials used for the construction were of the highest quality jade, with countless seals of all sizes.

    Not to mention those seals were thousands of years of umtion by the Jade Emperor. Otherwise, such a great battle would not have been set here.

    Even so, a dark hole was sted open, which goes to show how powerful the strike from Purple Tassel and the ck Tortoise was. It was so powerful that due to their borrowing the power of the stars, all the stars in the entire Heaven dimmed.

    The four emperors cautiously approached therge hole. Although by all ounts the monkey must have been seriously injured, no one let their guard down without seeing for themselves.

    Underestimating an opponent was not a mistake that the four Divine Emperors would make¡ª especially when facing Sun Wukong, the monkey known throughout the Three Realms for being unkible.

    In a corner, Sha Wujing was so anxious that he bit his own teeth until they bled. Watching his brothers fight desperately, suffering severe injuries with their lives hanging in the bnce, yet he could only watch, unable to step forward and help. This agony made Sha Wujing so furious that even his whiskers bristled.

    Even so, even though his killing intent was sky-high, Sha Wujing still did not move. However, the tears of blood at the corners of his eyes fully proved his anger and pain.

    Silently, he looked up. The nine massive prayer beads around his neck silently floated up andnded in Sha Wujing¡¯s sped hands. One after another, they silently burst. They did not even cause a ripple of mana.

    From the beginning, the four Heavenly Emperors had noticed Sha Wujing, but nobody took him seriously. Before thest phase, what Sha Wujing managed sounded impressive: ¡¯Juanlian General.¡¯ Stated less tteringly, he was just a gatekeeper. However, he watched over quite a few gates; in Heaven, beside those secret locations, all the major gates were under Sha Wujing¡¯s supervision.

    Even the gates of the Lingxiao Pce used to be opened and closed by Sha Wujing.

    Although after the journey to the west Sha Wujing was promoted to Golden Body Arhat, a rank not much higher than that of the Giant Spirit God, this was still an existence the Jade Emperor could squash at any time; naturally, he wouldn¡¯t be too concerned. What they were truly worried about was only Sun Wukong!

    The four Heavenly Emperors stood guard at the edge of the crater with caution, each looking at the others. They all wanted to know Sun Wukong¡¯s condition, but no one wanted to go down there. Sun Wukong¡¯s strength and resilience were legendary; they weren¡¯t certain he had been injured at all.

    Eventually, the four decided to join forces for another strike. Even if Sun Wukong hadn¡¯t been injured by the previous attack, this time he would not escape unharmed. So the four Heavenly Emperors gathered their strength together, preparing for abined attack from all four.

    At that moment, a roar like that of a wild beast erupted from the depths of the pit¡ªa roar filled with endless anger and self-reproach that made the four Heavenly Emperors hesitate. During their moment of hesitation, a dark shadow shot out from the bottom of the pit.

    The four Heavenly Emperors quickly recovered their senses and looked sharply only to be overjoyed! It turned out that Sun Wukong was injured. Zhu Bajie stood in front of Sha Wujing, holding one of Wukong¡¯s arms. Although the exact nature of the injury was unknown, the bloodstains on his back suggested that it was quite severe.

    Moreover, Zhu Bajie was also covered in wounds, many of which were still bleeding profusely.

    "You, you¡¯re going too far. Are you picking on me because I¡¯m slow? It¡¯s one thing to bully me, but to injure my eldest brother too. It seems you really think we brothers have no one to back us up?" Zhu Bajie¡¯s face was smeared with blood, looking fiercely grim.

    "Today you¡¯ll learn that¡ªa pig is not so easily bullied!" With that, he gave a single-handed shake, and the Nine-Toothed Rake flew into Zhu Bajie¡¯s hand.

    "Nine-Toothed Rake,bine!" With a roar, the Nine-Toothed Rake began to pulsate like a beating heart (referencing Iron-fragment Fang¡¯s transformation), and then remarkably merged into Bajie¡¯s body. At that moment, Bajie¡¯s body began to radiate the halo that only a top-level magic treasure possesses.

    "Zhu Bajie Desperate First Form¡ªDevouring!"

    Sha Wujing¡¯s mouth was already agape with shock! He thought to himself: Since when could Second Brother perform this move? Shocked as he was, Wujing anxiously nced at Elder Brother, who was casually leaning against a corner pir. But what he saw left him dumbstruck for a long while: Did I just see Elder Brother blink at me?

    Usually, Elder Brother only does that when he¡¯s about to y a trick on Second Brother! Sure enough, just as Zhu Bajie charged forward with a ferocious face, Sun Wukong, under the stunned gaze of Wujing, nonchntly stood up. After giving Wujing a mischievous smile, he sat back down again.

    "Old Sandy, how much longer till you wrap this up?" Sun Wukong asked while picking his ear with his pinky finger, watching the sh-like Zhu Bajie battling it out with the four Emperors of Heaven. "Uh, probably, probably soon! Big Brother, Second, Second Brother won¡¯t be harmed, right? How did he get so fast?"

    Sha Wujing refocused his gaze and shrank his neck to ask. "Hehe, don¡¯t worry, the blockhead merged with the divine power contained within Pangu¡¯s eyshes, but the idiot doesn¡¯t know how to use it. He has all this divine power but can only take a beating. So I had to do this, trigger the blockhead¡¯s anger.

    Originally, I just wanted him to be able to fight back a bit, but who knew that the blockhead had such tricks up his sleeve? Sheesh, he¡¯s faster than my Cloud Somersaults," Sun Wukong said, and, without forgetting, flicked the earwax toward the Jade Emperor mockingly. Then he shook his head and sighed, "Such a pity, it didn¡¯t hit." He was talking about the earwax!

    "Howe Second Brother¡¯s rake, howe it merged into his body?" "I don¡¯t know about that, when the blockhead gets angry, he¡¯s fiercely fierce. Looks like we can¡¯t y with the blockhead¡¯s pig ears so freely in the future." Barely had the words left his mouth when Sha Wujing, sitting beside him, suddenly shouted: "Big Brother, dodge quickly!

    Second Brother, he¡¯sing!" Sun Wukong immediately sprang to his feet, deftly dodging to the side. Zhu Bajie also found time to nce back. The first thing he saw was not Wujing but the grinning Sun Wukong beside him. Zhu Bajie might have been a bit slow, but he instantly knew he¡¯d been fooled.

    "You damn monkey, tricking me again, I¡¯ll never be done with you." Clenching his fists, the space around thempressed sharply, then with palms together, they formed a wall resembling a spatial rift. Seizing the chance, he flipped over beside Sun Wukong. As soon as hended, the rake appeared in Zhu Bajie¡¯s hand, ready to strike at Wukong.

    "Blockhead, stop ying, protect Old Sandy!" "Hmph, I¡¯ll settle with youter, always deceiving me." While they were still speaking, a vibration shook them, and then all the doors of the Lingxiao Pce flew open, followed by a surging Heavenly River flooding through the open portals. In an instant, the entire Lingxiao Pce was submerged by the great flood.

    And Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie were already standing behind Sha Wujing, the three of them looking sinisterly at the four Heavenly Emperors struggling in the great waters, pointing andmenting. "Old Sandy, does the Jade Emperor not know how to swim? Why can¡¯t he surface?" asked Sun Wukong. "Hey, Elder Brother, it¡¯s not right to say that, how could the Jade Emperor not know how to swim?

    It¡¯s just that there¡¯s something wrong with this water." After speaking, Wujing¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment. While the three were watching with glee, a white shape swam up through the water, and suddenly, a strikingly handsome young man appeared before them. The White Dragon had finally shown up. "Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother. I¡¯ve returned."

    "Haha, Little White Dragon, you¡¯ve really done a great service this time. With old Sandy¡¯s Flowing Sands River, the weak waters you¡¯ve led here, and old Piggy¡¯s heavy Heavenly River water¡ªhaha, if this doesn¡¯t turn Heaven into a vast ocean, what will?" Sun Wukong pped the White Dragon on the shoulder. Seeing this, everyone must have understood, right?

    The reason Little White Dragon was absent before is that he used his Innate Reverse Water Dragon Body to dive into the Netherworld Asura Realm. With his mana, he drew the Asuras¡¯ weak waters along with his dragon form coiling upward, signaling Monk Sha, who, with his own mana inside the Lingxiao Pce, helped guide and locate the White Dragon.

    After breaking through Eagle Sorrow Gully, the weak waters rushed up all the way, blending into the Heavenly River from the bottom, and then fused with the waters of the Flowing Sands River. Finally, these three waters became the Nine Heavens Deadly Water.

    As previously stated, having once been Marshal Juanlian, Monk Sha took advantage of the moment when Heaven¡¯s forces were deployed, opening all the portals he could. The result of this was that when the Nine Heavens Deadly Water surged out from the Heavenly River, it swept over the entire Heaven.

    Not a single Immortal¡¯s Cave Mansion or Spirit tform Pce was spared¡ªall submerged by the great flood. And this wasn¡¯t just any water; with great weight and devoid of buoyancy, its corrosive power slowly destroyed everything it encountered. You can imagine the despair felt by the returning heavenly soldiers when they found Heaven gone¡ªreced by an endless sea.

    Monk Sha, usually seen as the least harmful, dealt the final catastrophic blow to Heaven at the crucial moment! And at this very moment, Monk Sha, still bashfully asked Zhu Bajie if they should also bring in the waters of the Tongtian River. And Zhu Bajie? After a thieves¡¯ grin, he said, "That doesn¡¯t seem right, does it? How about we bring down The Moon Pce instead?

    Then, we¡¯ll have ourselves an Ice Age!"

 Chapter 16 - 13 Fan Xin

    "Fool, if you bring down The Moon Pce, what will you do about your little Chang¡¯er, huh?" Sun Wukong plucked a monkey hair and transformed it into Chang¡¯er, teasing Zhu Bajie with coquettish gestures.

    "You damned monkey, put away that disgusting monkey hair right now. If you dare to mock my Chang¡¯er again, I, old pig, will fight you to the death! And I haven¡¯t even started to settle the score with you about what happened just now." Having said that, he brandished his rake menacingly.

    "Alright, alright, no more fooling around," Sun Wukong said, having put away the monkey hair, and turned to ask Sha Wujing, "Old Sha, how much longer until the waters have eroded the entire Heavenly Pce? We don¡¯t have much time left!" Sha Wujing pondered for a moment and then said, "Probably about half an hour.

    And there are some ces where the protective Great Formation is too powerful; even this dead water won¡¯t be able to erode itpletely in a short while."

    "Oh? Which ces are those? Can we divert the water from other areas there?"

    "The hardest to erode is the Peach Garden..." Sha Wujing had not finished speaking when he felt a breeze drift by, and Sun Wukong had vanished. Only a lingering voice from mid-air could be heard, "You three quickly retreat, go meet up with Nezha and the others. Damn it, the peach trees cannot be lost."

    "Second Brother, do you think Big Brother will get mad doing this?" Sha Wujing asked Zhu Bajie somewhat nervously. "Hmph, who made that dead monkey always pick on me? And it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how Big Brother feels about her, it¡¯s just... sigh. It¡¯s better for Big Brother to be angry with the two of us than for them to miss each other again! Come on, we three should retreat too.

    The Jade Emperor and the rest will soon be free of this dead water, and by then the three of us won¡¯t be able to fight them off."

    "Okay, I¡¯ll transform into a dragon. Second Brother, Third Brother, sit on my back, let¡¯s go." After these words, a resounding dragon¡¯s roar filled the air, and a white jade-like water dragon appeared, plunging into the water with a ssh, then revealing its back. Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie jumped onto it, and the three departed gracefully.

    The Jade Emperor and his threepanions, although fuming with rage, were helpless against the entangling dead water, only able to slowly strip it away with Great Magical Power. The mighty rulers of Heaven, elevated beings in charge of countless lives, had been duped by a mere Golden Body Arhat, and it appeared they had lost the entire Heaven.

    You can imagine how furious the four Heavenly Emperors would be¡ªshould Sun Wukong and hispanions fall into their hands, there¡¯s no doubt the Emperors would use the most vicious of punishments to vent their outrage.

    So who did Sun Wukong encounter in the Peach Garden?

    Upon hearing Sha Wujing¡¯s words, Sun Wukong immediately felt an urgency in his heart! The Peach Garden, the Peach Garden, how could he forget about the Peach Garden? He traveled there in an instant on his cloud somersault, moving at the fastest speed of his life, arriving at the Peach Garden.

    However, when Sun Wukongnded at the gates of the Peach Garden, it seemed as though he heaved a sigh of relief inside. The dead water summoned by Sha Wujing had not eroded the Peach Garden; it merely circled around the entrance. The gates of the Peach Garden were still firmly closed.

    "That old Sha, learning bad habits from the fool, has even started tricking me." He was just about to walk away when a faint voice came through: "You¡¯ve alreadye, why won¡¯t you even nce at me? Do you still feel sorry for me?"

    Hearing this voice, Sun Wukong felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His stepping foot stayed suspended in mid-air and never touched down. After a long pause, Sun Wukong sighed deeply and said, "Are you... are you alright? When did you wake up? I..." he faltered!

    If someone who knew Sun Wukong saw him then, they would have been utterly shocked. The usually domineering Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, was actually showing such a tender and guilt-ridden expression. And who was the owner of this soft voice? Regrettably, aside from Sun Wukong, there was no one else present.

    "What¡¯s past is past; why can¡¯t you let it go? Regardless of who was right or wrong, so many years have passed; why are you still fixated? Moreover, I have healed from my injury now and will soon be able to transform into human form. It¡¯s been so many years; I¡¯ve already stopped ming you!"

    "But I cannot forgive myself. It was I who harmed you! Before going on the journey to fetch the scriptures, I swore that unless I overthrew Heaven, I would never see you again! Fan Xin, I¡¯m about to seed. Just wait a little longer; I will avenge this for sure. You stay here in the Peach Garden and cultivate properly.

    Once I seed, I¡¯lle to take you back to Flower Fruit Mountain!" Sun Wukong dered, not looking back as he resolutely walked away.

    However, the ground where Sun Wukong had stood was already wet with tears.

    In the deepest part of the Peach Garden, an inconspicuous peach tree gently swayed its branches, as if shaking its head. "Nearly a thousand years, and you¡¯re still so stubborn! Ah, when will you understand that I don¡¯t care about Heaven or the hatred from the past?

    What I care about is only you¡ªthe you who, despite being the supreme of the Demon n, would always y with a group of little monkeys; the you who, for my sake, did not hesitate to wage war against Heaven; the you who was a fearless and upright man; the you who, back in the days, loved only me. Sun Wukong, you idiot!"

    The soft voice drifted through the entire Peach Garden. Then, a memory surfaced in the long-silenced heart!

    That year, she was still just a small, unripe peach tree, with green leaves and tender branches that bloomed and withered with theing of spring and autumn, carefree. The only drawback was that although there were thousands of peach trees in the Peach Garden, none of them would talk to her to ease her boredom.

    Even the thousand-year-old peach tree at the very heart of the garden bloomed only once every nine thousand years, and as a sapling, all she could do was chat with the asional bird that stopped by.

    Days passed, uneventful and quiet, a very long time indeed. That was, until a monkey arrived at this ce, looking rathermanding in battle armor, cloaked in a crimson cape, indescribably dashing!

    Yet, what displeased the little peach tree was that ever since this monkey hade here, it only spent its days drinking, sleeping, or going out to have fun with friends, never once stopping to talk to her. So, the little peach tree decided to y a mischievous trick; when the monkey went out one day, she turned all the peaches on the trees into stones.

    When the monkey returned, it bit viciously into a stone peach! Unexpectedly, the monkey got angry, swung its iron staff, and was about to strike the peach tree. The little peach tree got scared and immediately said, "Stop, stop, you silly monkey."

    "Eh? Who¡¯s talking to Old Sun? Come out now! Otherwise, I¡¯ll club you to death with one swing," the monkey threatened.

    "Oh,e on, it was just a joke, no need to get mad. It¡¯s your fault for ignoring me for so long." While muttering to herself, the little peach tree shook its branches, and in an instant, all the peaches reverted to their original state. Then, with another flick of its branches, a veryrge peach flew to the monkey¡¯s mouth.

    "Here, eat this. It¡¯s the biggest peach in the whole garden. Please don¡¯t be mad anymore!" the little peach tree said, coquettishly shaking its slender branches.

    The monkey looked at the peach tree with suspicion, then took a tentative bite. Indeed, it was extraordinarily delicious, many times tastier than the peaches it usually stole. Smiling from ear to ear, the monkey said to the tree, "For the sake of this peach, I won¡¯t hold a grudge against you.

    But if you dare to y tricks on Old Sun again, I¡¯ll strip off all your leaves." Having said that, it made a fierce face.

    "Hehe, there won¡¯t be a next time. By the way, what do you mean by ¡¯Old Sun¡¯?" the little peach tree asked.

    "My surname is Sun, and my name is Sun Wukong. So, that makes me Old Sun. What about you? What¡¯s your name?" the monkey said while nibbling on therge peach.

    "I, I don¡¯t have a name. Ever since I was born, no one but the little birds in the sky has talked to me. Hey, could you give me a name?"

    "Me? My name was given to me by my master. I¡¯m not good at naming," the monkey replied, quickly finishing off the rest of the peach.

    "Please, give me a name! If you do, I¡¯ll give you big peaches to eat every day!" the little peach tree said, even extending a branch as if to show off.

    "Hmm? Alright then, let me think. Get me another big peach, and I¡¯lle up with one," the monkey said, meticulously wiping the eaten peach pit with its robe.

    Soon, another big peach flew before the monkey, but instead of reaching for it, the monkey stretched out his hand toward the setting sun, and the next moment, a colorful Zixia rope appeared in his hand. The monkey also took the Golden Hoop from his ear, turned it into a fine needle, and then pierced through the top of the peach pit.

    After threading the Zixia rope through it, Sun Wukong finally lifted his hand to catch the peach and took a big bite, saying, "I was originally a Stone Monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain, butter I came to the Heavenly Pce to serve as an official. The thing is, I always miss Flower Fruit Mountain in the Mortal World, so you shall take the surname Fan."

    With those words, the monkey carved a ¡¯Fan¡¯ character just above the center of the peach pit and continued, "Moreover, ever since I saw you, I felt as if I was seeing family. Though you¡¯re a peach tree from Heaven, you give off a warm feeling, just like the peach trees from my Flower Fruit Mountain. Hmm, let¡¯s call you Fan Xin."

    The monkey then carved the character ¡¯Xin¡¯ below on the pit. After finishing, it stood up, reached for the peach it had bitten, and headed toward the small peach tree. When it reached the tree, it held the peach in its mouth, extended both hands, and tied the peach pit ne around the peach tree¡¯s trunk, making a secure knot.

    Then the monkey stepped back, removed the peach from its mouth, and looked at the small tree, "Mm, it matches you well. Hehe. Fan Xin, from now on you are the only peach tree in this garden named Fan Xin. Haha."

    The little peach tree¡ªno, that is to say, Fan Xin¡ªhad an image embedded deeply in her heart from that moment on.

    That peach pit ne, fashioned with a Zixia rope, became the most precious thing in Fan Xin¡¯s life!

 Chapter 17 - 14 Affection

    Last time, we mentioned that Sun Wukong was furious because Fan Xin¡¯s spirit had been wiped clean, prompting him to strike at Heaven with his Jingu Bang. The rainbow rope used by Sun Wukong as a ne had identally absorbed a drop of blood containing his spiritual charm, thus gaining the potential to cultivate into a human form.

    This time, let¡¯s talk about how the Great Saint Sun caused a great disturbance at the Heavenly Pce! At the time, Wukong was seething with rage, brimming with demonic power, much like a fierce beast choosing someone to devour.

    Starting from the Peach Garden, he fought his way to the Southern Heaven Gate, intending to descend to the lower realms, but then he thought that simply leaving would be letting Heaven off too easily. So, wielding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he continued his assault from the Southern Heaven Gate all the way to the Jade Pond, where the Queen Mother of the West was preparing to hold the Peach Banquet.

    Along the way, countless heavenly soldiers and generals couldn¡¯t withstand a single blow from him.

    When the Great Saint Sun arrived at the entrance to the Jade Pond, not a single one of the heavenly soldiers dared to confront him. All they could do was surround the outside of the Peach Garden, guard the entrance, and wait for the Jade Emperor to dispatch more troops. It seemed that only with more soldiers would these heavenly troops gain a bit of courage.

    Seeing this, the Great Saint Sunughed heartily, tucked away his Jingu Bang, and said to the host of heavenly soldiers, "You are all so faint-hearted, I, Old Sun, disdain to strike.

    Go quickly and inform your Jade Emperor, just say, ¡¯The Beautiful Monkey King from Flower Fruit Mountain, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, cannot stand Heaven¡¯s doings and thus hase alone to challenge all of Heaven. If there¡¯s anyone in Heaven who dares, send them over quickly; Old Sun will be waiting here at the Jade Pond, eating and drinking wine.

    If no one darese, then Old Sun will overturn the Jade Emperor¡¯s dragon throne!¡¯"

    Having said that, he made an extremely graceful turn, his crimson cape swept out with a swish, exuding extraordinary grandeur. Then,ughing heartily, he stepped into the Peach Garden! His presence was imposing, domineering, and majestically unyielding! The heavenly soldiers behind could only look at each other, at a loss for what to do.

    Having entered the Jade Pond, the Great Saint Sun looked around with his hands shading his eyes and saw that besides some fairies who were arranging the wine and fruits, there was no one else. He executed a freezing spell, and all the fairies were immobilized on the spot.

    The Great Saint Sun casually took a wine pot from one of the fairy¡¯s hands, tilted his head, drank it dry, and then threw the pot away, eximing, "Good wine, good wine, truly satisfying, truly satisfying." Afterward, the Great Saint pulled out a handful of monkey hair, blew on it, and transformed it into countless little monkeys, each with a pouch in hand.

    In no time, most of the fruits and wines prepared for the Peach Banquet at the Jade Pond were swept clean.

    "Hey hey, leave a couple of bottles for your boss," the Great Saint deftly snatched a pot and hugged it. Otherwise, the quick-eyed, quick-handed little monkeys would have taken it in their pouches. "Alright, enough, stop taking more! Go back to Flower Fruit Mountain and distribute the fruits to everyone. Tell them to wait for me to celebrate the victory!

    Oh, and remember to call all the Demon Kings from the seventy-two caves of Flower Fruit Mountain." After giving the instruction, he waved his hand, and the little monkeys prepared to descend, but at that moment, one little monkey looked longingly at the pot of wine in the Great Saint¡¯s hand, eyes full of hope.

    Sun Wukong helplessly rolled his eyes and casually tossed the wine pot to the little monkey. Pleased, the little monkey somersaulted and went straight for Flower Fruit Mountain! The Great Saint Sun gazed at the empty mess and his own empty hands, shook his head, and then plucked another monkey hair, which turned into a clone of himself.

    Meanwhile, he himself turned into a streak of light that disappeared to who knows where.

    Sometimeter, outside the entrance of the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Pce of the Doumu, an additional figure appeared; this person was the Great Saint Sun who had slipped away from the Jade Pond. At this moment, Sun Wukong, with a mischievous grin, pushed open the doors of the Doumu Pce and swaggered in.

    Not long after, Sun Wukong emerged with a look of satisfaction on his face, "Fools would wait at the Jade Pond. It¡¯s much better here at the old official¡¯s ce, with Immortal Pills aplenty. I¡¯m stuffed, and I barely ate half! Now that I¡¯m finished eating, it¡¯s time to teach Heaven a lesson." With a somersault, Sun Wukong vanished once again.

    And then, throughout the entire Heavenly Court, a roar that shook the Three Realms was heard, "I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong. Displeased with the deeds of the Heavenly Court, I hereby dere war on Heaven. All beings within the Three Realms, if willing, gather at Flower Fruit Mountain in three days to deliberate on the campaign against Heaven.

    If no onees, in three days, even if I stand alone, I shall tten Heaven!"

    Before the sound faded, another loud bang echoed; it was Sun Wukong who had just smashed the gates of the Lingxiao Pce with his staff. He then strode off with confidence.

    With that, the Heavenly Court was enraged, and the Three Realms were shaken! How many years had it been since someone dared to stand against Heaven? Would he be sessful? Should one join in for the excitement?

    And what of the Great Saint Sun? He had already returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, activated the Mountain Protection Array without dy, and was preparing for the Demon n assembly set to ur in three days.

    As Wukong was reminiscing, a shout interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see that it was none other than the Bull Demon King and the others, rushing to lend a hand. Wukong gathered his spirit and said, "So it¡¯s my brothers who¡¯vee. Have you finished on your end?" The faces of the Bull Demon King and hispanions were somber as they hung their heads in silence.

    Sensing that something was amiss, Wukong shed to the Bull Demon King¡¯s side, grabbed his arms, and demanded, "Big brother, what has happened? Is there trouble?" The Bull Demon King hesitated before speaking through clenched teeth, "The Beautiful Monkey King, he died in battle, creating an opportunity for my surprise attack. Yet, I failed to kill the Supreme Elder Lord.

    I only wounded him severely."

    Upon hearing this, Wukong staggered but was swiftly steadied by the Peng Demon King¡¯s quick hand. However, Wukong noticed the emptiness where the Peng Demon King¡¯s hand should have been. "Peng Big Brother, your hand?" "It was an ident, the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Eight Trigrams Fire burned it off." His voice was calm, but the hatred in his eyes did not diminish one bit.

    "Big brother, what about the others? How are they? Did someonee to assist you afterward?"

    "We underestimated the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s tactics. Brother Jiaolongter led the elite forces of the Demon n and White Bone Spirit, among other demon chiefs, to the rescue. s, except for a few demon chiefs, the rest¡­ they all died. Moreover, your master, Master Sanzang, Zhen Yuanzi, they¡¯re all gravely injured.

    Oh yes, there was a beautiful woman apanying your master, she died too." At this point, Wukong¡¯s eyes were nearly bursting, the rims red as if about to drip blood. The Peng Demon King continued, "Later the Supreme Elder Lord was critically wounded, and Eng God Yang Jian almost sacrificed himself to buy time for the Supreme Elder Lord, and so, the two of them fled.

    Your master and Zhen Yuanzi have gone back to Flower Fruit Mountain to heal. Only Jiaolong and a few of us still have the strength left, so we came to reinforce you. Monkey, how have things been on your side?"

    Wukong hung his head and wiped the blood tears from the corner of his eyes, "My three disciples and I have trapped the four Heavenly Emperors in Lingxiao Pce, but by now, they may have already broken free and started reiming the floodwaters from the sky. We also underestimated the strength of the Jade Emperor and his cohort.

    Aside from the Emperor of Eternal Life and Ziwu Emperor being slightly weaker, the rest are not much different from me in power. Alone, I can defeat one, with two I can barely manage a draw, but against three, I can only flee.

    However, with the addition of our brothers and my three disciples, we might just be able to face them." After a pause, Wukong continued, "Initially, I nned to ally with other demon leaders to destroy Lingxiao Pce and be done with it, but now I¡¯ve decided that the Heavenly Pce must bepletely obliterated.

    Otherwise, I can¡¯t avenge the Beautiful Monkey King¡¯s great enmity." His eyes zed with surging fighting spirit and boundless hatred.

    "Good, let¡¯s do it, brothers. We¡¯ll avenge the Beautiful Monkey King and give the beings of the Three Realms a clean te."

    "However, brothers, there¡¯s no need to rush. The Demon n has already gained an absolute advantage, and the Heavenly Pce is in utter defeat. All we need to do is to defeat the four Heavenly Emperors, and then victory is merely a matter of time. My three disciples have gone to meet with other leaders. Let¡¯s go too.

    Then, with the strength of everyonebined, we¡¯ll capture the four Heavenly Emperors. Once they¡¯re headless, the army of the Heavenly Pce will undoubtedly surrender."

    After speaking, Wukong, the Bull Demon King, the Peng Demon King, the Flood Dragon Demon King, the Lion Camel King, and the Rhino Monster, transformed into six different streaks of light, and vanished in a sh.

    This final battle was finally upon them. Thest stand that would determine the life and death of the Demon n¡¯s Heavenly Pce was set to unfold. No matter which side lost, it would significantly affect the overall situation. On the side of the demons, Wukong and hispanions were the soul of the entire Demon n.

    If they were defeated, the Demon n¡¯s army would undoubtedly be counterattacked by the Heavenly Generals, leading to their dispersal. And if the four Heavenly Emperors were defeated, the Demon n would assuredly raze the Heavenly Pce in one fell swoop. Therefore, in this final battle, no one could afford to lose; neither side could bear the defeat!

    And so it was:

    Gods, demons, mortals, and ghosts each walk separate paths; since ancient times, battles have subdued no one.

    To unify the three thousand worlds, it¡¯s bound to take thousands of lives and ten thousand bones withered away.

 Chapter 18 - 15 Good and Evil

    ```

    (Regarding the issue with the previous chapter. As you may have noticed, a part was missing. It was fine when first published, butter on, it suddenly disappeared, gged for containing illegal content. And then the text that had been written that day was gone. When reposted, it went up without issue. I will find the time to add it back in.)

    In this world, there is no true distinction between right and wrong. As long as something exists, there is a reason for its existence. And those so-called rights and wrongs, good and evil, are merely standards set by dominant groups. They use these concepts to prove the value and necessity of their existence.

    So, the world came to have justice and evil, virtuous Immortals spouting benevolence, and the so-called unforgivably wicked Demons. Once these opposing sides develop to a certain extent, in the end, good and evil will inevitably sh in an unavoidable dispute. The victor bes the new justice, while the loser sumbs to bing the new evil.

    The so-called ¡¯evil cannot ovee good¡¯ is thus, because ¡¯good¡¯ is always written by the victors.

    Therefore, the war between the Demon n and Heaven was inevitable, and ultimately, a victor had to be decided. Many understood this truth, so no one could afford to lose.

    In Heaven, the four Emperors led the way, followed by numerous Heavenly Generals. On the side of the Demon n, Sun Wukong took the lead, with his three disciples and the heads of the Demon n behind him. The two armies faced each other in front of the Imperial Court Hall.

    By this time, the Demon n¡¯s army was gradually forming an encirclement and tightening its grip, while Heaven¡¯s forces, though fighting bravely, continued to be pushed back. It was believed that before long, Heaven¡¯s forces would be cornered near the Lingxiao Hall. That would be when they¡¯d bepletely surrounded by the Demon n¡¯s army.

    The great Heaven being besieged by a horde of Demons was a tremendous disgrace. The four Emperors were resolved not to let such a thing happen. The only way to change the current situation was for the four Emperors to take action once more, aiming to kill or capture the high-endbatants of the Demon n.

    Only then, under the leadership of the four Emperors, could Heaven possibly counterattack from being besieged and regain the initiative!

    Then... the Jade Emperor stepped forward, "Sun Wukong, I no longer wish to dwell on the past grievances between us. Nowadays, you too hold amanding position, and your every word and action represent the entire Demon n. Thus, I issue you a challenge. I propose a one-on-one duel to the death with you, with no one else to intervene, until one of us perishes.

    Do you dare to ept?" The first half of the Jade Emperor¡¯s speech was rtively mild, but thetter half was filled with a chilling intent, brimming with domineering spirit. An air of supreme arrogance suddenly surged from him. Unexpectedly, the usually refined and genteel Jade Emperor could exhibit such overbearing and arrogant demeanor.

    "Hahaha, old Jade Emperor, if I, Old Sun, can stir up trouble in the Heavenly Pce once, I can do it a second time! A mere Jade Emperor, what should I fear? I, Sun Wukong, was born for battle. Never ceasing to live, never ceasing to fight!" Thest sentence seemed to ignite everyone¡¯s fury. "Never ceasing to live, never ceasing to fight.

    Never ceasing to live, never ceasing to fight!" This was the battle cry of all present!

    "Well then,e at me." Before he finished his words, the Jade Emperor had already transformed into a streak of light, flying towards Beyond the Heavens.

    "Brother Monkey, be careful. This old man is so arrogant, he must be up to something," warned Sha Wujing.

    "No worries, don¡¯t forget, I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, born fearless! Hahaha." Laughing wildly, he too gave chase.

    "Now that the Jade Emperor has engaged Sun Wukong, why don¡¯t we have some fun as well?" Having said that, Great Emperor Gouchen beckoned to Zhu Bajie with his finger. Zhu Bajie was initially reluctant to fight, but suddenly, as if he heard a voice in his ear, he snapped to attention, and his overwhelming will to fight and intent to kill burst forth, startling Bull Demon King and others nearby.

    They all thought to themselves, "When did Zhu Bajie be so formidable?" At that moment, Zhu Bajie had already hoisted his Nine-Toothed Rake and charged fearlessly forward. Without a second word, he struck with his rake. Fortunately, Great Emperor Gouchen was prepared and managed to dodge with a backward leap, narrowly escaping. He then turned into a streak of light himself and fled.

    Zhu Bajie looked back briefly before giving chase.

    Now, two Emperors remained in Heaven, but the Demon n no longer had anyone capable of matching an Emperor. Just as Bull Demon King was contemting a joint attack, Sha Wujing, head lowered, slowly and deliberately stepped forward and positioned himself at the forefront, facing the two Emperors of Heaven from a distance.

    "Since my eldest and second elder brothers have chosen their opponents, wouldn¡¯t it be disgraceful if I didn¡¯t choose one?" After finishing his words, he slowly raised his head. Immediately, Emperor of Eternal Life and the Great Emperor Ziwu gasped. Good heavens, this, this, this is Sha Wujing?

    Such a fierce face, such a dense killing aura, such a strange demonic aura, and, this pure demonic power, who, who is this?

    "You, who are you? How dare you impersonate Monk Sha?"

    "Me? Heh heh, I truly was Monk Sha, but now, I am a Great Demon of the Demon n. As for my name, I still prefer others to call me Sha Wujing!" As he spoke, Sha Wujing gently caressed the crescent shovel in his hands while gazing wickedly at the Great Emperor Ziwu.

    "Impossible, how could Monk Sha turn into someone like you? His cultivation was only that of a Daluo Golden Immortal, but your demonic power is almost surpassing mine now, how is that possible?"

    "Before, it indeed wasn¡¯t possible, but now that I¡¯ve unsealed it, everything is possible." Saying this, Sha Wujing took off a string of prayer beads from around his neck, except these beads were strung together with nine skull heads.

    ```

 Chapter 19 - 15 Good and Evil_2

    ```

    "When you summoned the stagnant water in the Lingxiao Pce, didn¡¯t you already self-destruct? How could..."

    "How could there still be one, right? Hehe, your sadness lies in the fact that you only use your own perspective to measure everything. Just like how you¡¯ve always thought, Monk Sha is nothing but an honest and simple-minded monk. Foolish, haha. What self-destructed in the Lingxiao Pce was merely an illusion created from the mana I had umted.

    This one is the real thing, the center of all evil Qi in the world¡ªthe Sanzang Skull Bead Rosary!"

    Sha Wujing¡¯sugh was sinister, and his strength instilled fear in everyone present. Before the Purple Gold Divine Dragon could continue with his questioning, Sha Wujing seemed to have grown impatient. After putting the skull bead rosary around his neck, one of the beads suddenly lit up, followed by Sha Wujing¡¯s loud shout, "Troops!"

    Immediately after, the Purple Gold Divine Dragon was sent flying backwards, quickly exiting Heaven and into the Beyond the Heavens. Sha Wujing, after giving the Heavenly Emperor Eternal an evil smile, suddenly disappeared from the spot.

    Leaving behind the stunned onlookers with a single thought:

    Who knew Monk Sha could be so formidable?

    In the field, there was still one Heavenly Emperor on Heaven¡¯s side. On the Demon n¡¯s side... there was no one left capable of battling the Heavenly Emperor!

    "Who dares to battle me?" the Heavenly Emperor Eternal tauntingly looked at the members of the Demon n. But before the Heavenly Emperor Eternal could revel in his boastful words, the Bull Demon King suddenly bellowed, "Battle your uncle!

    Brothers, let¡¯s gang up on him, it¡¯s a group beatdown!" Then, the Heavenly Emperor Eternal, caught off guard, found himself pped in the face by various magic treasures from the Bull Demon King and others. Although the Heavenly Emperor Eternal wasn¡¯t injured, he was certainly in disarray.

    Swinging his staff, he erected a green barrier in front of him, and the Heavenly Emperor Eternal took the opportunity to retreat, preparing to regroup and teach these audacious demons a lesson!

    However, tragedy oftenes in a session. When the Heavenly Emperor Eternal felt the impact of magic treasures, including the Fire-tipped Spear and the Qiankun Ring, on his back, he realized this truth. He had been ambushed again, and it was a group ambush!

    After putting up another green barrier, the Heavenly Emperor Eternal had learned his lesson. After thoroughly checking front, back, left, and right, he then straightened his hair and exhaled deeply, saying, "You lowly vermin dare to..." Before he could finish his sentence, a bright light shed by, and the Heavenly Emperor Eternal let out a scream.

    Then, a bright white ring floated in the air, shaking as if mocking someone.

    "Hehe, old bison, using your Vajra Bracelet for a sneak attack really is a fine treasure. Pity your strength seemed a bit light." These were teasing words from the Bull Demon King.

    "Father, you¡¯re not right there. Uncle Qing Niu¡¯s ring isn¡¯t meant for smashing people¡¯s heads at all." These words came from the group that had ambushed the Heavenly Emperor Eternal. This group included Hong Hai¡¯er, Nezha, the ck Bear Spirit, Jinzha, Muzha, the Tongtian River Carp Spirit, and King of the Heavenly Tower, Li Jing!

    Of course, in the recent ambush, Li Jing hadn¡¯t made a move, as he was amander of one side after all, and he had to maintain some semnce of dignity.

    "Humph, it turns out to be General Li Jing. We brothers were just about to gang up on this Emperor. I wonder if General Li Jing would be interested in setting up an imprable to prevent escape?" The sneering tone came from the Peng Demon King.

    Although he didn¡¯t know why Li Jing, amander for Heaven, had defected to the Demon n, the hatred from Li Jing¡¯s massacre of demons could not be easily quelled. But for the bigger picture, they couldn¡¯t turn des on each other, which made it impossible for Peng Demon King to speak politely to him.

    Though fuming with anger, Li Jing didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he waved his hand, and the twenty-eight Lunar Mansions of the original Heaven appeared in the sky and arranged themselves in the Great Formation. Then Li Jing also summoned his Exquisite Pagoda and shouted, "Seal the Demon Grand Formation with an impassable of heaven and earth."

    ```

    Then, it was a pitiful group beatdown, except it was a group beating up on the one and only Emperor of Eternal Life!

    Leaving aside the thoughts of the Emperor of Eternal Life in the face of so many masters, let us turn to Sun Wukong, who was now deeply embroiled in battle with the Jade Emperor, in the realm Beyond the Heavens. The moment Sun Wukong¡¯s somersault came to a halt, he had arrived Beyond the Heavens. And there, leisurely facing him, was the Jade Emperor, with a face brimming with mockery.

    Sun Wukong seemed to sense something.

    "Sun Wukong, who would have thought that after all these years, you¡¯ve made no progress at all? You¡¯re still as recklessly brave and ruthless. Wasn¡¯t Tathagata¡¯s p painful enough for you?"

    "Hmph, Jade Emperor, you¡¯re a sly old man, to lure me here alone, you must be confident of your victory or have some means to suppress me again. Haha, but what of it? I¡¯ll settle my score with Tathagata sooner orter, and I don¡¯t need you to butt in."

    "Hmph, you¡¯re an insolent monkey who fails to recognize what¡¯s good for you. No matter how formidable you are, you will always be nothing more than a wild ape. Do you really think you can destroy what Heaven has umted over countless years? Do you really take me for an old man whose only skill is to review petitions? Then you¡¯re gravely mistaken.

    Today, let me show you what I, Hao Tian Golden Ptial Supreme Majestic Jade Emperor, can truly do."

    "Haha, I¡¯ve been eager to see for myself. In this world, aside from my master Sanzang, there¡¯s no one else I fear."

    What needed to be said had been said, and what remained was a battle to the death.

    "Nine Dragons True Qi, emerge!" Instantly, nine Purple Gold Divine Dragons sprang forth behind the Jade Emperor, and a pressure like that of heaven and earth enveloped the surroundings. The nine Purple Gold Divine Dragons coiled around the Jade Emperor, shielding him thoroughly.

    "One defense, eight attacks." Following the Jade Emperor¡¯smand, eight Purple Gold Divine Dragons, fierce and threatening, surged towards Sun Wukong.

    At first, Sun Wukong was somewhat dismissive¡ªsuch techniques of using Qi to form dragons didn¡¯t seem too clever. But when the eight dragons charged at him, he realized he had underestimated the Jade Emperor. These nine Purple Gold Divine Dragons were probably not as simple as mere Qi transformation into dragons.

    However, Sun Wukong was by no means a fish waiting to be ughtered; he might well be a terrifying great white shark. In less than an instant, Sun Wukong had adjusted his stance, yet he regretted it after he was engulfed in a sh of purple gold light, for he had been wounded.

    The Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown on his head was shattered piece by piece, a trickle of blood flowing down Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead. The sleeves on Sun Wukong¡¯s arms had vanished, leaving countless small andrge wounds on his arms. Though not critically injured, this first engagement had seen Sun Wukong disadvantaged due to his carelessness.

    Ignoring the blood on his forehead, Sun Wukong looked up at the Jade Emperor, his lips curving into a slight smirk: "It seems, atst, I can truly go all out. Haha, haha, after all these years of suppression, it¡¯s finally time to let go, hahaha."

    With Sun Wukong¡¯s almost madugh, a ferocious ape with upright, vajra-like hair appeared beside him¡ªsharp ws, robust muscles, a dominating body, and pointed fangs. The entire space was filled with rampant Demon Qi and a brutal desire for ughter.

    "Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape form¡ªunleash!"

 Chapter 20 - 16: The Final Battle

    The Jade Emperor unleashed the Supreme Nine Dragons Aura, where eight Purple Gold Divine Dragons injured Sun Wukong in their first encounter. Instead of being deterred, the wound ignited Sun Wukong¡¯s fighting spirit. Thus, the evil incarnation of Sun Wukong, the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, appeared.

    Witnessing this scene, the Jade Emperor¡¯s pupils shrank, and he thought to himself, "I didn¡¯t expect this monkey to not only have severed his evil thoughts but also to be capable of creating doppelgangers.

    This doppelganger¡¯s strength is no less than Sun Wukong himself, in fact, it¡¯s even stronger by three parts due to the unleashed wildness within." This realization caused the Jade Emperor¡¯s once assured confidence to waver.

    Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie was also struggling bitterly, with his battle proving far more brutal than the sh between Sun Wukong and the Jade Emperor. Although Zhu Bajie¡¯s strength was nearly on par with the Emperor Ziwei, his newfound power made him clumsily execute his moves. This slight hesitation brought great difficulty to Zhu Bajie.

    Emperor Ziwei, a tremendously experienced warrior, seized upon Bajie¡¯s asional inconsistencies in movement,unching targeted attacks exactly where Bajie¡¯s guard was down. Emperor Ziwei¡¯s hands shone with bright starlight, which he transformed into a vast array of weaponry that rained upon Bajie, leaving him in disarray.

    Before long, Zhu Bajie was covered in wounds. Though the injuries were not deep, over time, the umted damage could prove fatal. Left with no choice, Bajie decided on a desperate approach¡ªtrading blow for blow. He swung his Nine-Toothed Rake wildly in a frenzied attack.

    And, surprisingly, in the midst of his reckless offensive, he managed tond two hits on Emperor Ziwei, who was utterly taken aback in terror!

    That was the Nine-Toothed Rake after all, forged by the Supreme Elder Lord himself from Divine Icy Iron, with the power of the Five Directions Emperors and the Six Ding and Six Jia, weighing countless catties, 5048 catties including the handle. Its full title was the Supreme Treasure Gold Rake! This rake possessed an incredibly powerful attribute; it could devour souls and vital essence.

    Even Sun Wukong dared not let the rake strike him too often. For ordinary Golden Immortals, just three strikes could reduce them from Daluo Golden Immortals to nameless ghosts in the Netherworld. Clearly, having been struck twice, if Emperor Ziwei wasn¡¯t careful and got hit a few more times, he would bepletely doomed, beyond any salvation.

    Hence, Emperor Ziwei was forced to engage Zhu Bajie with hit-and-run tactics, not daring to get close without certainty of his upper hand.

    Finally, let¡¯s see how Sha Wujing¡¯s battle in Beyond the Heavens is going!

    Great Emperor Gouchen, formally known as the Gouchen Upper Pce Heavenly Emperor, is revered in the Heavenly Realm as the sovereign of ten thousand thunders. Mastering Thunder System Taoist Spells to perfection, a tempest of thunder raged throughout Beyond the Heavens. Each gesture from the Great Emperor Gouchen summoned a powerful and fierce Divine Thunder to strike down.

    Amongst this thunderstorm sea, the most conspicuous was a great river at the very center. Yes, a river.

    This river, dark as ink and constantly flowing, bizarrely showed not a single ripple on its surface. It was only through the nearly twisted space around the river that one could discern its terrifyingly rapid current. Following the flow¡¯s direction, at the end of the river stood an unusuallyrge skull, carved from pristine white jade, gaping open to devour the iing river.

    Looking towards the opposite end, there was another skull of equal size, however, it was spewing out vast amounts of water.

    Thus, a strange tableau was set¡ªGreat Emperor Gouchen ensconced within a light barrier made of countless Divine Thunders, continuously directing the thunderous assaults at the great river. Sha Wujing hid within the river, ceaselessly shooting out myriads of Water Arrows.

    When the thunder struck the river¡¯s surface, it seemed to hit a mirror, causing the electric force to be diffused by the flowing water, before clinging onto the surface and flowing into the skull. The water, normally a conductor of electricity, now appeared to be its nemesis.

    However, the Water Arrows and Water Dragons shot from within the river also got weakened by the thunder during their flight, causing them to inflict minimal damage upon striking the Thunder Mantle.

    Thus, the two of them, due to mutual dread, ended up in a deadlock. However, Sha Wujing harbored an intent to kill, not to stand here and trade shots with Great Emperor Gouchen. The next moment, a determined and decisive light shone in Sha Wujing¡¯s eyes.

    In this way, the three disciples Sun Wukong fought valiantly against three Heavenly Emperors, while the Bull Demon King and others, along with theter support from Nezha and the rest, confronted Emperor of Eternal Life. Fortunately, Emperor of Eternal Life specialized in inexhaustible defense, which allowed him to hold on.

    At this point, everyone had only one thought in mind: that their side would quickly defeat the opponent and thene to their aid. Only then would the scales of victory tip.

    Time slowly trickled away under such circumstances. Finally, just as the Bull Demon King and the others were bing extremely restless, a streak of light flew across the sky. Immediately, everyone¡¯s hearts were in their throats. The streak of light soon stopped between the two sides, and as its brilliance dissipated, a wave of shouting erupted. It turned out to be Sun Wukong.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s battle armor was almostpletely shattered, his body marked with bloodstains and countless wounds,rge and small. Even a trickle of fresh blood flowed from his forehead. However, the Jade Emperor fared even worse, as he was being dragged by Sun Wukong, who was holding him by the cor, across the ground.

    From the Jade Emperor¡¯s posture, it was clear he had passed out and was barely breathing.

    At this moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s face was firm, his auramanding, and the blood covering his body added not a hint of disarray but rather an even more fierce and untamed wildness!

    "Monkey, you, you actually defeated the Jade Emperor? Are you, are you alright?"

    Looking down at the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong said indifferently, "I won against the Jade Emperor only after sacrificing the body of the Benevolent Victory Buddha and the body of the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape driven by malevolence."

    When the Bull Demon King and the others saw Sun Wukong, their hearts were filled with wild joy. However, for Emperor of Eternal Life, it wasplete despair. Although Sun Wukong might not have had muchbat power left, his mere presence created deterrence and novelty. With this shift, Emperor of Eternal Life even began to entertain the idea of giving up resistance.

    Gazing at Sun Wukong¡¯s god-of-war-like awe and might, it felt as if they were staring at a chasm that could never be crossed, entrenched in their hearts. He knew that Heaven¡¯s defeat was merely a matter of time. What concerned him now was what, if anything, would remain of Heaven after this battle, or whether there would be a Heaven at all?

    "Demon n troops, hear mymand, attack with full force. The Supreme Jade Emperor of Heaven has been captured by me. Whether Heaven will fall to the Demon n now depends on you," roared Sun Wukong, a cry that resonated throughout the Three Realms, igniting the final frenzy of the Demon n¡¯s army. All of the demon soldiers, fearlessly and ferociously,unched their final assault.

    In everyone¡¯s mind, there was only one thought: if Marshal Sun Wukong himself could capture the Jade Emperor, how could they, as his soldiers, let mere heavenly soldiers stand in their way?

    Thus, the heavenly soldiers, who had already been at a disadvantage, now found themselves utterly overwhelmed. Under the frenzied onught of the Demon n¡¯s army, the heavenly soldiers were quickly squeezed in around the Lingxiao Pce. Their numbers had dwindled from the original, mighty million to less than two hundred thousand¡ªa catastrophic loss!

    The blood of the fallen flowed through all thirty-six heavenly pces and seventy-two halls, leaving countless severed limbs and bodies. This included not only the bodies of eight hundred thousand heavenly soldiers but also nearly two hundred thousand Demon n soldiers!

    Although the Demon n had almost absolute superiority, the tenacious resistance of the heavenly soldiers still inflicted close to two hundred thousand casualties on them. This proved the saying that in war, there are no survivors without loss.

    By the time Bull Demon King and the others had captured the Emperor of Eternal Life, the Demon n¡¯s army had already taken control of the heavenly soldiers. At this point, the great war between the Demon n and the Heavenly Realm had finallye to an end, and the victor was, undoubtedly, the allied forces of the Demon n.

    All the Demon n chiefs involved in the war would be recorded in the annals of the n¡¯s history, revered as Great Demons for all eternity!

    Although Heaven still had two Heavenly Emperors and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing fighting and had not yet returned, it was already of no consequence. In the face of overwhelming numbers, individual might had been reduced to its lowest.

    "Old Bull, take care of the aftermath. Remember, don¡¯t kill the surrendered heavenly soldiers! I¡¯m going to see how Bajie and Old Sha are doing. I¡¯m worried about them after such a long time without news."

    Before Bull Demon King could respond, Sun Wukong¡¯s expression suddenly tensed, and he turned his head to look towards the skies of the Western Paradise, his right hand gripping the Golden Hoop, veins bulging. It seemed he had spotted something or someone he despised to the bone.

    Bull Demon King and the others noticed Sun Wukong¡¯s abnormal reaction, but besides the clouds filling the sky, they saw nothing. "Monkey, what do you see..." "Shut up. Everyone, be on guard. Notify the army to enter battle status immediately. Abandon the prisoners, prepare for battle quickly, hurry, hurry!"

    While Bull Demon King and the others were still bewildered, a majestic and loud voice rang out, "Great Saint Sun, no need for that! It¡¯s already toote."

    Before the voice even fell, a figure had arrived!

    Seeing the person who had appeared, everyone was stunned and instantly understood why Sun Wukong had called them to arms. For the one who hade was none other than Sakyamuni Buddha of the Western Paradise¡ªTathagata Buddha!

    Behind Tathagata followed almost all the renowned Buddhas of the Western Paradise: Ancient Buddha of the Lamp, Maitreya Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Medicine Master Buddha.

    Behind these Buddhas were numerous Bodhisattvas and Vajra Arhats: Bodhisattva Guanyin, Great Strength Bodhisattva, Sunlight Bodhisattva, Moonlight Bodhisattva, the Thunder Spell Vajra from the Secret Demon Rock on Wutai Mountain, the Invincible Vajra from the Pure Cool Cave of Emei Mountain, the Great Strength Vajra from Mo¡¯er Cliff of Mount Sumeru, and the Eternal Vajra from Golden Drop Ridge of Kunlun Mountain, to name a few.

    And behind these were the endless ranks of Buddhist soldiers, easily numbering over three million at a nce!

    And once these Buddhist soldiers arrived, they swiftly surrounded all the Demon n soldiers. The Demon n¡¯s army, which had initially numbered eight hundred thousand, had lost nearly two hundred thousand in the great battle. Now, only about six hundred thousand remained, a weary force at best, with at most thebat power of three hundred thousand.

    Against a three-million-strong force, all members of the Demon n knew thatplete annihtion was likely the only path left!

    After the Buddhist soldiers hadpleted the encirclement, Tathagata floated before Sun Wukong on the Nine Treasures Lotus tform. With a smile that was not quite a smile, he said to Sun Wukong, "Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, you are quite imposing. Even the Jade Emperor was beaten like a dead dog? It seems I underestimated you before. Weren¡¯t you just about to find your two disciples?

    Heh, no need for that. Bring up Zhu Bajie!"

    As he finished speaking, several Buddhist soldiers came forward, dragging a rope behind them. Tied to the other end of the rope was Zhu Bajie, but at this moment, Zhu Bajie¡¯s limbs were all broken, and he was no different from a dead man.

    Seeing Sun Wukong¡¯s face contorted with abnormal fury and distress, Tathagata spoke again, "It¡¯s a pity we didn¡¯t catch your disciple, Sha Wujing." Just as Sun Wukong let out a sigh of relief, Tathagata continued, "Because he and the Great Emperor of the Purple Tinge met their ends together, and not even their bones remain."

    "Tathagata, you wretched fool, you deserve to die!" Sun Wukong, consumed by extreme anger, saw his wounds burst open again, oozing fresh blood. He pointed at Tathagata with one hand holding the Golden Hoop and the other clutching his chest. With a low growl, Sun Wukong said, "Oh, that¡¯s right, your Flower Fruit Mountain is gone too. Unexpectedly, your master Tang Sanzang was also there.

    So, I took the liberty of capturing him as well. Pity about your Flower Fruit Mountain. By now it must be in ashes."

    "Pfft." A gush of blood spurted out. Sun Wukong turned ashen!

 Chapter 21 - 17 Defeat?

    At this moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s rationality had beenpletely devoured by hatred and rage. With a piercing roar to the sky, Wukong¡¯s figure moved, and in the next instant, he had appeared behind Tathagata.

    His right hand wielding the Jingu Bang made move to smash down, but two beams of golden light shot forward quickly and formed the shape of a lotus flower, glittering with gold, behind Tathagata Buddha. Though it appeared to be just a lotus flower made of light, it firmly blocked Wukong¡¯s staff attack.

    These two were none other than Tathagata¡¯s disciples, the Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Before Wukong could retract his Jingu Bang, Tathagata flicked a finger, and Wukong was sent flying backward. Announcing a Buddha¡¯s name, Tathagata said to Wukong, "Sun Wukong, you have lost. You have lostpletely, and now, you have nothing left.

    Your Demon n army, I will soon transform them all into soldiers for my Western Paradise Sacred Mountain. Give up, as long as you kneel and convert to my teachings, I, will spare your life."

    Sun Wukong did not answer, nor did he hurl insults. He just slowly stood up, abruptly lifted his head, and red furiously at Tathagata Buddha. Then, he forcefully stabbed the Jingu Bang into the ground beside him. Turning his head for a nce at the lifeless Zhu Bajie on the ground and others like the Bull Demon King trapped by the Buddhist Soldiers, Wukong grabbed the golden hoop on his head.

    "Aaaaah!" His visceral scream was proof of the immense pain Wukong was enduring at that moment. Hot blood spurts from his wounds continuously, and the muscles in Wukong¡¯s arms even began to tear, a result of the tremendous strength that the muscles couldn¡¯t withstand.

    Finally, just before the muscles in Wukong¡¯s armspletely shattered, he seeded in removing the golden hoop from his head. The moment the hoop hit the ground, an incredibly ferocious aura, filled with boundless and endless murderous intent, swept out. As this aura continued to build, the injuries across Wukong¡¯s body also started to heal gradually.

    When the aura peaked, the injuries and the mana Wukong had expended had fully recovered. Moreover, Wukong¡¯sbat power at this moment was double what it had been before.

    "Tathagata old man, you forced this upon me, you forced this upon me. Even if I die today, I will kill you. I will kill you, kill, kill you!" At this moment, Sun Wukong had be utterly frenzied, with only one thought in his heart ¡ª to kill Tathagata.

    "I didn¡¯t expect this monkey to have such a trick up his sleeve. No wonder that after his journey to the west years ago, I removed his golden hoop, but shortly after, another appeared on his head. It turns out that this golden hoop was ced by himself all along.

    Yet this hoop had always been suppressing his strength and had infused nearly a thousand years of umted spiritual energy into the monkey instantaneously, which also counts as quite a rare treasure."

    Tathagata Buddha, also known as the Multi-treasure Tathagata, clearly showed his deep love for magic treasures.

    "All Buddhist Soldiers, heed mymand, and form the Myriad Buddhas Demon-Subduing Formation!" Although Tathagata was curious about what kind of magic treasure the golden hoop was, he did not lose his focus and immediately ordered all Buddhas to retreat behind him while calling a million Buddhist Soldiers to step forward.

    Tathagata well understood that Wukong¡¯s strength had soared to dangerous heights and probably required the joint efforts of all present Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to handle. However, this would undoubtedly lead to significant casualties, as each lost Buddha or Bodhisattva would be irreceable.

    Nevertheless, Tathagata had no qualms about sacrificing Buddhist Soldiers to wear Wukong down, for there was an abundance of them, and those fallen could simply be reborn through transcendence. Among the demon n and Heaven¡¯s remaining forces, there were as many as a million defeated soldiers present.

    Thus, the battlefield saw such a scene. Out of the three million Buddhist Soldiers who hade with Tathagata, a million formed the Demon-Trapping Deity-Sealing Formation to control nearly a million demon and heavenly soldiers. The remaining two million encircled the rampaging Sun Wukong in a circr formation.

    If Wukong wished to kill Tathagata, he had to break the formation or kill two million Buddhist Soldiers.

    However, Wukong had already been possessed by rage, with only the thought of killing Tathagata on his mind, even losing all reason. So, Wukong¡¯s only choice was to kill. To ughter everything in front of him and then take revenge ¨C for Bajie, for Old Sand, for his master, for Flower Fruit Mountain, for the countless fallen demons.

    The Jingu Bang waved continuously in his hands, each swing taking the life of a Buddhist Soldier, sometimes even more. So much blood was spilled that the sky turned red, the earth turned red, the whole world turned red. All he could see were the endless Buddhist Soldiers and scattered limbs, and all he could hear were the roaring sounds of battle.

    The strength within his body was ebbing away bit by bit, but the number of Buddhist Soldiers in front of him did not seem to decrease. How many had he killed? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? Or half a million?

    All this, Sun Wukong did not know. All he knew was to keep swinging the Jingu Bang, to keep on killing. Finally, after Wukong ughtered a total of one million two hundred thousand Buddhist Soldiers, Sun Wukong fell. The blood on his body was thick and coagted, the pungent metallic scent visible to the naked eye. Even the Jingu Bang, which was indestructible, had several marks on it.

    No matter how strong a being was, they reached a point of exhaustion, and gods were no exception. Even Pangu the Great God, who had opened the heavens and earth, perished in the end from exhaustion.

    Sun Wukong was in despair. His body feltpletely hollow, without a trace of strength. He was so tired, incredibly tired. Just as Wukong was about to close his eyes, a sh of five-colored light streaked by.

    Then, Wukong¡¯s body shuddered suddenly, and another apocalyptic aura, fierce and overwhelming, burst forth.

    "Nezha, Nezha, I, Old Sun, will never forget your great kindness. I¡¯ll avenge your grudge for you." As Wukong, who had been at the end of his vigor, stood up once more, his aura was even more formidable than before. This scene suddenly twisted Tathagata¡¯s expression.

    He had thought to be the oriole behind the mantis catching the cicada, waiting for the Demon n and Heaven to inflict mutual heavy losses before he cleaned up the mess. However, he had not expected that just Sun Wukong alone would cause the loss of one million two hundred thousand Buddhist Soldiers. If he could capture Wukong after this and emerge entirely victorious, Tathagata could ept it.

    Yet, when everyone thought Wukong had fallenpletely exhausted, inexplicably, Wukong was standing once more. And, apparently, he was even more powerful than before, even overwhelming Tathagata by far too much.

    At this moment, if he were to fight Sun Wukong one-on-one, Tathagata felt that he might not be able to withstand even three of his blows. This infuriated Tathagata to a great extent. A mere character that he could have easily crushed and suppressed in the past was now capable of instilling a feeling of fear in him, something Tathagata Buddha found utterly uneptable.

    "All Buddhist Soldiers, heed mymand, withdraw three hundred thousand to join the formation besieging Sun Wukong. Even if all are to perish in battle, they must stop Sun Wukong for me. All other Buddhas, strike with all your might, and y the demon Sun Wukong!"

    By now, one could discern the impatience and unease in Tathagata¡¯s voice. He had initially thought victory was in his grasp, which was why he had brought five million Buddhist Soldiers. They were divided into two groups, with two million attacking Flower Fruit Mountain. However, what Tathagata had not anticipated was the presence of Patriarch Bodhi and Golden Cicada at Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Moreover, Golden Cicada had even advanced to Saint status. With two Saints defending Flower Fruit Mountain, it became significantly more challenging.

    Yet, despite this, Tathagata had no choice but to press on with determination. As the Buddhist Soldiers advanced in their attack, Tathagata found that Golden Cicada seemed to have suffered severe injuries, and Patriarch Bodhi had also greatly diminished in mana. Ultimately, under Tathagata¡¯s relentless offensive, which disregarded all losses, Flower Fruit Mountain was breached.

    Patriarch Bodhi was sealed, and Golden Cicada was captured. However, of the two million Buddhist Soldiers who attacked Flower Fruit Mountain, only about seven hundred thousand remained. These survivors did not follow Tathagata to Heaven, for they stayed behind at Flower Fruit Mountain to attend to the aftermath.

    Therefore, only about one point one million were avable for use at this time. The remaining seven hundred thousand had to maintain the Great Formation. Otherwise, if the Demon n¡¯s army were to break through the formation, Tathagata¡¯s efforts would have been utterly wasted.

    For this reason, at this moment, Tathagata mobilized all his strength, determined to y Sun Wukong. Over a million Buddhist Soldiers immediately advanced, essentially sacrificing their lives to halt Sun Wukong¡¯s progress. However, at that moment, everyone witnessed a terrifying scene.

    The reason the Buddhist Soldiers had previously been able to deplete Sun Wukong¡¯s power was that he had be possessed, consumed by a murderous intent with no other thoughts ¨C a ferocious beast that only knew ughter. But this time was different. Before the Buddhist Soldiers could form their ranks, Sun Wukong teleported and vanished from where he stood.

    In the next instant, he appeared behind Tathagata.

    Without turning his head, Sun Wukong simply swung his arm around and struck with his staff. This time, Tathagata dared not underestimate his opponent and hurriedly maneuvered the Lotus Pedestal to dodge. This Lotus Pedestal indeed was a Supreme Rank magic treasure, with Tathagata sitting atop it, his speed was like lightning.

    Seeing his initial strike miss, Sun Wukong instantly twisted his wrist and the Jingu Bang followed, sweeping toward Manjushri and Samantabhadra on either side. These two did not have the speed of Tathagata¡¯s pedestal and had no choice but to endure the strike.

    But just as the Jingu Bang was about to sweep into Manjushri¡¯s Lotus Flower Shield, the staff suddenly vanished. Before Manjushri could react, a scream was heard in the distance and, upon looking up, a severed arm was seen flying through the air, while the scream was emitted by the Medicine Buddha. Picking on the softer targets was universally acknowledged as rational behavior.

    Just as everyone had their magic treasures ready, Sun Wukong vanished again from their sight, followed by another scream. This time, what flew were the eight arms of the Four Heavenly Vajra Kings. Subsequently, all the Buddhas present witnessed what mortal Hell was like, the kind of overwhelming fear that could not be resisted.

    In just the blink of an eye, every Buddha there, except for Ancient Buddha of the Lamp, Tathagata Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, and Bodhisattva Guanyin, either had both arms or both legs severed. In short, not a single one remained intact.

    When Sun Wukong¡¯s form finally steadied, the look of fear in everyone¡¯s eyes as they gazed at Sun Wukong was palpable. How formidable he was¡ªsuch speed was beyondprehension for all present, and it was feared that this speed was now virtually on par with thought itself.

    Everyone knew that the only thing to do now seemed to be to flee, for continuing to fight very well might result in their demise right there. Just as everyone entertained thoughts of retreat, Sun Wukong suddenly copsed straight to the ground. It seemed he had once again exhausted all his strength. But all were too terrified to move, lest their own heads be the next to fly.

    However, after a long silence, it appeared that Sun Wukong had truly exhausted himself to death.

 Chapter 22 - 18: Defeated but Not Vanquished

    Although it seemed like Sun Wukong had fallen due to exhaustion, Tathagata remained uneasy, always feeling that at any moment, the monkey would stand up again! Thus, Tathagata used his mana to probe Sun Wukong once more. The result was the same as the previous times: the man was not dead, but the life force within his body was extremely chaotic, and he was on hisst breath.

    It was not a solution to remain in a stalemate, so Tathagata summoned a few Buddhist soldiers to check on him.

    The Buddhist soldiers carefully dragged Sun Wukong up, making him half-kneel before Tathagata. Only at this moment did Tathagata truly feel at ease. It seemed that this monkey truly could not rise again. Riding his Lotus Seat, Tathagata moved forward slowly, but at this moment, the already unconscious Sun Wukong suddenly opened his eyes.

    What kind of pupils were these, blood-red in color, exuding a fierce light that seemed to choose someone to devour? Yet within them mixed feelings of regret and hatred. "Tathagata, Tathagata, as long as I, Old Sun, am not dead, I will definitely kill you and obliterate your Spiritual Mount!" His heart-wrenching scream was so intense that blood spilled from the corners of his mouth due to the effort.

    Tathagata had already flown back the instant Sun Wukong opened his eyes. Seeing that Sun Wukong was only outwardly strong but inwardly weak, he returned to his lofty Buddha demeanor. Heaven knows how scared Tathagata had been made by Sun Wukong. First, he had single-handedly ughtered a total of one million two hundred thousand Buddhist soldiers.

    Then, he exploded with power again, breaking into the midst of the Buddhas with stick in hand, at a speed none could match, severing the arms or legs of everyone present. Heaven knows where Sun Wukong found such divine skills.

    ughtering the Buddhist soldiers was still understandable, but what the Buddhas couldn¡¯t ept was how Sun Wukong could possibly have such incredible speed and attack power? The Buddhas present were the top experts of the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain, representing the peak power of Buddhism. Yet, they were all ughtered by one person, without even having a chance to resist.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s speed had reached an inconceivable level. At the speed of thought, action followed!

    What was even more terrifying was Sun Wukong¡¯s judgment. During the second explosion of power, his strength greatly increased, but he did not choose to kill a single person; instead, he injured everyone. Do not assume that Sun Wukong had only broken their arms; he had also cut away their spirit.

    Unless they could find Heaven and Earth Treasures capable of restoring the spirit, they would have to remain disabled forever. By doing this, Sun Wukong had reduced the power of Buddhism by a third in an instant. If Sun Wukong had chosen to kill a single person, at most, he could have killed a Buddha of moderate strength within a fraction of a second. That kind of loss was insignificant to Buddhism.

    After realizing this, all the Buddhas, including Tathagata, wore expressions of palpitations. It seemed they had underestimated Sun Wukong. "Monkey, I must admit that you are now powerful enough to be considered a great enemy of Buddhism. Sadly, you are ultimately unable to escape a fate of downfall. Rest assured, I will not kill you, nor will I suppress you again.

    I will have the Buddhas of Buddhism drain your Innate Spiritual Charm and then cast you to the Mortal World. Haha, from a high and mighty deity to an ant-like mortal, that feeling must be supremely painful. Haha."

    "Tathagata, you old fool, I just want to ask you, where is my master, where is my master?"

    "Haha, want to see your master? Fine, Maitreya Buddha, throw Tang Sanzang out. I want Tang Sanzang to see with his own eyes how we drain his beloved disciple."

    Following that, Maitreya Buddha waved his hand, and a Golden Gong radiating golden light appeared in front of Sun Wukong. The Golden Gong then opened, revealing Tang Sanzang inside it, covered in blood and pale as a ghost, having suffered extremely heavy injuries.

    "Master, Master? I am Wukong, I am Wukong!"

    As Sun Wukong called out, Tang Sanzang slowly came to but was too severely wounded to even get up.

    "Wukong, Wukong, where are you? Are you alright? And your three brothers, how are they?"

    "Master... Master... Can¡¯t you see me? I am right in front of you. Bajie has been captured by that old Tathagata; his life or death is unclear. And Wujing has perished along with the Emperor Ziwei.

    Little White Dragon is fine, only captured by Tathagata." After saying this, tears of blood flowed from the corners of Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes.

    "I am fine, I am just blind, that old Tathagata stabbed my eyes, but it¡¯s nothing serious. Is Wujing dead? Wukong, Wukong, you must run, I will cover for you, run quickly."

    Before Tang Sanzang could struggle, Tathagata formed a hand seal, and a lotus flower appeared above Tang Sanzang¡¯s head, which then entered his skull.

    "You can¡¯t even save yourself, and still, you think of covering for the Monkey? Tang Sanzang, once my favored first disciple, yet you dared to oppose my n. Haha, how does it feel now, to be in such a state? Do you regret it? Buddhas, prepare to form the Soul-sucking Array and drain Sun Wukong of his Innate Spiritual Charm."

    Subsequently, all the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Buddhas scattered in all directions, positioning themselves in a Star of David formation while simultaneously making magical hand gestures. The next moment, from each person¡¯s body extended a silver-white ray of light, which eventually converged in front of the Tathagata into a miniature Star of David.

    Then, the Star of David was ced upon Sun Wukong¡¯s head. Immediately thereafter, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Sun Wukong¡¯s mouth. At the same time, blood flowed from his seven apertures, and milky white Spiritual Charm floated up from his head, absorbed by the various Buddhas into their bodies.

    Just then, Tang Sanzang, who should have beenpletely sealed, suddenly burst out shouting, "Dare to harm my disciple, you shall die!" In an instant, countless blood-colored petals appeared out of nowhere and swiftly filled the air. All that met the eye were the blood-colored petals. The Tathagata was taken aback, as the Soul-sucking Array set up by the Buddhas unexpectedly ceased to function.

    This filled the Tathagata with both shock and fury. However, just as the Tathagata prepared to use his Great Magical Power to disperse the petals, he discovered that they were already receding.

    Soon, the petals vanished into thin air as if they had never existed. But when the Tathagata turned to look towards the center of the Soul-sucking Array, he suddenly spewed forth a mouthful of blood. The Tathagata didn¡¯t even bother to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth but instead looked up to the sky and roared, "Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong.

    Even if I have to search the entire Three Realms, I will find you and grind your bones to dust!"

    Originally, Tang Sanzang had seized the moment when everyone¡¯s attention was diverted tounch the Transcendence Bloom and had taken the opportunity to rescue Sun Wukong.

    Right when the Tathagata¡¯s fury was beyondpare, a streak of golden light shed across the horizon, which turned out to be a Buddhist Soldier sent with the Tathagata¡¯s orders. But when the Buddhist Soldier descended, everyone was baffled, for he was covered in wounds.

    "Urgent military report: Spiritual Mount is under attack by the West Queen Mother leading an allied force of Heaven and the Demon n, totaling 2.3 million. Theyunched a surprise assault on our Spiritual Mount. Most of our Buddhist Soldiers were away with the Buddha, leaving less than 500,000 to defend the mountain. They are about to breach the Great Hall.

    With great difficulty, I escaped to request the Buddha to return with his army immediately. Otherwise, Spiritual Mount will fall!"

    After speaking, the messenger Buddhist Soldier died.

    At this moment, the Tathagata felt as if a fierce fire was burning in his chest. "Pfft, pfft, pfft," he spouted three mouthfuls of blood, and then, the Buddhism¡¯s Supreme Saint, the Supreme Buddha Shakyamuni, fainted from anger.

    Actually, Sun Wukong had not been unprepared against the Tathagata, nor had Heaven been entirely unready. When Sun Wukong led his army to attack Heaven, he had already ordered the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey to marshal a million-strong Demon n army to take a detour to Spiritual Mount.

    If the Tathagata showed any unusual moves while Sun Wukong was attacking Heaven, he was to immediately order the army to intercept and prevent the Buddha from seizing Heaven while the Demon n and Heaven¡¯s forces were mutually damaged.

    However, Wukong had not anticipated that the Tathagata would not lead an army from Spiritual Mount, but that a five-million-strong army had already been lying in wait near Heaven before the Demon n and Heavenmenced battle. This was why the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey had not informed Sun Wukong of the Tathagata¡¯s Buddhist Soldiers advancing to Heaven.

    As for Heaven, they had been well-aware of the Demon n¡¯s ns to attack but were confident they could repel them. Nheless, they were worried about Western Paradise Sacred Mountain as well and feared a decisive strike at a critical moment.

    Thus, they had also ordered the West Queen Mother to take 1.3 million Heavenly Soldiers to covertly ambush near Spiritual Mount, ready to besiege as soon as there was any sign of the Tathagata deploying forces, and to immediately notify Heaven. Regrettably, like the Demon n, they were all deceived by the Tathagata.

    Only at thest moment did the West Queen Mother and the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey realize the Tathagata had already deployed and destroyed both Heaven and the Demon n. The pair conspired and jointly attacked Spiritual Mount. If you sneak attack my Heaven and Flower Fruit Mountain, then we will join forces to sneak attack your Spiritual Mount.

    If ites to it, we will all perish together.

    Seeing the Tathagata faint from rage, everyone was stunned while feeling a mix of shock and anger. However angry they were in their hearts, they still had to deal with the immediate mess. Therefore, Bodhisattva Guanyin stepped forward, drew out the willow branch from the jade purification bottle, and let a drop of ambrosia fall from it. Instantly, a warm light spread, and the Tathagata awoke.

    The first thing the Tathagata did upon awakening was to immediately use his Great Magical Power to transcend and convert the captive Heavenly Soldiers and Demon Soldiers. Although the Tathagata was supremely powerful, transcending and converting more than a million people at once was no easy task, especially when they were powerfully skilled Heavenly and Demon Soldiers.

    The Buddhas looked at each other, helpless. With no alternative, they stopped their healing efforts, rose to their feet, and exerted their mana to assist the Tathagata. In this way, with the help of two million Buddhist Soldiers and the Buddhas, everyone except a few Heavenly Generals and Demon n leaders was transcended.

    Thus, the Buddhist Soldiers grew by two million, reaching a total of three million. As for the Heavenly Generals who could not be transcended, the Tathagata stripped them of their mana and cast them into the cycles of Hell¡¯s reincarnation.

    The leaders of the Demon n, including the Bull Demon King, the Peng Demon King, the Si monster, the Lion Camel King, and others, all became the mounts of the present Buddhas.

    After dealing with the remains and captives, the Tathagata dispatched one million Buddhist Soldiers to clean up the battlefield and take control of Heaven. The remaining two million followed the Tathagata, immediately returning with the army.

    By the time the Tathagata¡¯s two million-strong army arrived at Spiritual Mount, the West Queen Mother¡¯s allied army of Heaven and Demons had upied the mountain. Though their losses were severe, with over two million reduced to fewer than 600,000,pared to the now broken and battered Spiritual Mount, this loss was still considered worthwhile.

 Chapter 23 - 19 Causes

    ```

    Because the Buddhist Holy Land, the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain, had be a pile of ruins. Pavilions, towers, pagodas, and temples were all destroyed. What drove Tathagata absolutely mad was the resentment and vital energy that permeated the whole Western Paradise. The majestic Spiritual Mount was now virtually indistinguishable from the Ghost Domain.

    This was the stronghold of Buddhism, the sacred site of all Buddhist disciples, and it was in ruins. Restoring its former state would take at least a thousand years. Moreover, this was a humiliation that made it hard for Buddhism to hold its head high. He had led troops to sneak-attack someone else¡¯s stronghold, only to have his own stronghold destroyed in a surprise attack.

    In this battle, Tathagata didn¡¯t know if he had lost or won, if he had gained or suffered a loss. Although he had taken over Heaven and thus East Shengzhou and the Southern Continent became Buddhism¡¯s territories, along with the originally possessed Western Ox-He Continent, Buddhism now controlled three of the Four Great Continents.

    This was very advantageous for the spread of Buddhist teachings and the recruitment of believers. However, the Sacred Mountain was destroyed, which meant Buddhism had topletely migrate to Heaven. Additionally, the most important objective, Sun Wukong, was rescued by Tang Sanzang at thest moment.

    Tathagata had meticulously nned for two thousand years to seize the Spiritual Charm of Sun Wukong¡¯s Five-Colored Divine Stone. But now, he had barely managed to absorb less than one-tenth of it, which was practically useless to Tathagata at this point, like a drop in the bucket.

    With a somber face, Tathagata looked at Spiritual Mount, then clenched his teeth and suddenly waved his hand, saying, "All Buddhist Soldiers, heed mymand, eliminate the Demon Soldiers at all costs. No prisoners, kill them all!"

    Two million Buddhist Soldiers, eyes red with fury, charged toward Spiritual Mount. Their vast numbers and momentum were overwhelming. These Buddhist Soldiers were crazed; they would charge into any de and fire unhesitatingly. Such was the terrifying power of Buddhist faith.

    Two million against six hundred thousand, with the two million being elite troops and the six hundred thousand exhausted warriors. The oue was clear. Even though the Demon-Heaven Allied Forces knew they were doomed, not a single one retreated. Each fought with the determination to die.

    In the end, the Buddhist Soldiers triumphed as expected. The Demon n Allied Forces, including the Great Demon Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey, were entirely annihted. Not a single survivor, no surrenders, no deserters. The Queen Mother of the West from Heaven was captured by Guanyin and imprisoned.

    With that, the great battle between the Demon n and Heaven officially ended.

    Heaven, the Demon n, nearly entirely wiped out. The Demon n¡¯s holy site Flower Fruit Mountain destroyed, and Heaven entirely upied by Buddhism. Though Buddhism also suffered heavy losses with the destruction of Spiritual Mount, in the end, they were the final victors of this war. The sole supreme power in the entire Three Realms.

    In Coiled Silk Cave on Coiled Silk Ridge

    At this moment, Sun Wukong was still unconscious, indicating the significant damage caused by Nezha¡¯s Five-Colored Divine Stone forcibly entering Sun Wukong¡¯s body. Moreover, when Tathagata and otherster extracted one-tenth of the Spiritual Charm, it inflicted foundational damage on Sun Wukong. Such damage could not be easily healed in a short time.

    The situation of Tang Sanzang was also grim. He had already been injured during the fight with Tongtian, and the situation worsened when Tathagata sneak-attacked Flower Fruit Mountain, forcing Tang Sanzang to exert the Transcendence Bloom,pounding his injuries. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been captured by Tathagata.

    But in the end, seeing Sun Wukong in critical condition drove Tang Sanzang to desperation. He struggled to invoke the Transcendence Bloom, but due to severe injuries and depleted mana, he was unable to trigger it.

    Atst, Tang Sanzang merged the Transcendence Bloom into his body. Only then could he sessfully invoke it, using a sky full of blooming flowers to buy time to escape.

    Although the two ultimately got away, Tang Sanzang was on the brink of death!

    After an indeterminate amount of time, Sun Wukong finally stirred to consciousness. The moment he opened his eyes, all the memories from before he fainted crazily flooded in, causing his head to explode with pain. Among those rapidly surfacing memories, there was one that took Sun Wukong by surprise. Enduring the headache, he closed his eyes once more. That memory transformed into a voice.

    "Sun Wukong, I¡¯m Nezha. If you¡¯re hearing this, it means you¡¯ve survived. Don¡¯t be anxious, listen to me. Although I know you have many questions, there¡¯s not a lot of time, so I¡¯ll only tell you the most important things. First off, my true form is also a Five-Colored Divine Stone, only mine isn¡¯t asrge as yours.

    The Five-Colored Divine Stones were originally created by the Great Goddess Nuwa to mend the sky, divided into five attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. However, during the creation of the stones, Nuwa inadvertently foresaw a cmity that would befall the Demon n in future generations.

    To leave a glimmer of hope for the Demon n during this catastrophe, Nuwa purposefully left behind five Five-Colored Divine Stones, each with one of the attributes. She even infused a wisp of her own Nuwa power into these stones. Especially the earth attribute Divine Stone, to which Nuwa added a trace of Pangu the Great God¡¯s Chaotic Power."

    ```

    After mending the heavens, Nuwa sensed that due to her boundless merit, she was about to transcend and embody the Dao. So she scattered the five Spirit Stones throughout the Three Realms, hoping that one day the Divine Stones could transform into human form, cultivate the grand Dao, and help the Demon n during the great cmity, so their race would not be wiped out.

    And I, Nezha, am the smallest piece of the golden-attributed Divine Stone, while you, Sun Wukong, are thergest piece of the earth-attributed Divine Stone. However, due to some idents, I was mistakenly born into the womb of my mother, Lady Yin, thus bing the earliest awakened of the five Divine Stones and, surprisingly, I was not of the Demon n but of the Human n.

    Thus,ter I, in human form, slit my throat and, using lotus roots to reconstruct my body, I eventually became a member of the Demon n.

    Although I knew early on that you were that Divine Stone, I wasn¡¯t sure if you would help the Demon n. It was not until today that I learned that you are indeed correct.

    Normally, we would have to wait for all five Divine Stones to awaken before we could inherit these memories, but for some reason, the great cmity has arrived and only you and I, two pieces of the Divine Stone, have emerged, and you have not inherited the memories. This indicates that due to the constraints of time, something unexpected has happened.

    Therefore, I transformed back into my true form as a Divine Stone and merged into your body, aiding you to escape at thest moment. I know the task at hand is already teetering on the brink of extinction. So, your next mission is to scour the Three Realms to find the other three Divine Stones and fuse them into the Five-Colored Divine Stone.

    Only then will you have enough power to turn the tides, defeat Tathagata Buddha, and restore the prestige of our Demon n!

    The locations of the other three Divine Stones have already been imprinted on your memory. Alright, there¡¯s no time left. Thisst strand of my power is about to dissipate. Remember, Sun Wukong, you cannot fail, and you will not fail. You must find the other three Divine Stones, then defeat Buddhism and restore the supreme dignity of our Demon n during the Ancient Times..."

    Finally, that voice faded away, and Sun Wukong fell into deep contemtion. The Five-Colored Divine Stone, the earth-attributed Divine Stone, Nezha, Pangu the Great God, Chaotic Power, the great cmity of the Demon n, the other three Divine Stones... Sandy is dead, Bajie¡¯s life and death are unknown, and no one knows what happened to White Dragon. And his master... Oh, right, his master!

    Finally, with the assault and the flood of memories, Sun Wukong¡¯s dazed mind finally recalled¡ªhis master! It was his master who rescued him at thest moment.

    Thus, Sun Wukong clenched his teeth, enduring the severe pain all over his body, and got up to check. "Phew, luckily the master is still here." Walking staggeringly as if each step required a rest, he made his way to Tang Sanzang¡¯s side. He reached out to check Tang Sanzang¡¯s breathing, which was faint, but he was still alive.

    Sun Wukong plopped down onto the ground, relieved that his master wasn¡¯t dead, just unconscious. But then, Sun Wukong began to worry about what to do next; he wasfortable with battle, but saving lives... Sun Wukong really didn¡¯t know what to do. After some thought, it seemed the only way was to use his own blood.

    Slowly, he reached into his ear and pulled out a small, glittering golden needle, but then Sun Wukong furrowed his brow and dug a bit deeper with his pinky finger. This time, a needle the size of an embroidery needle appeared in Sun Wukong¡¯s hand. "Eh?

    How did Bajie¡¯s Nine-Toothed Rake end up in my ear?" Then, shaking his head, he disregarded these thoughts, transformed the Jingu Bang into a short dagger and forcefully slit his left wrist.

    A drop of blood, as golden as molten metal, slowly seeped from the wound and then dripped onto Tang Sanzang¡¯s forehead. "Hmm? Howe my blood has turned this golden color? And it¡¯s so thick? After one drop, the second drop can¡¯t even fall out? And this¡ªthis wound has healed in a blink of an eye?" Sun Wukong didn¡¯t have time to ponder these strange urrences.

    As he watched the golden drop of blood merge into Tang Sanzang¡¯s forehead, he couldn¡¯t help feeling incredibly anxious. He didn¡¯t know if his blood would be effective, but he was aware that it contained Innate Spiritual Charm, and it seemed very effective when he was just Fan Xin; he hoped it would work for saving lives, too.

    The moment Sun Wukong thought of Fan Xin, his heart tightened suddenly, then slowly rxed, as he murmured to himself: "Even if the Heavenly Court has been upied by Buddha, the Peaches of Immortality, after all, are ancient spiritual roots; Buddha would not destroy them. Right, he definitely wouldn¡¯t destroy the Peach Garden.

    And apart from Bajie, Sandy, and a few others, nobody should know about Fan Xin. Nothing will happen; it must be fine.

    As Sun Wukong was pondering, Tang Sanzang, who had been unconscious for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes. And from his eyes shot out a burst of bright and sharp golden light, which, though it vanished in a sh, was so sharp that Sun Wukong himself felt wary.

    The first words out of Tang Sanzang¡¯s mouth when he woke up were, "Wukong, stay away from me, the Transcendence Bloom is about to evolve."

    This is when:

    After great tribtions, the worldly affairs are known to Nuwa, who expended much cleverness.

    Henceforth, the master and disciple cultivate the righteous path, awaiting enlightenment on the Spiritual Mountain of red.

 Chapter 24 - 20 Evolution!

    Hearing Tang Sanzang¡¯s anxious voice, Sun Wukong was momentarily stunned before a wave of ecstasy flooded his heart. Struggling to retreat, he used thest of his mana to quickly scan his body. Suddenly, as Wukong was stepping back, his body halted, and in that brief moment, he was toppled over by the overwhelming aura emanating from Tang Sanzang.

    Yet, it seemed as if Sun Wukong felt nothing of this because his mind waspletely short-circuited by the bizarre sight within him.

    Inside Sun Wukong, there were two stones¡ªone ck and one yellow, onerge and one small, irregrly shaped¡ªrotating and floating in a yin-yang pattern.

    Surrounding them were a pair of Wind Fire Wheels, a fiery red Magical Silk Ribbon, a gleaming Qiankun Ring, and a pitch-ck Nine-Toothed Rake, along with his own Ruyi Jingu Bang, all revolving counterclockwise in sync with the stones¡¯ rotation. Sun Wukong was so astonished that he couldn¡¯t speak for a while. How did Nezha¡¯s weapons and Bajie¡¯s rake end up inside him?

    And what was that rake in my ear just now?

    Thinking of this, Sun Wukong, disregarding that he was lying on the ground, hurriedly reached into his ear and pulled out a golden needle and a pitch-ck rake that appeared in his hand. Staring at the two weapons in his hands, Sun Wukong was speechless for a long time. Could it be, there are two Jingu Bang staffs, two Nine-Toothed Rakes? How is that possible?

    Driven by curiosity, Sun Wukong tossed the Jingu Bang into the air and chanted, "Grow, grow, grow." Soon after, the Jingu Bang slowly grew to its usual size. Then, Sun Wukong threw the Nine-Toothed Rake out and chanted, "Grow, grow." Strangely enough, the rake grew as well, bing asrge as when Zhu Bajie usually wielded it.

    Sun Wukong then retrieved the two weapons and delved his consciousness into his body, focusing on the floating Jingu Bang. The Jingu Bang inside him remained unresponsive, continuing to float and rotate on its own. Then he attempted tomunicate with each of the other weapons in turn, and all of them, without exception, were indifferent to Sun Wukong¡¯s mental guidance.

    Having no choice, Sun Wukong decided to put aside these matters and began to inspect his injuries. He was taken aback yet again. It seemed that the day had brought more oddities than his entire lifetime. The injuries inside Sun Wukong had almostpletely healed, and every part of his body¡ªmuscles, bones, organs, blood, and skin¡ªwas renewed.

    The most noticeable change was his blood, which had turned from its fresh red color to a dazzling golden, like molten gold.

    Sun Wukong knew he had turned misfortune into a blessing. Not to mention anything else, just the power contained within the golden blood was already three times more than before. Furthermore, his muscles, bones, and flesh had all been strengthened as if he had undergone an evolution.

    Although he was now extremely weak from the depletion of his mana and physical strength, Sun Wukong believed that once he fully recovered, his abilities would definitely increase to double or even triple the original amount.

    However, upon reflection, he realized the losses were overwhelming. The benevolent and malevolent manifestations that he had struggled to eradicate with immense effort, and which he had lost in the battle against the Jade Emperor, had filled Sun Wukong with a sense of despair. Without them, his path towards enlightenment had be impossible. Ah, he had been too impatient.

    If only he had waited a bit longer, waited until he had cut down the three corpses to be a saint, until the Demon n had gathered more strength, until he was more certain of victory, maybe the oue would have been entirely different.

    Unfortunately, there were no ifs. He had lost, thoroughly lost. Flower Fruit Mountain was gone, the Demon n was gone, and even elder brother Sha, Bajie, and the little White Dragon were all gone. At this thought, Sun Wukong¡¯s nose soured, and tears flowed down his cheeks. Just then, he felt someone lifting him up, and he turned to see it was his master, Tang Sanzang.

    At this moment, Tang Sanzang was in a tattered Taoist robe, covered with bloodstains. What was more heart-wrenching was that master¡¯s eyes had gone blind! Sun Wukong, already brimming with sorrow, could no longer hold back his tears, and he threw himself into Tang Sanzang¡¯s arms, crying bitterly like a child.

    "Master, master. Woo-hoo, it¡¯s my fault, all my fault. I¡¯ve killed Bajie, I¡¯ve killed Sha, and I¡¯ve also killed everyone on Flower Fruit Mountain and countless members of the Demon n. Master, I¡¯ve even caused you to lose your sight. It¡¯s all my fault, woo-hoo, all my fault. Master, I¡¯m sorry, so sorry!" he said, crying even more heartbreakingly.

    Groping around, Tang Sanzang touched Sun Wukong¡¯s head. Hearing Sun Wukong¡¯s cries of woe, Tang Sanzang simply stroked his head quietly, letting him cry his heart out. After a while, Sun Wukong, exhausted from weeping, fell asleep in Tang Sanzang¡¯s arms. Only then did two tears trickle from the corners of Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes.

    One hand gently patted Sun Wukong¡¯s back, while the other tightly clutched the soil, so much so that his fingernails were filled with blood, yet it wentpletely unnoticed.

    "Tathagata, you will pay the price someday. You, Tathagata, no longer deserve to be the ancestor of all Buddhas. One day, I will show you what it truly means to be Buddha."

    As if sensing Tang Sanzang¡¯s words, the two strange stones and the multitude of weapons inside Sun Wukong vibrated in unison. At the same time, a blood-red flower floated gently from the top of Tang Sanzang¡¯s head, orbiting slowly around the master and his disciple.

    As it spun, it cast a cascade of verdant light, and inside Sun Wukong, the depleted spiritual energy began to replenish itself at an unbelievable rate.

 Chapter 25 - 20 Evolution! _2

    However, if you looked closely, you would find that this blood-red little flower seemed insubstantial, almost not like a real object. And within the depths of Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes, which were supposed to be blind, there seemed to be a pupil-like flower expanding and contracting.

    When Sun Wukong awoke, a pile of campfire was crackling and burning beside him, radiating waves of warmth. With a sweep of his divine sense, he was pleasantly surprised to find that all his injuries had healed. And they had healed thoroughly, without even a trace of hidden wounds or bruises. Not only that, his strength seemed to have greatly improved.

    Although his mana hadn¡¯t increased, the terrifying power within his limbs, muscles, and blood had definitely be stronger.

    He got up and moved his hands and feet. His originally stiff body gradually became supple. Only then did Sun Wukong take a good look at the cave they were in. Seeing it, he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile. How could the master bring me to Coiled Silk Cave? But on second thought, the Flower Fruit Mountain was destroyed, and Buddha would definitely send Buddhist soldiers to search for the two of us.

    Apart from Coiled Silk Cave, there really wasn¡¯t a better ce to hide.

    After adding a few bitter branches to the campfire, Tang Sanzang returned with a big bundle of wild fruit. "Heh heh, Master, this time it¡¯s your turn to find fruit for me to eat." Sun Wukong took the wild fruit from Tang Sanzang with a mischievous smile and casually picked one, biting into it fiercely. "Who made me your master? I can¡¯t just let you starve. How are you feeling, are you better?"

    "Now, I could fight three Jade Emperors. I¡¯ve never felt this good. And you, Master? It looks like your injuries have also healed?"

    "Hmm, I have your drop of golden blood to thank for that. Not only are my injuriespletely healed, but the Transcendence Bloom has fully merged with me and even evolved. It has be the Void Transcendence Flower, and aside from transcending, it can also heal."

    Before he finished speaking, Sun Wukong hurriedly said, "And it cured Master¡¯s eyes. Haha, isn¡¯t this a blessing in disguise?"

    Tang Sanzang smiled serenely, flicked his finger, and a blood-red little flower appeared. At the same time, Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes mysteriously started to spin, and then both pupils turned into the shape of the blood-red little flower. Seeing this, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but marvel, "Those eyes might be even more powerful than my fiery golden eyes, right?

    With these, Master, you won¡¯t me me for killing demons anymore. There¡¯s probably nothing in this world that can escape these eyes."

    "You monkey, always teasing your master. But these eyes are indeed marvelous. They cannot only prate the void, look beyond the Heavens, but also peek into the Underworld Nine Serene Realm. Moreover, there seems to be a terrifying me hidden within these eyes, though I¡¯m not quite familiar with it and don¡¯t know what me it is," Tang Sanzang finished, patting Sun Wukong lightly.

    "How about we test it, Master? If it¡¯s an extremely domineering me, it¡¯ll be an additional method against our enemies," Sun Wukong suggested eagerly, scratching his head. "Sure, it¡¯s worth a try to know for sure.

    But what shall we test it on?" as soon as Tang Sanzang agreed, Sun Wukong grinned widely, reached into his ear, and pulled out the Jingu Bang; but after a moment¡¯s thought, he also took out the Nine-Toothed Rake.

    "Eh, Wukong, why is Bajie¡¯s rake in your ear?" "I don¡¯t know; it was in my ear when I woke up. Let¡¯s talk about thatter; I have something more important to tell you, Master. Let¡¯s test that me first."

    "Alright, you money, you¡¯re just worried about your own staff," Tang Sanzang shook his head, then conjured a mysterious magical decree with his hands. Immediately, a red light shot from Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes and the temperature around them rose by several hundred degrees. Sun Wukong, quick as ever, swiftly used his mana to contain the heat within a small area.

    Having established control, Sun Wukong saw the red flower in Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes spin rapidly, and then two mes drifted out from his pupils. They floated serenely around the blood-red flower resting on Tang Sanzang¡¯s finger, and it seemed as though the mes were striving to take the shape of a flower. "Master, release some more mes.

    These mes appear to have spiritual wisdom, and they¡¯re trying to form their own primal shape."

    When Tang Sanzang stimted his eyes and released another thread of me, all the mes gathered around the blood-red flower on his finger. Gradually, all the mes converged into one. After a moment, Sun Wukong looked at Tang Sanzang with shock and tremblingly said, "Master, is that, is that the Red Lotus Karma Fire?

    And what¡¯s more, it¡¯s the Red Lotus Karma Fire with a Void Attribute!" Tang Sanzang, too, was stunned. With a movement of his Divine Sense, hemanded a spark of the Red Lotus Karma Fire to attach itself to the Nine-Toothed Rake lying on the ground.

    Though it was only a spark, the fire grew more and more intense, and soon the rake¡¯s head turned red. Tang Sanzang knew that if the fire kept burning, the Nine-Toothed Rake might get damaged, so he prepared to take back the me. At that moment, a scream like a pig being ughtered rang from the rake. "Ouch, ouch, I¡¯m being burned alive, I¡¯m being burned alive.

    Master, I won¡¯t do it again, I just wanted toze about and sleep for a while, there¡¯s no need to burn me with the Red Lotus Karma Fire. Master, please stop."

    Tang Sanzang hastily withdrew the me, but then he froze. "Bajie? Bajie, is that you? Bajie?" Afterwards, a figure drifted out from the Nine-Toothed Rake. As soon as the figure appeared, it immediately sat down on the ground and started rubbing its behind on the floor. "Master, Brother Monkey, it¡¯s me, old Bajie.

    I¡¯m scalded to death, a little longer and I would¡¯ve turned into roast pork."

    "Fool, what¡¯s happened to you? Howe you¡¯re inside the rake, and moreover, howe you¡¯re in a spectral state?" Zhu Bajie, while still rubbing his behind, answered, "That day, I was having a great fight with the Jade Emperor, when suddenly arge bunch of monks arrived, led by Tathagata himself. Without a word, they captured both me and the Jade Emperor.

    Later, Tathagata said he had brought an army of five million to annihte the Demon n and Heaven, and he even tried to coerce me and the Jade Emperor intounching a surprise attack. Although I, old Bajie, may be lustful andzy, how could I ever sneak attack the revered Tathagata? I refused and instead gave Tathagata a scolding.

    Enraged, Tathagata almost killed me, beating me to nearlyplete destruction of spirit and form. Luckily, old Bajie is clever, and my Divine Soul found refuge in the Nine-Toothed Rake at thest moment. Thinking I was dead, Tathagata did not bother to check further. And the Jade Emperor, seeing that I was almost beaten to death, decided to surrender. Pah, such ack of spine for an emperor."

    "But, how did the rake end up in my ear?"

    "It was all because that old thing Tathagata wanted to use my corpse to threaten you. Then when Master suddenly broke free from the Golden Gongs and rescued you, that was when I maneuvered the Nine-Toothed Rake into your ear. At that time, Tathagata and his followers were distracted by Master¡¯s flurry of blossoms and did not notice me."

    "Then what¡¯s the story with the rake inside of me?"

    At this, Zhu Bajie suddenly looked displeased. "You have the nerve to ask? After I entered your ear, for some reason, there was a suction force from within you that actually drew out the Instrument Soul of my rake. Now this rake, it belongs to the Sun family. And it has temporarily be the rake¡¯s Artifact Spirit. Otherwise, my soul would have dispersed long ago."

    Sun Wukong suddenly understood, it must have been the doing of that Divine Stone of Nezha. Nezha had intended to make Sun Wukong the new master of weapons like the Qiankun Ring, but inadvertently had also taken in the Nine-Toothed Rake. Thinking of this, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or angry.

    He was d that Zhu Bajie wasn¡¯t dead, but furious that he had be the Artifact Spirit of his own weapon.

    At this point, Tang Sanzang suddenly spoke up, "Bajie, your master may have a way to bring you back to life."

 Chapter 26 - 21 Hope

    After Tang Sanzang finished speaking, Zhu Bajie immediately jumped up, not even bothering to wipe his butt. He scrambled to Tang Sanzang¡¯s side, grinning from ear to ear.

    Tang Sanzang hesitated briefly and said, "Though hope exists, Bajie, you will have to endure great suffering. If you can persist, when sesses, you will obtain an incredible body. However, if you do not persevere, you could very well turn to ashes and vanish, disappearingpletely."

    Zhu Bajie sat down on the ground, his face a picture of stupefaction. The choice before him was far from trivial. Should he fail, his soul would shatter, and even reincarnation would be impossible. Zhu Bajie bowed his head in silence, pondering for a long, long time. Until, in his heart, the image of a person shed by. In that moment, Zhu Bajie¡¯s heart became unwaveringly resolute.

    "Master, you just say the word. No matter the pain, I, Old Zhu, can endure it. As long as I could regain my human form. I can¡¯t continue like this, neither human nor ghost."

    Tang Sanzang looked at Zhu Bajie¡¯s determined face and imperceptibly shook his head, then spoke, "Previously, I came across a Transcendence Bloom in the Netherworld Asura Realm by chance¡­" He went on to exin the origin of the Transcendence Bloom and the fight with Tongtian - albeit with some vagueness about the Queen of Western Liang.

    After recounting all this, Tang Sanzang paused for a moment and continued, "So, the Transcendence Bloom was burnt by the Eight Trigrams Fire of the Supreme Elder Lord, then fused with me, and finally, because of the droplet of golden blood from Wukong, it mutated.

    Thus, it became the Void Transcendence Flower, which has not only retained the Transcendence Bloom¡¯s abilities but also gained healing, mana recovery, and even powerful defensive capabilities. However, the most important of all is my eyes. Because of the Void Transcendence Flower, it fused the Eight Trigrams Fire and the karmic force umted in my ten lives, creating the Red Lotus Karma Fire.

    And it is this Red Lotus Karma Fire that we will use for Bajie¡¯s resurrection.

    Bajie is now a Soul Body, but my mutated Red Lotus Karma Fire contains a powerful life force. Normally, the Red Lotus Karma Fire would injure people with the karmic force within it, but perhaps because the karmic force was too heavy upon me, a quantitative change led to a qualitative one, turning karmic force into life force.

    If Bajie can let the Red Lotus Karma Fire burn for a continuous forty-nine days without dispersing his soul, then the life force contained in the Red Lotus Karma Fire will adhere to Bajie¡¯s soul. Thus, a Fire Body made entirely of mes will be born from the lotus.

    However, there is an upside and a downside to this. The advantage is that a Fire Body is immortal and indestructible and can absorb other mes to grow stronger. The downside is that Bajie must endure the excruciating pain of being tempered by fierce fire for forty-nine days, and all his previous Water System Taoist Arts must be abandoned in favor of cultivating Fire System Taoist Arts."

    Having said so much in one breath, Tang Sanzang seemed slightly tired, closed his eyes, and took a moment to rest. After Tang Sanzang closed his eyes, the small blood-red flower on his finger slowly vanished. The Red Lotus Karma Fire floating above it also dissipated along his finger. Before Tang Sanzang could open his eyes, Zhu Bajie resolutely said, "Master, it¡¯s okay, I can endure it.

    If Brother Monkey could survive in the Eight Trigrams Furnace for forty-nine days, then so can I, Old Zhu. If Brother Monkey could cultivate fiery eyes and golden pupils, then I, Old Zhu, can cultivate into an unparalleled Fire Body. Master, let¡¯s start today. I, Old Zhu, won¡¯t die. At least, not until Spiritual Mount is destroyed!"

    After Zhu Bajie finished speaking, his soul fluttered and returned to the Nine-Toothed Rake, which rapidly shrank to palm size. Tang Sanzang nced at Sun Wukong, saw that he seemed to be in a daze, picked up the mini Nine-Toothed Rake from the ground, and said, "Wukong, what are you thinking about?"

    "Master, I am thinking about what we should do in the future. Although we now know Bajie¡¯s whereabouts, I have no idea what has be of Brother Sand, Little White Dragon, and Old Bull. Tathagata said that Brother Sand and Great Emperor Gouchen perished together, but I don¡¯t believe it. Moreover, Master, are you really going to refine Bajie for forty-nine days? Bajie is currently a Soul Body.

    What if, just what if he can¡¯t hold on, then, then¡­"

    "Wukong, are you scared? Are you scared because of this failure?"

    "Master, I, I¡¯m not scared, I just don¡¯t want any more people to die for me. I¡¯d rather not seek revenge, I¡¯d rather give up Flower Fruit Mountain."

    "Wukong, do you know why Bajie so resolutely agreed to let me refine him with the Red Lotus Karma Fire?"

    "Because, because Bajie doesn¡¯t want to be a soul, right?"

    "No, Wukong, you are wrong. You know Bajie very well, don¡¯t you? Given Bajie¡¯s former cowardly character, afraid of death, he would probably ept being an Artifact Spirit for the rest of his life rather than agree to be tempered by fire. But now, Bajie has chosen this path anyway.

    It¡¯s because within Bajie¡¯s heart, there lies a sense of judgment and concerns, as well as a bravery that does not easilypromise. Hence, under the threat of Tathagata, Bajie chose death over submission, to be a soul state."

    "Master, I¡­"

    "You, Sun Wukong. All the qualities that Bajie has now used to be yours. You influenced Bajie. But what about you now? Where are your attachments? Your pride?

    Your unyielding courage? Your determination to defy the entire Heaven? We have not utterly failed yet. At least, we are still alive, aren¡¯t we?"

    Sun Wukong lowered his head, bent his knees, and buried his face deep between them. Suddenly, the entire cave fell silent, deathly silent. Apart from the asional crackle of the burning mes, there was only the sound of Sun Wukong¡¯s tears falling to the ground, barely audible.

    For a long while, a long while. Sun Wukong once again lifted his head and said to Tang Sanzang, "Master, I understand. I must take back what¡¯s mine, no matter how difficult the journey."

    Tang Sanzang smiled, as though bathed in the spring breeze.

    "Good. Next, I will use the Red Lotus Karma Fire to reshape Bajie¡¯s body. After forty-nine days, we will set out on our journey, even if it takes us through all Seven Realms, to find the remaining three pieces of the Five-Colored Divine Stone. At the same time, we will also seek information on Wujing and the others¡¯ whereabouts and the current situation in Heaven.

    During the time I reshape Bajie¡¯s body, Wukong, you should familiarize yourself with your new strength. What lies ahead is going to be a grueling journey."

    "Mm." At this moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes shone with an imperious glimmer. Tathagata, you can suppress me, you can defeat me, but as long as I live, I will fight on. Until I destroy you.

    On the first day, Tang Sanzang used the Red Lotus Karma Fire to create a barrier, enclosing himself and the Nine-Toothed Rake within a giant spherical shape. From the outside, all that could be seen was a giant egg-like, pale red Light Barrier. The figures within were faint and indistinct.

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong found another cave and sat cross-legged, beginning toprehend the strength he had recently acquired and the insights from the battle of life and death.

    And so time flew by.

    On the seventh day, inside the stone room where Sun Wukong was meditating, with a breeze that seemed almost non-existent blowing through, the figure of Sun Wukong, who had been sitting motionless, suddenly opened his eyes. At once, two beams of golden light burst forth, shooting straight towards the Nine Serenities Land.

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong¡¯s body jolted, and then he swiftly increased the output of his mana, causing the already dazzling golden light to surge dramatically. In just a breath¡¯s time, the golden light emitted from Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes had be as brilliant as the fierce sun, unbearable to look at directly. After a while, a sigh was heard.

    Slowly standing up, his bones crackled like popping beans, and looking at Sun Wukong again, his entire being faintly glittered with treasure light, clearly indicating that his physical body had reached some sort of peak condition. Perhaps even now, his body¡¯s resilience was not inferior to that of an ordinary Immortal¡¯s Magical Artifact.

    Slowly turning his neck and moving his slightly stiff limbs, Sun Wukong muttered to himself, "Seven days, merely to fuse the Divine Stone within me left by Nezha, and yet my strength has increased so terrifyingly. I suspect that at this moment, using just seventy percent of my power, I could defeat the Jade Emperor. And at most, just inflict light injuries. But still, this is not enough."

    After saying this, Sun Wukong looked towards the Western direction, clenching his fists tightly. Sun Wukong knew that his enemy was not one person, but the entire Western Buddhist Realm. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t just the Western direction anymore; with Heaven thoroughly annihted, the Eastern World had likely been upied by Buddhism.

    Shaking his head, he dismissed these thoughts. Sun Wukong walked straight towards the stone room where Tang Sanzang was located. After traversing numerous winding paths, Sun Wukong saw the giant egg-shaped barrier. It seemed everything was proceeding normally; whether Bajie could be resurrected depended on if he could endure the process. With that thought, an idea seemed to strike Sun Wukong.

    He reached into his ear and pulled out the Jingu Bang, swirling it lightly to return it to its normal size. Then he traced a circle around Tang Sanzang¡¯s barrier with the tip of the Jingu Bang. After this was done and still notpletely reassured, he lifted his left hand and made a sword finger gesture, shing through the air.

    Apanying the gesture, a ribbon of fiery red fabric appeared out of nowhere. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Nezha¡¯s famed magic treasure, the Universal Ring.

    Next, Sun Wukong waved his hand, and the Universal Ring turned into a beam of red light, merging into the circle drawn by the Jingu Bang. Looking at this doubleyered protection, Sun Wukong finally nodded slightly. Then, he transformed into a stream of light, heading for the Southern Gate of Heaven.

    A momentter, not far from the Southern Gate, Sun Wukong¡¯s figure appeared, hiding behind a dark cloud as he fell into deep thought. As expected, just by observing the four Arhats guarding the Southern Gate, he could guess that in just seven days, Heaven had beenpletely taken over by Buddhism.

    And what puzzled Sun Wukong even more was that these four gatekeeper Arhats seemed strangely familiar.

    After recalling for a while, he was certain he didn¡¯t recognize these four Arhats from his memory. Then, he closed his eyes and channeled his mana, and shortly afterward, an invisible ray of light shot from his eyes towards the four Arhats guarding the gate. This nce filled Sun Wukong with a mixture of shock and rage.

    He withdrew his gaze, and the hand holding the Jingu Bang clenched tighter, veins bulging. It turned out that the four Arhats guarding the gate were none other than the former Four Heavenly Vajra Kings of Heaven.

    These were the Eastern Guardian of the Nation, the Southern Growth King, the Western Wide-Eyed King, and the Northern Hearing King. During the previous great battle, these four protector Vajra Kings had been captured by Buddhism. Unexpectedly, Tathagata had been so ruthless as to transform these four protector Vajra Kings into Buddhist puppets!

    Buddhist puppets were created using the flesh of a Daluo Golden Immortal or higher level Immortal as a foundation, employing special techniques to infuse the Divine Souls of dead Buddhist Arhats or higher-ranking experts into the Immortal¡¯s body. After the transformation, they became purely battle-driven Buddhist puppets.

    Once transformed into puppets, they would not tire or fear, and their loyalty to Tathagata was absolute, with no chance of betrayal. Most importantly, the strength of the sessfully crafted puppet would skyrocket, bing more than twice as powerful as before.

    What enraged Sun Wukong was that it was one thing for two armies to capture prisoners of war and decide their fate, but to turn living beings into mere walking corpses was an extreme insult to the deceased. Those made into puppets were even deprived of any chance of reincarnation.

    Looking at the four puppets guarding the Southern Gate, Sun Wukong¡¯s hatred for Tathagata rose another level. However, Sun Wukong did not act rashly. Instead, he carefully concealed his own aura, then darted into the Southern Gate with a speed that nearly breached space. The four gatekeeper puppets were none the wiser.

 Chapter 27 - 22: The Osmanthus Tree

    When Sun Wukong¡¯s figure appeared again, he had transformed into an ordinary Arhat. He stealthily surveyed his surroundings while heading towards the Peach Garden. Although Sun Wukong was reluctant to admit it, the concern and unease in his heart were undeniably real. From the moment he awoke to this very moment, his worry had only grown heavier.

    After carefully passing all the guards, the Peach Garden finally came into sight. At first nce, the entire garden seemed to have not the slightest anomaly. The only difference was that the guards were now bald Buddhist Soldiers instead of the heavenly troops. However, Sun Wukong knew that this was just superficial.

    Given Tathagata¡¯s character, it was impossible that he would guard this important ce with merely a few ambush troops.

    Back then, Tathagata had greatly coveted the Queen Mother¡¯s peaches, and now, having seized control of Heaven, he had his wishes fulfilled. How could he not treasure this fief? Sun Wukong dared not be careless. Although he had grown significantly stronger, he was still no match for the millions of Buddhist Soldiers.

    One small slip, and being discovered by the soldiers, might very well lead to a bloody battle. Sun Wukong did not fear the fight but feared that Tathagata would discover the purpose of his visit.

    Forming a Sword Finger with his right hand, he lightly brushed it in front of his eyes, and instantly, his eyes emitted a dazzling golden light. He gazed towards the underground river beneath the Peach Garden. Momentster, a serious expression appeared in Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes.

    That Tathagata, what a grand scale of operations¡ª he had actually set up the Nine Heavens Nihility Great Formation around this Peach Garden.

    With his Supreme Magical Power, Tathagata, along with Buddha, had refined Buddha¡¯s Relics into a world, then concealed these nine worlds within the void surrounding the Peach Garden ording to the nine pces¡¯ positions. To the naked eye, the garden seemed within arm¡¯s reach, yet once you tried to approach, no matter from which direction, you would find yourself entrapped in one of the worlds.

    It¡¯s easy to enter these nine worlds, but leaving them is harder than reaching the heavens. Once you step into one of these worlds, it¡¯s as if you be a mere mortal. You face the tribtions, suffering, birth, aging, sickness, and death of the mortal world one after another.

    After enduring all of this, you would find yourself in the Netherworld, caught in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, dying and being reborn, in an endless cycle.

    Even if you possess a will that could pierce the heavens and mighty magical power to break through reincarnation and rediscover yourself, don¡¯t rejoice too early for there are still precisely eight worlds to go.

    What¡¯s more, these nine worlds arepletely distinct, each one singly focusing on a type of worldly suffering or emotion, with other emotions and sufferings as secondary. For instance, if you fall into the world of extreme cold, you¡¯d find it unbearably frigid, yet it wouldn¡¯t freeze you to death.

    Instead, it would make you constantly experience the agony of piercing coldness, mixed asionally with sadness, despair, fear, loneliness, and other negative emotions.

    It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call this the first Protective Barrier of Buddhism. Such a formidable Great Formation had trapped the Peach Garden securely. Outsiders would have absolutely no chance to enter. Therefore, even Sun Wukong furrowed his brows deeply. Without entering the Peach Garden, there was no way to know the situation inside, nor the safety of her.

    Yet, facing such a Great Formation, even Sun Wukong wasn¡¯t confident in forcibly breaking in.

    Just as Sun Wukong was at a loss and considering whether to charge through, an extremely faint voice arose in his heart: Wukong, is that you? Have youe to find me?

    Sun Wukong was startled at first, then quickly overjoyed. However, he soon suppressed his exuberance. ncing around and noticing that no one was paying attention to him, he continued walking slowly while mentally responding, "It¡¯s me, Fan Xin, is that you?"

    "Yes, it¡¯s me, Wukong, it¡¯s me. Wukong, listen to me, I¡¯m fine. I know you¡¯ve led the Demon n in a great battle against Heaven, only for Buddhism to take advantage when we were vulnerable. Now the whole of Heaven has be the territory of Buddhism. But I haven¡¯t been harmed, and I have even gained control over the entire Peach Garden. I believe it won¡¯t be long before I can take human form."

    "Fan Xin, I..."

    "Wukong, you don¡¯t need to say more, I know you still have your mission. Rest assured, I am very safe here and nothing will happen to me. I will wait here for you, wait for you to rise again, wait for your triumphant return, wait for you to take me back to Flower Fruit Mountain. Sun Wukong, remember, you are invincible, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven."

    After speaking, the voice disappeared. No matter how Sun Wukong called out in his heart, there was no response. Sun Wukong knew that perhaps Tathagata had detected something, so she had to conceal herself. Looking up at the Lingxiao Pce of the past, Sun Wukong¡¯s fists clenched even tighter.

    After onest look at the Peach Garden, Sun Wukong transformed into an imperceptible streak of light, heading towards the Moon Pce of yesteryear. Sun Wukong¡¯s most important task on this daring return to Heaven was to obtain a branch from the osmanthus tree in the Moon Pce. The osmanthus on the Moon was originally transformed from Pangu¡¯s eyshes and contained the Supreme Great Dao.

    However, no one knew how to unravel the osmanthus branches to absorb the Dao for themselves.

    In the past, Heaven was full of talented individuals, and all sorts of methods were tried. They ground the branches into powder for tea, crafted weapons nurtured by day and night, and some even fused the branches into their bodies. However, without exception, they all ended up with nothing.

    Consequently, the Jade Emperor decreed that all the osmanthus trees be sealed within the Moon Pce, forbidding anyone from approaching or taking them without permission.

    But after Chang¡¯e ascended to the Moon Pce, the grove of osmanthus trees came under her control. Over time, Chang¡¯e discovered yet another marvelous use for the trees: they could store mana, memories, and even souls. However, Chang¡¯e did not report this to the Jade Emperor but instead told Tianpeng Marshal in secretter on.

    Tianpengter discovered another marvelous use for the osmanthus: when its branches were burnt with fierce fire, the resulting fragrance could solidify the divine soul and nourish the body. Later on the journey to the West, Zhu Bajie inadvertently revealed this secret. And now, Sun Wukong was intent on taking a branch from the osmanthus tree to increase Zhu Bajie¡¯s chances of survival.

    Although unsure of its effectiveness, he could not stand by and watch his brother suffer.

    Additionally, he was going to see how Chang¡¯e was faring. Sun Wukong knew that Chang¡¯e was the courage that sustained Zhu Bajie¡¯s will to go on. After narrowly avoiding several encounters with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the way, Sun Wukong finally reached the Moon Pce.

    Upon arriving, Sun Wukong quickly concealed his presence and surveyed the surroundings, finding no Buddhist Soldiers of significant strength, and then his eyes once more emitted a thousand rays of golden light. Once the light faded, Sun Wukong¡¯s brow furrowed deeply once more.

    Not because there were formidable barriers this time, but rather, apart from a few guarding Buddhist Soldiers, the Moon Pce was destely empty.

    With a quick thought, Sun Wukong opened his fiery eyes and thoroughly scanned the area again. Still, it remained empty. Though bewildered, Sun Wukong had no better n, and with a few somersaults, he was in the osmanthus grove.

    After inspecting his surroundings once more, Sun Wukong cautiously approached thergest osmanthus tree. He pulled out his Golden Hoop from his ear and gently touched a branch, which instantly snapped off. With an outstretched hand, the branch was his.

    Sun Wukong plucked a monkey hair and nted it within the crevices of the tree bark. Nodding slightly, he left at a speed even swifter than when he had arrived. However, Sun Wukong did not return directly to Coiled Silk Cave; instead, after securing the osmanthus branch, he flew towards what used to be Lingxiao Pce, now known as the Great Hall.

    But when Sun Wukong reached the exterior of Lingxiao Pce, he abruptly halted. He quickly concealed his form and quietly approached the entrance to the Great Hall. The reason for his rush was the sudden detection of the aura of Bull Demon King and others inside the Lingxiao Pce. Besides the Bull Demon King, various leaders of the Demon n were all inside.

    This discovery excited Sun Wukong greatly. Yet, it was immediately followed by a wave of fear. Had he not concealed himself in that split second earlier, the various Buddhas in the Lingxiao Pce might have detected him.

    Even if those Buddhas didn¡¯t notice him, the slightest hint of his presence to Bull Demon King and others might give away his location to Tathagata, who could instantly guess that he was nearby.

    The reason why Bull Demon King and others might have sensed him before the Buddhas is due to the bowl of Blood Wine the seven sworn brothers had drunk together. Since then, they shared a mystical connection through their bloodlines. Hence, Sun Wukong broke into a cold sweat.

    Fortunately, a significant increase in his power had allowed him to realize the danger in advance, or else the consequences could have been unpredictable.

 Chapter 28 - 23 Seven Saints

    After Sun Wukong turned invisible, he slowly approached the Lingxiao Pce. However, he dared not get too close; despite having extreme confidence in his own strength, the denizens of the Lingxiao Pce were no ordinary foes.

    Even though Sun Wukong could escape if detected with his current strength, doing so would alert the enemy, and Tathagata might discover the whereabouts of his master and second brother. That would be terribly bad.

    Therefore, Sun Wukong simply activated his fiery eyes and golden pupils for a brief reconnaissance. With his current ability, as long as he wasn¡¯t deliberately probing beings like Tathagata with immense strength, it would be quite difficult for ordinary Buddhist Arhats to detect him.

    But when Sun Wukong¡¯s gaze swept over the Bodhisattva Arhats either seated or standing on either side of the Lingxiao Pce, his body shook violently. A piercing murderous intent erupted, and in less than half an instant, Sun Wukong knew something was wrong. He quickly withdrew his gaze. But it was already toote.

    At the moment Sun Wukong¡¯s gaze exuded killing intent, Tathagata seated on the original dragon throne of the Jade Emperor in the Lingxiao Pce immediately sensed it. And this intent was so familiar, it could even prevent Tathagata from sleeping at night. Before anyone else could perceive what had happened, Tathagata on the dragon throne had vanished.

    When he reappeared, he was exactly at the spot where Sun Wukong had been a moment before, but Sun Wukong had already somersaulted away to a far distance.

    Tathagata¡¯s face was as somber as water, the hatred and anger in his eyes evident. "Notify all Heavenly Buddhist Soldiers, immediately seal off Heaven. And at the Four Great Heavenly Gates, set the Sumi Locking Spirit Great Formation. Sun Wukong has appeared."

    Before the echo of his voice faded away, Tathagata¡¯s figure disappeared again. Clearly, he had personally set out to capture Sun Wukong.

    In the previous great battle, Tathagata had summoned over two million Buddhist soldiers and nearly all the top experts from Buddhism, but they had allowed Sun Wukong to slip through their fingers. Moreover, many Buddhist Arhats were wounded. Those injured ones had yet to fully recover. How could this shame and hatred not drive Tathagata to the brink of madness?

    He wished he could devour Sun Wukong¡¯s flesh and blood, despite Buddhism¡¯s abstention from meat.

    Yet, Sun Wukong had appeared again so soon, and he even dared to gaze impudently upon Tathagata¡¯s grand hall. He was tantly disregarding Buddhism. If Sun Wukong escaped again this time, Tathagata wouldn¡¯t be able to remain in Heaven. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn¡¯t have the face for it. Furthermore, it was possible that Tathagata¡¯s position as Buddha might not be secure.

    So, no matter what, Sun Wukong must be kept in Heaven this time. Otherwise, Tathagata could not bear the cost. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for Tathagata to sense Sun Wukong¡¯s aura. Suddenly, Tathagata erupted with an even more terrifying aura and darted toward the location of Sun Wukong¡¯s aura at a speed far faster than before.

    Tathagata knew that even if the Heavenly Buddhist Soldiers could block Sun Wukong for a moment, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be for long. A few breaths would be the limit. Unless it was one of the few Buddha who discovered Sun Wukong, but ever since thest incident, these Buddhas probably couldn¡¯t wait to avoid Sun Wukong.

    It seemed that after this matter, it was time to rece this batch of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. A Buddha scared by a Demon Monkey is no longer of much value. As these thoughts flew through Tathagata¡¯s mind, he had already appeared at the North Heaven Gate.

    When Tathagata appeared, what he saw was Sun Wukong sending several Golden Body Arhats flying with a single strike of his staff, about to somersault away.

    "Demon Monkey, stop right there! Youe and go in my Heaven as if it¡¯s a ce void of life, which is far too presumptuous. Today, you will stay here," he dered. No sooner had he spoken than Tathagata¡¯s hands formed hundreds of Magical Decrees. Just half a breathter, a massive arm radiating golden light appeared out of thin air.

    It then reached for Sun Wukong at a velocity far exceeding the speed of sound. With this one strike, Tathagata used eighty percent of his power, reserving the remaining twenty percent for any other contingencies.

    "Tathagata, you old fool, spouting nonsense. Daring to im Heaven as your own? Today, let me remind you that I, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, can return at any time."

    An infinitesimal fraction of a breath slower than Tathagata¡¯s golden giant hand, Sun Wukong too clenched his right fist and sent forth an enormous earth-yellow fist that did not fall short of Tathagata¡¯s golden giant hand in the slightest, striking fiercely. In the next moment, a tremendous force spread rapidly.

    The Buddhist Soldiers previously hit by Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang instantly turned into a cloud of dust. The formidable Golden Body Arhats could not withstand the aftereffects of the two¡¯s sh.

    Once the atmosphere stabilized slightly, the scene that unfolded showed Sun Wukong standing still, his right sleeve slightly torn but otherwise unharmed. As for Tathagata? He had been pushed back three full steps and his clothes were in disarray, his internal energy roiling. The oue of this strike was immediately apparent.

    Looking at the still domineering Sun Wukong, Tathagata felt a surge of fear in his heart. During theirst major battle, Sun Wukong¡¯s strength had suddenly increased manifold, which had allowed him to break through the encirclement. But Tathagata knew that such a sudden increase in strength could notst, and it would surely be followed by severe repercussions.

    Yet in today¡¯s battle, Sun Wukong¡¯s strength was so much greater than his own. His strength of seven-tenths power in the strike and the fact that he had used a long-cherished secret technique was hard for Tathagata to ept.

    He knew his own situation; while threerge steps taken had greatly mitigated the impact, the roiling internal energy was a clear sign of injury, albeit not serious but still an actual injury.

    This was harder for him to bear than killing Tathagata himself. The once trivial demon monkey that he could suppress with just one hand had now be an existence that he could hardly contend with. This, nearly drove Tathagata mad.

    Just as Tathagata summoned all his mana, preparing for a life-and-death struggle with Sun Wukong, he saw Wukong wave his hand and unexpectedly retract the Jingu Bang into his right ear. Before Tathagata could say anything, Wukong had already spoken, "Tathagata, today is not the day for our final battle. But it won¡¯t be too long. Just wait in your Heavenly Pce.

    Wait for me, old Sun, to cause another uproar in the Heavenly Pce!"

    After speaking, he transformed into an untraceable golden light, drifting away. Tathagata was left alone, standing there dazedly watching Wukong¡¯s departing figure, slowly dispersing the mana he had just gathered. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to stop Wukong, but that he simply couldn¡¯t. At the very moment he was about to make a move, he suddenly discovered that Wukong¡¯s presence had disappeared.

    This startle Tathagata, but when he looked up, he saw Wukong right before his eyes. However, he couldn¡¯t sense Wukong¡¯s presence at all, as if what was before him was nothing but an illusion. Yet, just moments ago, he was forced back three steps by seventy percent of his strength. What kind of illusion in the world could be so powerful?

    Tathagata couldn¡¯t believe it, nor did he dare to. But the reality was just so. And all Tathagata could do was to watch helplessly as Wukong leftposedly¡ªhe had no means to stop him. At that moment, a terrifying thought arose in Tathagata¡¯s mind: it turned out that Wukong didn¡¯t fail to escape in time, but was deliberately waiting for him.

    This thought made Tathagata inhale sharply. However, a momentter, Tathagata looked utterly dejected, as though he had lost all his strength, resembling not a Buddha but a downtrodden monk.

    At this time, Wukong had already returned to the Coiled Silk Cave. Silently approaching the me Giant Egg, Wukong called out, "Master, I¡¯m back. I¡¯ve obtained this cassia branch from The Moon Pce, which can help Bajie suffer less and slightly increase his chances." After speaking, he took out the branch from within his bosom and handed it to Tang Sanzang.

    Tang Sanzang nodded slightly, and the me Giant Egg quietly opened a gap. Wukong vibrated the branch in his right hand and it instantly turned into powder before drifting into the egg through the opening. A small part fell on the rotating Nine-Toothed Rake, while the majority fell into Sanzang¡¯s palm.

    As the cassia powder scattered, the Nine-Toothed Rake seemed to react, its mini form pulsating as if it were beating like a heart. In a single expand and contract movement, it absorbed all of the falling powder before settling back down into quietude. Seeing this, Wukong knew that Bajie had absorbed the cassia powder and that there was no need to worry for the time being.

    Not daring to stay any longer, not for fear of the Red Lotus Karma Fire, but for fear of disturbing his master¡ªan even slight miscalction could cause unimaginable huge troubles for Bajie.

    Just as he had arrived, Wukong left without a trace. However, Wukong didn¡¯t return to the stone room where he practiced his cultivation. Instead, he walked straight to the entrance of the Coiled Silk Cave.

    The former Coiled Silk Cave was littered with white bones everywhere, with a hundred li radius like and of death. But so many years had passed, and the cave had turned into a luxuriant primeval forest. The people were gone, the objects changed.

    After setting up an Illusion Array at the entrance, a few leapster he reached the highest tree of the entire forest. Standing at the treetop, hands shading his eyes, Wukong gazed into the distance. In that direction, used to be his home, called Flower Fruit Mountain.

    The Flower Fruit Mountain was evergreen all year round, ripe with various fragrant and delicious fruits, and the scenery was extraordinarily beautiful¡ªit was a sight one could never finish admiring in a lifetime. Unfortunately, it was all gone now.

    The hands that formed the shade slowly lowered, and then Wukong simply sat on the treetop, like a giant umbre. He let the breeze blow, his scarlet mantle fluttering wildly with the wind. In this fashion, he gazed in that direction, seated for three days straight.

    After three days, Wukong suddenly grabbed towards the morning glow on the horizon with his right hand, and the bright morning sun¡¯s rays flickered noticeably. Subsequently, a dazzlingly golden Jingu Bang appeared in Wukong¡¯s hand. With his left hand holding the Jingu Bang, and his right hand raised, he extended his index finger. At the fingertip, a golden needle made of condensed mana appeared.

    With a few swift motions, he inscribed two characters inside the band, then slowly ced the circlet onto his head.

 Chapter 29 - 24 Red Lotus Fire Body Achieved!

    This trip to the Heavenly Pce had added another burden onto Sun Wukong¡¯s shoulders. He had to find the remaining three Five-Colored Divine Stones, locate the White Dragon and Old Sand, and also figure out a way to rescue the leaders of the Demon n imprisoned in Heaven. Lastly, he needed to visit Patriarch Bodhi and Zhen Yuanzi of Five Vis View, as they had both been injured because of him.

    With Sun Wukong¡¯s current strength, he had nothing to fear unless he encountered numerous Buddhas forming an array to trap him. Before, he had been cautious due to his concern for the monkeys and children of Flower Fruit Mountain, but now, with no such worry, what was there to fear?

    Next, he was waiting for Bajie¡¯s new body.

    In the blink of an eye, forty days had passed. During this period, the whole of Heaven was in chaos, with nearly sixty percent of its military forces descending to the lower realms in search of Sun Wukong¡¯s whereabouts. This indicated the extent of Tathagata¡¯s deep hatred towards Sun Wukong.

    Logically, after just gaining control of Heaven¡¯s territories, one¡¯s priority should be to consolidate forces and familiarize oneself with the environment. But Tathagata hadn¡¯t done any of that and, soon after taking up residence in Heaven, had immediately dispatched soldiers to search for Sun Wukong.

    Within these forty days, Sun Wukong had killed seven waves of Buddhist Soldiers who came to scout. It was almost like a wave every seven days, prompting Sun Wukong to realize it was no longer possible to stay here. However, there were still seven days left until Bajie¡¯s body refinement wasplete.

    No matter what, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t allow Bajie to suffer the slightest disturbance during these seven days, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

    On the forty-third day, another wave of Buddhist Soldiers came to spy and were killed by Sun Wukong, among whom were several top-level Buddhas. Moreover, it seemed that suddenly a lot of unfamiliar faces had appeared within Buddhism. From what these descending Buddhist Soldiers said, Heaven had unexpectedly gained a new Carefree Buddha, whose strength was much higher than Tathagata¡¯s.

    In his presence, Tathagata appeared more like a subordinate.

    This left Sun Wukong baffled, wondering when Buddhism had acquired such a powerful being, perhaps even stronger than himself. Could this be one of Buddhism¡¯s hidden figures? Just how profound was Buddhism¡¯s concealed strength?

    Remember, before Tathagata was the Taoist Multitreasure, he only had Golden Immortal Cultivation, but after Laozi¡¯s transformation into Buddha, his cultivation soared at an unbelievable pace. He ultimately attained enlightenment, bing a saintly figure within Buddhism. Such a rate of cultivation advancement was not just shocking to Buddhism but to the whole Immortal Realm as well.

    Sun Wukong feared that Buddhism¡¯s foundations were not as simple as he had imagined. Hence, he must proceed with extreme caution in his actions and not underestimate Buddhism simply because his own power had greatly increased.

    Without dwelling further, as thinking too much served little purpose, Sun Wukong turned around and walked toward the stone room where Tang Sanzang resided. In three days, all would be revealed; whether soul and spirit would scatter or strength would greatly increase depended on these days. However, based on Sun Wukong¡¯s observations, thetter seemed far more likely.

    It was all thanks to that section of osmanthus tree branch. Pangu the Great God was so magnificent, and just a branch of his eysh transformation brought boundless benefits to Zhu Bajie. At this thought, Sun Wukong¡¯s heart warmed slightly.

    If a mere eysh of Pangu the Great God held such might, how tremendously powerful would be the Five-Colored Divine Stone left by Nuwa, who was almost as renowned as Pangu? If he truly managed to find the remaining three stones and sessfully merged them into his body, what heights would his power surge to? Even if notparable to some ancient deities, it would still be a terrifying force.

    At that time, what grudge couldn¡¯t he avenge? Destroying mere Buddhism, how could that be worrisome?

    At that moment, Sun Wukong felt an unprecedented urgency in his heart¡ªan urgency to find the Divine Stones and to increase his own strength.

    Yet, no matter how urgent, he had to wait three more days for Bajie. After three days, the time to embark woulde. Eventually, all would reach an ending. With these thoughts, Sun Wukong entered the stone room where Tang Sanzang was. He saw that the original me Giant Egg had now be a crystal-like solid form. It was opaque, and nothing inside could be discerned from the outside.

    However, Sun Wukong did not dare to use his fiery eyes to force a look inside, fearful of disturbing Sanzang. Thus, Sun Wukong simply sat down cross-legged not far away and quietly awaited the day of Bajie¡¯s rebirth.

    Perhaps Sun Wukong himself hadn¡¯t noticed, but ever since he woke up from his injuries after the great battle, a subtle transformation seemed to be quietly happening to him. His previous irritability and superficiality were slowly disappearing, and a temperament of steadiness and caution was gradually forming.

    However, the original dominance and arrogance had not diminished at all; if anything, they seemed even stronger than before. A Sun Wukong who was stable, thoughtful, and considerate yet filled with domineering and unrestrained battle fervor wasing into being¡ªa contradiction yet so fitting!

    Finally, the forty-ninth day arrived.

    However, what also arrived was not just thepletion of Bajie¡¯s body refinement but an overwhelming onught of Buddhist Soldiers.

    Sun Wukong had no idea how Tathagata had discovered his whereabouts since, although many Buddhist Soldiers hade to scout, he was absolutely confident they couldn¡¯t have ryed any information before dying; it was even impossible for them to send a distress signal in their final moments. Everyone had died instantaneously, without awareness, likely not even knowing how they had perished.

    Even though Sun Wukong could not understand, what was toe still came, right at thest stage when Bajie was about to achieve great sess. Facing the sky full of Buddhist Soldiers and Buddhas, Sun Wukong was unaffected. After setting up a defensive circle around Sanzang with the Binding Silk Ribbon, Sun Wukong slowly ascended into the air.

    Watching Sun Wukong, who faced ten thousand Buddhist Soldiers without any fear, Tathagata¡¯s brows were already knitted together. "Sun Wukong, you didn¡¯t expect this, did you? Although you hid very carefully, I still found you. Sun Wukong, today is the day you die."

    "Humph, Tathagata, I didn¡¯t expect you actually could find this ce. You have some skill, but how did you find it? The Buddhist Soldiers sent to scout have all been in by me; none could have possibly returned to send a message."

    All Sun Wukong could do now was to dy for time, hoping to stall until Zhu Bajie sessfullypleted his body sculpting. So, he could only speak some nonsense to Tathagata.

    "Haha, Sun Wukong, you¡¯ve always been too clever for your own good. Thinking by killing my scouts, you¡¯d be safe, how extremely foolish of you. The day you escaped from Heaven, I immediately dispatched a million Buddhist Soldiers to search for your trail. Within a month, the scouts who went to other ces had all safely reported back, with at most a thirty percent loss.

    Only to Coiled Silk Cave, no matter how many Buddhist Soldiers were sent, all contact was lost. Your clever act of killing the scouts only served to reveal your location. A mere demon monkey, today is the day you meet your rightful punishment."

    Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong understood. Tathagata¡¯s Buddhist Soldiers spread out like a, and only at Coiled Silk Cave was there a significant hole. Clearly, it meant an extremely formidable Demon King must exist here. Yet, among the well-known Demon Kings of this world, except for those dead or injured, all were in Heaven, serving as mounts.

    The identity of the Demon King of Coiled Silk Cave was thus easily deduced.

    "Even if you found me, what use is it? With merely a million Buddhist Soldiers, what can you do to me?" As soon as he said these words, Sun Wukong¡¯s aura surged wildly, and an overbearing presence, suggestive of his supremacy over heaven and earth, swept out, causing many Buddhist Soldiers of lower strength to turn pale and vomit blood.

    Sun Wukong had inflicted serious injuries on the many soldiers with his mere presence.

    "Demon monkey, do not be so arrogant, don¡¯t think there¡¯s no one in this world who can discipline you. Buddhist disciples, listen to themand, form the Million Buddhas Trapping God Great Formation.

    Do not let the demon monkey escape." After saying these words, Tathagata immediately turned around, bowing respectfully to a Buddha behind him and said, "Carefree Buddha, it is time for you to make your move and subdue this demon monkey."

    "Humph, what a fuss over a mere demon monkey. It seems you have really be more and more ipetent." Without caring how unsightly Tathagata¡¯s face had be, he swept his robe, releasing a golden lotus tform from his sleeve that expanded rapidly in the wind. The Carefree Buddha then stood upon the lotus tform. In the next instant, the tform appeared right before Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes.

    Sun Wukong had been rather disdainful of Tathagata and the others, but when the Buddha standing on the lotus tform suddenly appeared before him, his heart skipped a beat. What terrifying speed that was¡ªhad he detected nothing at all? Perhaps this was even faster than himself after having merged with Nezha¡¯s Wind Fire Wheels.

    Considering just the speed of this neer, how strong must their actual power be?

    The initial contempt had evaporated, reced with the tension and focus of facing a formidable adversary. Sun Wukong knew that a great battle was forting, and a single misstep could very well lead to his death here. The strength of the Buddha before him exceeded his imagination.

    But even so, not a single trace of fear resided in Sun Wukong¡¯s heart. Combat was something Sun Wukong never feared. No matter how powerful the opponent, not a flicker of fear would Sun Wukong harbor within. The only feeling present was excitement, the thrill of challenging a towering mountain.

    "Are you Sun Wukong? The very same who¡¯s caused such disorder among my Buddhist disciples?"

    "Before asking someone¡¯s name, shouldn¡¯t you introduce yourself first?"

    "Hehe, interesting, very interesting. It has been many years since anyone dared to speak to me like that. Since you wish to know, then I shall tell you, I am the Carefree Buddha. As for my strength, I am an upper-level Saint. I have descended this time solely to y you. Hehe.

    Do not entertain thoughts of escape or resistance. Although your strength is formidable, it is at most that of a mid-level Saint. You stand no chance against me."

 Chapter 30 - 25 Saint

    After the Light Buddha finished speaking, he looked at Sun Wukong with a smile, disying an air ofplete indifference. But indeed, it was just so; between two beings of entirely different realms, where their worlds were also utterly distinct, he truly had the privilege to disregard Sun Wukongpletely.

    The gap in strength between a high-ranking Saint and a mid-ranking Saint was like a chasm, which only an exceptionally gifted few could ignore and thus fight beyond their station; the vast majority could not afford such disregard. Clearly, Sun Wukong did not belong to that rare minority.

    Even though Sun Wukong had a fearsome reputation in this realm, in the eyes of the Light Buddha, he seemed like nothing more than a slightly stronger child trying to rule over other children. He might be formidable among the group of children, but to the Light Buddha, it was nothing more than a child¡¯s y.

    As the Light Buddha surveyed Sun Wukong with eyes full of mockery, Wukong watched the Light Buddha (short for the Carefree Buddha) with a face full of caution.

    The moment Wukongid eyes on the Light Buddha, he knew he had encountered a formidable enemy. The effortless aura of the Light Buddha was already much stronger than that of Tathagata, and Wukong believed that even if Tathagata struck with all his might, it would not match a casual blow from the Light Buddha before him.

    This was the disparity between a high-ranking Saint and a low-ranking Saint. Although the gap between himself and the Light Buddha was not as vast, it was not much smaller either. But would he retreat? Even if he didn¡¯t consider the master and junior brother back in the Coiled Silk Cave, he was determined to fight.

    He had long since established a life-and-death feud with Buddhism, a vendetta that had to be settled sooner orter. It was justing a little earlier than expected. He had only just fused with one Metal System Divine Stone; if he waited until he had sessfully fused with all five Divine Stones...

    "Light Buddha, is it? If you think you can scare off your old Sun with just a few words, then you are far too naive. Words are useless; I, your old Sun, am determined to destroy Buddhism."

    "Hmph, arrogant! Let this lowly Demon Monkey from the Lower Realm open its eyes and see what a true gap is. However, even after you realize it, you¡¯ll have no time for regrets. Because today, you are bound to die," retorted the Light Buddha.

    No sooner had these words fallen than the Light Buddha brought his hands together, and a torrent of Buddha¡¯s power surged forth. Then, with a sudden parting of his hands, a twelveyered Exquisite Pagoda appeared between his palms, transparent and finely crafted. The base of the Pagoda was to the right, its spire to the left.

    The Light Buddha then tossed his right hand backward, and the Exquisite Mini Pagoda clung tightly to his palm.

    "Golden Body Pagoda¡¤Strike." As the Light Buddha bellowed, he hurled his right hand forward, and the Exquisite Mini Pagoda shot out at a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye. Its target was Sun Wukong.

    Facing the Light Buddha¡¯s lethal strike, Sun Wukong dared not underestimate it in the slightest. The Golden Hoop on his head immediately cracked as a wild and domineering aura surged. Grasping the Jingu Bang in his hand, he channeled an immensely strong force into it, causing the Jingu Bang to burst with intense golden light, pulsing as if in sync with a heartbeat.

    At that moment, the Light Buddha¡¯s Exquisite Mini Pagoda was right before him, and the muscles in Wukong¡¯s right arm swelled like a small mountain.

    In the next instant, the Exquisite Mini Pagoda collided fiercely with the Jingu Bang. A thunderous boom shook heaven and earth, and the resulting mana shockwave spread across the entire world. Every being with even a slight degree of spiritual attainment, be they Immortal or demon, felt this wave of mana.

    Their expressions changed dramatically as they wondered when such a terrifying power had emerged in this world.

    As the noise died down and they looked at the two again, the Light Buddha held the Mini Pagoda in his right hand with a smile, as if the previous strike had nothing to do with him. But looking at Sun Wukong, his right hand, holding the Jingu Bang, still trembled uncontrobly, as if the slightest rxation would cause the staff to fly from his grasp.

    Clearly, Sun Wukong had been wounded, albeit not heavily, but the oue between the two was decided.

    "Haha, Demon Monkey, now do you understand what the gap is? Haha"

    Ignoring the wildlyughing Light Buddha, Sun Wukong took a deep breath and slowly calmed the churning inner strength in his chest. He turned his head to look at his right hand, where the webbing was still split open, and blood was ceaselessly flowing.

    Sun Wukong slowly raised his head, murder flickering in his eyes, his face twisted menacingly.

    "Light Buddha, don¡¯t be so arrogant. Today, I¡¯ll use you to test it out, hahaha." Beneath the maniacalughter, Sun Wukong¡¯s muscles bulged explosively. The once slender Sun Wukong suddenly grew more than three times taller. His muscles coiled tightly around his body like marble.

    The Golden Armor and cloak he wore were stretched and shattered into pieces, while the hair on his body began to grow longer, covering his form. However, if one looked closely, one could see mana coursing through the hair, clearly extremely tough, hardly weaker than the top-level defensive magical treasures of the Heavenly Realm.

    "Great Sage Equalling Heaven¡ªDemon King Body!" He roared like thunder. It turned out that, after absorbing Nezha¡¯s Metal System Divine Stone, Sun Wukong¡¯s body underwent some kind of mutation. He could transform into the Demon King Body, and once in that state, Sun Wukong¡¯s physical attack power, defensive power, and even speed were enhanced more than tenfold.

    And it seemed that this was not even his final transformation.

    ncing at the of light overhead, in the next moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s body had already disappeared from its original location. Before everyone had time to shift their gaze, Tathagata let out a cry of rm.

    Everyone hastily turned their heads towards Tathagata, scared out of their wits. Sun Wukong¡¯s massive body had already appeared before Tathagata, and what everyone saw when they turned around was Sun Wukong holding Tathagata with one hand and making a fist with the other.

    "How dare you, demon monkey? Release me immediately," demanded the Light Buddha, reacting a split second faster than others. But given the distance, rescue was impossible. In desperation, heunched the Exquisite Tower from his right hand once more. Clearly, he was attempting to save Tathagata by threatening an exchange.

    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Sun Wukong did not care at all about the Exquisite Tower flying at his back. He just stared at Tathagata. The fist he clenched mmed down with force, and blood sprayed in an instant. When they looked again, Tathagata had be a headless corpse. At that moment, the Exquisite Tower had already appeared behind Sun Wukong, about to strike him.

    Even the Light Buddha exhaled a slight breath of relief at this moment; as long as he could kill the Demon Monkey, it didn¡¯t matter if Tathagata had died. At worst, he would be reprimanded when he returned, and it would be no serious matter.

    But what happened next left the Light Buddha utterly dumbfounded. He watched, wide-eyed, as Sun Wukong spun around just as the Exquisite Tower was about to hit his back and caught it with his empty left hand. If that were all, the Light Buddha could still bear it, but what nearly drove him mad was when Sun Wukong looked up at him with a sinister smile. Then, the muscles in his left hand bulged.

    With a "boom," the Exquisite Tower shattered. It was crushed by Sun Wukong with his bare hands.

    The Exquisite Tower, upon which the Light Buddha had spent countless years of his life, was destroyed just like that. Crushed with ease by Sun Wukong as if it were a piece of trash.

    Pointing at Sun Wukong, the Light Buddha spat out a mouthful of blood, suddenly turning as pale as gold foil. Clearly, he had suffered severe internal injuries. The Exquisite Tower was his life-bound magical treasure, intimately connected to him. Once the tower was shattered, how could he not be injured by the shock to his spirit?

    While the Light Buddha was still in shock and had yet to recover, everyone heard the other Buddhas shouting for caution. When he abruptly turned around, he witnessed the thing he feared most in his life. The vast, wild, and explosive body of Sun Wukong was already behind him.

    The Light Buddha suddenly looked up, only to see a pair of gigantic fists smashing down towards him. At that moment, Light Buddha felt a strange sense of relief. As he watched the fists rapidly erge in his pupils, he shouted out, "Sun Wukong, killing me is pointless. I am but the lowest-ranking Buddhist Soldier in Buddhism. Just wait, stronger people wille to kill you. Just wait.

    Haha¡­"

    Before he could finish speaking, Sun Wukong¡¯s fists had already smashed down. The once haughty and unbridled Carefree Buddha was reduced to a puddle of flesh. Even his soul was crushed to pieces.

 Chapter 31 - 26 Journey

    ```

    After shattering the Carefree Buddha with a punch, Sun Wukong, covered with blood and boundless killing intent, slowly raised his head to look towards the rest of the Buddhism faithful. That nce contained the most intense tyranny and cold murderous intent between heaven and earth. Just one look made the Buddhists feel as if they had plunged into an endless, icy world.

    Moreover, while some were overwhelmed by the tyrannical aura and thought of fleeing, their bodies suddenly froze in ce, daring not to move an inch. They were forced nearly to kneel by the overbearing presence.

    Those who turned to run felt a surge of intense murderous intent enshroud them the moment the thought arose. It was as if numerous razor-sharp daggers were pressed against their throats, promising immediate decapitation with the slightest twitch. Thus, not a single one dared to move.

    "Remember, my name is Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong. This is merely a beginning. I know more wille from the Upper Realm, but I, Old Sun, am fearless." With a final nce at the Buddhist crowd, Sun Wukong then turned and left without hesitation.

    It was only when Sun Wukong¡¯s figure disappeared into the continuous mountain range below that everyone finally let out a deep breath. The terror of an imminent death was not something ordinary individuals could withstand. Though they did not know why Sun Wukong had not seized the chance to y them all, their minds were no longer focused on such matters.

    None wished to stay there for even a second longer, all of them using their fastest speed to leave.

    It was likely that, for a long time afterward, no one would dare to pursue Sun Wukong. Even the most formidable masters would hesitate. Sun Wukong¡¯s array of techniques had utterly terrified them. From their enlightenment until now, they had never encountered someone so fearsome.

    It seemed you could never kill or even defeat him; if he lived through a defeat, he would alwayse back stronger, crushing you with overwhelming power and teaching you the true meaning of terror.

    Such a person should not be provoked, nor should anyone have any interaction with him. This thought became the inner voice of everyone present. It would not be impossible for some to renounce their faith and retreat into seclusion right away.

    Within the deepest stone room of the Coiled Silk Cave, Sun Wukongy on the ground soaked in blood, with only a weak breath proving he was not yet dead. After lying there quietly for a while, his fingers twitched almost imperceptibly, and then, with great difficulty, Sun Wukong opened his eyes.

    "That was close, almost had a corporeal explosion. Although I saved my life, these injuries are too severe; I wonder when I¡¯ll fully recover," he said with a wry smile on his face. Then, little by little, he began trying to sit up cross-legged. Despite having exterminated two saints of Buddhism, Sun Wukong did not feel any rxation in his heart.

    On the contrary, the appearance of the Carefree Buddha had made him even more urgent.

    After the journey to the West concluded, Sun Wukong and hispanions were consecrated by Buddhism, with Sun Wukong himself being appointed as the Buddha of Victory in Combat. For several hundred years afterward, Sun Wukong stayed within Buddhism to cultivate. On the surface, it seemed he became a Buddha, enjoying a century of peace.

    Yet no one knew that throughout the hundreds of years in Spiritual Mount, Sun Wukong secretly investigated almost all of Buddhism¡¯s secret chronicles.

    It was then that Sun Wukong made an extremely shocking and earth-shattering discovery. He found in the Tathagata¡¯s sealed scrolls that the vast Buddhism of the Western Paradise was just the tip of the iceberg. The world he existed in was also just a minuscule one among thousands of worlds. This revtion left Sun Wukong extremely startled, but he soon calmed down.

    For within the fragmented information in the scrolls, Sun Wukong realized that not only Buddhism, but also the Heavenly Taoist sects were simr.

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong found himself in a dilemma. Both Buddhism and the Taoist Sects had major grievances with him. He had always thought what he saw was everything, but now he knew it was just a tiny fraction. Yet, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t just give up. After deliberation, he decided to continue investigating before making a decision.

    The subsequent content spoke of Sun Wukong¡¯s world, called the Pangu Realm. Initially, it was but a colossal stone in Chaos, nurturing over countless years until Pangu was born within it. After Pangu¡¯s birth, he propped up the heavens and stamped on the earth, and only after countless years did the world take its current shape.

    Every time a world is born in the universe, the powers on the Deste Ancient Realm at the center of the universe would be informed. When the forces in the Ancient Primordial World learned that it was just a small world, they sent a few emissaries each to expand within it. Because the world was too weak, after sending a few disciples, these forces stopped paying attention.

    Yet, they still sent messages every ten thousand years to inquire about the state of the small world.

    ```

    When the first ten thousand years had passed, the message that came was that the first being born in this world was named Pangu. Yet Pangu had already be one with the world through body transformation into the Dao. Therefore, they decided to name this small world the Pangu Realm.

    Although in the eyes of these great powers, Pangu¡¯s strength was so weak that it couldn¡¯t be weaker, the spirit of merging with the Dao in such a way was still very grand. That¡¯s why a world was named after him.

    The representatives sent by these major forces were Nuwa from the Demon n, Hongjun from the Taoist Sect, Fuxi from the Human n, and Tathagata from Buddhism. The other minor forces are not worth mentioning. These individuals, who could be called deities in the Pangu World, then began to educate all living beings and started to establish sects and schools.

    Another seventeen thousand five hundred eons passed before the current world order came about. The original deities either perished or merged with the Dao,pletely vanishing. Although there were other characters with profound mana that appearedter, they were merely shes in the pan.

    Moreover, there is one most important point, which is that whether it is Buddhism or the Taoist Sect, ording to the secret order passed down from the Deste Ancient Realm, while different forces can push each other out and wage wars, they absolutely not permit theplete annihtion of one by another.

    Although the great powers up above would not care too much about the Pangu Realm, as it was a small world, the total annihtion of one faction by another is something the major powers of the Deste Ancient Realm absolutely cannot tolerate; to them, it¡¯s akin to a severe p in the face.

    Sun Wukong also found that the original Heaven was not managed by the Taoist Sect but by the Demon n leader Donghuang Taiyi and Di Jun. Their underlings, the Demon Master Kunpeng and the ten great generals of the Demon n, were unstoppable. However,ter on, internal turmoil broke out for some unknown reason, which allowed the Taoist Sect to take advantage of the situation and seize Heaven.

    Since then, the Demon n never recovered. Even so, the Taoist Sect did not exterminate the Demon n entirely but only killed some demon leaders. The rest of the Demon n were all expelled to the Lower Realm¡¯s Four Great Continents.

    Although all this infuriated Wukong, he still keenly discerned a useful piece of information. That is, neither Buddhism nor Taoism is allowed to be exterminated; if they are, the Upper Realm is sure to send someone to the Lower Realm, but that would have to wait ten thousand years. And the greatest amount of energy that the Pangu Realm could contain was that of a peak Saint.

    In ten thousand years, Wukong was confident that he could be the peak existence in this world.

    Therefore, if he could take advantage of this, he could first ally with Buddhism and thenunch a surprise attack on Heaven; having eliminated the Taoist Sect in Heaven, he would stand on equal footing with Buddhism. Once he had umted enough power, he could take down Buddhism in one strike. Then, this world would belong solely to the Demon n.

    Even if someone from the Upper Realm was sentter, by that time, his own power would be sufficient. If all went well, the Demon n would surely rise. Leading the Demon n back to the esteemed status of the Ancient Times was just a matter of time.

    Consequently, this led to a series of actions and behaviors by Sun Wukong. However, what Sun Wukong did not expect was that Buddhism would disregard themand from above and ultimately reap the benefits of the fisherman, effectively eliminating all the living forces of both the Demon n and the Taoist Sect, emerging as the biggest winner.

    This was something Wukong simply could not understand. But now, he had figured it all out. It turned out that behind Tathagata stood a luminous Carefree Buddha. A Buddha of higher rank provided backing to Tathagata, which exined his immense ambition.

    However, man¡¯s calctions are inferior to heaven¡¯s. Despite Tathagata¡¯s nning for over a thousand years, he still failed. Although he temporarily upied Heaven, his Spiritual Mount was destroyed in an instant. The loss outweighed the gain. Now, he found himself in a state of dead body and extinguished Dao.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s next task was to quickly recover from his injuries and then find the other three pieces of Nuwa¡¯s Divine Stones. After merging the power of the five Divine Stones, he would reach the peak Saint level. That would be the time for the Demon n to make a grandeback.

    As for Heaven, even if it temporarily belonged to Buddhism, it didn¡¯t matter.

    Just as Sun Wukong finished his contemtions, feeling the future looking bright, he heard a thunderous explosion followed by a loud voiceughing, "Haha, your old pig hase back to life again, hahaha."

 Chapter 32 - 27 Red Lotus Fire Body

    Hearing the noise, Sun Wukong knew that Zhu Bajie had finished his body refinement. Unfortunately, his own injuries were too severe to even rise to his feet. As Sun Wukong struggled to get up, a red light shed before his eyes, and then he saw a zing me burning fiercely.

    Sun Wukong knew that the me before him was Zhu Bajie. "Idiot, are you alright? Where¡¯s Master?" "Brother Monkey, what¡¯s happened to you? Who hurt you so badly? I¡¯ll avenge you." "I¡¯m, I¡¯m fine. Just need to rest a bit.

    Where¡¯s Master? I have something to tell you all."

    "Alright, Brother Monkey, don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll call Master over now." With that, another sh of firelight danced. In a moment, Tang Sanzang arrived, flying upon a red lotus me. However, Tang Sanzang¡¯s face was pale, clearly indicating that he had overexerted his mana.

    "Master... are you alright?" Tang Sanzang weakly opened his eyes and said, "I¡¯m fine; just exhausted a bit too much mana. Wukong, how are you? How did you get so badly injured?" "Master, Bajie, listen to me. After our discipleship journey to the Western Paradise..."

    Afterwards, Sun Wukong told all of his findings and deductions to Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie. Upon hearing Sun Wukong¡¯s words, Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie stood there stunned. The news was simply too shocking. Had it note from Sun Wukong himself, they would have never believed it. It utterly upended their world. But they both knew that Sun Wukong never spoke without evidence.

    He must have had conclusive evidence to speak as he did. Yet, this was indeed...

    "I know this isn¡¯t news one can ept in a short time. But don¡¯t worry, Buddhism won¡¯t be sending anyone for now. So, we are safe for the time being. Next, we need to focus on consolidating our strength and healing our injuries. Once we are all at our peak, it will be time to set off again. However, Bajie, after Master and I have fully recovered, you should go find Chang¡¯er.

    I know that you can¡¯t rest until you find her. Moreover, we can¡¯t let the secrets of The Moon Pce be discovered by those from Buddhism. After you find Chang¡¯er,e back to join Master and me."

    Having said that, Sun Wukong closed his eyes. Clearly, having spoken so much in one breath, his already injured body could not bear it anymore.

    Seeing Sun Wukong¡¯s injuries so severe, Tang Sanzang felt heartache as if bleeding. With a wave of his hand, a nearly transparent little flower appeared above Sun Wukong¡¯s head. Spinning tirelessly, with each turn, dense spiritual energy and vital energy flowed into Sun Wukong¡¯s body. Sun Wukong¡¯s injuries and the nearly depleted spiritual power were visibly recovering at a visible rate.

    At that moment, Tang Sanzang breathed a sigh of relief, and a resolute light flickered through his eyes. It was as if he had made a difficult decision.

    "Bajie, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t disturb your eldest disciple brother. Take this time to familiarize yourself with your new body and strength. If your teacher isn¡¯t mistaken, you should have the power of a lower-ranked Saint now. Work hard so that you can be of help to your eldest disciple brother in the future."

    "Yes, Master."

    After this significant trial, it seemed as if the characters of all had subtly transformed. Sun Wukong had be cautious and wise. Tang Sanzang had be resolute and decisive. Zhu Bajie had be sensible and brave. Each was growing, whether in strength or something else.

    Seven dayster, Coiled Silk Cave. The once dead silent mountains suddenly lit up with a fiery red light that shot towards the sky, its speed nearly unbelievable. Then, two simply dressed pilgrims appeared amidst the vast mountains. However, one of them looked exceptionally handsome, while the other jumped around like a lively monkey.

    Seven dayster, a small city in the far north of Beijuluozhou weed two travel-worn monks. These two monks were none other than Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang. After leaving the Coiled Silk Cave, they did not know in which direction to head.

    Searching for the remaining three Divine Stones seemed simple in theory, but finding three specific stones in this vast world was like searching for a needle in the ocean. The difficulty of such a task was clear, and they did not have much time to conduct a leisurely search.

    Thus, they could only head north, as Sun Wukong had heard that at the extreme north of Beijuluozhou, there lived a tribe known as the Ice n. They were of the Water Spirit attribute and might have some information about the Water Attribute Five Elements Divine Stone.

    Therefore, the two of them hurried without stopping to Beijuluozhou. Finally, after seven days, they arrived at thest small city in Beijuluozhou. Beyond thaty the uninhabited Extreme Northern Ice Field. Legend had it that even Daluo Golden Immortals would not venture far into that ice field, for the temperatures in the Extreme Northern Ice Field were incredibly low.

    Once those with cultivation below the level of Daluo Golden Immortal entered, their mana would quicklye to a halt, and they would eventually freeze into blocks of ice.

    The Extreme Northern Ice Field was known among the Three Realms as a forbidden zone for life. Sun Wukong had learned of it back when he was still the king of Flower Fruit Mountain, drinking with other Demon Kings. The Flood Dragon Demon King had incidentally revealed that he once strayed deep into the Extreme Northern Ice Field and was surrounded by a group of Water Spirits.

    Had it not been for the Eastern Emperor Bell left behind by Donghuang Taiyi, he would have faced certain death.

    Those Ice Spirits had the strength of Daluo Golden Immortals and were unaffected by the extreme cold, able to move about freely in frigid temperatures. However, for an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal who was not constantly enveloped in spiritual power, even moving was difficult, let alone fighting.

    Thus, the Extreme Northern Ice Field had be a ce that most people dreaded at the mention of its name. However, regardless of its terror, today, Sun Wukong was determined to traverse it. It was just like the time he went on the journey to the Western Paradise, knowing full well there would be no result even if he reached it, yet he still went forward without looking back.

    There are some things in life that, although known to be dangerous and fruitless, must still be experienced. If one never attempts or experiences them, simply hearing about them from others, can one truly say that their life belongs to them? Moreover, often only after personally going through these experiences does one realize that things are not always as they seem.

    But I digress. Upon entering the city, Wukong and his master headed straight to an inn, where they requested two upper rooms. Then they began their meditative practice to recover from the fatigue of their continuous travel. By sunset, both had returned to their peak condition. Sun Wukong then went downstairs and ordered two vegetarian dishes.

    After the meal, he pondered for a moment, then said, "Master, let your disciple travel the next part of the journey alone. Although you have attained the realm of a Saint, the Extreme Northern Ice Field is treacherously dangerous, and any mishap would be disastrous."

    "Oh? Is it so perilous? But if you go alone, I¡¯m even more worried," said Sanzang.

    "Master, you are not aware. There are four great continents in this world, but atop these continents, there exist powers beyond just Buddhism, Heaven, and the Demon n. Outside of these three major forces, there are countless powerful tribes across the continents.

    For instance, the Water Spirit n of the Extreme Northern Ice Field in Beijuluozhou, the Barbarian n of the Extreme Western Wastnd in Xiniuhezhou, and the Ancients of Southern Continent¡¯s far south, are all forces to be reckoned with, as powerful as Heaven or Buddhism; they simply do not reveal themselves due to certain special reasons.

    So, even though you have reached the realm of a Saint, you are not a warrior at heart. Should you encounter a Saint-level expert from one of these ancient races, it might be hard to contend with them. But if there is only me, even if I cannot defeat them, I can still manage to escape. So, Master, please do not be angry, your disciple is doing this for your own good," Sun Wukong exined.

    Hearing this, Tang Sanzang sighed slightly, knowing that his presence might indeed slow Wukong down. Yet, he could not bear the thought of Wukong venturing into danger alone. With this in mind, Tang Sanzang flicked his finger, and a transparent little flower appeared at his fingertip.

    "Wukong, I know the journey ahead is fraught with extreme danger. If I apany you, I may hold you back. However, take this Duoxu Wudu Hua with you. It can save your life in a critical moment. If you are in danger, I can also know your location toe to your rescue," said Sanzang.

    Sun Wukong was about to say something but, upon looking up and seeing the unwavering determination in Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes, he simply nodded, took the Duoxu Wudu Hua, and with a turn of his body, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished.

 Chapter 33 - 28 Extreme Northern Ice Field

    As the light of day began to emerge, Sun Wukong halted his steps. After looking around, he found a low depression in the mountains and sat down cross-legged to recover the spiritual energy he had spent through the night.

    Normally, with one somersault Sun Wukong could travel one hundred and eight thousand miles, but in the Extreme Northern Ice Field, he had managed only about three hundred miles in one night. The difference was like night and day, yet even this three hundred miles was enough to make Wukong proud. If it had been any othermon Saint, perhaps a hundred miles would have been their limit.

    For those whose strength had not reached the realm of Saints, they might not have been able to move at all.

    Unfortunately, even with Sun Wukong¡¯s strengthparable to the great witches of the ancient Witch n and his body, he couldn¡¯t withstand the piercing cold. In one night, his spiritual power was almostpletely depleted. Left with no choice, he had to meditate on the spot; otherwise, he would quickly freeze into an ice sculpture.

    Besides, the Extreme Northern Ice Field was extraordinarily dangerous, and the severe cold was just one of its many threats.

    Even more hazardous were the asional snow tornadoes and the packs of Ice Field Demon beasts that would appear. These creatures were somewhere between beasts and Demons. They had little intelligence and only knew how to roam and hunt prey. If you took them lightly just because of their low intelligence, then you would be finished.

    Theirck of intelligence meant they were reckless and fearless, with no concept of fear. What¡¯s more, even the weakest of these Demon beasts had the power of a Heavenly Immortal. Imagine, in such a challenging environment, being surrounded by a group of fearless Heavenly Immortal-level Demon beasts; the consequences would be terrifying.

    Therefore, when traversing the ice field, the most important thing was to never deplete all your spiritual power. At the very least, you had to retain thirty percent of your spiritual power in case of emergencies. Although Sun Wukong still had some energy left, he did not dare to be reckless. Moreover, this ce was all ice and snow.

    Except for the Water and Ice Systems, other elemental forces were extremely scarce, so Sun Wukong dared not risk his life. A million Buddhist Soldiers had been unable to detain him, but if he were to perish on the Extreme Northern Ice Field because of carelessness, it would be something Sun Wukong could never ept.

    After three quarters of an hour, Sun Wukong stood up. Although he hadn¡¯t fully returned to his peak condition, he had recovered about ny percent of his spiritual power. As long as he refrained from using ultimate moves that required great magical power and continued walking slowly, he should be able tost until sunset.

    The ice field was incredibly harsh, and every extra minute spent there meant countless more dangers.

    Step by step, shielded by a spiritual energy protective shield, Sun Wukong moved forward slowly. At the same time, his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils were pushed to their limit. Otherwise, after spending too much time walking in the ice field, he would be snow blind. If there happened to be any Demon beasts around, he might not notice them.

    When he first set foot on the ice field the previous night, Sun Wukong found that his spiritual sense was suppressed to the lowest level, only able to probe around a hundred meters. Beyond that, he could perceive nothing. For someone at Sun Wukong¡¯s level, a hundred meters was almost as close as an arm¡¯s length.

    So Sun Wukong simply shut off his spiritual sense and relied solely on his eyesight and hearing for detection. This was where the importance of his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils was greatly enhanced.

    With the help of his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, Sun Wukong had already sessfully avoided two groups of Demon beasts. One of them was a pack of about fifty Demon wolves. Their fur was pure white, and had it not been for Sun Wukong¡¯s Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, he might not have been able to recognize them even up close.

    The strongest among the Demon wolves reached the peak of Golden Immortal, while the weakest was at the lower level of Heavenly Immortal. Under normal circumstances, this pack of Demon wolves wouldn¡¯t have been enough for a sweep of his Jingu Bang. Unfortunately, here in this ce, Sun Wukong had no choice but to take a detour.

    Although Sun Wukong was not afraid, a battle could lead to an enormous expenditure of spiritual power and might attract nearby packs of Demon beasts. Sun Wukong¡¯s goal this time was to find the Ice n to inquire about the Water System Divine Stone, not to wage a battle with Demon beasts.

    With this in mind, although he felt slightly unwilling, Sun Wukong still chose to take a detour. Soon enough, Wukong realized just how wise his decision had been. He had traveled less than thirty miles when he stumbled upon a group of icy leopards. All these leopards possessed the strength of a Daluo Golden Immortal, and the leader was even an Emperor Level demon beast.

    Wukong was immediately filled with relief. Had he acted impulsively and fought with the demon wolves, the scent of battle and blood would have surely attracted this group of leopards. By then, he would likely have been in grave danger. In this ursed ce, he could at best exert only a fifth of his strength.

    Unless he transformed into the giant ape form as he had in the battle against the Carefree Buddha, but the mere thought of the horrific aftereffects sent a chill down Wukong¡¯s spine, and all thoughts of transformation were hastily concealed. He was now even more cautious as he tiptoed around the leopard group and proceeded slowly.

    The reason was that when Wukong had transformed into the giant ape in a fit of rage that day, he had somehow triggered the Metal System Divine Stone within his body, causing an unstoppable and abundant flow of Metal System spiritual power to burst forth.

    Part of it flowed along his meridians into his muscles and bones, while another part seeped out through his pores, infusing into his skin and body hair. This was why Wukong had possessed such terrifying speed and strength, as well as an astonishing defensive power.

    A magic treasure that a higher Saint had focused his life on crafting was crushed in his bare hand, and such physical might was beyondprehension. Tathagata had his head shattered without even having the time to react.

    However, in this world, there is bnce. Although the Metal System spiritual power initially granted Wukong terrifying attack power and defensive strength, he soon sensed something was wrong. After reaching a peak, Wukong¡¯s body began to rupture rapidly from within.

    Just after Wukong had smashed the Carefree Buddha into a pulp, the muscles in Wukong¡¯s arms tore, followed by his meridians, and eventually even his bones cracked.

    So, in the end, Wukong merely gave the Buddhas a nce and, without having time to ughter them, hurriedly flew away. This was because Wukong did not know if in the next moment his whole body¡¯s meridians would snap and he would be blown into dust by the Buddhist Soldiers.

    When Wukong barely reached the Coiled Silk Cave, he immediately reverted to his true form, which finally stopped the internal ruptures, but it was slightly toote. By that time, Wukong was already on the brink of death from severe injuries.

    At the critical moment, the Metal System Divine Stone within his body quietly emanated a soft golden light, shielding Wukong¡¯s heart meridian and preventing him from dying.

    Thinking back on it, Wukong was terrified. That power was indeed formidable, but it seemed his body was too weak to bear it. Yet, that was only the power of a single Divine Stone that Wukong was already unable to control, let alone integrate with it.

    But this was far from enough; Sun Wukong still needed to find the Water System, Wood System, and Fire System Divine Stones and integrate them one by one into his body. However, with his current physical state, it was obviously a path to self-destruction. If he didn¡¯t find a way to strengthen his body, even if he could find the other Divine Stones, being unable to merge with them would be pointless.

    Therefore, during his journey to the Extreme Northern Ice Field, Sun Wukong harbored the idea of training his body. Walking in such a harsh environment and maintaining his body temperature using only spiritual power, he would only envelop himself with spiritual power to prevent his body from freezing when he absolutely couldn¡¯t endure any longer.

    If he could persevere until the end and make it out of the ice field, his body was sure to be much more powerful.

    As he walked and pondered, suddenly, an extremely cold murderous intent locked onto Sun Wukong. He shivered and then instantly entered a state of readiness for battle. The killing intent was so intense it was almost tangible. One could imagine that the master of this killing intent was exceedingly powerful. It was very likely from an Emperor Level creature, and a mid-tier one at that.

    While Sun Wukong activated his fiery eyes and looked around, an abnormally cold breath attacked him from behind. In the next instant, a huge snow-white tail stabbed out of thin air. Sun Wukong quickly turned around, his right arm bulging as muscles swiftly swelled. His entire right arm became extremely thick, contrasting starkly with his left.

    Then, swinging the Jingu Bang in his right hand with a turn, it shed with a "ng," the sound of metal striking metal ringing deafeningly in his ears. Sun Wukong only felt the Jingu Bang in his right hand vibrating intensely, and when he looked again, the giant tail was already deflected.

    Sun Wukong was about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly a piercing pain struck his back. He turned his head slightly and was shocked to discover that it was an enormous demon snake. It had used its tail to sneak attack, and at the moment he turned, it had suddenly thrust forward its gaping maw. Such intelligence this giant python had.

    However, although shocked, Sun Wukong wasn¡¯t panicked. Even though his current strength was only three or four-tenths of his prime, he still wasn¡¯t someone that could be injured by a mere mid-tier Emperor Level demon beast, even in these extreme conditions.

    Just as the giant python¡¯s enormous mouth was about to swallow Sun Wukong, suddenly a red light shot out from his back and, after a few shes, wrapped the giant python into a zongzi.

    "Heavenly Silk, Tighten." Instantly, the red light from the Heavenly Silk intensified, severing directly at the python¡¯s vital spot, killing the mid-tier Emperor Level Ice Python on the spot.

    "Hmph, a mere big snake dares to dream of devouring yours truly, Sun Wukong; truly overestimating its capabilities. However, its arrival is quite timely. Yours truly has been walking for a day and night and is hungry; I¡¯ll take this big snake to satisfy my hunger."

    Having said that, Sun Wukong quickly skinned the snake and then found a spot sheltered from the wind. With a flick of his hands, a transparent little flower appeared. Then, with a wave of his hand, the flower settled a foot above the ground and began to burn fiercely.

    However, it was only the ordinary Samadhi True Fire that burned, but it was enough, for Sun Wukong had summoned the Illusory Flower of Emptiness not for anything else but simply to roast the snake meat. If Tang Sanzang were to know, he would surely chant the Tightening Spell ten times.

    While roasting the snake meat, Sun Wukong yed with a snow-white pearl. This pearl was the demon snake¡¯s inner core. It is well known that snakes, pythons, dragons, and turtles are prone to producing pearls, whereas ordinary demon beasts or demons only have inner cores.

    Although inner cores are also treasured objects, especially those above the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal which are extremely precious, inner pearls are valued a hundred times more.

    The reason being that inner pearls have the ability to strengthen the body. Among immortals, unless one practices body cultivation, their physical bodies tend to be weaker while their mana is stronger. Therefore, an inner core that can enhance physical strength bes an invaluable treasure.

    "Just right, yours truly Sun Wukong is preparing to temper my body, and this big snake has sent over an inner core. Heh, truly a timely help in the snow."

 Chapter 34 - 29 Aquatic Tribe Leader

    Having finished a steaming delicious serving of snake meat, Sun Wukong waved his hand and retracted the illusionary flower. Then, discerning his bearings, he rose and flew away. In the span of a few breaths, Sun Wukong had vanished without a trace. At that moment, the ground suddenly began to tremble as if some monstrously huge beast was charging towards this location.

    Momentster, an enormous snow-white bull, trailing a path of flying snow, was seen running towards the ce where Sun Wukong had just been roasting and eating snake meat.

    When the giant bull arrived, it saw snake skin and meat scattered everywhere and let out a thunderous roar, filled with immense sorrow. Clearly, this colossal snow bull was familiar with the great snake, but unfortunately, it was still a step toote.

    Sun Wukong had indeed sensed the distress signal the giant snake emitted just before its death after killing it, but he simply chose to ignore it. After finishing the snake meat, Sun Wukong felt a tremor in the air and guessed that the giant snake¡¯s ally might have arrived. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t hesitate to expend spiritual power to swiftly fly away.

    Hearing the roar behind him, Sun Wukong shook his head. Wanting to take another¡¯s life despite one¡¯s own insufficient strength was foolhardy. Since you wished to consume this old Sun, then it was only fair that this old Sun ate you first.

    As Sun Wukong touched down, he happened to be at the foot of an icy mountain. He reached into his bosom to touch the snake pearl and fell into thought. Should he look for a secluded ce to consume this serpent pill now or should he continue traveling northward?

    If he consumed the serpent pearl on the spot, his physical body was sure to be much stronger, but it would take a considerable amount of time. Continuing northward could save time, indeed, but in the perilous Extreme Northern Ice Field, an extra measure of strength meant an additional chance of self-preservation.

    After only a moment¡¯s thought, Sun Wukong had made his decision. He would find a secluded ce and consume the serpent pill. Even if he headed north immediately, he had no idea where the Aquatic Tribe Leader was. He could only head blindly north based on intuition. It was, after all, an unpredictable journey where no one knew when they would find the Aquatic Tribe.

    Therefore, dying for a little while now was inconsequential; moreover, stronger abilities meant he could travel faster.

    Having decided, Sun Wukong no longer hesitated. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the illusionary flower and then dug out the Jingu Bang from his ear. With a casual blow, the illusionary flower flew to one end of the Jingu Bang. Just like that, Sun Wukong shouldered the Jingu Bang and strode towards the icy mountain.

    Just when it seemed he would crash into the mountain, the flower flickered slightly, and a person-sized hole silently melted into the wall of ice.

    Although Sun Wukong had ascended to the status of a mid-level Saint, his yful nature remained unchanged. He had used the renowned illusionary flower first for roasting meat, and now for carving a path. If anyone else had seen this, they would likely exim it was a waste of a heavenly object.

    s, there was no one else here, and even if there were, Sun Wukong would not have cared. Once he reached the mountain belly¡¯s midpoint, Sun Wukong stopped, retracted the illusionary flower and Jingu Bang, and looked back at the long, human-shaped passageway with a chuckle. Then with a puff, the ice in the center of the mountain belly quickly melted into water.

    Sun Wukong pointed with his hand, and the water flowed along the passage he hade through. In the blink of an eye, it sealed the passagepletely before freezing into a chunk of ice. From the outside, it was impossible to discern the slightest trace.

    Sun Wukong nodded in satisfaction and then summoned the Magic Treasure, wrapping it in arge circle around himself. He then sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to recuperate. Although this ce was extremely secluded, it was still best to be prepared for any emergencies.

    If a demonic beast were to intrude at the critical moment he swallowed the Serpent Pearl, it could be an unwarranted disaster.

    An hourter, Sun Wukong opened his eyes, and two beams of golden light shot out from them, striking the iceberg and creating two holes as thick as fingers. It seemed that his fiery eyes and golden pupils could unexpectedly serve as an attack technique in the future. If he were to catch his opponent off guard and strike their eyes like this during a fight, the fun would be immense.

    Given Sun Wukong¡¯s personality, this was not an impossibility.

    After an hour of conditioning, Sun Wukong had brought his vigor, energy, and spirit to their peak states. It was time to swallow the Serpent Pearl and enhance his physical strength.

    Without hesitation, Sun Wukong took out the Serpent Pearl from his bosom, tilted his head back, and swallowed it whole. In an instant, he felt as if a colossal python had rushed through his mouth and then transformed into countless little snakes, scurrying throughout his body. In just half a breath¡¯s time, his muscles were torn apart extensively. This rmed and enraged Sun Wukong.

    It turned out that when Sun Wukong killed the giant serpent, a grudge spirit had drifted out and entered the Serpent Pearl. Sun Wukong had been careless at the time and did not notice it, but as soon as he swallowed the Serpent Pearl, that grudge spirit, mixed with the Serpent Pearl¡¯s spiritual power, invaded Sun Wukong¡¯s organs and bones, attempting to destroy his vitality from within.

    However, Sun Wukong, being a Great Saint of mid-tier ranking, wouldn¡¯t allow such a thing to happen. He fully mobilized his spiritual power within his body and began to round up the rampantly scattering spiritual power of the Serpent Pearl.

    Finally, after more than an hour of encirclement, all of the Serpent Pearl¡¯s spiritual power was condensed in the Dantian. But this presented a new challenge for Sun Wukong. Although all the spiritual power had been captured, how could he extract the grudge spirit within? If he couldn¡¯t remove that wisp of a grudge spirit, the spiritual power would never be absorbed.

    And should there be any slight w in his own spiritual power, the Serpent Pearl¡¯s spiritual power would surely scatter again and continue to damage his body. Just then, Sun Wukong felt a warmth at his Dantian and, upon closer inspection, discovered a tiny Immaterial Flower in bloom.

    As soon as the Immaterial Flower appeared, the gathered spiritual power of the Serpent Pearl began to stir restlessly, as if it was extremely afraid of the gently blossoming Immaterial Flower.

    "Haha, how could I have forgotten about it. The Immaterial Flower is indeed the bane of all spirits and resentful ghosts. Next time, let¡¯s see you try to escape."

    Indeed, as the Immaterial Flower floated below the mass of spiritual power, the Serpent Pearl¡¯s spiritual power twisted violently, and a grayish-ck little snake peeled away from it, mming forcefully against the spiritual power Sun Wukong used to wrap around the Serpent Pearl¡¯s spiritual power. However, it only served to be a futile effort.

    The next moment, a thin thread of fire from the Immaterial Flower wrapped around the grayish-ck little snake, and immediately, the snake let out a painful squeak. After that, it was burned to nothingness by the Immaterial Flower.

    Seeing this, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel a great joy, while at the same time, a sense of relief washed over him. It was fortunate he had the transformation flower, otherwise he would have lost an Emperor Level Serpent Pill for nothing, and he might even have been seriously injured. It seemed he had been too careless.

    With the resentful spirit gone, what remained was to absorb the spirit power of the Serpent Pill and strengthen his body. This was supposed to be an exceedingly difficult step, but when Sun Wukong attempted to absorb the spirit power of the Serpent Pill, he found that the spirit power was very obedient and extremely easy to absorb.

    Was it because it became easier to absorb after being burned by the transforming flower?

    Unable to figure it out, Sun Wukong decided not to dwell on it, resolving to experimentter when he had the chance. For now, he should make haste and use the spirit power to fortify his body.

    Time silently passed by. Three dayster, the peak of the ice mountain shattered thunderously, and a figure burst forth.

    It was Sun Wukong who had entered the belly of the mountain three days before to consume the Serpent Pill.

    "It seems that the strength of my body must have reached that of a higher-level Saint. Three days ago, my body was only of a middle-level Saint in strength, although much stronger than an average Saint, it wasn¡¯t by too much. But now, it has risen an entire level, which took Sun Wukong by surprise. Even if the Emperor Level Serpent Pill was powerful, it shouldn¡¯t have had such a terrifying effect.

    Could it really be the work of the transformation flower?"

    Shaking his head, he decided not to think about it anymore. Just then, Sun Wukong suddenly looked back, pushed his fiery-eye vision to the limit, and gazed into the distance. He saw a figure swiftly approaching him from across the Extreme Northern Ice Field, and behind that figure, a gigantic snow-white bull was in pursuit.

    Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. It was thepanion of the big snake from before, what a coincidence. It was very likely that the giant bull, unable to find himself, had begun to rampage. However, it was surprising to find another person in the Extreme Northern Ice Field, which sparked Sun Wukong¡¯s curiosity.

    While he was contemting, the figure had already run up to Sun Wukong. It was then that he got a clear look at the neer. The person had fiery red hair, a slender figure, and was wearing blue leather armor. Before Sun Wukong could observe further, he heard the person shouting at him, "Friend, run fast. That stupid bull has gone mad. Don¡¯t let it catch up, or it will explode."

    Feeling yful, Sun Wukong started to run alongside the man. "Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that? Why would that bull explode? Judging by its strength, it¡¯s already at the middle Emperor Level, right?"

    "You don¡¯t know, friend. That is one of the few creatures in the Extreme Northern Ice Field that one must never provoke. Its name is the Snow-colored Explosion Bull. Normally, this creature is exceptionally docile, but once it gets enraged by something, it will go berserk. It attacks any living thing within its sight. If it encounters something it can¡¯t defeat, it will explode without hesitation.

    That¡¯s why no one provokes it. How unlucky for me to encounter a raging snow bull as soon as I stepped out."

    "Ah, heh heh. Then let¡¯s run," said Sun Wukong, feeling somewhat awkward and unsure of what to say.

    "Right, friend, what¡¯s your name? It¡¯s very rare for people toe to the Extreme Northern Ice Field."

    "I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong."

    "What, what? Your name is Sun Wukong? From the Demon n? The Stone Monkey Sun Wukong?"

    "I, old Sun, don¡¯t change my name or alter my surname. It is indeed I, Sun Wukong."

    Suddenly, the person stopped in his tracks, but unfortunately, the ice field was too slippery, and despite stopping, he still slid far away. Seeing the person stop, Sun Wukong also halted.

    Without waiting for Sun Wukong to speak, the person waved his hand, and a blue Water Arrow shot out. The snow bull, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the Water Arrow and, the next moment, Sun Wukong was too shocked to speak. The giant snow bull had beenpletely frozen by the Water Arrow, devoid of any signs of life.

    "Now that you are here, I won¡¯t y anymore. Hahaha, I have finally waited for you. Sun Wukong."

    "Who are you? How do you know my name?" Sun Wukong asked warily.

    "Me? Haha, remember this, I am the Aquatic Tribe Leader of the Extreme Northern Ice Field. I am the Azure me¡ªEight-Gods me!" With those words, a Water Arrow farrger than before materialized from nothing and sped toward Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong, danger!

 Chapter 35 - 30: Ice Pole Ignites Fire

    Although Sun Wukong didn¡¯t understand why the jovial person from just moments ago had suddenly attacked him, there was no time to ponder. A streak of ming light shed beneath his feet and he disappeared in an instant, reappearing in the air.

    The Water Arrows that had just been powerful enough topletely freeze an Emperor-Level mid-phase giant bull, even turning its muscles and bones to ice, demonstrated a force to be reckoned with. Sun Wukong had great confidence in his physical body, but why take a hit when you can dodge?

    "Huh? The speed¡¯s pretty good. But I wonder how your other skills measure up." As he spoke, his right hand grasped into the void, and a stream of azure water flowed, transforming into a Square Sky Halberd in less than half a breath¡¯s time. With a flick of his wrist, it turned into an azure Ice Blue Glowing Halberd!

    "I¡¯ve heard that your Golden Hoop is invincible, so today, let¡¯s put my Ice Blue Glowing Halberd to the test!" No sooner had he spoken than Eight-Gods me forcefullyunched himself upward like a cannonball. The halberd in his hands shed with icy brilliance, its lethal aura seeming to slice through the air itself.

    Unfazed, the fighting spirit in Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes soared. "Haha, well met! I¡¯ve been itching for a worthy challenger. Take this!"

    Gold and azure streamers of light crashed together resoundingly. Rings of Mana ripple spread from the center of the twobatants. Looking at the pair again, one could see Eight-Gods me¡¯s Ice Blue Glowing Halberd radiating azure light, the tip leading and the shaft trailing as it fiercely collided with the horizontally positioned Golden Hoop held by Sun Wukong.

    At that moment, two streams of blue mist began to rise behind Eight-Gods me. At his shoulders, the mist quickly formed the shape of wings. A breeze blew by, dispersing the blue fog, revealing icy blue wings on Eight-Gods me¡¯s back. In the next instant, with a violent p, what was an evenly matched fight suddenly changed.

    Sun Wukong, who had been holding off Eight-Gods me¡¯s onught, felt as if he had been struck head-on by a massive fist.

    Eight-Gods me, seizing the momentum, pressed the tip of his halberd against Sun Wukong as he surged forward, his Attack Power at least three times stronger than before. Seeing the situation turn sour, Sun Wukong¡¯s feet traced a path in midair, and two ming Golden Wheels appeared beneath his feet ¡ª Sun Wukong¡¯s very own Wind Fire Wheels, a gift from Nezha.

    With the boost from the Wind Fire Wheels, Sun Wukong twisted his arms and, along with Eight-Gods me wielding the Battle Halberd, they continued to whirl around. From a distance, they looked like two tornadoes, one blue and one red.

    Now Sun Wukong had the upper hand. While Eight-Gods me¡¯s wings provided propulsion, they became almost useless once spinningmenced. The Wind Fire Wheels were different, with mes bursting from the two Golden Wheels, instantly knocking Eight-Gods me backward.

    The next moment, there was a thunderous boom. Sun Wukong flipped back with a few somersaults. Before him appeared a deep pit, so profound it seemed bottomless. It was Sun Wukong ¡ª using the propulsive force of the Wind Fire Wheels, he had mmed Eight-Gods me into the ground, and then even deeper still.

    "Come out now, I know that didn¡¯t hurt you."

    No sooner had Sun Wukong finished speaking than a blue streak of light shed up from the depths,nding gracefully on the ground. "I didn¡¯t expect you to possess such a Magic Treasure. No wonder you had such speed earlier, all thanks to that marvelous item. But next, we won¡¯t bepeting in speed."

    As soon as he had finished speaking, Eight-Gods me stretched out his arms, and with a loud shout, "Ice Extreme Ancient Armor!" A blue light emerged from his right hand, quickly spreading over him. Within a breath, imposing deep blue Armor had formed on his body. The shoulders of the Armor were shaped like mes, and the breastte featured a lifelike ck Tortoise.

    Behind him was a matching deep blue cape, intricately embroidered with blue mes.

    "This Armor was created when the Water Deity Gonggong and the Fire God Zhurong fought fiercely long ago, theirbined blood absorbed by a miraculous stone. Later, the Aquatic Tribe¡¯s mighty spent a century crafting this set of Armor. Those below the level of Saints cannot even scratch it."

    After introducing the Armor, Eight-Gods me continued, looking at Sun Wukong, "You should put on your Armor too, otherwise others might think that I am taking advantage of you."

    "Hahaha, Armor? I, old Sun, don¡¯t need such things. If it¡¯s a fight you want, then fight, without all this nonsense." Sun Wukong was still furious in his heart. Suddenly attacked without rhyme or reason, and then presented with such a turtle shell-like contraption, implying that fighting him would be taking advantage. How could Sun Wukong not be angry?

    Therefore, Sun Wukong made the first move. With a surge from his legs, a slight twist of his body, and an overhand grip, the Golden Hoop was already swinging. Its oppressive force and momentum were such that the ground cracked. A single blow reduces ten meetings; Sun Wukong had always relied not on Spells or Taoist Arts but on his own formidable strength.

    Facing Sun Wukong¡¯s wrathful strike, even with Ice Extreme Ancient Armor summoned, Eight-Gods me was unwilling to withstand the blow directly. At their level, one nce was enough to gauge the power of the opponent¡¯s attack. Eight-Gods me¡¯s wings fluttered furiously as he flew back, retreating.

    However, Sun Wukong, upon gaining the upper hand, was unforgiving. Each strike was faster than thest, each more ruthless. To his dismay, Eight-Gods me suddenly realized that after dodging Sun Wukong¡¯s first blow, he was unable to counterattack and could only retreat and dodge again and again.

    With every swing that Sun Wukong took, if it hit nothing but air, a ck dot would appear in that space. Clearly, the force contained within the staff was so immense that it punctured a hole in the void. Though notrge, it was enough to illustrate the terrifying nature of Sun Wukong¡¯s attacks.

    If even the void couldn¡¯t withstand it, the consequences if it struck a person would likely be dire. And if Sun Wukong¡¯s staff hit a mountain of ice, no matter how massive, it would instantly be reduced to powder without exception.

    Gradually, Eight-Gods me realized that dodging was bing increasingly difficult. Several times he just barely avoided being hit by the staff. Suddenly, Eight-Gods me understood; he had made a fatal mistake. When brave warriors meet on a narrow path, the braver one wins; he had been intimidated by Sun Wukong¡¯s momentum from the very beginning.

    A flicker of fear had taken root in his heart; that¡¯s why he chose to retreat instead of shing head-on when faced with Sun Wukong¡¯s first staff swing. That retreat spelled his doom.

    Once a person is overwhelmed by another¡¯s aura, defeat is not far off. Realizing this, Eight-Gods me broke out in a cold sweat. The next moment, a roar erupted from Eight-Gods me, "Ice Extreme Ancient Armor, strongest defense!" Then, instead of dodging, Eight-Gods me took Sun Wukong¡¯s blow head-on.

    Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and a hairline fracture appeared on the shoulder of the Ice Extreme Ancient Armor. ncing at the crack with a pang of distress, Eight-Gods me suppressed the urge to vomit blood.

    "Massacre of the Gods, Eight Forms¡ªThe First Form! Extreme Ice Condensing Thunder Kill!" The next moment, Eight-Gods me raised both hands high, then brought them down with force. Instantly, countless deep blue thunderbolts struck down. But upon closer inspection, what fell were not bolts of lightning, but icicles shaped like them.

    Every icicle fell like raindrops, piercing through any object they touched, leaving holes in its wake.

    Three breathster, the thunderstorm ceased. Looking around, the area was riddled with dark holes of unknown depth. However, when Eight-Gods me¡¯s gaze settled on the figure standing not far away, he was utterly shocked. Because Sun Wukong stood there,pletely unharmed.

    This was impossible; how could this be conceivable? Even if Sun Wukong had incredibly strong defenses, to emergepletely unscathed was utterly inconceivable. How did he manage it?

    Eight-Gods me looked at Sun Wukong, the shock in his heart lingering for a long time. However, this did not cause Eight-Gods me to retreat, but rather, heunched an even stronger attack.

    "Massacre of the Gods, Eight Forms¡ªThe Third Form! Corrosive Poisonous Water Kill!" Eight-Gods me knew Sun Wukong might be the strongest he had encountered, besides that person. If he did not put forth his full effort, he would likely be the one to fail. So he skipped the second form and directly used the third.

    The Third Form relied not on powerful freezing ability and attack power, but on the corrosive power of water. As the saying goes, constant dripping wears away the stone; if ordinary water can pierce stone, then what of his most powerful Silent Destruction Dead Water?

    The next moment, countless droplets emerged around Eight-Gods me, ck as ink, clearly containing terrifying power. Eight-Gods me¡¯s hands fluttered like a butterfly, and with each tap of his fingers, a droplet of water shot towards Sun Wukong.

    In just a few breaths, all the floating droplets around Eight-Gods me had beenunched.

    Looking back at Sun Wukong, who was facing the sky full of droplets, even he could not hide a hint of solemnity. Not wanting to be careless, he shook his right hand gripping the Jingu Bang, and a tuft of what appeared to be firelight shone from one end of the staff. Then, the skyful of droplets had already arrived.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes zed with golden light, then he swung his staff at an inconceivable speed. With each swing, the tip of the Jingu Bang tapped a droplet, and the droplet was extinguished in an instant.

    After five breaths, all was clear around Sun Wukong. The me at the tip of the Jingu Bang went out.

    Only Eight-Gods me remained, staring wide-eyed at Sun Wukong.

    "Massacre of the Gods, Eight Forms¡ªThe Fifth Form! Extreme Fire Red me Kill!"

 Chapter 36 - 31: The Eight Techniques of Slaying Gods

    The Eight-Gods Annihtion had a total of only eight forms, as the name implied. The name Eight-Gods me also stemmed from his mastery of this technique. The first four forms of the Eight-Gods Annihtion belonged to the Ice Extreme Technique, their might roughly equivalent to an upper Emperor Level.

    Thest four forms, however, were of the Fire Extreme Technique, elevating their power to the level of a Saint. Previously, Eight-Gods me had wielded the First Form and the Third Form of the Eight-Gods Annihtion with a tentative heart, yet they hadn¡¯t caused even the slightest effect on Sun Wukong. This was the greatest blow to Eight-Gods me.

    Considering himself a dignified Aquatic Tribe Leader, at the midst of Saint level and a rare match within the Extreme Northern Ice Field, he had garnered great fame with the Eight-Gods Annihtion he practiced. And yet today, having executed three forms, he hadn¡¯t even touched a single hair on his opponent.

    This filled Eight-Gods me with towering rage, prompting him to unleash the Fourth Form¡ªExtreme Fire Red me Kill¡ªright after the Third Form.

    Although Eight-Gods me was of the Aquatic Tribe and born with the congenital Cold Water King¡¯s body, theoretically, he should only be capable of practicing Water System or Ice System Spells. However, Eight-Gods me, blessed with unique talent, had cultivated the Ice System to its utmost limit and eventually mastered the Fire System as well.

    In Eight-Gods me¡¯s own words, it was ¡¯extreme ice birthing fire.¡¯ Therefore, his Ice System Spellster became a secondary focus, with the Fire System bing his main expertise. Possessing the extremes of both icy cold and scorching heat made him a once-in-a-millennium supergenius of the Aquatic Tribe, the bearer of the Azure me, Eight-Gods me!

    As soon as the Fifth Form of the Eight-Gods Annihtion was executed, Sun Wukong¡¯s heart suddenly grew vignt¡ªthe attack from his opponent evoked an intense sense of threat within him. In that moment, Sun Wukong dared not be negligent. It appeared that his opponent was now truly fired up, and any carelessness might lead to severe injury. This was something Sun Wukong did not wish to face.

    The Fifth Form of the Eight-Gods Annihtion¡ªExtreme Fire Red me Kill¡ªwas already in motion. But Sun Wukong suddenly paused, for he had clearly seen Eight-Gods me¡¯s hands gather an extremely terrifying Fire System energy, yet after its release, it disappeared without a trace. Could it be, could it be a failed Spell? Impossible, how could someone of his level make such a basic error?

    Could it be trickery?

    Just then, Sun Wukong felt a sharp pain in his back. Without time to think, he fully unleashed the power of his Wind Fire Wheels and instantly darted to the left. He narrowly dodged the attack, only to see a blinding streak of fire ze through his former position, leaving charred marks in the space it passed. Was this me truly this dread-inspiring?

    But when Sun Wukong had just dodged the first attack and his posture had not yet stabilized, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted a sh of fire to his right. His current awkward stance made it impossible to dodge the new attack with the Wind Fire Wheels. Left with no choice, Sun Wukong managed to pivot and swept his Golden Hoop in front of him.

    With a "whoosh," the sh of fire was deflected by Sun Wukong¡¯s Golden Hoop, deviating from its path and crashing into an ice mountain. Less than a momentter, the entire mountain emitted the sound of steaming vapor, and when one looked again, the ice mountain had vanished without a trace.

    Sun Wukong nced down at the Golden Hoop and noticed a small ck spot had appeared at one end. It was undoubtedly left by the contact with the fire streak. Considering that the Golden Hoop had been forged by the Supreme Elder Lord in the Eight Trigrams Furnace for forty-nine days, its resistance to fire was evident.

    And yet today, it had been scorched by a streak of fire, leaving a ckened mark. How potent was this me? Presumably, even his master¡¯s Void-Transmuting Red Lotus Karma Fire paled inparison.

    "Extreme Fire Red me Kill¡ªTriple Fire Assassination," Eight-Gods me saw that a single streak of fire only managed to put Sun Wukong in a sorry state, but that seemed to be all. Hardening his heart, he used the Fifth Form to its limit, the Triple Fire Assassination.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s heart instantly sensed danger. He blocked forcefully with the Golden Hoop behind him, and was then sent flying several meters forward. But before he could regain his footing, another streak of fire shot up from the ground, heading straight for Sun Wukong¡¯s head. With a perilous backbend, he narrowly evaded.

    As two streaks of fire approached from above and below, front and back, Sun Wukong found himself unable to escape.

    "This is too much! If I can¡¯t dodge, then I simply won¡¯t." Sun Wukong was proud to his core. Being driven to such a pitiful state over and over was intolerable. And now, with the two streaks of fire converging, avoidance was no longer an option.

    Unable to dodge, he chose not to. Sun Wukong dropped his stance, stood straight up, and then half-turned, extending his arms out horizontally. It seemed that he intended to forcefully catch the two streaks of fire with his hands.

    Watching from afar, Eight-Gods me was momentarily stunned to see Sun Wukong¡¯s ruthless decision, but was then overwhelmed by even greater fury. Was he looking down on me so much? Fine, then let him see just how terrifying my Extreme Fire really is.

    As the two streaks of fire were about to collide with Sun Wukong¡¯s palms, Eight-Gods me¡¯s eyes widened and the fire streaks brightened even further, clearly pushed to their limits by his urging.

    The next moment, the two streaks of fire collided fiercely with Sun Wukong¡¯s palms. "Ah..." An agonized cry tore from Sun Wukong¡¯s lips, followed by a swift retraction of his hands. He then crouched down, as if using his whole body¡¯s strength to suppress the two fire streaks.

    Seeing this, a smirk appeared on the corner of Eight-Gods me¡¯s mouth. Humph, even if you can catch the two fire streaks, what of it? Don¡¯t forget, it¡¯s not just two streaks of fire.

    Yes, just as Sun Wukong squatted down, the third fire light shot towards the back of his head. But when it was less than three zhang from the back of Sun Wukong¡¯s head, the Jingu Bang suddenly appeared. Because it appeared so abruptly, the fire light couldn¡¯t adjust its direction in time and collided with one end of the Jingu Bang.

    Then, the other end of the Jingu Bang began to spin with an almost transparent small flower. As the flower rotated, a more terrifying fire energy burst forth from the flower. Then, the Jingu Bang flew off at an iprehensible speed towards the distance.

    In this manner, propelled by the Void-Transcending Blossom, the Jingu Bang, bearing the third fire light, flew backwards until it disappeared.

    Because of the extreme speed and the powerful fire at the tip of the Jingu Bang, it even tore through the void, directly reaching beyond the Pangu Realm.

    The moment it appeared outside the Pangu Realm, the fire light at the tip of the Jingu Bang suddenly extinguished, leaving behind a shallow crater. As the fire light went out, the Void-Transcending Blossom seemed to sense something, and the fierce fire energy immediately extinguished. Then, the Jingu Bang plummeted.

    With a sh from the Void-Transcending Blossom, the Jingu Bang once again crossed the spatial barrier and returned to the Pangu Realm, flying back to the battlefield.

    But it didn¡¯t end there. After flying back, the Jingu Bang didn¡¯t pause but charged towards the Eight-Gods me propelled by the Void-Transcending Blossom. If it hit, the Eight-Gods me would surely be melted into arge hole by the Void-Transcending Blossom. How could one casually touch something that could effortlessly melt space?

    However, as the third fire light extinguished, the Eight-Gods me was already internally injured by the bacsh of its spell, and now faced the assault of the Void-Transcending Blossom, it seemed doomed. But in the next moment, "Ice and Fire Siege Sword from the Triple Fire Assassination¡¯s Seventh Form."

    After all, as a mid-tier Saint, how could he fall so easily? At the critical moment, Eight-Gods me summoned his spiritual power to the fullest and suddenly executed the Seventh Form. A giant sword, half red and half blue, emerged from the void. With a swing of Eight-Gods me¡¯s hand, the sword shot towards the Jingu Bang like a cutting wind. Then, it collided with it without hesitation.

    After the collision, there was no deafening sound as imagined, but total silence. It was as if the attack of both was but an illusion. However, one¡¯s perspective would change upon seeing the scene in the sky. For the giant Law Sword was being devoured bit by bit by the Void-Transcending Blossom. Perhaps devouring was not the right word; it was more urate to say it was being consumed.

    For as the Law Sword was consumed, the Void-Transcending Blossom trembled unceasingly.

    Watching the standoff between the Law Sword and Jingu Bang in the sky, Eight-Gods me was filled with indescribable shock. It was already the Seventh Form, yet Sun Wukong seemed to have sustained little damage. Only thest Form of the Triple Fire Assassination remained, but...

    The greater the power of a technique, the greater the risk in using it. With the strength of a mid-tier Saint, Eight-Gods me could effortlesslymand up to the Sixth Form, but executing the Seventh Form was extremely difficult. Because the Seventh Form could only be used by early-stage high-tier Saints, forced use could only unleash half the power of the original technique.

    Otherwise, a mere Void-Transcending Blossom could never withstand it. Yet, after deploying the Seventh Form, Eight-Gods me¡¯s internal spiritual power was nearly depleted. And yet, even the Seventh Form only resulted in a stalemate against the opponent.

    If he were to back down now, he would surely be defeated. But the Eighth Form...

    Eight-Gods me actually had onest trump card he hadn¡¯t used, a secret technique that could instantly triple hisbat power. But the cost of this technique was far too great to employ unless absolutely necessary. But now...

    At that moment, a figure shed through Eight-Gods me¡¯s mind. He gritted his teeth and went all out.

    "Water Spirit Burst!" This was the Aquatic Tribe¡¯s formidable forbidden move, capable of instantly triplingbat power.

    "Final Form of Triple Fire Assassination¡ªAzure me."

    Eight-Gods me was now fighting for his life! Meanwhile, Sun Wukong also stood up. But from his trembling hands, it was evident he was injured. Both of his palms were bloody and mangled, even the bones were visible.

 Chapter 37 - 32 Fire of Canglan

    With the roar of the Eight-Gods me, the armor worn by the figure flickered with light; then, astonishingly, it began to melt. It transformed into a deep blue me. Confronted with this me, Sun Wukong felt as if he had plunged into an ice cer, a bone-chilling cold assaulting him, seemingly ready to freeze his very being.

    This was just a whiff of the fiery ze¡¯s aura, yet it was terrifyingly potent; if even a speck of this me touched him, it might freeze his soul into an icy clump.

    Yet, Sun Wukong¡¯s arms had been heavily injured because he had just forcibly grasped two streaks of firelight. Although the firelight was extinguished, Sun Wukong¡¯s arms were nearly ruined. The flesh in the palms of his hands was charred and indistinct, and the tendons and bones in his arms were damaged.

    The meridians were eroded by the scorching power of the mes, now absolutely unable to circte mana.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes, unwavering, red at the Eight-Gods me opposite him. Thest form of the Lu-Shen Eight Technique¡ªthe Azure me¡ªhad been fully unleashed by the Eight-Gods me. His figure was enshrouded by a faint blue ze, and the mes on his hands burned even more fiercely.

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong¡¯s pupils dted as if he had witnessed something unbelievable. In the next moment, a figure appeared out of thin air by Sun Wukong¡¯s side. The speed was unimaginably fast; Sun Wukong barely had time to cover his body with ayer of Earth System Armor for defense. However, this appeared to be futile because with just one punch, Eight-Gods me sent Sun Wukong flying backward.

    The protective Earth Armor shattered in an instant, and a charred fist imprint appeared on Sun Wukong¡¯s abdomen.

    Although the injury was not severe, the oue was instantly clear. Because Sun Wukong had not even seen how the other had appeared beside him, or how he vanished on the spot. This indicated that Eight-Gods me¡¯s speed had already reached a level beyond Sun Wukong¡¯s eyesight.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils were always fully open, yet he could not discern the opponent¡¯s movements; one could only imagine just how swift Eight-Gods me had be.

    After being punched and sent flying, Sun Wukong knew that if he did not make a decisive move soon, Eight-Gods me might very well kill him. The terror of Eight-Gods mey not only in his speed but also in the blue mes on his fists and body.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s body had been refined in the crucible of the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Eight Diagrams Furnace, andter, it was further fused with Nezha¡¯s Metal Attribute Divine Stone and that serpent pearl. His flesh had reached the level of a high-ranking Saint, almost hitting the limit of this world.

    Yet, he had still been injured by a single punch from Eight-Gods me; furthermore, the azure me carried the weird strength of Ice and Fire. After prating his abdomen, it seemed to have a life of its own, the two forces silently splitting apart. The Power of Ice aimed directly for the Dantian, while the Power of Fire ravaged toward Sun Wukong¡¯s heart.

    Fortunately, there was a Metal Attribute Divine Stone within Sun Wukong¡¯s body that hadn¡¯t been absorbed yet. Just in time, it divided into two streams of Golden Power, each enveloping the invading Power of Water and Fire. This stopped Sun Wukong from sustaining further injuries, but it left him extremely rmed.

    It was just one punch; if there were a few more, even the internal Golden Power might not be enough to stop the incursion of Water and Fire.

    Sun Wukong knew that if he did not fight with all his might, he might lose any chance he had. Thus, while still in the air, he nced at Eight-Gods me from the corner of his eye, then, using the inertia of his body, he gathered all his strength and hurled the Jingu Bang at Eight-Gods me.

    As Eight-Gods me watched Sun Wukong whom he had punched away and was preparing to rise and chase, he saw a hint of golden light flying rapidly toward him. Eight-Gods me sneered at the iing light, ready to dodge with his unparalleled speed. However, at that moment, an abrupt change urred.

    A red silk ribbon burrowed out from underground and swiftly wrapped tightly around Eight-Gods me¡¯s feet. Forced into a corner, he chose to confront it head-on. Although confident he could tear apart the sky-filling silk ribbon in an instant, he wasn¡¯t sure he could avoid the oing golden light.

    Eight-Gods me brought his hands together and then pulled them apart; a simple Tortoise Shell Shield appeared in his hands. "Pale me Technique¡ªTortoise me Shield!"

    The next instant, the flying golden light fiercely struck the me-engulfed Tortoise Shell Shield. After blocking the strike, Eight-Gods me attempted to retract the Tortoise me Shield and go after Sun Wukong. Suddenly, he felt the shield in his hands trembling uncontrobly.

    Looking closely, he realized that the golden light was none other than the Jingu Bang, which was rotating at high speed. As the Jingu Bang spun, the point where it contacted the Tortoise me Shield began to thin out rapidly. He believed that in at most three breaths, the Jingu Bang would prate the Tortoise me Shield and strike him.

    Of course, Eight-Gods me would not just sit there and await his demise. He immediately tilted the Tortoise Shell Shield in his hand. Just then, Eight-Gods me witnessed the most terrifying scene of his life.

    Sun Wukong, whom I had sent flying with a punch, had disappeared¨Cand in his ce appeared a gigantic golden-yellow ape. At this moment, the ape just happened to look up and see me. What kind of eyes were those? Cold, wicked, brutally domineering, and yet they conveyed a sense of unparalleled sovereignty in the heavens and the earth.

    Eight-Gods me had no time to think further; merely being nced at by those eyes, he felt like he was being stalked by ancient ferocious beasts, as if any move he made would lead to merciless ughter.

    "Ah ah ah, Azure me¨CPrimordial Fire Realm!" Under immense pressure, Eight-Gods me chose not to cower but to unleash the greatest power he had ever mustered to withstand the challenge.

    In a defiant move, Eight-Gods me employed the final form of his skill, ¡¯Azure me¡¯s full burst state, known as Primordial Fire Realm. With this move, centered around Eight-Gods me, a World of mes began to form. The entire world was glowing redva, volcanoes, various Strange Fires, fire pools, fire spirits, fire beasts¨Cand anything rted to mes could be found in this world.

    Everything that the World of mes touched was instantly annihted, whether it was the ground or the icebergs; there was no suspense. Just as the World of mes began to take shape, the Ruyi Jingu Bang began to tremble incessantly, and then, with a swoosh, it was as if scared by World of mes, darted into the void.

    As the Primordial Fire Realm continued to expand, Eight-Gods me could no longer wait. The ice-blue wings on his back had now turned crimson red. With a single p of his wings, Eight-Gods me flew towards Sun Wukong with nearly space-breaking speed. Clearly, he intended to envelop Sun Wukong within his World of mes and then use the fire and Strange Fires within to attack him.

    Although he still felt some trepidation about Sun Wukong, he had even greater faith in his own Primordial Fire Realm.

    Since his cultivation of the Primordial Fire Realm, no matter how powerful or troublesome the opponent, victory was assured with its deployment. At this moment, Eight-Gods me also believed there would be no exceptions. Even though this opponent was formidable, his fate would not be any different. Even if he couldn¡¯t kill him, inflicting severe injuries was still within reach.

    Lost in thought, Eight-Gods me had already arrived in front of Sun Wukong, who, for some reason, had not made the slightest movement. Eight-Gods me could not help but sneer¨CHumph, what of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven? Was he not about to fall to his most powerful strike?

    But at that moment, Sun Wukong, who had been standing motionless on the spot, suddenly swayed slightly, and then, under the disbelieving gaze of Eight-Gods me, Sun Wukong¡¯s massive body spun around, and a gigantic fist came flying towards him. In the next moment, there was a thunderous explosion.

    In the midst of the explosion, Sun Wukong stood unyielding, one hand tightly gripping the edge of Eight-Gods me¡¯s World of mes, while his other hand continuously, punch after punch, struck down upon the World of mes.

    With the first punch, the World of mes merely shook slightly; by the fifth, the inside began to tremble; at the tenth, a crack appeared; and after the thirty-third, the World of mes shattered with a explosive noise.

    Afterward, Sun Wukong extended a finger and, amidst a contemptuous gaze, flicked Eight-Gods me away with one finger.

    In fact, after transforming into the giant ape, Sun Wukong had already harbored a killing intent towards Eight-Gods me, but at that moment, a distant and ancient voice echoed in Sun Wukong¡¯s mind, causing him to stand still for a while.

    Afterwards, Sun Wukong, having forcefully shattered the World of mes, did not kill Eight-Gods me, merely sending him flying.

    Because that voice told Sun Wukong that Eight-Gods me was his guide, the one who could help him obtain the Water System Divine Stone!

 Chapter 38 - 33: The Guide

    After flicking away the Eight-Gods me with one finger, Sun Wukong reverted to his normal form. That¡¯s because at this point, Wukong had realized the reason why, immediately after reporting his name, the Eight-Gods me had attacked him.

    From Nezha¡¯s memories, Wukong learned that besides his own Earth Attribute and Nezha¡¯s Metal System that had transformed into human form, the other three pieces of the Five-Colored Divine Stone were guarded by several ancient ns.

    After Nuwa mended the heavens, she foresaw her imminent Dao Transformation and used the remaining life force to divine with the turtle shell of a great turtle. The divination showed that the Demon n¡¯s fate was running out, and that a catastrophe would befall them in a million years.

    To leave a glimmer of hope for the Demon n, Nuwa split one of the Five-Colored Divine Stones into five and scattered them across thend of the Nine Provinces.

    Moreover, she secretlymanded several major ns of the Demon n to guard them and revealed through divination that, one day, a person called the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, woulde to retrieve the Five Elements Divine Stones. This person named Sun Wukong would be invincible, immensely powerful, and be thest hope for the Demon n.

    Thus, the great goddess Nuwapleted her Dao Transformation. She dissipated into the universe, but those five major ns persisted in following thest wishes of Lady Nuwa, vowing to protect the Five Elements Divine Stones to their deaths.

    After that, a monumental war erupted in the Three Realms, and after the war, only about thirty to forty percent of the countless Demon n members survived, with those remaining being the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

    From then on, the Demon n never recovered from its decline. However, before the great war, the five major ns had already sent their experts with the five Divine Stones to go into hiding. Even if the Demon n were to be annihted, they must not appear unless the one named Sun Wukong came along.

    Another million years then passed, during which the ns guarding the Earth System and Metal System Divine Stones faced idents, causing both stones to fall into the Mortal World. Due to falling into the Mortal World and absorbing too much human aura, they changed unexpectedly.

    The Metal Attribute Divine Stone transformed into Nezha, while the Earth Attribute Divine Stone, mingling with the aura of the monkeys surrounding Flower Fruit Mountain, gave birth to a Stone Monkey.

    In the intervening million years, the guardians of the remaining three Divine Stones did not rest but instead met several individuals named Sun Wukong who came to collect the Divine Stones. However, due to inadequate strength, they were sessively defeated by the three ns¡¯ guardians.

    With this, another question emerges. Why were there so many people named Sun Wukong searching for the Divine Stones? Because when that Earth Attribute Divine Stone fell into the Mortal World and absorbed the human aura, thereby transforming, its first transformation was not the current Sun Wukong but a human incarnation who also shared the name Sun Wukong.

    When this human Sun Wukong grew up, he inherited the memories Nuwa had infused into the Divine Stone. Thus, the human Sun Wukong began seeking the other Five Elements Divine Stones.

    Unfortunately, after the human Sun Wukong painstakingly found the Fire Attribute Divine Stone, due to insufficient strength, he was defeated by the Ghost Charm tribal leader Meng Gui¡¯s move, "One Dream in Three Thousand Realms". From then on, he was at a standstill until his death.

    After the death of the human Sun Wukong, his soul and flesh returned to their origin, transforming into a boulder. After that, he was reborn and died repeatedly, failing to sessfully obtain the Divine Stones each time due tock of strength.

    The tribal chiefs of the three ns did not hinder this reincarnation because Lady Nuwa had said that the true hope of the Demon n would be one who is invincible. No one would be able to defeat him.

    However, this cycle of reincarnation had its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that with each rebirth, Sun Wukong¡¯s strength increased, but the disadvantage was also significant: with each reincarnation, the memories inherited from Nuwa within the Divine Stone faded a little more.

    Until the forty-ninth reincarnation, which is the current Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Born with the cultivation of a Daluo Golden Immortal, after arduous cultivation under Patriarch Bodhi, he reached the level of a mid-level Emperor. Sadly, because the number of reincarnations had reached its limit, all memories of Nuwa¡¯s legacy were lost.

    It wasn¡¯t untilter, when he merged with Nezha¡¯s Divine Stone, that he learned of his mission.

    Nezha¡¯s story is yet another tale, but let¡¯s not get into that for now.

    The time returns to the present. Having understood everything, Sun Wukong naturally lost his desire to kill the Eight-Gods me, realizing that the opponent was simply testing his strength. Though he had made an attack, he did not me him, as it was all determined by destiny. The Five Elements Divine Stones are not so easily obtained by everyone, right?

    A momentter, a figure flew in from the distance, heading straight to where the Eight-Gods me was. Wukong knew that someone from the Aquatic Tribe wasing. Although what had happened was somewhat excessive, there was no malice intended; since he had injured someone, it was only right to go and check on them.

    Otherwise, it would be hard to justify his actions, especially since he was about to retrieve the Water System Divine Stone soon; it was best not to let rtions turn too sour. Thus, Sun Wukong slowly walked towards the direction of the neer.

    Halfway through their journey, they saw Eight-Gods me being carried by another person, stumbling forward. Before Sun Wukong could speak, Eight-Gods me opened his mouth to say, "Sun Wukong, you have finally arrived. We¡¯ve waited millions of years for you, and you have finallye. Moreover, you defeated me effortlessly, proving that you are the true hope of our Demon n. Wee back."

    After saying these words, as if he had aggravated his wounds, he fainted once again. Even with his thick skin, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but blush. An entire n had worked tirelessly for millions of years to guard the Divine Stone without wavering, yet he had seriously injured and nearly killed their leader. This really was inexcusable.

    While Sun Wukong was flustered and feeling guilty, the member of the Aquatic Tribe supporting Eight-Gods me waved his hand at Sun Wukong, saying, "You need not feel guilty, for if we really count, our Aquatic Tribe has killed you a total of 15 times. Although 14 of those times were because you lost your will to fight after being defeated by us, we still can¡¯t avoid responsibility.

    So, you don¡¯t need to me yourself, this is all for the sake of the Demon n. Come, follow me to the Demon Ice City. That is where our Aquatic Tribe gathers."

    Since the other party had said that, Sun Wukong had no more to say, otherwise, it would seem insincere, so he followed the Aquatic Tribesperson and flew back to the gathering ce of the Aquatic Tribe¡ªthe Demon Ice City!

    After traveling north with the man for a full three Chinese hours, they finally saw a vast city constructed entirely of cold ice. The entire Ice City was surrounded by a massive wall; at a nce, the wall was a hundred meters tall and thirty meters thick, resembling a gigantic iceberg.

    However, when Sun Wukong and the Aquatic Tribesperson approached the city gate with Eight-Gods me, Sun Wukong was shocked once again. His previous astonishment was due to the magnitude of the Ice City, and this time, it was its luxury that amazed him. Why do I say so?

    Because it was only when Sun Wukong entered the city gate that he suddenly realized that the massive hundred-meter-high, thirty-meter-thick wall was entirely made of Lingfeng Ice.

    Lingfeng Ice is a precious material found only in extremely cold regions, where a piece the size of a palm requires a mountain of Cold Ice, located in an extreme cold and yin environment, to be blown by a special spirit wind for over a century. Eventually, the mountain would shrink to a piece the size of a palm, which would be Lingfeng Ice.

    This spirit wind is no ordinary breeze; it¡¯s a very bizarre kind of wind. When this wind blows, all things are unaffected. Regardless of what it is, it would pass directly through. However, when it encounters the extremely cold ice mountains, it will be visible and encircle the mountain, steadily rotating until the entire ice mountain transforms into a piece of Lingfeng Ice.

    This demonstrates how rare Lingfeng Ice is. Yet, the Aquatic Tribe used this ice to construct a colossal city wall, which was a tremendous feat!

    Seeing the shock in Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes, the Aquatic Tribesman simply gave a slight smile without going into detail, just standing there waiting for Sun Wukong. It seemed he was not in a hurry about Eight-Gods me¡¯s injuries, and in fact, that was true.

    Find adventures at m_v l|e¡¯m-p| y r

    No matter how severe the injury a person of the Aquatic Tribe suffered, as long as they were not dead and could return to the Demon Ice City within 12 Chinese hours, there was no need for worry.

    So the Aquatic Tribesman just quietly waited for Sun Wukong. A momentter, Sun Wukong suddenly came to his senses, feeling all the more embarrassed. Fortunately, the other party didn¡¯t say anything, merely giving a faint smile before directly entering the city with Eight-Gods me. Sun Wukong quickly followed.

    It seemed that ever since the Aquatic Tribesperson appeared, Sun Wukong uncontrobly felt a lot more embarrassment.

    After passing through the more than thirty-meter-long city gate, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes lit up. The inside of the city was a stark contrast to the outside¡ªoutside was a world of ice and snow, whereas inside was an earthly paradise. There were flowers and trees, leaves and fruits. And the fragrance of the fruits was so familiar.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s face was immediately covered in tears, but at that moment, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a ce. In an instant, like seeing a ghost or being struck by lightning, he stood petrified on the spot, motionless for a long while.

    If you followed Sun Wukong¡¯s gaze, you would see arge mountain with a waterfall. The mountain sides beside the waterfall had been levelled off with great magical power.

    The couplet posted there read: the first line says, "Flower Fruit Mountain, and of blessing," and the second line, "Water Curtain Cave Heaven!"

 Chapter 39 - 34 Ice Demon Tower

    Upon seeing those ten characters, Sun Wukong felt as if struck by lightning. Though it was merely ten characters, the shock they brought to Sun Wukong was unparalleled. "Flower Fruit Mountain, a blessednd; Water Curtain Cave Heaven." In this world, there was no one more familiar with these ten characters than Sun Wukong. In fact, he was even more familiar with these words than with himself.

    It was Sun Wukong who initially leaped through that waterfall and discovered the Water Curtain Cave. Since then, the Monkey Tribe was sheltered from the wind and protected from the rain. So, the appearance of these ten characters here, could it mean that the mountain before him was Flower Fruit Mountain? That waterfall, was it the Water Curtain Cave?

    Discover hidden tales at m,v l¡¯e|m-p| y r

    But how could this be possible? Wasn¡¯t Flower Fruit Mountain destroyed by the Tathagata? At that time, Tathagata thought he had the upper hand and wouldn¡¯t have lied to himself. He said he had obliterated Flower Fruit Mountain, and so he had.

    Afterwards, when Sun Wukong went to Heaven to fetch a branch from the osmanthus tree for Zhu Bajie and took a detour to see Flower Fruit Mountain on his way back, even though he knew that Flower Fruit Mountain most likely no longer existed, his heart still harbored a sliver of hope.

    However, when Sun Wukong returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, he found that where Flower Fruit Mountain once stood, there was now only a massive crater. The charred earth clearly indicated it had been sted by great magical power.

    All of this proved that Flower Fruit Mountain no longer existed. Sun Wukong, who had already given up hope, was suddenly filled with immense anticipation. If this ce was truly his Flower Fruit Mountain, then it was very likely that his monkeys were alive. As long as Flower Fruit Mountain remained, his chances of making aeback became much greater.

    It took quite a while before Sun Wukong, with one hand pointing at Flower Fruit Mountain, managed to say anything. Sun Wukong dared not ask; he feared if the answer was not what he wished for, he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a second blow. This was also the reason why Sun Wukong was reluctant to use his fiery eyes to investigate, for if they showed him only illusions, then, what should he do?

    Yet, despite his fear to ask, Sun Wukong could not suppress the tumult of doubts in his heart. So even though his hand was raised, his mouth could not utter a single word.

    Seeing this, the Aquatic Tribe member merely smiled and said, "Great Saint, this ce is indeed your Flower Fruit Mountain. Absolutely untouched and guaranteed genuine!"

    In an instant, Sun Wukong moved at a speed that almost tore through time, appearing before the Aquatic Tribe member and forcefully grasping his arm. His voice trembled with excitement as he said, "What did you say? This, this is truly my Flower Fruit Mountain? Where are my monkey children? And all the demons on the mountain?

    If you dare to deceive me, I¡¯ll kill you, even at the cost of destroying the Water System Divine Stone."

    At this moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he was overwhelmed with emotion. Anyone in his ce, would probably be even more devastated.

    The thought of his tribe, long believed to be extinct, and Flower Fruit Mountain, thought to be leveled to the ground, had utterly dashed his hopes; now, they were rekindled with excitement and hope, making Sun Wukong nearly incapable of controlling his own emotions.

    "Great Saint, please be patient, everything is true. Your monkeys are safe, just not here at the moment. But they are all fine. For details, please follow me. The tribal elders will exin everything to you. Now, please remain calm and apany me to settle our group¡¯s leader first.

    Everything will be properly exined to you, Great Saint."

    Although Sun Wukong was burning with impatience, he also knew that Flower Fruit Mountain was right here and wouldn¡¯t suddenly disappear. Since the Aquatic Tribe member said his monkeys were fine, then they must be. At this stage, it was unlikely they would deceive him.

    What mattered now was to quickly take care of Eight-Gods me; if they lingered too long, his injuries might affect his future cultivation.

    With these thoughts, Sun Wukong took a deep breath, calming his agitated emotions. "Fair enough, I¡¯ve been too excited. Let¡¯s take Eight-Gods me back first. It¡¯s useless to be in such a rush at this point."

    The Aquatic Tribe member gave a slight nod and carried Eight-Gods me, shing around half of Flower Fruit Mountain in a few moments. Initially, it was supposed to be both of them carrying Eight-Gods me, but his own excessive excitement caused him to neglect Eight-Gods me, which was somewhat excessive. Shaking his head, Sun Wukong hurriedly followed.

    This Ice City, guarded by the Aquatic Tribe for millions of years, was riddled with powerful and terrifying restrictions. Although Sun Wukong was undaunted, he did not wish to unnecessarilyplicate things. Thus, he closely followed the Aquatic Tribe member¡¯s footsteps, heading towards the back of the mountain.

    As Sun Wukong walked past Flower Fruit Mountain, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he gasped in astonishment at the sight before him. What appeared was a giant Ice Tower nearly as tall as Flower Fruit Mountain itself. The entire Ice Tower was conical in shape, its color a dark bluish-ck, clearly resulting from extremepression of ice.

    You see, ordinary ice blocks in the Mortal World are transparent or white, and the coldest ice at most takes on a milky hue with a touch of blue. That is the millennium cold ice of the Mortal World.

    Ice from the Immortal Realm, however, is ssified as light green, dark green, light blue, dark blue, purple, and ck. ck ice represents the pinnacle of ice. It is infinitely close to the extreme cold that this world can amodate. If it were any colder, it would no longer belong to this world and would automatically ascend to another realm.

    So when Sun Wukong saw that the entire Ice Tower was a deep purple, with hints of turning ck, his astonishment was understandable. Ice with such dense coldness was used to construct a tower asrge as a mountain; how terrifying could the Aquatic Tribe be? Or rather, how terrifying were the demons of Ancient Times?

    Looking at the current state of the Demon n, any demon king with a bit of cultivation was either dead or injured. Those who were alive had mostly be mounts for Buddhism. Now, only a few weak demons remained in the Demon Realm. In fact, the Demon n could be considered as having been exterminated. Sun Wukong was almost the only free demon king left.

    The weight of the burden he carried could be imagined.

    To restore the glory of the Demon n from ancient times was an incredibly difficult task. However, no matter how difficult, Wukong would not step back. It was his mission and his responsibility.

    As long as I, Sun Wukong, am here, the Demon n will not perish!

    Suddenly, a faint yet determined aura inadvertently emerged, causing the aquatic tribe member beside him to pause and look at Wukong, seemingly with a new appreciation.

    Afterward, the aquatic tribesperson made a gesture of invitation and then walked towards the main entrance of the Ice Tower. Soon, the three of them had reached the huge main entrance. On the massive door, a couplet was inscribed:

    The first line read, "Vast waters profound between heaven and earth." The second line read, "Eight-Gods me burning brightly, weaving illusions three thousand." When Sun Wukong looked up at the horizontal tablet, he found, to his surprise, that where one should be, there was only emptiness, with just anotheryer above it inscribed with severalrge characters: "Ice Demon Tower Warm and Cold Hall."

    Noticing Sun Wukong¡¯s confusion, the aquatic person turned to him and said, "This couplet was written by an Aquatic Tribe Saint after our tribe took refuge here. However, he left the horizontal tablet nk. He said, ¡¯When the Demon n rises again, that day the horizontal tablet will appear.¡¯ Afterward, that saint passed away."

    Wukong couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Why did the saint pass away so suddenly? Shouldn¡¯t a saint have been immortal by then?"

    "Because that saint sustained a fatal injury in the great battle before. Knowing that his life was at its end, he used the rest of his lifespan to divine for the Demon n, and the divination showed this couplet.

    Before the saint could exin, his time had run out." After speaking, the aquatic person¡¯s expression darkened. It seemed that the Aquatic Tribe had paid a heavy price to guard the Water System Divine Stone.

    Wukong nodded in silence, unable to say anything else at the moment.

    After a moment of silence, the aquatic person lifted their head again, the sadness in their eyes now gone, reced by a faint smile. "Alright, let¡¯s go in. After settling the Eight-Gods me, we will meet with the Aquatic Tribe Guardian Elder."

    Sun Wukong nodded slightly. Then, he saw the aquatic person raise a hand and gently press against the void in front of the door, which then swung open with a loud boom. Without hesitation, the aquatic person walked in.

    Wukong nced back at Flower Fruit Mountain, silently vowing that once his revenge wasplete, he would transform Flower Fruit Mountain into a magic treasure, a gigantic one at that. He could use it as a residence in peaceful times and as a weapon in times of war. This way, what happened this time would never repeat itself.

    With that thought, Sun Wukong no longer hesitated and resolutely walked inside.

    Ice Demon Tower, here Ie. I hope you can reveal everything to me; do not disappoint!

    (PS. I owe you and will slowly catch up, promising two updates but only providing one. I sincerely apologize, but I¡¯m also new to this. Although my daily updates aren¡¯t much, I¡¯m truly trying my best. It will get better. This book will reach one million words!

    Let¡¯s work hard together. Group number for this book: 214501643. Feel free to join.)

 Chapter 40 - 35 Primordial Purifying Body Light

    As soon as Sun Wukong stepped into the Ice Demon Tower, he was once again shocked by the sight before him. The entire space seemed to stretch for tens of thousands of miles, and the central part of the tower was hollow. Looking up, a thousand miles above his head, there was a ceiling, which probably belonged to the second floor. But could it really be that huge?

    Sun Wukong was utterly convinced that the Ice Demon Tower couldpletely cover Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Before Sun Wukong had too much time to be surprised, the member of the Aquatic Tribe beckoned, signaling Sun Wukong to follow. They then climbed upwards along an ice staircase located next to the door.

    The ice staircase, embedded in the wall of the Ice Demon Tower, twisted and turned, seeminglyprised of countless sections. After walking for approximately a Chinese hour, Sun Wukong quietly estimated that this must be the forty-ninth floor. Reaching this point, the Aquatic Tribe member did not continue upwards, but instead walked directly into the interior of the forty-ninth floor.

    Following along the wall, they reached a door carved entirely out of fire jade, its various me patterns seeming alive. It felt as if the mes would scorch anyone who got too close. The Aquatic Tribe member stretched out his hand to press against the void in front of the door, creating a narrow crack. Only then did the fire element creature push it open.

    The instant the door opened, a rush of cold air hit them full in the face. Caught off guard, Sun Wukong was almost invaded by the cold air. He promptly actuated his entire spiritual power to prevent harm from the cold, but even so, he felt a chill rising within him. What could be so cold inside this room? Just the seeping cold air alone was this formidable.

    Very soon, Sun Wukong found out. As he entered the room following the Aquatic Tribe member, his attention was immediately captured by a cold pond, bottomless and deep, exuding thin wisps of cold air, which transformed into a variety of creatures in mid-air, now a school of fish, now a spiritual turtle, full of spirituality.

    All this met Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes but appeared very different. "To think even the cold air can take shape, this cold pond is so full of spirituality, it¡¯s probably not far from cultivating into a form," he thought.

    "Great Saint, wait here for a moment; I will return shortly." After saying this, he rode the Eight-Gods me to the edge of the cold pond and then, astoundingly, tossed the Eight-Gods me into the pond.

    Watching from a distance, Sun Wukong was just about to speak out when he saw the Eight-Gods me within the cold pond burst into a red light, which then transformed into eight distinct mes of varying sizes. Moreover, the surrounding cold air was drawn to the mes, twining into them bit by bit. The color of the mes brightened incrementally as they absorbed the cold air.

    It appeared that the Eight-Gods me was using the cold pond to heal its life-bound strange fire, a truly rare urrence. Ordinary people practicing fire attribute techniques normally cultivate or heal in the Extreme Fire Land. Yet, the Eight-Gods me did the opposite and entered the Extremely Cold Pond to recover from its injuries.

    It seemed the Eight-Gods me¡¯s understanding of ice and fire had reached a terrifying level. Fire turned to ice, and ice transformed back to fire, all in a single thought. If not for the extraordinary nature of the Metal System Divine Stone within himself, today it would have been he who suffered serious injury.

    After the Aquatic Tribe member had settled the Eight-Gods me, he walked toward Sun Wukong. Upon reaching him, he bowed slightly and said, "Now for a formal introduction. My name is Shui Zhan, War General of the Aquatic Tribe, and a good brother to the Eight-Gods me. Although he has suffered serious injuries, he is not in grave danger. Perhaps this severe injury will even advance his cultivation.

    Now, let¡¯s go upstairs, all the answers rest at the very top."

    Sun Wukong said no more, the urgency in his heart turning more intense.

    Following Shui Zhan, Sun Wukong reached the central area of the Water Demon Tower, the hollowed section.

    "Shortly, a golden light will descend here, and we have to fly upwards against it. However, take note that the higher we go, the stronger the resistance of the golden light, but the greater the benefits we will receive. As for what those benefits are, I will not borate¡ªyou will know soon enough. Remember, one must never give up, for there will not be a second chance."

    Although more questions weighed in his heart, his concern for Flower Fruit Mountain and his monkey brethren clearly surpassed everything. Just then, a beam of golden light, tangible as if real, descended from above. It seemed like a golden pir prating the entire Ice Demon Tower.

    Sun Wukong didn¡¯t hesitate for a second and boldly leaped in. The moment he entered the range of the golden light, a great force hit him, catching him off guard, and he was pressed down by the golden light for several meters. This caused Wukong¡¯s face to instantly redden, as he chided himself for underestimating the golden light.

    Even though the Aquatic Tribe had already warned him, he hadn¡¯t paid much attention, relying on his sturdy body. Hence, he suffered a minor setback as soon as he entered.

    However, Sun Wukong possessed the strength of a mid-level Saint and the body of a high-level Saint, so this pressure posed no real threat. Wukong exerted force through his feet and immediately stabilized his stance. Then, with a somersault in mid-air, he shot towards the depths of the golden light. He disappeared in the blink of an eye. Yet at this time, Shui Zhan did not enter the golden light.

    Instead, he looked on with eyes full of hope, and then, surprisingly, turned and left.

    By this time, Sun Wukong had been within the golden light for over twenty breaths, and it was only then that he started to feel the strain. He was like a carp swimming upstream, with the water¡¯s resistance increasing the higher he swam. But he couldn¡¯t give up; he had to keep moving forward, or all his efforts would be in vain.

    Feeling the pressure gradually increase, Wukong grit his teeth and unleashed all of his spiritual power. The surging spiritual power erupted from beneath his feet, like two streams of spiritual energy mes, propelling Wukong with even greater force. The pressure around him lightened, and Wukong¡¯s speed soared once again.

    However, after the fortieth breath, Wukong felt the pressure suddenly more than double. Even with his full spiritual power being activated, his pace slowed down bit by bit, and he believed that in another five breaths, he woulde to aplete stop. Looking up, he still couldn¡¯t see the end. Wukong then produced his Wind Fire Wheels, sparing no effort this time.

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    With the wheels at full power, andbined with the outpouring of spiritual energy, his speed surpassed that of earlier moments.

    In this manner, the fiftieth breath, the sixtieth breath, the sixty-fifth breath, the sixty-ninth breath passed, and finally, Sun Wukong felt the pressure again. It was not just immense; it felt as though the golden light around him had solidified into substance, and possibly the most indestructible substance in the world at that. It was why there was such tremendous resistance.

    Gradually, Wukong¡¯s spiritual power began to diminish sharply.

    At seventy-four breaths, he was left with half his spiritual power. At seventy-eight breaths, he had one-third remaining. At eighty-two breaths, he had only a fifth of his peak spiritual power left. Wukong knew that at this rate, he would deplete his spiritual energy and fall in a maximum of three more breaths, yet he had not reached the top.

    Without reaching the top, he could not determine the whereabouts of his monkey descendants, nor understand why Flower Fruit Mountain appeared here.

    He couldn¡¯t give up, he must not give up. If push came to shove, he would risk it all. After all, he wouldn¡¯t die, at worst he would emerge gravely injured. As long as he didn¡¯t die, it would all be worth it.

    With this thought, Sun Wukong resolutely began to mobilize the Metal Series Divine Stone within his body. Instantly, a vast amount of Metal Attribute Spiritual Power gushed out, even forming a conical spiritual energy protective shield around his body.

    The spiritual power that was on the brink of exhaustion was rapidly replenished by the Metal Attribute Spiritual Power, but then a terrifying output began again. Amid this cycle of influx and efflux, Wukong felt not the slightest difort.

    Moreover, as the Metal Attribute Spiritual Power circted within him, it seemed that the Metal Series Divine Stone was subtly merging with him, which brought him unspeakable joy.

    Ever since he acquired the Metal Series Divine Stone, he had tried every means to refine it, but the stone was exceptionally stubborn. After so long, there wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of it melting. It only autonomously surged out vast spiritual power to ensure his safety during life-threatening moments. Eventually, Wukong managed to activate the stone and utilize the vast spiritual power it contained.

    However, if the spiritual power was released for slightly longer periods, the Metal Attribute Spiritual Power would inflict severe damage on his body. That¡¯s why Wukong had to make such a firm decision to use this power.

    Somewhere deep down, Wukong felt the Divine Stone wouldn¡¯t let him die; otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t always save him at critical moments. That¡¯s why he prepared himself for severe injuries before spurring it into action. But to his surprise, because he needed to expend spiritual power to fly, it helped to maintain a bnce between the influx and outflow of the Metal Attribute Spiritual Power.

    Wukong felt like a converter, and although running the Metal Attribute Spiritual Power for long durations would harm his veins, he inadvertently absorbed the essence of the Stone Essence.

    Just as Wukong was ecstatic about potentially merging with the Divine Stone, it suddenly responded and abruptly stopped the output of spiritual power. This sudden cessation was critical; Wukong, who was initially surging upwards, abruptly froze in mid-air. Just when Wukong thought he was going to fall, a sharp pain shot through his head, and immediately after, he lost consciousness and passed out.

    At that moment, in a dimly lit ice chamber, on an ice bed carved from Ice Essence, a person suddenly materialized from thin air, lying motionless on the bed, evidently having fallen unconscious. Then, an old man in a gray robe appeared as the space rippled, revealing his form.

    On closer inspection, the old man had white hair and beard, yet his Divine Court was full, and his eyes were sharp and bright. Clearly, he was an extremely formidable expert. The old man hurried over to the ice bed, hastily checked for breath, and found that Wukong was just unconscious, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. Then, the man unceremoniously sat down on the ground.

    Then, like a child, he burst into great sobs: "Heaven has not forsaken our Demon n. The Aquatic Tribe has guarded this ce for nearly ten million years, and it has not been in vain. The hope of the Demon n has truly appeared, haha. And to think that he could fly in the Primordial Purifying Light for a hundred breaths, hahaha, I suspect that his future achievements will transcend this world.

    Our Demon n is destined to thrive!"

 Chapter 41 - 36: Clan Leader of the Aquatic Tribe

    ```

    It was unknown how much time had passed when Sun Wukong finally awoke from his stupor. However, the instant Sun Wukong opened his eyes, he stood motionless, as if he were a statue!

    The reason was simple. Sun Wukong had wanted to inspect his internal condition upon awakening, for the reckless activation of the Metal Attribute Divine Stone before he had passed out might have inflicted severe damage on his body.

    But to his surprise, when he looked inward, he found that the Metal Attribute Divine Stone that used to float in his Dantian had disappeared, leaving only pure essence rotating alone within.

    This scene plunged Sun Wukong into confusion. Where was the Divine Stone? He vividly remembered that, although the stone showed signs of fusing with him before he lost consciousness, it was merely a sign, without any real fusion. Yet now, it appeared as though the Divine Stone hadpletely merged with him, evidenced by the pure essence still floating there.

    This proved that Sun Wukong had now mastered the Metal Dao of the Three Thousand Great Dao.

    In this world, there were Three Thousand Great Dao and countless minor paths. To be a saint, one must affirm a Dao to be recognized by the Dao of this world as one of its own. Only then could one be an immortal and indestructible Supreme Saint.

    Sun Wukong had initially nned on cutting off his three corpses to affirm his Dao, but then the great battle urred, and the Jade Emperor destroyed his Victorious Fighting Buddha form, forcing Sun Wukong to affirm his Dao through the Law instead.

    Later, Nezha¡¯s Metal Attribute Divine Stone fused into Sun Wukong¡¯s body, triggering the power of the Law of his life-bound Earth Attribute and allowed him to be a saint in one fell swoop. Moreover, he ascended directly from the peak of the Emperor Level to a mid-rank Saint. Such was the immense power of the Law contained within the Five-Colored Divine Stone.

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    Now, for reasons unknown, Sun Wukong had fully fused with the Metal Attribute Divine Stone and thus mastered the Metal Law, which was one of the Three Thousand Great Dao. From this day forth, Sun Wukong could transform into his gargantuan ape form at will, without fear of the Metal Attribute Spiritual Power causing him any harm.

    Sun Wukong¡¯sbat strength had increased more than tenfold. And now, among the Five Elements of the world, Sun Wukong uniquely mastered two. Moreover, the Water Attribute Divine Stone was soon to be his.

    Previously, Sun Wukong worried that his inability to smelt the Metal Attribute Divine Stone might affect his fusion with the Water Attribute Divine Stone. But now, rather than posing an obstacle, it had be a significant boost.

    The Five Elements of the world generate and inhibit each other in an endless cycle: Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, and Fire generates Earth. Sun Wukong, being of the Earth Attribute, found it easiest to absorb the Metal Attribute Divine Stone.

    By mastering the Metal Law, the absorption and fusion of the Water Attribute Divine Stone would be twice as effective with half the effort.

    With the sessful fusion of the Metal Attribute Divine Stone confirmed, Sun Wukong began to examine his physical body. Mastering the Metal Dao meant possessing the sharpest and most imprable attack and defense in the world. Surely, his body must have reached a frightful level!

    Indeed, with continued exploration, he discovered that the defensive power and solidity of his body, the skin and hair, muscr tissues, and bones had definitely improved more than tenfold. In this world, those capable of prating his defenses were few and far between. Simrly, his attack power had also greatly increased.

    Though the level of his physical body remained the same¡ªstill a high-rank Saint¡ªSun Wukong was confident that he could now defeat five of his past selves.

    Perhaps his past self could barely have broken through his current defenses. The difference was indeed vast.

    After a lengthy period, Sun Wukong finally opened his eyes again. Who would have thought that a single ray of golden light could bring such tremendous benefits?

    Just then, a voice drifted from the void, "Hehe, Great Saint, after being cleansed by the Primordial Pure Light, I presume your strength has once again improved substantially."

    Sun Wukong whirled around, his eyes zing with golden light as he looked towards the void. He then smiled faintly, "Aquatic Tribe¡¯s great favor, Sun Wukong will surely remember."

    ```

    The space fluctuated, and a gray-robed elder appeared out of nowhere. It was none other than the current n Leader of the Aquatic Tribe¡ªShui Xuwu. With a smile on his face, Shui Xuwu looked at Sun Wukong and nodded continuously. "Great Saint, everything is predestined by the heavens.

    You need not dwell on it; looking at you now, the strength of your physical body must have reached an unimaginably powerful level, right? If my son were to battle with the Great Saint again, I¡¯m afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to harm you in the slightest."

    Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately leapt down from the jade bed. With hands sped together, he paid a deep respect to Shui Xuwu. "Earlier, Wukong acted rashly without understanding the situation, harming that Eight-Gods me. Now, having received a great kindness from the Aquatic Tribe and improved my strength, I ask you to ept this bow from Wukong."

    Shui Xuwu did not dodge, but epted the bow straightforwardly. Putting everything else aside, considering that the Aquatic Tribe had guarded the Water Attribute Divine Stone for hundreds and thousands of years without a second thought, this homage from Sun Wukong was well deserved.

    After the bow, Sun Wukong stood up, his face suddenly bing awkward because he realized his original purpose foring here was to find the Water Attribute Divine Stone. However, his series of actions made it impossible for him to ask for the stone now. Given the strength of the Aquatic Tribe, they must be aware of the immense power contained within the Water Attribute Divine Stone.

    To ask for it out of the blue would be embarrassing for anyone.

    Seeming to sense Sun Wukong¡¯s embarrassment, Shui Xuwu waved his hand and said, "Great Saint,e, have a seat. There¡¯s no rush with the matter of the Water Attribute Divine Stone¡ªa little sooner orter makes no difference. Is there nothing else the Great Saint wishes to inquire about?"

    Sun Wukong suddenly remembered, indeed, he had questions about Flower Fruit Mountain. Where did all his monkey subjects go?

    Sun Wukong took two steps in quick session and came to sit casually beside Shui Xuwu. "Elder, Wukong has some doubts, and I hope the elder can enlighten me. Why is my Flower Fruit Mountain in the Extreme Northern Ice Field? Where have all the monkeys and demons from the mountain gone? Also, where are the other two Divine Stones now?"

    "Hehe, do not be anxious, Great Saint. Let the elder exin one by one. You must have thought that Flower Fruit Mountain had been destroyed by the Western Paradise Buddhist Gate, correct? It¡¯s not a bad assumption, for Buddhism indeed destroyed a Flower Fruit Mountain.

    However, that Flower Fruit Mountain was not real, but an Illusion Technique version created by the entire Demon Dream n under the leadership of their n Leader, Meng Gui. The illusion was so powerful that even the Buddha Tathagata from Buddhism did not realize it was fake.

    The real Flower Fruit Mountain had already been transported by our Aquatic Tribe using the Great Sumi Transporting Array before that. Unfortunately, our Aquatic Tribe¡¯s Teleportation Array can only transport inanimate objects, so the demons and monkey subjects had to leave separately, or they would have perished in the spatial transmission."

    At this point, Shui Xuwu paused, and Sun Wukong let out a sigh of relief. Before, he was only guessing that the huge mountain was Flower Fruit Mountain, but hesitated to confirm it. Now, hearing the n Leader of the Aquatic Tribe admit it himself, he finally felt at ease.

    Shui Xuwu continued, "After Flower Fruit Mountain was moved by us, the n Leader of the Spiritual Wood n, Mu Jingshi, activated the Supreme Divine Artifact of the Wood Spirit n¡ªthe World Tree¡ªand took away the remaining members of the Demon n. Your monkey subjects are now in the Hidden Wood Forest located in the far east.

    That¡¯s your next destination, where the fourth Divine Stone you need is located. But before that, you must absorb and fuse the Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone of our Aquatic Tribe. Otherwise, you will not be able to obtain the Wood Attribute Divine Stone."

    After hearing everything, Sun Wukong was stunned for a moment. It turned out that so much had happened without his knowledge. Not only was he unaware, but so was everyone else. Were the ancient Demon n really that powerful? The ability to deceive and swap under heaven was indeed domineering. But if such a powerful Demon n had almost been annihted back then, how powerful must their enemies be?

    This series of questions slightly shook Sun Wukong¡¯s confidence, but it soon solidified again. No matter how powerful, so what? Couldn¡¯t he be even more powerful than them? Why couldn¡¯t he be the one standing above them?

    "So, there is such a twist in the story. The Aquatic Tribe not only has great kindness towards me, but also towards the entire Flower Fruit Mountain. Elder, Sun Wukong swears that, even if it costs me my life, I will restore the glory of the ancient Demon n."

    A determination so firm, it seemed as if it shook the heavens.

    Meanwhile, at the Buddhist Gate, a bald monk riding a ming bull descended from above. His target was just one¡ªto kill Sun Wukong.

 Chapter 42 - 37: Water System Divine Stone

    Shui Xuwu watched Wukong quietly, waiting for him to digest the recent conversation. Then he continued, "Great Saint, now that you know about Flower Fruit Mountain and your monkey descendants, you must feel at ease. Now, let me tell you how you should proceed on your journey."

    As soon as Wukong heard this concerned his future direction, he immediately sat up straight and listened attentively.

    "Great Saint, do you know what that golden light that pierced the heavens was when you flew up here?"

    Wukong shook his head. Shui Xuwu smiled faintly and continued, "That golden light was no ordinary thing. Great Saint, have you heard of the name Kong Xuan?"

    Wukong pondered for a moment and said, "Is it the direct descendant of Yuan Feng, the leader of the Phoenix n, the very first phoenix that transformed into the Five Elements Peacock, Kong Xuan?"

    "It seems the Great Saint is well informed. Then, do you know about Kong Xuan¡¯s famous unique skill, the Five-Colored Divine Light?"

    Wukong nodded.

    "Hehe, that golden light you saw was one of the beams from Kong Xuan¡¯s Five-Colored Divine Light. It¡¯s said to sweep through everything under heaven and earth, truly invincible."

    "So it was Kong Xuan¡¯s Five-Colored Divine Light? No wonder, no wonder, when I was flying against the light, I felt this golden light repeatedly purifying the impurities inside my body. I thought it was just my imagination."

    "That¡¯s correct, it wasn¡¯t your imagination. After the ancient great powers of our Demon n died, they extracted the golden light from Kong Xuan¡¯s Five-Colored Divine Light and merged it with the five-colored aurora that appeared by chance in the Extreme Northern Ice Field¡ªultimately, creating this divine light that can purify a person¡¯s body. We named it Primordial Cleansing Light.

    However, as the Five-Colored Divine Light is ultimately no ordinary force, even when merged with the aurora, its power was still too fierce. Those below the status of a Saint could only endure inside for at most twenty breaths; otherwise, their flesh would get damaged and the cure would be worse than the disease.

    The limit for a lower Saint is forty breaths, a mid-level Saint, sixty breaths, and an upper-level Saint, seventy breaths. Even a peak Saint can only endure eighty-eight breaths of time. Since the emergence of this Primordial Cleansing Light, many talented individuals from our Demon n have tried, but none could surpass ny breaths."

    Wukong was taken aback, then he couldn¡¯t help asking, "Old man, may I know how long Isted inside?"

    Shui Xuwu¡¯s gaze was intense as he looked at Wukong; after a long pause, he spoke with the utmost gravity, "Great Saint, you endured inside the Primordial Cleansing Light for a full hundred breaths. In the history of our Demon n, no one has ever achieved this. The potential of the Great Saint in the future is immeasurable."

    "That long?" Although he felt he had endured for a significant time, he had not realized it was as much as a hundred breaths. The pressure from the golden light increased as time passed, and Wukong did not doubt for a second that even his Jingu Bang would have been crushed into a pile of scrap metal if put inside.

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    If he hadn¡¯t activated his giant ape form at the end, he probably wouldn¡¯t havested that long.

    "Great Saint, I have said all that needed to be said. With the remaining time, you should continue your cultivation here, solidify your strength, and then begin to merge with the Water System Divine Stone," Shui Xuwu said. After finishing his words, he transformed into a mist of water and disappeared into thin air.

    Wukong was left alone, seated in meditation inside the cave, quietly contemting his future path. Half a day passed, and he remained in the same position, motionless.

    Three dayster, Wukong, who had been sitting in meditation, suddenly stood up, his eyes bursting with a sharp light, devoid of any confusion. He then walked over to the cold jade ice bed, sat down cross-legged, and began his cultivation. Although he had sessfully merged with the Metal System Divine Stone, it did not mean Wukong had already mastered the Metal System Divine Power.

    There was an extremely lengthy process of enlightenment ahead of him. Only by trulyprehending could he harness the power of metal, the most solid and sharp force in the world, and make it a part of himself.

    Metal, what is it? Is it invincible? Is it as solid as a golden soup? Is it the courage that forges ahead inexorably, or the persistence that guards its ground?

    Engrossed in such grueling contemtion, what is the true power of metal? At this moment, the Jingu Bang, hidden inside Sun Wukong¡¯s ear, suddenly began to pulsate like a beating heart. With each pulsation, the metal attribute spiritual energy and strength within Sun Wukong¡¯s body surged in response.

    Gradually, the Jingu Bang burrowed from Sun Wukong¡¯s ear into the Baihui acupoint on top of his head.

    By the time Sun Wukong realized what was happening, he was scared out of his wits. What ce is the Baihui acupoint? It¡¯s where a person¡¯s divine sense sea resides, and for Sun Wukong, it was even more critical, as it was the locus of his own Spiritual Charm.

    The reason why the Five-Colored Divine Stone is so mystical is that each stone contains a wisp of Spiritual Charm from the beginning of heaven and earth. This Spiritual Charm is nothing other than the Chaos Qi that existed in the universe during the primordial times, which is exceedingly precious. Obtaining a single thread of it has a tremendous effect on one¡¯s cultivation and spiritual progress.

    Not to mention the Five-Colored Spiritual Charm condensed from Chaos Qi. Even if the Five-Colored Spiritual Charm split into five, the vast cosmic rules and great Tao contained within are still sought after by the world. It is said that apart from a few rare celestial and earth treasures in the world, nothing elsees infused with thews of the Heavenly Dao at birth.

    Regrettably, the Earth System Five-Colored Divine Stone that constitutes Sun Wukong¡¯s true form had been almost entirely sealed within his divine sense sea, due to contamination by the mortal world¡¯s mundane Qi and too many reincarnations. Sun Wukong could clearly sense the rules of the Heavenly Dao contained in his divine sense sea.

    If he could acquire andprehend them, he would effectively master the Great Dao of Earth. s, over the years, he had only absorbed a ten thousandth of that Spiritual Charm. Moreover, most of it had been absorbed by the Tightening Spell ced on him by Tathagata.

    Later on, during the recent great battle, he was trapped by Tathagata, which resulted in the absorption of about one percent of Spiritual Charm. However, even so, a staggering ny-nine percent remained.

    Yet, crippled by inability, Sun Wukong could only guard this treasure mountain without able to seize it. The agony and torment this caused was beyond what an ordinary person could endure.

    Unexpectedly, the Jingu Bang, which had been his constantpanion for thousands of years, suddenly began to act on its own. As he was grasping the Great Dao of Metal, it intruded into his divine sense sea without permission, and upon entering, he lost control over the Jingu Bang.

    Thus, even though Sun Wukong knew that if it continued like this he might end up with apletely destroyed divine sense sea and be a cripple, he found himself powerless and could only monitor the Jingu Bang with his divine sense, daring not to move an inch, for fear of inadvertently provoking the Jingu Bang and inviting disaster.

    Thankfully, after entering the divine sense sea, the Jingu Bang did not rashly act. It simply revolved around the Spiritual Charm a few times. Seeing that the Spiritual Charm was as indifferent as a rock to its presence, the Jingu Bang seemed somewhat angered. In his state of high tension, something even more despairing for Sun Wukong urred.

    The Jingu Bang first drew back at a distance and just when Sun Wukong thought it woulde out, it suddenly hurled itself ferociously at the Spiritual Charm.

    Immediately, Sun Wukong was struck a heavy blow, feeling as if he had been ruthlessly hammered, and the piercing pain emanating from his divine sense sea far exceeded that of the Tightening Spell.

    The Tightening Spell did not simply constrict with a chant; instead, it stimted Sun Wukong¡¯s Spiritual Charm in his divine sense sea through a special method when reciting the spell. As the Spiritual Charm was stimted and released a wisp of its essence, the spell would absorb this gaseous essence. This was the prime reason Tathagata deceived Sun Wukong into wearing the Golden Hoop.

    However, this time it wasn¡¯t just stimtion by the Tightening Spell; the Jingu Bang had truly and forcefully struck the Spiritual Charm. The immense pain was unbearable even for Sun Wukong, who quickly fainted. Fortunately, fainting spared him from even greater suffering.

    After Sun Wukong lost consciousness, the Jingu Bang suddenly exited the divine sense sea and threaded its way into the Dantian through the meridians.

    Once inside the Dantian, the Jingu Bang began to emit a hazy golden light that was initially very faint. However, soon, sparks of golden light emerged from Sun Wukong¡¯s meridians, bones, and flesh, attracted to the murky light emitted by the Jingu Bang. Each time one of those light sparks merged with the Jingu Bang¡¯s light, the glow of the Jingu Bang became imperceptibly brighter.

    And so, the Jingu Bang began to ¡¯devour¡¯ akin to a whale consuming copious amounts of water.

    Meanwhile, as Sun Wukongy unconscious, a bald monk riding a fire ox had already stepped into the Extreme Northern Ice Field.

 Chapter 43 - 38 Integration

    Finally, after who knew how long, Sun Wukong slowly awoke. The first thing he did upon waking was to immediately check on the Jingu Bang within his sea of consciousness. To his surprise, he found himself dumbfounded once again because the earth system Spiritual Charm that had been in his sea of consciousness had vanished without a trace.

    All that remained was the empty sea of consciousness, and, no, not quite empty¡ªthere was also the Jingu Bang, floating up and down in the middle of it.

    Wukong had no idea what had happened. He had tried every possible method but could not absorb the slightest bit of the earth system Spiritual Charm, and now it was gone. Where did it go?

    Wukong immediately examined his body, hoping that his good fortune had kicked in and the earth system Spiritual Charm had fused with him automatically. Unfortunately, after a thorough investigation three times over, he came up with nothing. He even discovered that the metal system force inside his body had also greatly diminished. What was going on?

    Where had the missing Spiritual Charm and metal system spiritual power gone?

    Suddenly, all of Wukong¡¯s attention was firmly fixed on the Jingu Bang, which was leisurely floating within his sea of consciousness. If anything in his body was acting strange now, it would be the Jingu Bang that had been with him for who knew how many years. Although it was unlikely, Wukong had no other options but to grasp at straws. Thus, he sent a strand of Divine Sense into the Jingu Bang.

    As soon as Wukong¡¯s consciousness appeared, he suddenly saw a vast expanse of dark, rich soil that stretched out for tens of millions of miles, dotted here and there with some not very tall mountains. The sight left Wukong uncertain whether to be shocked or delighted.

    The shocking part was that the Jingu Bang had already outlined a whole world inside it. To create a world within a device was something that only ancient Ultra Divine Artifacts were capable of doing. For instance, the Pangu Axe used by Pangu the Great God to create heaven and earth, or the Eastern Bell of Donghuang Taiyi, the supreme leader of the Demon n.

    But Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang, although a useful weapon, couldn¡¯t possiblypare to those ancient Ultra Divine Artifacts.

    Even whenpared to such Divine Artifacts like the Sun Shooting Bow wielded by the great shaman Hou Yi, the Shennong Ruler of the sage Shennong, or Lu Ya¡¯s Flying Knife, Wukong¡¯s weapon was still far behind.

    To put it frankly, Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang wasn¡¯t really a weapon at all. The Ruyi Jingu Bang was originally just a probe that the great Yu the Great used to measure the depth of the Yellow River when he managed it. It wasn¡¯t made explicitly for battle, so apart from its ability to change size and thickness at will, the Jingu Bang didn¡¯t have any other functions.

    If it had to be said to have any, it would only be its extraordinary toughness.

    However, when Wukong saw that expanse of soil, he knew that his Jingu Bang was no longer just an ordinary sea probe. Although it still couldn¡¯tpare to the weapons of the great ancient gods, it had greatly increased in powerpared to before.

    Weapons are divided into ordinary weapons, Immortal Artifacts, Divine Weapons, and Ultra Divine Weapons, each of which is further categorized into Lower Rank, Intermediate Rank, High Rank, and Supreme Rank.

    Ordinary weapons are used by martial artists of the Mortal World and have no special traits other than being sharp and durable. Immortal Artifacts are used by those whose cultivation is below the Golden Immortal. These weapons are not just sharp and durable but also possess various Divine Skills.

    For example, Lei Zhenzi¡¯s Lei Gong¡¯s Drill is a High Rank Immortal Artifact, and Mu Zha¡¯s Wu Hook is also a High Rank Immortal Weapon.

    Divine Weapons are the weapons used by Daluo Golden Immortals and those at the Emperor Level. Lu Ya¡¯s Flying Knife is a Supreme Rank Divine Weapon, Li Jing¡¯s Demon Suppressing Pagoda is a High Rank Divine Weapon, Nezha¡¯s Qiankun Ring is a High Rank Divine Weapon, and the Pangu Banner and Liuli Bottle of the Primeval Heavenly Venerate are all Supreme Rank Divine Weapons.

    And as for Ultra Divine Weapons, only Saints have the chance to possess them. Each one holds immense might and contains a world within.

    At this moment, the Jingu Bang fell somewhere between a Supreme Rank Divine Weapon and an Ultra Divine Weapon because although it had already nurtured a world within, that world was not yetplete. Once the five elements within the Jingu Bang were assembled, that would be the moment for the Jingu Bang to ascend to an Ultra Divine Weapon.

    Even so, this was still enough to astonish Sun Wukong.

    Wukong¡¯s Divine Sense patrolled the space within the Jingu Bang and suddenly, a dark stele appeared within his line of sight. The stele, about thirty feet tall, stood abruptly on the deste soil.

    With an involuntary light "Huh," Wukong¡¯s Divine Sense coalesced into a figure that looked exactly like his physical body and appeared before the stele.

    The stele was engraved with countless mysterious runes, which seemed deeply cryptic at first nce, but on closer examination, everything appeared incredibly vague. Having no choice, Wukong gave up on continuing his observation of the stele. He then walked around the stele in a circle. When Wukong reached the back, he suddenly found a line ofrge characters engraved there.

    "World Suppressing Stele, Wastnd No. 3"¡ªthese eight characters, despite their simplicity, exuded an iparable sense of heaviness and grandeur, as if these words were the source of all power in the world. Merely by ncing at them, Wukong felt the forces within his body stirring, as though they were on the verge of boiling over.

    "What on earth is this? World Suppressing Stele? Wastnd Number Three? Could there be other steles too? How many are there in total? The Golden Hoop, originally unremarkable, how did such a strange scene appear?

    After I passed out, what exactly happened?"

    Just at that moment, an extreme sense of crisis emanated from under Sun Wukong¡¯s feet. Without any hesitation, he forcefully pushed off the ground, shifting his entire body to the side in an instant. Taking advantage of the moment he dodged, Sun Wukong turned his head and saw a figure descending from the sky at the spot where he had just been standing.

    If he had been even a moment slower, he probably would have been caught by the sneak attack.

    Before he even touched the ground, Sun Wukong kicked out, the Wind Fire Wheels appearing out of nowhere, then shifted his left foot, darting to the right again. At this moment, the figure that had soared into the sky also spotted Sun Wukong. In an inverted dive, the figure threw a punch towards Sun Wukong. Unwilling to show weakness, Sun Wukong clenched his right fist and attacked fiercely.

    The next moment, their fists collided, an invisible shockwave rippling outward. Then the two figures each staggered backward. Sun Wukong took seven steps back, while the figure took five.

    Since he couldn¡¯t leverage the air, Sun Wukong found himself at a slight disadvantage. After both figures had stabilized, Sun Wukong shouted, "Who goes there? Why attack me without cause?"

    After asking, Sun Wukong suddenly realized, where was he? This ce was not the Three Realms¡¯ Nine Provinces, this was the World Within the Artifact inside his own Jingu Bang. Aside from his own Divine Sense, how could anyone else have entered? Moreover, seeing that the opponent also had a Formless Body, it all seemed rather eerie.

    But the person opposite seemed to have no intention ofmunicating with Sun Wukong; instead, they transformed into a streak of light, attacking Sun Wukong once again. Seeing that the opponent had no intention of replying, Sun Wukong also gave up on asking; no matter who it was, he would deal with them first.

    So, facing the erging fist before him, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t retreat but advanced, also hurling his body forward.

    Within a few breaths, the two had shed over a hundred times. Sun Wukong¡¯s gaze grew intense. Putting aside why the other party attacked him without reason, just their speed and strength alone forced Sun Wukong to take them seriously.

    During these rapid exchanges of over a hundred moves, the two proved to be evenly matched. Sun Wukong indeednded a punch, but the other party also took the opportunity to strike him with a palm. Whether it was the instant shifts or the variations in their moves, the person matched him fairly evenly.

    It seemed, deciding the winner would not be possible in a short time. Moreover, sustaining one¡¯s form through Divine Sense could notst very long. Overextending could cause severe damage to oneself. Thus, the situation was quite disadvantageous to Sun Wukong.

    Therefore, the only option was to use the greatest strength currently at his disposal to overwhelm the opponent in one fell swoop. Otherwise, his only choice would be to flee.

    As Sun Wukong was gathering his strength for the final blow, the opponent seemed to have the same idea as him. They too were quietly umting power at their spot. It appeared that the intense fight was not easy for the opponent either.

    After three breaths, Sun Wukong finally felt that the power he had umted had reached a critical point; continuing further might cause him to lose control. So, Sun Wukong raised his head, his right fist pulled back, and he charged toward the opponent.

    The power behind the person opposite had also peaked, their right fist also drawn back before they leaped into the air.

    In the instant before the two were about to collide, a fierce giant ape¡¯s phantom appeared behind Sun Wukong, with a huge fist raised high, smashing fiercely towards the oing person.

    And the person, not to be outdone, had a Buddha¡¯s phantom wearing battle armor and a crimson cape suddenly appear behind them, delivering a punch towards the giant ape¡¯s phantom.

    Sun Wukong suddenly felt that the phantom behind the opponent seemed somewhat familiar, as if resembling the Battle-Defeating Buddha form he had once assumed.

    The next moment, their fists fiercely collided.

 Chapter 44 - 39 Artifact Spirit

    When their fists collided, Sun Wukong suddenly felt something was off. Because the punch that wasing at him with full force actually didn¡¯t carry much attack power. It was only because a suction force was emitting from that punch that it didn¡¯t get blown away by Sun Wukong¡¯s own punch.

    Looking up slightly, Sun Wukong noticed that the Dharma Body above his head was the same. The other person¡¯s Golden Armor Buddha was just using both hands to exert a huge suction force, sticking entirely to Sun Wukong¡¯s giant ape phantom.

    What was going on? Was that person just a showpiece? But that wasn¡¯t right either ¨C from the previous hundred-odd exchanges, Sun Wukong could feel that the person¡¯s strength was definitely not feigned. So why was thisst strike so strange?

    At that moment, things took an unexpected turn. Sun Wukong¡¯s fist, which was facing the opponent¡¯s, suddenly felt a tingling itch. Taking a closer look, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but panic. It turned out that the person¡¯s fist was somehow burrowing into his own. The sensation was as if his own arm was swallowing the other¡¯s.

    How could this be? Since when did he possess such an ability? Feeling it over once more, "No. No, that¡¯s not right, you¡¯re the one burrowing into my body! Who exactly are you?"

    The person opposite him still made no sound, merely increasing in speed, and within a few breaths, the person¡¯s entire arm had vanished. But Sun Wukong had no way to respond, because just as he thought of shaking the person off and escaping, he suddenly felt a heaven and earth pressure emanating from that stele, instantly rendering him immovable.

    Not to speak of running away, even moving a finger was difficult. So, he could only watch, eyes wide open, as the person used his own fist as an entrance to burrow into his body.

    This fear was immense. Yet within this enormous fright, Sun Wukong instead calmed down. Because he suddenly remembered that this was not reality, but inside the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang. The Jingu Bang had followed him for thousands of years and had long been sacrificed to be his life-bound weapon.

    So the idea of an external object entering the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang without his knowing was almost impossible.

    Therefore, this consciousness in front of him was very likely born from the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang on its own. If that was the case, could this consciousness be the Artifact Spirit of the Jingu Bang?

    But why would the Artifact Spirit attack him? Could it be because of that stele? With this thought, Sun Wukong once again looked up at that stele.

    With that nce, Sun Wukong discovered something new. The front of the stele, originally nk, now disyed several lines of text. With Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils activated, every detail on the entire stele was revealed.

    "World Suppressing Stele, seven in total. This is the third of the wastnd, sealed within the Earth System Five-Colored Divine Stone. Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong of the Demon n¡¯s monkey kind, born from the Earth System Five-Colored Divine Stone¡¯s illusion transformation. Now, as the World Suppressing Stele appears, the remaining six will sessively emerge.

    Sun Wukong must find a way to gather them. Otherwise, a great cmity will befall the Pangu Realm. To lend you a hand, the body of the Buddha that fell in the previous battle has been sealed within the Jingu Bang as its Artifact Spirit to aid you. Once it absorbs the Five Elements¡¯ primal forces, the Jingu Bang will undoubtedly ascend to an Ultra Divine Weapon.

    Sun Wukong, the survival or demise of the Pangu Realm relies on you. Take care"¡ªNuwa of the Demon n.

    Having read it, Sun Wukong stood still, dumbfounded.

    Nuwa? Was it really a message from the great deity Nuwa? Could the great Nuwa from Ancient Times really foresee the events of eonster up to the present? And to even send me such a gift?

    Just how formidable are the Divine Skills of an Ancient deity? Sun Wukong had believed himself to be quite powerful, considering there shouldn¡¯t be any foes for him in the Pangu Realm, but seeing the scene before him now, Sun Wukong knew that he was still far from their level.

    All he had done up to now was absorb and fuse with two pieces of the attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, and even becamecent about it. Yet Nuwa had used the shell of the Qianhai giant turtle to refine a full shell¡¯s worth of Five-Colored Divine Stones for repairing the heavens. His fusion was with merely two wed Five-Colored Divine Stones.

    Compared to Nuwa, it was like a firefly against the bright moon, utterly iparable.

    It seems I was somewhat overconfident.

    After reading the inscriptions on the stele, Sun Wukong did not try to stop the consciousness entity that burrowed into his body, because he knew that this consciousness entity, or spirit, that could fight him to a draw was none other than his former self who was in by the Jade Emperor, the Victorious Fighting Buddha. No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity when he firstid eyes on it.

    Now that the Victorious Fighting Buddha had be the Artifact Spirit of the Jingu Bang, it turned into a wonderful thing. Understanding this, it made sense why the Artifact Spirit had attacked him earlier.

    The Artifact Spirit had only the spiritual wisdom of a seven- or eight-year-old child, so when it realized someone had entered the World Within the Artifact, it regarded Wukong as a bad person trying to toy with it, which is why it attacked without hesitation.

    When both sides were amassing power for the final strike, the Artifact Spirit suddenly sensed a familiar feeling from the power umted by Wukong. That¡¯s why, at the veryst moment, it turned all its power into a sucking force and drilled into his body.

    The World Suppressing Stele suppressed him because it felt his hostility towards the Artifact Spirit. When Sun Wukong saw the text on the Heavenly Stele and dismissed his hostility, the stele stopped suppressing him as well.

    Quietly watching the Artifact Spirit enter his body, Wukong¡¯s consciousness then withdrew from the Golden Hoop Rod¡¯s World Within the Artifact. His Divine Sense retreated back into the Sea of Consciousness, where a miniature figure silently sat cross-legged. Sun Wukong¡¯s spiritual power instantly enveloped the figure, and a feeling of extreme closeness followed.

    Momentster, the figure had disappeared, and Sun Wukong¡¯s consciousness exited the Sea of Divine Sense.

    Sun Wukong slowly opened his eyes, waved his hand, and a streak of golden light shed from his fingertips. Then, growing rapidly against the wind, the Jingu Bang turned into a colossal column reaching to the sky in the blink of an eye.

    Luckily, the space here was vast enough; otherwise, it might have poked a hole through the heavens. Now the Jingu Bang was densely engraved with peculiar ancient inscriptions, and two small dragons, one ck and one gold, continuously wove around it.

    These two small dragons were the Golden Light Rule and the Rule of Earth. The two rules had condensed to their utmost, turning into two small dragons.

    Sun Wukong watched the Golden Hoop Rod with a smile tucked at the corner of his mouth, nodding in satisfaction. He stood up, walked over to the rod, and gave it a tap, causing it to shrink rapidly. It returned to the size Wukong usually wielded, and the two dragons also wrapped themselves around either side of the rod.

    Although the Jingu Bang seemed to only gain two small dragons and some engravingpared to before, the power it possessed definitely surpassed its previous state. The Jingu Bang was no longer just sturdy¡ªit now possessed unpredictable Divine Skills.

    Now, Sun Wukong¡¯s only thought was to find someone to have a good battle with, otherwise, he always felt there was a surge of power in his body with no outlet.

    Just then, a loud shout came from above the Ice Demon Tower: "Where is Sun Wukong? I am the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. I havee to punish you."

    "Heh heh, perfect timing. Haha"

 Chapter 45 - 40 The Power of the Jingu Bang

    It¡¯s indeed a case of asking for rain and getting it, asking for wind and getting it. Although Sun Wukong felt something was fishy about the monk who had appeared at this time, because logically Heaven could not have been aware of the incident in such a short time to send someone to the Lower Realm again, the man had already arrived before his eyes. There must have been some turn of events.

    But the surging will to fight within him had left Sun Wukong with no time to think further. With a wave of his hand, the Jingu Bang flipped a few times before resting on Sun Wukong¡¯s shoulder. Shouldering the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong burst forth, tearing through the sky.

    In the wake of his Golden Light, Sun Wukong had already stopped opposite the bald monk. Looking down at the Ice Demon Tower that had been struck by him to create arge hole, Sun Wukong could only apologize in his heart. But when he looked up, a fierce anger once more shot from his eyes.

    The reason being, Sun Wukong had seen the mount of the bald monk¡ªit was none other than his sworn elder brother, the Great Saint of ttened Heavens, the Bull Demon King. But at this moment, the Bull Demon King had lost all of his usual grandeur, covered in heavy shackles and manacles, clearly indicating a dire situation.

    "Big, big brother? Is that really you? Big brother?" Unfortunately, Sun Wukong called out several times, but the Bull Demon King did not respond at all.

    "Bald monk, what exactly have you done to my brother? Why can¡¯t he hear me calling him?"

    "Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk is the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. Are you Sun Wukong?"

    "Right, I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong. Now speak, what have you done to my brother?"

    "Hehe, no hurry, no hurry. Sun Wukong, this monk has a question for you, would you like to convert to Buddhism? If you agree, not only will I return the Bull Demon King to you, but I will also give you the entire Heaven, how¡¯s that?"

    "Well, first you tell me, what happened to my brother? And what about the rest of the demon chiefs?"

    "As for this bull, it¡¯s nothing serious, his Divine Sense has just been locked deep within his sea of consciousness. So now he is just a dumb bull. As for the others, they are not dead, they have all be mounts for various Buddhas. How about it, I¡¯ve told you everything, are you willing to convert?"

    "Pah! You bald donkey. To think you can make me convert¡ªno way. Since they are all unharmed, it¡¯s your time to die today."

    Having said that, Sun Wukong flicked his right hand, and the Jingu Bang shot towards the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light with a speed that nearly breached the Void.

    The Buddha had not expected Sun Wukong, who had been extremely anxious just a moment before, to make such a deadly move the next. However, this Buddha was also remarkable, and upon seeing the Jingu Banging, showed no sign of panic. With a point of his finger, a Five-Colored speck of light appeared in front of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light.

    The next moment, the Jingu Bang collided with the Five-Colored speck with a loud bang.

    But after all, it was a matter of the prepared against the unprepared, and within less than a moment, the Five-Colored speck had already shattered. The Jingu Bang continued its flight towards the forehead of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light.

    "Eh? You have some strength after all." Surprised by the power of the Jingu Bang, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light tapped his fingertips rapidly, creating three muchrger Five-Colored orbs of light this time, which lined up and rammed towards the Jingu Bang.

    Regrettably, they onlysted for half a breath before shattering. The Jingu Bang skewered the three orbs of light like candied haw on a stick.

    At this moment, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light looked serious, clearly realizing he had underestimated the Jingu Bang. He pointed swiftly with his right hand, releasing thirty-six even brighter orbs of light. They floated out in a bid to block the Jingu Bang.

    However, the next moment, the eyebrows of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light were deeply furrowed. The thirty-six orbs of light had been pierced through after just two breaths.

    The Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light realized he had not only underestimated his opponent, but had done so by a grave margin. Lowering his head, he lifted both hands and pointed rapidly, conjuring seven hundred and twenty-two evenrger and brighter Five-Colored orbs of light that densely appeared in front of him.

    Because his vision was blocked by the light sphere in front of him, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light didn¡¯t notice that the light spheres prated by the Jingu Bang had all vanished. They weren¡¯t shattered, but absorbed by the Jingu Bang.

    While retreating rapidly, he directed the massive light spheres to shield himself in front. However, the Jingu Bang seemed fixated on the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, continually breaking through the light spheres, relentlessly pursuing him. Moreover, it seemed to be getting faster and faster.

    Finally, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light¡¯s expression changed dramatically. Those light spheres might have looked like mere faintly visible five-colored orbs, but he knew all too well what they actually were. Yet now, about a thousand of them had been forcefully prated by a mere staff. The loss was causing him immense pain.

    But no matter how reluctant he was, he could only grit his teeth and endure. Because the 720 light spheres he had previously summoned were being broken apart again. The gleaming edge of the Jingu Bang could already be faintly seen. Determined, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light struck out with his palms, and in an instant, twelve hundred evenrger light spheres appeared one after another.

    By this time, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light had retreated nearly a hundred miles.

    It seemed that these new light spheres were much stronger than the previous ones, for after smashing through 360 of them, the Jingu Bang noticeably slowed down. Each light sphere was like an egg with a hard shell, needing to be pierced and also bound by a strange force inside.

    After 722 light spheres, the speed of the Jingu Bang had be visible to the naked eye. Although it was still advancing with difficulty, it was clear that its momentum was fading. By the 1,080th, the Jingu Bang finally ran out of force and was entirely engulfed by a giant light sphere, unable to move.

    Seeing the Jingu Bang now bound, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, a voice came to his ears, "You think you¡¯re safe? Haha."

    As soon as the voice sounded, a fist exuding a dull yellow glow headed straight for the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light¡¯s head. It was none other than Sun Wukong, who had been waiting for this moment for a long time. In a critical moment, a surge went through the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, and two super light spheres appeared, one in front and the other behind.

    The one in the back perfectly blocked Sun Wukong¡¯s fist, while the one in front shed, enveloping the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light inside it.

    When Sun Wukong made contact with that light sphere, his fist smashed unobstructed into the sphere. In the next moment, Sun Wukong felt an unstoppable suction force, and then he disappearedpletely.

    Inside the light sphere, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light suddenly burst intoughter, saying whileughing, "Haha, I thought you were so powerful, but you were merely relying on the power of a weapon. Too bad, even if your weapon is domineering, haven¡¯t you still been trapped by me in the Boundless Water Realm?

    Did you really think I, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, was famous for nothing? Haha. This time, you¡¯ll feel the terror of the Soul Devouring Poisonous Water."

    Indeed, the title of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light was not for nothing. This person had cultivated an extremely powerful ability, which allowed him to condense various worlds out of thin air. At most, he could create ten thousand great worlds, each as real as the actual one. And the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light was the supreme ruler of these worlds.

    Although the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light hadn¡¯t managed to condense ten thousand great worlds, he had, with the realm of a peak Saint, created three thousand six hundred great worlds, one thousand two hundred middle worlds, and five thousand two hundred minor worlds. A total of ten thousand worlds.

    Among all these worlds, there were two he had cultivated to perfection. One was the Boundless Water Realm used to trap Sun Wukong. Within this Water Realm, various kinds of poisonous and deadly water were everywhere. Anyone who fell in had no hope of survival. With the Boundless Water Realm, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light didn¡¯t know how many stronger beings he had poisoned to death.

    The other was the Extreme Speed of Flowing Light Realm. This was the world that wrapped around the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. As long as he was within this world, no attack from the outside, no matter how fierce, could reach him inside the Extreme Speed of Flowing Light Realm.

    And if the enemy proved too powerful, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light could manipte the realm to instantly escape into the void, thus slipping into one of his countless worlds. Once safe, he would reappear in the real world.

    It could be said that as long as he wished to leave, no one could keep him. His descent to the Lower Realm this time was because he had offended someone in the Upper Realm whom he could not afford to provoke. So, even surrounded by many powerful masters, he made a daring escape to the Pangu Realm.

    Upon arriving in the Pangu Realm, he immediately found Buddhism at the edge of the world. When he inquired about the status of this realm, he discovered that the Carefree Buddha, who had fled with him, was also there, which made him overjoyed. But then the Buddhist disciples told him that the Carefree Buddha had been killed by Sun Wukong. This made the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light extremely angry.

    Without a second word, he rode the Bull Demon King straight north, intending to seek revenge on Sun Wukong.

    Although there were some minor hups along the way, it didn¡¯t matter; Sun Wukong was still trapped within his Boundless Water Realm. He could consider his great vengeance fulfilled.

    In the Boundless Water Realm at this moment, Sun Wukong faced a matter of life and death.

 Chapter 46 - 41 Boundless Water Realm

    In fact, Sun Wukong had already been on guard against the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, yet he hadn¡¯t anticipated still underestimating him. Whilst the Bright Carefree Buddha may have underestimated Sun Wukong¡¯s Ruyi Jingu Bang, had Sun Wukong not also underestimated the other¡¯s spheres of light?

    As Sun Wukong¡¯s Ruyi Jingu Bang had pierced through nearly a thousand spheres of light, he had assumed that these spheres were merely somewhat tough defenses. So when he saw the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light split off two spheres of light at thest moment, he didn¡¯t pay it much heed. But the moment his fist struck the spheres, Sun Wukong knew something was wrong; he had been careless.

    Before he had a chance to think further, Sun Wukong was already sucked into one of the glowing spheres.

    Only after entering, did Sun Wukong realize that these spheres of light were not as simple as he had imagined. They were indeed entire vast worlds. Although Sun Wukong did not sense any life within this world, aside from the absence of life, it was nearly indistinguishable from his own realm.

    If there was one key difference, it was that this entire world was made of water; not only was it raining down from the sky, but everywhere one could see, without exception, was water.

    Water aze with mes, water sparkling with purple lightning, dark heavy water, ghastly green toxic water, and even transparent void water. It was inconceivable how the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light had amassed such a variety of extraordinary waters.

    As soon as Sun Wukong appeared, he plummeted downward, and although he desperately tried to fly, the densely packed raindrops each weighed over tens of thousands of pounds. Although they didn¡¯t harm him upon impact, they made it impossible for Sun Wukong to ride the clouds and fly away.

    Left with no choice, Sun Wukong curled into a ball to minimize the area hit by the raindrops. Momentster, with a ssh, Sun Wukong was engulfed in a vast ocean shing with thunder light.

    Upon plunging in, the sea seemed to be stimted, as all the dense thunders within the water converged on Sun Wukong. And from afar, more thunder light continued gathering.

    In just an instant, Sun Wukong¡¯s armor turned to ash and vanished. Though he wasn¡¯t injured, his blood and qi roiled inside him.

    The immense inertia from falling from the sky,bined with the instantaneous thunder strike, made Sun Wukong¡¯s head feel heavy. However, he knew that if he didn¡¯t regain consciousness immediately, even more terrifying bolts of lightning would follow, potentially putting him in greater danger.

    So, with a sudden bite to the tip of his own tongue, a sharp pain brought him back to his senses. Looking around, Sun Wukong¡¯s expression grew solemn. He was naturally not adept at swimming or fighting in water, especially now when it wasn¡¯t just water, but the water was filled with purple and dark lightning,plicating his movements even further.

    After trying to swim, a chill went through Sun Wukong¡¯s heart. Although he could move his limbs, he kept sinking. If this continued, the massive pressure at the bottom of the sea could seriously harm him. The situation was growing increasingly dire.

    That¡¯s when a sh of spiritual light crossed Sun Wukong¡¯s mind. He rapidly tapped around his body, and soon after, a golden light gradually enveloped him, swiftly intensifying. In an instant, Sun Wukong curled up again, this time with the golden light slowly expanding into a sphere about ten yards in diameter.

    The sphere flickered, and the sea returned to its original blue-purple color. However, now there was a golden giant egg in the water, smooth as a mirror without a single mark.

    Inside the giant egg, a thick earthen wall had materialized. The earthen wall also took an egg-like shape, only it was encased within a golden shell.

    Within the wall, there sat Sun Wukong. In the nick of time, Sun Wukong had thought to utilize the earth and metal elements within him. Then, with what little metal attribute spiritual power he had left, he expanded it from his surface to disce the water, creating airtight, enclosed space.

    To prevent electrical conduction through the metal, he used the earth element to build six-sided earthen walls in a cubic form, and there he sat in meditation, at the center of the cubic earthen walls.

    At that moment, safety was temporarily assured. Seizing that time, Sun Wukong drew back his Divine Sense, concentrating it all within the sea of consciousness. Then, nearly one-third of his Divine Sense was poured in its entirety into the shadow of the Ruyi Jingu Bang within the sea of consciousness.

    Suddenly, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which had felt extremely weak, now established a very strong connection.

    Just then, the Liuguang Wanshi Buddha had just entered the Boundless Water Realm. Originally, he had no intention to enter, but then he suddenly could no longer sense Wukong¡¯s presence within the Boundless Water Realm. Although he was very confident in his own Water Realm, he knew it was impossible to obliterate a mid-level Saint in such a short time.

    Therefore, out of caution, the Liuguang Wanshi Buddha decided to enter personally to see for himself. If Wukong had truly perished, then all was well, but if not, he did not mind directing the Boundless Water Realm to eradicate Wukong that very morning.

    As a result, when the Liuguang Wanshi Buddha entered the Boundless Water Realm, he did not see the Golden Hoop Staff suddenly bursting with Golden Light; the balls of light trapping the Golden Hoop Staff appeared to crack one after the other, releasing thousands of brilliant rays of light.

    However, after the Golden Hoop Staff red with Golden Light, it did not immediately break free, but instead grew quiet.

    The very moment the Liuguang Wanshi Buddha stepped into the Boundless Water Realm, he felt the mid-sized world that enveloped the Golden Hoop Staff began to undte, as if about to burst. Just as he was about to reinforce it, he sensed the Golden Hoop Staff suddenly stop.

    Consequently, the Buddha assumed that the Golden Hoop Staff had just unleashed all of its power in an attempt to break free, but had failed.

    Thus, the Liuguang Wanshi Buddha, without any hesitation, instantly arrived within the Thunder Sea where Wukong was. Upon seeing the giant metal egg in the depths of the sea bed, Liuguang (short for Liuguang Wanshi Buddha) showed an expression of ¡¯just as expected¡¯.

    Indeed, no Saint was so easily killed; each would have one or two life-saving ultimate moves up their sleeve. Fortunately, he had not been careless, otherwise, there was a chance that he might have inadvertently let this monkey escape.

    Looking at the Thunder Sea continuously bombarding the giant egg yet causing not the slightest damage, Liuguang knew that it could no longer harm Wukong. So, with a focused gaze, a colossal column of water surged skywards, lifting the golden egg towards the sea surface.

    Liuguang himself also stepped on the water, rising instantly. As the column of water broke through the sea, it suddenly turned and flew towards the distance. Liuguang followed behind, propelling the water forward as he flew.

    Momentster, the column of water flew above an expanse of lush green seawater. Then, as if throwing something, it violently hurled the golden egg down into the sea below.

    With a "ssh," water spouted several meters high. The next moment, a sound of metal corrosion came, producing a grating screech.

    It turned out, this seawater was the extremely poisonous water mentioned by Liuguang, the Soul Extinguishing Water capable ofpletely corroding even a Saint.

    The Soul Extinguishing Water, aptly named, was a venomous water that could sever the spirit. Once this poisonous water infiltrated the body, it would instantly destroy meridians, flesh, dantian, and even the sea of consciousness. Eventually, it could even corrode the soul. This poisonous water existed only in the Deste Ancient Realm.

    While not considered particrly precious there, in the Pangu Realm, it became exceedingly terrifying.

    In just a few moments, the golden egg arranged by Wukong had corroded into a pitted mess, and it was evident that it would not take long for the toxins to invade Wukong within, making his survival highly unlikely.

    Just then, the golden egg seemed to start vibrating, and then its surface began to crack piece by piece. Suddenly, with a bang, a gigantic ape with golden and earthy yellow fur appeared in the water.

    The Soul Extinguishing Water, capable of corroding the metal shell created by the Five-Colored Divine Stone¡¯s Metal Attribute Spiritual Power, seemed not to have inflicted significant damage on the suddenly emerged giant ape.

    This giant ape was none other than Sun Wukong, now in full-force eruption, a giant ape with both Metal Attribute and Earth Attribute powers unleashed.

 Chapter 47 - 42: Break!

    When Sun Wukong revealed his giant ape form, the Jingu Bang outside seemed as if it had been stimted by something. It suddenly shone with golden light, and within that gold were streaks of fiery red light.

    The worlds that had trapped the Jingu Bang shattered in an instant, then melted away, and finally, all were absorbed by the Jingu Bang. After absorbing nearly a thousand such worlds, the Jingu Bang quivered uncontrobly as if it had consumed some potent tonic, obviously ecstatic.

    Drawing back the golden light it had emitted, the Jingu Bang suddenly shot toward the sky. Its speed was no less than that of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light¡¯s rapid movement. Thus, in the blink of an eye, the Jingu Bang had soared to an enormous height. Then, it turned downward, falling even faster than before, tearing a rift through space due to its excessive speed.

    The next moment, the Jingu Bang violently plunged into the Boundless Water Realm, and once again, golden light mixed with fire burst forth. The golden light represented the purest sharpness of the metallic way of the world, while the fiery light was naturally the Red Lotus Karma Fire derived from the Void Transcendence Flower.

    In fact, the Jingu Bang¡¯s ability to absorb nearly a thousand worlds owed much to the Void Transcendence Flower. The Transcendence Bloom could transmute anything in the world. Even worlds that had begun to take shape were turned into purew by the Transcendence Flower, which were then absorbed by the world within the Jingu Bang, thus replenishing and strengthening its inner realm.

    But to return to the main point, the moment the Jingu Bang pierced into the Boundless Water Realm, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light was already aware. However, despite his awareness, he was powerless to stop it. The Jingu Bang, with the purest metallic way of the world coupled with the Red Lotus Karma Fire, inflicted massive damage on the Boundless Water Realm.

    And what terrified the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light the most was that his Boundless Water Realm was gradually diminishing, as if something was devouring it bite by bite.

    After inspecting all around and finding nothing, the feeling of being devoured grew even stronger. While he contemted further investigation, Sun Wukong did not intend to give him that time. He had exerted his Primordial Spiritual Sense and the greatest strength within his body to transform into a giant ape, and he would not let him go so easily.

    Seeing that the Jingu Bang had sessfully breached the Boundless Water Realm and with the help of the Void Transcendence Flower was directly devouring it, Sun Wukong¡¯s fierce face broke into an even more savage grin.

    With a single move, he appeared in front of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. His steel-like fur and muscle mounds, huge as small hills, were clearly reflected in the Eternal Buddha¡¯s eyes.

    Not until that moment did the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light snap out of his shock. Then, with a sh, he had flown back a hundred yards. However, in the instant the Eternal Buddha appeared, Sun Wukong also materialized simultaneously. It seemed unbelievable that Sun Wukong¡¯s massive body could move with such speed.

    The Eternal Buddha engaged all his Buddha¡¯s power, enveloping himself in a pale blue light barrier, and began to blink rapidly away. No matter how he tried to escape, Sun Wukong could appear behind him within a fraction of a moment. In the beginning, the Eternal Buddha kept hisposure, but as his various tactics continued to fail without changing the oue, he finally became frightened!

    How could this Sun Wukong possess such terrifying strength? Initially, with just the weapon in his hand, he had broken nearly a thousand realms. Then, although trapped in the Boundless Water Realm, before he could even fully use the devastating power of the Soul Extinguishing Water, the realm had been breached.

    This was no mere barrier; it was a vast world. It had been easily punctured by a mere staff, which was now inexplicably devouring his world.

    And at this moment, he was in disarray, unable to escape from his opponent¡¯s terrifying speed, even with his renowned technique of rapid movement. At this point, the Eternal Buddha, despite having a myriad of strategies, had already surrendered to fear and despair.

    So, defeat was merely a matter of time.

    After being caught up to once more by Sun Wukong, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light suddenly stopped running and stood still. He looked gloomily at Sun Wukong and said, word for word, "Sun Wukong, I admit that you are indeed very strong. But it won¡¯t be so easy to kill me. After all, I am an outcast of the Ancient Realm, destined to spend my days in endless pursuit and death.

    Rather than dying at their hands, I would rather meet my end today with you. At least I will have avenged the Carefree Buddha."

    Having said that, the entire Boundless Water Realm suddenly began to copse, and at the same time, the body of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light started to be void. However, it did not disappear. Instead, specks of light the size of fingertips kept flying out from its body.

    When the Boundless Water Realm vanishedpletely, Sun Wukong was already unable to see the person of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. Where the flowing light had once been, there was now only a massive orb of light. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that this massive orb wasprised of countless smaller orbs of light.

    If one looked even closer, they¡¯d see those tiny points of light were continuously merging. In an instant, all the light points merged together, forming an orb like the sun. Although it emitted a dazzling brilliance, there was not the slightest sense of heat.

    When the orb had finished merging, an inexplicable chill rose within Sun Wukong. This chill made Sun Wukong feel threatened by death. It was very likely that one misstep could really lead to his demise here.

    Waving his hand to recall the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong had put away all traces of his previous contempt. He watched the distant blinding orb with unprecedented seriousness.

    Suddenly, it seemed Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes caught a glimmer, but before he could react, the next moment, he had been sted away. After crashing through countless icebergs, he finally came to a stop. Fortunately, at thest moment, he had shielded his chest with his hands; otherwise, he would have surely been gravely injured.

    Even so, Sun Wukong¡¯s arms were already charred at the forearms. Then, a piercing pain came from his back, and without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he darted to the right as quickly as possible. Yet he was still grazed by a beam of white light, and the skin on his left shoulder had turned ck.

    Two attacks, and he had been injured twice. One should know that he was now in his giant ape form, and moreover, it was the most powerful double-attribute giant ape in history. But still, he was unable topletely avoid that white light.

    "Sun Wukong, weren¡¯t you very proud a moment ago? Where is your speed now? Haha. I was just probing you just now. Next, let me show you what true Flowing Light means."

    Sun Wukong turned around, and there, thirty zhang behind him, the orb of light floated quietly in the void. The voice he had just heard hade from within the orb of light as well.

    Sun Wukong said nothing. He simply mobilized his ultimate magic power, pouring it into his fiery eyes. Then he stomped with both feet, and the Wind Fire Wheels appeared beneath them. Next, his back arched, and two fiery red wings appeared on Sun Wukong¡¯s back.

    The appearance of the Wind Fire Wheels was one thing, but when did Sun Wukong get wings? In fact, these were not real wings but Nezha¡¯s famous Magic Treasure, the Universe Ring, which was simply enveloped by the Red Lotus Karma Fire, taking on the shape of wings for the moment.

    Although they were not real wings, as the Universe Ring was a flying object itself, and with the aid of the Red Lotus Karma Fire, they could still increase Sun Wukong¡¯s speed by thirty percent.

    In the meantime, the orb of light had not made another move, seemingly waiting for Sun Wukong to get ready before attempting to destroy him in one fell swoop. It appeared that the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light was quite confident in its skill.

    When Sun Wukong was ready and intently watching the orb of light, suddenly, his fiery eyes caught movement from it. The orb first rippled, then its surface flowed like water waves, itsyers of light converging onto a single point facing Sun Wukong. Immediately afterward, the orb shed, and a beam of light as thick as an arm shot straight towards him.

    Sun Wukong opened the full power of the Wind Fire Wheels, and his entire body rose ten zhang into the sky, but at that moment, he saw that the orb of light had suddenly disappeared from its original spot, reappearing above his head, and then, another beam of light shot down.

    This orb of light... could it actually perform instantaneous movement?

 Chapter 48 - 43 Kuzhan

    When Sun Wukong saw the sphere of light above his head, a zing white beam had already shot towards him. Unable to dodge in time, he could only reluctantly turn his head and then sidestep. Though he didn¡¯t fully evade it, he managed to dodge the vast majority of it¡ªit merely grazed him slightly.

    But the crisis wasn¡¯t over; in the next moment, another beam of light came shooting from his right side, aimed straight at his temple. This time, Wukong had no means of evasion. Left with no other choice, he flipped his wrist, and the Jingu Bang appeared by his side. In the nick of time, he blocked the iing beam of light.

    Following that, Wukong was plunged into countless white beams of lighting from all directions. The sphere didn¡¯t fire beams from one spot, but would instead instantaneously move to thepletely opposite position the next moment, which made Wukong¡¯s dodging even more difficult.

    What shocked Wukong even more was the sphere¡¯s increasing speed of teleportation. Initially, he could dodge seven or eight out of ten beams, butter, he could barely dodge five or six. Now, nearly every beam grazed his body.

    Luckily for Wukong, his physical strength had greatly improved recently, or else he might have been seriously injured by now. Even so, he wasn¡¯t without injury. There wasn¡¯t a single ce on his body that hadn¡¯t been hit.

    But Wukong couldn¡¯t stop; if he slowed down even slightly, he would instantly be hit by over a hundred beams of light. That would undoubtedly inflict severe injury.

    Continuing this way, Wukong would eventually be exhausted and slow down. Once that happened, the oue was predictable. It seemed there was only one option left. If he didn¡¯t use that move, there was a high chance he wouldn¡¯t hold out much longer. But the thought of the grave consequences made Wukong hesitate for a moment. In that brief moment, his body umted countless more wounds.

    There was no time left; if he didn¡¯t make a decision soon, in a little while he wouldn¡¯t even have the strength to use that ultimate move. With this thought, a resolute light shone in Wukong¡¯s eyes.

    "Great Sage Equalling Heaven¡ªDomineering Body, fuse." He shouted loudly, and the shock of his voice caused the sphere to hesitate for a split second. It was during that half beat of hesitation that Wukong threw the Jingu Bang with both hands, and the next moment, the staff suddenly became ethereal.

    It then plunged down from above, directly entering Wukong¡¯s body through the Baihui acupoint on his head.

    Afterward, a terrifying aura like that of a primordial beast suddenly spread out, intermixing the thickness of earth with the sharpness of metal, creating a most bizarrebination of forces.

    This aura, however, caused the sphere turned into the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light to panic and even sense the threat of death.

    An instantter, Wukong had fusedpletely with the Jingu Bang, his body covered with golden hair standing on end, muscles bulging more than before, while surges of formidable power rushed through him in waves.

    "Yaaah, baldy, meet your death. Explosive Rush Fist!" Wukong, who had reappeared, didn¡¯t hesitate for a second. He pushed hard with his legs, and the ground beneath him instantly copsed. Using the recoil, Wukong shot towards the sphere like a cannonball. His right hand, glimmering with both earthy yellow and golden radiance, was wrapped in a golden spike by the time he reached the sphere.

    His right fist then brutally struck the sphere. From beginning to end, the sphere had no reaction at all, as if it were paralyzed. Just as the punchnded, the spike on the fist hadpletely prated the sphere.

    "Explode!" Wukong shouted lowly, then retreated at even greater speed. When he was halfway back, a "boom" resounded, and the sphere appeared to explode from the inside, its light scattering in all directions.

    Along with the explosion came the stunned and panicked cries of the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. It might have been the most severe injury he had ever suffered since his birth.

    "Sun Wukong, Sun Wukong, I want you dead, I want you dead!" The hysterical screams clearly showed he had lost all reason. Wukong was slightly taken aback; he hadn¡¯t expected that even with most of his spiritual power poured into that strike, it had only seriously injured him. It seemed that people from the Upper Realm, regardless of their level of cultivation, were not so easy to kill.

    At that moment, the white dots of light filling the sky suddenly froze in ce, then all the scattered points blinked three times in session. "Myriad Annihtion Strike, Sun Wukong, you¡¯re finished."

    Watching the countless points of light transform into beams, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes were devoid of any emotional fluctuations, no fear, no anger. He just calmly watched as all the beams converged above his head into a single massive one.

    The next instant, that beam, brighter than the sun itself, shed and was gone. Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes shimmered with a hint of golden light. As the beam approached, he simply raised a fist, and then with the Wind Fire Wheels at full power beneath his feet, he shot upward. He charged against the beam and instantly arrived in front of the orbs of light.

    His hands radiated a brownish-yellow glow, his arm muscles bulged, and he grasped the orbs. A surge of brownish-yellow light burst forth, and in an instant, a cage of the same color,rger than the orb, had formed.

    "Soulsheal Earth Realmplete!"

    Having sessfully sealed the orb, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t stop; he turned his head, looking at a certain point in the space behind him, revealing a trace of a mocking expression.

    With a shift in his stance, Sun Wukong vanished from where he stood and reappeared in what seemed to be an unchanged part of space. With a pinch of his right hand, he plucked a faint silhouette from the void.

    "Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, such a clever trick. You almost had me fooled, casting off your soul, burning up your flesh¡ªtruly a bold move. s, today, you¡¯re destined to die!"

    "Sun, Sun Wukong, how, how can you possibly see me? This isn¡¯t possible! Even with your fiery eyes and golden pupils, my escape technique is a Mysterious Technique from the Upper Realm. It¡¯s not something a mere creature from Pangu¡¯s minor realm could see through."

    Looking at the horrified and incredulous Flowing Light, Sun Wukong no longer had any desire to talk. He squeezed his hand, and the spirit exploded¡ªEternal Buddha of Flowing Lightpletely dissipated from this world, and even reincarnation was out of the question.

    The moment Flowing Light¡¯s soul burst, the Jingu Bang emerged from the Baihui acupoint on Sun Wukong¡¯s body. Then, with a few somersaults, it devoured the shattered soul of Flowing Light. Ever since the Jingu Bang formed the World Within the Artifact, it seemed to have grown quite gluttonous.

    Devouring the near thousand worlds of Flowing Light, and now even his soul, the Jingu Bang seemed to have a liking for the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light.

    Watching the Jingu Bang acting content as if it had just had its fill, Sun Wukong shook his head and gave a wry smile. He had worn himself out, yet in the end, it was the Jingu Bang who gained the most profit.

    Without paying any heed to the Jingu Bang flying randomly in the air, Sun Wukong floated down. As hended inside the Ice Demon Tower, he almost copsed to the ground.

    The after-effects of forcefully merging with the Jingu Bang had finally arrived.

    After several attempts to sit up in meditation proved fruitless, Sun Wukong suddenly felt a chill on the top of his head.

    Straining his eyes, Sun Wukong saw a droplet of water above him, blue and purple, emitting a faint glow.

    With just one nce, Sun Wukong recognized what it was¡ªthe Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone.

 Chapter 49 - 44 The Affection between Master and Apprentice

    Wukong recognized the droplet above as the third Five-Colored Divine Stone, but he felt no joy, only dread. At this moment, his body¡¯s inner meridians were in utter chaos. It wasn¡¯t just the Divine Stone that would pose a problem¡ªany elixir ingested would block his meridians. For Wukong, this Five-Colored Divine Stone was effectively a deadly poison.

    Regretfully, it seemed as if the Divine Stone was determined to defy Wukong. Before he could react, it had already burrowed into his forehead. Wukong¡¯s body stiffened instantly, and a bone-chilling cold spread throughout his being. In the blink of an eye, he had turned into a massive block of ice. Yet the cold did not stop there; it spread from the frozen mass to its surroundings.

    In half a day, the entire Ice Demon Tower waspletely encased in ice.

    From a distance, the Ice Demon Tower resembled a tower made of crystal, sparkling and translucent, strikingly beautiful. Yet it was devoid of any trace of life; all the creatures of the Aquatic Tribe within were frozen into ice sculptures. The whole world was silent, save for the whistling of the wind mixed with snowkes quietly falling.

    Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Tang Sanzang, who was meditating in peace, was suddenly rmed. An inexplicable palpitation caused him to break into a cold sweat, as though a knife had stabbed his chest. He abruptly opened his tightly shut eyes; his pupils shrank instantly before the three-petalled shape dted. Turning around, his gaze fixed on the north.

    It seemed as if Sanzang¡¯s eyes pierced through the void, reversed time, and spanned the distance to the Extreme Northern Ice Field, where he saw the precise moment when the Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone entered Wukong¡¯s forehead. Then, he saw the instant Wukong became a block of ice.

    Tang Sanzang leapt to his feet and, without even the time to pack his belongings, dashed towards the north. At that moment, a single thought upied Sanzang¡¯s heart: Wukong was in danger! Yet, he did not consider whether his mortal body could survive the treacherous Extreme Northern Ice Field, especially after having just employed the "Pupil of the Void" and sustaining a serious internal injury.

    "Eye of the Void"¡ªSince Sanzang¡¯s Transcendence Bloom had upgraded to the Void Transcendence Flower, it granted him tremendous pupil power, but the cost of using it was equally enormous. One third of his essence blood, half of his spiritual power, and ten years of his life were the bare minimum to barely execute it.

    Furthermore, the stronger and farther the target of his vision, the greater the cost. That single glimpse had extracted fifty years of Tang Sanzang¡¯s lifespan. At this moment, his body was so weak that even a Daluo Golden Immortal could easily kill him.

    But none of this mattered to Tang Sanzang. He had only one thought: Wukong must not die! However, the Extreme Northern Ice Field was indeed perilous; it didn¡¯t care if Sanzang was there to rescue someone. Upon setting foot there, one had to endure the severe test of its harsh conditions.

    In less than half a day, Sanzang¡¯s spiritual power was drained, and his steps were faltering! Moreover, the immense pressure and the biting Gang Wind tested him to his limits. Each step required all the strength he could muster. If his will hadn¡¯t been so resolute, he would have perished on this endless ice field long ago.

    Despite all this, Sanzang was on hisst legs. His consciousness hadpletely blurred, and only his body¡¯s instinct and a steadfast will kept him from copsing.

    Yet, even with Sanzang¡¯s iron determination, he was ultimately no match for the Extreme Northern Ice Field¡¯s terrifying pressure and cold. After eight Chinese hours since he set foot on the ice field, he finally fell.

    And though he copsed unconscious, Sanzang¡¯s hand was still desperately reaching forward. But the remaining distance was insurmountable for him.

    Soon, Sanzang was covered by ayer of snow. A few gusts of Gang Windter, the fallen Sanzang was also encased in ice.

    The entire Extreme Northern Ice Field fell back into dead silence, with not a single anomaly or sign of life. There was only the endless Gang Wind and the relentless, heavy snowfall.

    Time slowly passed by. Three days, five days, seven days. There was no response from either Wukong in the Ice Demon Tower or Sanzang on the Extreme Northern Ice Field. It was as if they had died there.

    On the tenth day, the twelfth day, all the way to the fifteenth day! Half a month had passed since Sun Wukong was encased in ice!

    Finally, after a full twenty days, an extraordinary change took ce at the Ice Demon Tower, the sacred site of the Aquatic Tribe in the Extreme Northern Ice Field. The massive ice seal, which began because of Sun Wukong¡¯s fusion with the Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, seemed to show signs of loosening.

    This indication intensified over time, and after one more day, the moon danced high in the sky!

    The Ice Demon Tower, which had been sealed in ice for a total of twenty days, was ultimately released with a roar that echoed through heaven and earth. With just a bellow, the ice, two zhang thick and extremly cold, shattered to pieces and then transformed into a sky full of powdery snow.

    The cold moonlight poured down, and the whole Extreme Northern Ice Field was showered in a phantom rain of ice shards.

    When the ice powdernded where Tang Sanzang had been sealed, it twinkled for a moment. Then, a figure appeared instantaneously, seemingly unimpeded by the space that separated them!

    However, before this person could begin digging through the snow, a small flower with only a faint shadow visible flew out from this person¡¯s forehead. Then, in an instant, mes surged, and the ice and snow on the ground disappeared in the blink of an eye. At that moment, a person frozen stiff emerged under the deste moonlight.

    The small flower, upon seeing the person on the ground, began to tremble involuntarily. At the same time, an overwhelming wave of sorrow emanated from the flower. Without any defense against it, the person was invaded by this sorrowful will. Tears flowed down his face, filled with heart-wrenching grief.

    In truth, even without the small flower¡¯s sorrowful will, this person would have likely not been able to hold back.

    This person was none other than Sun Wukong, who had broken free from the Ice Demon Tower. And naturally, the person on the ground was Tang Sanzang, who hade to rescue Sun Wukong. However, by then, Tang Sanzang was already breathless!

    The small flower, the Void Transcendence Flower, after releasing that unstoppable wave of sorrow, began to circle Tang Sanzang¡¯s body continuously. With each rotation, the sorrow intensified. In just a moment, the entire Extreme Northern Ice Field was enveloped and shrouded in this sorrowful will.

    All creatures, regardless of their strength, werepelled to weep uncontrobly under this irresistible wave of sorrow, feeling a pain and sadness from the depths of their hearts that lingered on and on. For a time, the whole Extreme Northern Ice Field was filled with cries that shook the skies, and the sorrowful will kept spreading!

    The scene from when the Transcendence Bloom first appeared in the world was still vivid. The sky full of falling flowers and the profound empathy that caused everyone to grieve together highlighted the extraordinary nature of the Transcendence Bloom.

    Now, having not only merged with the soul of the Queen of the Western Liang but also ascended to a Void Transcendence Flower, its power to resonate empathically had grown even stronger.

    Sun Wukong, with tears streaming down his face, clutched at his chest. It was hurting there, an ache more intense than if all his meridians had been severed, a pain so deep that Sun Wukong felt like he could no longer breathe.

    "Ahh, ahh, ahh~" He screamed until his voice was hoarse, as if only by doing so could he vent the pain in his heart.

    "Thump~" Sun Wukong fell to his knees on the hard icy ground, immediately creating tworge, cracked indentations. "Master, Master, I have failed you!"

 Chapter 50 - 45 On the Verge of Death

    Just as Sun Wukong was overwhelmed by grief, a rush of excitement and joy emerged from the Void Transcendence Flower that was spinning around Tang Sanzang¡¯s body! Yet, the immense sorrow had not dissipated.

    Sun Wukong was startled and then his Divine Sense burst forth in its entirety. It all entered Tang Sanzang¡¯s body, which was frozen stiff with coldness. Inch by inch, bit by bit, he searched, desperately trying to find a trace of life. Because Sun Wukong believed that the Void Transcendence Flower wouldn¡¯t show feelings of surprise and joy for no reason.

    If it wasn¡¯t the Transcendence Flower ying tricks, then it must have detected that Master hadn¡¯t entirely perished; there must be a thread of life still present.

    So, Sun Wukong had to find that glimmer of hope for life. As long as Master hadn¡¯tpletely died, he would have the power to bring him back.

    Again and again. This was already the third time, but no matter how he searched, his Master¡¯s body only contained an absolute stillness; he couldn¡¯t feel even the slightest sign of life. Sun Wukong panicked, could the Transcendence Flower have been mistaken? After all, it was just a flower, and even though it was extraordinary, it was ultimately just a nt.

    His Divine Sense at the intermediate phase of sainthood had probed three times in a row, yet he felt nothing out of the ordinary. There was only the cold stiffness and theplete silence of death.

    But Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t bring himself to ept or believe it. He was unable to ept that his Master had died like this, not perishing on the journey to the west, nor in by a secret plot from the gods or Buddhas, but rather dying in this deste and uninhabited ice field. How could Sun Wukong ept this? A great Saint, to die just like that?

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong seemed to realize something. Master had be a Saint, and he recalled the moment when Master had achieved sainthood on the spot¡ªthe celestial music echoed through the heavens, golden lotuses sprouted from the ground, and Buddhist chants arose from all directions, such a magnificent spectacle.

    Logically, if Master had truly died, there should have been some abnormal phenomena in heaven and earth.

    But during the time he had been encased in ice, he hadn¡¯t felt any such phenomena. That could only mean one thing: Master hadn¡¯t truly passed away but had fallen into a state of suspended animation. His Divine Sense and soul must be hiding somewhere within his body.

    With this thought, just as Sun Wukong was about to start another careful search, a sh of light seemed to pass through his mind!

    Saint, death, heavenly phenomena! That¡¯s it, when he had killed Tathagata, there had been no reaction from heaven and earth either. Logically, given Tathagata¡¯s cultivation, his true fall would definitely cause universal mourning. Yet, no unusual events had happened that day. Could it be that Tathagata hadn¡¯t died either?

    But, he had definitely crushed his physical body and soul that day; how could he have possibly escaped? Moreover, when he killed the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light and the Carefree Buddha, there were also no signs of any heavenly phenomena.

    If it wasn¡¯t the Heavenly Dao malfunctioning, then these beings hadn¡¯t truly died!

    At this thought, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but inhale sharply.

    Buddhism, is it truly so terrifying? Shaking his head, he stopped dwelling on these thoughts, as brooding over them was pointless. He needed to quickly continue searching for where exactly Master¡¯s Divine Sense and soul were hidden!

    In fact, Sun Wukong¡¯s guess was very close to the truth. Tathagata indeed had not really died, neither had Tang Sanzang. However, the Carefree Buddha and the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light had truly perished. It was just that since they were not from the Pangu Realm, even if they fell, this world would feel nothing. It was simply that Sun Wukong wasn¡¯t aware of all this.

    Finally, after seven continuous searches, a surge of ecstasy arose. Because Sun Wukong finally discovered the hiding ce of Tang Sanzang¡¯s Divine Sense and soul¡ªit was within his eyes.

    The left eye contained all the Divine Sense, and the right eye held the soul!

    If it weren¡¯t for the Transcendence Flower that had perceived something and kept hovering between Tang Sanzang¡¯s eyes, Sun Wukong would have never imagined that Master¡¯s Divine Sense and soul would choose the eyes as their refuge.

    With the discovery of the Divine Sense, things were easier. All he had to do was separate the Divine Sense and the soul from the eyes and then seal them into the world within his Jingu Bang. When he would find a miraculous treasure capable of reconstructing a physical body, he could then shape a new one for his Master.

    But when Sun Wukong began to separate the soul and Divine Sense, they suddenly seemed out of control. He saw the Divine Sense and soul forcefully break away from his control, circled around Tang Sanzang¡¯s body, which was already frozen stiff, three times before diving into the Void Transcendence Flower floating in front of Tang Sanzang¡¯s forehead.

    Sun Wukong was taken aback for a moment, just how miraculous was this Void Transcendence Flower? Even the Divine Sense and soul could be amodated; did all ancient artifacts possess such might?

    ```

    He shook his head, bent down gently, and picked up Tang Sanzang¡¯s body. Sun Wukong then resolutely turned around and retraced his steps the same way he hade. He didn¡¯t use a shred of mana nor did he ride the clouds, just walked with deep and shallow steps, determinedly.

    On the deste Extreme Northern Ice Field, a solitary figure walked quietly. A closer view would reveal that he was also carrying another person. In this ce, known as the most dangerous area of the Three Realms, he walked using only the strength of his physical body.

    For a full seven days and nights, he walked out of the Extreme Northern Ice Field. However, by then Sun Wukong¡¯s body waspletely covered with a thickyer of frost, as if an ancient human encased in ice for ten thousand years had emerged. Moreover, he had several parts of his body frozen and injured, the most serious being a deep cut on his right calf that had turned purple from the cold.

    Yet, the person Sun Wukong was carrying on his back seemedpletely unscathed, his clothes clean and tidy. Above this person¡¯s head, a small, transparent flower spun ceaselessly, sprinkling down a cascade of five-colored light that nourished his body.

    These two were naturally Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang.

    Initially, when Sun Wukong found Tang Sanzang, he nned to carry him out of the Extreme Northern Ice Field. But suddenly, a red light sped towards Sun Wukong. In just a few breaths, it was already before his eyes.

    Without enough time to put down Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong could only, in that instant, bend his knees, sink his waist, and take a step back with his left foot. Then, in one thousandth of a second, he pressed his right hand against the rushing red light.

    Immediately, the ground beneath Sun Wukong¡¯s feet cracked a thousand miles in an instant, though the red light hade to a stop. It was then that Sun Wukong got a good look at what the red light was. But upon seeing it, he couldn¡¯t help but cry out in shock, "Big brother? Brother, don¡¯t you recognize me?"

    The red light was none other than the Bull Demon King, who had revealed his true form. However, it seemed that the Bull Demon King hadpletely lost his self-consciousness, utterly ignoring Sun Wukong¡¯s words!

    Now that he recognized it was the Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but withdraw a bit of his strength. But when Sun Wukong lessened his force, the Bull Demon King did not. Instead, he took this opportunity to exert force fiercely once again. Sun Wukong was caught off guard, and by then, it was toote.

    At thest moment, Sun Wukong barely managed to turn around and shield Tang Sanzang behind him. But he hadn¡¯t anticipated that the Bull Demon King would be so agile. As Sun Wukong turned to the side, the Bull Demon King also lowered his head and then veered to one side. His other razor-sharp horn then plunged viciously into Sun Wukong¡¯s left leg.

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    Sun Wukong cried out in pain, the intense agony nearly causing his arms to loosen. Fortunately, by clenching his teeth at thest second, he managed to hold on.

    But the Bull Demon King did not care. The horn lifted upward, revealing a deep bone-seen wound.

    Seizing the advantage, the entire body of the Bull Demon King lunged forward, then his massive head rammed fiercely into Sun Wukong¡¯s abdomen. The tremendous force, coupled with the injury to his leg, almost sent Sun Wukong tumbling down. However, that was all there was to it.

    That blow had only happened because Sun Wukong was taken by surprise and had insufficient guard against the Bull Demon King himself. Thus, the razor-sharp horn of the Bull Demon King had inflicted a terrifying wound. But as soon as Sun Wukong got serious, an oval water curtain formed out of nowhere, enveloping himpletely.

    No matter how the Bull Demon King rammed or struck from the outside, he couldn¡¯t inflict even the slightest damage on the water curtain. The defensive power of the water curtain was terrifyingly strong!

    This was the might of the third water system Divine Stone. After all, this was the first Five-Colored Divine Stone that Sun Wukong had fully absorbed. The Earth Attribute and Metal Attribute stones had transformed into human form, and not much of the Spiritual Charm essence was left in them.

    Therefore, even after merging with the Metal Attribute Divine Stone, Sun Wukong¡¯s strength had not increased substantially. Most of the reason for this was due to the Jingu Bang¡¯s influence.

    Not until now had the Five-Colored Divine Stone¡¯s energy been fully unleashed. Thus, a single water curtain was enough to block the Bull Demon King¡¯s full-force charge.

    Standing within the water curtain, Sun Wukong sighed lightly. With a thought, the Void Transcendence Flower floating above Tang Sanzang¡¯s head immediately flew off, then unobstructedly broke through the water curtain and circled around the Bull Demon King three times. It then silently flew back above Tang Sanzang¡¯s head and continued to float quietly.

    The Bull Demon King, however, stood frozen in ce.

    ```

 Chapter 51 - 46: The Funeral

    Seeing that Bull Demon King was no longer attacking him in a frenzy, Sun Wukong withdrew the water curtain. Yet, for a moment, Sun Wukong truly did not know what to do with Bull Demon King. Judging by Bull Demon King¡¯s state, he was likely bound by an extremely formidable Soul Capturing Technique, turned into a puppet that others could manipte at will.

    But now, Sun Wukong had no viable means of restoring Bull Demon King, and any rash action on his part could not only fail to save Bull Demon King but might even harm him!

    However, he couldn¡¯t just leave Bull Demon King here unattended. If he took Bull Demon King with him, not to mention the future, even along the way, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t assure Bull Demon King¡¯splete safety. Despite now having merged with the Water System Five-Colored Divine Stone and gaining considerable resistance to the Extreme Northern Ice Field, he knew his own concerns.

    His internal spiritual power, s, might not even be one-tenth of its original strength.

    All of this was because during the process of merging with the Water System Five-Colored Divine Stone, he had expended nearly all his spiritual power. And at the moment ofpletion, he had sensed a warning from the Void Transcendence Flower, so there was simply no time for Sun Wukong to meditate and recover his depleted spiritual power.

    Otherwise, a Bull Demon King who had lost his own will could not have harmed Sun Wukong at all. After all, even if Bull Demon King were to exert all his power in a burst, he was only at an upper Emperor Level. And that was iparably less than a Saint.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong suddenly thought of a good ce to go ¨C the Aquatic Tribe! Right now, they were the only ones Sun Wukong felt reassured to leave Bull Demon King with.

    No sooner thought than done, he extended a wisp of spiritual power to envelop the still-dazed Bull Demon King. Sun Wukong, carrying Tang Sanzang on his back, raced toward the Ice Demon Tower of the Aquatic Tribe.

    Half a dayter, Sun Wukong returned to this ce. He still carried Tang Sanzang on his back, but his body was no longer stiff. Instead, his skin was crystal clear, making him look as if he were merely asleep.

    Everything turned out as Sun Wukong had thought. Bull Demon King was left in the Ice Demon Tower, with the Aquatic Tribe elders personally attending to the recovery of his Divine Sense. Sun Wukong believed that given some time, Bull Demon King would surely fight alongside him once more.

    Finally, he took onest look at the Ice Demon Tower and then moved on without any further attachment. For him, this ce had always been just a stepping stone; his pathy far beyond.

    Finally, after trekking across the Extreme Northern Ice Field for seven days and nights, Sun Wukong finally left the ce that had brought him both love and hate. While it had granted him the Five-Colored Divine Stone of the Water Attribute, it also resulted in Tang Sanzang losing his physical body.

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    Though he hadn¡¯tpletely perished, he could only house his soul within the Void Transcendence Flower. Sun Wukong thought back to how recently Tang Sanzang had sessfully reformed their fellow disciple¡¯s body, only to have Tang Sanzang¡¯s own body destroyed soon after. Sigh!

    The wound on his left calf no longer bled, but he was nearly at the end of his strength. Now, even amon little demon could easily defeat him, though they could not kill him.

    Mustering hisst ounce of energy, Sun Wukong arrived at the inn where he and Tang Sanzang had previously stayed. Ignoring the horror-struck gazes of the inn¡¯s errand boy and the patrons, Sun Wukong clenched his teeth and finally, just before passing out, made it to his room and then copsed on the bed and fell into a deep unconsciousness.

    Since Sun Wukong had previously paid for the room for a whole six months, the innkeeper and the errand boy were terribly afraid, but they didn¡¯t do anything excessive. They simply instructed the errand boy to keep an eye on that room.

    Sun Wukong slept for a full half-month. During this time, the injuries on his body, his depleted spiritual power, and even his severely damaged Divine Sense and soul, all fully recovered to their peak. It seemed that the Water System Divine Stone not only had astounding defensive capabilities but also had exceptional effects on injury recovery.

    Although his physical condition had returned to its peak, Sun Wukong had not yet woken up.

    In the sleeping consciousness space, Sun Wukong¡¯s Divine Sense was immersed in the world within the Jingu Bang.

    The world within the artifact hadpletely transformed from what Sun Wukong had seen before. The previous world only had a vast wastnd and numerous mountains, but the mountains were barren.

    Now, although it was still deste, it boasted countless rivers,kes, and some bare mountains even had a few waterfalls and springs. It seemed to have much more vitality.

    The only pity was that, after Sun Wukong had explored the entire world, he still found no sign of any life forms.

    It seemed that after the Jingu Bang had absorbed many worlds from the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, it had evolved on its own. Otherwise, it probably would have taken tens of thousands of years for the Jingu Bang to absorb enough water attribute spiritual power to form such grand rivers andkes within the artifact¡¯s inner space.

    Furthermore, Sun Wukong discovered that this world within the artifact seemed to exist in a separate space, and the Jingu Bang was merely an entryway. Hence, no matter how violently the Jingu Bang moved, this world would not be affected by any fluctuations.

    After his Divine Sense swiftly swept through the entire space once more, Sun Wukong¡¯s consciousness retreated. The Jingu Bang seemed to conceal no small number of secrets. Previously, Wukong thought that the Jingu Bang, like those ancient artifacts, had evolved its own world. But now, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    For even the worlds evolved by the most powerful ancient divine artifacts couldn¡¯t possibly be as vast as the Jingu Bang¡¯s. The inner space of the Jingu Bang was probably asrge as one-third of the Pangu Realm. It¡¯s worth noting that even the inner world of the Eastern Emperor Bell of Donghuang Taiyi, the ancient Demon Emperor, wasn¡¯t thisrge.

    After withdrawing his consciousness from the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong opened his eyes. The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Tang Sanzang lying prostrate on the ground. Wukong could not help but silently reprimand himself, feeling it was unforgivable to have left his master¡¯s body lying on the ground.

    He hastily picked up Tang Sanzang and then gently ced him on the bed. Afterward, a wave of intense sorrow overwhelmed Sun Wukong. If it hadn¡¯t been for his overconfidence, if he hadn¡¯t taken away his master¡¯s Void Transcendence Flower, if he hadn¡¯t acted so stubbornly alone, his master would not have ended up in this state.

    With a thud, Sun Wukong dropped to his knees and solemnly kowtowed nine times to Tang Sanzang. "Master, I will certainly reconstruct your body. This time I swear to heaven!"

    But then Sun Wukong found himself in a dilemma. He was prepared to reconstruct his master¡¯s body, but he couldn¡¯t just recklessly abandon the current one. However, there wasn¡¯t any suitable ce to put it.

    He had thought about leaving it with the Aquatic Tribe, but after the incident with the Bull Demon King and the Water System Five-Colored Divine Stone, Sun Wukong felt it was no longer appropriate to ask them to preserve his master¡¯s body.

    Even now, thinking about it, Sun Wukong still felt a heavy sense of guilt. During the absorption of the Water System Five-Colored Divine Stone, he had inadvertently unleashed an extreme coldness that froze the Ice Demon Tower, resulting in all the members of the Aquatic Tribe turning into ice sculptures, save for that one elder.

    Fortunately, given that the tribe members were naturally of the Water Spirit attribute, there were no serious repercussions, though it would still take some time and effort for them to recover their human forms.

    Suddenly, an excellent location shed through Sun Wukong¡¯s mind.

    "Right, if it¡¯s ced here, then I can bepletely at ease!"

 Chapter 52 - 47: Reunion with Fan Xin

    As soon as the thought urred, Sun Wukong could not suppress it. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t consider much further. He leaned down, lifted Tang Sanzang onto his back, and immediately a pale blue sphere of light appeared, enveloping both Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang. In the next moment, their forms vanished instantly, and when they reappeared, they were already a thousand miles away.

    After his significant increase in strength, Sun Wukong had not yet relished a full-power, exuberant flight. Although he was carrying Tang Sanzang this time, it hardly made a difference. His form sped like lightning, and at this moment, Sun Wukong¡¯s speed had reached the limit of this space.

    Even a fraction faster, and Sun Wukong would instantaneously break through the spatial constraints and emerge in a higher world.

    However, even though Sun Wukong was fully exerting his spiritual power, it seemed he wasn¡¯t using his full strength. At the very least, the wings transformed from the Ruyi Jingu Bang had not appeared on Sun Wukong¡¯s back.

    From the Extreme Northern Ice Field to the Southern Heavenly Gate, it took only three or four Chinese hours. Not to mention other saints, even the previous Sun Wukong would need to fly for an entire day to travel from the Extreme Northern Ice Field to the Southern Heavenly Gate!

    This goes to show just how much Sun Wukong¡¯s speed had improved. In fact, the improvement in Sun Wukong¡¯s speed was not solely due to the growth of his spiritual power and the enhancement of his physical body; more so, it was because of theyer of light barrier on his body¡¯s surface.

    This light barrier not only boosted Sun Wukong¡¯s defensive power, but it also nearly merged Sun Wukong with the entire Pangu Realm. Thus, when Sun Wukong flew, he felt no resistance at all, neither from the air nor from space, which is why he could achieve such a terrifying speed.

    When Sun Wukong appeared at the Southern Heavenly Gate, he suddenly discovered that the entire Heavenly Pce had been engulfed by a formation. This formation had little defensive power or attack power, but its perception was significantly stronger. After several investigations by Sun Wukong, he reluctantly found that with his current strength, he was unable to bypass this barrier to enter Heaven.

    With no other option, Sun Wukong had to force his way in. The instant he stepped into the barrier, the whole Heaven mored with bell sounds. The sonorous sound, like that of a great bell being struck, echoed through heaven and earth. Then, countless Arhats, Vajras, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas surged out like a tide.

    However, not a single sound was made, which indicated that this group of Buddhist Soldiers was not doing this for the first time.

    With a re of his fiery golden eyes, Sun Wukong had a panoramic view of the whole Heaven, even clearly seeing the expressions on every Buddhist Soldier¡¯s face.

    But after seeing this, Sun Wukong¡¯s face turned extremely unsightly. For these Buddhist Soldiers had not emerged aimlessly, but rather, they had formed a formation¡ªa formation that Sun Wukong was very familiar with, having even participated in setting it up himself.

    "It¡¯s actually the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array! Although it, too, is iplete."

    But since when could Buddhism set up this Demon n¡¯s great formation? Could it be? Forcefully suppressing the suspicions in his heart, Sun Wukong knew that now was not the time to sh with this group of Buddhist Soldiers head-on. The whole Heaven was filled with Buddhism¡¯s followers, and although his own strength had greatly increased, he wouldn¡¯t gain any advantage under a war of attrition.

    Therefore, Sun Wukong just concentrated on thickening the pale blue light barrier that protected himself, gradually changing the color from pale blue to blue, and then to deep blue. From the outside, one could only see arge deep blue sphere of light.

    When the color settled on deep blue, the entire sphere began to expand continuously. Initially, Sun Wukong nned to burst through directly with this sphere, but then he changed his mind, realizing that his visit was not to cause havoc in the Heavenly Pce, but for a matter of greater importance.

    So he changed his n on the spot. When the sphere expanded to about thirty feet in diameter, its surface suddenly began to oscite, as if a giant hand were constantlypressing the entire sphere.

    The Buddhist Soldiers who had intended to rush forward stopped in their tracks. This unknown and bizarre situation made them hesitant to act rashly. Everyone knew that Sun Wukong didn¡¯t possess any Taoist Arts or Spells, yet he was now manifesting arge sphere of light. Although it didn¡¯t seem very powerful, abnormal urrences often spelled danger.

    Thus, millions of Buddhist Soldiers simply watched the sphere as it expanded, contracted, and began to distort under pressure.

    Finally, it seemed that a limit had been reached, the water sphere burst without warning, and a low rumble resounded as the entire sphere instantly turned into billions of droplets shooting off in all directions.

    At first, the Buddhist Soldiers didn¡¯t catch on, thinking that Sun Wukong¡¯s spell had failed, but when those flying droplets hit the soldiers standing in front, everyone¡¯s faces changed color. Because those seemingly harmless droplets turned into extreme cold the moment they touched someone, everyone, regardless of their cultivation, turned into a chunk of ice without exception.

    A few breathster, tens of thousands had be gleaming ice sculptures. Witnessing this terrifying scene, the troops at the rear finally grew fearful. Although they had been prepared for this situation for a while, and had practiced their formations countless times, facing such a murderous demon king made everyone afraid. In just a few breaths, tens of thousands had perished.

    Moreover, in thest roundup against the Demon n and Heaven, the demon king ughtered millions of Buddhist Soldiers all by himself.

    This was simply a demon who ughtered without blinking an eye. Thus, the Buddhist Soldiers¡¯ firm resolve crumbled at this moment. Yet, with millions of people, once the panic set in, the sight was truly terrifying.

    Watching all this, Sun Wukong shook his head. In fact, the Buddhist Soldiers of Buddhism were not weak at all, andpared to the Demon n and Heavenly Pce, they were even stronger. Because each Buddhist Disciple had a fierce devotion to Buddhism, a faith that could transform into an extremely formidablebat power during battle.

    However, that was in the past. Ever since Buddhism¡¯s disastrous rout of the Demon n and Heaven, this faith had sunk to a previously unimaginable low. Plus, the subsequent execution of Tathagata at the hands of Sun Wukong hadpletely destroyed Buddhism¡¯s faith.

    Right when everyone in Buddhism was disheartened, a Buddha from the Upper Realm suddenly descended with overwhelming power andter came to regard Sun Wukong as a great enemy.

    At that time, no one within Buddhism believed Sun Wukong could survive the pursuit of this Buddha from the Upper Realm. So, everyone was eager for vengeance.

    Yet, when that previous Buddha failed to return after a long dy, finally someone, unable to restrain themselves, performed a prophecy at the cost of a thousand years of their life, and the result, the result was that Sun Wukong was utterly unharmed while that Upper Realm Buddha had disappeared without a trace.

    When that person tried to delve further into the prophecy, they suddenly became weak, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into a pile of withered bones. This caused everyone waiting for the oue to be struck with terror, and before long, a few bright minds guessed the reason.

    The Buddhist Great Prophecy Technique was a secret technique passed down orally generation after generation by the founders of Buddhism. It could predict the future and know the past. However, the higher the strength of the subject one wanted to prophesy, the greater the price ¨C their lifespan ¨C required.

    That Buddha had to expend a thousand years of life to prophesy about an Emperor Level Saint at the peak, the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light. But when he tried to prophesy about Sun Wukong, his lifespan was drained in an instant, and that still wasn¡¯t enough; even the Heaven and Earth Laws drew out the Buddha¡¯s own time, which is why they turned into a pile of withered bones in the blink of an eye.

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    This harrowing spectacle left everyone utterly shocked. Just how strong was Sun Wukong?

    While millions of Buddhist Soldiers were in chaos, Sun Wukong had already appeared in the Peach Garden, carrying Tang Sanzang on his back.

    In the deepest part of the Peach Garden, in front of a small peach tree, Sun Wukong stood silently, then suddenly raised his hand as if to caress the tree, but hesitated and lowered it again.

    Leaving only the words, "Fan Xin, are you okay?"

 Chapter 53 - 48 Going Alone

    A greeting, already contained so much. Concern, longing, worry, but beyond that one phrase, no other words could be found.

    The small peach tree gently swayed, then a burst of light rose, and afterward, a girl in a pink dress appeared in front of the peach tree. However, upon closer inspection, the figure of the girl was rather vague and not quite solid.

    "Fan Xin, I am here." At this moment, Sun Wukong lowered his head, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven daring not to look directly at a minor tree demon.

    "Great Sage, look, I can transform into human form now. Soon, I will be able to leave this ce."

    "Fan, Fan Xin. I, that¡¯s right, this is my master. He died trying to save me. But his divine sense and soul are still present. See if you can let me leave my master here with you, I am about to go search for the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t carry my master with me all the time."

    Sun Wukong, who had been looking down, immediately lifted his head upon mentioning Tang Sanzang, his gaze intense and not evading in the slightest.

    Fan Xin hurriedly ran behind Sun Wukong and helped him ce Tang Sanzang in front of the small peach tree. Then, a stream of pink spiritual power flowed from Fan Xin¡¯s fingertips, turning into countless peach blossom petals, covering Tang Sanzang¡¯s body.

    After a moment, Fan Xin turned to Sun Wukong and said, "Great Sage, your master¡¯s body is indeed dead, but there is a mysterious aura continuously circting inside him, which keeps the master¡¯s body just like when he was alive. Where is the master¡¯s divine sense and soul?"

    Sun Wukong quickly pointed at the Void Transcendence Flower still spinning on Tang Sanzang¡¯s forehead, saying, "Master¡¯s divine sense and soul are in this flower. This flower is an evolved form of the Ancient Transcendence Bloom, possessing many divine skills, which even I cannot see through.

    However, this flower has almost be one with my master¡ªif this flower doesn¡¯t wilt, my master¡¯s soul will not perish."

    "Alright, I understand. Leave your master with me. I now have the might of a lower-tier saint. Those Buddhas in Heaven won¡¯t do anything to me, but Great Sage, you must be careful. Also, let bygones be bygones. After all, Heaven is now destroyed, Buddhism has scattered.

    Those grievances are now avenged. Great Sage, don¡¯t dwell on them anymore."

    Listening silently to Fan Xin finish speaking, Sun Wukong let out a deep sigh of relief and then nodded. "Don¡¯t worry, my aim now is just to restore the prosperity of the Demon n from the Ancient Times. As for the rest, I won¡¯t bother with them anymore. Fan Xin, I entrust my master to you. Even if I have to search the entire Three Realms, I will find a way to restore my master."

    "Mhm, Great Sage, be careful. Fan Xin will wait for you here."

    Having said that, Fan Xin transformed into countless petals, then wrapped around Tang Sanzang¡¯s body. After being enveloped by the petals, Tang Sanzang began to transform, and momentster, he became arge peach blossom. The heart of the flower was Tang Sanzang, nowpletely enveloped by the petals.

    The giant peach blossom then undted before gradually sinking into the ground. Soon, the surface was barren, everything having vanished without a trace.

    After the peach blossom disappeared, Sun Wukong visibly paused, then let out a wry smile. Afterward, he walked over to the peach tree, gently embracing it.

    "Fan Xin, I¡¯m leaving, you wait for me."

    Turning around, Sun Wukong prepared to leave. But suddenly, he halted, pondering for a moment as if there was something he was not quite sure about. With a wave of his hand, a bright red ribbon fluttered out, coiling into a circle around the peach sapling and then vanishing into the soil.

    After doing all this, Sun Wukong felt slightly more at ease. Then, without any further hesitation, Wind Fire Wheels appeared beneath his feet, and he transformed into an undetectable streak of light that shot towards the horizon.

    Having secured Tang Sanzang¡¯s safety and taking another nce at Fan Xin, Sun Wukong no longer had any worries in his heart. What remained was to journey southward in search of the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone.

    However, just as Sun Wukong was about to fly out of Heaven, he sensed a familiar wave of mana. Instantly, he stopped and focused his senses. A trace of a smile emerged on his face.

    "So it¡¯s that blockhead, only I don¡¯t know what that blockhead is doing in the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Pce of Harmony. But whatever, as long as the blockhead isn¡¯t foolish enough to provoke the Buddhist Soldiers, there isn¡¯t much in the vast Heaven that can threaten him now. I didn¡¯t expect the blockhead to be so efficient; it hasn¡¯t been long, yet he has already rescued all of my Demon n.

    Let him make a ruckus on his own. I better hurry and search for the next Five-Colored Divine Stone."

    With that thought, Sun Wukong no longer lingered, unleashing his full speed in a burst, and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared from the spot. The Five-Colored Divine Stones, he had now acquired three of them.

    The first Earth Attribute Divine Stone had merged with his own body, "Sun Wukong," and about half of its Spiritual Charm had remained within his Sea of Consciousness. The second Metal Attribute Divine Stone had transformed into Nezha, so only half of its Spiritual Charm was left.

    Yet, both these Divine Stones had their Spiritual Charm absorbed by the Jingu Bang, which was quite amusing yet frustrating for Sun Wukong. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a waste; after all, the Jingu Bang had been with him for over a thousand years, and he would never bring himself to discard it.

    Moreover, these two iplete Five-Colored Divine Stones had upgraded the Jingu Bang to a Quasi-Supreme Divine Artifact. Truthfully, when all was said and done, Sun Wukong had still profited. Then came the Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone which he had finally obtained after oveing a series of trials.

    This stone contained theplete Water Attribute Spiritual Charm, and it benefited Sun Wukong the most.

    In fact, when Sun Wukong was gravely injured after killing the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, it was as if the Water Attribute Divine Stone sensed something on its own, broke through theyers of seals, and flew to Sun Wukong¡¯s side. This was something the Elder of the Aquatic Tribeter specifically told him, fearing that Sun Wukong would misunderstand.

    And this Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, Sun Wukong had only mastered a small portion of its might since Sun Wukong was never proficient in any spells, always relying on his immense physical strength and his steel-thewed bones. So, after merging with the Water Attribute Divine Stone, Sun Wukong had onlye to understand the extreme cold of water and its supple defenses.

    Even these insights were thanks to the battle with the Eight-Gods me, where the extreme cold gave rise to fire, and he gained understanding. Otherwise, it really couldn¡¯t be said how much of the Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone¡¯s potential our Great Saint could unleash.

    While continuing toprehend the Water¡¯s mysteries, he flew rapidly. About five Chinese hourster, a huge ind appeared before Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes. The forests on the entire ind were incredibly dense, the lush greenery concealing any sight of thend below.

    Closing his eyes, he felt the Spiritual Power fluctuations around him, thenpared them several times with the map in his mind from the Ice Attribute Divine Stone. Sun Wukong finally confirmed that whaty before him was the gathering ce of an Ancient Demon n¡ªthe Illusory Demon Ind.

    The Demon Dream n, an unusual race from the Demon n in ancient times, resembled humans in appearance. The only difference was a pair of wing-shaped tattoos on the back of the Demon Dream n members. Apart from that, there were no other differences. Members of the Demon Dream n were extremely adept at illusion techniques and spatial transference.

    Legend has it that the Great Formation of All Heavens¡¯ Stars was devised by a powerful member of the Demon Dream n, who dedicated his life to studying the movements of the stars and finally managed to set up an embryonic form of the formation in his lifetime. However, exhausted, he eventually passed away without seeing itpleted.

    It was only after contributions from countless skilled individuals from the Demon n that it was enriched and perfected, resulting in the Demon n¡¯s number one Killing Formation, the Great Formation of All Heavens¡¯ Stars. Unfortunately, now only a remnant of the formation remained, less than a tenth or a twentieth of its full strength.

    "Atst, I have arrived. Thank goodness for that map; otherwise, even after three or four years of searching, I might never have found it."

    The Land of Seals for the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, the Illusory Demon Ind, reached!

 Chapter 54 - 49 Contact

    Gazing at the lush Illusory Demon Ind before him, Sun Wukong did not immediately descend. If he were to recklesslynd on the ind, it was very likely that he would be attacked by the Demon Dream n. Although Sun Wukong was not afraid, he also did not wish to suffer needless attacks without cause.

    "I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, here to seek the Five-Colored Divine Stone, and I¡¯vee to pay a visit!" After calling out three times, finally, a puff of smoke rose from the center of Illusory Demon Ind, and then the smoke gradually formed the figure of a giant.

    The giant immediately spoke, "Is the one whoes Sun Wukong?"

    Standing opposite the giant, Sun Wukong replied, "Indeed, it is I!" Explore more stories with NovelBin.C?m

    "The Great Sage is then invited toe to the center of Illusion Demon Ind for a talk." Once finished, the smoke twisted and then dispersed with the breeze.

    "It seems that this test must still be faced," Sun Wukong muttered as he shook his head slightly and then somersaulted to the ind below. It was only when he truly set foot on the ind that he could fully appreciate its enormity.

    From the sky, the ind seemed to be extraordinarily lush. But now, standing on the ind, he found that all the trees were extremelyrge; they were truly sky-scraping giants. Although Flower Fruit Mountain did have quite a few sky-scraping ancient trees, they were few in number and seemed to stand out from the rest.

    Here, it was different; every tree was sorge, it made one feel incredibly insignificant.

    They were merely trees, but to Sun Wukong, they felt as if he were facing the expanse of the stars. Activating his fiery, golden eyes, all he saw were ordinary trees. Unable to understand why he felt this way, Sun Wukong stopped pondering the matter.

    With a flick of his finger, the Golden Hoop staff appeared out of thin air. He reached out to grasp it, then slung it over his shoulder. Only then did Sun Wukong breathe a small sigh of relief. Ever since he set foot on Illusory Demon Ind, he had suddenly sensed a faint killing intent and a very unnatural feeling.

    It was as if he were a mouse and countless cats around him were eyeing him predatorily, giving him the feeling that he could lose his life at any moment, which he found utterly detestable.

    The feeling diminished a bit when the Jingu Bang was in his hand, but that barely perceptible and heart-palpitating feeling was still lingering incessantly.

    After checking his physical condition, Sun Wukong then stepped into the forest. Of course, this forest had its own name; the Illusion Demon n called it Ghost Wood Forest!

    As soon as he stepped into the forest, the space around him suddenly darkened. Sun Wukong knew this was because the trees on the ind were sorge that they blocked the sunlight from above. The ground was covered with a thickyer of dead branches and fallen leaves, making it clear that the ind had not been trodden by anyone for many years.

    Sun Wukong gripped his Golden Hoop staff tightly, the protective water escape technique emitting a faint blue light, adding a touch of eeriness to the dim forest. He moved forward cautiously, step by step. In truth, Sun Wukong knew that with his current strength and physical defensive power, there were few in the world who could harm him, yet even so, he was not the least bit careless.

    Having suffered from carelessness in his previous battles against the Eight-Gods me and the Eternal Buddha of Flowing Light, Sun Wukong would definitely not make the same mistake again.

    Yet, after walking for a whole Chinese hour, he had still discovered nothing. Although the atmosphere had be a bit more chilling, that was all.

    This made Sun Wukong somewhat puzzled. Had they changed their minds? Were they no longer making things difficult for him? As he thought this, Sun Wukong¡¯s mind involuntarily rxed a bit. At that moment, a sh of cold light shot from an angle, aiming straight for the temple on the side of Sun Wukong¡¯s head. Sun Wukong¡¯s mind tensed, knowing he had still been a bit careless.

    In the nick of time, Sun Wukong barely managed to turn his head, as an arrow with a dark silver sheen flew past his cheek. The sharp air left Sun Wukong feeling a series of stings. But before Sun Wukong could catch his breath, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two more arrows speeding towards him from the left, one in front of the other, half a shaft-length apart.

    Even if he could dodge the first, the second would strike him. However, the arrows were too fast, leaving Sun Wukong no time for any significant evasive maneuvers.

    But after all, Sun Wukong had also been tempered through countless battles; he ducked his head to dodge the first arrow, then used the Golden Hoop Staff to block the second arrow, which sparked as it struck the weapon. Seizing the opportunity, Sun Wukong finally somersaulted behind an ancient tree, where he could finally catch his breath.

    Otherwise, once the opponent controlled the pace of the attack, Sun Wukong could only keep dodging endlessly.

    After taking a deep breath, Sun Wukong¡¯s heart was not only shocked, but also relieved that his keen Divine Sense had detected the special force on the arrow in time. Otherwise, if he had been overconfident and tried to use a water shield to block, he might have been seriously injured or even killed by now. His water shield was utterly useless against the arrow, even worse than paper mache.

    This indicated just how terrifying the power contained within the arrow was.

    With a slight turn of his head, three pitch-ck holes in the ground at a distance also proved that his choice was correct.

    At that moment, a sense of crisis suddenly struck. Without hesitation, Sun Wukong leaped out from behind the ancient tree, without stopping, his figure flickering, vanishing again in the blink of an eye. And where Sun Wukong had just been standing, several dark holes had abruptly appeared¡ªit was only close up that Sun Wukong saw clearly.

    The ground where an arrow struck would disintegrate in an instant, forming a hole as wide as an arm.

    Furrowing his brows, Sun Wukong knew it couldn¡¯t go on like this. Being passive all the time made it easy for the enemy to catch his ws. The opponent must be a master as well, at least with the strength of a lower-ranking Saint, and was extremely adept at concealing their presence and hiding their aura.

    Because up until now, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t even discern what the opponent looked like, whether human or demon, or from where they hadunched their attack.

    This undoubtedly put Sun Wukong at a significant disadvantage, for this was the enemy¡¯s territory. Whether it was the terrain or the surrounding environment, he was no match for his opponent, so if he wanted to counterattack, he could only think of an unexpected tactic.

    Just then, three sharp arrows came shooting from behind Sun Wukong, seemingly intending to pierce through him along with the ancient tree. But that wasn¡¯t a problem; let alone an ancient tree, even a millstone-sized rock could be effortlessly prated by those arrows with a big hole.

    However, this time Sun Wukong seemed to be lost in thought and did not manage to dodge in time. It was only when the arrows were about a foot away from the tree that he scramble away in a flustered manner. But it was obviously toote, as the triple array of arrows turned the tree into dust, and the exploding trunk sent countless splinters falling like snowkes.

    When all the splinters had fallen, Sun Wukong¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen, but a conspicuous puddle of blood remained. Clearly, Sun Wukong had been injured.

    Atop a distant ancient tree, a figure revealed a disdainful smile.

    However, in the next moment, the figure had vanished. When it reappeared, it was behind a huge rock. The figure pricked up its ears to listen, then a victorious smile appeared on its lips as it drew its bow and nocked an arrow.

    Five arrows shot out swiftly, vaguely forming a Formation as they aimed at the canopy of an ancient tree. The next moment, a scream was heard. The smile on the figure¡¯s face zed even brighter. But the smile froze on their face the next instant.

    Because a cold iron staff was already lying across their shoulder.

 Chapter 55 - 50 Level 1, cleared!

    "Hmm, it looks like I¡¯ve underestimated you, Sun Wukong."

    "A Demon Archer with a strength of a Lower Saint. It seems the Demon Dream n really has a cloud of experts. I wonder what mighty individuals will appear in the next tests."

    "Humph, don¡¯t think defeating me is so great. There are still six tests after this one, and their strengths are all beyondparison to mine."

    "No worries at all, my favorite thing is a challenge," Sun Wukong chuckled with a hehe, retracted his Jingu Bang, and then snapped his fingers. A single monkey hair drifted from afar and was gathered back into Wukong¡¯s hand. Although each arrow shot by the man was with a lethal intent, Wukong would not go on a killing spree because of this.

    Wukong understood that unlike other professions, who might hold back some strength during attacks, Demon Archers are different; every arrow must be shot with the will to kill the target, otherwise, at the realm where Wukong and his peers reside, arrows without lethal intent pose no threat at all.

    "Sun Wukong, you¡¯ve passed this test. I didn¡¯t expect someone to use Illusion Techniques on the Demon Dream n¡¯s territory, hehe, let¡¯s see how far you can go."

    As soon as he finished speaking, the person vanished in a few flickers. No matter how hard Sun Wukong observed with his Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze, he couldn¡¯t find the slightest trace. He sighed inwardly; as his strength improved, his opponents became stronger, and his Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze was clearly not enough.

    In many instances, against the opponent¡¯s stealth and rapid attacks, his Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze was helpless. It seemed the matter here was settled, and it was time to think about upgrading the level of his Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze.

    After more than a thousand years of exploration, Sun Wukong had discovered that the Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze could be divided into nine levels, which are: piercing vision, white glow in an empty room, minuscule like hiding, scrutinizing fine details, distinguishing truth from falsehood, relying on born purple lightning, illuminating distant gloom, knowing at first sight, and overseeing heaven and earth.

    When he emerged from the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Alchemy Furnace, Wukong¡¯s Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze was merely at the level of minuscule like hiding, which could see through barriers, formations, and find their weak points. At a nce, a thousand miles away seemed right before his eyes.

    Therefore, at that time, Wukong could easily break out of the Subduing Demons Great Array arranged by the hundreds of thousands of guards in the Lingxiao Pce of the Heavenly Court.

    After the uproar in the Heavenly Pce, due to gradually digesting the potency of the pills he stealthily ate from the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Alchemy Furnace, his eyes reached the level of scrutinizing fine details, at which point Wukong could anticipate the opponent¡¯s next move. Three thousand miles away, he could see everything clearly.

    Later, pressed beneath the Five Elements Mountain by the Tathagata Buddha for five hundred years, Wukong¡¯s eyes evolved to distinguishing truth from falsehood, as he gazed into the distance every day. As long as the opponent¡¯s strength was not more than three realms higher than Wukong¡¯s, he could see through their true form.

    Therefore, on the journey to the west, no matter how the demons and ghosts transformed, Wukong could see through them at a nce.

    However, in the centuries that followed, there was no sign of Wukong¡¯s Fire Eyes Golden-Gaze advancing to the next level, until recently when he absorbed the gentleman with the Water Attribute, he felt his eyes showed signs of evolution. If he reached the level of relying on born purple lightning, then Wukong¡¯s strength would definitely increase substantially.

    Shaking his head and not dwelling on it any further, Wukong grabbed his Jingu Bang and continued forward. Whaty ahead would only be more dangerous and difficult, and the opponent wouldn¡¯t show the slightest mercy. So, although he had passed the first test, Wukong still could not let his guard down.

    At the thought, a blue water screen rose around Wukong¡¯s body. But then he suddenly remembered, his water screen seemed to have no use here; the Illusion Demon n probably had a special method or ability to effortlessly break through spell defenses.

    With that in mind, Wukong expanded the water screen even more. Since it no longer served as a defense, it could only act as an rm barrier now. Once he expanded the scope, any attack or person entering the water screen would be immediately detected.

    After setting up the rm water screen, Sun Wukong stopped moving. To them, he was tantamount to an invader, so they would always be seeking ways to monitor him from the shadows. In this way, he was just like a firefly flying in the darkness, which put him at a considerable disadvantage.

    Moreover, being worn down test by test, Wukong couldn¡¯t confidently say that he would definitely make it to the end.

    These ancient lineages should not be underestimated. With billions of years of umtion, their heritage and means were certainly beyond Wukong¡¯s imagination. Moreover, the master of this forest was from the Illusion Demon n, known for their Illusion Techniques.

    Of all the spells, Illusion Techniques are the hardest to defend against, especially high-level Illusions, which often ensnare you in the illusion realm without you even noticing. Unless your Divine Sense is several levels higher than the opponent¡¯s, you¡¯re just a fish on the chopping board, left to the mercy of others.

    So, continuing on this path, it seemed very likely that he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the final challenge.

    Having made up his mind, Sun Wukong suddenly plucked out a handful of monkey hairs and blew on them with a breath. With that, countless Sun Wukongs fell to the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot. After a quick estimate, there appeared to be around three to four hundred of them. With a cheer, the crowd of Sun Wukongs scattered and fled in all directions.

    In the blink of an eye, there was only one Sun Wukong left on the spot.

    With a grin, Sun Wukong retracted his hand and continued on his way. This time, however, if one observed closely, they would notice an added trace of mischief and confidence in Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes. Half an hourter, Sun Wukong stopped in front of an ancient tree.

    Before Sun Wukong stood a burly man with muscles all over his body, towering over two meters tall. Gripping a mountain-splitting giant axe, his broad face andrge ears framed by his bare upper body, he stared down Sun Wukong with a fierce gaze.

    Upon seeing the giant, Sun Wukong actually paused for a moment, then with an odd expression, simply stared at the giant. He stared so hard that the giant began to feel somewhat uneasy.

    "Hey, monkey, what are you staring at? Haven¡¯t seen people before?"

    At the giant¡¯s roar, Sun Wukong could no longer stare tantly, but the smile on his face grew thicker. "Heh heh, big ck guy, what¡¯s your name? Tell your old man Sun Wukong."

    "Hmph, I¡¯m called Huan Meng. The ¡¯meng¡¯ as in ¡¯brave and fierce.¡¯ Are you the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong?"

    "Eh? Your name is Huan Meng? Heh heh heh, that¡¯s right, I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong."

    "Ahahaha, well, there¡¯s nothing more to say then, watch the axe!" Find more to read at NovelBin.C?m

    Sun Wukong spread his arms, pulling out the Jingu Bang to block the iing giant axe. Then, with a swift turn and ducking low, he slid the Jingu Bang along his arm, swinging it in a half circle, and viciously struck Huan Meng at the waist.

    But to Sun Wukong¡¯s surprise, Huan Meng didn¡¯t utter a sound from the hit. He just looked down, chuckled, and then lifted his knee, toppling Sun Wukong away. Of course, he was sent sprawling over the horizontally ced Jingu Bang.

    Sun Wukong executed a backflip andnded steadily, his eyes growing more solemn. Because when he first saw this man, he almost mistook him for the Heavenly Pce¡¯s vanguard, the mighty Jialing God. However, upon closer inspection, he found many differences. That¡¯s why Sun Wukong deliberately posed that question.

    After hearing his own name, the man didn¡¯t say another word and just brought his axe swinging over, but Sun Wukong wasn¡¯t concerned. From the man¡¯s movements, Sun Wukong could tell that he wasn¡¯t fast, so after blocking that axe, he ducked and stepped in to strike him sessfully with his staff.

    But, even with a confident swing, the man seemed utterly unfazed. Even though Sun Wukong¡¯s strength was only half of what it normally was, it shouldn¡¯t have turned out like this, right? There was only one answer left; this man named Huan Meng possessed an unparalleled defensive power.

 Chapter 56 - 51: Breaking Defense

    After his staff failed to achieve any result, Sun Wukong did not choose to retreat. Instead, he lowered his waist again, pushed off with his legs, and with his left hand bracing against the ground, he skimmed by Huan Meng¡¯s side, appearing behind him. At that time, Huan Meng¡¯s battle axe had just been raised.

    The next moment, Sun Wukong gripped the Jingu Bang with both hands and fiercely thrusted upward, striking Huan Meng¡¯s left neck with his staff. Yet, there was still no effect. Huan Meng responded with a sinisterugh. By then, Sun Wukong¡¯s momentum with the staff had worn off, and hended on the ground. However, Huan Meng did not intend to let Sun Wukong go.

    Just as Sun Wukong¡¯s feet touched the ground, Huan Meng gripped his axe with both hands, twisted his waist, and stepped forward with his right foot, brutally spinning around.

    An enormous axe whistled toward Sun Wukong from the left side of his waist. Sun Wukong had justnded and could not move away in time, so he had no choice but to twirl the Golden Hoop Staff and then drive it fiercely into the ground, while clutching the staff with his left hand and forcefully pressing down on its tip with his right.

    The section of the Golden Hoop Staff that was embedded in the ground suddenly extended, plunging seven or eight zhang into the earth in an instant. Sun Wukong did not have time to do more, as the axe,rge as a drumface, had already reached his side.

    But then, the huge axe strangely paused in the air, going from extreme speed to an instant stop without any hint of dy, as if everything werepletely natural. This brief pause left Sun Wukong, who had been bracing himself for a thunderous strike from the axe, feeling stupefied.

    It was like bracing yourself for someone to bump into you with all your might, but then that person suddenly freezes just before they do. The feeling was exceedingly ufortable.

    However, what was even more ufortable for Sun Wukong was that as his momentum faltered, the giant axe suddenly continued its slicing motion with even greater force than before. But at that point, Sun Wukong¡¯s defense already had rxed gaps.

    Continue your adventure at NovelBin.C?m

    Thus, that axe blow drove Sun Wukong back nearly thirty zhang. Moreover, the base of both his thumbs hadpletely split open, blood flowing incessantly. The Golden Hoop Staff, which had been deeply driven into the ground, was still embedded there, only now it had created a thirty-zhang-long, unfathomable fissure in the earth¡¯s surface.

    It was as if you stuck a needle into a piece of cake and then pulled it horizontally while holding onto the needle without withdrawing it. Finally, Sun Wukong took a deep breath to calm the surging spiritual power within his Dantian¡¯s inner mansion. Ignoring the bleeding from his hands, he firmly pulled out the Jingu Bang.

    In fact, Sun Wukong¡¯s injuries were not very severe; it was just that the power behind the axe was incredibly immense, and Sun Wukong simply couldn¡¯t withstand it. However, the man¡¯s axe was not any kind of supreme divine artifact, but the Golden Hoop Staff was different¡ªit was now a Quasi-Supreme Artifact.

    Therefore, the massive force and the destructive intent within the axe were almost entirely absorbed by the Jingu Bang.

    Sun Wukong could almost imagine that the world within the artifact of the Golden Hoop Staff must now be inplete chaos. It was also fortunate that this was the case; otherwise, the injuries he sustained would have been much worse.

    Just as Sun Wukong was about to rush forward again, he suddenly felt a movement in his arms and hurriedly stopped. At that moment, a nearly transparent flower, the Void Transcendence Flower, flew out from his embrace. The little flower circled around each of Sun Wukong¡¯s hands before the very eyes of the onlookers.

    Then they could see the torn flesh at Sun Wukong¡¯s thumb bases healing at a visible rate. After a few breaths, they were fully restored. And as the flower took another turn around Sun Wukong¡¯s body, all his internal injuries healed as well.

    This truly amazed Sun Wukong. He had never imagined that his master¡¯s Void Transcendence Flower could actually autonomously heal him.

    That was much more useful than carrying around a bunch of elixir vials and jars.

    Once his injuries had healed, Sun Wukong felt somewhat at a loss. Although Huan Meng was not very fast, he was incredibly agile, and the strength of his defensive power was something Sun Wukong had never encountered before. It was hard to imagine that his all-out strike with the staff had no effect whatsoever, as if he were merely a mosquito bite.

    Actually, it was even less than a mosquito bite. At least after a mosquito bites, there would be a bump. Even if he could attack him using his own speed, he couldn¡¯t break through his defense, rendering his efforts fruitless. Moreover, Huan Meng could counterattack while being attacked. Even if Sun Wukong hit him ten times and he only struck back once, the oue would still be a loss overall.

    This made Sun Wukong feel suffocated, despite his innumerable experiences in battles both great and small, he had never encountered anyone with such strong defensive power. In the past, no matter who the opponent was, he had always prevailed with his copper skin and iron bones, but now the roles had been reversed.

    But as things stood, thinking any more was useless, this battle had to be fought, and what¡¯s more, it had to be won. Otherwise, there would be no more chances to obtain the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s right hand tightly gripped the Jingu Bang and held it behind his back as he slowly raised his head. Then his left foot suddenly stepped forward, and with this step, an iparable momentum surged from his entire being. This momentum was imbued with a will to dominate the world and a ruthless determination of "who but me?"

    Subsequently, as his right foot stepped out, the momentum soared higher. Then, with each step Sun Wukong took, this momentum increased incrementally, until, by the time he walked up to Huan Meng, it had reached its peak. The profound and fearsome aura, like an abyss and a prison, caused Huan Meng to be momentarily in trance.

    However, Huan Meng was not one to be easily subdued, and he quickly shook his head to regain hisposure. Then he too burst into a rage, as a strange yet resolute momentum rose from him, sturdy as the earth yet fierce as fire. Despite its oddity, this momentumprised mostly of anger.

    For the proud first warrior of the Illusion Demon n to be intimidated by the momentum of a mere monkey demon was an extraordinary humiliation. Hence, anger was the greater part of Huan Meng¡¯s momentum.

    Following that, Sun Wukong, with his right hand gripping the Jingu Bang, extended his arm back and bent his knees, leaning forward. This stance indicated that Sun Wukong was channeling all his strength into one point. Such a stance would unleash the greatest power of the Jingu Bang.

    Huan Meng, refusing to be outdone, twisted his waist and assumed a horse stance, his hands tightly holding the battle axe behind him. It seemed that both were preparing for a direct and unadorned sh of strength¡ªno tricks, no speed, just sheer power.

    In a narrow passage, the brave prevails. Whoever had greater strength would win. If Huan Meng hadunched an attack, using his strength to seek victory that could be reasonable. But Sun Wukong, clearly at a disadvantage in strength, initiated the challenge, matching his opponent in a pure contest of power¡ªit was an ill-considered move, ying to the enemy¡¯s strength.

    The next moment, their weapons shed harshly. A massive tremor of metal against metal rang out, followed by the booming sound of a great bell. But before the sound, a circle of intense momentum and killing intent had already shot out wildly in all directions, with the twobatants at the center. Within dozens of feet around them, the area was instantly cleared.

    Trees orrge rocks, all were shattered into dust.

    Looking at the two again, they were both bulging with muscles and protruding veins, the ground under their feet sunken and cracked. No one would have thought that the seemingly frail Sun Wukong could match the tower-like giant in a head-on collision and be on equal footing.

    At that moment, a faint smile of victory appeared on Sun Wukong¡¯s lips.

    The next instant, Sun Wukong¡¯s arm muscles swiftly swelled, and in the blink of an eye, they had grown asrge as Huan Meng¡¯s. Then, as they seemed evenly matched, Huan Meng suddenly felt an unstoppable forceing from the Jingu Bang. The next thing he knew, he felt lighter on his feet.

    For he had been sent flying by a strike from Sun Wukong¡¯s staff.

 Chapter 57 - 52 Continue Forward

    Sun Wukong rested his hand over a cool canopy and watched Huan Meng fleeing into the distance before he finally heaved a sigh of relief. He shook his hands and immediately returned to his original shape.

    Then, Sun Wukong plopped down onto the ground but only heard a thud sound, as he had intended to sit down for a rest but had forgotten that the ground beneath him had been cracked inch by inch from his recent sh with Huan Meng. Not to mention, the surface where his feet stood had turned into a thickyer of fine dust due to the impact.

    Therefore, when Sun Wukong sat down, he immediatelynded in a pile of dust, covering him from head to toe in dirt.

    shing head-on with Huan Meng, he had only caused some chaos in his Internal Breath, but this single sit-down had turned him into a mud monkey. Seeing the grey dust swirling in the sky, Sun Wukong had no choice but to stand up. Even if Sun Wukong did not care about the dirt on his body, he still did not wish to rest amidst a cloud of dust.

    After a few somersaults, Sun Wukong arrived at the edge of a smallke. Within this forest of towering ancient trees, to encounter such an open expanse of water was indeed rare. Moreover, with the surface of theke shimmering and as calm as a mirror, it brightened up Sun Wukong¡¯s mood, making him feel quite pleased.

    He then prepared to take off his Battle Armor and take a refreshing bath in theke. His recent battle with Huan Meng might have seemed simple, yet the dangers it contained were no less than those of the first trial. Had he not had a stroke of inspiration to give up a fight to the death in favor of getting away, he might have won at grievous cost even if he coulde out on top in the end.

    When Sun Wukong realized that Huan Meng not only possessed immense strength but also had terrifying defensive power, he had already started to calcte. His journey was for the sake of obtaining the Five-Colored Divine Stone, not to kill or create enmity. So even against an enemy, it was not always necessary to fight to the death. Winning was all that mattered.

    Therefore, after umting energy Sun Wukong had swung his staff with all his might in a head-on strike against Huan Meng, just to give Huan Meng a chance to counter directly. When their weapons collided, Sun Wukong realized Huan Meng had not used his full strength, at most only sixty percent.

    To have matched his Full Force Strike with merely sixty percent of his power, Huan Meng truly was an anomaly.

    But Sun Wukong had not backed down; instead, he instantly activated the power of the three Attribute Divine Stones within his body, channeling that power into his arms. In that brief moment before Huan Meng could muster his strength for a second effort, Sun Wukong¡¯s arms pushed upwards with all he had once more. Caught off guard, Huan Meng was sent flying by his staff.

    This involved the subtlety of force. For instance, if two trains with the same force collided head-on, the result would certainly be a stalemate, assuming both trains were incredibly sturdy and would not explode upon impact.

    However, if both trains came to a stop and one suddenly elerated with greater force and speed, the oue would be self-evident.

    That is why Sun Wukong could send Huan Meng flying with a faster secondary explosion of force.

    But back to our story, seeing the clear water of theke, Sun Wukong quickly removed his armor, ready to dive in for a thorough wash. Yet just as Sun Wukong began to take off his Battle Armor, he suddenly felt a thrilling sense of rm, as if he were a mouse under a cat¡¯s gaze.

    In an instant, Sun Wukong understood that someone had set their sights on him. A single slip-up could invite a torrential assault from the hidden enemy. But right now, any sign of vignce would surely spook the enemy. An opponent lurking in the shadows was truly the most terrifying. Find your next read on NovelBin.C?m

    So, without showing any outward reaction, Sun Wukong continued to slowly remove his battle skirt and boots. When he was left with only his undershirt, Sun Wukong suddenly, without any warning, jumped into theke. Right then, a dark shadow shed down from an ancient tree behind Sun Wukong.

    The moment Sun Wukong entered the water, he immediately plucked a Monkey Hair and transformed it into his likeness, while he himself turned into a fish and swam behind his decoy. Better safe than sorry, it was wiser to remain hidden in the dark until he could clearly see the enemy. Sun Wukong had already suffered enough from his enemies being in the dark while he was in the light.

    Just when the doppelg?nger of Sun Wukong had swam three or four ¡¯zhang¡¯, suddenly, a huge sword appeared above the doppelg?nger¡¯s head, radiating golden light and exuding an awe-inspiring presence. Then, in the next instant, the golden greatsword plunged down with the force of a thunderbolt, aiming straight for the Sun Wukong in the water¡ªor rather, the doppelg?nger of Sun Wukong.

    Transformed into a swimming fish, Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of rm. Judging by the might of the sword and its lightning-fast speed, Wukong silently gauged that even onnd, he could barely dodge it¡ªlet alone in the water. Naturally, the doppelg?nger would have no chance of evading it.

    In less than a hundredth of an instant, the greatsword had already cleaved upon the doppelg?nger of Sun Wukong. The doppelg?nger managed to hold on for a mere breath before it burst apart in a rumble. Correspondingly, the greatsword also dissipated into a shower of golden light that scattered across the sky.

    At that moment, a figure appeared by thekeside. d in a grey Taoist robe, the figure seemed to be in his early twenties, his hands forming a strange Magical Decree. Clearly, that strike had been unleashed by him.

    "Eh? It¡¯s actually a doppelg?nger? This time, Wukong does have a few tricks up his sleeve," he said, releasing his Hand Seal and slowly closing his eyes. It seemed he was brewing something for a moment before his eyes suddenly shed open with a cry, "Yin Yang Magical Eyes, activate!" The young Daoist¡¯s eyes transformed, one white and one ck.

    With the Magical Eyes engaged, the young Daoist began to inspect theke. When he saw the fish into which Sun Wukong had transformed, a smile crept across the young Daoist¡¯s lips.

    "Cold Ice Taoist Spell, Freeze!" His hands swiftly executed Hand Seals, and with each gesture, streaks of cold air leaked from his body. When the chill reached its peak, the Daoist pointed with his left hand, directing all the cold air into theke. Strangely enough, the cold air seemingly had no effect on theke.

    Instead, upon entering theke surface, it transformed into a silvery white fishing and swiftly enveloped the fish that was Sun Wukong¡¯s transformation.

    By this time, Wukong had realized that his transformation technique must have been seen through by his opponent. Continuing to transform would be pointless, so he instantly reverted back to his original form and with a flick of his Golden Hoop staff, he cast the cold ice fishing aside.

    However, in the next moment, the cold ice fishing turned into strands of freezing mist that wrapped around the Golden Hoop staff. No matter how vigorously Wukong shook it, he couldn¡¯t escape its grasp.

    With no other choice, Wukong flung the Golden Hoop staff away. But it was not a desperate throw, the Jingu Bang shot towards the shore at an incredibly swift velocity, aimed at the Daoist.

    The Daoist, seeing that Wukong was not only calm but also managed to seize a gap to attack him, instantly shed all previous underestimation.

    As the Golden Hoop staff flew towards him, the Daoist did not show much panic, but instead quickly drew a circr Taoist Spell with his right Hand Seal before him. Uponpletion, he uttered the word "shield," and an ancient azure shield materialized out of thin air, blocking the iing Golden Hoop staff in a fraction of a second.

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong under the water let out a soft sigh of relief.

 Chapter 58 - 53: Genius Taoist Technique Master of the Illusion Demon Clan

    Upon seeing the Jingu Bang viciously mming into the Taoist¡¯s shield, Sun Wukong¡¯s expression rxed, and then he changed back into his true form and leaped out of the water with great force.

    As for the Taoist, who was fully confident in holding off the Jingu Bang while also preparing for another Spell Attack, the Jingu Bang that was initially blocked by the Ancient Shield suddenly began to tremble. As the trembling intensified, the Jingu Bang split from one to two, two to four, four to eight, and eight to sixteen.

    In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a cage, trapping the Taoist inside.

    Realizing the danger, the Taoist hurriedly changed his Hand Seals, but at that moment, a water-blue colored rope floated up from the Jingu Bang and wound towards the Taoist. This Taoist not only possessed powerful Taoist Arts but also had nimble movement techniques. With continuous hand seals, he weaved and dodged, managing to evade the binding of the rope repeatedly.

    Observing how difficult the Taoist was to deal with, Sun Wukong dared not be the slightest bit negligent. He waved his hands continuously, and seven or eight water-blue colored ropes shot from his fingertips into the Jingu Bang cage. This time, no matter how deft the Taoist¡¯s movements were, he couldn¡¯t dodge them all.

    After the forty-seventh Magical Decree, the Taoist was bound so tightly he could no longer move.

    Sun Wukong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just two Magical Decrees short! Sun Wukong knew that the count of Magical Decrees forrge-scale, superior Taoist Arts was strictly defined, generally in the multiples of nine¡ªnine, eighteen, twenty-one, thirty-six, forty-nine. Forty-nine was the utmost number, and a Taoist Art of forty-nine Magical Decrees could truly be called earth-shattering.

    Fortunately, it stopped at the forty-seventh Magical Decree.

    With a wave of his hand, Sun Wukong dispelled the Jingu Bang cage, reuniting all the Jingu Bangs into one, which flew back into his hand.

    "What¡¯s your name? Is this the third barrier?"

    "Illusion Technique. The third barrier¡¯s Guardian."

    Looking at the Taoist¡¯s face, full of unwillingness, Sun Wukong let out a chuckle. "So, does this count as passing the barrier, little kid?"

    The term "little kid" seemed to enrage the Taoist, who, afterughing angrily, began to struggle violently.

    Despite the Taoist¡¯s considerable strength, escaping the rope¡¯s binding was no simple matter. These ropes were transfigured from the Water Attribute of the Five-Colored Divine Stone, fully exhibiting the toughness and softness of water. They couldn¡¯t be escaped from by sheer force alone.

    And indeed, that was the case. Even though the Taoist¡¯s neck veins were bulging with effort, aside from a slight movement of his arms, the rope not only didn¡¯t loosen but also began to tighten even more.

    Yet, the Taoist suddenly revealed a sly smile. Sun Wukong, who had been leisurely watching the struggle, suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

    This kind of panic only arose when facing extremely terrifying danger. Previously, this kind of premonitory sensation had saved Sun Wukong countless times.

    The same was true this time. As soon as he felt it, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t hesitate to wave his hands and create a thickyer of Earth Elemental Armor above his head. Then, in an instant, he disappeared from the spot.

    The next moment, a purple-ck Thunder Dragon, as thick as a water bucket, split the sky. The Earth Elemental Armor supported only for a breath before it shattered with a loud bang. Then, the Thunder Dragon struck ruthlessly at the ce where Sun Wukong had vanished.

    But when the Thunder Dragon struck the ground, it didn¡¯t dissipate; instead, it sted directly into the underground following the surface.

    Without Sun Wukong¡¯s mana to restrain it, the water-blue rope wrapped around the Taoist¡¯s body dissolved into a pool of clear water, falling onto the ground.

    The Taoist smirked, seemingly displeased with being captured by Sun Wukong. After straightening out his Taoist robe, he nced at the lightning that had already burrowed into the ground and once again cast several magical decrees.

    At this time, Sun Wukong was also in a sorry state. When he sensed danger, he instantly created a massive Earth Shield above his head. Then, using all his earth attribute mana, he vanished into thin air, reappearing already underground.

    Sun Wukong had previously experienced that the Taoist seemed to possess a formidable pupil power. Hence, if he tried to transform into something else, he would be seen through, which would leave him in an even more dangerous and passive position. Therefore, he thought of burrowing underground.

    However, just as Sun Wukong had barely burrowed less than a hundred zhang underground, he suddenly felt an immense and terrifying thunderous power emerging behind him, pursuing him at an incredibly fast speed. Sun Wukong hurriedly erected dozens of Earth Shields to block the lightning.

    Initially, the dozens of Earth Shields indeed depleted much of the lightning¡¯s strength, but then, for some reason, the lightning seemed to have taken a potent tonic and rapidly grew several times thicker, transforming into a fierce giant dragon glittering with purple light.

    The Purple Thunder Dragon caught up with him after just a few flips. The Earth Shields set up by Sun Wukong were nowpletely ineffective. Despite the shields being formed from the Earth Elementbined with the power of the Earth Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, they were utterly incapable of hindering, even slightly, the oing Purple Thunder Dragon.

    Having no choice, Sun Wukong gave up the idea of continuing to flee. Instead, he turned around, holding his Jingu Bang horizontally, clearly intending to confront the Thunder Dragon head-on.

    The Thunder Dragon seemed to possess spirituality as well. Seeing that its prey had not only stopped but was also preparing for a direct confrontation, the dragon¡¯s eyes immediately filled with disdain. Your next read is at NovelBin.C?m

    Under normal circumstances, Sun Wukong engaging in a head-on collision with this Thunder Dragon indeed put him at a disadvantage and could even be said to be a significant loss. Although the Thunder Dragon possessed some spirituality, it was only a mass of thunder elements gathered together, forcibly condensed into the shape of a dragon by some method.

    This kind of creature is known as an Elemental Body. As the name implies, it is a creature without a physical form. Elemental Bodies are least afraid of physical attacks, unless your physical attacks contain a certain degree of Destructive Will or the Will of Destruction, otherwise it¡¯s impossible to inflict any harm on them.

    Conversely, Elemental Bodies have both powerful physical attack power and spell attack power.

    Therefore, Sun Wukong faced a considerable disadvantage against this Thunder Dragon. Of course, he knew this; a single misstep led to a cascade of errors. Although he had anticipated the Taoist¡¯s exceptional pupil power, he had forgotten that any formidable pupil power would have a certain advantage in tracking and capturing.

    Therefore, it¡¯s very possible that the Taoist saw him burrowing into the soil, which is why the Thunder Dragon was sent to pursue him.

    If he had known this earlier, Sun Wukong would never have burrowed into the ground. But now, there was no time to think further. Looking at the Thunder Dragon¡¯s mocking eyes, Sun Wukong suddenly felt an uncontroble surge of rage.

    After all, he was the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, and ever since he entered this wretched ind, he had been constantly hampered. First, he was ambushed by an archer, then he was forced by a defense-specialized adversary to unleash the Divine Stone¡¯s power within him, and now he was being chased and mocked by a mere Thunder Dragon. How could Sun Wukong ept this?

    So, Sun Wukong¡¯s mana surged throughout his body, withyers of golden light swirling around the Jingu Bang. He charged directly towards the Thunder Dragon.

    The Thunder Dragon, unwilling to show weakness, fiercely wed at the air, charging ferociously towards Sun Wukong as well.

    However, when Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang collided with the Thunder Dragon, a bizarre scene unfolded, stupefying Sun Wukong where he stood.

    Because to Sun Wukong¡¯s astonishment, the ferocious Thunder Dragon was being absorbed by the Jingu Bang¡ªno, to be precise, was being absorbed.

    What was going on with this Jingu Bang? Could it devour anything?

 Chapter 59 - 54: Deterrence

    ```

    Just as Sun Wukong had yet to react, Jingu Bang had already devoured the Thunder Dragonpletely. In the end, it even belched a wisp of lightning, as if... as if it had let out a satiated burp after a good meal.

    Witnessing this scene slipping out of his control, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but look astonished. Ever since Jingu Bang had suddenly absorbed the earth attribute¡¯s Spiritual Charm from his Divine Sense sea, the staff had be increasingly disobedient.

    Nheless, the connection between Jingu Bang and Wukong¡¯s spirit had not weakened but had strengthened instead, and it was this fact that convinced Sun Wukong that Jingu Bang was still Jingu Bang, and not turned into an evil or demonic weapon. After all, such events were not umon.

    In Ancient Times, several Divine Weapons birthed Spiritual Wisdom by absorbing the charm of heaven and earth.

    However, since weapons¡¯ nature is to kill, the vast majority of weapons that developed Spiritual Wisdom ended up as Evil Weapons, obsessed only with ughter; the lighter cases discarded their masters and left on their own, while the more severe ones even devoured their masters to increase their own power.

    With a beckoning hand, Jingu Bang flew back into his grasp, and feeling the pulse-like blood connection and the very apparent excitement emanating from the staff, Sun Wukong believed that it wouldn¡¯t be long before Jingu Bang developed its own Spiritual Wisdom.

    It seemed he needed to not only search for things that could enhance his fiery golden eyes but also find a cepletely devoid of ughter to ensure that Jingu Bang could birth a pure Spiritual Wisdom. Otherwise, it could truly be a massive problem.

    During these thoughts, Sun Wukong had already flown through the massive hole created by the Thunder Dragon¡¯s exit. He flew out defenselessly because of a piece of information transmitted from Jingu Bang while it was in Sun Wukong¡¯s hand.

    Jingu Bangmunicated that the Thunder Dragon was the Taoist¡¯s trump card, and by consuming it, he had inflicted severe internal injuries on the Taoist. Thus, the man was no longer a threat.

    So Sun Wukong carelessly flew out and indeed, reality matched the intention conveyed by Jingu Bang exactly; the Taoist sat in a daze, the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth confirming his serious injuries.

    Sun Wukong shook his head gently and then, paying no further heed to the Taoist, turned and left.

    What constitutes a genius? A genius is someone who, from birth, possesses abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, excelling dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times more, no matter what they do.

    Without a doubt, this young Taoist from the Illusion Demon n was one such true genius, even among geniuses.

    At the age of five hundred and twenty-one this year, Illusion Technique from the Illusion Demon n has a lifespan proportional to one¡¯s strength. Born with a lifespan of two hundred years, if one¡¯s strength does not advance in this life, then it stays at two hundred. However, every time one¡¯s strength ascends a level, their lifespan increases to varying degrees.

    This was not only exceedingly rare amongst the Demon n but also in the entire Cultivation World. While it¡¯s true that immortals in the Cultivation World increase their lifespans as their strength improves, it¡¯s definitely not as exaggerated as with the Illusion Demon n.

    Illusion Technique was at the mid-tier Saint level strength at five hundred and twenty-one years of age, attaining a lifespan akin to that of the heavens.

    To be a saint in five hundred years is a talent seen once in ten thousand years. Moreover, the Illusion Demon n was known for their Illusion Techniques, with all their saints having achieved sainthood through the Path of Illusion. Yet, this Illusion Technique, uniquely, became a saint through Taoist Arts.

    Abandoning the innate Illusion Technique talent he was born with, he solely cultivated the Five Elements Dao Arts known for their formidable attack power.

    ```

    But today, this super-genius who was hard toe by in the world actually lost. There was no intense collision of Taoist spells, no fierce, desperate fight to the death. He inexplicably failed just like that.

    The Thunder Dragon he had unleashed at the end, which was infused with the Chaos of the Five Elements, disappeared without even scratching the opponent.

    This bewildering defeat in the face of Illusion Technique was something he couldn¡¯t ept.

    However, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t care about such things. There are many geniuses in the world, but only those with firm willpower can make it to the end. Even if you have outstanding talents, if you can¡¯t face even one failure calmly, your aplishments will never be too great.

    This was what Sun Wukong realized during the five hundred years under the Five Elements Mountain.

    Actually speaking, from the moment he set foot on this ind to now, he¡¯d managed to pass through three trials, but these were somewhat due to luck.

    The Divine Archer in the first trial was definitely an expert. A pity his only shoring was theck of a developed Pupil Power. As an archer, his vision was extremely powerful, but he did not possess the special pupil power to discern the true from the false. Therefore, he was deceived by Wukong¡¯s doppelganger, allowing Wukong to get close.

    Once a long-range archer is approached by a melee attacker, the oue is often not too pleasant. If at that time the archer had seen through Wukong¡¯s doppelganger, the first trial would probably have been a fierce battle.

    The second trial featured that unbelievably defensively powerful individual, whose defensive power was like nothing Sun Wukong had ever seen. It was hard to imagine how someone from a tribe that relied on Illusion Technique for survival could have such an exceptionally sturdy physical body.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Sun Wukong¡¯s cleverness during the sh, taking advantage of the moment before the opponent could gather strength for the second time, suddenly initiating a full-force partial transformation, it probably would have been another tough fight, a battle of pure physical prowess.

    At that time, Sun Wukong forcibly suppressed the desire in his heart to have a thoroughly invigorating and fierce battle. He relished such pure power-type opponents. However, for the sake of the Five-Colored Divine Stone of the Fire System, Wukong had to bear with it. If he had identally gotten injured in the second trial, it would have been disadvantageous for the road ahead.

    By the third trial, Sun Wukong was even more at ease. Aside from using a substitute to block an attack in the beginning, he merely used the Jingu Bang to trap his opponent and then burrowed underground. Then, he watched as the Jingu Bang demonstrated its divine prowess by absorbing the fearsome Thunder Dragon. The third trial, Sun Wukong passed as well.

    Although he had passed through three trials without expending much physical strength, Sun Wukong felt not a hint of relief, and he became even more cautious. Just the third trial had already revealed an opponent with the strength of a mid-level Saint. Outside, even a lower-level Saint would be a hotly coveted treasure courted and worshipped by all powers.

    But here, a mighty Saint was merely a gatekeeper.

    It seemed that this world was not as simple as Wukong had imagined. And this Illusion Demon n was notparable to the Aquatic Tribe he had encountered before.

    Continue your adventure with NovelBin.C?m

    Overthinking is of no benefit; thinking too much might create ws in one¡¯s unstoppable momentum. No matter how rugged and difficult the path ahead, he must always continue to advance.

    Next, would be the fourth trial. In this trial, it was very likely that he would encounter a high-level Saint or even a Saint at the peak. Moreover, it was very possible that it would be a true master of Illusion Technique who had achieved sainthood through their art.

    Regarding this, Sun Wukong felt somewhat uneasy. Ever since he discovered that his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils could no longer keep up with the strength of his opponents, Illusion Technique had be Wukong¡¯s weakness.

    If he really encountered a master of Illusion Technique and his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils couldn¡¯t break through their illusions, then it would truly be dangerous.

 Chapter 60 - 55: Both Real and Illusory

    With these thoughts in mind, Sun Wukong became even more cautious. Slowly, night had fallen. After briefly pondering, Sun Wukong stopped in his tracks. In such a perilous and unpredictable ce, it was better to be careful. Although the night did not greatly affect his fiery eyes and golden pupils, one can¡¯t be too careful. Even if he was in a hurry, he could spare this half an hour.

    Looking around, Sun Wukong chose arge tree. He retracted the Jingu Bang and climbed to the top of the tree in the most primitive way. However, once Sun Wukong stood atop the canopy, he realized he couldn¡¯t see very far. The distance was covered with lush, taller trees as far as the eye could see, probably thousands of miles.

    But when he first arrived at the ind, Sun Wukong had estimated its size, and it certainly wasn¡¯t this vast. That confirmed one thing: the ind must be enveloped in a colossal illusion array. What he saw beforending on the ind might not have been real, and what he was seeing now might not be false either.

    True true, false false; false false, true true ¡ª that is the essence of Illusion Technique, purely false is simply inferior Illusion Technique. Realizing that looking further would yield no discovery, Sun Wukong gave up the idea of flying overhead. Clearly, the illusion array on this ind could not be prated by his fiery eyes and golden pupils.

    Rashly flying would likely take him farther away from the center.

    He found a thick branch, leaned his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes.

    The environment on the ind was actually quite pleasant, not only was the spiritual energy about three times higher than the outside world, but being in this forest could even enhance one¡¯s understanding. At this moment, Sun Wukong felt his six senses were transparent, and his mind was clear.

    Even hisprehension of the Water Cleansing Law deepened. Sun Wukong moved his finger, and the mixed iron thread drifted out from his fingertip, then he arranged a warning circle around his body. Then, Sun Wukong entered a state of clear nothingness. Your next chapter is on NovelBin.C?m

    It appeared that even the other party was resting.

    Without words, as the first light of dawn appeared, Sun Wukong sprung up like a carp. Stretching, he let out a loud sneeze. After the night¡¯s rest, both Sun Wukong¡¯s mental and physical states had reached a peak condition. Moreover, his understanding of the Water Element had improved even further.

    Leaping with force, he floated down from the towering tree hundreds of meters tall. The instant hended, Sun Wukong extended his hands, his fingers fluttering like butterflies weaving through flowers. As his fingers danced, thin strands of transparent water emerged from in between Sun Wukong¡¯s fingers and fluttered about in the air.

    Upon closer inspection, one would realize that these slender threads of water were actuallyposed of three different elements: a strand of Metal Element fment at the core, surrounded by a strand of Earth Element fment, with the outermostyer being the Water Element.

    The ten fments continuously danced, yet Sun Wukong suddenly frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with something. Then, his fingers trembled at an extremely rapid pace, and theposition of the fments began to change. The originally distinct elements started intertwining with each other, and eventually, the three elements mergedpletely to form a faint silver fment.

    Of course, this was almost as transparent as the transparent itself. Without special pupil power, it would be impossible to see clearly. Even with Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery eyes and golden pupils, he could only get a rough idea unless he pushed them to their limits. It was impossible to see through thempletely.

    Finally, a satisfied expression appeared on Sun Wukong¡¯s face. With another movement of his fingers, all the fments retracted back into his body.

    From then on, he possessed yet another technique. Sun Wukong was very confident in the durability of these threads.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong felt something was amiss behind him, and whirled around, his Golden Hoop instantly appearing in his hand. But when Sun Wukong turned around, he unexpectedly saw himself. To be precise, he saw himself in a mirror.

    "Hoo," he sighed in relief. It seemed he had been overly tensetely; even seeing his reflection in a mirror had startled him. Suddenly, as if a sh of spiritual light crossed his mind! A mirror? How could there be such a giant mirror in this forest? Could it be, could it be...

    Thinking of this, Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery eyes glowed as he exerted their power to the full. His eyes even emitted a ray of golden light, substantial in appearance. However, he discovered nothing amiss. It seemed to be just an ordinary mirror, but by this time, Sun Wukong had already calmed down.

    It was impossible for a mirror to appear out of nowhere in this forest for no reason, especially since it hadn¡¯t been there the previous night.

    Therefore, there could only be one conclusion. The guardian of the fourth challenge must have appeared, although it was unclear why there was only a mirror without any sign of the person.

    Nevertheless, Sun Wukong did not intend to shout out. If the other party wanted an open and honorable battle, they would have shown themselves by now. Judging by the current situation, the opponent was probably another master of assassination.

    But even after concentrating for half an hour, there was still no movement from the other side. Looking at his own reflection in the mirror, he couldn¡¯t help but feel ridiculous at the current situation. To be scared to such an extent by a mere mirror? How could the Great Sage Equalling Heaven be so timid?

    Gazing at the mirror, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of anger. He swung his Jingu Bang with all his might and smashed it viciously towards the mirror.

    At that moment, an unexpected transformation urred. The Sun Wukong in the mirror had copied the same action, swinging the Golden Hoop to smash it down, but Sun Wukong suddenly noticed that his reflection seemed to give a peculiar smile. Just as Sun Wukong began to doubt his own eyes, the Sun Wukong in the mirror suddenly smashed the Golden Hoop down at an even faster speed.

    What was even more eerie was that the Golden Hoop extended from the mirror and, while Sun Wukong¡¯s Golden Hoop was still half a foot from the mirror, it brutally struck Sun Wukong¡¯s body.

    Instantly, Sun Wukong was sent flying backward.

    In midair, Sun Wukong twisted his body andnded on his feet with a somersault. However, the spot where the Golden Hoop from the mirror struck him was still throbbing with pain.

    Sun Wukong wore a grave expression. From that strike, it was clear that his double in the mirror was not only identical in appearance but also matched his speed and power perfectly. Could it be another encounter with a true or false Sun Wukong, or had he unwittingly fallen into an illusory realm?

    If it was the former, it was still manageable; a hard-fought battle could potentially defeat the opponent. But if he had already fallen into an illusion technique, that would be terrifying indeed.

    Without time to think further, the Sun Wukong in the mirror had alreadypletely stepped out from within. This time, Sun Wukong observed even more carefully. This person was not only identical in appearance but even every expression was exactly like his own. It was almost as if he was facing the Six-Eared Macaque from those years past, or perhaps even slightly more formidable.

    Because from the strike just now, the weapon in the other¡¯s hand, if not the Jingu Bang, was not much different.

    It seemed the real struggle was finally about to begin.

 Chapter 61: Chapter 56: Reality? Illusion Technique?

    Sun Wukong tightened his grip on the Jingu Bang, his entire body on alert, his fiery eyes and golden pupils stimted to the utmost. The mirror version of Sun Wukong across from him was equally guarded, disying an expression and posture that were an exact match to the real Sun Wukong. Could this be another showdown between the true and the fake Beautiful Monkey King?

    Taking a deep breath, Wukong crouched and remained motionless, staring down his mirror image. Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent¡ªno wind, no roar of wild beasts, even the air seemed to stagnate. This was a testament to both individuals'' auras being heightened to the extreme, amon disy in a contest between masters where the majority of the battle was a sh of auras.

    If you prevailed in the battle of auras, you could ride that momentum to crush your opponent swiftly.

    However, this time, Sun Wukong had truly met a foe who was his equal in every way. In terms of aura, Sun Wukong was unable to overwhelm his opponent; in fact, a trace of apprehension due to hisck of understanding of the adversary caused Sun Wukong to be slightly inferior in the aura department.

    He couldn''t wait any longer. If he didn''t act now and let the opponent''s aura strengthen further, there would soon be no opportunity left for himself.

    With a roar, Wukong''s right hand grasped the Jingu Bang and struck out fiercely. The mirror version of Sun Wukong, though having won a slight edge in aura, was not careless in the slightest. As soon as Wukong moved, the mirror version disappeared from where he stood.

    The next moment, two figures shed brutally. Sun Wukong''s Jingu Bang smashed down with great force from above, while the mirror version also bent his knees and bowed his back, using both hands to hold the Jingu Bang horizontally above his head in defense. At the moment their weapons collided, a surge of energy rippled out from the point of impact.

    After an unsessful strike, Sun Wukong withdrew the Jingu Bang with one hand and swiftly sidestepped, his left hand spinning the staff to viciously aim for the waist of his mirror image. The mirror version was not to be outdone and, with a simple sidestep, nted the Jingu Bang upright into the ground to block the sweeping attack.

    After blocking the Jingu Bang, the mirror version of Sun Wukong leapt up, using the vertical Jingu Bang as support to spring dozens of feet away in the blink of an eye.

    At first, Sun Wukong dodged, but the mirror image''s attacks were fierce and grew quicker; eventually, Wukong was forced to cross his arms and block directly.

    After another kick, Sun Wukong seized the moment and controlled the Jingu Bang with his Divine Sense. It seemed as though an invisible hand had grasped the staff, which then targeted the mirror version''s Jingu Bang on the ground and struck it fiercely.

    The mirror version of Sun Wukong, who was mid-air executing a flying kick, suddenly felt the Jingu Bang in his hands tilt, and he had to stop his assault. Turning around, hended steadily on the ground.

    This probing exchange had clearly gone against Sun Wukong. Not only did he fail to touch his opponent, but he was also left with a fiery sting in his arms from the other''s kicks.

    Through this bout, Sun Wukong had also gauged his opponent''s approximate strength. The mirror version steadied over him by a slight margin in both speed and power and was no less adept in seizing the moment inbat. The only disadvantage was that the opponent''s weapon was not as flexible as his own Jingu Bang. Although it was extremely sturdy, that was all it offered.

    If he could not devise an effective and unexpected strategy to triumph, this obstacle would be very difficult to ovee.

    Even as Sun Wukong pondered, his eyes remained fixed on his opponent. The other was also motionless, likely devising a strategy. Otherwise, such evenly matchedbat was meaningless. The only option was to employ one''s most powerful attack and shatter the opposition in an instant.

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong felt an inexplicable sense of crisis in the dark. Without time to think, he clumsily rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging a giant hand that had risen from the very spot he had just been standing in.

    Quickly getting to his feet, Sun Wukong looked back, only to find that the mirror image of himself he had been staring at had be illusory and then transformed into a single hair.

    By then, the giant hand had emerged from the ground, and with a thunderous roar, a yellowish-brown giant ape appeared before Sun Wukong.

    His heart racing with shock, Sun Wukong could hardly think of what to say; when had the opponent used a substitute? He hadn''t noticed at all. Had it not been for thest-moment sense of crisis, he would now have been in the giant ape''s grasp.

    Looking at the giant ape, massive as a small mountain, Sun Wukong knew he had to fight with all his might or risk losing his life. Taking a deep breath, Wukong let out a great shout, and with the sound, his height increased dramatically, turning into a golden giant ape, facing the yellowish-brown one from afar.

    In reality, Sun Wukong was still somewhat perplexed. Having seen the mirror version of himself, he knew the opponent must have used a highly sophisticated illusion technique. However, after the transformation into the giant ape, the opponent had be visibly different from him.

    Chapter Continue:

    His own giant ape form had an added air of dominance and presence, while the opponent exuded more brutality and heaviness. These twopletely opposite auras appearing in the same being were puzzling for Sun Wukong.

    Nevertheless, he didn''t ponder it long. No matter what, the tough battle ahead had to be resolved. If he won, he could force the opponent to reveal everything he wanted to know. If defeated, it could mean death.

    Sun Wukong hurled the Jingu Bang towards the sky, and with a roar, he charged at the yellowish-brown giant ape with inconceivable speed. His forward momentum forced the air to part to the sides, showing just how extraordinary his speed was, reaching an impressive realm.

    Yet, looking at the yellowish-brown giant ape, it was slightly slower than Sun Wukong, but its momentum was even more formidable. It was clear that of the two who had turned into giant apes, Sun Wukong was more adept at speed, while the mirror-like Sun Wukong surpassed him in strength.

    In the blink of an eye, the two ferocious beasts collided like two massive mountains. The ground instantly cracked and copsed. The shockwave swept out in an instant, clearing fifty miles of vegetation in its wake.

    Looking back at the two beasts, a fierce punch from Sun Wukong had directly hit the opponent''s chest, while the opponent''s punch hadnded heavily on Sun Wukong''s shoulder. This time, Wukong managed a slight advantage due to his marginally faster speed, allowing him to awkwardly shift his body at thest moment so that the punch didn''t hit his chest.

    As the force of their punches dissipated, both turned and then their thick, sturdy legs collided fiercely, triggering another wave of shockwaves to ripple out.

    The two incredibly fierce beasts then engaged in the most primal closebat. Neither used weapons nor spells, they solely relied on brute physical attacks. Every punchnded solidly, every kick met its target ¨C there were no fancy moves or tricks, it was all about who had the stronger, more formidable body.

    Thend toppled and the skies changed color as the two fought from daylight into night, from one end of the ind to the other. Both were covered in wounds, but their fighting spirit only grew more fervent.

 Chapter 62: Chapter 57: Born Fighter

    Indeed, Sun Wukong had long hoped to encounter a formidable opponent against whom he could fight with all his might. Yet, this wish remained unfulfilled for a long time ¨C during the upheaval at the Heavenly Pce, his adversaries were either too weak or too strong for him to shake.

    Only Eng God could put up a fight against him, but he was then ambushed by the Supreme Elder Lord and the Howling Celestial Dog. Later, during his journey to the West, none of the demons and evil spirits he encountered were a match for him.

    Finally, today, Sun Wukong got his wish. Although he did not understand why a Mirror Illusion Technique could be so lifelike, Sun Wukong no longer cared. As long as he could enjoy a fierce battle, he didn''t care about anything else.

    Some people are born to battle. A life withoutbat is utterly meaningless.

    With each punch and kick, the two mountainous beasts fought more fiercely. Eventually, they both abandoned any defense, seeking only to attack and strike. As long as one couldnd more punches and kicks than the other, it was a victory. Such battles were incredibly brutal.

    Although Sun Wukong''s transformation into the giant ape greatly increased his defensive power, his strength also escted to a terrifying realm. Under such intense attacks, both sustained grievous wounds.

    Atst, following another exchange of blows for wounds, both giant apes copsed to the ground with a thud. They breathed heavily,pletely drained of strength and unable to even stand.

    Meanwhile, their injuries were healing at different rates. The mirrored version of Sun Wukong, at the moment of copse, was enveloped in strands of earthy yellow energy. These threads burrowed into the ground, then began to frantically absorb the earth''s power to replenish the spiritual power and heal the mirrored Sun Wukong''s injuries.

    As for Sun Wukong, a small flower appeared on his forehead after his fall. The flower spun rapidly, and as it did, a spectrum of colored light materialized out of thin air, encasing Sun Wukong within a vibrant light barrier.

    Time flowed silently by. At this moment, arge part of Illusory Demon Ind had turned into a wastnd, littered with huge footprints, enormous pits, and bloodstains everywhere. All of this was the result of the fierce battle between the two colossal apes.

    Finally, after a quarter of an hour, Sun Wukong slowly got up. The five-colored light barrier gently dissipated. At this time, there wasn''t a single scar on Sun Wukong''s body, and his spiritual prowess had reached its peak state.

    Gazing at himself, a series of surprises washed over Sun Wukong''s heart. Was the recovery capability of this little flower excessively powerful? Not only were all his injuries healed, but his physical strength and spiritual power had also been restored to their peak. With this flower, hisbat power would definitely increase manifold!

    Looking at the earthy yellow giant ape, although most of its injuries were healed, it was clear that its physical and spiritual power had not fully returned to their peak. Nheless, this earthy yellow giant ape was indeed formidable ¨C solely relying on its own strength, it managed to heal most of its wounds in a quarter of an hour, which was no simple feat.

    The earthy-colored Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape saw Sun Wukong stand up, and though surprise was evident in its eyes, there was still no hint of retreat. With a roar, it charged over. Meanwhile, the Jingu Bang, which had been casually left to one side by the originally earthy-colored giant ape, now seemed as if it had received some summons, flying over.

    Chapter Enjoy:

    The glow on the Jingu Bang intensified to an earthy color. As it flew to the giant ape''s side, the radiance wrapped around the earthy-colored giant ape as if it were something tangible.

    Immediately after, Sun Wukong heard the sounds of mechanical assembly clicking into ce. In the next moment, as the chaos dissipated, he saw that the originally earthy-colored Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape was now d in a resplendent suit of golden armor. Even more striking, atop its head was a helmet molded in the image of a snarling giant ape''s head.

    The golden armor set wasplete, with a helmet, breastte, war skirt, arm guards, handguards, leg guards, war boots, and even a red cape trailing behind. The originally fierce-looking giant ape now exuded an indescribable aura of majestic imposingness.

    What surprised Sun Wukong even more was that the giant ape, which had only partially recovered from its wounds and energy, reached its peak state in an instant after donning the armor. Additionally, the giant ape was now enveloped in an extremely dense Earth Elemental Power.

    When the giant ape was about thirty feet from Sun Wukong, it suddenly beckoned with both hands, and the dense Earth Element around it transformed into a brilliant golden battle axe sorge it was taller than the earthy-colored giant ape itself.

    It seemed that in their previous battle, this being had not used its full strength at all. Transforming into Sun Wukong''s likeness and turning its weapon into Jingu Bang could have just been tactics to sow confusion in Sun Wukong''s mind.

    In fact, Sun Wukong had realized by now that the golden-armored giant ape in front of him was not some illusion technique, but rather the Guardian of the fourth challenge''s true form was this giant ape, and the previous mimicry and transformations were merely strategies to intimidate him.

    At this point, there was no other option but to fight to the death. As he watched the earthy-colored Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape roar and drag its enormous battle axe, Sun Wukong felt an unprovoked surge of battle spirit boiling within him.

    "I am Sun Wukong, the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, who dares challenge me?" he bellowed. With a flick of his wrist, the Jingu Bang immediately appeared in his hand, transforming into a massive staff that was even taller than Sun Wukong and as thick as an adult''s waist.

    It was only when Jingu Bang expanded that one could clearly see a golden dragon coiled around it, and not only that, it was intricately engraved with various unknown insects, fish, birds, and beasts¡ªthe entirety of ancient primordial species.

    Sun Wukong bent his knees slightly, arched his waist, and tensed the muscles in his arms, which seemed to climb and intertwine like branches. sping the Jingu Bang tightly in his hands, he was prepared to meet the thunderous assault of the earthy-colored Heavenly Giant Ape head-on.

    "I am Emperor Huang, the Earth Element Divine Ape!" boomed a voice as explosive as thunder, as the earthy-colored giant ape dered its name.

    Hearing the giant ape announce itself, Sun Wukong was truly taken aback. Could it really be the Earth Element Divine Ape?

    Without giving Sun Wukong time to ponder, Emperor Huang grabbed the battle axe with one hand and spun around; the axe came shing horizontally. Sun Wukong was not to be outdone and blocked with Jingu Bang at his side. Instantly, Sun Wukong felt an overwhelming force, and caught off guard, was pushed back more than thirty feet by the axe while still holding onto Jingu Bang.

    Following that, Emperor Huang used one hand to prop itself off the ground, while a massive foot kicked towards Sun Wukong. The speed matched Sun Wukong''s, and the agility might even have been slightly superior.

 Chapter 63: Chapter 58 Armor Transformation

    The originally terrifying strength of the earthy-yellow giant ape had already been daunting, but to Wukong''s surprise, putting on a suit of armor boosted that strength even further. This armor was definitely not just for defense.

    Dodging to the side, retreating a step, and retracting the Jingu Bang simultaneously, Wukong then firmly grasped one end of Jingu Bang with his right hand and thrust it viciously toward Emperor Huang''s abdomen. Emperor Huang''s reaction was terrifyingly fast; after missing his first kick, he mmed his foot down onto the ground with punishing force.

    The ground immediately cracked, and Wukong, realizing the danger, sprang up and leapt far away.

    Wukong''s choice proved wise, for the moment after he dodged, the ground in a radius of several tens of yards around Emperor Huang copsed instantaneously, and countless sharp earth spikes emerged like bamboo shoots after a rain, their speed shockingly fast. Each spike radiated a faint yellow glow, indicating their exceptional sharpness and strength at a nce.

    Before Wukong could steady himself, he felt the Earth Elemental Energy gathering rapidly beneath his feet. Without a second thought, he nted the Jingu Bang into the ground and it stretched out suddenly, propelling him through somersaults until he was a hundred yards away. Chapter Your:

    Looking back, the terrain within a hundred yards around Emperor Huang had transformed into a dense forest of thick, piercing earth spikes, leaving no empty space.

    It seemed that Emperor Huang no longer wished to sh head-on and instead nned to settle the battle using his expertise in Earth Taoist Arts.

    Just then, the spikes within a hundred yards of Emperor Huang began to shake violently, struggling as if they were trying to break free from the earth''s grasp. Wukong''s pupils constricted, realizing Emperor Huang''s intention.

    Wukong quickly withdrew the Jingu Bang, and with a loud shout, a water-blue barrier rose from nowhere around his body. But that wasn''t all; Metal and Earth Elements crazily converged on the blue barrier surrounding him, and soon, the three Elements fusedpletely to form a giant shieldrge enough to cover Wukong''s gargantuan figure.

    The patterns on the shield''s surface were intricate, and upon close inspection, they were astonishingly simr to the patterns on the ck Tortoise Divine Beast''s shell.

    Yet, Wukong wasn''t finished. Using his mana, he floated the gigantic shield in front of him, then bent at the waist and plunged his hands into the ground behind him. Instantly, his body exerted force, his arm muscles swelling like small hills, his veins bulging, clearly using the greatest strength he had ever mustered.

    Then, exhaling powerfully, Wukong let out a thunderous roar, and the ground behind him trembled and heaved.

    Wukong, in his ape form, had somehow uprooted a small mountain from underground¡ªthis hill was three timesrger than him.

    The next moment, Wukong whirled around and hurled the giant earthen mountain at Emperor Huang with tremendous force. Afterunching the earthen mound, a mischievous grin spread across Wukong''s face.

    "Metal Element, explode!"

    As this bellowedmand was issued, the massive earthen mountain hurtling toward Emperor Huang suddenly zed with brilliant golden light, then, carrying a dense golden glow, it elerated and rushed straight for Emperor Huang''s face.

    Initially, after unleashing the sharp earth spikes, Emperor Huang nned to detonate the Earth Elemental Energy, propelling all of the hundred-yard-radius spikes to explode outward. However, he now saw a huge mass of golden light smashing towards him. Without hesitation, he retreated quickly as numerous thick earthen walls rose, attempting to block the iing mountain.

    But what Emperor Huang found unbelievable was that the earthen wall he had conjured while retreating failed to block the flying golden mountain of earth. He realized that if he continued to retreat, his momentum would severely wane, and Sun Wukong would seize the opportunity to charge, likely leading to his own defeat.

    Determined, Emperor Huang suddenly stopped retreating, instead crouching into a horse stance, bringing his hands together, and bellowing, "Source of Hou Tu, be at mymand, giant of the earth, embody me!" As his voice faded, the surrounding earth began to quake as though struck by a massive earthquake of magnitude twelve.

    Then, the fissured earth was all pulled by an inexplicable monstrous suction, finally adhering to Emperor Huang''s body. Already a towering figure, Emperor Huang''s form now swelled to more than quintuple its size, essentially turning into a mountain. By this time, the earth mountain thrown by Sun Wukong had reached right before Emperor Huang.

    A solemn look shed in Emperor Huang''s eyes, and then he spread his arms wide, forcefully meeting the flying earth mountain with his sturdy chest.

    The earth mountain, which had been hurtling like a meteor from the sky, suddenly came to aplete stop. The abrupt shift from motion to stillness shocked Sun Wukong, who was watching from a distance. He hadn''t expected to inflict serious damage with the attack, but at the very least, he had hoped to throw Emperor Huang off bnce.

    Seizing that chance, he''d nned to appear suddenly behind the earth mountain to strike a fatal blow.

    But contrary to his expectations, Emperor Huang still had such a trick up his sleeve, turning the earth into an extension of his body and greatly enhancing his own strength.

    "Sun Wukong, now take this from me!"

    While Sun Wukong was contemting, Emperor Huang, cradling the giant earth mountain, leapt high into the air and then hurled it down at Sun Wukong with even greater force and momentum than Sun Wukong''s earlier attack. After all, Emperor Huang''s strength had surpassed Sun Wukong''s by far.

    Sun Wukong abruptly realized he was unable to dodge in time. This was truly a case of digging one''s own grave; why had hee up with such an idea? Not only did it fail to harm the enemy, but it also gave the enemy a tool to attack himself with even greater speed and force.

    Though Sun Wukong himself did not possess the ability to suddenly erge, and he couldn''t dodge, he had no choice but to muster all his strength and exert all his power to dissipate the metallic elemental shell attached to the surface of the earth mountain.

    The next moment, Sun Wukong collided brutally with the earth mountain. Instantly the ground shook, and after the earth mountain smashed into the ground creating arge pit, it began to fracture, quickly crumbling into countlessrge rocks.

    In the center of thatrge pit, Sun Wukong knelt, half-covered in ck dirt, looking utterly disheveled. Just then, a sharp gust of wind suddenly came from behind Sun Wukong. Currently caught in an awkward position, with his old strength spent and his new strength yet to arise, the only thing he could do was to quickly retrieve Jingu Bang and barely manage to turn his head.

    What he saw was the image of a massive battle axe growingrger in his view, and just as the axe almost reached Sun Wukong''s back, Jingu Bang finally arrived in his hand at the critical moment.

    With what might have been the fastest reflex of his life, Sun Wukong grasped Jingu Bang with a backhanded grip, barely positioning it behind him. Then he felt an immense force and pain.

    The next moment, Sun Wukong was sent flying.

 Chapter 64: Chapter 59: Victory? Defeat?

    ```

    (Author''s note: Writing up to this point, the updates have actually been quite unstable, intermittent, and I, Sanzang, feel that my own state hasn''t been very good. So often, there''s little motivation to update, and I don''t know how many people are reading. Here, Sanzang hopes that friends who like this book will join Sanzang''s fan group tomunicate more and give me more motivation!

    Group number: 214501643. Journey to the West¡ª¡ªThe Legend of Sanzang)

    Sun Wukong was sent flying by a blow from Emperor Huang''s battle axe, and in the instant he was knocked back, he managed a half turn, flicking his wrist, and his Jingu Bang shot towards Emperor Huang''s forehead like an arrow. Owing to the close proximity, Emperor Huang, even with his speed, couldn''t dodge in time and was forced to raise one arm to shield his forehead.

    Confident in his current armorized state, Emperor Huang believed he could block Sun Wukong''s hasty strike.

    Just as Emperor Huang raised an arm to cover his eyes, Sun Wukong''s fingers suddenly fluttered like a butterfly threading flowers. With the waving of his fingers, strands of pale golden threads shot from Sun Wukong''s fingertips and intertwined in the air to form arge.

    No sooner had the formed than it fell over Emperor Huang, just as Sun Wukong was rapidly retreating, thus catching Emperor Huang who had just blocked the Jingu Bang aimed at his forehead.

    Since his eyes were covered, Emperor Huang had not seen the pale golden. By the time he felt something odd over him, it was toote, and he was carried away by Sun Wukong''s golden.

    Emperor Huang was now in quite a sorry state. Although Sun Wukong had been flung away by an axe, at thest moment he managed to use the Jingu Bang to shield his back, so the injury wasn''t severe. It was just that Emperor Huang''s strength was so great that Sun Wukong couldn''t withstand it, causing the Jingu Bang to m hard into his own back.

    However, such pain was nothing to the firmly resolved Sun Wukong, which is why he could deploy the golden in the midst of being thrown. And this move turned out to be quite sessful.

    After flying a hundred yards, the force gradually subsided¡ªthis was because Sun Wukong''s golden was dragging Emperor Huang. If Sun Wukong had been alone, it was hard to say how much further he would have been thrown.

    He did a flip in midair,nding steadily on the ground. Turning to look behind at Emperor Huang caught in his, Sun Wukong couldn''t help but let out a sneakyugh.

    With a summoning gesture, the Jingu Bang flew into his hand. Carrying the pir-like Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong walked up to Emperor Huang with a wicked smile. By then, Emperor Huang''s body was entangled by countless golden threads.

    Despite his immense strength and constant struggling, what frustrated Emperor Huang was that each time he broke some golden threads, they would quickly multiply and intertwine again.

    By the time Sun Wukong reached him, Emperor Huang waspletely wrapped in golden threads, resembling a gold figure. Emperor Huang, who had previously struggled fiercely, now found even moving a finger extremely difficult.

    "Hehe, who would''ve thought these golden threads would be so handy, far better than any Immortal Binding Rope or Dazzling Spirit Rope. You''re called Emperor Huang, right? Hehe, now let''s give you a taste of being beaten."

    No sooner had he spoken than Sun Wukong started swinging the Jingu Bang down hard upon the trussed-up Emperor Huang on the ground. And while thrashing him, Sun Wukong shouted, "That''s for trying to look like me, for hacking at me with your big axe, for throwing boulders at me! You think you can grow big, huh? Keep growing! A monkey bigger than me? I''m going to beat you into a pig''s head!"

    No one expected that Emperor Huang, who had the upper hand, would be trapped in an instant by some seemingly insignificant golden threads, ending up battered on the ground by Sun Wukong. One wrong move led to another. However, Sun Wukong''s golden was indeed tricky; even the armored Emperor Huang could not break free all at once and ended up more entangled due to his struggles.

    Eventually, Sun Wukong seemed to have vented all his anger and tossed the Jingu Bang aside, then sat down on the ground, gasping for air.

    With a rip through the void with his hands, the golden threads wrapped around Emperor Huang were torn apart as if by a pair of hands endowed with the Five Elements yet incredibly powerful. Exposed beneath was Emperor Huang, lying on the ground, wailing nonstop.

    By then, Emperor Huang''s armor had disappeared, the massive battle axe gone as well, but the Jingu Bang used earlier nowy beside Emperor Huang.

    Sun Wukong, looking at Emperor Huang''s Jingu Bang, was pensive.

    After a while, Sun Wukong seemed to have rested enough and cheered as he returned to his original size. Yet his own armor had vanished. Sun Wukong didn''t mind and reached up into the sky, pulling down a beam of white light that enveloped him. When the light faded, a suit of golden battle armor appeared on Sun Wukong.

    Hefting the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong approached the enormous head of Emperor Huang, who was still sprawled on the ground. Without a word, Sun Wukong swung the Jingu Bang at Emperor Huang''s head with a thud.

    ```

    Suddenly, Emperor Huang, who had been lying on the ground, let out a roar of anger, "Who? Who dares to disturb my sleep?"

    Observing the bewildered Emperor Huang, Sun Wukong couldn''t help feeling both annoyed and amused. He took the Jingu Bang and poked Emperor Huang hard with it again.

    "Are you not done, kid? Hurry up and change back. Watch out, or I might whack you again."

    When Emperor Huang heard Sun Wukong''s voice, he froze for a moment, and then, just as Sun Wukong had said, he slowly changed back to Sun Wukong''s size. However, his appearance was not the same as Sun Wukong''s.

    Emperor Huang returned to his true form, naked, but like Sun Wukong, he gestured towards the sky, pulling down a beam of white light thatnded on him and turned into a set of earthy yellow armor.

    "Are you still using that old trick? Don''t you feel ashamed using such petty magic like Armor Transformation from the Clouds?"

    Emperor Huang adjusted his Armor and gave Sun Wukong a nce before disdainfully saying, "And you have the nerve to talk? Aren''t you doing the same thing?"

    After speaking, Emperor Huang suddenly fixed his gaze on Sun Wukong, who was also staring intensely back at him. In the next moment, the two of them embraced each other tightly.

    "Brother Monkey, it really is you. You''re even stronger than before."

    "You rascal, not bad yourself. I thought you were dead, but it turns out you''ve be the guardian of this ind. You''ve gotten stronger too since thest time."

    At that moment, Emperor Huang slightly shook his head and if a stranger had seen him, they would have noticed that his pair of ears had transformed into three pairs, making six ears in total.

    It turned out that this Earthly Spirit Monkey, Emperor Huang, was actually the Six-Eared Macaque from back in the day!

    In the past, when Sun Wukong and his disciples were on their journey to obtain scriptures, the Six-Eared Macaque was instigated by Tathagata to transform into Sun Wukong''s likeness, giving him and his disciples a hard time.

    Chapter Explore:

    After a while, the two separated and Sun Wukong gave the Six-Eared Macaque a heavy punch on the chest.

    The Six-Eared Macaque also returned the favor with a silly smile on his face. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked Sun Wukong, "Brother Monkey, did you recognize me a long time ago?"

    Sun Wukong suddenly acted coy and said, "Yeah, I noticed it when you transformed. But I pretended not to, just to give you a good beating."

    "Ah! Damn monkey, you''re ying with me!"

    "Hahaha, haha"

    The entire Illusory Demon Ind echoed with the heartyughter of Sun Wukong.

 Chapter 65: Chapter 60 Six-Eared Macaque

    About the story of the Six-Eared Macaque and Sun Wukong, this dates back a long time ago.

    Legend has it that there are four Great Divine Monkeys in the Monkey Tribe, and whenever an era of chaos approaches, the Great Divine Monkeys all make their appearance. Moreover, to lead the Monkey Tribe, there will emerge a Monkey King from among the four Great Divine Monkeys.

    This time, however, the four Great Divine Monkeys of the Monkey Tribe were somewhat peculiar. The first to descend was the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey. The Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey knew yin and yang, understood human affairs, was adept at entering and exiting, and evaded death to prolong life.

    After the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey descended into the world, he led the Monkey Tribe to visit famous mountains and spiritnds, finally reaching Flower Fruit Mountain in the Ai country of East Shengzhou. The Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey, with his innate divine power, imed a ce for himself on Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Afterward, the Monkey Tribe multiplied there. Eventually, one hundred and twenty yearster, the Through-back Ape was born. The Through-back Ape could grab the sun and the moon, made mountains shrink, discerned fortune and misfortune, and yed with the universe.

    However, the Through-back Ape was not satisfied with the status quo, feeling that the Monkey Tribe should not hide in such a remote ce but should pursue better development. After a big argument with the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey, the Through-back Ape led a group of tribesfolk and left Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Perhaps due to the discord between the two divine monkeys, it might have displeased the Heavenly Dao. Thus, the Six-Eared Macaque and the Ling Ming Stone Monkey were born one after the other.

    The Six-Eared Macaque was good at listening, understood principles, knew past and future, and everything was clear to him. The Ling Ming Stone Monkey could change forms, knew the timing of the heavens, the advantages of the earth, and could move stars and alter the constetions.

    After the Ling Ming Stone Monkey was born, his divine powers led the Monkey Tribe to discover the Water Curtain Cave Heaven. He made a great contribution to the Monkey Tribe, and under the drive of the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey, the entire Monkey Tribe proimed the Ling Ming Stone Monkey as the Monkey King and named him the Beautiful Monkey King.

    In this way, with spring going and wintering, with flowers blooming and withering, fifty years of spring and autumn passed by. Finally, an event urred within the Monkey Tribe that would change the tribe''s fate forever. An old monkey, too advanced in years, quietly passed away one night.

    This greatly shocked the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, who was now known as the Beautiful Monkey King. Only then did he realize that everything has its destiny. All people and all things will face death one day. In death, there is no knowledge, noughter, no y, no eating fruits together, no drinking spring water together. Even the body would slowly decay and eventually vanish.

    That was truly terrifying. Both the Ling Ming Stone Monkey and the Six-Eared Macaque were scared out of their wits. How could there be such a horrifying thing as death in this world? Driven by fear, and not wanting to die, Sun Wukong decided to set out to sea alone, seeking a spell of eternal life in the outside world.

    And so, one night, Sun Wukong set off on a bamboo raft, venturing across the vast ocean, adrift without a sense of direction.

    The same night, in another part of Flower Fruit Mountain, the Six-Eared Macaque also packed some fruits and set off on a bamboo raft alone, leaving Flower Fruit Mountain. He shared Sun Wukong''s goal, to learn a spell that grants eternal life.

    Thus, on the same night, two monkeys with the same dream set off in different directions, embarking on their respective futures.

    Later, Sun Wukong arrived in the Western Niu He Zhou and became a disciple of Patriarch Bodhi, studying Taoist arts. This is well-known and need not be mentioned now, but speaking of the Six-Eared Macaque, after drifting on the sea for a full three years, he too arrived at a jurisdiction. This jurisdiction was the busiest haunt of all sorts of demons and ghosts in the world, Beiju Luzhou.

    In ancient times, in the central part of the world inhabited by humans, there was Mount Sumeru (also known as Mount Miaogao, meaning "wonderfully high" or "wonderfully bright"), which towered 84,000 leagues above the water surface and reached equally deep below it. Nine mountains and eight seas surrounded it, forming the Mount Sumeru world.

    The nine mountains are: Mount Sumeru, Mount Jishuang, Mount Jizhou, Mount Danmu, Mount Shanjian, Mount Maer, Mount Xiangbi, Mount Jibian, and Mount Tiewei. The seven inner seas were formed by the Eight Merits Water, and the outer sea was made of salt water.

    Between the eighth Mount Jibian and the ninth Mount Tiewei, the ocean enclosed four continents known as the Sumeru Four Continents. To the east was East Shengzhou, to the south was South Jambudvipa, to the west was Western Niu He Zhou, and to the north was Northern Beiju Luzhou.

    The Beiju Luzhou is located in the Salty Sea to the north of Mount Sumeru, stretching out in all four directions, each side two thousand yojanas long, shaped like a box lid, surrounded by the Seven Gold Mountains and the Great Iron Surrounding Mountains, with the ground being made of gold, shining day and night.

    After the Six-Eared Macaque arrived at Beiju Luzhou, he felt as though he had entered a fairnd, full of marvelous forests, rivers, and many unheard-of and unseen creatures and fruits. The Six-Eared Macaque even believed that he had arrived at the dwelling ce of immortals, as told in the legends.

    However, in the five years that followed, the Six-Eared Macaque came to fully understand that this was no ce where immortals lived, but a world much crueler than Flower Fruit Mountain. Though seemingly beautiful, it was rife with danger at every turn, and teeming with powerful ferocious beasts. One moment of carelessness could result in death on the spot.

    But the Six-Eared Macaque had no choice; his only belief was to survive, not just for himself, but for the entire Monkey Tribe. He couldn''t die, and neither could anyone else. Thus, he honed his skills in life-and-death struggles and endured loneliness.

    Finally, through his Innate Divine Power and an unbending faith, the Six-Eared Macaque miraculously managed to survive for five full years in Beiju Luzhou, a ce fraught with crises.

    In those five years, Six-Eared Macaque hardly had a day of peace. He was constantly engaged in battle. Gradually, his fighting shifted from a battle for survival to a battle for strength. When the Six-Eared Macaque became strong enough, he did not stop; instead, he continued moving northward.

    He learned from the numerous ferocious beasts that in the far north of Beiju Luzhou, there existed an extremely terrifying being. It was because of this person that no power in the world dared to covet Beiju Luzhou.

    Otherwise, although Beiju Luzhou was somewhat poorer than the other three great continents, it was not much different. Such a leaderlessnd was highly coveted by various powers. Whichever force took control of Beiju Luzhou could see a rapid increase in power in an extremely short period.

    Yet, such a potentnd had remained unscathed for millions of years. All this was because of the terrifying existence in the far north of Beiju Luzhou. As long as he was alive, Beiju Luzhou would belong to the Demon n for another day; moreover, it was the freest nation of the Demon n.

    Once the Six-Eared Macaque learned all this, there was only one belief in his heart. Defeat this person, and then unify Beiju Luzhou, making this continent a territory of the Monkey Tribe.

    Once this thought took hold, it spread wildly within the heart of the Six-Eared Macaque. And this notion became ever more resolute until it eventually became the sole driving force of the Six-Eared Macaque''s life.

    After the fifth year had passed, the Six-Eared Macaque had be the most powerful being in Beiju Luzhou. Whether in the Demon Forest or the Myriad Evils Mountain Range, the Six-Eared Macaque had be the strongest of all.

    After defeating the mightiest Dragon Horn Crocodile in the Misty Marsh, the Six-Eared Macaque decided to challenge that most powerful being. To find him, and then defeat him.

    Three monthster, Six-Eared Macaque finally reached the farthest north of Beiju Luzhou. It was a ce where snow fell year-round, and the fierce wind howled. But strangely, not a single snowkey on the ground¡ªonly a barrennd stretched as far as the eye could see.

    The Six-Eared Macaque of this moment had changed tremendously from five years earlier. He was dressed in animal skin, seemingly that of a tiger''s. And indeed it was the case. The Six-Eared Macaque was wearing the skin of the most powerful thousand-year Tiger King from the Demon Forest. After a battle thatsted a full day and night, costing him an arm, the Six-Eared Macaque finally slew it.

    The Six-Eared Macaque was not only d in tiger skin but also had a string of teeth hanging around his neck¡ªteeth of the Dragon Horn Crocodile from the Misty Marsh. In his hand, he carried a staff thicker than his wrist and even longer than he was tall. At first nce, the staff appeared to be a crude log of wood.

    However, this staff was the heartwood of a Dragon Blood Iron Tree from Beiju Luzhou, a tree rumored to have formed from the blood of an Azure Dragon Divine Beast that had dripped onto an iron tree during a battle in ancient times. Over millennia, this iron tree became indestructible, its toughness surpassing even that of the Tortoise Shell of ck Tortoise among the Four Divine Beasts.

    Chapter Enjoy:

    The Six-Eared Macaque was ready. For the future of the Monkey Tribe, this battle must be won!

 Chapter 66: Chapter 61: Cannot Withstand a Single Blow

    Six-Eared Macaque sat down on the spot and, after taking a deep breath, began to slowly calm his mind. Although five years of daily and nightly battles had forged his resolve to be exceptionally firm, at this final juncture, he could not help but feel some inner turmoil. And in this kind of decisive battle, such fluctuations could prove fatal.

    That was why Six-Eared Macaque sat down to meditate, and only when his mind was without any cracks would it be time for the great battle tomence.

    Finally, after a full three Chinese Hours, Six-Eared Macaque rose to his feet. Although it was only a short span of time, it seemed as if he had undergone a transformation. The murderous and fierce aura that once permeated his being was now concealed within his heart. His entire demeanor had be subdued and weighty.

    If the previous Six-Eared Macaque was a sharp sword, then now he was a broad and sturdy de.

    It couldn''t be said which was better or worse, but one thing was certain: Six-Eared Macaque had be moreposed.

    He slowly closed his eyes, inserted the Dragon Blood Staff beside him, and then took a deep breath. The next moment, a ferocious roar was heard, "Come out, strongest one, I am here to defeat you!"

    ...

    In fact, this was no surprise for Six-Eared Macaque, as the Guardian God of Beiju Luzhou was only a being of legend. No one had truly seen him; all of it had been passed down generation by generation. Therefore, aside from shouting, Six-Eared Macaque truly had no other method. If he were to rely on himself to find the guardian, he might never find him in his lifetime.

    After shouting, Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help butugh out loud. Reflecting on it, he found his own actions quite absurd. Where would one find someone popping out just because he called for them? Just as Six-Eared Macaque thought about taking to the clouds to look around for any peculiar sites nearby, he suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder.

    Wheeling around, Six-Eared Macaque saw a young man dressed in a green shirt, strikingly handsome. With sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he had an extraordinary demeanor. For a split second, Six-Eared Macaque almost mistook him for one of the Heavenly Gods. Just as Six-Eared Macaque prepared to confront him, the young man slowly walked in front of Six-Eared Macaque.

    Each step the young man took caused the small bell hanging at his waist to ring out a clear chime. And it was this bell sound that snapped Six-Eared Macaque out of his daze.

    When Six-Eared Macaque came back to his senses, he was startled into a cold sweat. Having fought in Beiju Luzhou for a full five years, his Spiritual Sense, honed on the brink of death, was extraordinarily sharp. Usually, he would be instantly aware once any living being came within a hundred meters of him, whether or not they harbored ill intent.

    It was precisely because of this keen Spiritual Sense that Six-Eared Macaque was able to seek good fortune and avoid disaster, even saving himself many times.

    But just now, the Spiritual Sense that Six-Eared Macaque had always taken pride in had malfunctioned; the young man before him had managed toe up behind and even touch him without his noticing. If the man had not simply patted him but hadunched an attack, Six-Eared Macaque feared he would already be dead.

    Dead? He couldn''t die, how could he possibly die?

    In an instant, Six-Eared Macaque summoned the courage and strength from some unknown ce within him and drew the Dragon Blood Staff from the ground at the fastest speed he had ever achieved in his life. Twisting his body, a ferocious swing of his staff was already hurtling toward the young man''s lower back.

    Hmph, even if your movement technique is bizarre, how could you be so careless as to leave your back so exposed to an enemy? In Six-Eared Macaque''s eyes, every life in Beiju Luzhou was his enemy. Although he didn''t understand where this young man hade from, that did not stop Six-Eared Macaque from treating him as an enemy. In this jungle of ughter, the only one he could trust was himself.

    Moreover, the Six-Eared Macaque was confident that his powerful and heavy strike would injure the opponent if not kill him. However, when the Six-Eared Macaque''s staff was about to reach the young man''s lower back, he was suddenly terrified to discover that the young man had somehow turned around and was even smiling as he extended a single finger.

    Then, his highly confident strike was firmly blocked by the young man''s single finger. He even felt that his staff had not struck a person but had attacked a majestic mountain. His own staff was like a thin twig, powerlessly pping against the grandeur of the mountain.

    Impossible, impossible, how could it be possible to block his strike with just a finger, it was absolutely impossible. As he repeated this sentence over and over in his mouth, the Six-Eared Macaque fiercely retracted the Dragon Blood Staff, and then his whole body''s murderous aura suddenly exploded, the intense desire to kill almost solidifying into substance.

    Amid this stern murderous intent, the Six-Eared Macaque''s whole body swelled as if he had suddenly received a tremendous power. When the murderous intent condensed to a certain extreme, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly vanished on the spot.

    When he reappeared, he was already in mid-air, with both hands gripping the Dragon Blood Staff high above his head. Then, he brought the Dragon Blood Staff down fiercely, but the young man, still with a smile on his face, lifted a finger and blocked it just as it was about to touch his forehead. During this process, the young man did not even move an inch.

    Seeing his strike fail, the Six-Eared Macaque hastily pulled back the Jingu Bang and folded his body into a strange posture in mid-air before vanishing again.

    When he reappeared this time, he was already standing to the left of the young man, bringing the Dragon Blood Staff down viciously toward the young man''s right foot. But this time it was even less effective than thest, as the staff had barely fallen before it was blocked by the tip of the young man''s outstretched right index finger.

    In the subsequent moments, the Six-Eared Macaque almost exhausted all his techniques, disappearing and reappearing constantly, but no matter how tricky or bizarre his attacks, they were all invariably blocked by the young man''s single index finger. Chapter Discover:

    Finally, after another of his attacks had been thwarted, the Six-Eared Macaque leaped back several steps and then nted the Dragon Blood Staff into the ground while he gasped for breath with his mouth wide open.

    "Are you done? It''s my turn now."

    Just as the Six-Eared Macaque rxed his breath, the young man who had been fending off his attacks suddenly started walking towards him. The Six-Eared Macaque was immediately stricken with horror; was this terrifying young man finally going to take action? Perhaps, today would be the day he would die.

    But he wasn''t ready to die, not having even met the strongest being of Beiju Luzhou as the legends told. It seemed he had been too naive.

    Looking at the young man approaching step by step, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly felt all the murderous intent and brutality in his heart dissipate. Even the obsession with Eternal Life had diminished a great deal. For a moment, the Six-Eared Macaque entered a strange state of mind.

    His heart was so calm. Scenes from his birth to the present began to rey before his eyes. From being an ignorant little monkey at the beginning to now, his hands stained with the blood of countless beings, he had gained a lot along the way, but it seemed he had also lost a lot.

    Suddenly, the Six-Eared Macaque''s heart trembled fiercely. A beam of light, piercing through the countless covering dark clouds, shone directly upon the heart of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Then a clear and piercing ring of a bell sounded, and the Six-Eared Macaque awoke, only to find himself suddenly at Flower Fruit Mountain!

 Chapter 67: Chapter 62: Becoming an Apprentice

    The Six-Eared Macaque looked around with a bewildered expression, only to find that this ce really was Flower Fruit Mountain. Every de of grass, every flower, and every stone appeared incredibly real. What on earth was going on? Hadn''t he gone to Beijuluzhou? Wasn''t he currently battling with the guardian deity of Beijuluzhou? What exactly was happening?

    He pinched himself hard, and it hurt. That proved that everything happening now was real. So, if what was happening now was real, did that mean everything before had been a dream? In the dream, he had gone to Beijuluzhou and lived there for five years, and he had even fought with an extremely powerful individual?

    If it was really a dream, it was too realistic and too frightening. When he thought back, the memories of living those five years in Beijuluzhou were all very clear. There wasn''t a single blur.

    Although he couldn''t figure out which part was the dream, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t bother with that much anymore. All his thoughts were focused on seeing his fellow tribe members. After all, in the Six-Eared Macaque''s memory, he hadn''t seen them for a whole five years.

    After calming his excited emotions a bit, the Six-Eared Macaque quickly made his way toward the ce where the monkey tribe lived. In truth, Flower Fruit Mountain was not only inhabited by the monkey tribe. After all, Flower Fruit Mountain was so vast that even with therge number of members, the monkey tribe only upied a region near the mountain''s southern peak.

    The Six-Eared Macaque ran as fast as he could. During this time, he became increasingly certain that everything now was real, and everything about Beijuluzhou and its guardian deity had been just a long dream. With this thought, the Six-Eared Macaque''s pace quickened even more.

    Finally, after running for half an hour, the Six-Eared Macaque stopped. With an excited heart, he reached the territory of the monkey tribe.

    But the monkey tribe''s territory was now devoid of any monkeys. The Six-Eared Macaque immediately became alert¡ªcould something have happened? Why couldn''t he see a single monkey? Having no choice, the Six-Eared Macaque activated his innate divine ability.

    His six ears suddenly heard a very noisy sound and, looking in the direction of the noise, he saw the mysterious waterfall that had existed for who knows how many years. And the noise wasing right from within it.

    The Six-Eared Macaque grew more and more confused. What on earth was going on? How could there be noise behind the waterfall? What exactly had happened while he was asleep?

    The Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t figure it out, but he still walked in front of the waterfall. Looking at the ordinary waterfall, he once again used his divine skills and immediately the noisy sounds became clearer. There must be something behind this waterfall¡ªperhaps the monkeys from his tribe were there; otherwise, there wouldn''t be such amotion.

    With this thought, the Six-Eared Macaque steeled his heart. No longer caring about much else, he carefully discerned the source of the sound once more. With courage, he leaped forward. Expecting to hit a wall, the Six-Eared Macaque was surprised to find himself in a cave after passing through the waterfall.

    Looking up, he saw words written on the left and right sides of the stone cave: "Flower Fruit Mountain, and of fortune; Water Curtain Cave Heaven."

    By now, the noise was so clear he could hear it without his innate divine ability. With a curious heart, the Six-Eared Macaque walked further into the cave. As he rounded a bend, the boisterous noise suddenly overwhelmed him and left him momentarily dazed.

    He had actually seen all the monkey brothers and friends he had missed so dearly in his dreams for a whole five years, all gathered here, happily eating fruit and drinking wine, having a great time.

    "Haha, I''m back, the Six-Eared Macaque is back, hahaha." Only those who haven''t experienced lengthy solitude could fail to understand the excitement of such a long-awaited reunion. Although in the Six-Eared Macaque''s mind he had only been having a long dream, this did not stop his excitement from seeing everyone again.

    But the next moment, the Six-Eared Macaque froze in ce. His shouts had gone unheard by any of the monkeys, and even though he had run up to them, it seemed like no one could see him. Their eyes didn''t appear to be ying a joke on him. How could such a scene not leave the Six-Eared Macaque standing there, stunned?

    Not believing what was happening, he shouted while running into the center of the crowd. But what startled the Six-Eared Macaque even more happened¡ªhe passed right through the bodies of all the monkeys he had just touched. This sent chills down the Six-Eared Macaque''s spine. What was going on, what was happening, was he still dreaming?

    At this moment, a voice suddenly came through, deep and resonant, yet it seemed toe from nowhere, as if it had emerged directly within the heart.

    "Six-Eared Macaque, do not worry, none of this is a dream. The reason those monkeys cannot see you is that you are not in physical form at this moment; you are merely a projection of your primordial spirit."

    "Who are you? Who exactly are you? How do you know I am the Six-Eared Macaque?"

    "Heh heh, me? I am the one you were challenging before. Some call me the Guardian God of Beiju Luzhou!"

    The Six-Eared Macaque instantly widened its eyes in shock. Beiju Luzhou? Guardian God? Could it be that everything before was not a dream? Had it truly gone to Beiju Luzhou? A projection of the primordial spirit?

    Could it be that it was dead?

    "Am I already dead? Why can''t they see me? What on earth is happening? Was everything before, not just a dream?"

    "You have not died. I simply used a spell to separate your primordial spirit, intending only to let you take a nce back at Flower Fruit Mountain. If you do not believe me, you can check whether the scars on your body are still there."

    As soon as the voice finished speaking, the Six-Eared Macaque tore off the tiger skin it was wearing, and suddenly, a massive scar appeared on the right side of its chest ¨C terrifying and exuding murderous intent.

    Viewing the scar, the Six-Eared Macaque already believed the words spoken by the voice in its mind. Both the scar on its chest and the tiger-skin clothing it wore proved that indeed, it had been to Beiju Luzhou. Moreover, the Six-Eared Macaque also remembered that this cave was the blessednd found by the Ling Ming Stone Monkey for the monkey tribe back in the day.

    Having been born prematurely, it had to meditate on the peak of Flower Fruit Mountain for fifty years, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon without interruption. Otherwise, it would lose its Six-Eared Divine Power. After an arduous fifty years, before it even had a chance toy eyes on the Water Curtain Cave, the fear of death had driven it to flee into the sea overnight.

    Taking a deep breath, the Six-Eared Macaque had calmed down. Then it asked in its mind, "Why exactly did you bring my primordial spirit back here? Simply to let me have a nce at them?"

    The voice answered, "Not just for that, but also to help you let go of the obsession in your heart. Initially, you came to Beiju Luzhou for the sake of the monkey tribe''s eternal life, surviving through five years of intense battling. However, I want you to know that your original obsession has now been realized. A remarkable figure has emerged from your monkey tribe."

    No sooner had the voice finished speaking than the space started to fluctuate, and then a screen appeared like a mirror. Another figure suddenly emerged on this screen. The Six-Eared Macaque instantly recognized it ¨C that figure was the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, one of the four great monkeys of the monkey tribe.

    As the image shook, the scene seemed to carry the Six-Eared Macaque through time; the Ling Ming Stone Monkey set out from Flower Fruit Mountain, drifted across the ocean to the Xiniuhezhou, acquired teachings, and returned.

    It first defeated the Demon King who had invaded Flower Fruit Mountain during its kingless state, then entered the Dragon Pce and procured numerous weapons for the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain,ter ascended to the Heavenly Pce, caused an uproar in the Netherworld, and erased the monkey tribe from the Book of Life and Death.

    All of this had the Six-Eared Macaque''s blood boiling with excitement.

    Finally, after watching everything, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but ask, "Isn''t the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong, supposed to have trained in Xiniuhezhou for seven years? But I recall that I was only in Beiju Luzhou for five years. Why is there a discrepancy in time?"

    "Heh heh, that is not difficult to exin. Beiju Luzhou is a small world outside of this one, where one year in Beiju Luzhou is equivalent to two years in Xiniuhezhou. So, you actually spent ten years in Beiju Luzhou. It is indeed true that the Ling Ming Stone Monkey trained in Xiniuhezhou for seven years, but he drifted at sea for a full three years.

    Hence, the stone monkey only arrived one month earlier than you."

    The Six-Eared Macaque stood speechless. Had it really been an entire ten years?

 Chapter 68: Chapter 63: Becoming a Disciple (2)

    Has it really been ten years? "Are you saying that this Beiju Luzhou is a separate small world?"

    The voice continued to answer, "Yes, actually, this starts from the Ancient Era. In fact, I''m also a member of the Demon n, and even one of the few leaders that existed in Ancient Times. However, a civil war broke out within the Demon nter on, and the Immortal n and Taoist Sect took advantage of our internal strife.

    Thus, the entire Immortal n came out in full force and waged a grand war against the Demon n of that time. Beiju Luzhou was shattered during that time, butter on, I used my Great Magical Power to barely piece Beiju Luzhou back together. Since then, Beiju Luzhou has be a separate small world."

    After hearing this, Six-Eared Macaque fell into surprise once more. A grand war? One that could even shatter an entire continent? "The Demon n from Ancient Times, were they very powerful?" "Hmph, to say they were powerful is an understatement. The Demon n of that era was the sole ruler of the entire Three Realms!

    Demon Master Kunpeng, Demon Emperor Di Jun, and others like Zhu Long, Ying Long, and many other Great Demons¡ªif it weren''t for that incident, how could the Heaven of today be under the control of the Taoist Sect?"

    Upon hearing this, Six-Eared Macaque''s heart once again surged with excitement. And then, another thought took root, one that could not be extinguished! "I must restore the Demon n, no, the entire Monkey Tribe, to its former glory of Ancient Times. These Three Realms were originally ours, the Demon n''s!"

    "Haha, good, that''s the spirit. It''s not in vain that I personally took action to send your Primordial Spirit back to Flower Fruit Mountain. So, Six-Eared Macaque, would you take me as your master?"

    "Ah? Take a master?"

    "Yes, taking a master. I wish to take you as my disciple and pass on my mantle to you. In a thousand years, the Demon n will face a great cmity, and at that time, your power will be needed!"

    Six-Eared Macaque agreed after only a brief moment of contemtion. After all, his lifelong wish had been for the Monkey Tribe to transcend beyond the Three Realms and be free from the constraints of the Five Elements. Now that Ling Ming Stone Monkey had made this dream a reality, and with the strength of Ling Ming Stone Monkey, protecting the entire Monkey Tribe would be effortless.

    He could use this opportunity to learn some abilities himself, and whether or not the Demon n would face a cmity in the future, as long as he had power, he could contribute to the protection of the Monkey Tribe. This reason was sufficient.

    Just as Six-Eared Macaque was about to kneel and perform the ritual of taking a master, he was suddenly held back by a force. Lifting his head and looking around in confusion, the voice spoke again.

    "You monkey, you haven''t even seen me and you''re performing the ritual?" As the voice finished, Six-Eared Macaque felt the space around him fluctuate, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in Beiju Luzhou.

    Popping up with a neat somersault, Six-Eared Macaque saw the young man before him. Without saying a word, he took several quick steps and knelt heavily on both knees on the ground, then proceeded to knock his head on the ground nine times in session. This time, the young man did not obstruct him, but instead nodded his head with a smile of satisfaction, clearly pleased with his disciple.

    In ancient times, knocking the head three times when taking a master represented learning some skills from someone. Though one would be considered a disciple, the master was not expected to share all his knowledge. In this case, the term used was ''master.''

    Kneeling and knocking the head six times represented a desire to learn truly significant skills from someone; at this point, the master would take a great interest in the disciple.

    But knocking nine times indicated that the person was regarded as an elder, akin to a parent, and the term used then was ''father-master.'' The father-master would impart all his life''s knowledge to his disciple, which is what is meant by passing on the mantle.

    Clearly, Six-Eared Macaque and the mysterious man had formed thetter kind of rtionship.

    After the ninth bow, Six-Eared Macaque wanted to continue, but was gently lifted by a soft force. "Nine bows are more than enough; no need to bow any further."

    Six-Eared Macaque hurriedly stood up and respectfully acknowledged with a ''yes.'' However, after that, Six-Eared Macaque looked at the mysterious man with a face full of longing and said, "Master, your disciple still doesn''t have a name. Even that Ling Ming Stone Monkey has a name, I¡­"

    "Hehe, that''s easy to solve. I will give you a name. But I don''t know what kind of name you would want?"

    "Hmm. This disciple does not know, any name Master chooses is fine."

    "Is that so, well then... let''s call you Demon Emperor. It is a tribute to this year''s teacher and the former leader of the Demon n."

    "Haha, haha, Demon Emperor, I finally have a name, from now on I am the Demon Emperor!"

    After this, the Six-Eared Macaque followed the mysterious young man and retreated to the far north of Beiju Luzhou to diligently study his abilities. The Six-Eared Macaque was a spiritual being born of heaven and earth, and with a master who was no ordinary person, he learned both spells and physical skills at an extraordinarily fast pace.

    However, without the sun or the moon in the mountains, even the Six-Eared Macaque with its miraculous abilities, took a full two hundred years to learn most of the mysterious man''s skills. The remaining part was not because the mysterious man was stingy, but because cultivation was ultimately about one''s journey and enlightenment.

    Regardless of one''s prodigious talent, achievement in the path of cultivation requires time to settle.

    Two hundred years passed, and the Six-Eared Macaque had learned everything that could be taught, leaving only enlightenment. And in Beiju Luzhou, the two hundred years here amounted to a whole four hundred years in the outside world. However, because Sun Wukong had once tampered with the Book of Life and Death, the monkey tribe''s friends and family should have had no major issues.

    For the eternally living monkey tribe, time had already lost its meaning.

    One day, the mysterious man called the Six-Eared Macaque to his side. He scrutinized the Six-Eared Macaque carefully, his eyes filled with unstoppableughter. In just two hundred and ten years, it had grown from a newly-born monkey into its current state, where its cultivation had likely reached the peak of a Daluo Golden Immortal.

    With a bit more enlightenment, it could instantly ascend to an Emperor Level powerhouse. At the Emperor Level, one could sit at the same level as the Jade Emperor.

    Such a growth rate was probably beyond even that of the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, one of the four great divine monkeys. "Six-Eared, two hundred years have passed. It''s time for you to leave. But before you do, there is onest thing I must do for you. Bring out your Dragon Blood Staff."

    "Master, after all these years, why do you still like to call me Six-Eared?" Despite murmuringints, the Six-Eared Macaque, now the Demon Emperor, still brought out the Dragon Blood Staff and handed it over to the mysterious man. The staff, already quite spiritual, had been nurtured by the Six-Eared Macaque with years of devotion, and had be its life-bound weapon.

    The mysterious man took the Dragon Blood Staff and examined it closely, unable to hide a flicker of surprise. The Six-Eared Macaque was indeed extraordinary, having managed to cultivate a tree''s core into a powerful magic treasure with its own mental nurturance and making it a weapon that was very responsive and likely to develop an Artifact Spirit.

    "Six-Eared, I will take your Dragon Blood Staff and refine it further. In this time, you should go and wander Beiju Luzhou on your own. Remember, you must not carry any obsessions on this journey, merely wander at will. Wherever you go, and whenever you return, it should be by your heart''s desire. Do not cling to delusions. Now, you may go."

    Having spoken, the mysterious man, holding the Dragon Blood Staff, turned into a wisp of blue smoke and disappeared.

    But the Six-Eared Macaque did not leave right away; it simplyy down on the ground. Gazing at the white clouds in the sky above, the Six-Eared Macaque fell asleep. It was a deep andfortable sleep.

    In the dream, the Six-Eared Macaque dreamt of when it had first be a disciple. On that day, its Master had taken it to ride the clouds. Thinking back to its excitement during its first cloud-riding experience, the Six-Eared Macaque found it amusing.

    Then it kept flying until it finally reached above the Nine Heavens. At that point, the Six-Eared Macaque was truly astounded. Above the Nine Heavens, a colossal pce floated, enshrouded in mysterious and majestic divine music and swirling colorful clouds.

    But then the Master revealed that the pce was merely a world within his life-bound magic treasure, materialized by his great magical power.

 Chapter 69: Chapter 63.5: Bewitchment

    At the time, the Six-Eared Macaque made a decision, no matter how difficult the cultivation path might be in the future, he was determined to persevere. He was set on acquiring great abilities, at least, he must not lose to the Ling Ming Stone Monkey.

    Furthermore, having the fortune to be taken as a disciple by such a master with Tongtian techniques was indeed a blessing from several lifetimes of cultivation, and he had to cherish it immensely.

    Now, in the blink of an eye, several hundred years had passed, and it was time for him to venture out. Just as his master had said, he had indeed reached a bottleneck at this point.

    Previously, making progress up to the Daluo Golden Immortal level had been possible through innate talent, hard work, and consuming Heaven and Earth Treasures, but for one to breakthrough from a Daluo Golden Immortal to Emperor Level, it wasn''t just a matter of talent and diligence anymore.

    Destiny, aptitude,prehension, diligence ¨C all were indispensable. No Emperor Level powerhouses were of simple character. The Six-Eared Macaque, who had been in deep slumber, suddenly flipped over and stood up, as if something urgent had sprung to mind.

    But then, he shook his head slowly and started walking at a measured pace, step by step. If someone were to witness this moment, they would be utterly astonished, for the Six-Eared Macaque had just stepped out from the void above the Nine Heavens and was walking step by step towards the ground, as if treading on level earth.

    To understand, although both immortals and demons, as well as Buddhas and Arhats, could ride clouds to fly once they achieved a certain realm, cloud riding and Air-walking were entirely different. Cloud riding involved using one''s strength to infuse mana into the clouds to make them solid and not subject to the constraints of the Earth, thus achieving flight.

    However, Air-walking was different; it indicated that the Six-Eared Macaque, relying solely on his strength, could resist the Earth''s gravitational pull.

    In battle, the difference between cloud riding and Air-walking is substantial; those capable of Air-walking are iparably more agile and have superior movement techniques, far surpassing those who rely on cloud riding. This demonstrated just how formidable the Six-Eared Macaque''s strength was at this moment.

    Moreover, the most important point was that only Emperor Level powerhouses could traverse the void using their strength alone¡ªyet the Six-Eared Macaque was only at the peak of Daluo Golden Immortal.

    And so, the Six-Eared Macaque walked step by step, through the Gang Wind of the Nine Heavens, past thunderclouds and lightning. He felt the breeze and the clouds move, experienced the sunrise and sunset. After walking in the void for three days and three nights, his feet finally touched the soil of the Northern Utmost Lush Continent.

    The moment the Six-Eared Macaquended, he felt an odd sensation; although he stood firmly on the ground, it was as if he were still floating in the air, hardly feeling any significant gravitational pull.

    With knees slightly bent, the Six-Eared Macaque decided to test what this state was all about. With a push of his legs, he vanished from the spot instantaneously, reappearing a kilometer away. Coming to a halt, he was momentarily stunned. He had only used a fraction of his strength, yet he had moved a kilometer in less than half a breath''s time. This speed was now almost indescribable.

    After the trial, the Six-Eared Macaque sat down cross-legged on the spot and began toprehend the flicker of Spiritual Light that had appeared in his mind a moment ago. Unbeknownst to him, this meditation wouldst a full twenty years.

    During those twenty years, neither wintry frost nor thunderous storms could rouse the Six-Eared Macaque from his seated meditation. Dust gradually covered his body, and eventually, all six senses were sealed off, and even breathing ceased. He was indistinguishable from a piece of deadwood, utterly lifeless.

    One day, twenty yearster, on a day that began with gentle wind and clear skies, suddenly, a statue in the far north of the Northern Utmost Lush Continent cracked open, and thousands of earthen-yellow beams of light shot forth. Immediately, an immensely heavy Earth Element force filled the heavens and the earth, exuding the depth and benevolence of thend, yet also the undeniable majesty.

    In the midst of this imposing aura, a monkey with six ears and soil-yellow fur rose into the air. However, the monkey''s eyes remained tightly closed as he sat cross-legged in the void.

    Just then, a vast vortex suddenly appeared in the void above the Six-Eared Macaque''s head, and from that vortex extended a massive hand that seemed capable of propping up the heavens. As soon as the hand appeared, it transformed from palm to finger, and thereafter a myriad of mysterious talismans coalesced from the void and affixed themselves onto that colossal finger.

    The already formidable finger became even mightier with the numerous talismans attached, and despite the immensity of the distance separating them, the Six-Eared Macaque still felt an overwhelming pressure as if bearing the weight of mountains. Yet even so, the Six-Eared Macaque neither opened his eyes nor did he react in any way, continuing to sit cross-legged in the void.

    The cold sweat on his brow and his whitened knuckles clearly indicated the Six-Eared Macaque''s difort. However, the finger that appeared out of nowhere showed no mercy or hesitation, falling even faster towards him.

    Moreover, because the finger was descending so rapidly, mes had already begun to ze at its tip. Soon, the fire had spread along the entire arm. Yet, the arm seemed utterly insensate. It looked as though the fiery ze burning it was an intentional act by the mighty hand.

    Before long, the Six-Eared Macaque felt the pressure he was under mounting, even causing him to wobble in midair. Nheless, he continued to show no response, not even deigning to open his eyes for a look upward.

    In truth, it wasn''t that the Six-Eared Macaque was being presumptuous or anything; it was simply that he had reached the most critical and urgent juncture.

    Twenty years earlier, he had already attained the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, and after twenty years of meditative insights, he had finally seeded in breaking through this realm today, poised to be another Emperor Level powerhouse among the heavens and earth.

    Yet, just as the Six-Eared Macaque was about to harness all his spiritual power to break through the final barrier, a massive finger suddenly appeared in the void, locked onto him, and descended with an unstoppable force.

    At this moment, the Six-Eared Macaque''s situation was extremely perilous. If he moved now, his breakthrough would surely fail. There was no doubt about this, and all of his spiritual power would not only be reverted back to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm but could possibly be even worse off.

    The Six-Eared Macaque''s sole option was to break through to the Emperor Level before the giant finger reached him, which might provide him with a slim chance to escape.

    However, the more anxious the Six-Eared Macaque became, the sturdier thest barrier seemed. Repeated attempts to break through with his spiritual power only managed to create a tiny crack.

    And now, the enormous finger was merely inches away from the Six-Eared Macaque. In an unprecedented crisis, at the moment between life and death, the Six-Eared Macaque gathered all his spiritual power for one final assault. Atst, his long efforts garnered a reward, and the final barrier began to tremble.

    The Six-Eared Macaque saw hope and fought even more desperately, but just then, the giant finger reached the top of his head.

    Ah, is it still toote? To think that after hundreds of years of diligent cultivation, I would fall without even once making my mark in the Three Realms, ah!

    No sooner had the sigh left his lips than the giant finger, carrying a sky-full of mes, resolutely pressed down. Instantly, a sonorous sound like that of a great bell resounded!

    Through all the heavens and earth, only the echo of that bell sound lingered on!

    Sanzang is truly doing his utmost with the updates now. For those who are dissatisfied or feel that the updates are too slow, please bear with me. I will try my best to increase the frequency. Thank you for your support. My gratitude. Oh, and remember to bookmark the book when you read!

 Chapter 70: 64 Chapter: Bewitching (2)

    The bell''s resonant chime echoed out, and the mes had grown into a vast sea of fire. At the heart of these roaring mes, an ancient-lookingrge bell sat squarely amidst the sea of fire.

    The entire bell was a mysterious dark blue color, with its body engraved with countless flowers, birds, fish, insects, pavilions, towers, great mountains, rivers, wind, rain, thunder, lightning¡­ It was as if a whole world had been condensed and etched onto this great bell.

    Above the great bell, a gigantic fiery finger pressed down relentlessly, yet it could not advance even an inch. At that moment, the bell tolled again with a deep and majestic sound. As this sound spread out, ripples started to undte through space, and the fiery finger above the bell began to crack and, soon after, shattered into countless light fragments with a snap.

    Just then, an immense suction force emitted from the bell, drawing all the myriad fragments of light inside the bell.

    A cold snort filled with anger came from the distant beyond. Initially, it was just a cold sneer, but as the sound traveled, it eventually materialized into a tangible sonic attack. When this sonic wave reached the bell above, it had solidified into the image of a mysterious Taoist Sect''s talisman.

    However, when the talisman collided with the bell, not only did it fail to have any effect, but it also transformed into an even more terrifying sonic wave that shot back into the sky.

    "How audacious of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme of the Heavenly Realm, to target a junior; your Taoist Sect really is bing shameless," someone said.

    "Hmph, I did not expect you to possess such power. However, you Demon n will eventually be exterminated by our Heaven. A mere cracked bell, do you really think I cannot deal with you?"

    "Haha, though my Demon n has fallen, it is not to be bullied by just anyone. Hao Tian, you''d better just guard your Heaven well. In a thousand years, maybe it will be under new management!"

    "Hmph."

    After a cold snort, the voice and presence of the Jade Emperor gradually faded. In the Void, a young man dressed in a green robe stepped out. However, this young man''s brow was heavy with worry.

    With a flicker, he arrived in front of the Six-Eared Macaque and, with a wave of his hand, the bell that was as solid as rock suddenly soared into the air and, after a sh of light, turned into an extraordinarily ordinary little bell, hanging at the young man''s waist.

    The young man then hastily bent down to pick up the unconscious Six-Eared Macaque and, forming a Sword Finger with his right hand, pressed it against the centre of the Six-Eared Macaque''s forehead.

    After a moment, a roar of anger came from the mouth of the young man: "Damn Heaven, to resort to such a poisonous attack. I swear we will be irreconcble enemies."

    Endless rage and regret made the usually unppable young man utter such a furious roar. Clearly, this mysterious person was truly enraged.

    Once the roar subsided, the young man, cradling the Six-Eared Macaque, vanished in shes and was no longer in the Northern Ju Lu Continent. When he reappeared, he was already in a gigantic pce above the Nine Heavens.

    For seven days and nights, the unconscious Six-Eared Macaque finally came to faintly awaken, and the first thing he saw upon waking was the young man beside his bed. Just as the Six-Eared Macaque was about to get up, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his Dantian.

    "Master, I¡­"

    "Say no more, I know it all. You just rest well, and we can discuss everything once your injuries are healed."

    The Six-Eared Macaque realized that this incident was extraordinary. Recalling the towering finger that had descended from the sky, he couldn''t help but shudder with fear. However, since he had not died, it meant his master must have appeared to save him. Knowing this, the Six-Eared Macaque didn''t ask further and simply nodded in agreement.

    "Come, let me first help you clear the blockages in your Spiritual Power within the main Eight Great Meridians. I can only help with those, the rest is up to you. Once you have cleared all your meridians,e find me at the Demon Lord Hall!"

    Having said that, the young man leaned over to help the Six-Eared Macaque sit up, and then also seated himself cross-legged behind him, cing his hands on the macaque''s back.

    The Six-Eared Macaque dared not ponder further and quickly refocused his mind, turning his Divine Sense inward. Not expecting much, he was startled by what he saw. For some reason, all of the meridians within his body had beenpletely blocked by a powerful energy. He tried to circte his Spiritual Power but found there was absolutely no response.

    Had all his hard-earned Cultivation suddenly turned to naught?

    "Don''t overthink, focus on preserving the root of your being. You''ve merely been infiltrated by the Power of Creation of heaven and earth due to external disturbances during your breakthrough, which has umted in your meridians and Dantian. After your teacher helps you break through the Eight Great Meridians, you will surely recover," the young man calmly instructed.

    Upon hearing his master''s reprimand, the Six-Eared Macaque''s spirit stirred, and he promptly did as his master had instructed, focusing on preserving the root of his being without further wild thoughts.

    Soon enough, the Six-Eared Macaque felt a vast and warm surge of Spiritual Power enter his body from behind, beginning to assimte the Power of Creation that was blocking his meridians, bit by bit.

    Time passed slowly. Finally, after a full three days, the young man exhaled softly, slowly stood up, and quietly left the room. Meanwhile, the Six-Eared Macaque remained seated on the bed,pletely unaware of his departure.

    Once outside the room, the young man closed the door and sat down in front of it, clearly worried about leaving the Six-Eared Macaque alone and thus personally acting as his protector.

    In the mental sea of the Six-Eared Macaque, his Divine Sense became a torrent as mighty as a rainbow, endlessly surging through therge and small meridians within his body, integrating them. The Power of Creation that had once blocked his meridians was slowly being absorbed and refined by the Six-Eared Macaque with the young man''s assistance.

    One could imagine that once the Six-Eared Macaquepletely refined this tremendous Power of Creation, he might not ascend to Emperor Level immediately, but he would surely not be far from it.

    Time passed indistinctly until suddenly, the Six-Eared Macaque exhaled a long breath of turbid air. Then, abruptly, he opened his eyes. In that instant, a vast force of Creation surged out from him but was quickly retracted, thenpletely internalized.

    At that moment, the young man entered the room again, and his first act was to scrutinize the Six-Eared Macaque closely. However, after a moment, a strange expression appeared on the young man''s face. Just as the Six-Eared Macaque was about to greet his master, he noticed the master''s odd look, as if he had seen something unbelievable. His intended greeting turned into an inquiry.

    "Master, is there something amiss with your disciple?"

    "It''s really strange, Six-Eared, were you about to breakthrough on your own after contemting the Heavenly Dao?" the young man asked directly instead of answering the Six-Eared Macaque''s query. Knowing the master was referring to his breakthrough attempt in the Northern Kunlun Continent, the Six-Eared Macaque respectfully replied, "Yes, Master.

    Your disciple has been meditating for twenty years, and after finally glimpsing a thread of the Heavenly Dao, I was about to make a breakthrough when..."

    The young man raised his hand, halting the Six-Eared Macaque from continuing. "Six-Eared, do you know what Realm your strength is at now?"

    The Six-Eared Macaque was taken aback, then after a careful sensing, he hesitantly responded, "I have surpassed the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal, yet I have not reached the Emperor Level?"

    Since he had not ascended to Emperor Level, the Six-Eared Macaque was uncertain about how formidable that level truly was. But he had an inkling that an Emperor Level power would definitely not be anything like his current state.

    "However, you''re currently in a strange state, precisely between the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal and the initial phase of the Emperor Level. It should be considered Half-Emperor. Yet throughout the millions of years of the Three Realms, no one has ever ascended in such a bizarre fashion. Half-Emperor, this is the first I have ever seen in my life," the young man uttered with an air of mystery.

 Chapter 71: Chapter 65: Bewitchment (3)

    Later, the Six-Eared Macaque learned from his master and only then knew that the titans of Emperor Level strength were the Nine Heavens Celestial Emperors, who are the kings among all immortals.

    And since the Taoist Sect and the Demon n had waged a great war, with the Taoist Sect seizing the Heavenly Pce, apart from those few Saints who had already achieved the Dao, there were only five Celestial Emperors. One Celestial Emperor guarded each of the eastern, southern, western, northern, and central directions.

    Moreover, breaking through from a Daluo Golden Immortal to a Nine Heavens Celestial Emperor was extremely difficult, not only requiring a substantial umtion of Spiritual Power but most importantly, a moment of enlightenment, in which one is recognized by heaven and earth.

    In the numbers of the Great Dao, nine is the ultimate, and so the rule of the Great Dao of heaven and earth dictates that only nine Celestial Emperors may exist between heaven and earth. This number can be less, but it can absolutely not be more.

    If there are already nine Celestial Emperors and another immensely powerful individual gains the recognition of the Heavenly Dao through exceptional means, then one of the previous nine Celestial Emperors would be removed, and that Celestial Emperor would be fated to a great and unavoidable battle, leading to their demise.

    Thus, the newly emerged Celestial Emperor would inherit the title of the fallen, bing the Supreme of heaven and earth.

    Therefore, it was only when the Six-Eared Macaque, by a fortunate coincidence, gained the recognition of heaven and earth and was about to break through to be a Celestial Emperor that someone, without regard for face, came to stop the Six-Eared Macaque''s breakthrough.

    In fact, all of this was the result of many coincidencesing together. Normally speaking, no matter how miraculous the Six-Eared Macaque might have been, it would have been absolutely impossible for them to gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao in such a short time, advancing to a Celestial Emperor in just a few hundred years.

    The young man before had nned to refine the Dragon Blood Staff for the Six-Eared Macaque and forge a suitable weapon for him. Yet, he never expected to have an epiphany while refining the Dragon Blood Staff and so he went into closed-door cultivation. Who would have thought that his cultivation wouldst twenty years?

    The third coincidence involved the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor wasn''t someone with nothing to do, wandering around idly. However, on that day, an urgent matter that the Jade Emperor simply had to attend to urred: it had been five hundred years since Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Pce, and now he was about to break the Seal of Five-Finger Mountain.

    Back when Sun Wukong nearly flipped the Heavenly Pce upside down, the Jade Emperor, by no means, could miss witnessing his breaking of the Seal.

    So when these three coincidences urred simultaneously, the scene from before transpired.

    However, in the nick of time, thanks to the young man emerging from his retreat and using his method to shatter and absorb the immense hand, materialized from the Jade Emperor''s mana, into the Six-Eared Macaque''s body, the Six-Eared Macaque was spared the incalcble harm that would havee from a failed breakthrough.

    Nevertheless, it now seems that although the Six-Eared Macaque did not ascend to a Celestial Emperor, there wasn''t any significant harm done. An immense hand, condensed by the mana of a longstanding Celestial Emperor, contains energy that is not usually essible to a Daluo Golden Immortal.

    Perhaps it was because of this, in addition to the Six-Eared Macaque absorbing the Power of Creation within his meridians, that his strength has be what it is now.

    It is known that, for thousands of years, except when a Celestial Emperor ascends to a Saint, there might be situations where one has sufficient strength but an insufficient realm, thus bing a Quasi-Saint, but for an ascension to a Celestial Emperor to fail and be a Half-Emperor, that truly is a rarity.

    Later, the Six-Eared Macaque asked, "Then, Master, what is your strength now?"

    The young man paused for a moment, then as if recalling something, hesitantly said, "If previously, my strength was at the peak level of a Saint. But now, it should be only at the early stages of a Saint''s strength."

    Although the young man spoke casually, the Six-Eared Macaque was already quite shocked. A Saint? The Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but secretly vow that he, too, must be a Saint and stand at the very peak.

    "Right, Six-Eared, since you are fine now, as your master, I will tell you about some of the powerful figures in the world today. Then, you can go out. Go make your mark in this world! And there is also your mission waiting for you!"

    Although the Six-Eared Macaque felt a great reluctance to leave the ce he had lived for several hundred years, the thought of venturing into the Great Thousand Worlds filled his heart with excitement.

    "Six-Eared, remember this. Your strength is now above average, although you can go to the vast majority of ces in this world, you still need to be wary of some people and some ces. First and foremost is Heaven. Unless you reach the peak of the Immortal Emperor, you definitely should not go there.

    The people of Heaven won''t allow a member of the Demon n, on the verge of bing an Immortal Emperor, to exist. Another ce is the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain. Although they won''t target the Demon n, they don''t like it when someone outside of Buddhism breaks through to Immortal Emperor."

    "Today''s world has three major forces: the Demon n, Heaven, and Buddhism. Among them, Heaven has three Saints and five Immortal Emperors, with countless Daluo Golden Immortals below them. Buddhism has four Saints, seven Buddhas, and countless Arhat Bodhisattvas. Among all these powers, the Demon n is the weakest.

    I know that there are five existing Saints, with two belonging to Ancient races currently living in concealment. Another two Demon Saints are Zhu Jiuyin of the Zhu Long and the Demon Master Kunpeng. Even I do not know their current whereabouts; I only know that the two did not fall in the Ancient War. The remaining one is your master.

    However, due to certain reasons, your master cannot leave the Northern Ju Lu Continent. In addition, there are currently five Demon Emperors: Bai Ze, Ya Zi, Lu Wu, Qiong Qi, and Sun Wukong, who recently ascended to the status of Demon Emperor. That is, Sun Wukong is the Ling Ming Stone Monkey from the four great monkeys of the Monkey Tribe."

    "Wha-what? He has already be Emperor level? He, he..."

    "Yes, and he became a Demon Emperor five hundred years ago. That monkey, he is really quite special; not even I can divine his destiny. I can only vaguely see that he must be a very important person; it seems that he is chosen by the Heavenly Dao."

    "Master, don''t worry, I will surely also advance to Demon Emperor. I won''t let you down."

    "Hehe, Six-Eared, there are some things in your heart now that shouldn''t be there. Remember, Sun Wukong is not your enemy; on the contrary, he is your best brother. Remember that. Even if the whole world turns against you, Sun Wukong will never be one of them! Your future is destined to fight alongside him; the future of the Demon n belongs to both of you."

    "Yes, Master, your disciple understands."

    "Good. Now that everything that needed to be said has been said. Take your Dragon Blood Staff and go down! Whether the Demon n can recover the glory of Ancient Times is up to you!"

    Having said that, the young man turned into a wisp of green smoke and slowly dissipated. The Six-Eared Macaque stood up, his eyes revealing an unprecedented determination.

    Finally, the Six-Eared Macaque came down from the mountain. With confidence and a will to fight, the Six-Eared Macaque left the Northern Ju Lu Continent. However, a conspiracy was waiting for him.

 Chapter 72: Chapter 65 Seduction (4)

    From a naive and ignorant young monkey with exceptional talents to a powerhouse at the Half-Emperor level, the Six-Eared Macaque had taken less than five hundred years. Amongst all the deities and Buddhas in the heavens, aside from those special beings born with immense innate strength, the Six-Eared Macaque could be deemed a rare genius once in a millennium.

    However, all these achievements seemed insignificant in front of the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong. They were born at almost the same time, yet Wukong had ascended to the status of a Demon Emperor, an Emperor-level powerhouse, five hundred years ago¡ªa position almost at the pinnacle of this world.

    As his master had exined, nine is the ultimate number in this universe, signifying that each power or race, or systematic entity, could have at most nine Emperor-level powerhouses. The Heavenly Dao divides them: all demons belong to the Demon n, which means there can be at most nine Demon Emperors within the entire n.

    Heaven too has its bounds, epassing all those who follow the Taoist Arts and ascend through Taoist sects. Lastly, there is Buddhism¡ªany cultivator who studies the Buddhist Law and takes Buddha as their belief falls within Buddhism''s influence, with a maximum of nine Buddhas. The Buddhas of Buddhism, just like the Immortal and Demon Emperors, are equivalent in rank but differ in name.

    Having spent five hundred years in cultivation, now only at the Half-Emperor level, the Six-Eared Macaque felt a profound sense of discontent. Thus, upon leaving the Northern Ju Lu continent, he didn''t even hesitate and headed straight for East Shengzhou.

    This journey had two purposes: one was to visit his monkey tribepatriots at Flower Fruit Mountain, and the other was to find that Ling Ming Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong, and challenge him to a battle.

    Although his master had said that Wukong would be his most steadfast brother, this did not diminish the Six-Eared Macaque''s determination for that one battle.

    From the Northern Ju Lu continent to East Shengzhou, it had taken years of aimless drifting across the ocean, whereas now, a single month was enough.

    The Six-Eared Macaque sat atop a Flying Cloud, and couldn''t help but take out the Dragon Blood Staff given to him by his master. Initially, the Six-Eared Macaque had simply acquired the heartwood from a millennium-old Bloodwood tree without any special refinement.

    But the Dragon Blood Staff in his hands now was different; the entire staff exhibited a bewitching crimson color, with a small red dragon constantly moving along the staff''s body. Yet when the Six-Eared Macaque reached out to touch it, his hands only felt the cold surface of the staff, as if the dragon didn''t exist at all¡ªalthough his eyes could certainly see it.

    After pondering for a long time without understanding, just as he was about to stow it away, he suddenly recalled the refinement method his master had taught him. Therefore, the Six-Eared Macaque ced the Dragon Blood Staff across his crossed legs, gripped it tightly with both hands, and closed his eyes. Simultaneously, his Divine Sense surged out, enveloping the staffpletely.

    He felt every detail of the Dragon Blood Staff intimately; initially, there was no reaction from his Divine Sense¡ªhe only felt a somewhat chilly staff. However, as time passed, an expression of astonishment increasingly appeared on the Six-Eared Macaque''s face, as though the tiny staff in his hands contained some enormous secret.

    Thus, an entire day and night passed in such revtion for the Six-Eared Macaque.

    When sunset arrived on the second day, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly opened his eyes. Then, with one toss of the Dragon Blood Staff in his hand, he shouted loudly, "Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, transform."

    No sooner had his voice echoed than a three-zhang-long crimson Divine Dragon split off from the Dragon Blood Staff thrown aloft. This crimson Divine Dragon''s scales were crystal clear, looking as if they were carved from red crystals.

    On closer inspection, one could see this approximately three-zhang-long crimson Divine Dragon possessed five ws¡ªa supreme being within the Dragon Race, a Five-wed Divine Dragon.

    As soon as the crimson Divine Dragon appeared, it immediately swooped downward and began to circle around the Six-Eared Macaque ceaselessly.

    Far from disying any surprise at this scene, the Six-Eared Macaque looked excited. It seemed that he had begun to gradually master the Dragon Blood Staff, although its name should now be the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff!

    With a joyous shout, the Six-Eared Macaque held the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff aloft, and the speed of his Cloud Riding increased by a third.

    At that moment, the Six-Eared Macaque''s six ears suddenly twitched, and he involuntarily slowed down his swift flight, evening to a stop midair. Yet as soon as he halted, the sound he had just heard was no longer there. This puzzled the Six-Eared Macaque¡ªhe possessed Innate Divine Abilities, with six ears that could discern celestial sounds and discern all truths.

    No ordinary sound could escape his hearing. Thus, it seemed unlikely he had been mistaken; rather a being with strength far surpassing his own had arrived.

    With this thought, the Six-Eared Macaque simply decided to descend slowly to the ground, controlling the Flying Cloud with ease. At this time, he was at the edge of Western Niu Hezhou, above a boundless vast forest. The Six-Eared Macaque dispelled the Flying Cloud and, with a leap, descended onto a towering ancient tree.

    As the Six-Eared Macaque descended from the ancient tree to the ground, he noticed an old monk seated underneath the tree. The monk was sitting cross-legged on a Ninth Grade Lotus Pedestal, but he didn''t radiate any strong aura; he seemed just like an ordinary old monk.

    However, this could deceive others, but not the Six-Eared Macaque. It was merely that the old monk''s strength was too overwhelming, allowing the Six-Eared Macaque only to vaguely discern that the person before him was no ordinary monk. As for who it could be, the Six-Eared Macaque could only sense a vast Buddha''s power.

    "Benefactor, you''ve been gazing at this poor monk for quite some time. Has this monk offended you in any way?" The old monk seemed to feel the Six-Eared Macaque''s stare, or perhaps he heard the sound of the Six-Eared Macaquending from the tree, and hence he spoke up to inquire.

    "You monk are quite peculiar, possessing the strength to reach the heavens yet pretending to be an ordinary person. Could it be that you''re nning to deceive someone?" Although the Six-Eared Macaque did not know the extent of this person''s abilities, he was not overly scared. After all, a true powerhouse must harbor a heart without fear.

    "Heh heh, patron, you have quite the eye. However, this poor monk does indeed behave this way, not wishing to deceive anyone, but merely to help a certain individual understand the true self within their heart."

    "Hehe, in this world, I dare not im much, but it would be exceedingly difficult for anyone to deceive me. Are you sitting here waiting for someone, monk?"

    In fact, the reason the Six-Eared Macaque spoke so much to this monk was because, from the moment of his birth to the present, aside from his initial interactions with his monkey tribe siblings, he only had his young master to speak with. However, it seemed his master was not one for idle chatter.

    During his several hundred years in the Nine Heavens Pce, aside from cultivation, he could only speak to the air, which, for an active monkey, was indeed quite lonely and stifling.

    Now that he had finally left the Nine Heavens Pce and encountered a monk he had never seen before, the Six-Eared Macaque''s interest was piqued immensely.

    The monk continued to keep his eyes closed and did not look to see who he was speaking with, but simply replied, "The person this poor monk is waiting for is you."

    "Huh? Waiting for me? Ahaha, that''s really amusing. You don''t even know who I am, do you? You really are an interesting monk,"ughed the Six-Eared Macaque.

    "Are you perhaps one of the four great monkeys of the monkey tribe, the Six-Eared Macaque?"

    "What? You actually know? Then tell me, why are you waiting for me?"

    "Heh heh, it is only because there is a great unwillingness in your heart, patron. You seek someone, but that person is not at your intended destination."

    "Oh? You know who I seek? Then where are they?"

    "The one you seek has set off with a monk named Tang Sanzang toward the Western Paradise. At this moment, they are on their way."

    "Why do you know so much? What are you trying to achieve by telling me all this?" Initially driven by curiosity, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly realized that the old monk was indeed specifically waiting for him. How could the Six-Eared Macaque not be astonished?

    "Five hundred years in Beiju Luzhou have already granted you enough strength, perhaps, you are the one most suited to be the king of the monkey tribe. Five hundred years have caused the monkey tribe to forget about you. In their hearts, now there is only the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong, with no thought whatsoever of a Six-Eared Macaque. In their eyes, you have long been dead."

    "Yet, you have been silently giving your all for the monkey tribe behind the scenes. Who knows of this? Therefore, you need a battle. Go forth, go defeat the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, and from then on, you shall be the true king of both the monkey tribe and the Demon n. The title of the Beautiful Monkey King, Great Sage Equalling Heaven should be yours, Six-Eared Macaque!"

    "Go on, go find him. On the way to the Western Paradise, there''s a monkey, a pig, and a half-demon, plus a monk. Go find him and then, defeat him!"

    The voice was still echoing in the air, but the old monk had vanished. What remained was only the Six-Eared Macaque, his eyes revealing a fierce desire to battle. However, in his eyes, besides the desire to fight, there was unexpectedly... a sense of being controlled by someone else!

 Chapter 73: Chapter 66 The True and False Beautiful Monkey King

    After leaving Beiju Luzhou, the Six-Eared Macaque had intended to go straight to East Shengzhou, but on his way through Western Liangzhou, he encountered an old monk. Initially, the Six-Eared Macaque spoke to the old monk out of curiosity, yet little did he know that the monk had been waiting for him.

    Through their conversation, the monk unwittingly unearthed the inner demons of the Six-Eared Macaque and seemed to have used some technique on him. However, in that moment, the Six-Eared Macaque''s heart was overwhelmed with surging battle intent.

    After bellowing a challenge to the heavens, dering himself Sun Wukong, the Six-Eared Macaque summoned his cloud with a gesture, and in a flip, he was already standing atop it. Storing away the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, he urged the cloud with all his might toward East Shengzhou.

    Although the conversation with the old monk had given rise to inner demons, the Six-Eared Macaque did not recklessly seek out Sun Wukong. First, he went to Flower Fruit Mountain beside the state of Ai in East Shengzhou. Even if the old monk''s words echoed his own thoughts, he still wanted to verify them personally.

    If they proved true, there would be time enough to settle ounts with Sun Wukong; if false, then he would confront the old monk instead.

    The journey was silent, and what should have been a journey of over a month waspleted by the Six-Eared Macaque in just twenty days. During these twenty days of relentless travel, his heart gradually calmed. Remembering his master''s words before he left, the Six-Eared Macaque trusted his master more than the inexplicable old monk.

    So when the Six-Eared Macaque arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain, he was far more at peace.

    As the cloud hovered before Flower Fruit Mountain, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but feel a wave of emotion, thinking of how the seasons hade and gone for hundreds of years, and how he had be a Half-Emperor level powerhouse. He could only wonder what changes had taken ce on Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Taking a deep breath, the Six-Eared Macaque dispersed the cloud and descended through the air. But uponnding in the domain of the monkey tribe on Flower Fruit Mountain, the first thing that caught his eye was not a myriad of monkeys, but a tall and imposing g inscribed with "Great Sage Equalling Heaven Sun Wukong"! Truly a sight of majestic and austere presence.

    At that moment, the Six-Eared Macaque''s ears twitched as he suddenly heard a series of shing armors and orderly footsteps. He stopped surveying his surroundings and casually waited. Soon, a squad of neatly armored monkey soldiers appeared before him. The squad was well-trained, each with a cautious expression and wielding a gleaming silver spear.

    Yet the Six-Eared Macaque made no move, simply watching the group of monkey soldiers silently. The soldiers, seeing their visitor was also a monkey, let out a sigh of relief. Then a captain-like monkey came forward, cupping his fist in a salute toward the Six-Eared Macaque, "Are you also from the monkey tribe?"

    Observing the cautious monkey captain, the Six-Eared Macaque was both amused and slightly irritated but didn''t put on any airs. Replying directly, he said, "Yes, I am from the monkey tribe, the Six-Eared Macaque!"

    The Six-Eared Macaque thought that while these monkey soldiers did not recognize him, it was perhaps either because he had left the mountain for too long and they hesitated to acknowledge him, or these soldiers had been born after he had left Flower Fruit Mountain, so it was normal for them not to know him.

    However, the Six-Eared Macaque didn''t expect that even after he revealed his name, the captain-like monkey still did not know who he was, and it was clear that he had never even heard the name Six-Eared Macaque before.

    In that instant, the Six-Eared Macaque felt displeased and asked, "You don''t know of the Six-Eared Macaque? Then tell me, do you know of the Ling Ming Stone Monkey?"

    Upon hearing the four words "Ling Ming Stone Monkey," the monkey captain immediately responded with respect, "Of course I know, that is our great king. I wouldn''t dare to say otherwise, but in this world, our great king is the only Ling Ming Stone Monkey."

    Hearing this, a sense of anger began to grow within the Six-Eared Macaque, who then stated, "I am a friend of your great king. Although you do not recognize me, the elders on the mountain surely do. After all, I have been away from Flower Fruit Mountain for hundreds of years."

    Upon learning that the Six-Eared Macaque was the great king''s friend, the monkey soldiers immediately sheathed their weapons and led him up the mountain. Along the way, the Six-Eared Macaque felt many emotions stirring within him. Five hundred years had passed, and yet Flower Fruit Mountain looked just as it did when he left, unchanged.

    Seeing the Six-Eared Macaque so nostalgic, the squad of monkey soldiers finally became convinced that this Six-Eared Macaque must indeed be a monkey that had left Flower Fruit Mountain long ago to be a friend of the great king.

    Finally, under the guidance of the monkey tribe soldiers, Six-Eared Macaque arrived at the entrance of Water Curtain Cave. It turned out that Six-Eared Macaque had never entered this Water Curtain Cave before. Thest time, it was the master who used great magical power to manifest his spirit here at Flower Fruit Mountain, yet he himself had never gone in.

    Not minding the group of monkey tribe soldiers by his side, Six-Eared Macaque leaped forward and had already passed through the waterfall curtain, arriving inside Water Curtain Cave.

    Looking at the stone tables, stone stools, stone beds and stone benches inside the cave, Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but feel extremely delighted. Although the ce was not as luxurious as the Nine Heavens Pce where he had cultivated before, it was superior in its freedom. While he was taking in his surroundings, suddenly a monkey asked Six-Eared Macaque, "Eh? Who are you?

    I''ve never seen you before. Are you new here?"

    Six-Eared Macaqueughed and said, "Go and call your parents. I had already left before you were even born."

    The little monkey proved to be obedient and really skipped off to find his parents. In a short while, a middle-aged monkey couple was brought over by the little monkey. Seeing that the little monkey had indeed fetched his parents, Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but feel amused.

    "Mom, Dad, do you recognize him? He said he left before I was born," the little monkey asked, pointing at Six-Eared Macaque. The monkey couple scrutinized Six-Eared Macaque carefully, but both shook their heads at the same time, not recognizing him!

    "Look closer, it''s me, I am Six-Eared Macaque. Right, look at my ears, my ears!"

    The couple inspected him again and thought hard, and the male monkey then said to Six-Eared Macaque, "My wife and I truly do not recognize you. How about I go and invite the elders of our tribe to see if they recognize you?"

    The couple was also curious about the sudden appearance of a monkey with six ears, so they went to call the oldest elder in the monkey tribe to identify Six-Eared Macaque. After all, the feeling must be terrible for someone who had wandered outside for hundreds of years to return home and find his family didn''t recognize him.

    Before long, escorted by a group of monkeys, an old monkey with pure white fur, leaning on a walking stick, slowly made his way over. When he reached Six-Eared Macaque''s side, the middle-aged couple said to the old monkey, "Elder, this is him. Please look and see if you recognize him. He said he left Flower Fruit Mountain five hundred years ago and has only nowe back.

    Right, he said his name is Six-Eared Macaque."

    The old monkey stepped closer, examining him and reminiscing, while Six-Eared Macaque stood still, as if afraid that any movement might prevent the elder from seeing clearly.

    After a while, the old monkey slowly backed away, seemingly making a final effort to remember, but ultimately he still shook his head and said, "I don''t recognize him, don''t recognize him. I''ve lived for seven hundred years, and I recognize every monkey on Flower Fruit Mountain, big and small. Yet I can''t seem to recall any monkey that has six ears!"

    After the old monkey spoke, Six-Eared Macaque suddenly copsed to the ground. They really don''t remember me? Even an old monkey who has lived for more than seven hundred years doesn''t recognize me?

 Chapter 74: Chapter 67: Change

    ```

    Actually, Six-Eared Macaque held a fondness for Flower Fruit Mountain deep in his heart, as after all, it was the ce of his birth. But when even that old monkey failed to recognize him, he was filled with nothing but a sense of grievance and rage, coupled with much iprehension.

    Didn''t he once set out to sea to seek immortality for the Monkey Tribe, specifically visiting immortals and seeking the Way, ultimately spending over a hundred years in arduous study in Beiju Luzhou? Weren''t these efforts all for the Monkey Tribe?

    Yet, they remembered only Ling Ming Stone Monkey, acknowledging that the Ling Ming Stone Monkey was the king, while I, the Six-Eared Macaque, am nothing! The more he thought about it, the sadder he became; the more he contemted, the more his heart ached. And deep within, the demon that the old monk had bewitched into his heart began to stir secretly.

    All of a sudden, Six-Eared Macaque let out a furious roar toward the sky and then leaped into the air, charging straight towards the clouds.

    The other monkeys thought he was just a wayward monkey and didn''t pay much attention, except for the oldest n elder, who cast a long, lingering look in the direction where Six-Eared Macaque had disappeared, then shook his head and slowly walked back, leaning on his walking stick.

    But no sooner had the monkeys dispersed than a loud call from afar was heard: "My children, your Old Sun has returned!" Hearing this familiar voice, the whole of Flower Fruit Mountain erupted, and all members of the Monkey Tribe gathered from all directions, cheerfully hailing the return of the Beautiful Monkey King.

    When the figure in the skynded, the monkeys saw clearly, indeed it was their king, so they all flocked to Sun Wukong''s side.

    "Monkeys, go tell everyone that Old Sun has returned."

    At hismand, the monkeys dispersed instantly¡ªsome went to spread the news to others, while some prepared fruits and fine wine. It seemed as if Sun Wukong''s return was their grandest festival. And there was Sun Wukong, witnessing it all, his face inscrutable. What he was truly thinking in his heart, perhaps, only he knew!

    Soon, all the monkeys, young and old, had gathered inside the Water Curtain Cave, and it was fortunate that the Cave was spacious enough; otherwise, it would not have been able to hold them all. Sun Wukong held a jug of fine wine in one hand and lounged on the throne within the Water Curtain Cave, not saying anything, just watching the ecstatic celebration of the monkeys below, lost in thought.

    At that moment, the elderly n leader, supported by a few sturdy monkeys, approached Sun Wukong. He bowed slightly and addressed Sun Wukong, "Great King, didn''t you go with Tang Monk to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures? What brings you back so suddenly?"

    "Heh, it''s the old monkey. That Tang Monk has mundane eyes, yet is also dull-witted and stubborn; following him to retrieve the scriptures from the Western Paradise simply buried Old Sun''s talents." Having said that, Sun Wukong paused, then addressed the monkeys below, "Monkeys, who wants to apany Old Sun to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures? This is a great act of merit."

    "I will, I want to go!" "You''re not as skilled as me, it should be me who goes!"

    In an instant, there was a cacophony of voices beneath him. Suddenly, a monkey called out loudly, "Great King, if we go to retrieve the scriptures ourselves, do we need to bring any luggage or something? Last time you returned, you mentioned something about Travel Documents, but we don''t have any of that."

    Sun Wukong waved his hand with a heh-hehugh, "That''s a trivial matter. Just wait, I''ll go and fetch those Travel Documents."

    With that said, he somersaulted into the air and in a blink, he had be a streak of light, vanishing from sight.

    ```

    After that, you all probably know what happened. Sun Wukong first attacked Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie, and he stole their travel documents and luggage. Then, upon returning to Flower Fruit Mountain, he picked three monkeys and transformed them into the likenesses of Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing.

    However, at that moment, he was found by the real Sha Wujing, and after a series of misunderstandings, the two Sun Wukongs finally met face to face.

    When the real Sun Wukong arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain with Sha Wujing, he was astonished to find another Sun Wukong who looked exactly like himself. Without a word, he fully activated his fiery-golden eyes. However, to his shock, the figure before him didn''t change at all under his fiery-golden gaze.

    Even the Golden Hoop on his head and the Jingu Bang in his hand appearedpletely real under the fiery-golden eyes.

    This ordeal left Sun Wukong feeling an indescribable eeriness. In shock, the true Sun Wukong swung his staff to attack, but after exchanging blows, he was shaken once again. The person before him not only looked identical but also matched his skills and cultivation exactly.

    After hundreds of rounds of fighting, they were still evenly matched. So, Sun Wukong resorted to provocation, suggesting they go to Heaven to argue over who was the real one. Unexpectedly, the other agreed, and as they fought their way to the gate of the Southern Heaven, they found Li Jing and took out the Demon-Revealing Mirror.

    Yet, even under the Demon-Revealing Mirror, a supreme treasure of Heaven, both appeared genuine. The Demon-Revealing Mirror couldn''t distinguish the true from the false? At this point, Sun Wukong felt something was seriously amiss. If the one who had taken his appearance were a demon or some other being, they would not have dared to ascend to Heaven with him.

    If it wasn''t a demon, then who could it be? And why assume his form?

    Afterward, they visited Bodhisattva Guanyin, but this time, it was the other who suggested it. Their eagerness to prove who was the real one seemed greater than Sun Wukong''s own.

    What on earth was going on? Was this person endowed with a heaven-shocking transformation spell, or did they have another motive? Yet when even Bodhisattva Guanyin couldn''t discern the truth, Sun Wukong finally sensed a whiff of conspiracy.

    Close to a thousand roundster, Sun Wukong waspletely certain. There was definitely something wrong with this person, but no matter how he activated his fiery-golden eyes, he couldn''t see the truth of the matter. Then, Sun Wukong thought of someone, and without a word, he turned and flew downward. Sure enough, his counterpart followed closely, seemingly fearful that Sun Wukong would escape.

    Within a quarter of an hour, Sun Wukong had arrived at Nine Serenities Hell with the other, at the ce of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. Just a moment ago, Sun Wukong seemed to have realized something which made him remember the sovereign of the Netherworld, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. If his suspicions were correct, then only Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha could help him now.

    Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, the true master of Nine Serenities Hell. Though he holds the rank of Bodhisattva, his merit-based Buddha Power far surpasses that of Buddha himself, reaching the level of a saint. However, Ksitigarbha once made a vast and ambitious vow: "Not until Hell is empty will I be a Buddha!" So he has yet to achieve the Bodhi enlightenment.

    After Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha heard the whole story, he let his Divine Beast Deva Listen step forward to distinguish the true from the false. Deva Listen, originally a white dog, could discern true from false in all of Heaven and Earth and the right from wrong in the world.

    Both Sun Wukongs stood firmly in ce as the Divine Beast Deva Listen slowly approached them. It then put its ear against the forehead of one of the Sun Wukongs, listened for a moment, and moved to the other Sun Wukong, doing the same. At that moment, the other Sun Wukong couldn''t help but glower fiercely, the fiery-golden eyes shining forth.

    Yet when the fiery-golden eyes shone upon the second Sun Wukong, the initial one eximed in surprise, "How, how can it be you? The Six-Eared Macaque?"

 Chapter 75: Chapter 68: A Scheme within a Scheme

    Actually, when Sun Wukong firstid eyes on this Sun Wukong who looked exactly like himself, his Fire Eyes Golden Gaze had already seen through some of it. It was just that the scene was so astonishing that Sun Wukong couldn''t understand it for a moment.

    Therefore, Sun Wukong decided to y along, pretending that his Fire Eyes Golden Gaze could not prate the true identity of this person and made a ruckus with this false Sun Wukong.

    Butter on, as he was fighting with this fake version of himself, a thought suddenly shed through Sun Wukong''s mind, so he quickly led this fake Sun Wukong to the Netherworld to meet with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

    When the divine beast Di Ting, sitting under Ksitigarbha''s throne, was discerning the true from the false, Sun Wukong''s Divine Sense stirred, and he suddenly activated his Fire Eyes Golden Gaze. What he saw was that this imposter, transformed into his likeness, had turned back into the Six-Eared Macaque?

    Others might not be familiar with the Six-Eared Macaque, but Sun Wukong was different. It was said that the four great divine monkeys of the Monkey Tribe are the saviors of the Demon n, so there was a special connection between the four divine monkeys. Moreover, in the depths of Sun Wukong''s memory, there were recollections of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    This memory was innate, and no length of time could ever erase it.

    Just as Sun Wukong was about to cry out in surprise, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva''s hands were quickly flipping through seals¡ª the Great Four Image Vajra Lock Seal, Three Mountains Seal, Mighty Virtue Vajra Hand Seal, and finally the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Seal.

    As the seals flipped, Sun Wukong felt the space around him suddenly start to shake, and after three breaths, he was shocked to find himself already in another time and space. He was so certain because the sense of space he felt here waspletely different.

    When he turned to look at the Six-Eared Macaque, it had reverted to its original form and was lying unconscious on the ground. Sun Wukong looked up at Ksitigarbha only to find that he seemed to be probing something with his Divine Sense. Before long, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva must have finished his scrutiny, and with a tap of his hand, a stream of golden light flowed into the Six-Eared Macaque''s body.

    When all the light had faded, the Six-Eared Macaque slowly came to. The first words out of the waking Six-Eared Macaque were, "Let me go, let me go quickly."

    But after struggling for a bit and realizing he wasn''t bound, he froze for a moment and then began to look around. The first thing he saw was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sitting on the higher Lotus Throne, and at this sight, the Six-Eared Macaque seemed to remember something and suddenly knelt down to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, respectfully saying, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your salvation."

    With a gentle wave of his hand, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva lifted the Six-Eared Macaque with a gentle force. Only then did he speak to Sun Wukong, "Great Saint, I know you have many doubts in your heart, and I am willing to resolve them for you one by one!"

    At that moment, Sun Wukong too had a sh of enlightenment; it seemed he had been calcted by someone. However, because of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, there had been some variables.

    Sun Wukong first brought his hands together and bowed deeply to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Then he asked, "Bodhisattva, I know I must be caught in a trap, but I can only guess a few clues. First of all, where is this ce?"

    "This is an outer-space connected to the Nine Serenities Underworld. Great Saint, you guessed correctly. This plot is profound, and to be safe, I had to use my Mana to move you and the Six-Eared Macaque to this outer-space. Only here can we be free from prying eyes."

    "Thank you, Bodhisattva. Then, what exactly is this plot all about? Why did my Fire Eyes Golden Gaze see Tathagata''s phantom the first time I saw this Six-Eared Macaque? I thought Tathagata had transformed into my shape to add to our trials."

    "Hehe, the being you saw earlier, Wukong, was indeed Mahavairocana Tathagata," said Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, "but it was not his doppelganger; instead, it was a projection of his divine sense." He then turned slightly towards the Six-Eared Macaque and continued, "You must have encountered Tathagata before, haven''t you? Perhaps one of his incarnations."

    By this time, the Six-Eared Macaque had already awakened to the reality that he, along with everyone else, had been deceived. "Yes, I encountered an old monk on the edge of the Western Continents. The old monk said he was waiting there specifically for me. He also told me to find Sun Wukong and then defeat him."

    "Defeat me? Why would you want to defeat me?"

    Upon hearing this, the Six-Eared Macaque became visibly agitated. "You ask why? Then I ask you, why do the monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain no longer remember the Six-Eared Macaque? Yet they only remember you, the Ling Ming Stone Monkey? In those years, to free the Monkey Tribe from death, I too sailed the seas in search of the path to immortality.

    I''ve cultivated painstakingly for over a hundred years, all for the sake of the Monkey Tribe. Why has everyone forgotten me? I am also one of the four Great Divine Monkeys of the tribe. That''s why I need to defeat you¡ªto prove that I, the Six-Eared Macaque, am also a king of Flower Fruit Mountain."

    After letting out all his grievances in one breath, Sun Wukong was taken aback. Then, suddenly, his face showed profound guilt.

    Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, sitting above, understood the cause after listening. "Six-Eared Macaque, you have indeed wronged the Great Saint. The Great Saint did not intend to make the Monkey Tribe forget you. The thing is, when the Great Saint wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Pce, none of the Heavenly Gods could match him.

    Later on, King of the Heavenly Tower, Li Jing, captured all the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain with the Exquisite Pagoda as a threat to coerce the Great Saint into submission. The Great Saint, out of love for his fellow monkeys, surrendered and was bound.

    But what he didn''t expect was that after his surrender, King of the Heavenly Tower still used the Exquisite Pagoda to erase the memories of all the monkeys inside before releasing them. Therefore, the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain only remember what happened after the havoc in Heaven; indeed, they have forgotten everything before that."

    "Ah? How could this be? Has Heaven really scorned Flower Fruit Mountain as defenseless?" After hearing this, the Six-Eared Macaque was furious. Suddenly, he turned around and punched Sun Wukong right in the face. Sun Wukong, however, did not dodge and took the punch squarely.

    "And you call yourself the Beautiful Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain? Can you remain indifferent to such oppression of your own tribe?"

    At that moment, Sun Wukong''s eyes dimmed, and he offered no defense. Instead, he slowly stood up and walked towards the Six-Eared Macaque. Just as the Six-Eared Macaque was about to say more, Sun Wukong suddenly embraced him tightly and whispered, "Brother, I have always remembered this humiliation. Alone, my power was too meager to seek vengeance.

    But now that you have returned, I am no longer fighting alone!"

    The Six-Eared Macaque, who initially wanted to reproach Sun Wukong, fell silent. Indeed, despite their numbers, the Monkey Tribe was nothingpared to the vast Heavenly Pce. No matter how powerful Sun Wukong was, he was just one individual¡ªalone, he could not shake the foundation of Heaven.

    Now, even as the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong had to put aside all his pride and dignity to be a mere enforcer, subjected to all manner of difficulties by the host of divinities. The indignity of it all was borne by Sun Wukong alone.

    With a soft sigh, the Six-Eared Macaque wrapped his arms around Sun Wukong in return. "Forget the past; I won''t hold it against you. But the humiliation of our Monkey Tribe must one day be avenged in blood by Heaven."

 Chapter 76: Chapter 69 Inception (2)

    The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha seated above looked at the dissipated estrangement between the two and couldn''t help but nod slightly. At this moment, Sun Wukong released the Six-Eared Macaque, and then he patted his shoulder heavily twice, saying, "Good brother, we''ll continue this conversationter. There are still unresolved matters at hand."

    The Six-Eared Macaque was also sensible, and moreover, he was tricked by the Tathagata¡ªwho even projected a Divine Sense illusion into his inner world¡ªandter had his own will sealed away. If not for the rescue by the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, he feared that he would have be nothing more than a walking corpse in this lifetime.

    "Bodhisattva, what exactly is going on here? I beg for your guidance."

    "You both should listen carefully to what I have to say. This time, the matter originated from Tathagata Buddha''s scheme to kill three birds with one stone. However, something went amiss along the way, so this scheme ended in failure."

    "Kill three birds with one stone? Right, Bodhisattva, how do you know all these things? And, aren''t you also from Buddhism? Why then did youe to help us?"

    In fact, when Sun Wukong caused a great uproar in the Netherworld and forcefully snatched the Book of Life and Death, he had noticed that the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha seemed not to be close to either Buddhism or Heaven and even harbored some hostility.

    Otherwise, at that time, with Sun Wukong merely being at the initial Emperor Level, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva having attained the cultivation of a Saint, capturing Sun Wukong would have been as easy as flipping his hand.

    But Ksitigarbha had let Sun Wukong off the hook back then and even transmitted a message to Sun Wukong before he left: "If you encounter trouble in the future, you may seek me in Nine Serenities. Great Saint, take care!"

    As the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong was extremely sensitive to discerning a person''s good or evil intentions. Thus, he could feel that Ksitigarbha truly intended to help him without any ulterior motives or ill intent.

    Just like when he first took Tang Sanzang as his master, Sun Wukong had also sensed the purely great goodness in Tang Sanzang''s heart. Otherwise, had Tang Sanzang been a wicked person, Sun Wukong would have refused to acknowledge him as master, even at the risk of being branded ungrateful and treacherous.

    "Great Saint, my story, if we were to fully delve into it, would be a long one. But if the Great Saint wishes to hear it, I shall briefly recount it," the Monk said.

    Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque both said in unison, "We wish to hear it, we wish to hear it."

    "In reality, I am not from this world but from an Ancient Realm known as the Ancient Primordial World in the Upper Realm. That world also has a Buddhism. And I was just an ordinary monk within that sector of Buddhism.

    However, one day, a newly formed minor world known as the Pangu Realm was birthed below, so my sect assigned me along with several fellow disciples to establish Buddhism in this minor world and spread the Taoist Spell."

    "After arriving in this minor world, my fellow disciples indeed established a new Buddhism, and after tens of thousands of years, it had spread with many disciples. Seeing that the mission was aplished, my fellow disciples left me to guard it while they returned to the Ancient Primordial World in the Upper Realm to report back."

    "But after they returned, the remaining Buddhas and Saints united against me, dissatisfied with the control of Buddhism being in my hands. They banded together and inflicted severe injuries upon me. However, as a disciple of Buddhism from the Ancient Primordial World, my Divinity was a level above theirs. Hence, they could only harm me but could neither kill nor suppress me."

    "Later, using the lives of all Buddhist disciples as leverage, they forced me to make a grand vow¡ªthat so long as the Netherworld was not empty, I would not be a Buddha. At that time, I had been wounded by a special Magic Artifact and my cultivation had fallen to the peak of Buddha Level, equivalent to the peak of Emperor Level.

    Thus, as long as I made this vow, unless this world were to be destroyed, there was no way for me to achieve the fruition of Bodhi."

    "A Buddha at the peak level had no significant effect on them, so they let me freely develop in the Netherworld. That is my story."

    After listening to what Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had said, both Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were incredibly shocked. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva came from the Upper Realm? No wonder the creature with acute hearing could see through the Dharma Body of the Tathagata.

    After a moment of silence, Sun Wukong asked, "Then, will this bring any trouble to the Bodhisattva?"

    "Haha, there is no need to worry about that. Although the Tathagata knows that it was I who ruined his n, he wouldn''t dare to confront me over this matter. Currently, the tension between Buddhism and Heaven is tight; he won''t make another powerful enemy at this time. Moreover, I, as the King Ksitigarbha, am not the same as I used to be."

    "That''s good to hear. If the Bodhisattva were implicated in this matter, it would truly be a grave sin. So, Bodhisattva, what exactly is this situation all about?"

    "To speak of this matter, I must mention the trap designed by the Tathagata. It took me an immense cost to barely break through it. First, the Tathagata Buddha transformed into an old monk and waited for the Six-Eared Macaque on his way to East Shengzhou, then he used great magical power to provoke the inner demons of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    In the end, while the Six-Eared Macaque was not paying attention, he projected his Divine Sense into the Six-Eared Macaque''s sea of consciousness, achieving subconscious control.

    Later on, the sequence of events that the Six-Eared Macaque encountered on Flower Fruit Mountain utterly activated his inner demons, and Tathagata took this opportunity to imprison the Divine Sense of the Six-Eared Macaque, then controlled Six-Eared''s flesh with Divine Sense."

    "After Tathagata gained control over the Six-Eared Macaque, he rode the clouds to the location of Tang Sanzang. The Tathagata''s original intent was to control the Six-Eared''s body to transform into the image of Sun Wukong, and then kill Zhu Bajie, Monk Sha, and Tang Sanzang. However, he didn''t expect the Divine Sense of the Six-Eared Macaque to be so tenacious.

    At thest moment, the Divine Sense of the Six-Eared Macaque erupted, causing the body controlled by Tathagata to be unable to kill, ultimately only injuring Zhu Bajie and Tang Sanzang, and then snatching their luggage and documents."

    "Actually, my intention wasn''t to kill anyone; I just couldn''t swallow that defeat. I just wanted to rece you and go on the quest for the scriptures myself. So when the Tathagata controlled me, my Divine Sense could still fight against his," the Six-Eared Macaque said to Sun Wukong.

    "Bodhisattva, why would the Tathagata do this? Although there have been many difficulties before, the Tathagata has never personally taken action."

    "Because he, the Tathagata, is afraid. He is afraid of Tang Sanzang, he is more afraid of the Six-Eared Macaque, and even more afraid of you, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.

    In fact, your master Tang Sanzang has died nine times on the journey to retrieve the scriptures, and if he dies once more this time, then Tang Sanzang willpletely lose his divinity and never be able to attain the fruit of Bodhi. However, with the help of you brothers this time, it''s very possible that Tang Sanzang could truly reach the Western Paradise.

    This is something the Tathagata absolutely cannot ept. Besides, the Tathagata doesn''t want the Six-Eared Macaque to ascend to Demon Emperor. If this trap were sessful, the Tathagata would certainly continue to control the Six-Eared Macaque, and in the end, it''s very likely the Six-Eared Macaque would be another Arhat or Bodhisattva of Buddhism.

    As for you, Great Saint, if the Tathagata-controlled Six-Eared Macaque really killed Tang Sanzang and Bajie, at that time, if the Tathagata uses great magical power to transfer the sin of killing onto you, then you would be a heinous person guilty of murdering your brother and ying your master.

    Once burdened with such a sin, I''m afraid you, Great Saint, will never have the day to achieve enlightenment," said the Bodhisattva.

    Listening quietly, both the Six-Eared Macaque and Sun Wukong couldn''t help breaking out in a cold sweat. The Tathagata, he truly has meticulous ns.

    If he hadn''t underestimated the strength of the Six-Eared Macaque''s stubbornness, or had not been countered by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva using the acutely hearing creature to dispel the Divine Sense of the Tathagata, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

    To morph the Six-Eared Macaque into the image of Sun Wukong by sorcery and then kill Tang Sanzang before transferring the sin of the kill onto Sun Wukong, this chain of schemes truly sends shivers down one''s spine.

    "By the way, the Tathagata should already be a Saint, right? But the Six-Eared''s Cultivation shouldn''t have reached Emperor Level, so why could Six-Eared''s Divine Sense fight against the Divine Sense of Tathagata?"

    "One reason is that the Tathagata didn''t take the Six-Eared Macaque too seriously; after all, those below Emperor Level are no different from ants to living beings, so he only projected a wisp of Divine Sense. The second reason should be that the Six-Eared has some magic artifact on him that can suppress the Divine Sense of the Tathagata."

    Upon hearing what the King Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had finished saying, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly flipped his right hand, and the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff appeared out of nowhere. "It should be this staff, besides this I don''t have anything else," said the Six-Eared Macaque.

    With a flick of his finger, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff flew into the hands of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. After examining it carefully, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva nodded repeatedly and said, "Indeed, it is this staff.

    Inside this staff, not only is there a drop of True Blood from the Azure Dragon, the Dragon Ancestor, but there are also True Blood from Ying Long, Zhu Long, Qiulong, and Chilong, the four great Divine Dragons. And it also contains his essence. No wonder it can suppress the Divine Sense of the Tathagata. It''s just a pity that the Cultivation of the Six-Eared is too low.

    If you had the Cultivation of a Saint, this staff would definitely be able to unleash boundless power."

 Chapter 77: Chapter 70: The Situation Unravels

    (Chapter 70, haha. 214501643, those who like this book, wee to join the group and discuss together, haha.)

    After Ksitigarbha had finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff fell into the hands of the Six-Eared Macaque. "Great Saint, now that both of you are aware of this plot, how do you intend to break free from it?"

    "Bodhisattva, now that we both know Tathagata''s scheme, we naturally won''t let him seed. I n to have Six-Eared return to Flower Fruit Mountain, and then I''ll use the doppelganger technique to create another me. Even if Tathagata can see through it, he wouldn''t dare to act, as he would have to swallow this loss on his own. After all, the entire host of gods and Buddhas in Heaven is watching."

    "That''s good. Based on what I know of Tathagata, he will definitely try to find a way to get you out of this situation. Otherwise, it would be Buddhism itself that ends up embarrassed. However, Six-Eared Macaque must not return to Flower Fruit Mountain anymore, because if Tathagata bes aware, he will surely find a way to kill you."

    Having said that, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva suddenly closed his eyes, his fingers swiftly moving in calction as if to deduce something.

    "Six-Eared Macaque, once you leave Nine Serenities Hell, head directly towards the southwest. There, your destiny awaits you. Alright Great Saint, it''s time for you to leave. The y must go on."

    Both the Six-Eared Macaque and Sun Wukong nodded in agreement, patted each other on the shoulders, and then transformed into streaks of light as they flew away. After they had departed, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed quietly and whispered, "This inevitable great war between the Heavenly Realm and the Buddhist Realm...

    Tathagata, you think you are preparing for the future, but in reality, you are digging your own grave."

    Once he left Nine Serenities Hell, Sun Wukong plucked a monkey hair and turned it into his own likeness, then fought and flew towards Western Paradise Sacred Mountain.

    Upon arriving at Spiritual Mount, everything was indeed as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had said. Tathagata, though furious, still went along with Sun Wukong''s act. Sun Wukong''s doppelganger was trapped by Tathagata Buddha''s Purple Gold Bowl, and at the same time, Wukong''s Divine Sense stirred, and the monkey hair turned into the appearance of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    With that, the affair of the Real and Fake Beautiful Monkey King came to an end. Sun Wukong returned to the Lower Realm to find Tang Monk and continue their journey, while the Six-Eared Macaque arrived at Illusory Demon Ind. At that moment, the Six-Eared Macaque realized that the opportunity that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had spoken of was indeed this Illusory Demon Ind.

    Fast forwarding to the present, after the great battle, the two looked around at the devastated Illusory Demon Ind and couldn''t help but smile wryly.

    Then Sun Wukong shared with the Six-Eared Macaque what had happened since they parted ways, how he became the Great Saint of Victorious Battles, led the Demon n to attack Heaven, but was ambushed by Tathagata, resulting in Heaven being upied by Buddhism.

    However, after merging with Nezha''s Metal Attribute Divine Stone, Sun Wukong fought another grand battle with Tathagata, killed him, and subsequently killed several Saints of Buddhism. As a result, though Buddhism now upied Heaven, there was no longer any powerful figure to suppress it.

    Therefore, Sun Wukong could leave to search for the scattered Five-Colored Divine Stones with confidence. He wanted to give Buddhism some time to be chaotic on their own. Many were eyeing the title of Supreme of Buddhism. With Tathagata Buddha dead and all Saints from the Upper Realm fallen, the throne of Buddhism''s Supreme was likely to be imed by the remaining Buddhas.

    Thus, there would inevitably be strife within Buddhism, and they might evene to blows.

    When Sun Wukong finished recounting his story, the Six-Eared Macaque''s heart throbbed with shock and then boiled with excitement. He deeply regretted not being a part of that great war on the remote Illusory Demon Ind.

    If it wasn''t for Sun Wukong saying that more people from the Upper Realm woulde, the Six-Eared Macaque might have rushed back to Heaven to ughter those Buddhas. With the Six-Eared Macaque''s current strength, those Buddhas would stand no chance against him.

    "By the way, why did you im to be Emperor Huang earlier? And why didn''t you use your Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff?"

    "You have no idea how powerful that staff is now. If it''s not a battle of life and death, I dare not use it."

    "Oh? Ksitigarbha did say that the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff was no ordinary weapon, but surely it can''t be so powerful that you are afraid to use it?"

    Six-Eared Macaque didn''t say anything else; he just offered a helpless wry smile, then cupped his hands to his mouth like a megaphone and called out, "Mydy, pleasee out. My good brother is here!"

    While Sun Wukong was puzzled, he suddenly felt a fluctuation in the space beside him. Just as he was about to raise the Golden Hoop Staff to enterbat mode, the Six-Eared Macaque stretched out a hand to stop him and said with a wry smile, "Don''t attack, it''s my staff."

    Just as the Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking, the fluctuating space suddenly seemed to be torn apart by something. Then, a beautiful woman d in fiery red battle armor emerged from the torn space. She appeared and, in a sh, was by the Six-Eared Macaque''s side. Before Sun Wukong could react, she grabbed the Six-Eared Macaque''s ear and said, "Did you call me a stick? Try saying that again?"

    With his ear pinched by her, the Six-Eared Macaque not only did not resist but rather replied with a ttering tone, "Ah, not a stick, not a stick, a great beauty, the most beautiful woman under the heavens."

    "Hmph, that''s more like it." After saying this, she let go of the Six-Eared Macaque''s ear and then suddenly hugged his arm, looking like a well-behaved girl.

    Sun Wukong, who was watching from the side, was almost petrified, his face full of astonishment. Was this still the domineering and awe-inspiring Six-Eared Macaque from just a moment ago?

    The Six-Eared Macaque seemed to be already ustomed to it. "Actually, I am known as Emperor Huang. It was the name my master gave me back then. It was just too hasty back at Ksitigarbha''s ce, and I didn''t get the chance to tell you. Later, when I arrived at Illusory Demon Ind, I changed my own name to Emperor Huang.

    As for her," he nodded toward the woman, "she is that Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff from back then. After a fortunate coincidence, she developed spiritual wisdom and can now transform into human form."

    Even after the Six-Eared Macaque''s exnation, Sun Wukong''s face still showed disbelief. True, the Dragon Blood Staff was indeed mystical, and it wasn''t unheard of for weapons to develop spiritual wisdom, but the fact that spiritual wisdom could transform into human form was absolutely astounding. What kind of fortune and coincidence was necessary to achieve this?

    Moreover, the fact that the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff turned into a girl after transforming was already surprising, but what astounded Sun Wukong even more was the girl''s personality, which changed too fast; one moment she was fierce and the next she was a gentle, obedient girl.

    "Six-Eared, your staff¡ªor no, I mean¡ªright, what should I call her?" Sun Wukong had intended to say "stick," but upon seeing the girl''s ring beautiful eyes, he quickly corrected himself, yet didn''t know what to call her, so he couldn''t help but ask.

    "I always call her Little Dragon. She might be quite fierce sometimes, but most of the time, she is really nice." As he said this, the Six-Eared Macaque whispered to Sun Wukong, "Don''t look at her as being frail; when it actuallyes to fighting, I''m not even her match. Plus, whenever she transforms back into her true form, she attacks with a hundred dragons'' fury, which is truly terrifying."

    After hearing this, Sun Wukong couldn''t help but think of his own Ruyi Jingu Bang, which was now almost a top-level supreme weapon. However,pared to the self-transforming Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, it seemed far inferior.

    At that moment, the Ruyi Jingu Bang seemed to resonate with Sun Wukong''s sigh, shaking on its own. Surprised, Sun Wukong wrapped his divine sense around the Jingu Bang to investigate, and when his divine sense merged with the staff, he received a message that shocked him deeply.

    After a while, Sun Wukong finally returned to his senses, but he just shook his head lightly and then said to the Six-Eared Macaque, "Six-Eared, I''ve passed this challenge, haven''t I? How many more are there? I need to hurry and find the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone."

    As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly showed an embarrassed and sheepish expression.

    Seeing this, Sun Wukong was puzzled and pressed for an answer. Eventually, the Six-Eared Macaque could no longer avoid the question and said with an embarrassed face, "Uh, this, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone, well, we''ve lost it. We also have no idea where it is now!"

    No sooner had the Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking than Sun Wukong was on the verge of exploding, grabbing the Six-Eared Macaque''s shoulder and shouting, "What did you say? Lost? The Fire Attribute Divine Stone is lost? If it''s lost, why bother setting up these challenges? Are you messing with me on purpose?"

    "No, no, big brother, listen to me. That Fire Attribute Divine Stone is indeed not on the ind. Actually, to be urate, the stone ran off on its own. Later, the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n expended a huge price to deduce that the stone had developed spiritual wisdom and, unwilling to stay put, ran off to East Shengzhou.

    And it entered a woman''s belly, exploiting the Power of Reincarnation to be reborn as a child."

    And where is this child now?"

    That, we really don''t know. Thest deduction resulted in the child being a natural Fire System Spiritual Body and innately capable of spewing Samadhi True Fire.

 Chapter 78: Chapter 71: Is Hong Haier the Five-Colored Divine Stone?

    (The guardian of the Fire Attribute Divine Stone is the Illusion Demon n, which was previously stated as the Demon Dream n, and I am restating it here. If any readers spot such errors, please feel free to point them out, and I will correct them promptly.)

    "You, you mean Hong Hai''er is the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone?" Sun Wukong eximed in surprise upon hearing what Six-Eared Macaque had said. This revtion could not but shock Sun Wukong: he himself was the Earth Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, and Nezha was the Metal Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone. Now, could it be that Hong Hai''er was the Fire Attribute?

    "Big brother, what are you saying about Hong Hai''er?"

    "Oh, you might not know about this. On the journey to obtain the scriptures, when we passed through Huoyun Cave at the dry pine stream of me Mountain, we met the Holy Infant King, Hong Hai''er. Later, I learned from the Deity of the Land that the child was actually the son of my sworn brother, the Bull Demon King.

    This Hong Hai''er is an innate Fire Spirit Body, able to freely spit Samadhi True Fire, and very difficult to deal with."

    "Then big brother, it''s very possible that Hong Hai''er is that Fire Attribute stone. After all, having an innate Fire Spirit Body is extremely rare. By the way, when was Hong Hai''er born?"

    "I''m not exactly sure about the details, but it should have been after my havoc in the Heavenly Pce, during the five hundred years I was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain."

    "Hmm, then it must be him. When I first arrived on the ind, that stone was already gone."

    "The more I think about it, the more possible it seems. Because my sworn brother is a Heavenly Demon Bull who attained enlightenment, and the mother of Hong Hai''er is the princess of the Rakshasa Kingdom; the child they would logically produce should also be of the Heavenly Demon Bull lineage.

    Even if the Rakshasa bloodline from the mother caused some interference, at the very least, there should be a pair of bull horns. But when I saw the child, not only did he have no horns, he did not have a trace of the Demon Bull''s bloodline. If I didn''t know for sure that my sister-inw was fiercely loyal, I would have suspected that the old Bull had been cuckolded.

    Now that I think about it, it turns out that Hong Hai''er is actually transformed from the Five-Colored Divine Stone. No wonder, no wonder..."

    Having finished speaking in one breath and after analyzing with each other, they were finally certain that Hong Hai''er was the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone. But now, Sun Wukong truly faced a dilemma.

    "Big brother, do you know where Hong Hai''er is now?"

    "If nothing unexpected happened, he should be serving as a Child of Good Fortune under Guanyin Bodhisattva."

    "Guanyin? Isn''t Hong Hai''er a demon? How...?"

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong''s face twisted with embarrassment. "That Hong Hai''er once captured my master, Tang Sanzang, and obstructed our quest for the scriptures. But since he is the child of my elder brother, I couldn''t bring myself to be too harsh. However, I didn''t expect that child to show me no mercy at all. Eventually, I found it too troublesome and called for Guanyin Bodhisattva.

    As a result, Hong Hai''er was taken away by Guanyin Bodhisattva."

    "And my elder brother even turned against me over Hong Hai''er incident, to the extent of getting into a fierce fight at me Mountain. s, on this journey to obtain the scriptures, I''ve offended so many people."

    "So, do we go to Guanyin''s ce to find Hong Hai''er now, or...?"

    "Not to mention that Buddhism has undergone such a transformation, whether Guanyin Bodhisattva is still in the South Sea or not. Even if we truly find him, how could I bring myself to do it? Am I really supposed to kill Hong Hai''er?"

    "Sigh, it''s indeed a tough situation."

    "Now the Bull Demon King is enduring hardships in the Extreme Northern Ice Field, and Princess Iron Fan of the Rakshasa is missing. If I were to kill Hong Hai''er as well, I might as well let my elder brother kill me directly."

    "How about this, we first go to the Hidden Wood Forest to get the Wood Attribute Divine Stone. As for Hong Hai''er, let''s take it one step at a time."

    "That''s the only choice we have, s. Are youing with me?"

    "Of course. Actually, Meng Gui, the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n, set off for Hidden Wood Forest a while ago," he told me before he left, "if someone elsees along to challenge and defeats me, take them to Hidden Wood Forest. And here we are talking about you, boss."

    "So, shall we set off now?"

    "Absolutely, let''s go right away!" As soon as Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking, with a whirl of his feet, he was already riding the clouds away. Sun Wukong couldn''t help but be surprised. It seemed like the Six-Eared Macaque was even more anxious than himself. So, without further ado, he summoned his somersault cloud and caught up.

    Standing on his somersault cloud, Sun Wukong suddenly asked, "Six-Eared, why do you look even more anxious than me?"

    Then, with a mischievous smile, the Six-Eared Macaque turned around and said, "We''ve made such a mess of Illusory Demon Ind; if we don''t run, who else is going to clean up after us?"

    "You rascal. Actually, when I was looking for the Water Attribute Divine Stone, the Elder of the Aquatic Tribe, Shui Xuwu, told me to first go to Hidden Wood Forest in the extreme east to get the Wood Attribute Divine Stone. Butter, I took a shortcut and came to Illusory Demon Ind first, only to end up having to go to Hidden Wood Forest anyway.

    Do you think that Water Tribe Elder already knew it would end up like this?"

    "Haha, boss, this is what they call ''Failing to heed the wise leads to trouble at your door.'' Bute to think of it, these n leaders and elders of the Ancient ns, they truly possess profound cultivation. And it seems everyone is skilled in divination. However, boss, if you had gone to Hidden Wood Forest first, who knows when we would have met up.

    It''s all the same now that I''m with you, getting that Wood Attribute Divine Stone will be a snap. Hahaha."

    With bursts of heartyughter, Six-Eared Macaque sped through the clouds at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye. And the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff had long been put away by the Six-Eared Macaque.

    "Six-Eared, how about we have a littlepetition? You know the way to Hidden Wood Forest, don''t you?"

    "Sure, we''repeting? Although I haven''t been to Hidden Wood Forest, I still know the way," replied the Six-Eared Macaque.

    "Alright then, let''s see who gets to Hidden Wood Forest first!" After saying that, with a piercing shriek, he elerated his somersault cloud. The Six-Eared Macaque also shouted out and, not to be outdone, spurred his clouds to pursue.

    At this point, the speed of the two had surpassed what the naked eye could detect, yet they seemed unsatisfied with the velocity.

    Mounted on his somersault cloud, Sun Wukong struck a few hand seals with his hands, then suddenly a pair of dazzling light blue ice wings sprouted from his back. As soon as the ice wings appeared, with a p of the wings, Sun Wukong''s speed increased by a third, and he instantly surpassed the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Their cloud-riding speeds had beenparable initially, but with the appearance of Sun Wukong''s ice wings, the Six-Eared Macaque was left trailing behind. Seeing this, Six-Eared Macaque realized he would surely lose if this continued, so he drew a line in the air with his right hand, creating a spatial rift, and a small blood-red dragon materialized out of nowhere.

    "With the power of Ying Long, soar!"

    This small dragon, thirty feet long with six wings on its back, was none other than Ying Long, a rare species among the ancient Divine Dragons.

    In ancient times, young dragons without horns were called Chi Dragons; hornless yellow dragons or hornless females were called Qi Dragons; scaled dragons that could cause floods were defined as Jiao Dragons; dragons with horns were known as Horned Dragons, with Jiao bing Horned Dragons over five hundred years; elder dragons among them were referred to as Horned Dragons.

    Those with wings were Ying Long, who, after a thousand years, could transform from Horned Dragons, typically soaring in the sky and overlooking the Nine Provinces; another kind that lurked underground were Pan Dragons, which disliked flying and were considered terrestrial.

    Finally, there were the orthodox Divine Dragons, Azure Dragons, one of the four holy creatures and ancestors of ancient dragon lineage.

    Chi Dragons, Qi Dragons, Horned Dragons, Ying Long, Pan Dragons are not considered orthodox dragons but possess mysterious might akin to that of gods and demons. Among the orthodox dragons of ancient times, other than the progenitor Azure Dragon, only his descendants, the Canglong, were considered. And all amongst the dragon race revered the Azure Dragon with its blue scales.

    What the Six-Eared Macaque summoned was a flying dragon, Ying Long, albeit only an apparition created by the True Blood of Ying Long Although it was just a phantom, it doubled the speed of the Six-Eared Macaque in an instant, allowing him to overtake Sun Wukong after just a few blinks of an eye!

 Chapter 79: Chapter 72: Spiritual Wood Clan

    ```

    Originally, after Sun Wukong conjured ice wings and elerated, he was concerned that the Six-Eared Macaque wouldn''t be able to keep up. But before Wukong even had a chance to nce back, he felt a streak of fiery red light sh by. "Geez, isn''t this speed heaven-defying?"

    "Hey, Six-Eared, be careful not to speed so fast that you break through space and end up in the void. Haha."

    "Boss, even if I fly into the space-time turbulence, I''ll still be faster than you."

    "Then let me show you the ultimate move I''ve recently mastered."

    After speaking, Sun Wukong connected his hands into a magical decree. He was suddenly surrounded by a light of earthy yellow mixed with silver-white. The next moment, two more pairs of wings sprouted from Wukong''s back¡ªone pair silver-white and the other earthy yellow, a manifestation of the Metal and Earth Attributes'' Origin Power of the Five-Colored Divine Stone.

    With the three pairs of differently colored giant wings pping vigorously, Wukong''s speed suddenly doubled, blurring even the space around him. In the blink of an eye, he had once again overtaken the Six-Eared Macaque, flying swiftly toward the farthest reaches of the East Shengzhou.

    The once smug Six-Eared Macaque, upon seeing this, could no longer crack a smile. "Seriously, is this even a speed that humans should have?"

    Although Six-Eared had fallen behind once more, he didn''t give up and let out a thunderous roar: "Power of the Azure Dragon, unite!"

    With Six-Eared''s roar, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff reappeared out of thin air, and its blood light intensified. When the light receded, Six-Eared was surrounded by five differently colored and sized dragons.

    The outermost was an Azure Dragon about ten meters long, followed by Ying Long, Chi Long, Zhu Long, and Qiulong. Although all five Divine Dragons were transformed from their respective True Blood, with the exception of their size, the rest were indistinguishable from real dragons¡ªbe it their scale armor or demeanor, they were lifelike, without a trace of illusion.

    After the five Divine Dragons appeared, Six-Eared did not stop but brought his hands together and roared again: "Unite."

    As his voice fell, all four Divine Dragons besides Ying Long merged into one Azure Dragon, which then fused with Ying Long. What emerged was an Azure Divine Dragon with wings, fifty meters long.

    Finally, Six-Eared breathed a sigh of relief, sitting cross-legged on the head of the Azure Divine Dragon with a smile on his face. The Azure Divine Dragon didn''t disappoint Six-Eared, thrashing its tail and pping its wings, it flew off at an unbelievable speed. This speed was now equal to that of Sun Wukong''s.

    But even though the speed of this Azure Divine Dragon was as fast as Sun Wukong''s six wings, catching up was not easy due to the significant distance that had already been established between them.

    So, both raced at the fastest speed of their lives, and in less than half a day, they had arrived at the Hidden Wood Forest in the extreme east of East Shengzhou.

    The final result of theirpetition was that Sun Wukong arrived a mere five breaths ahead of the Six-Eared Macaque. Six-Eared was quite dissatisfied with this oue, iming that next time he would bring out his top speed from the start.

    After messing around and resting for half an hour, and with both their strength and spiritual power recovered to their peak condition, they were finally ready to enter the Hidden Wood Forest.

    Out of caution, Sun Wukong still took out the Jingu Bang to hold in his hand, while the Six-Eared Macaque condensed an axe from Earth Element.

    "Six-Eared, aren''t you a macaque? When did you be a Hou Tu Divine Ape? And this Earth Element of yours is almost surpassing my Five-Colored Divine Stone!"

    "Hehe, it was an ident. I once stumbled into Empress Hou Tu''s Hou Tu Pce. Empress Hou Tu saw my divine origins and granted me an Earth Spirit Pill. After eating it, I evolved into a Hou Tu Divine Ape, and I came to have an iparable affinity with the Earth Element. Otherwise, how could I, with the body of a macaque, possibly beat you?"

    "To be honest, giving you a good beating wouldn''t be too much. Just look at you, you''re nothing like before. If it weren''t for my fiery golden eyes, who could recognize you as the Six-Eared Macaque? No, wait, you''re now the Six-Eared Hou Tu Monkey."

    "Forget it, that sounds awful. Just call me the Six-Eared Macaque."

    The two were in the midst of their conversation when the Six-Eared Macaque''s ears twitched, seemingly picking up some noise. He then abruptly pushed Sun Wukong aside, "Boss, Earth and Water defenses, full strength."

    Although Sun Wukong didn''t hear anything out of the ordinary, he trusted the Six-Eared Macaque''s divine senses. As he was pushed, his fiery eyes revealed themselves, and he quickly summoned the Water Element within and the Earth Element without, instantly forming a gigantic elemental shield.

    Simrly, the Six-Eared Macaque pressed his hands onto the ground, and a massive, earthy-yellow shield rose from beneath, his arms continuously infusing the shield in front of him with Earth System Spiritual Power. Under this power infusion, the already thick shield grew even thicker.

    When the Six-Eared Macaque ceased, the shield had reached an impressive thickness of ten meters and stretched twenty meters wide.

    Seeing such over-the-top defenses by the Six-Eared Macaque, Sun Wukong looked at his own shield¡ªfive meters tall and only three meters thick¡ªand for a moment didn''t know what to do.

    Afterpleting his defenses, the Six-Eared Macaque turned to see Sun Wukong''s shield and couldn''t help butugh out loud, saying between chuckles, "Boss, you, you''re in for it now, haha."

    As Sun Wukong was puzzled, suddenly an indescribable wave of terrifying heat swept across the air. Hiding behind his shield, Sun Wukong instantly understood¡ªthe Six-Eared Macaque had advised him to set up dual element defenses to guard against this fierce fire.

    But why then did he say that Sun Wukong was in for misfortune?

    The next moment, Sun Wukong knew why.

    Following the onught of heat came a sky-covering barrage of enormous dragon-shaped mes. At the realm Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque had achieved, often their spiritual senses were more reliable than their eyes. It was the case now that even though they were behind their shields, their spiritual senses still captured the two massive dragon-shaped mes heading straight for them.

    They were called dragon-shaped mes and not me dragons because it was evident that these were merely mes that had taken the shape of dragons. Nevertheless, the two were not the least bit careless, facing the threat as if it were a formidable enemy.

    When Sun Wukong sensed the approach of the dragon-shaped mes, he ced his hands on the shield, his Water System Spiritual Power morphing into Ice System power, which,bined with Earth System, he channeled into the shield.

    As Sun Wukong''s shield expanded to a ten-meter radius, the fire dragons viciously collided with it.

    The other fire dragon also mmed against the Earth Elemental Greatshieldid out by the Six-Eared Macaque. Upon the impact, the fire dragons didn''t dissipate but began to spin wildly, like ming drills, hell-bent on piercing through the shields to devour Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque hidden behind.

    Seeing how tenacious the fire dragons were, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but cry out in rm. In less than a moment, his constructed shield was already half prated. Although the fire dragons were steadily weakening, considering their dozens of meters long bodies, it was clear he wouldn''t withstand until their copse.

    Hence, using the remaining time his Earth Shield held, the Six-Eared Macaque''s hands rapidly cast Magical Decrees. Just as the shield was about to be breached four-fifths of the way and the fire dragons were on the verge of breaking through, the Six-Eared Macaque finallypleted his Magical Decrees.

    Afterpleting the Magical Decrees, the Six-Eared Macaque rapidly retreated, and when he was a hundred meters away, the fire dragon had already shattered the Earth Shield and was howling after the Six-Eared Macaque.

    "Hmph, merely a fire dragon, you dare act so brazenly? Earth Spirit Giant, descend."

    Standing afar off, the Six-Eared Macaque was not the least bit scared as the fire dragon charged at him. Upon hismand, a vast silhouette suddenly plummeted from the skies, directlynding on the dragon''s head.

    A thunderous boom echoed as a giant stone man, twenty meters tall, appeared in front of the Six-Eared Macaque, crushing the dragon''s head underfoot. With force applied from his foot, the dragon''s head crumbled.

    Immediately afterward, the stone giant turned, stomping and grabbing, quickly dispersing the fire dragon and reducing it to a skyful of Fire Elements scattering in all directions.

    The Six-Eared Macaque smiled triumphantly, flicked his finger, and dispelled the stone giant.

    At this moment, Sun Wukong pped his hands together and had also dealt with the other fire dragon.

 Chapter 80: Chapter 73: Spiritual Wood Clan (2)

    "Boss, aren''t you exaggerating a bit too much?"

    After dealing with his own fire dragon, Six-Eared Macaque had wanted to see Sun Wukong make a fool of himself, but when he turned around, what he saw was a several dozen meters long ice dragon. Had Sun Wukongpletely frozen the fire dragon? Even the mes? Was this the power of the Five-Colored Divine Stone?

    "Hehe, not bad, huh? I didn''t expect the power contained in this water attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone to be so terrifying, it even startled me. Originally, I just nned to produce some water to see if it could extinguish the fire dragon. But then, it turned out like this."

    Six-Eared Macaque got closer to the ice dragon, and as he scrutinized it, he couldn''t help but marvel. In this world, perhaps only the Five-Colored Divine Stone possessed the might to freeze mes, and not just any ordinary mes.

    "Boss, did you notice that this me is extraordinary?"

    "Indeed, it far surpasses the Samadhi True Fire. If I''m not mistaken, this should be the Nine Mysteries Scarlet Fire, which is even beyond the zing Heavenly Fire. It''s just a little shy of the Sr Divine Fire."

    "Haha, the mes are indeed mighty, but your ice sealing is even more powerful."

    Sun Wukongughed heartily, "Whates around goes around, Six-Eared. Can you tell the direction?"

    As he spoke, Sun Wukong actually picked up the two-meter-thick, several dozen meters long ice dragon. "Hmm, this direction, right, a bit to the left, there, just this position."

    Having aimed, Sun Wukong''s arm muscles bulged, and then with a forceful exhale and a loud shout, he hurled the several dozen meters long ice dragon as if it were a javelin. And the target was precisely the ce from where the fire dragon hade.

    After pping his hands, Sun Wukong shared a smile with Six-Eared Macaque. In fact, ever since he met Six-Eared Macaque, Sun Wukong''s disposition had gradually be brighter. No matter how difficult or challenging the task, Sun Wukong was confident in facing and conquering it, simply because he now had a brother.

    It had been a long time since Sun Wukong felt this camaraderie, this sensation of fighting side by side with a brother, since his journey to obtain the scriptures.

    Suddenly, a furious roar came from a distance, and then Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque saw that in the direction where the ice dragon had flown, a huge fire tornado rose, except this tornado was lying t on the ground instead of standing upright, like a beast with a gaping mouth, swallowing the ice dragon.

    Grasping the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong said, "Six-Eared, the real deal shows up, let''s go."

    Six-Eared Macaque shouldered the Earth Elemental Giant Axe as well and rushed towards the fiery tornado.

    A few breathster, they arrived where the fiery tornado was. Only by then, both the tornado and ice dragon had vanished, and in their ce, there was a person in a fiery red robe. This person was half the height of Sun Wukong and wore a fierce ghost mask on his face, clearly not wanting his true identity to be recognized.

    "Where did this little devile from, all hidden and disguised?" After speaking, Sun Wukong activated his fiery golden eyes, but when he looked at the person with his fiery golden eyes, he couldn''t see through the mask on the person''s face. What the fiery golden eyes saw was no different from what the naked eye could see.

    This surprised Sun Wukong a bit. There are only three situations in which the fiery golden eyes can''t see through something.

    The first is if the person''s strength exceeds his own by a whole great realm, the second is if there is a powerful blocking item, but the items that can block the fiery golden eyes in this world are extremely rare, and the third situation is if the opponent''s illusion technique has reached the ultimate level, to the extent of creating something out of nothing.

    However, looking at the person in front of him, it was probably the second case. The fierce ghost mask on this person''s face was likely one of those rare items capable ofpletely shielding his fiery golden eyes.

    Since his fiery eyes and golden pupils could not prate the disguise, Sun Wukong no longer bothered to squabble. It didn''t matter who this person was, anyone who stopped him from entering the Hidden Wood Forest was an enemy. The only question was whether to defeat or to execute them.

    "Who are you, and why are you blocking our way?"

    It was supposed to be a symbolic question, but to his surprise, the man with the ghost mask actually answered. His voice, however, was extremely hoarse. "If you want to go to the Hidden Wood Forest, you''ll have to step over my dead body. Oh, and the Wood Spirit n, I''ve ughtered them all. As for the thing you''re looking for, hah, it''s in my hands.

    If you two kneel down and kowtow thirty times, maybe I''ll feel generous enough to give it to you, hahahaha."

    Though the ghost-faced man spoke tolerably, hisugh was like torture to the soul. In his thousands of years of existence, Sun Wukong had never heard such an unpleasant sound. Nheless, Sun Wukong did not directly attack, insteadmunicating with the Six-Eared Macaque through their divine senses. After all, they did not know the true capabilities of this person or whether his ims were true.

    If they acted rashly, they could likely be at a disadvantage.

    Seeing that the two did not attack but seemed to bemunicating through divine senses, the ghost-faced man couldn''t help but speak again, "A pair of monkeys, is that all the courage you have? Are you afraid you can''t defeat me? Don''t worry, I won''t kill you. Oh right, I forgot to tell you, for some reason the Hidden Wood Forest is now filled with countless monkeys.

    Tsk tsk, I really apologize, I didn''t pay attention when I was attacking. I wonder how many of them are still alive."

    The two, who weremunicating through divine sense, were suddenly rmed and quickly used their divine skills to check the Hidden Wood Forest. But the sight they were met with tore them apart. Both Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque felt their chests burn with rage.

    It was because Sun Wukong''s fiery eyes saw the bodies of monkey kin and other demons from Flower Fruit Mountain strewn everywhere, each face etched with despair and pain and also faint glimmers of hope.

    The Six-Eared Macaque heard the countless wails and cries ¨C the wails of fear of death, the cries for the desire to live.

    In that moment, Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaquepletely lost theirposure. Both of them shouted in rage and then Sun Wukong transformed into a fifty-meter-tall Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape with ice-blue wings on its back, its entire body in an earthy yellow hue, and its arms shining with a metallic luster.

    The Six-Eared Macaque also transformed into an approximately fifty-meter-tall Hou Tu Divine Ape, wearing an antique armor, holding the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, and surrounded by five divine dragons of various sizes and colors swirling around.

    Clearly, both of them had brought forth all their strength. Anger, pain, sorrow, and remorse made them want topletely annihte the ghost-faced man, to obliterate both his form and spirit.

    All of this happened because the Monkey Tribe had their names crossed out in the Book of Life and Death. Naturally, this allowed the Monkey Tribe to leave the Three Realms and be unbound by the Five Elements, achieving eternal life. However, should a member of the Monkey Tribe be killed by someone, they would die permanently, leaving no soul imprint behind.

    It would be aplete dissolution into the cosmos. Hence, seeing the corpses all over the Hidden Wood Forest, Sun Wukong felt as though his heart was being sliced by knives.

    His efforts through thick and thin were for the monkey kin of the Monkey Tribe and the demons of Flower Fruit Mountain, but now, all his efforts had gone to waste.

    Back when he caused uproar in the Heavenly Pce, the memories of the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain were erased. Later, when he once again fought against Heaven, Tathagata ambushed them. Now, Heaven and Buddhism were no longer to be feared, for he had be the strongest in the Pangu Realm. Yet, they were all dead.

    He had failed them. Ever since he became the Monkey King, he had brought them nothing but cmity.

    I, Sun Wukong, am a sinner.

    With a heart-wrenching roar, Sun Wukong''s figure vanished, and in the next instant, the fifty-meter gargantuan appeared right before the ghost-faced man. Then, a right fist, gleaming with a strange metallic sheen, mercilessly smashed toward the ghost-faced man.

 Chapter 81: Chapter 74: The Masked Man

    Sun Wukong had fallen into a state of furious rage, so much so that he didn''t even need his Jingu Bang any longer.

    As he, transformed into the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, swung down his massive fist with a whistling sound, the ghost-faced man didn''t dare to resist head-on, instead, mes burst forth under his feet, and with an eruption of fire, the ghost-faced man narrowly dodged Sun Wukong''s fist at the critical moment.

    By this time, the Six-Eared Macaque had already arrived, holding an evenrger giant axe in both hands. With all his divine power, he swung the axe down at the ghost-faced man, who had just dodged Sun Wukong''s punch.

    The Six-Eared Macaque had thought that since the ghost-faced man was hastily dodging Sun Wukong''s attacks, his own axe would surely be effective. However, the ghost-faced man once again ejected mes from beneath his feet, fiercer than before, which propelled his speed to again dodge the attack of the Six-Eared Macaque in the nick of time.

    After dodging the first attack of the two, the ghost-faced man did not stop moving, and in the blink of an eye, he shed a kilometer away. Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque, without a word between them, pressed off from the ground with force and shot towards the ghost-faced man.

    The Six-Eared Macaque held his axe aloft, while Sun Wukong''s right fist shone with a metallic luster so solidified it was nearly tangible; both used all their strength for this strike, which was surely to be terrifyingly imposing.

    Moreover, both locked onto the ghost-faced man with the formidable power of their divine consciousness so that even if his speed was great, they could alter their moves at the first indication of evasion.

    It seemed the ghost-faced man also knew he couldn''t avoid this attack, so he stopped trying to dodge. Instead, he brought his hands together in an instant, and upon separation, a red me as though of fresh blood emerged between them. As the mes appeared, the ghost-faced man flicked his wrists, and the crimson fire orbited around him, forming a wall of fire.

    When Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque saw this wall of fire, they immediately halted their advance. Although furious, they had not lost their reasoning. Moreover, they recognized the dripping red me ¡ª Bloodthirsty Evil Fire.

    The legend had it that this fire was born in the depths of the Blood Sea in Asura Hell, a strange fire formed from the umted resentment of millennia and the blood of the extremely wicked. No matter if you were a Daluo Golden Immortal, an Immortal Emperor, or a Saint, if you were touched by this evil fire, your blood would instantly burn up, and the evil qi would invade, affecting the mind.

    Therefore, even though Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque transformed into giant ape forms, they dared not take the risk and had to stop.

    Although Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque had stopped, their attacks had not. The Six-Eared Macaque stuck his axe into the ground, then forcefully stomped his legs, causing the surroundingnd to crack.

    With a wave of both hands upwards followed by a point forward, thend within ten miles was transformed into huge stones that rained down like droplets onto the ghost-faced man''s defensive fire wall.

    Seeing the Six-Eared Macaque do this, Sun Wukong followed suit, his hands each condensing metal and water elements, and controlling the two elements to form elemental walls in front of the Six-Eared Macaque. However, these elemental walls weren''t substantial, so the stone bombardment from the Six-Eared Macaque could pass through them with ease.

    After the stone bombardment from the Six-Eared Macaque passed through the elemental walls, the water and metal elements would adhere to them and instantly solidify, forming Trinity Element Cannonballs with an outeryer of metal, an inneryer of Earth Elemental Talisman, and a core of water elements.

    With the experience of previously fusing three elements to create strong fine strands, Sun Wukong handled this fusion with ease.

    The stone bombardment augmented by two elements was significantly more powerful ¡ª first, the outer metal elements were heated intensely by Bloodthirsty Evil Fire, but the inneryer of earth elements was exceptionally tough, resulting in the core water elements rapidly heating up. When the temperature of the water elements reached a critical threshold, they would explode with a bang.

    The explosive force and the rich earth and water elements from the explosion would extinguish some of the Bloodthirsty Evil Fire within the st area. Although each explosion didn''t extinguish much of the fire, when the Trinity Element Cannonballs fell like a downpour, the wall of evil fire began to flicker erratically.

    Eventually, the fire wall could no longer hold out, and after a barrage of Trinity Element Cannonballs, it copsed.

    Yet before Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque could celebrate, they saw a millstone-sized ck fire lotus, swift beyondpare, flying towards them.

    There was no time to dodge; Sun Wukong nced back at the Six-Eared Macaque, and then, in silent agreement, they nodded to each other. In the next moment, the Six-Eared Macaque stepped forward to position himself in front of Sun Wukong, and Sun Wukong pressed his hands against the back of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    The Six-Eared Macaque formed the Immovable King Seal with his hands, and then made a peculiar hand gesture. At that moment, a primitive shield, resembling a tortoise shell, emerged from the void.

    Once the Tortoise Shell Shield materialized, Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque poured their spiritual power into it as if there was no cost. The shield instantly expanded to a size of a hundred meters in radius. The engravings on the tortoise shell were clear, and upon close examination, the patterns were none other than the Luo Shu and He Tu symbols.

    "The strongest defense, Tortoise Shell Holy Shield,"

    "ck Fire Bursting Lotus, explode!"

    Following two loud shouts, the giant lotus as dark as ink, carrying the force of thunder, crashed fiercely onto the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    A resounding explosion that shook heaven and earth and a shockwave visible to the naked eye containing terrifying power surged simultaneously. However, at that moment, Sun Wukong caught sight of a strange scene¡ªthe terrible shockwave, upon reaching a certain boundary, seemed to hit something and instantly shattered.

    With Sun Wukong''s extraordinary cultivation, he recognized at once that it must be an extremely powerful barrier. Immediately, a cold sweat broke out over his body. Using his own and Six-Eared Macaque''s Divine Sense, how did they not realize when and by whom they were trapped within this barrier?

    Moreover, the strength of this barrier was of great concern to Sun Wukong.

    But there was no time to ponder further; as the dust settled, Sun Wukong discovered that aside from some scorched fur, the Six-Eared Macaque didn''t have a single scratch, and the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield was also undamaged, merely its sheen had dulled slightly.

    Sun Wukong was extremely surprised in his heart. The power of the just-exploded Fire Lotus was incredibly strong, to the point of being outrageous. If it had been Sun Wukong himself, even if he could catch it, he would definitely have been injured. Because that ck me was ck Lotus Explosive Fire.

    This me''s Fire Element was extremely vtile and would explode with terrible power whenever it encountered the slightest impact.

    Who exactly was this ghost-faced person? How was he able to control so many strange fires?

    "Six-Eared, your shield is really sturdy, huh? After we''re done here, would you consider giving it to me?"

    The Six-Eared Macaque nced back at Sun Wukong disdainfully and couldn''t be bothered with him. Instead, with a burning gaze, he addressed the ghost-faced person ahead, "Boss, there''s definitely something tricky about this ghost-faced man. Be careful. I''ll focus on defense, and you focus on attack."

    Having said that, he took on the stance of someone ready to sprint, and then he shouted loudly, "Boss, charge!"

    At that moment, Sun Wukong too put away his joking demeanor and, following closely behind the Six-Eared Macaque, charged toward the ghost-faced person.

    The ghost-faced person didn''t dare to take them lightly either. His hands formed Magical Decrees and then his body erupted in zing mes. Eventually, he formed an almost tangible sixty-meter-tall giant of fire behind him.

    No sooner had this giant of mes taken shape than it stretched out both hands, palms facing outward, and intense lights began to emerge. Within these lights, one Fire Bullet after another shot towards the duo of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    The Fire Bullets that shot out from the palms of this giant of mes were as big as a room, and they came in all colors¡ªpurple Nine Heavens Divine Fire, blue Kui Water Yin Fire, green Yi Wood Yang Fire, ck ck Lotus Explosive Fire, bright yellow Nine Mysteries Divine Fire, and Sun Wukong even saw golden Sun Metal Fire.

    This was simply a gathering of all the strongest mes in the world. Fortunately, the ghost-faced person only used these mes as projectiles. If he could control all these mes as usual, Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque wouldn''t need to fight at all.

    Could there really be such an incredible person in this world? A name vaguely surfaced in Sun Wukong''s mind.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 82: Chapter 75: Another Fire Spirit Body?

    Both Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were very curious about the true identity of this ghost-faced figure, but given the current situation, they no longer had time to ponder. The fire bullets shot from the palm of the fire giant behind the ghost-faced figure were truly terrifying, and even with the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield in hand, the Six-Eared Macaque still felt an immense pressure.

    Seeing that the situation was bad, Sun Wukong quickly ced both palms against the Six-Eared Macaque''s back, transforming his Water System Spiritual Power into Ice System power and pouring it all into the Six-Eared Macaque''s body. Filled with Sun Wukong''s vast Ice System Spiritual Power, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but shiver.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Nevertheless, the Six-Eared Macaque didn''t dare to ck and hurriedly focused the Ice System Spiritual Power into the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield he was holding.

    The Tortoise Shell Holy Shield, originally a Water Attribute Spiritual Object, now, endowed with the world''s purest Ice System power, suddenly emitted a deep blue light. Then, a thickyer of ice armor rapidly spread over the surface of the shield, visible to the naked eye.

    In the blink of an eye, the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield became coated with an extremely thickyer of ice armor, which vaguely took on the ferocious form of the ck Tortoise Holy Beast.

    The countless fire bullets, once seemingly unstoppable, now becamepletely harmless. No matter what type of fire, as soon as it struck theyer of ice armor, it would be immediately extinguished. Only the golden Sun Gold Fire could still cause some pressure to the Six-Eared Macaque, butpared to the previous sky full of mes, this was already much better.

    At least, the Six-Eared Macaque was now able to charge at the ghost-faced figure while enduring numerous fire bullets.

    The ghost-faced figure observed all of this and knew that the fire bullets could no longer stop them. Thus, he quickly moved his hand seals, on the one hand instructing the fire giant to rece all fire bullets with Sun Gold Fire, and on the other hand, he was preparing even more massive Fire System Taoist Arts.

    On the Six-Eared Macaque''s side, although the pressure wasn''t as great as before, he was shocked to find that the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield in his hand was showing signs of melting. No, to be urate, it was the outeryer of ice armor.

    He hadn''t anticipated that the Sun Gold Fire would be so terrifying. However, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t retreat by any means, as both parties were going all out to fight for time. The ghost-faced figure was obviously a master of Taoist Arts, and those who are adept at Taoist Arts generally have a weakness in close-quartersbat.

    If they could reach the ghost-faced figure before his next Taoist Art was unleashed, the Six-Eared Macaque believed that even if he was prepared, they could definitely inflict damage on him. Even if they couldn''t kill him, they could at least break the current passive situation.

    The ghost-faced figure also knew this, so he was desperately directing the fire giant behind him to shoot out a rain-like barrage of Sun Gold Fire.

    Given the ghost-faced figure''s strength, if he wanted tounch a Taoist Art powerful enough to hurt or even seriously injure them, he, no matter how formidable, would need a brief preparation time, roughly ten breaths. However, five breaths had already passed since he started the incantation. But they were still about five hundred meters away from the ghost-faced figure.

    In normal circumstances, this distance of five hundred meters would have been covered in an instant, but now, facing the sky full of Sun Gold Fire, both of them couldn''t help feeling an overwhelming sense of immobility.

    The two had tried sprinting quickly. Given their fifty-meter stature, five hundred meters was nothing more than a few strides for them. However, as soon as they took their first steps, the Sun Gold Fire in the sky, as if possessing a mind of its own, suddenly bypassed the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield and struck them directly.

    Yet, when they moved slowly, the Sun Gold Fire reverted to its original course, shooting straight ahead as if without a specific target.

    The Six-Eared Macaque surmised that in order to make the Sun Gold Fire bypass the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield, the ghost-faced figure would have to control it personally. But once he was distracted by controlling the Sun Gold Fire, his Taoist Art would certainly require longer preparation time. Although they guessed this, they didn''t dare to try again.

    The recent shower of fire had already caused them considerable injuries, and if they really disregarded defense and rushed at the ghost-faced figure, even if they seeded in getting close, they would likely be seriously wounded. Then the ghost-faced figure could still use his speed to keep the distance.

    But if they continued like this, there was no way they could get close to the ghost-faced figure before his Taoist Art was unleashed. Seeing time pass by, two more breaths psed.

    The Six-Eared Macaque could no longer stand it and was just about to utilize the Power of the Five Dragons swirling around him when he felt Sun Wukong pressing on his shoulder and then, with a sidestep, stepped in front of him.

    "Boss, no, you can''t withstand the Sun Gold Fire," cried the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Sun Wukong ignored the Six-Eared Macaque''s shouts and instead gripped the Jingu Bang tightly, his arms bulging with muscles. Then, rallying all his Divine Power, he swept the Jingu Bang towards the figure opposite him.

    The Jingu Bang, which had already extended to over seventy meters in length and was two meters thick, suddenly grew in response to the wind, instantly elongating to six hundred meters. And at the other end of the Jingu Bang, an extremely dense Ice Attribute power was gathering.

    In the blink of an eye, the Jingu Bang had already reached the side of the masked man. The masked man turned his head slightly, seemingly aware of the terrifying energy contained within the Jingu Bang, and bravely gave up the Taoist arts he had almost finished preparing. Instead, he instantly changed his hand seal and the me giant that had been standing behind him vanished after a few feints.

    The next moment, the Jingu Bang, carrying the extremely cold power of ice, smashed into the masked man''s body, but the Six-Eared Macaque had no time to rejoice before a towering column of fire suddenly burst from the body of the masked man. The power of the fire column was also immensely terrifying and directly repelled the Jingu Banging at it from the side.

    Furthermore, after exploding, the fire column did not extinguish but immediately spread, quickly bing a massive column of fire with a hundred-meter radius.

    Sun Wukong, whose attack had been unsessful, retrieved his Jingu Bang and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Six-Eared Macaque. The Six-Eared Macaque also retracted the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield and looked at the still spinning giant column of fire, momentarily at a loss for words.

    "Big bro, this is a bit tricky, it seems that the fire column is specially for defense. And there are barriers all around us, there''s no escaping."

    No sooner had the Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking when a bright light burst from the spinning fire column, and suddenly, a nine-headed me beast dashed out from within it.

    Prison Cattle, Chao Feng, Pu Lao, Ya Zi, Tao Tie, Gong Gong, Bian, Suan Ni, Jiao Tu. These were indeed the Nine Dragon Sons spoken of in legends.

    Although they were only illusions of me, they were no ordinary fire spirits; each one possessed the strength of the early stages of a Saint.

    The Nine Dragon Sons roared, either running or flying, and each dragon son was thirty to forty meters tall. Though they were not as tall as Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque, they held a considerable advantage in numbers.

    Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque knew that, with the nine fire spirits, it was impossible to kill them. The masked man intended to use the nine fire spirits along with the towering fire column to buy time to prepare that super Taoist art. Now that they were aware of the masked man''s intentions, they simply could not allow him to seed.

    "Big bro, I''ll hold off these nine beasts, while you find a way to break through that fire column. We can''t let that masked man finish."

    With a shout, the Six-Eared Macaque swung his hand, and the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff appeared from the void. At this critical juncture, nobody dared hold back any longer.

    Grasping the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, and the five divine dragons that had been circling around his body flew out; turning around, the Six-Eared Macaque was already in fiercebat with the nine fire spirits.

    However, Sun Wukong, with one hand holding the Jingu Bang, assumed a horse stance and astonishingly remained motionless.

    Though Sun Wukong stood still, the Jingu Bang began to tremble non-stop, as if excited by the vast energy it was receiving.

    In this manner, eight breaths passed. On one side, the battle between the Six-Eared Macaque and the nine fire spirits continued. Although the nine fire spirits only possessed the strength of the early stages of a Saint, their coordination was incredibly in sync, and they also each had their unique divine skills.

    If not for the might of the five drops of True Dragon Blood suppressing them, the Six-Eared Macaque would likely have already fallen.

    On the other side, after eight breaths of gathering power, Sun Wukong finally opened his eyes, and then, he swung a stick imbued with an immensely terrifying force.

 Chapter 83: Chapter 76: Killing Blow

    Actually, the ghost-faced man within the pir of fire had already seen Sun Wukong powering up, but the ghost-faced man made no move, simply continuing to form hand seals. The ghost-faced man was confident enough to ignore Sun Wukong''s attack and peacefully prepare his superior Taoist arts, whether it was due to his understanding of Sun Wukong or the defensive power of the Tongtian fire pir.

    Finally, after eight breaths, Sun Wukong lifted his head and looked at the Tongtian fire pir not far away, swinging his Golden Hoop staff. Simrly, the staff lengthened in an instant.

    The ghost-faced man, who was witnessing all this, couldn''t help but reveal a smug smile. As long as the Tongtian fire pir could withstand this strike, then the moment for their destruction woulde.

    However, when the ghost-faced man saw the Golden Hoop staff in Sun Wukong''s sweeping attack suddenly disappear into thin air, he finally sensed something was amiss. To be precise, the front half of the staff vanished into the void, while the other half remained in Sun Wukong''s hand.

    But by this time, even if he knew there was something strange about Sun Wukong''s Golden Hoop staff, it was toote for the ghost-faced man to do anything, as the superior Taoist art was only one hand seal away frompletion. The ghost-faced man was betting that his Tongtian fire pir could block the Golden Hoop staff even for a second or just for an instant.

    However, the very next moment, the ghost-faced man knew he had lost the bet. "Impossible, impossible!" Amidst his incredulous shouts, the Golden Hoop staff appeared out of nowhere within the Tongtian fire pir and then fiercely struck the ghost-faced man''s face.

    "Six-Eared Macaque, it''s your turn!"

    Although Six-Eared Macaque was entangled in a fierce battle with the nine fire spirits, he kept a constant watch on Sun Wukong and the ghost-faced man. Seeing Sun Wukong actually break through the fire pir''s defense and disrupt the ghost-faced man''s Taoist arts, Six-Eared couldn''t help but feel ted.

    But it wasn''t over yet, after Sun Wukong''s staff struck the ghost-faced man''s face, he didn''t retract it. Instead, he exerted his strength again and directly flung the ghost-faced man out of the Tongtian fire pir.

    Hearing Sun Wukong''s call, Six-Eared gritted his teeth, his entire body''s Earth Element suddenly exploded, taking the nine fire spirits by surprise and forcing them to stagger back a step, which Six-Eared used as a gap. He then stomped his legs mightily, and his body shot out like a cannonball, directly colliding with the ghost-faced man who had just been expelled from the fire pir.

    The nine fire spirits below quickly recovered and emitted a furious roar, nning to turn back and save their master, but they were desperately entangled by five Divine Dragons and couldn''t break free.

    At this moment, Six-Eared Macaque was flying in the air above the ghost-faced man. He then raised his hands high, clenched together, and mmed down at the ghost-faced man in mid-air with all his might. The ghost-faced man seemed as if he were bound, not dodging at all and took the full brunt of Six-Eared Macaque''s full force strike.

    Like a meteor crashing to the ground, the ghost-faced man ''bang'' impacted into the earth, creating a deep crater. But this was not the end. No sooner had the ghost-faced man crashed into the ground than a golden light descended from the sky.

    Then, thest thing the ghost-faced man saw was Sun Wukong''s tear-filled eyes.

    It turned out that in the instant Six-Eared Macaque leaped up, Sun Wukong had returned to his original size and, with the Jingu Bang in hand, somersaulted into the air. When Six-Eared Macaque smashed the ghost-faced man into the ground, Sun Wukong, holding the Jingu Bang, closely followed.

    The final oue was that before the ghost-faced man could even open his eyes, Sun Wukong''s Jingu Bang had already plunged into the ghost-faced man''s forehead.

    But before Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque had a chance to take a breather, the ghost-faced man suddenly went up in fierce mes that immediately enveloped Sun Wukong. The speed was so fast that Sun Wukong had no time to react.

    And Six-Eared Macaque was startled as well, unable to retract the five Divine Dragons in time, he too was swept into the ghastly mes emanating from the ghost-faced man.

    After the death of the ghost-faced man, the nine fire spirits vanished as well, and when Six-Eared Macaque was engulfed by the fierce fire, the five Divine Dragons, anxious to protect their master, rushed into the roaring mes.

    Whether it was Sun Wukong or Six-Eared Macaque, all went silent, with not even shouts heard. When the fierce fire had burned out, all that was left on the ground was a pile of ashes.

    At that moment, a silhouette slowly emerged from behind an ancient tree in the distance. With a low sigh, the figure waved a hand, and the barrier that had enveloped the area had already disappeared!

    The fierce battle that had just raged was nowpletely gone in the blink of an eye. A gentle breeze blew, scattering even the pile of ashes.

    No one knew what had happened; everything seemed so eerily mysterious. The suddenly appearing formidable enemy, with powerful fire system Taoist arts and seemingly inexhaustible spiritual power, had been pierced through the skull by the Jingu Bang only to transform into fierce fire suddenly.

    Perhaps only the mysterious figure who had just appeared from behind the tree knew the cause and effect of all this.

    Meanwhile, in the Heaven, now upied by Buddhism, a terrible disaster was unfolding.

    After Buddhism had seized control of Heaven, it had be the most powerful force in the Three Realms. However, to their surprise, they suffered consecutive defeats while pursuing Sun Wukong. Not only had the Buddha Tathagata been killed, but the two great saints from the previous generation were also sessively in by Sun Wukong.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Buddhism was now in a state of panic, with both Buddhist disciples and Vajra Arhats retreating into Heaven, not daring to step outside.

    They were afraid of Sun Wukong, truly afraid.

    However, after Buddhism cowered in Heaven for a while and realized that Sun Wukong did not take the opportunity to attack Heaven, the remaining Buddhas began to harbor their own little schemes.

    Finally, after a full three months with no sign of Sun Wukong, the Buddhas and Arhats of Heaven couldn''t help but specte. Some said Sun Wukong and the previous Buddha had perished together. Others suggested Sun Wukong might be seriously injured and that this was the chance to eliminate him once and for all, but this suggestion was immediately dismissed by everyone.

    Regardless, with the threat of Sun Wukong absent, even if only temporarily, Buddhism began to make moves again. The first of these was to elect a new Buddha to lead Buddhism in unity against Sun Wukong.

    This proposal was naturally approved unconditionally by everyone. But then a problem arose, who would be the new Buddha?

    Great Peacock Ming Wang? Maitreya Buddha? Medicine Buddha? Or perhaps the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp? Amitabha Buddha?

    Everyone wanted to be the Buddha, yet no one couldmand universal respect. The whole of Buddhism becamepletely chaotic, with anyone who had some reputation and ability forming alliances to boost their own chances.

    And today was the day all the Buddhas of Buddhism had decided to hold the Election of the Buddha. The purpose was to choose one Buddha to be the Supreme leader of Buddhism.

    But just as everyone had taken their seats and the assembly was about to begin, a massive explosion that shook the entire Heavenly Realm suddenly erupted.

    The source of the explosion was none other than the original Lingxiao Pce, now the Grand Hall.

    In an instant, all the people of Buddhism were thrown into a frenzy. Although there had been some open and covert struggles over the position of Buddha, when something beyond theirprehension urred, they still united.

    But before a few Buddhas could go to investigate, a great fire suddenly erupted throughout Heaven. And this fire was not ordinary¡ªit wasposed entirely of Sr Golden Fire. Moreover, it was the purest Sr Golden Fire in the world.

    The enveloping mes devoured nearly half of Heaven in the blink of an eye, burning everything it touched, whether trees or buildings, to ashes. Yet this Sr Golden Fire seemed to have a will of its own, deliberately avoiding the Peach Garden.

 Chapter 84 - 77 Devouring the Golden Crow

    Upon witnessing such ferocious mes, the Buddhas immediately fell into disarray. However, the Peacock King suddenly took flight, and with one sh of the five-colored radiance from behind, the aggressive Sun Golden Fire that had been lunging towards them was somehow scattered.

    The Buddhas below momentarily raised their arms and cheered loudly, while the Peacock King was immensely pleased with himself. His Five-Colored Divine Light, though not as magical as that of Kong Xuan the Saint from the ancient times, was hardly less. As long as he could extinguish this fire, he believed the hearts of the people would turn to him, and the Buddha¡¯s throne would undoubtedly be his.

    Just as the Peacock King was gleefully nning to continue with his efforts, the nket of mes suddenly reversed their course as if they were being sucked back by someone. The Peacock King, who was just about to activate the Five-Colored Divine Light, was suddenly stunned, and then filled with rage.

    How dare anyone steal my achievement? Who is this suicidal fool? The Peacock King had hoped to win over the crowd with this fire, but now someone had beaten him to it. Anger rose from the depths of his heart, and with a sh of wickedness, he spread his wings and chased after the receding mes.

    The monks below, clueless about what was happening, assumed that the Peacock King had employed some tactic to drive back the mes. Without a second thought, they chased after the Peacock King.

    However, before the group of monks had gotten far, a scream pierced their ears. Those with sharp hearing realized almost instantly that it was the Peacock King who had screamed.

    As the screams faded, the monks realized something was amiss. They were just thinking of turning back when another voice came through: "Don¡¯t bother running, it¡¯s toote now."

    Before the words had settled, the Sun Golden Fire that had been rolling back now came at them with even greater fury. And as the mes drew closer, nine golden birds burst forth from them. On closer inspection, one could see that these nine birds, majestic and splendid in golden feathers, each had three legs.

    Indeed, they were the nine Three-legged Golden Crows that Hou Yi had once shot down with his Divine Bow. But how could the long-dead Golden Crows appear here,manding the boundless Sun Golden Fire to pursue the adherents of Buddhism?

    When a figure appeared in the sky, the answer was finally revealed.

    "Ahahaha, who would have thought that I, your humble Zhu Bajie, would have such a glorious day? It¡¯s so satisfying, so very satisfying."

    Yes, the mastermind behind the Sun Golden Fire outbreak was none other than the former Tianpeng Marshal, Zhu Bajie. After parting with Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang at the Coiled Silk Cave, Zhu Bajie headed alone to the Moon Pce in search of Chang¡¯er. However, upon his arrival at the Moon Pce, he discovered it was deserted, with no sign of Chang¡¯er anywhere.

    After a thorough search that turned up nothing, Zhu Bajie surmised that Chang¡¯er was probably no longer in the Moon Pce. Given Chang¡¯er¡¯s temperament, she would definitely not while away the rest of her days in the Moon Pce, especially after such a cmity. But where could Chang¡¯er have gone?

    With no other option, Zhu Bajie sneakily returned to Heaven. Although Buddhism hadpletely overtaken Heaven, Zhu Bajie had served as Tianpeng Marshal for tens of thousands of years, and slipping past the watchful eyes of Buddhism to enter Heaven was like child¡¯s y to him.

    Yet despite searching Heaven for over three months, Zhu Bajie still found no trace of Chang¡¯er. Where on earth could she be?

    With Heaven yielding no results, Zhu Bajie turned his search to the Mortal World. After scouring all the ces he could think of and finding nothing, Zhu Bajie began to panic. Could something have happened to Chang¡¯er?

    The thought sent a chill down Zhu Bajie¡¯s spine. Without further ado, he headed straight for the Netherworld to seek out King Yama and check the Book of Life and Death.

    Now, one might wonder, with even Heaven upied by Buddhism, how could King Yama still reign over the Netherworld?

    This brings to light the Tathagata¡¯s foresight indeed. The conquest and upation of Heaven was because Heaven is the source of the Eastern Dragon Vein, attracting endless nature¡¯s spiritual energy, making it one of the most potent ces in the entire Pangu Realm.

    As for the Netherworld, it not onlycks any spiritual energy but is also filled with ghostly Qi and overwhelming karmic force. Such a ce holds no significance or interest for Buddhism.

    The Netherworld was also guarded by Ksitigarbha, so upying the Netherworld didn¡¯t seem to hold much significance. Moreover, if the fighting resulted in the escape of the wronged souls from the Netherworld, and Heaven¡¯s Dao became enraged, that would not be something to take lightly.

    Thus, Zhu Bajie was able to firmly persuade King Yama. However, when Zhu Bajie checked the Book of Life and Death, he could not find Chang¡¯e¡¯s name.

    The Book of Life and Death in the Netherworld, one of the three natural scriptures formed at the beginning of Heaven¡¯s Dao: the Heavenly scripture Investiture of the Gods, the Earth¡¯s scripture being the great Earth¡¯s cental membrane, and the Mortal¡¯s scripture being the Book of Life and Death.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The Book of Life and Death is divided into the Book of Life, which records all living beings in the world regardless of gender or age, and the Book of Death, which records all deceased souls. Once someone dies, their name vanishes from the Book of Life and appears in the Book of Death. This is the cycle of Heaven¡¯s Dao.

    What astounded Zhu Bajie, however, was the absence of Chang¡¯e¡¯s name in both the Book of Life and the Book of Death.

    There are three kinds of people whose names do not appear in the Book of Life and Death. The first are those who have be Saints, having attained the great Dao of Heaven and Earth, they be existences that live alongside Heaven and Earth, and thus their names are not within the Book of Life and Death.

    The second are those forcefully erased, just like Sun Wukong once did with a single stroke for the entire Monkey Tribe, from then on, the tribe¡¯s members were not included in the Book of Life and Death.

    The third are the people of Heaven¡¯s Dao. Those born from the gestation of nature¡¯s spiritual energy to maintain the bnce of Heaven¡¯s Dao and eliminate its hidden dangers. These are also not included in the Book of Life and Death.

    But what about Chang¡¯e? What could be the reason for her absence?

    After much thought, with no reasonable exnation, Zhu Bajie had no choice but to return to Heaven.

    The more Zhu Bajie thought about it, the more stifled he felt, and the more uncontroble his internal rage became. However, Zhu Bajie also knew that with his own strength, it was impossible for him to overpower all of these Buddhas. But Zhu Bajie was no fool. If he couldn¡¯t win in an open fight, couldn¡¯t he just resort to secret tactics?

    So, after the start of Buddhism¡¯s selection conference, Zhu Bajie sneaked into what used to be Lingxiao Pce, now the Great Hero Pce.

    Normally, Buddhist rules dictate that there must be at least three Buddhas guarding the Great Hero Pce no matter what happens. But today was the selection conference, and all the Buddhas wanted to join in the fun and in the absence of Tathagata, these Buddhas didn¡¯t care as much.

    That was why the Great Hero Pce was astonishingly devoid of anyone.

    Thereupon, Zhu Bajie started to exert his divine powers. Carrying his Nine-Toothed Rake, he wreaked havoc in the Great Hero Pce, turning it upside down. To the uninformed, it certainly looked like some deste mountain temple.

    In the end, Zhu Bajie set his sights on what was once the Dragon Throne. With a smirk, he leapt andnded squarely upon the Dragon Throne.

    Actually, when Tathagata upied the Heavenly Pce, he wanted to remove the Dragon Throne and rece it with his own Lotus Throne Treasure. However, after being persuaded by the other Buddhas beneath him, Tathagata did not make the switch and directly seated himself upon the Dragon Throne.

    Sitting on the Dragon Throne, Zhu Bajie gazed down at the scene below and couldn¡¯t help recalling how his romance with Chang¡¯e had been discovered years ago. The Jade Emperor, in spite of Zhu Bajie¡¯s contributions and the persuasions of the gods, resolutely cast him into the reincarnation path of animals. From then on, he was burdened with this half-pig, half-human form.

    As he reminisced, a surge of malicious fury rushed out of Zhu Bajie, and with a twist of his body, he brought down his Nine-Toothed Rake andpletely smashed the Dragon Throne to pieces.

    Then, Zhu Bajie saw nine shiny, golden pearls hidden within a secretpartment underneath the throne.

    And then, Zhu Bajie ate those nine pearls as if they were Golden Cores.

 Chapter 85 - 78 Zhu Bajieéˆ¥æªš Evolution

    Zhu Bajie had always been incredibly gluttonous, and ever since he led the Demon n in attacking Heaven and stole the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Immortal Pills, Zhu Bajie hadpletely lost his resistance to such dazzling Elixirs. Thus, seeing the nine Golden Cores in the secretpartment, Zhu Bajie didn¡¯t think twice before swallowing them.

    "Heh heh, this old Jade Emperor sure has a lot of nice things. These Golden Cores are even hidden underneath the dragon throne. Heh heh heh, but today, they are a bargain for this old pig,"

    Just as he finished speaking, before Bajie could even stand up, a violent pain suddenly surged in his belly, and then in an intensely fiery sensation, he passed out.

    What Zhu Bajie didn¡¯t know was that these nine Golden Cores were not what any Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Immortal Pills were; these were transformed from the nine Golden Crows, shot down by the great witch Hou Yi, containing the most pure True Sr Fire of this world.

    Ancient legends tell of the Demon n Emperor, Di Jun, and Xi He, who had ten sons. They possessed both divine and human characteristics and were the incarnations of Golden Crows, the three-legged sr birds capable of flight.

    However, these ten Golden Crows did not heed Di Jun¡¯s warning, and their outing above the Nine Heavens caused the Mortal World to scorch, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

    The great witch Hou Yi, wielding the Sun Shooting Divine Bow, shot down nine Golden Crows from the sky. This act rescued the Mortal World from cmity. Yet, ying the sons of Emperor Di Jun was a capital offence, although Di Jun pardoned Hou Yi considering he acted for themon folk.

    Nevertheless, Di Jun, having lost nine sons, was ovee with grief. So he used Great Magical Power to convert the nine Golden Crows¡¯ souls and their innate True Sr Fire into nine Supreme Golden Elixirs.

    He hoped that one day he would find a way to resurrect his sons. But he never expected that a great war would ensue, and even nobility like Emperor Di Jun would fall.

    With the decline of the Demon n and the rise of the Taoist Sect, after countless cmities, Hao Tian became the Jade Emperor. Through fortune, he came to possess these nine Sr Gold Elixirs. However, the True Sr Fire within these nine Gold Elixirs was immense, and even the Jade Emperor dared not consume them carelessly.

    To realize that the energy released by a single sun is sufficient for all living beings in the Pangu Realm, the energy from nine suns would equate to the energy of nine worlds.

    Yet, because of the Imperial Dragon Qi inherent to the Jade Emperor, if he were to merge and devour them one by one, the effects would be greatly diminished, and it would be good to absorb a tenth of a single Sr Gold Elixir. How could the Jade Emperor bear to waste such a precious thing?

    Therefore, it was sealed within a Cold Ice Box, hoping to find the ultimate Cold Thing to neutralize it someday so that he might smelt the nine Sr Gold Elixirs in one fell swoop. Then, in the world, he would have no rival, not even the Tathagata of the Western Paradise could withstand a snap of his fingers.

    But who could have imagined, before the Jade Emperor found the ultimate Cold Thing, Heaven would fall to Buddhism, and he himself would perish. Thus, these nine Sr Gold Elixirs remained beneath the dragon throne, unknown to all.

    Now, they had been identally consumed by Zhu Bajie, and in that moment, the True Sr Fire that erupted had directly reduced Zhu Bajie to nothingness. And this burst of mes was the very fire that covered the sky the Buddhist disciples saw for the first time.

    However, miracles often ur precisely when they are least expected, for that which urs unexpectedly, that is the miracle. And Zhu Bajie created just such a miracle.

    Although the nine Sr Gold Elixirs had instantly reduced Zhu Bajie to nothingness, let¡¯s not forget that Zhu Bajie was no ordinary Immortal. His body was now formed by Sanzang using the Void Transcendence Flower with the Red Lotus Karma Fire. As long as the Karmic Force in this world persists, Zhu Bajie would be immortal.

    So when the True Sr Fire burnt out the Red Lotus Karma Fire that constituted Zhu Bajie¡¯s body, a strange thing urred¡ªsomehow, a wisp of the Red Lotus Karma Fire ignited amidst the raging True Sr Fire.

    Logically, this should have been impossible. There are different levels of strange me in the world, and no matter what, True Sr Fire is more than a level higher than the Red Lotus Karma Fire. It could be said that True Sr Fire is the highest level of me that the Pangu Realm can amodate.

    So, when the Sr Goldfire had just erupted, it instantly burned Zhu Bajie¡¯s Red Lotus Fire Body to ash.

    Therefore, this scene, which defied all reason, urred. The Red Lotus Karma Fire, despite being of a much lower tier than the Sr Goldfire, stubbornly and persistently burned amidst the epassing mes of the Sr Goldfire.

    Luckily, at this moment, Zhu Bajie¡¯s Divine Sense wasatose, otherwise, if he had witnessed this scene, he surely would have been scared to death.

    At the same time, one must also acknowledge the incredible luck of Zhu Bajie. Had he ingested these nine Golden Cores before they came into the Jade Emperor¡¯s possession, regardless of any miracles the Red Lotus Karma Fire could perform, it wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance to persist even for a moment. At that time, the nine Sr Gold Elixirs contained theplete souls of nine Golden Crows.

    However, after being acquired by the Jade Emperor, in order to facilitate his own integration and devouring, the Jade Emperor paid a tremendous price to erase the souls and wills of the nine Golden Crows, leaving behind only the pure essence of Sr Goldfire.

    If the Jade Emperor knew that he paid a huge price only to inadvertently benefit Zhu Bajie, who knows if he would have been so angry that he came back to life.

    Soon, Zhu Bajie¡¯s consciousness began to slowly clear up. At the moment of awakening, when he discovered he was reduced to merely a wisp of me, Zhu Bajie was so frightened that his soul almost fled.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Now he was different from before, all of his soul and Divine Sense had transformed into Red Lotus Karma Fire, and if thisst wisp of me were extinguished, then he would truly cease to existpletely dissipated.

    And when Zhu Bajie¡¯s Divine Sense conducted a brief exploration, he fainted again from shock. Not only did he discover that he was reduced to a wisp of me, but he was also enveloped by the massive, boundless Sr Goldfire. This... Wasn¡¯t this tantamount to being sentenced to death? Zhu Bajie knew all too well the terror of Sr Goldfire.

    Time passed, unknown how long, when Zhu Bajie awoke once more, and this time he was much calmer. After all, he had died before, what was there to be afraid of?

    After waking up, he found that he hadn¡¯t died, and that the wisp of his Red Lotus Karma Fire was still burning tenaciously. Furthermore, the terrifying Sr Goldfire simply surrounded his Red Lotus Karma Fire but had not devoured it.

    This discovery made Zhu Bajie even calmer. In fact, Zhu Bajie thought it was quite simple; he had been unconscious for certainly no short amount of time, and since the Sr Goldfire hadn¡¯t burned his Red Lotus Karma Fire then, it probably wouldn¡¯t now. Otherwise, how could his feeble and pitiful Red Lotus Karma Fire possibly withstand it?

    With this thought, Zhu Bajiepletely let go of his worries. The first thing he did after calming down was to try and control his Red Lotus Karma Fire to see if he could escape. Although the Sr Goldfire hadn¡¯t attacked him, it felt unbearable. It was like standing naked among a pack of hungry wolves.

    However, when Zhu Bajie moved his Divine Sense, he was surprised to find that not only the Red Lotus Karma Fire but even the surrounding Sr Goldfire were very obedient. With a thought, the Sr Goldfire again moved in harmony with Zhu Bajie¡¯s Divine Sense, and it seemed almost excited?

    This truly left Zhu Bajie bewildered¡ªwhat in the world was happening? Could he be dreaming? But that didn¡¯t seem likely either.

    Out of curiosity, Zhu Bajie tried to shape the Red Lotus Karma Fire into a body, and what happened next was even more surprising. The all-epassing Sr Goldfire seemed to receive somemand and rolled back, and in the blink of an eye, shaped into a figure with a pig¡¯s head and a human¡¯s body.

    And this body was formed entirely out of the purest Sr Goldfire.

    At this moment, Zhu Bajie was utterly dumbfounded, silently gazing at the nine resplendent Golden Cores within him, uncertain of what to do next.

 Chapter 86: Chapter 79: Reencountering Change

    Although Zhu Bajie was still very confused and puzzled by everything that had happened, he smiled contentedly when he felt the surging fire power within him. No matter how this power hade about, as long as it could be used for me, that was enough. With great power, some hatreds could finally be more than just buried in the heart.

    Just as Zhu Bajie was about to wield this power, a stream of information suddenly came from the nine Golden Cores inside his body. This information was intermittent and kept expressing one thought: "I need energy, I need to devour!"

    Upon receiving this information, Zhu Bajie almost reflexively released all the Sr Gold Fire within him. At the same time, Zhu Bajie slowly ascended towards the location where Buddhism was convening the Buddha Selection Assembly. Zhu Bajie had a feeling that something iprehensible was happening to him. This fire, it seemed, was not just the simple Sr Gold Fire.

    The mes that Zhu Bajie released into the sky seemed to swirl for a few circles before all at once, like a gust of wind, they headed towards the ce of the Buddha Selection Assembly. There, gathered almost all the monks of Buddhism.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Soon, the sky-covering Sr Gold Fire appeared before all the Buddhist disciples. Seeing so many people, the Sr Gold Fire seemed to be conscious, as endless mes gradually condensed into nine huge Three-legged Golden Crows. After these nine Golden Crows let out a resounding cry, they each charged towards the Buddhas below.

    In the perception of these Three-legged Golden Crows, these Buddhas contained vast amounts of energy. And this energy was exactly what they needed.

    The remaining mes made their transformation into smaller Three-legged Golden Crows, and amid the piercing screeches, they met the monks who were now showing fear.

    For Buddhism, this was simply a catastrophe. Those Buddhas with great power could resist the attacks of the nine Golden Crows at first, but as time passed, the Buddha''s power of these Buddhas weakened. The Golden Crows, however, grew stronger and stronger. Slowly, regardless of whether it was the Buddhas or the rest, they all began to disperse.

    But how could these countless, varying sizes of Golden Crows allow these people to retreat smoothly? These were all sources of energy.

    Among the cries of the nine Golden Crows, these relentless smaller Golden Crows actually arranged themselves into a Myriad Crows Formation. Those trapped within the formation saw even theirst hope of escape shatter.

    However, Buddhism was, after all, Buddhism. When escape seemed hopeless, these Buddhas, Arhats, and Buddhist Soldiers all unleashed terrifyingbat power, and no one feared death any longer. The true meaning of Buddhism waspletely manifested at this moment.

    As Buddhism made their desperate stand, the Golden Crows started to suffer casualties. Initially, the attacks on the Golden Crows by the people of Buddhism had no effect; after all, the Golden Crows were transformations of the Sr Gold Fire and had no physical bodies. Even if they were dispersed, they could instantly coalesce again.

    Soter on, the Buddhist disciples all changed their method of attack to using seals instead of futile assaults. Suddenly, various kinds of Seal spells emerged endlessly. It was at this moment that the Golden Crows finally began to diminish.

    By now, Zhu Bajie had also finally rushed over from the Great Treasure Hall. Seeing that although the Golden Crows were at an advantage, they were also being diminished, Zhu Bajie felt a painful sense of loss. Every Golden Crow lost meant less of Zhu Bajie''s Sr Gold Fire.

    Zhu Bajie was instantly furious, thinking that if this continued, even if he could annihte everyone, he might not have much Sr Gold Fire left. In his rage, what Zhu Bajie did not realize was that although the number of Golden Crows had decreased, their physical forms had be more solid.

    These Golden Crows were not just about killing those monks, after all. With every kill, several Golden Crows would swoop down in an instant topletely devour everything about the person. With each devouring, the Golden Crows grew more consolidated.

    Watching the Golden Crows being continuously diminished, Zhu Bajie was very anxious, but he did not know how to control these Golden Crows. From the beginning to the end, these Golden Crows seemed to have their own consciousness.

    "Could it be that I need to control them like I did with the Red Lotus Karma Fire before?" He could not care less at this point¡ªit was time for ast-ditch effort. He had to try, or if all the Golden Crows perished, wouldn''t he be knocked back to his original state?

    With a single thought, Zhu Bajie''s consciousness entered the nine Golden Cores within his body, trying to generate more Sr Gold Fire. However, as soon as his Divine Sense touched the Golden Cores, he felt a scorching heat that seemed to refine his soul.

    Then, the nine Golden Cores began to tremble on their own, and after the trembling, they suddenly flew out of Zhu Bajie''s body, each entering one of the nine Golden Crows.

    Having received the origin power of the nine Golden Cores, the nine Golden Crows suddenly burst with golden light. What were mere shadows of Golden Crows had now almost condensed into physical forms. From a distance, they looked like nine living Golden Crow deities, no longer bearing any trace of being mere shadows.

    The Buddhist Buddhas who had been evenly matched with the nine shadows of the Golden Crows felt an unstoppable tremendous heat the moment the Golden Cores entered the bodies of the Crows, and then, the nine Buddhas of Buddhism were instantly devoured by the nine Golden Crows. Flesh and Buddha''s power alike werepletely devoured without a trace.

    Maitreya Buddha, Medicine Master Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Dipankara Buddha, Vairocana Buddha, Ratnasambhava Buddha, Nirmanakaya Buddha, as well as Bodhisattva Manjushri and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. The nine strongest in Buddhism thus fell.

    They did not die in thest great war nor did they die while chasing Sun Wukong, but ultimately, they met their demise at the hands of Zhu Bajie, a figure whom no one had taken seriously. And it was the downfall of nine in one fell swoop!

    These nine represented Buddhism''sstbat power, the hope and pir of all Buddhist disciples. Among them, Dipankara Buddha and Amitabha Buddha were even Saints at the early stages of enlightenment. Yet, in the hands of the Three-legged Golden Crows empowered by the nine Sr Gold Elixirs, they were effortlessly struck down!

    There was definitely something wrong with these nine Golden Crows! Even at their peak in Ancient Times, their strength had only reached the Emperor Level Peak, which was why they were sessively shot down by Hou Yi, a Saint at the level of cultivation.

    How much more should a living Golden Crow, only of Emperor Level strength, be mentioned, let alone the souls that had been sealed for who knows how many years? But now, these nine soul state Golden Crows not only killed and devoured the Buddhist Buddhas of the same Emperor Level Peak strength but also executed Amitabha Buddha, whose power far surpassed their own.

    In Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha was only second to Tathagata Buddha in terms of strength! Yet, he still could not escape the fate of downfall.

    With the energy of nine devoured Buddhas absorbed, all nine Golden Crows emitted joyful cries. Then they shrank down and transformed into nine palm-sized birds, flying back into the body of Zhu Bajie.

    Then, Zhu Bajie suddenly let out a roar. This roar was filled with disbelief and amazement, along with an uncontroble ecstasy!

    Because Zhu Bajie had be a Saint!

    Suddenly, heaven and earth rejoiced, and from the depths of the void, countless colorful petals rained down. Soon after, celestial music sounded, and a beam of golden light cascaded from the void, enveloping Zhu Bajie''s head.

    At this moment, Zhu Bajie waspletely immersed in the enlightenment of the various Great Dao of heaven and earth, with the most profound understanding being that of the Fire System.

    After a long while, the celestial music faded, and the rain of flowers vanished. Zhu Bajie opened his eyes. Below him, the Buddhist disciples were still in shock, not thinking of escape. As Zhu Bajie realized the Heavenly Dao, everyone stared nkly at him. Could it be that Zhu Wuneng, who used to be bullied by everyone, had now actually be a Saint?

    Just as Zhu Bajie opened his eyes, a sorrowfulment rose between heaven and earth! This caused Zhu Bajie, who was just about to say something, to freeze, and then he suddenly remembered¡ªthe woefulment must be because two Saints from Buddhism had just perished, causing heaven and earth to mourn together.

    The moment this dirge began, all Buddhist disciples wept inconsbly. It was not only because the supreme figures of Buddhism had fallen but also for the future of Buddhism itself. One could imagine that from now onward, Buddhism would surely decline, or even face extinction.

    Looking down with a sigh, Zhu Bajie also felt many regrets in his heart. During this brief moment as Zhu Bajie looked down, a stunning figure floated gracefully to the ground not far from Zhu Bajie.

    This woman was dressed in a white robe, yet her face was veiled in white. Although her features were obscured, the crescent-shaped mark on her forehead was distinctly visible.

 Chapter 87: Chapter 80 The Balance of Heavenly Dao

    Just as Zhu Bajie hung his head in a sigh, he suddenly felt a very familiar presence and, puzzled, lifted his gaze. In an instant, Zhu Bajie was stunned. His eyes were fixated on that figure not far away. Could it be, could it really be her?

    Suddenly, Zhu Bajie became excited, his whole body trembling with the emotion! It must be her, there could be no mistake. She was alright, that was wonderful, too wonderful. As long as she was alright, it didn''t matter what became of him.

    Just as Zhu Bajie thought about stepping forward to recognize her, he suddenly remembered his current state. Was he even human anymore? Perhaps, his current state could at best be described as a spiritual body, right? He didn''t even have a physical body anymore.

    With such a disfigured, ghastly appearance, how could he face Chang''er? The great joy he had felt just now quickly turned into immense fear.

    Eventually, the mournful music came to a halt, yet Zhu Bajie still stood there dumbfounded, neither daring to step forward nor bear to leave, just foolishly gazing at Chang''er.

    When the music ceased, the woman in white also sighed softly. This sigh, falling on the monks'' ears below, undoubtedly deepened their sorrow. Following her sigh, the woman in white waved her hands, and two streams of light like moonbeams, fell like a sheer veil onto the monks below.

    Immediately, those who had been injured, whether seriously or lightly, all recovered from their injuries in the blink of an eye. And their hearts heavy with sorrow seemed to somewhat ease.

    Zhu Bajie, witnessing all this, couldn''t help but feel puzzled. Why would Chang''er save these monks? While Chang''er''s nature was indeed very kind, the monks of Buddhism were after all the culprits who had destroyed Heaven; even if Chang''er was kind-hearted, she surely wouldn''t heal these monks, would she?

    Moreover, how could injuries caused by the Sr Divine Fire be healed so easily by Chang''er''s mere hand gesture? Since when could Chang''er perform such feats?

    As his doubts grew heavier, Zhu Bajie could no longer care about his own physical state and with a few shes, he was in front of Chang''er. Just as he was about to reach out, he remembered his current body and, with a pang of heartache, lowered his hand again.

    "Chang''er? Is it you?"

    After healing the monks, the woman in white frowned slightly and looked up at Zhu Bajie. But in her bright eyes, which were as clear as autumn waters, confusion and anger were apparent.

    "I am Chang''er, but who are you? The forces of Buddhism have lost theirbat power, why do you still pursue them so relentlessly?"

    Hearing Chang''er''s scolding, Zhu Bajie could hardly believe his own ears. She, she was asking who I was? Could it be that Chang''er no longer recognized me? How could that be?

    His heart, briefly calmed, was once again agitated. Without thinking, Zhu Bajie held onto Chang''er''s hands, but before he could speak, he faced her merciless attack.

    "Let go, you viin," she said.

    With a flick of her wrist, she broke free from Zhu Bajie''s grasp; then, with a gentle push of her hands forward, that light touchnded harshly on Zhu Bajie''s chest, much to his disbelief.

    Flying backward, Zhu Bajie suddenly felt as though ten great mountains were pressing down upon his chest. His Sr God Fire Body, condensed from the Sr Divine Fire, slightly caved in at the chest.

    But the pain in his chest was nothingpared to the pain in Zhu Bajie''s heart.

    "Chang''er, I am Zhu Bajie, I am Tianpeng!" he wailed, crashing into a pce like a cannonball. The originally magnificent pce was directly reduced to ruins by Zhu Bajie''s impact.

    When had Chang''er be so powerful? Or perhaps, the person before him was not Chang''er at all? Yes, if it were really Chang''er, why would she attack him? And with such ruthlessness? Even though hecked a physical body, his appearance, transformed by the Sr Divine Fire, hadn''t changed. If it were truly Chang''er, she would certainly recognize him.

    At this moment, Zhu Bajie''s initial euphoria had gradually given way to calm, and the possibility that Chang''er before him might be an impostor ignited a sudden rage within him.

    Then, the pce that Zhu Bajie had smashed into ruins suddenly erupted in an extremely fierce golden me. The roaring fire asionally revealed the phantom images of several three-legged Golden Crows.

    Emerging from the midst of the mes, Zhu Bajie''s face was filled with anger. He resembled a man of fire, his body ame with golden fire, and behind him, a pair of massive wings of me had formed.

    With a p of those fiery wings, Zhu Bajie took to the air, and with another p, he charged straight towards the woman in white suspected to be Chang''er. As he approached, a golden raven''s head formed from the mes appeared above his head, its sharp, metallic beak undoubtedly possessed a formidable attack power.

    "Speak, who are you really? Why do you take on Chang''er''s guise? If you don''t tell me, I will kill you!" Chang''er held an unimaginably important ce in Zhu Bajie''s heart, and he could not tolerate anyone deceiving him by taking on Chang''er''s appearance.

    Thus, having confirmed that the person was not Chang''er, Zhu Bajie didn''t hesitate to attack.

    "Hmph, I''ve told you, I am Chang''er. You scoundrel, how dare you strike me? You''re courting death!"

    Watching Zhu Bajie''s terrifying strike, the woman in white seemed unfazed, even revealing a look of disdain in her eyes. A full-force strike from someone in the early stages of sainthood, especially one concentrated with the world''s strongest Sr Divine Fire, and yet the woman in white still appeared disdainful.

    If this wasn''t due to herck of worldly experience, it must mean she possessed absolutely overwhelming strength, so formidable that she could afford topletely disregard someone in the early stages of sainthood!

    With a cold snort from the woman in white, she swept her hands before her, and a cool, moonlight-like barrier rose in front of her. It expanded rapidly, eventually epassing all the Buddhist disciples below within its light.

    "Moonlight Barrier!" Just as the barrier rose, Zhu Bajie, carrying the terrifying Sr Divine Fire, collided with it. The next moment, a scene so shocking and unbelievable unfolded.

    The monks below, who thought they were doomed upon seeing Zhu Bajie''s approach and recognized the force as far more formidable than the previous Sr Divine Fire, braced for annihtion. This attack would surely obliterate what was left of Buddhism''sst strength in an instant.

    Just when many monks had closed their eyes in resignation to their fate, a cry of agony sounded¡ªan anguished cry that seemed peculiarly like Zhu Bajie''s.

    So, everyone simultaneously brushed off their shock and looked up, only to see Zhu Bajie colliding with the nearly transparent, thin barrier. The Sr Divine Fire, which condensed the hard beak of a bird, instantly snapped and shattered into mes, followed by Zhu Bajie himself violently crashing against it.

    Simrly, the apparently fragile Moonlight Barrier remained undisturbed without even a ripple, but Zhu Bajie was left in a pitiful state. Not only had his mes dissipated, but he also spat out blood as he was repelled by the Moonlight Barrier.

    Just who was this person? How could they possess such terrifying power? This strength, it seemed to have already surpassed the realm of sainthood, hadn''t it?

    After being repelled by the barrier, Zhu Bajie was also shocked to his core because that collision had instilled fear into the nine Sr Gold Elixirs within him, and they suddenly fell silent. No matter how Zhu Bajie called to them, none of the nine Golden Cores responded!

    What on earth was going on?

    Looking at the repelled Zhu Bajie with disdain, the woman in white said, "A mere early-stage saint dares to attack the Heavenly Dao? Had I not shown mercy for the sake of Nuwa from your Demon n, I would have taken your life just now!"

    After she spoke, she waved her hand, and the barrier disappeared. Then she continued to Zhu Bajie, "Today, I shall spare your life. These remaining followers of Buddhism, you must not trouble them henceforth. The Heavenly Dao is merciful, every being has its own reason for existence.

    Buddhism hasmitted many injustices, and although this cmity is self-inflicted, their very foundation should not be eradicated."

    "Billions of years ago, Heaven and Buddhism spared your Demon n. Today, it is your turn to spare the lives of the Buddhism followers."N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 88: Chapter 81 I Am the Heavenly Dao

    Zhu Bajie, who was sent flying, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly got up. "Who exactly are you? Why have you transformed into Chang''er''s appearance again?"

    The woman in white looked at the disheveled Zhu Bajie and let out another cold snort. "Telling you is no harm, so you won''t harbor any dissatisfaction!"

    "I am Chang''er, and Chang''er is me. I am the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao. I have existed since Pangu created Heaven and Earth. My existence is to ensure the bnce of the Heavenly Dao and to eliminate all those who attempt to defy it."

    "During the Primordial Era, your Demon n was so powerful that it almost wiped out all races in the Pangu Realm, except for the Demon n. So, I appeared to warn the leaders of the Demon n at the time. Unexpectedly, they did not heed my warnings and even conspired to take me on together.

    Hmph, in the end, all but Nuwa were injured by me, which is why your leaders of the Demon n finally started to stay put in the Heavenly Pce."

    "In Ancient Times, the Taoist Sect among humans suddenly rose, producing several extremely powerful Taoist masters. They also teamed up with Buddhism, waging a war thatsted a thousand years against the Demon n. The Demon n was defeated in the end, and the Taoist Sect and Buddhism each took over the Heavenly Pce and the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain.

    After the defeat of the Demon n, the Taoist Sect and Buddhism had no intention of sparing the remaining Demon n and were ready to carry out a massacre. Thus, I appeared once more, defeating both the Tathagata from Buddhism and the Jade Emperor from the Taoist Sect. Otherwise, there wouldn''t be any Demon n left afterwards."

    "Now, although the Demon n and the Taoist Sect have been outwitted by Buddhism, I did not expect Buddhism to end up in such a state. Your Demon n can consider this a great vengeance avenged. So, let this ware to an end."

    "The bnce of the Heavenly Dao must be maintained, the remaining beings can be killed but not to the root. Therefore, none of these monks can be killed."

    Having heard what the woman in white said, Zhu Bajie vaguely grasped something. Moreover, given the current situation, he was definitely unable to kill these monks himself. Not to mention the fearsome power of this woman in white, even if he could really do it himself, after the nine Golden Cores fell silent, he had be a pseudo-saint who had the status of a saint but not the power of one.

    As he pondered, Zhu Bajie spoke up again, "Then what is really going on with you? I used to know Chang''er as well, but although you bear her looks, you are definitely not her. Yet, you just said you indeed are Chang''er, what exactly is going on?"

    To Zhu Bajie''s question, the woman in white actually gave a serious answer, which even made her feel somewhat strange within. It was as if she shared some extraordinary connection with Zhu Bajie, a feeling that did not make her fall for Zhu Bajie but did remove much of the enmity between them.

    "The Chang''er you know should be another Chang''er. Let''s put it this way, actually I am a person with two souls. During times of peace in the Three Realms, it is the other Chang''er who controls the body, but as soon as a crisis of annihtion arises within the Three Realms, I would awaken and then go to stop it.

    As for this awakening, firstly, it was to ensure that neither the Taoist Sect nor Buddhism would be eradicated, and secondly, I have to eliminate someone. Otherwise, as long as he exists, Buddhism and the Taoist Sect are bound to perish sooner orter,"

    At this point, the woman in white''s tone turned cold again, filled with murderous intent.

    "You, the one you seek to eliminate, could it be?"

    "That''s right, it''s Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven from the Demon n. Hmph, a mere macaque dares to im equality with Heaven? Now, off you go. Remember, the Heavenly Dao is invible, those who defy it must be in!"

    Having finished speaking, the woman in white swung her hand, and a white silk ribbon floated out, then wrapped around and took away the remaining Buddhist disciples, turning into a streak of light as they departed.

    The once bustling Heavenly Pce was now deste, with only Zhu Bajie sitting there alone on the ground. At this moment, Zhu Bajie''s thoughts were in utter chaos. The person he had been searching for had been found atst, but she was no longer the one he knew. With a twist, she had be the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao.

    And she possessed terrifying and formidable cultivation. All of this came too suddenly, leaving the unprepared Zhu Bajie still in disbelief. Just like that, Zhu Bajie sat for half a day.

    Not until after half a day did Zhu Bajie slowly rise to his feet. After half a day''s contemtion, Zhu Bajie hade to terms with many things, including understanding many past events.

    No wonder, after his affair with Chang''er was discovered by the Jade Emperor years ago, he suffered such severe punishment. Normally, though the rules of Heaven forbid the deities from engaging in private romances, if it really happened, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother usually turned a blind eye, only pretending not to see as long as it didn''t go too far.

    But when the Jade Emperor discovered his own love affair with Chang''er, he flew into an unusual and extreme rage. He directly ordered the removal of his own official post, stripped himself of his immortal status, and then cast himself into reincarnation.

    Moreover, in the final moments, the Jade Emperor even personally took action, using the supreme power of the nine dragons to forcibly thrust himself into the path of animals, condemning himself to forever bear a body that was half pig, half human.

    If it wasn''t for the Jade Emperor''s final intervention, even though he would have fallen to the Mortal World, relying on his former immortal status, at worst he would have been reincarnated into a royal family and enjoyed a noble status in the Mortal World. After all, as an Immortal, it would be impossible to directly fall from the Immortal Realm into the path of animals.

    From this, one could see how angry the Jade Emperor really was.

    Yet, after this incident, Chang''er did not receive any punishment or discipline, which, ording to the heavenlyws, should have been imposed on both parties involved in a secret romance. But Chang''er, as if nothing had happened, still lived alone peacefully in the Moon Pce.

    Now thinking about it, it must have been that the Jade Emperor had long been aware of Chang''er''s identity as an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao. A love affair with Chang''er, wasn''t it an involvement with the Heavenly Dao? That was tantamount to riding on the neck of the Jade Emperor.

    Moreover, with only the cultivation of a Golden Immortal, Chang''er could still monopolize the Moon, a privilege absolutely unique in the Three Realms. Even the Buddhism of the Western Paradise didn''t express much.

    All of this, was thanks to Chang''er''s special identity.

    Also, back when Brother Monkey wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Pce, the Jade Emperor''s cultivation was not much different from Brother Monkey''s. Adding to that the million heavenly soldiers and many Immortals, how could Brother Monkey be left powerless by a single individual?

    I used to think that the Jade Emperor was a coward. Now it seems it is not so simple. What can be certain is that the Jade Emperor would rather endure the chaos in Heaven without taking action, preferring to have someone invite Buddha Mahavairocana Tathagata from the Western Paradise to intervene in the end.

    Surely he was hoping that Tathagata, by extinguishing Sun Wukong, would shatter the hope and foundation of the Demon n, thus awakening the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao. If the incarnation truly awakened and saw the foundation of the Demon n destroyed, it would certainly attack Tathagata.

    In such a case, Tathagata would likely be injured, to some extent, and then with some minor plots or even direct mobilization of troops, it would not be impossible for Heaven to take action.

    However, it''s a pity that Tathagata is not a fool either, having seen through the Jade Emperor''s schemes. Therefore, in the end, he only suppressed Sun Wukong for five hundred years. Five hundred years, to a pinnacle Emperor Level power, is but a fleeting moment. These five hundred years, aside from intensifying Sun Wukong''s hatred towards Heaven, have served no other purpose.

    Oh, that''s right, taking the opportunity to absorb the Spiritual Charm from Sun Wukong''s mind was also one of the goals. It''s just that Tathagata did not expect Sun Wukong to end up hating Buddhism as well.

    Having realized all this, Zhu Bajie suddenly felt a shock in his heart. When the woman in white left, she had mentioned she was going to kill the wayward Sun Wukong. Although Bajie didn''t know why Brother Monkey had be someone who defied the Heavenly Dao, it seemed the woman in white was not joking.

    Looking at this, isn''t Brother Monkey in danger? The woman in white''s strength definitely exceeds the realm of a Saint, and even if Brother Monkey is strong, he is more likely to be doomed if he encounters her. No, I must quickly find Brother Monkey, at least to warn him. If it reallyes down to it, he should flee, to wherever he can.

    With this thought, Zhu Bajie rose up and mounted the clouds, ready to leave. At that moment, a voice transmitted into Zhu Bajie''s mind.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Second Elder Brother, Wukong is currently in the farthest east. But just yesterday, I suddenly lost the sense of his presence. You must hurry. If you find Wukong, tell him to flee as far as he can. The incarnation of the Heavenly Dao is not something you can contend with."

    "You, you are Fan Xin? How are you? Are you alright?"

    "I''m fine, very well. Here, eat this peach; it will help you recover from your injuries. Give the other one to Wukong. Go quickly, otherwise it will be toote. Tell Wukong for me that Fan Xin will always be waiting for him."

    As soon as she finished speaking, the space before Zhu Bajie fluctuated, and then two peaches, ripe and resplendent, appeared before him. He picked up one, cing it into the Sumeru Sack, and quickly ate the other.

    "Fan Xin, I''m off; take good care of yourself. Farewell."

    After speaking, Zhu Bajie transformed into a streak of light, heading towards the far easternnd.

 Chapter 89: Chapter 82 Sacrifice

    Zhu Bajie sped toward the far easternnds, racing on his journey without a second thought for the drain on his spiritual power.

    On the other side, the woman in white used a white silk ribbon to sweep up the remaining people of Buddhism and flew toward the far westernnds. Their destination was likely the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain. Indeed, as the sun set, the woman in white brought the people of Buddhism back to the once holynd of Buddhism, the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain.

    Looking at the Spiritual Mount, which now resembled a barren hill, the monks did not understand the woman''s intentions. Yet with Buddhism''s backbone now gone, none dared approach and inquire.

    The woman in white gazed at the deste mount, as if she could see the tragic battle that had once taken ce there. With a low sigh, she then danced with her hands, and as she danced, specks of light began to gather from the distant void. As the dance grew more intense, the specks of light also gradually increased. After a full Chinese hour, the woman had danced for aplete hour.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    All the Buddhist disciples behind her were stunned, regardless of their level of cultivation. They all dumbly watched Chang''er amid the lights, marveling at her divine beauty. Suddenly, a cold snort broke the spell, and only then did the enchanted monkse to their senses, faces flush with embarrassment.

    "Hmph, what a useless bunch. Is this all Buddhism has taught you?" After that, the woman in white ignored the monks, who couldn''t hide their shame, and stopped her movements. After an entire hour of gathering, the scattered specks of light had now formed a moon about ten meters in diameter.

    It was magnificent, unlike anything of the mortal world. "I use the power of the cosmic stars to wash away the mountain''s tainted blood. From now on, you may recuperate in this Spiritual Mount, but you must not engage the Demon n again. Otherwise, Buddhism is destined to be annihted."

    Having said that, the woman in white pushed with her hands, and the massive moon flew up, floating above the mountaintop. Then, like the most beautiful firework in the world, it exploded with a loud bang.

    Immediately, brilliant silver dots fell like a beautiful rain of light. As these light specks scattered across the Spiritual Mount, they purified the filthiest and most evil blood and vile qi from the Asura Realm in an instant. It was as if lumps of coal had fallen onto snow. When the light faded, the Spiritual Mount had regained its former spirituality.

    Nheless, the dead trees and copsed buildings would need to be rebuilt slowly from scratch. But for the disciples of Buddhism, who were like dogs that had lost their homes, this was already enough.

    "The spiritual energy of the Spiritual Mount has been restored. You should manage well from now on."

    Having said this, before the Buddhist disciples could cheer, the woman in white transformed into a streak of silver light and vanished.

    After a brief silence, a passionate cheer erupted once again. Although almost all of the Buddhas of Buddhism had perished and Buddhism existed in name only, as long as they returned to this Spiritual Mount, there was still hope for Buddhism.

    After leaving the Spiritual Mount, the woman in white flew directly toward the extreme east. But shortly after, she suddenly frowned and said, "The consumption was that great? It seems I must hibernate for a while."

    After saying this, the woman in whitended and found a cave on the mountainside, which she entered. No sooner had she entered the cave than she sat down in a meditative pose. From her wrinkled brow andbored breathing, it was clear she was exhausted.

    As soon as she sat down, she closed her eyes and entered a temporary hibernation. At the same time, the white silk ribbon automatically flew out, circling around her, providing protection.

    After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the woman in white slowly woke up. However, her first words upon awakening were, "Where is this ce? Why am I here?" Opening her eyes, she seemed to have a slight headache, gently massaging her temples while trying hard to remember something.

    She thought for a long time, but the memories she retrieved were fragmented. However, these memories were intact not long ago, on the day the Demon n armies attacked Heaven. After that moment, she could only recall bits and pieces.

    Within these fragments, she suddenly saw a person. "It''s Tianpeng, Tianpeng is injured? I must go find Tianpeng." Chang''er, no, it was more urate to say it was Chang''er, rose briskly and then hurried toward the extreme easternnds.

    The Hidden Wood Forest in the Far East!

    "n Leader, it''s been three full days with no new developments. They couldn''t have..."

    "Silence, do not speak nonsense. Lady Nuwa once said that the Child of Hope of the Demon n will not fail. It''s only been three days. After all, it''s the Fire Attribute of the Five Elements Divine Stone, and three days is quite normal."

    The speaker was Mu Jingshi, the n Leader of the Spiritual Wood n.

    However, in Mu Jingshi''s eyes, there was also a hint of worry. After all, the stone being absorbed was the most vtile Fire Attribute among the Five Elements Divine Stones, and it was even fused with many strange fires. The only hope now was that Sun Wukong could persevere.

    Only if the fusion was sessful and then his own Wood Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone was also integrated, gathering all Five Elements together, could the Demon n truly revive.

    At that moment, the space at the entrance to the Hidden Wood Forest suddenly began to distort, then numerous cracks appeared, and finally, with a sound like ss shattering, the space actually zed open, revealing a human-sized hole.

    At the very moment the space fractured, Mu Jingshi, the n Leader of the Spiritual Wood n stationed at the center of the Hidden Wood Forest, and Meng Gui, the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n, were already aware. Then, expressions of pleasant surprise simultaneously appeared on their faces, and in the next instant, they had already vanished from their spots.

    "Finally out, oh my god, Boss, that was truly terrifying." The speaker was a person, or more urately a macaque with six ears, who emerged from the fractured space.

    "You can say that again, I nearly got burned to ashes." While flexing his body, Sun Wukong continuously marveled.

    Yes, three days ago, after Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque had together defeated the masked man and killed him, they were engulfed by the mes that erupted from the man''s body. As they struggled, they felt a wave of spatial fluctuations, and then the fire suddenly vanished. What appeared before them was a child wearing a red bellyband.

    "You, are you Hong Hai''er? What are you doing here? Could it be, could it really be that the masked man was you?" Seeing Hong Hai''er, Sun Wukong was truly astonished. Although he had previously thought the masked man might be Hong Hai''er, seeing him with his own eyes was another matter entirely.

    "That''s right, the masked man was me. Great Saint, it''s been a long time. I thought I could defeat you this time, but I didn''t expect that, after so many years, you were no longer alone."

    A very strange feeling suddenly rose in Sun Wukong''s heart as he realized he truly owed Bull Demon King''s family.

    "Hong Hai''er, why are you here? And why did you want to kill my fellow monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain? Surely, our enmity isn''t that great, is it?"

    Even though it was Hong Hai''er, the son of his sworn elder brother, the thought of the monkeys and descendants who died in the Hidden Wood Forest immediately ignited a burning anger in Sun Wukong.

    Meanwhile, the Six-Eared Macaque beckoned with his hand, and the five Divine Dragons that had followed them transformed into the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, now held in the hand of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    "Heh, Great Saint, the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain are not dead. What you saw earlier and what the Six-Eared Macaque heard were all just an Illusion Array set up jointly by Meng Gui, the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n, and Mu Jingshi, the n Leader of the Spiritual Wood n. It was simply to stir up the killing intent in your heart."

    "Why would you do that? And why should I believe you?"

    "Because I am the one you''re searching for, the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone!"

 Chapter 90: Chapter 83 The Story of Hong Haier

    Time traces back to long, long ago, so far back it reaches the Primordial Era when the Ancestral Witch and Fire God Zhurong shed with the Water Deity Gonggong in a great battle.

    In ancient times, there were Twelve Ancestral Witches, also known as the Twelve Demon Gods, naturally endowed with unparalleled physical strength, devouring heaven and earth, manipting wind, water, thunder, and lightning, moving mountains and filling the seas, and altering the skies andnds.

    The Twelve Ancestral Witches were as follows: Di Jiang, whose form was like a yellow sac, red as zing fire, with six legs and four wings, a faceless being of chaos, the Ancestral Witch of spatial velocity; Ju Mang, with a bird''s body and a human face, riding on a Liang dragon, the Ancestral Witch of Eastern wood; Xuan Ming, with a snake in his left ear, riding on two dragons, the Ancestral Witch of Western metal; Gonggong, the Ancestral Witch of Northern water; Zhurong, with a beast''s body and a human face, the Ancestral Witch of Southern fire; Zhu Jiuyin, with a human face and a snake''s body, yet never eating, sleeping, or resting, the candle dragon, the Ancestral Witch of time; Qiang Liang, with a tiger''s head and a human body, four hooves, and long arms, the Ancestral Witch of thunder; Tian Wu, known as the Lord of Waters, the Ancestral Witch of wind; Yue Zi, the Ancestral Witch of lightning; Xuan Ming, the rain master, the Ancestral Witch of rain; and Hou Tu, the Ancestral Witch of central earth.

    Among these Twelve Ancestral Witches, for reasons unknown, Fire God Zhurong and Water Deity Gonggong fell into a dispute and waged a great war against each other, with Gonggong defeated and in a rage knocking down the Heavenly Pir, Mount Buzhou, breaking the support of Heaven and severing Earth''s tether.

    Fortunately, the progenitor of the Demon n, the great goddess Nuwa, mended the heavens with Five-Colored Divine Stones, thus saving themon people. And because of her earlier achievements in creating humanity and mending the sky, Nuwa attained the way of heaven and earth, shed her serpentine form, and transcended the realm of saints to be the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao.

    At this time, Nuwa suddenly sensed that the Demon n would endure a cmity of extermination, so she left behind one of the Five-Colored Divine Stones, divided it into five, and entrusted them to the guardianship of the five supreme ns of the Demon n. This was all in the hope of bringing a ray of hope to the Demon n in the future.

    The Fire Attribute of the Five-Colored Divine Stones was then entrusted to the Illusion Demon n for protection.

    However, over the following lengthy years, this Fire Attribute Divine Stone miraculously developed its own spiritual wisdom and grew increasingly mature. Finally, one night, no longer content to remain in solitude, the stone stealthily left the seclusion of the Illusion Demon n''s homnd, Illusory Demon Ind.

    Although the Five-Colored Divine Stone had acquired spiritual wisdom, it was inexperienced and found everything about the outside world to be utterly novel. Just then, the stone suddenly sensed a very familiar fire attribute power, as if countless mes were calling out to it.

    Thus, following this sensation, the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone journeyed southward until, after oveing myriad perils, it arrived at a deep abyss in the Southern Shan part of the state. Here, the calling felt especially clear.

    When the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone reached the bottom of the abyss, it saw a huge pce aglow with red fire. The words "Zhu Rong Temple" were inscribed boldly above the main entrance.

    Could this be the temple of Fire God Zhurong? That would be incredible. ording to ancient legends, Fire God Zhurong and Water Deity Gonggong perished together, would that not leave the Zhu Rong Temple ownerless?

    And that lethal calling was growing stronger and stronger. Following its instincts, the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone shed into the temple interior.

    Upon entering the temple, the Fire Attribute stone was utterly awestruck. This ce was a veritable gathering ground of strange fires from across the world.

    Aside from seventy-two tall stone columns, there was nothing else in the grand hall, and atop each column, a wisp of strange fire burned quietly. Seeing this, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone was nearly overwhelmed with happiness. For the supreme ruler of all fires, the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, what could be more joyful than encountering countless strange fires?

    Thus, for an entire hundred thousand years, the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone remained in the Zhu Rong Temple, absorbing all seventy-two wisps of strange fire from the columns into its body over that time.

    Having acquired this incredibly potent fire power, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone finally broke the memory seal left by the great goddess Nuwa. Therefore, the Fire Attribute stone knew exactly who it was, where it came from, and what kind of destinyy before it.

    Though recalling all this felt ufortable, it couldn''t forget that its life was a gift from the great goddess Nuwa. Besides, who knew how long it would be before that so-called destiny would return? Therefore, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone soon cast aside all these thoughts and left the Zhu Rong Temple to wander the Three Realms.

    Another thousand years passed, and the Fire Attribute Divine Stone grew tired of its stone body, capable of nothing but flight. In these thousand years, it had nearly roamed the entire Three Realms, and its boredom intensified.

    At that time, the Fire Attribute came up with an idea, which was to enter into a deep slumber and to fuse the seventy-two Strange Fires within its body. Initially, at the Zhu Rong Temple, it had only absorbed them without fusion, so by fusing these mes, it might be able to break through space-time and visit another world.

    Thus, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone returned to Illusory Demon Ind and fell into deep slumber. It''s worth mentioning that not long after the Fire Attribute Divine Stone had sneaked away, it had been discovered by the Illusion Demon n.

    However, after the n spent a full three thousand years searching for it to no avail, they gradually gave up, for they had no idea how the Five-Colored Divine Stone had disappeared.

    Yet, ten thousand years after the Divine Stone vanished, it returned of its own ord, lying honestly within the Illusory Demon Temple. This truly brought immense surprise to the Illusion Demon n. It was at that time that the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n found out that the Fire Attribute Divine Stone had already developed its own Spiritual Wisdom.

    And so, countless years passed¡ªtens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands, or even millions. One day, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone awoke once again. Moreover, the first thing it did after awakening was to fly straight to the Netherworld and, with a reckless rush, threw itself into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    By this time, the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n had passed away, reced by Meng Gui. Heeding the teachings of his ancestors, Meng Gui did not ce too many restrictions on that peculiar stone but allowed it to act freely.

    What happened afterward is probably known to all. The Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone was reborn within the belly of the Bull Demon King''s wife, Princess Iron Fan, and after ten months she gave birth to a son named Hong Hai''er.

    In fact, at that time, Hong Hai''er already knew that his ultimate destiny was to be absorbed and fused by the child of hope of the Demon n.

    Therefore, after he was born, he used the seventy-two Strange Fires along with the power of the Fire Attribute Divine Stone to predict the future and eventually learned that this child of hope was none other than Sun Wukong, the Beautiful Monkey King, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.

    That''s why Hong Hai''er kidnapped Tang Sanzang on Sun Wukong''s journey to the Western Paradise to seek the scriptures, causing Sun Wukong considerable trouble. It was unexpected that after testing Sun Wukong once, he would not take action again but instead sought the help of Bodhisattva Guanyin.

    Having undergone reincarnation, Hong Hai''er''s strength had significantly decreased. Although he could utilize the power of the Strange Fires, only the Samadhi True Fire was usable forbatting enemies. The rest of the mes were either too powerful or too weak, serving only to protect and defend himself.

    Seeing that he also caused trouble for Sun Wukong, his sense of injustice faded quite a bit, after all, this was his fate. Therefore, Hong Hai''er pretended to be defeated by Bodhisattva Guanyin and became her follower, the Child of Good Fortune, for several years.

    Furthermore, Hong Hai''er had another concern: he feared that if he revealed his strength, he might be discovered by Heaven or Buddhism, which could provoke the greed of the Jade Emperor and Mahavairocana Tathagata. After all, his original form was the Five-Colored Divine Stone, containing profound elements of the Heavenly Dao.

    So, Hong Hai''er continued to conceal himself until Sun Wukong led the Demon n in their counterattack against Heaven. Initially jubnt, he thought that if Sun Wukong seeded, maybe he wouldn''t have to be sacrificed. Unfortunately, they were foiled by Mahavairocana Tathagata in a strategic deception, leading to a significant defeat for the Heavenly Court Demon Race.

    Fate is fate, after all. But Hong Hai''er was aware of Sun Wukong''s affection for his father, the Bull Demon King. If Sun Wukong discovered that he was the Fire Attribute Divine Stone, he might give up on absorbing and fusing with the stone. Without theplete Five Elements, Nuwa''s grand n would fail.

    In the end, Hong Hai''er returned to Illusory Demon Ind and, together with Meng Gui, went to the Hidden Wood Forest in the far east. After much contemtion, it was Hong Hai''er who conceived this self-sacrificial strategy.

    Only then could Sun Wukong smoothly absorb the Fire Attribute Divine Stone.

    And now, this was all understood by Sun Wukong.

    Thus, upon stepping out of that space, Sun Wukong immediately knelt towards the north with three resounding kowtows, expressing the debt and gratitude he owed to the Bull Demon King.

    Actually, the space that Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were swept into was a separate temporal dimension created by the Fire Attribute Divine Stone. Inside, time flowed ten times faster than outside; that is to say, three days in the outside world equated to an entire month inside.

 Chapter 91: Chapter 84: Power Enhancement

    In this one month, Sun Wukong hadpletely assimted the Divine Stone of the Fire Attribute. To be precise, it was the Divine Stone that actively fused into Sun Wukong''s body.

    However, a regrettable aspect was that of the seventy-two Strange Fires originally absorbed by the Five-Colored Divine Stone, there was an extreme repulsion towards Sun Wukong''s body, leaving only a mere seven after the fusion with the Fire Attribute Divine Stone.

    These were the Sr Golden Fire, Silent Destruction True Fire, ck me Burst Fire, Nine Nether Ghost me, Eight Trigrams Spiritual Fire, Dazzling Extreme Heavenly Fire, and Hell Reincarnation Fire.

    These seven Strange Fires were among the most domineering and mystical mes between heaven and earth. The Sr Golden Fire was the innate me of the Three-legged Golden Crow, possessing the utmost yang and rigid power.

    The Silent Destruction True Fire was the strongest me of the Buddhist Sect, with the ability to eliminate all evil and considered the nemesis of ghostly beings.

    The ck me Burst Fire was an extremely unstable me that would explode upon vibration, with tremendous power.

    The Nine Nether Ghost me was the most terrifying ghostly fire in Hell. It could incinerate the Divine Consciousness of immortals and buddhas. Anyone tainted by the Nine Nether Ghost me would lose their sanity and fall into the state of a malevolent ghost. It was a kind of evil fire.

    The Eight Trigrams Spiritual Fire was an Innate Spiritual Fire, a rare defensive me among Strange Fires. Legend had it that once the Eight Trigrams Spiritual Fire appeared, it would naturally condense thews of heaven and earth to form an Eight Trigrams Pattern, boasting extremely strong defensive power.

    The Dazzling Extreme Heavenly Fire was a domineering me above the Nine Heavens, possessing the most powerful physical attack capability. Anything that came in contact with the Dazzling Extreme Heavenly Fire would be unable to be extinguished, only able to burn out on its own.

    Thest one, the Hell Reincarnation Fire, was said to be a me naturally born from within the Six Paths of Reincarnation. This me had the terrifying ability to directly cast people into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Anyone with this fire could freely enter and exit the Six Paths of Reincarnation and traverse the Endless Void.

    After these nine Strange Fires followed the Fire Attribute Divine Stone and fused into Sun Wukong''s body, they quietly floated around his Dantian in the pattern of the Big Dipper. Worth mentioning, when fusing with the Sr Golden Fire, the Jingu Bang suddenly sent a yearning voice to Sun Wukong. Hence, with a thought, Sun Wukong separated a strand of Sr Golden Fire into the Jingu Bang.

    Then, after a Divine Consciousness Scouting, Sun Wukong discovered that there were huge changes in the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang due to this strand of Sr Golden Fire. Firstly, the sun hanging above this World Within the Artifact became even more realistic, and it began to slowly rise and set from east to west.

    Consequently, this world seemingly possessed the distinction of four seasons. Although unable to observe the changing of seasons due to time constraints, Sun Wukong''s feeling was not wrong.

    This Jingu Bang was truly unfathomable. As Sun Wukong absorbed more and more of the Five-Colored Divine Stones, the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang also continued to be more perfected.

    From initially being empty to absorbing the Spiritual Charm of the Earth Attribute Divine Stone, which then transformed into a boundless expanse ofnd, andter upon absorbing the Metal Attribute Divine Stone, it transformed again to depict countless mountains. After digesting the Water Attribute Divine Stone, it created rivers,kes, seas and a sky full of clouds.

    This time, after assimting the Fire Attribute Divine Stone, seasonal changes, the rising and setting of the sun, and a gentle breeze had all emerged.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The only thing missing was life itself. This World Within the Artifact was bing more and more like a real world.

    Just as Sun Wukong''s Divine Consciousness exited the World Within the Artifact, the Hell Reincarnation Fire inside him began to stir restlessly. Ultimately, right before Sun Wukong''s eyes and to his astonishment, it separated a strand of me on its own and merged it into the Jingu Bang, where it began to evolve the Six Paths of Reincarnation!

    Of course, it was still a nascent shape that couldn''t be any smaller. But this was enough to astonish Sun Wukong! As the Divine Consciousness exited the World Within the Artifact for the second time, it finally quieted down.

    As for the Six-Eared Macaque, upon entering this space, it too felt wave after wave of surprise. Yet, when a voice reached the mind of the Six-Eared Macaque, its astonishment turned into sheer ecstasy.

    Because, that ghastly-faced person, who was also Hong Hai''er, had surprisingly told the Six-Eared Macaque that he had a drop of Yellow Dragon''s True Blood! How could this not thrill the Six-Eared Macaque to no end?

    Dragons were the most honored race in the world. And among the Dragon Race, the strongest were differentiated as the Divine Dragon Azure Dragon, Yellow Dragon, ck Dragon, White Dragon, and Red Dragon.

    The Azure Dragon is also one of the four sacred beasts, and all dragons that came after descended from it, hence it is known as the Dragon Ancestor. Creatures such as Ying Long, Zhu Long, and horns dragons, etc., are all progeny of the Azure Dragon.

    As for the Yellow Dragon, it is the ancestor of dragon-like creatures, meaning those beasts that share dragon characteristics.

    Among the most famous are the nine offspring from the saying "The dragon gave birth to nine sons." However, it should be rified that this saying doesn''t literally mean that the Yellow Dragon had only nine sons; the number nine represents a multitude, indicating countless offspring.

    Among all dragon offspring, the most famous are the nine: Qiuniu, Chaofeng, Po, Ya Zi, Taotie, Baxia, Bi''an, Suan Ni, and Chiwen.

    The ck Dragon is the leader of all malevolent dragon races. Ancient ferocious beasts such as Qiong Qi, Tao Wu, and Chaos, all stem from the ck Dragon.

    It is said that the White Dragon is the progenitor of the Western dragons. Its offspring differ greatly from the Eastern Divine Dragons, having two wings on their backs, resembling winged lizards more than anything else.

    The Red Dragon is the most mysterious among the five progenitor dragons. It is born with an excessively powerful physical body and is believed to be the ancestor of ancient dinosaurs. The original dinosaurs were rulers of the Pangu Realm, not only possessing strong physical bodies but alsomanding formidable Divine Skills.

    However, after a great war broke out between the other four Dragon Ancestors and the Red Dragon, the descendants of the Red Dragon were all wiped out and no longer remained.

    Each of the five Dragon Ancestors possesses enormous Divine Skills, and legend has it that gathering the True Blood of all five Dragon Ancestors can unlock an earth-shattering secret.

    So, when Six-Eared Macaque heard that Hong Hai''er possessed a drop of Yellow Dragon True Blood, he was utterly shocked. No wonder that person with a ghostly face could utilize Spiritual Power to create an illusion of nine early-stage saintly fire spirits¡ªit all stemmed from this power of the Yellow Dragon True Blood.

    If he could possess this drop of True Blood and merge it into the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, he couldn''t even begin to imagine the extent to which his strength might ascend.

    Amid Six-Eared Macaque''s disbelieving gaze, a drop of golden, mercury-like thick blood emerged out of thin air, slowly hovering in front of Six-Eared Macaque.

    "Tsk tsk, it really is Yellow Dragon True Blood. This immense aura is truly astounding."

    Although Six-Eared Macaque''s Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff already contained a drop of Azure Dragon True Blood and other various Divine Dragon Bloods, those had already been integrated into the staff long ago, so he didn''t feel their power as directly as this.

    With hands that were almost trembling, Six-Eared Macaque took out the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff and slowly touched it to the drop of Yellow Dragon True Blood.

    Thereafter, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff let out a joyful dragon-like chant, and as if a whale sucking in water, swiftly absorbed the drop of Yellow Dragon True Blood.

    But before Six-Eared Macaque could rejoice, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff suddenly trembled, and then, to Six-Eared Macaque''s utter disbelief, the staff exuded four differently colored drops of True Blood.

    "This one is from Qiulong, oh, and this is from Chilong. This, this is Zhu Long''s? Ah, even Ying Long''s got squeezed out?"

    It turned out that when the Yellow Dragon True Blood merged into the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, it forcibly pushed out the four original drops of Divine Dragon Blood already inside. Indeed, this Yellow Dragon was far too domineering.

    Gazing at the four droplets of blood floating in mid-air, Six-Eared Macaque sighed. Although he had anticipated that the integration with the Yellow Dragon True Blood would not be smooth, he didn''t expect such severe reactions.

    Left with no choice, Six-Eared Macaque could only reabsorb the four drops of blood into his body. Ying Long True Blood merged into his back, Qiulong True Blood into his left arm, Chilong True Blood into his right arm, and the drop from Zhu Long merged into the sea of consciousness in his forehead.

    Afterward, Six-Eared Macaque sat down in meditation on the spot, devoutly refining the four drops of True Dragon Blood. Meanwhile, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff strove to assimte the domineering Yellow Dragon True Blood.

 Chapter 92 Chapter 85 Brothers

    And so, the two of them had stayed for an entire month in this space. Finally, on this day, they emerged.

    The very moment the two came out, Mu Jingshi and Meng Gui had already rushed over, but upon seeing Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque''s unfriendly gazes, they suddenly felt very awkward.

    "You must be n Leader of the Wood Spirit n, Mu Jingshi, and n Leader of the Illusion Demon n, Meng Gui, am I right?"

    "Yes, Great Saint." It was Meng Gui who was more familiar with the Six-Eared Macaque, so despite the awkwardness, he still answered Sun Wukong''s question.

    "My monkeys, my grandchildren, are they all right?"

    "They are all here in Hidden Wood Forest. Regarding what just happened, we hope the Great Saint will not me us. We didn''t mean to deceive you."

    "Heh, the mask worn by Hong Hai''er, it must be something from the Illusion Demon n, right? It''s truly impressive, even my fiery eyes couldn''t see through it."

    Aware that Sun Wukong still harbored some resentment, Meng Gui just smiled more awkwardly and did not respond.

    "Forget it, I know you had good intentions. If things hadn''t turned out this way, I indeed intended to give up the stone. But now that it hase to this, there''s no use talking about it. So be it, the debt I owe to the Bull Demon King''s family will have to be paid back slowly."

    With a sigh of helplessness and having seen too much death, Sun Wukong''s heart had be numb to the pain. After Sun Wukong finished speaking, the four of them fell into silence.

    After a while, it was Sun Wukong who spoke up, "Let''s go, take me to get the Divine Stone of Wood Attribute. Let me see what lies at the end of destiny."

    As Meng Gui was about to respond, Six-Eared Macaque suddenly said, "Wait, someone ising, very fast, not someone I recognize."

    No sooner had Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking than the three of them felt someone flying toward them rapidly. Turning around, Sun Wukong''s fiery eyes red, and then he burst intoughter, "You fool, what happened to you? Did a fire burn your butt?"

    It turned out to be Zhu Bajie, who had flown all the way from Heaven. Seeing that it was indeed Brother Monkey from afar, Zhu Bajie hadn''t even arrived yet but had already started shouting, "Brother Monkey, run! Someone wants to kill you, run!"

    It was then that Sun Wukong clearly saw that Zhu Bajie looked extremely disheveled, not only nearly drained of his spiritual power but also with arge stain of blood on his chest. A shock went through Sun Wukong''s heart.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Without saying another word, he somersaulted into the air, flying towards Zhu Bajie. In the blink of an eye, he caught Zhu Bajie and brought him back to where they had just been standing.

    "You fool, what on earth happened to you? How did you get injured so badly? You said someone wants to kill me? Who wants to kill me?" Sun Wukong''s series of questions clearly showed the anxiety in his heart. Of hispanions from the journey for scriptures, White Dragon hadpletely vanished without a trace.

    Monk Sha''s whereabouts were also unknown; Sun Wukong had a vague sense of where Monk Sha might have gone during hisst visit to the Netherworld, but it wasn''t certain. As for Master, Master had actually died trying to save himself, with only a wisp of soul and essence left in the Peach Garden with Fan Xin.

    One could say if Zhu Bajie ran into trouble again, Sun Wukong would probably not want to live anymore. Unable to protect even his brother, what face would he have to cling to life?

    After letting out all the questions in his heart at once, Sun Wukong hurriedly told Zhu Bajie to sit down and began to infuse him with his own spiritual power to help recover from the injuries.

    After Zhu Bajie sat down, he let out a long breath and then looked around. Seeing Zhu Bajie''s actions, a sudden pain welled up in Sun Wukong''s heart.

    "Brother Monkey, where is Master? Howe I don''t see Master?"

    "Master, Master, Master¡­" Hearing Bajie bring up Master, Sun Wukong suddenly couldn''t stop the tears from streaming down his face. The images of Master''s final moments before his death shed before Sun Wukong''s eyes. If he hadn''t insisted on going alone, if he hadn''t taken Master''s Transcendence Bloom, if he hadn''t been so useless, how could Master have died?

    Seeing that Sun Wukong was not in his usual state, Zhu Bajie began to have a bad feeling.

    "Brother Monkey? Brother Monkey? Speak to me, where has Master gone? Wasn''t Master with you? Where is he?"

    Continue reading at empire

    "You fool, Master he, Master he..." Before he could finish, Sun Wukong was already sobbing uncontrobly.

    Zhu Bajie was suddenly stunned, his mind nk in an instant.

    "Bajie, it''s... it''s my fault for being useless, I couldn''t protect Master, I, I..."

    Zhu Bajie suddenly pushed Sun Wukong away, ignoring his own injuries, and with a gesture, his Nine-Toothed Rake appeared in his hand.

    The quick-reacting Six-Eared Macaque grabbed the Nine-Toothed Rake from Zhu Bajie''s raised hand and said, "Calm down, don''t be impulsive."

    "Calm? How do you expect me to stay calm? Back when we went to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures, we faced eighty-one trials, and Master did not die. Thest time weunched a massive attack on Heaven, Master survived. Even when that Tathagata old man ambushed us, Master lived. But now, you''re telling me that Master is dead?

    Without Heaven, without Buddhism, who would harm Master? How could Master possibly die?"

    His eyes were red with rage, and Zhu Bajie, the Great Saint, bellowed furiously, not caring that his injuries deepened once more. Tears streamed down his face, his chest aching as if it would explode.

    "Sun Wukong, you truly falsely im to be the Great Sage Equalling Heaven. I came here today to tell you one thing: Chang''er wants to kill you, so you better run as far as you can. Onest thing, this Chang''er''s strength surpasses even that of the Saints."

    After finishing, Zhu Bajie slowly approached Sun Wukong. The Six-Eared Macaque and Meng Gui were about to intervene, but Sun Wukong waved his hand, stopping them.

    "You fool, I know I''m useless, I caused the death of White Dragon, I caused the death of Old Sha, and now I''ve caused the death of Master. I have no face to be your senior brother. If you want to avenge Master, to kill or to carve, I, Old Sun, will not even frown."

    But just as Sun Wukong finished speaking, Zhu Bajie suddenly pped him hard across the face and bellowed angrily, "Don''t treat me like I''m so stupid. I, Old Pig, can still discern who the real enemy is. I''ll avenge Master on my own, I don''t need your help."

    Having said that, Zhu Bajie turned and rode his cloud away without a moment''s hesitation.

    Who would have thought that a meeting between brothers would end like this? The Six-Eared Macaque wanted to advise, but found himself unsure of what to say, while Meng Gui and Mu Jingshi were at a loss.

    "Heh, now Bajie has left too. Perhaps, I was truly in the wrong. Maybe I should have stayed at Flower Fruit Mountain and lived carefree as a small monkey, that would''ve been nice."

    "All of you go ahead, Six-Eared, go see if the monkeys and their offspring are still all right. I... I''d like some time alone." Having said that, Sun Wukong rose and mounted his somersault cloud, indifferent to direction, and left.

    "Six-Eared, perhaps, you should follow him and see? I''m somewhat worried." Mu Jingshi was ultimately concerned, or perhaps didn''t dare to gamble the fate of the Demon n on it.

    "Forget it. Since the boss said he wanted some time alone, let him have his time. Let''s go, I''ll go check on the little ones."

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong carried an endless heartache and ran wildly. After several days and nights of flying, he finally stopped his somersault cloud in front of a great mountain.

    It was because before Sun Wukong''s eyes appeared a cave dwelling, and in front of the cave, there was a stele that read, "Mount Fangcun of the Spirit tform, Cave of the nting Moon and Three Stars!"

    As it turned out, Sun Wukong had inadvertently arrived at the dwelling of Patriarch Subhuti.

    (Sanzang wishes that the youngsters facing their college entrance exams will achieve satisfying results. If you encounter problems during the test that you can''t solve, just silently chant "Flower Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave, Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong" three times in your heart, and the difficult questions will unravel themselves. Hahaha)

 Chapter 93 Chapter 86 Sun Wukongs Crisis!

    Just as Sun Wukong hesitated whether to enter or not, a voice suddenly came to his ears. "You''vee all this way, why note in and take a look? Could it be that you find your master''s cave too shabby?" Hearing this voice, Sun Wukong was startled for a moment, then a myriad of emotions surged into his heart, and grief welled up within him involuntarily.

    "Master, your unfilial disciple Sun Wukong pays homage." Having said that, Sun Wukong immediately knelt down, kowtowing nine times with loud thuds. After kowtowing, Sun Wukong slowly walked into the cave.

    Bypassing the usual teaching area, Sun Wukong headed straight for a cave where Patriarch Subhuti practiced his cultivation. "Master, are you well? I thank you for your assistance during thest heavenly war," he said.

    "Hehe, silly disciple, why be so formal with your master?" Patriarch Subhuti, originally sitting cross-legged on a cushion, also stood up, looking at Sun Wukong with a face full of kindness.

    Seeing the familiar smile of Subhuti, Sun Wukong immediately threw himself into Subhuti''s arms, sobbing uncontrobly. Subhuti knew that Sun Wukong must have encountered some unsolvable predicament, otherwise, why would he be so sorrowful?

    "Alright, alright, silly disciple, tell your master, what happened? Why are you in such pain?"

    "Master, I... I''m really useless. Tang Sanzang, my master, was... was killed by me! Now even Bajie has abandoned me."

    "Oh? Tang Sanzang, how could he...?" Patriarch Subhuti showed a face full of surprise. Since both Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong had already reached enlightenment and be saints, even Subhuti''s cultivation was not enough to deduce what exactly had happened. At most, he could only get a vague idea.

    Crying, Sun Wukong told Patriarch Subhuti what had happened when he went to the Extreme Northern Ice Field to retrieve the Water Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, and then recounted the events that followed.

    "Did you manage to keep Sanzang''s soul and essence?"

    "Yes, they were preserved by Master Sanzang''s Void Transcendence Flower. Now his soul and flesh are both in the Peach Garden with Fan Xin. With her there, there should be no trouble!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Fortunately, fortunately. As long as the soul and essence remain, there is hope that Sanzang can be resurrected in the future. This must be attributed to Sanzang''s good fortune."

    "Wukong, there is something you do not know. Those below the Saint realm, after death, their souls and essences will go to the Netherworld, where they will be judged by the ten Yama kings, and then the destination of the souls will be decided. However, once one reaches the Saint realm, they are not easily subject to death.

    And if they do fall, their souls will directly tear through space to the Netherworld of the Upper Realm. It would be troublesome if they reached that ce."

    "The Netherworld of the Upper Realm? What is that ce?"

    Enjoy new adventures at empire

    "The Netherworld of the Upper Realm is a very peculiar world that only allows the existence of high-level souls. All the worlds in the universe, those above the Saint realm, after death, their souls are guided to the Netherworld. From then on, they will no longer appear in this world."

    "There''s such a thing? I''ve never heard of it. Fortunately, we have preserved master''s soul, otherwise, it might have been really troublesome!"

    "Well, as for other matters, I won''t say more, you muste to understand them on your own. Remember, right and wrong in this world are rtive. You might as well stay here in my Cave of the nting Moon and Three Stars for a while and rest."

    "Yes, disciple obeys."

    After that, Sun Wukong sat in meditation in the Cave of the nting Moon and Three Stars for three whole days.

    However, on the third day, Sun Wukong suddenly became restless, feeling as if something momentous was about to ur. Initially, he thought he was overthinking, but the feeling grew stronger and stronger until he could no longer bear it, and with one somersault cloud, he headed straight for the Hidden Wood Forest.

    He even left without bidding farewell to Patriarch Subhuti. After Sun Wukong''s departure, Patriarch Subhuti seemed to sense something amiss, and hurriedly began calcting, but the results of his calction were exceptionally vague, to the point where he could discern nothing at all.

    From this, Patriarch Subhuti deduced that something earth-shattering must be about to happen, for it to be so difficult to divine. Growing more anxious by the minute, he eventually took the Supreme Treasure, the Bodhi Branch, after giving some instructions to his disciples, and quickly followed in Sun Wukong''s footsteps.

    Meanwhile, in the Extreme Northern Ice Field of the Northern Continent, a handsome young man dressed in a blue Taoist robe appeared out of nowhere. He looked up to the east, seemingly calcting something. After a long while, his brow furrowed, "Not good, Six-Eared is in trouble, the Demon n is in trouble!"

    Having said that, he gestured with his hand, and a magnificently beautiful pce above the Nine Heavens vanished as if concealed within some space. However, if anyone had been looking closely, they would have seen the little bell hanging at the young man''s waist jingle almost imperceptibly. Then the handsome young man rose into the air and flew eastward at great speed.

    Atop Mount Kunlun''s Tree of Life!

    A middle-aged man in a white Taoist robe gently waved his fan, bearing a resemnce to Zhuge Liang from the era of the Three Kingdoms. This Taoist had sharp brows and bright eyes, and a touch of mischief seemed to y about him unintentionally.

    "Ah, I had thought the Demon n would prosper with the trends of time, but didn''t expect this girl to throw a wrench into things. Now, that''s a bit troublesome. Still, I must go take a look, after all, he is the hope of the Demon n."

    No sooner had he spoken than the white-robed Taoist walked back into the Kunlun Divine Pce, where he retrieved two items from a hall filled with mechanisms, slipped them into his sleeve, and then set off, riding the clouds. Though likewise cloud riding, the speed of this white-robed Taoist was unbelievably fast.

    Outside the Northwest Sea, beyond the Red Waters, Zhangwei Mountain.

    A burly man with just a beast skin wrapped around him, the color of burnished red, stood mighty. When he exhaled, the north wind howled fiercely; when he inhaled, the heat was like that of the scorching sun. In each hand, he brandished a giant axe that could split the heavens, his gaze piercing as he looked eastward. "It seems I should take a stroll as well.

    Those of old are dead or wounded; those alive have mostly gone to the Upper Demon Realm. Now, who knows how many are left. No matter, without action, the Demon n will be finished."

    With that, the giant man leapt up and stood high above the Nine Heavens before soaring through the air. His destination was the far reaches of the east.

    Within a Void World, above the thirty-thirdyer of heaven,

    "Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerate, Morality Heavenly Venerate, it''s time for us to go. It''s time to reim our dues. For destroying Heaven and bullying our disciples, their sin deserves punishment."

    "Yes, in ordance with the decree of ''One Breath Turns into the Three Pure Ones, Jade Pure One of the Clear and Mysterious Heavenly Pure Land, Born from the Primeval Breath of the Jade Pure Land, Heavenly Treasure Lord of the Sun, Yuan Shi Tianzun, the Iparable Supreme Lord''."

    Then, the three figures stepped onto three clouds and headed eastward. At this moment, Supreme Elder Lord''s injuries had all recovered, and his cultivation had even seemingly improved.

    All forces were now converging toward the easternnds, of course, including Chang''er, the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, who was also racing toward the Hidden Wood Forest.

    Each of these individuals had their own motives, but their target was the same person¡ªSun Wukong, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.

 Chapter 94 Chapter 87 Desperate Battle

    ```

    Desperately racing against time, he spread all four pairs of wings on his back, each a different color: the red me Wings, the pale blue Mysterious Ice Wings, the yellow Heavy Earth Wings, and the golden Yu Gold Wings. The four colossal pairs of wings pped, propelling Sun Wukong''s speed to an unfathomable level, nearly reaching the world''s limit for speed.

    Any faster, and he feared he would tear through the spatial barriers and into the void. Yet, from Sun Wukong''s focused but not frantic demeanor, one could tell that this incredible speed was probably not his limit.

    Finally, at sundown, he made it to Hidden Wood Forest. With all his wings retracted, Sun Wukong plunged downward. The first thing he saw uponnding was Chang''er, standing at the entrance of Hidden Wood Forest. Opposite her were the Six-Eared Macaque, Mu Jingshi, the n Leader of the Spiritual Wood n, and Meng Gui, the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n.

    The two opposing parties, who had been in a standoff, were somewhat taken aback by Sun Wukong''s sudden appearance. Of the four people there besides Sun Wukong, who were all of Saint Realm, none had sensed how Sun Wukong had appeared. It was as if, in the blink of an eye, he had simply materialized, an exceedingly odd sensation.

    Seeing Sun Wukong return at this moment, the Six-Eared Macaque couldn''t help but cry out anxiously, "Boss, run! This woman is too terrifying." Just as Sun Wukong was about to respond, Chang''er made her move. She pointed her right hand forward, and a white silk ribbon unwound from her waist, charging directly towards Sun Wukong''s face.

    Although caught off guard, Sun Wukong''s reaction was extremely swift. Seeing the woman''s white silk ribbon attacking like a sea dragon, Sun Wukong flipped his hand in response, and a crimson red ribbon came to meet it. This was none other than Nezha''s famed weapon, the Mixed Heaven Ribbon.

    To Sun Wukong''s surprise, the Mixed Heaven Ribbon only blocked the white ribbon for a moment before getting entangled and then continuing its assault on him. This time, Sun Wukong didn''t dare to be careless. He flipped his wrist, and the Qiankun Ring appeared. He threw it forcefully at the white ribbon.

    Taking this brief chance, Sun Wukong stepped to the right and, as the Qiankun Ring collided with the white ribbon, the Golden Hoop staff materialized in his hand.

    As expected, the Qiankun Ring only halted the white ribbon for an instant before it got caught up. After these two instances of resistance, Sun Wukong had gained enough time to counterattack. He gripped the Golden Hoop staff firmly in both hands and covertly channeled the Dazzling Heavenly Fire throughout his body.

    Instantly, the Golden Hoop staff was engulfed by the Dazzling Heavenly Fire and with a turn, he brutally smashed it toward the white ribbon.

    To everyone''s surprise, the soft and delicate-looking white ribbon emitted a sound like metal shing against metal upon impact with the Golden Hoop staff. Could this white ribbon really have a hardnessparable to that of the Golden Hoop staff?

    However, Sun Wukong wasn''t too disappointed. In the instant of shing with the white ribbon, the Dazzling Heavenly Fire that covered the Golden Hoop staff had already transferred onto the white ribbon. But before Sun Wukong could even catch his breath, Chang''er shook her hand, and a cold light, akin to moonlight, began to spread from her hand along the white ribbon.

    The very moment the Dazzling Heavenly Fire on the white ribbon encountered this moonlight, it quickly withdrew, seemingly in extreme dread of the moonlight.

    "Hmph, you''re bringing this trifling Dazzling Heavenly Fire here to embarrass yourself?" Chang''er''s cold snort implied that one of the seven great Strange Fires of the world was so inconsequential in her eyes.

    In an instant, Sun Wukong too was filled with anger. While the Six-Eared Macaque was about to say something by way of caution, Sun Wukong had already lifted his Golden Hoop staff and charged at Chang''er. However, although he was furious, he did not act recklessly. When he had first arrived, the Six-Eared Macaque had warned him that this woman was exceedingly horrifying.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    If even the Six-Eared Macaque considered her to be a formidable adversary, it meant that her strength was at least on par with his own, if not greater.

    And a few days earlier, Zhu Bajie''s words had also raised rm bells for Sun Wukong ¨C this woman, who bore the same look as Chang''er, must be the Avatar of Heaven as described by the fool, seemingly intent on exterminating him.

    Having originally intended to hold back, Sun Wukong put aside all reservations. If his hesitation resulted in defeat or even death with a single blow, regret would be the least of his worries.

    ```

    So, as he rushed forward, the ck me Burst Fire and the Nine Nether Ghost me were already attached to the Jingu Bang, and the Eight Trigrams Spiritual Fire was also activated, forming a set of armor that Sun Wukong wore on his body. Moreover, two pairs of wings instantly spread out from his back, one pair of crimson fire wings and one pair of pale yellow earth wings.

    It seemedplicated, but all of this waspleted in less than half a breath''s time. Then, Sun Wukong leaped high into the air, both hands gripping the Jingu Bang as he smashed it down on Chang''er''s head.

    Of course, Chang''er saw all of Sun Wukong''s movements. When she saw that Sun Wukong could use three strange fires at the same time, a hint of gravity appeared in her eyes. However, it was only a momentary increased attention.

    As Sun Wukong''s powerful strike descended, Chang''er simply recalled the White Silk Ribbon, then with a wave of her right hand above her head, the White Silk Ribbon was already blocking Sun Wukong''s attack in the blink of an eye.

    However, Sun Wukong was not disappointed that Chang''er blocked his attack; on the contrary, he revealed a hint of smugness. Because in the next moment, as the Jingu Bang shed with the White Silk Ribbon, there was a thunderous explosion. The power of this explosion could absolutely match the full force strike of a human at the intermediate phase of sainthood.

    But all the explosive force surged toward Chang''er, while Sun Wukong remainedpletely unharmed.

    Landing a sessful blow, Sun Wukong leaped far away. In truth, in Sun Wukong''s heart, although the woman was strong, there was a limit. She definitely wouldn''t exceed the realm of a saint, as Zhu Bajie had said. Since merging with the Five-Colored Divine Stone, Sun Wukong''s understanding of the Heavenly Dao was particrly keen.

    Sun Wukong was well aware that the Pangu Realm would absolutely not allow an existence that surpassed that of a saint.

    Because the peak of sainthood was already the limit of this world. If one transcended this limit, the Pangu Realm would no longer be able to contain them, hence they would be expelled from the Pangu Realm, also known as ascending to a higher level of existence.

    Furthermore, Sun Wukong could see that although Zhu Bajie had also advanced to sainthood, he was merely at the initial phase of sainthood. To someone at the initial phase of sainthood, those in the intermediate or peak phases of sainthood were already unbeatable beings. Therefore, this woman was probably at the peak of sainthood, but she possessed a very powerful weapon.

    So, even though he couldn''t see the true strength of this woman, Sun Wukong still bravely engaged her in battle. After all, having merged with the fire attribute of the Five-Colored Divine Stone, Sun Wukong himself now had the power of a saint at his peak.

    But this time, Sun Wukong was mistaken. He had overlooked a crucial point: if merging four Divine Stones already made him a saint at the peak, reaching the extreme of this world, what would happen if he merged with one more? Would he not ascend directly?

    However, from the inherited memories, Sun Wukong knew clearly that merging five Divine Stones would not cause one to ascend immediately but would bring strength to its ultimate level, then unseal a certain seal. As for which seal, the Jingu Bang had secretly informed Sun Wukong when theymented the power of the Six-Eared Macaque''s Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff.

    That is to say, there is a realm above the peak of sainthood!

    However, at this moment, Sun Wukong had no time to think about these things, because after the full-force strike of the ck me Burst Fire, Chang''er was simrly unscathed.

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong felt a chill, an instinctual sense of mortal danger that animals possess. But Sun Wukong was still Sun Wukong, and with a roar, he lifted the Jingu Bang. Both the ck me Burst Fire and the Nine Nether Ghost me were fully activated, assaulting Chang''er like a violent storm.

    Seeing that Sun Wukong not only didn''t flee but chose to fight with all his might, the Six-Eared Macaque also felt a wave of guilt. To falter before a fight was a disgrace. Without further hesitation, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff was called forth, and at the same time, a blue and a yellow Divine Dragon broke through the air.

    After issuing a sky-shaking dragon roar, they directly attacked Chang''er.

    (Who has a fully leveled League of Legends Demacia ount? Can anyone lend it to Sanzang to y?)

 Chapter 95 Chapter 88 An Encounter of Stormy Times

    Chang''e, while engaged in fiercebat with Sun Wukong, always kept the Six-Eared Macaque and the others in her peripheral vision. It was then that she saw the Six-Eared Macaque finally make a move, unleashing two formidable True Dragons as his initial attack.

    With a cold snort, Chang''e slowly raised her left hand. In fact, what angered Wukong the most was Chang''e''s contempt and disdain for him. Ever since Chang''e started fighting, she had always used only one hand! Whether attacking or defending, she manipted the White Silk Ribbon entirely with her right hand, her left hand always concealed within her sleeve.

    When the Six-Eared Macaque also sprung into action, Chang''e didn''t take things lightly anymore and lifted her left hand, instantly sending forth countless crescent-shaped beams of light. The two Divine Dragons summoned by the Six-Eared Macaque had barely made it halfway before they were bombarded with Chang''e''s relentless crescent strikes.

    Seeing the two Divine Dragons suppressed by Chang''e before they could even show their might, the Six-Eared Macaque was instantly enraged. Clutching the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, he prepared to engage in closebat.

    At that moment, a heartyugh suddenly echoed in everyone''s ears, "Oh dear, to think you would bully a child here? Come,e,e, how about trying to bully this old man instead?"

    Before the sound of his voice faded, a man dressed in a white robe and holding a feather fan, looking like a middle-aged schr, instantly appeared between the Six-Eared Macaque and Chang''e. Whether it was Sun Wukong, who was in the midst of attacking, or Chang''e, who was just about to retaliate, both stopped their movements and warily regarded this middle-aged schr.

    "Hehe, could it be that I am so ugly that everyone shows a guarded expression?" Afternding, the middle-aged schr did not say much; he simply waved his feather fan lightly, his face all smiles.

    "Who are you? Could you be this woman''s aplice?" It was the Six-Eared Macaque who asked the question on everyone''s mind. After all, the sudden appearance of an ally or foe with impressive strength at such a critical juncture was not something anyone could ignore.

    "Hehe, little monkey, you don''t recognize me? You deserve to be punished, indeed. Ah, have I really been in seclusion for too long?" After saying this, the middle-aged schr, seemingly intending to attack the Six-Eared Macaque, pointed towards him thrice with his feather fan''s handle in the void.

    The Six-Eared Macaque quickly called back the two Divine Dragons for protection, but as soon as the middle-aged schr finished his gestures, the Six-Eared Macaque stood there, stunned and bewildered.

    Observing the Six-Eared Macaque''s strange expression, Wukong couldn''t help but shout furiously, "Who on earth are you? What have you done to Six-Eared? To strike so sneakily, don''t you know¡­" Before Wukong could finish, the Six-Eared Macaque swiftly covered Wukong''s mouth, whispering something into his ear. The more Wukong heard, the more astonished he looked, until he too appeared dumbfounded.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Observing the actions of the middle-aged schr, Chang''e, from behind, also realized this person was not a friend. However, Chang''e did not act rashly. She could easily strike at Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque without any hesitation because she could see through their levels of cultivation at a nce.

    The reason she didn''t kill Sun Wukong outright before was just to gauge the depth of his abilities. Indeed, in all their exchanges thus far, Chang''e had only used a third of her strength.

    But concerning this middle-aged schr, Chang''e couldn''t see through his cultivation at all. An enemy whose depth you can''t fathom is the most terrifying.

    "Mydy, there''s no need to be hasty, there are others who have not yet arrived," interjected the middle-aged schr amidst Chang''e''s contemtions, uttering a seemingly nonsensical remark. Others not arrived yet? Could it be that this middle-aged schr had reinforcements?

    If that were the case, then she must make her move now; otherwise, it would be troublesome if the reinforcements indeed showed up. After all, Chang''e also had her concerns. Although she could wield power beyond this world for certain special reasons, if it wasn''t absolutely necessary, Chang''e preferred not to use it.

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were conversing in low voices. Atst, as if having confirmed something, they suddenly bowed to the middle-aged schr in the void, saying, "We are profoundly grateful for your assistance, senior. Sun Wukong (the Demon Emperor) is endlessly thankful!"

    And the middle-aged schr actually epted the bow, with no trace of difort in his expression, but rather a look of satisfaction in his eyes. "Good, hehe. With such talent in our Demon n, we''re destined to flourish. It wasn''t in vain that this old bag of bones traveled thousands of miles here."

    Despite bearing the appearance of a middle-aged man, he referred to himself as an old bag of bones?

    Hearing this, Chang''er was already very certain that this middle-aged Schr thought she was Sun Wukong''s assistant. Without any further hesitation, Chang''er suddenly made her move. She brought her hands together, then sliced down in front of her, and a curved crescent-shaped beam of light instantly shot out.

    The Schr didn''t even turn his head, simply fanning behind him with the feather fan, and a green Wind Barrier appeared. The seemingly thin barrierpletely blocked the crescent-shaped light''s cleave. However, after blocking the strike, the Wind Barrier also vanished.

    A probing exchange between the two revealed neither to have the upper hand.

    Chang''er''s expression turned stern, realizing that this man''s strength must be simr to her own. With a trace of disbelief, Chang''er''s hands suddenly started to move rapidly, and with every flick, a starlight shot out toward the middle-aged Schr. In the span of a single breath, thousands upon thousands of starlights wereunched at the Schr.

    This time, Chang''er wasn''t just probing; she used the move "Starlight Shock." The middle-aged man took her seriously now, turned around, and fanned around his body with the feather fan, then a deep blue jet of water burst from the ground, enveloping him within.

    Then, the myriad points of starlight all shot into the jet of water. However, they were deflected to the sides by the rapidly spinning stream. Every stray spark of starlight that hit the ground would create a pit as thick as an arm and bottomless, showing just how strong the prating power of the starlight was.

    Another fruitless attack, and Chang''er was clearly thoroughly enraged. Just as she had started to form a Dharma Seal, preparing to unleash an even more powerful move, another burst ofughter came from the sky. However, thisughter was particrly rough and domineering. Then they saw a red beam of light rushing towards them from the horizon.

    "Demon Master, I didn''t expect you to beat me here. Your Mount Kunlun is not at all close to this ce," the voice said, and as soon as it finished, a red giant holding two axes thunderouslynded on the ground. As the giant touched down, the surrounding air suddenly fluctuated between hot and cold, quite strange.

    "Heh, Zhu Jiuyin, eh? It''s been tens of thousands of years since west met, right?"

    "Yeah, tsk tsk, it''s no longer our time now." The giant then turned his gaze toward Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque. That look made Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque feel as if they had fallen into magma, followed immediately by the sensation of being in the coldest frost. Both couldn''t help but shiver uncontrobly.

    "Who is the Child of Hope? Eh? This little monkey actually has a drop of my True Blood inside him, and it''s refined so thoroughly? Hmm, there''s not only my blood, but also that of the Jiao Dragon, Chi Dragon, and Ying Long?

    Little monkey, you''re really something." The giant had initially intended to see who the Demon n''s Child of Hope was, but upon seeing the Six-Eared Macaque, he disyed a very strange expression.

    "Ah, the Azure Dragon and the Yellow Dragon? Damn. Aren''t you afraid of being entwined by draconic energy, boy? Six drops of Divine Dragon True Blood, and even from the Azure and Yellow Dragons, damn."

    "Haha, I knew you''d be surprised. But just now, I''ve already dissolved the dragon''s malice inside this little monkey. As long as he diligently cultivates, his future is boundless. You''re the first person in many years to dare to merge with so much Dragon Blood."

    The middle-aged Schr couldn''t help but sigh repeatedly. Hearing the two talk, the Six-Eared Macaque thought to itself, "Thanks to the elders for their enlightenment. This elder must be Zhu Long, Zhu Jiuyin, right? Please, elder, provide more guidance."

    The few of them seemed to be getting along well, but Chang''er''s face was already covered in frost.

    (Today''s the college entrance examination, good luck, brothers. It''s not a big deal to score high; what matters is your effort.)

 Chapter 96 Chapter 89 The Battle Begins!

    Regardless of whether these few people were intentionally ignoring her, their apparent indifference in her presence was enough to infuriate Chang¡¯er. "You dare to disregard others in such a manner," she scolded with a delicate shout. With her arms outstretched, Chang¡¯er suddenly began to spin on the spot.

    As she rotated, myriad crescent moon des the size of forearms whizzed out from between her palms. Moreover, these flying crescent moons seemed to be under Chang¡¯er¡¯s control, each targeting one of the six individuals opposite her.

    Just as both Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque thought to step forward and block the moons, the red-haired giant burst intoughter, "Let me warm up first, hahaha." After that, the man¡¯s hands transformed in an instant into a pair of dragon ws, except the right w was crimson red, while the left was deep blue.

    Then, the innumerable flying crescent moons were all knocked down by the pair of dragon ws. The speed at which these dragon ws moved even surpassed the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s limit of visual capture. Only the middle-aged schr and Sun Wukong, who had opened his fiery eyes, could clearly discern the movements.

    All one hundred and eight crescent moons were knocked down by the red-haired giant¡¯s dragon ws and scattered around him. However, the red-haired giant was not at ease; the slight trembling of his hands indicated that the one hundred and eight crescent moons were not so easily caught. Nevertheless, this move was intercepted.

    "Hmph, let¡¯s see how formidable your pair of dragon ws are," Chang¡¯er said, preparing to unleash an even more powerful technique. Just then, three wisps of clear clouds suddenly drifted from the distance. At first nce, the clouds were on the horizon, but in the blink of an eye, they had arrived up close.

    The seven individuals present, including Chang¡¯er herself, needless to say, possessed profound and mysterious cultivation as an embodiment of Heavenly Dao. The red-haired giant, Zhu Long Zhu Jiuyin, also held peak Saint Realm strength and, being one of the surviving members of the dragon kind, had many incredible divine skills.

    The middle-aged schr was none other than the Ancient Times¡¯ Demon Master Kunpeng. Kunpeng, almost a being from the Primordial Era, survived countless years of cultivation and even the Great War between Gods and Demons without falling. Underestimating him would result in unimaginable consequences.

    By this time, Sun Wukong also possessed peak Saint Realm strength. Although Sun Wukong had not attained oneness with the Great Dao for certain reasons, his merging of the four Five-Colored Divine Stones was something no one dared to belittle.

    Sun Wukong himself had always wondered why, after returning from his studies under Patriarch Subhuti at Fangcun Mountain in the Spiritual Mountain, his cultivation was at the pinnacle of Emperor Level.

    After stealthily consuming the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Supreme Golden Elixir, his strength far exceeded the Emperor Level, reaching the early stages of the Saint Realm, yet he had never attained oneness with the Great Dao.

    Even after earning the title of Buddha for conquering battles as his other self, and with his Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape form, Sun Wukong nned to cut off his three corpses to reach the Great Dao. Unexpectedly, both of his corpses were destroyed in a battle with the Jade Emperor, plunging Wukong into a period of profound confusion.

    With no alternatives, Wukong decided to prove the Dao through strength, cultivating the Supreme Golden Body.

    However, after devouring and integrating the first Five-Colored Divine Stone, he felt an indescribable transformation. With each Divine Stone he merged, his strength would greatly increase, a level of ascension that might take others tens or hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation to achieve. And yet, despite the clear increase in power, he just couldn¡¯t attain oneness with the Great Dao.

    He couldn¡¯t gain the recognition of Heaven and Earth.

    Reasonably speaking, when he merged with the Water Attribute Divine Stone, he had grasped the grand way of water, and he had also understood some minor paths of the Wood System, Metal Series, and even theter Fire System. Normally, grasping any grand way would immediately result in sainthood and recognition by thews of Heaven and Earth.

    The Great Dao epasses three thousand paths; minor paths are countless. Yet uniquely, heprehended both the grand and minor ways but couldn¡¯t attain the Dao. What suffering it was to realize the Dao without attaining it!

    Therefore, this situation had led to Sun Wukong as he now was, possessing peak Saint Realmbat power but unable to utilize the grand ways of Heaven and Earth. This was why all of Wukong¡¯s battles had always been close quartersbat, relying on his flesh-and-blood strength. In the eyes of a Saint unable to wield the great ways, mundane spells were mere child¡¯s y.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    However, from the moment heid eyes on Chang¡¯er, Sun Wukong gained a sudden insight, a glimmer of understanding as to why he had been unable to reach the Great Dao.

    Not to mention that Sun Wukong held peak Saint Realm strength, even Six-Eared Macaque, Mu Jingshi, and Meng Gui were also Saint powerhouses. Yet among the seven present Saints, aside from Demon Master Kunpeng, the remaining six could not discern how the three wisps of clear clouds had appeared.

    This eerie scene had the other six on high alert in an instant.

    "Don¡¯t panic, there¡¯s no need to worry. Would the great Primeval Heavenly Venerate really have the face to sneak attack these juniors?" After the three clear clouds descended, Demon Master Kunpeng immediately stepped forward, shielding Zhu Long and Sun Wukong and the others behind him.

    Hearing Kunpeng speak thus, Sect Hierarch Tongtian suddenly roared with rage, "Benefiting from your glib tongue, today, our goal is to annihte all of you." Experience new tales on empire

    At this moment, Sun Wukong also recognized the neers as none other than Supreme Elder Lord and Sect Hierarch Tongtian, and the third one must certainly be Primeval Heavenly Venerate, especially since Senior Kunpeng had just disclosed his identity.

    Now, at the entrance to the Hidden Wood Forest in the far east, could be said to have gathered the remaining peak experts of the Demon n and Taoist sects.

    From the Demon n, there was Kunpeng, one of the top experts of the Ancient Demon n; Zhu Jiuyin, Zhu Long, the number one war general under Ancient Demon Emperor Di Jun; Sun Wukong, the current Demon King, who was the Great Sage Equalling Heaven that had merged four pieces of the Five-Colored Divine Stone and became a Saint at the pinnacle of power; the Six-Eared Macaque Demon Emperor, who possessed six drops of Divine Dragon True Blood, two of which came from the five Ancestral Dragons; Mu Jingshi, n leader of the remaining Ancient Spiritual Wood n, whose Wood System Taoist Techniques were unfathomable, and who was said to possess recovery abilitiesparable to Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Supreme Golden Elixir; Meng Gui, the n leader of the Ancient Illusion Demon n, with formidable illusion techniques that could deceive the heavens and were unmatched even by Saints during Ancient Times, and whose current n leader had even surpassed his predecessor.

    On the Taoist side, there was Chang¡¯er, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, whose strength and cultivation were rumored to have surpassed the Saint Realm, and as an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, she surely possessed extremely powerful Divine Skills; the Three Pure Ones of the Taoist Sect, Sect Hierarch Tongtian stood at the pinnacle of the Saint Realm and had fought numerous Demon n leaders in the great war of Heaven without sustaining a scratch.

    Even Patriarch Bodhi could only barely suppress him by using the Supreme Treasure, Bodhi Branch.

    Supreme Elder Lord, who was at the early stage of the Saint Realm, had been gravely injured but not killed in the war of Heaven, and although he lost the Eight Trigrams Furnace, under the assistance of Primeval Heavenly Venerate, not only did his injuries healpletely, he even turned misfortune into a blessing, boosting his strength to the intermediate phase of the Saint Realm.

    It was unclear who was stronger between the two factions, but one thing was certain: this great battle was inevitable. Leaving aside the deep enmity between Sect Hierarch Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord with Sun Wukong, just the determination in Chang¡¯er¡¯s demeanor that she must exterminate Sun Wukong sealed the inevitability of this battle.

    Although Chang¡¯er knew that the Three Pure Ones appearing at this time surely meant they intended to use her power to entirely eliminate the remaining high-endbat power of the Demon n, and should they seed this time, the Demon n would practically be finished. Without the Saints, the remaining few Demon Emperors could not stir much trouble.

    And Buddhism, heh, Buddhism knew the best; had it not been for herst intervention, that pig demon might have eradicated Buddhismpletely.

    Huh? Pig demon? Why was there an odd feeling in her heart every time she thought of this beast? Although she had passed out before due to using great magical power, she sealed the other Chang¡¯er¡¯s Divine Sense the moment she woke up. Strange indeed.

    However, even with the clear awareness of being used, Chang¡¯er said nothing. They were using her, and wasn¡¯t she using them just the same? As long as the Three Pure Ones could tie down the others, she could eliminate Sun Wukong as quickly as possible.

    She had only been testing her strength before. With this in mind, Chang¡¯er slowly raised her hand and removed the two earrings from her right ear.

    In an instant, Chang¡¯er¡¯s strength and momentum surged by a whole two times! Already possessing the strength at the peak of the Saint Realm, this sudden increase was utterly astonishing, wasn¡¯t it?

    Just as Sun Wukong was taken aback, Chang¡¯er had already vanished from her spot, the next moment, she appeared behind Sun Wukong. Before Sun Wukong could react, a White Silk Ribbon was already wrapped around his neck.

    Sun Wukong, danger!

 Chapter 97 Chapter 90 Battle!

    Chang¡¯er¡¯s speed was so terrifying? Even Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery golden eyes couldn¡¯t capture her movements. But it was in that instant he almost lost his life.

    "Stop!" A loud shout came from Zhu Long, Zhu Jiuyin, who quickly moved to stand behind Sun Wukong, his dragon ws tightly clutching the white silk ribbon. Had Zhu Long been a momentter, Sun Wukong would have undoubtedly lost his head.

    Even with his diamond indestructible body that did not fear any de or axe, the white silk ribbon was no ordinary object and not even Sun Wukong¡¯s flesh could withstand it.

    After being startled by Zhu Long¡¯s shout, Sun Wukong gathered his wits, still shocked by Chang¡¯er¡¯s terrifying speed, yet not daring to hesitate a moment longer. He flipped his wrist, and the Jingu Bang rose from below, piercing through the white silk ribbon. Then, with a tug on the Jingu Bang and a pull from Zhu Long¡¯s arms, they finally managed to tear the ribbon apart.

    In a few shes, Sun Wukong appeared next to Kunpeng, his face marked with lingering fear. Meanwhile, Chang¡¯er was already battling with Zhu Long; while she wanted to kill Sun Wukong directly, Zhu Long watched her like a hawk. Chang¡¯er knew that if she didn¡¯t deal with Zhu Long, it would be hard to harm Sun Wukong.

    "Sanqing, if not now then when will you act?" Chang¡¯er called out sharply, no longer distracted, focusing solely on herbat with Zhu Long. Zhu Long then realized the true extent of Chang¡¯er¡¯s frightening power. The more serious she got, the greater the pressure on him.

    Fearful of being defeated by apse of concentration, Zhu Long transformed into a giant red dragon a hundred meters in length amidst his roaring anger.

    Chang¡¯er, apparently giving up on Sun Wukong for the moment, followed Zhu Long into the Nine Heavens, where dragon roars and her sharp cries echoed back and forth.

    "Kunpeng, let this old man see today, after a million years, whether you have made any progress," Yuan Shi Tianzun said, observing Chang¡¯er locked in fierce battle with Zhu Long. Knowing there was not much to be said to the others, he chose to confront the strongest person on the field, Kunpeng. At the same time, he whispered to Master Tongtian and Supreme Elder Lord, "I¡¯ll hold off Kunpeng.

    You two quickly dispose of the remaining four, show no mercy, aim to y them in the shortest time."

    As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shi Tianzun pointed his whisk, and a cluster of pure Qi appeared in front of Kunpeng in an instant. Kunpeng, no pushover, dodged the cluster of Qi, then with a flicker in his hands, two whirlwinds rolled towards Yuan Shi Tianzun.

    "Kunpeng, if you and your Demon n wish to survive today, show some real skill! I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the Beyond the Heavens," said Yuan Shi Tianzun, and with that, he tore apart the space, stepping through and vanishing from the spot.

    But at that moment, Kunpeng let out a sly chuckle, then turned and disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was not in the Beyond the Heavens but behind Supreme Elder Lord. Amidst Master Tongtian¡¯s raging roars, Kunpeng¡¯s right hand turned into a w and violently grasped onto the back of Supreme Elder Lord.

    Caught off guard, Supreme Elder Lord was injured, but even then it was evident that Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s strength had increased. After being wed by Kunpeng, he forcefully stopped his forward momentum and with a beckoning motion, he struck back with a Taiji Eight Trigrams Map against Kunpeng right behind him.

    However, at this moment, Kunpeng was alreadyughing heartily while ripping through space, escaping into the Beyond the Heavens. The entire process, whileplex to describe, took barely a breath¡¯s time. Yuan Shi Tianzun, who had already entered Beyond the Heavens, didn¡¯t react in time, or perhaps, couldn¡¯t conceive that beings of their level would resort to surprise attacks.

    Such actions would be considered a disgrace to a Saint¡¯s name.

    So, the instant Kunpeng entered Beyond the Heavens, Yuan Shi Tianzun struck out in anger,unching his strongest attack, the Innate Pure Qi!

    Supreme Elder Lord, having been wounded by the w, wore a face full of rage, so dark one might think it would drip with water. He had intended to seek revenge, never expecting to be seriously injured without even touching Sun Wukong, which was a humiliation!

    In furious shouting, Supreme Elder Lord and Master Tongtian both sprang into action. Supreme Elder Lord summoned the Taiji Eight Trigrams Map, which rapidly expanded in the air¡ªcircling past Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque, it flew straight towards Mu Jingshi and Meng Gui behind them.

    This abrupt move left Mu Jingshi and Meng Gui somewhat bewildered. However, both being Saints in their own rights, they quickly brought forth their strongest defenses. Mu Jingshi grew countless vines from his fingertips, which rapidly interwove into a vine armor shield right in front of him. But it was no ordinary shield; otherwise, Mu Jingshi wouldn¡¯t have used it against a Saint¡¯s attack.

    Meng Gui shot a radiant light from his eyes, which shattered the void in an instant, as he stepped into the broken space.

    Yet, in the next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded¡ªthe Taiji Eight Trigrams Map radiated an all-epassing weak light that seemed to breach everything. Neither Mu Jingshi¡¯s vine armor shield nor Meng Gui¡¯s alternate dimension could block it. Thus, with shocked and incredulous expressions, the two were enveloped by the Eight Trigrams Map, disappearing from the scene.

    The Supreme Elder Lord then red fiercely at Sun Wukong and with a pause, vanished into the Eight Trigrams Map, leaving behind a dumbstruck Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque.

    "The Taiji Eight Trigrams Map is a supreme treasure born from the innate chaos at the beginning of heaven and earth, with a world within. Whoever controls the Eight Trigrams Map is the supreme god of this world. For your two little friends, the prospects are grim. Finally, it¡¯s my turn to make a move."

    The one speaking was Master Tongtian.

    However, Zhu Long and Chang¡¯er were in fierce battle above the Nine Heavens, Kunpeng and the primordial Heavenly Venerate had entered Beyond the Heavens, and the Supreme Elder Lord and Meng Gui Mu Jingshi had entered the Eight Trigrams World. Thus, only Master Tongtian, Sun Wukong, and the Six-Eared Macaque were left on the battlefield.

    Moreover, judging from Master Tongtian¡¯s demeanor, could this have been part of their n?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Hmph, so what? Once we in you, going to aid the others will be no trouble!"

    "Hahaha, Sun Wukong, oh Sun Wukong, this time, you have no chance. Do you know why I was left to deal with you instead of the Supreme Elder Lord, who bears the greatest grudge against you, or your master, the primordial Heavenly Venerate, the strongest of all? Or even Chang¡¯er, the incarnation of Heavenly Dao? You don¡¯t know yet, do you?

    Tsk tsk, you are the second individual that Heavenly Dao has personally annihted in these tens of millions of years. Haha."

    As Master Tongtian¡¯s wildughter echoed, waves of Demonic Qi began to emanate from his body. Yes, it was not Immortal Qi or Demon Qi, but Demonic Qi.

    But demons, these special beings, have been gone for tens of thousands of years, and from the dawn of heaven and earth to now, there have only been thirteen beings called demons. The first demon in the world was the Demon King Chi You, who once fought a great battle against the me Emperor and the Yellow Emperor.

    However, after Chi You was defeated, the Yellow Emperor killed and dismembered him into twelve pieces, which still lived and escaped amidst the overwhelming Demonic Qi.

    These piecester cultivated into the Twelve Ancestral Witches, possessing Chi You¡¯s supreme Demonic Blood and naturally having an extremely powerful physical body. Moreover, all twelve Ancestral Witches were naturally saints at their peak.

    Gonggong wielded the Broken Jade Hook; Zhurong brandished the Heavenly Fire Divine Whip; Xing Tian swung the Gan Qi Divine Axe; Di Jiang held the Peach Wood Divine Staff; Hou Yi carried the Sky-Shocking Divine Bow, Sun Shooting Divine Arrows; Kuafu possessed the Peach Wood Divine Staff; the Thunder God held the Thunder God Hammer; Ruci bore the Heavenly Net; Ju Mang wielded Earth¡¯s Net; Xuan Ming held the Xuan Ming Bone Arrows; Hou Tu had the Nine Heavens Soil; the Wind Master and Rain Master held the Qiankun Bag, the Favorable Wind g.

    These twelve were the Twelve Ancestral Witches, each a peak saint.

    And now, these Twelve Ancestral Witches stood in front of Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque. Yes, there was no mistake in seeing or hearing, after the immense Demonic Qi dispersed from Master Tongtian, what appeared were twelve heads of the Ancestral Witches, each over ten meters tall!

    "Let me tell you, it¡¯s because I, Master Tongtian, control the God-Shattering Formation of the Twelve Supernatural Beasts, and I have the Twelve Ancestral Witches as the Formation Eyes, that they all avoid me."

    Sun Wukong, today, you will die. Readtest chapters at empire

    As soon as the words fell, Master Tongtian waved both hands, and twelve pitch-ck gs appeared in his hands.

    One of the gs, bearing the name Di Jiang, suddenly moved out of formation, aiming directly at Sun Wukong. At the same time, Di Jiang, one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, had already appeared before Sun Wukong.

    "Hahaha, with the Twelve Ancestral Witches in hand, who in the world can defeat me? Hahaha."

 Chapter 98 - 91: The 12 Ancestral Witches

    Di Jiang, known as the Ancestral Witch of Space, moved with a speed beyond imagination. Others move within the same space, but Di Jiang folded space itself for movement. It was like having two points on a sheet of paper; others had to travel across the paper to get from one point to another, but Di Jiang could simply fold the paper, making the two points ovep.

    Thus, Di Jiang¡¯s speed had transcended the bounds of time and space.

    That day, one astonishing event after another kept happening for Sun Wukong, and now even the Twelve Ancestral Witches hade forth. Just how many more terrifying methods did the Taoist sect have hidden away?

    But at that moment, there was no time for Sun Wukong to ponder further, for as soon as Di Jiang appeared before him, the Inch Staff in his hand was already thrusting out rapidly. If this strike were tond, Sun Wukong had no doubt that he might lose his life on the spot. However, Di Jiang¡¯s speed was simply too fast for Sun Wukong to even have a chance to react.

    Just as the Inch Staff was about to touch Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead, a Bronze Bell suddenly covered him. The Inch Staff struck the Bronze Bell fiercely, and a buzzing sound reverberated instantly. Inside the bell, Sun Wukong finally snapped back to reality, and as the buzzing of the bell continued, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his eyes.

    The pain was so real and uncontroble that it felt as if his eyes were about to burst, as though countless fierce fires were scorching them.

    At this moment, the Six-Eared Macaque cried out in shock, "Master? Is that you, Master?"

    Following the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s outcry, a young figure in a green Taoist robe slowly appeared next to the Bronze Bell shielding Sun Wukong. Seeing this familiar silhouette, tears involuntarily welled up in the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s eyes. Over the many years, aside from the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain, what the Six-Eared Macaque missed the most was his mysterious master.

    Unexpectedly, the master had appeared before him like this, and upon arrival, had saved Sun Wukong.

    "Six-Eared, in the face of a great enemy, what is this behavior? Is this how I taught you?" Chastised by his master, the Six-Eared Macaque was momentarily stunned and then realized this wasn¡¯t the time for a master-disciple reunion. Wiping away his tears, he grasped the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff and leaped to Sun Wukong¡¯s other side.

    "Master, your disciple shall fight alongside you."

    "Good, that¡¯s my worthy disciple. Get ready, we must buy Sun Wukong a quarter of an hour at all costs, else my painstaking efforts will be in vain."

    Not questioning why, the Six-Eared Macaque simply gazed resolutely at Master Tongtian and the Twelve Ancestral Witches not far away. Having failed in its initial attack, Di Jiang had already returned to Master Tongtian¡¯s side.

    "I thought it was someone formidable, but it turns out to be just an Artifact Spirit. Has the Demon n truly run out of people? Hahaha. Good, let me slowly test and see what these Twelve Ancestral Witches are truly capable of. After all, this is my first time summoning them."

    "Six-Eared, be extremely cautious. Each of the Twelve Ancestral Witches possesses different Divine Skills. Although their strength has dropped to the intermediate phase of the Saint realm due to being summoned, they are still absolutely formidable. Moreover, Tongtian seems to have mastered the Great Twelve Heavenly God Devil-killing Formation."

    No sooner had the green-robed man finished speaking, a small g engraved with the name Zhurong suddenly moved forward. Then, as Zhurong, one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Fire God, exploded with mes all around, he flicked his right hand, and the Heavenly Fire Divine Whip unfurled. The zing mes attached to the whip seemed intent on burning the void itself to ashes.

    Seeing that it was the Fire God Zhurong who had made the move, the Six-Eared Macaque dared not take it lightly. Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Zhurong was recognized as abat maniac, second only inbat power to the War God Xing Tian.

    Moreover, Zhurong had the innate ability to devour all fires in the world, and over countless years, had devoured numerous Strange Fires, so the mes within him had reached a horrifying level.

    So, when the Heavenly Fire Divine Whip came shing, the Six-Eared Macaque didn¡¯t dare to block it head-on and dodged to the side. The Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff shot out, and with the staff¡¯sunch, two Divine Dragons opened their gaping maws and charged toward the Fire God.

    However, the Fire God did not even take a nce at the Six-Eared Macaque and instead spewed a nearly transparent white me at the person in green.

    As soon as the me was released, it transformed into a ferocious beast and roared towards the person in green. Realizing that Zhurong had disregarded himself and directly attacked his mentor, the Six-Eared Macaque bellowed in rage, ready to turn around and defend.

    "Six-Eared, do not concern yourself with me. Your target is the elderly Taoist Tongtian."

    Hearing the telepathic message from his mentor, the Six-Eared Macaque hesitated for a moment before giving up the idea of turning around, and instead went straight for Master Tongtian, who was behind the eleven Ancestral Witches.

    Clearly, Master Tongtian also saw the intent of the Six-Eared Macaque but did not care in the least. One Zhurong was enough to restrain the Artifact Spirit; with the eleven Ancestral Witches still at his disposal, there was no way the Six-Eared Macaque, no matter how powerful, could harm him.

    So, although summoning the Twelve Ancestral Witches had left him drained of Spiritual Power and without anybat power, Tongtian had strong confidence in these twelve Ancestral Witches. Moreover, even if the Six-Eared Macaque really did break through the defense of the eleven Ancestral Witches, it wouldn¡¯t matter, for he had yet to employ the Heavenly Fire Divine Whip.

    Therefore, watching the charging Six-Eared Macaque, Tongtian simplymanded Hou Yi, Kuafu, and the Thunder God to step forward and block him. The three of them were arranged with Kuafu in the front, then the Thunder God, and Hou Yi at the rear. However, once these three Ancestral Witches took their positions, Tongtian realized the Six-Eared Macaque had disappeared!

    What remained were two Divine Dragons, carrying fierce and violent dragon auras as they flew toward them. Although the Six-Eared Macaque was gone, Tongtian was not worried and ordered the three Ancestral Witches to attack the two Divine Dragons.

    The two Divine Dragons, each possessing only a drop of their true blood, were not easy to deal with¡ªafter all, the Azure Dragon and the Yellow Dragon were divine beings born with the universe itself.

    In an instant, the three Ancestral Witches entangled themselves in battle with the two Divine Dragons. However, anyone with clear sight could see that it was only a matter of time before the dragons met their defeat, being outnumbered three to two. So where exactly had the Six-Eared Macaque gone?

    The timeline rolls back to when Sun Wukong had just been engulfed by the Azure Great Clock; as he watched Di Jiang¡¯s close-range staff about to tap his forehead, he never expected a bronze bell to appear out of thin air.

    As Sun Wukong was covered by the bell, he suddenly felt as if something had entered his eyes, causing excruciating pain in an instant, almost making him ignore a telepathic message in his mind.

    "Great Saint Sun, I am the mentor of Six-Eared Macaque. What just merged into your eyes is the essence blood and mana of two ancient Divine Beasts, Danghu and Bifang. Quickly use the Strange Fire in your body to refine and absorb it. The Six-Eared and I will buy you time!"

    As the voice dissipated, Sun Wukong was already seated inside the Azure Great Clock, enduring the severe pain as he began to refine with all his might.

    Normally, it would have taken a peak-level saint decades to absorb these two spheres of essence blood and mana energy, but thanks to the Fire Attribute Divine Stone and the seven Strange Fires within Sun Wukong¡¯s body, the time needed for refinement was shortened by thousands to tens of thousands of times.

    Moreover, the person in green had removed all the impurities and malign energies beforehand to ensure that Sun Wukong would only absorb the purest energy.

    Thus, in just three minutes, Sun Wukong hadpletely absorbed the two massive yet pure spheres of energy. However, these spheres of energy did not increase Sun Wukong¡¯s cultivation by the slightest, but that did not mean they were without benefit.

    Most directly, Sun Wukong¡¯s Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils finally broke through with the help of these two spheres of energy, surpassing the stage of distinguishing true from false, and continued their breakthrough towards revealing truth amidst falsehood. Furthermore, they reached the "Luminous Gaze from Afar". This was truly an unexpected surprise for Sun Wukong.

    Actually, from the moment the two spheres of energy merged into his eyes, Sun Wukong had already sensed that his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils were on the verge of a breakthrough, but he had not expected them to achieve the "Luminous Gaze from Afar".

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    If he could make another breakthrough, then soon he would reach the ultimate state of Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils. "Seeing the Essence" and "Viewing the Universe" were thest two realms remaining.

    Not only did the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils make a breakthrough, but the two spheres of energy also merged Sun Wukong¡¯s four pairs of wings into a pair of colorful wings, greatly increasing his speed. However, Sun Wukong had a feeling that the speed of Di Jiang, the Ancestral Witch of space, might just be this limit.

 Chapter 99 - 92 Desperate Situation

    Thus, it took Sun Wukong only three minutes to wake up. The Qingyi Man too had collected the Azure Great Clock at the first opportunity, using it to withstand the terrifying Strange Fire of the Fire God Zhurong. The Qingyi Man, who was initially at a slight disadvantage, became empowered as if a tiger had grown wings upon obtaining the Azure Great Clock.

    He didn¡¯t just fully defend against Zhurong¡¯s sky-filling Strange Fire, even the Heavenly Fire Divine Whip could not damage the great clock in the slightest.

    And the moment Sun Wukong left the great clock, he saw Zhurong controlling countless mes, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

    If Zhurong knew that his Fire Divine Hall had been emptied by the Fire Attribute Divine Stone that Wukong had fused with, and that out of the seventy-two Strange Fires, he had only fused with nine, with the rest returning to the world, Wukong wondered if Zhurong would go mad.

    It was said that the Ancestral Witch Zhurong cherished fire as his life, and his battle with the Water Deity Gonggong seemed to have been for the sole Strange Fire in the world that incorporated both water and fire.

    However, what Sun Wukong paid more attention to wasn¡¯t Zhurong or the Qingyi Man with his peculiar clock, but the Six-Eared Macaque at this moment. The Six-Eared Macaque knew that if he didn¡¯t go all out, he might not have a life to gamble with in the future.

    Therefore, besides having two Divine Dragons for protection, he did not defend at all, instead gathering all his spiritual power for the final strike, which made the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s defense extremely weak.

    In front of the three Ancestral Witches, abandoning defense was akin to seeking death. Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery golden eyes opened, and with his eyes that could see through the profound and distant, he could tell in an instant that if the Six-Eared Macaque did not dodge the next moment, he would definitely die.

    It has to be said just how magical the fiery golden eyes at the profound and distant realm were. Not only could they see through the opponent¡¯s spiritual power operation and movements, but they could also predict what would happen in the next moment based on the surrounding environment, situation, and some special factors. This was practically the ability to see through time.

    However, as this was Sun Wukong¡¯s first time reaching this realm, he could only use his eyesight to analyze the enemy¡¯s possible next move. Therefore, he could see that the three Ancestral Witches were about tobine their strikes, and based on his understanding of the Six-Eared Macaque, he knew it would be impossible for him to dodge this attack.

    Without hesitation, Sun Wukong summoned the Jingu Bang and instantly turned it as thin as a strand of hair. With a wave of his hand, the Jingu Bang instantly appeared beside the Six-Eared Macaque, and then Sun Wukong controlled the Jingu Bang with his Divine Sense to open the World Within the Artifact and envelop the Six-Eared Macaque within it.

    At that moment, the three Ancestral Witches made their move without any signs¡ªHou Yi raised his hand to draw the bow,unching the Sun Shooting Divine Arrow with an unmatched momentum towards where the Six-Eared Macaque had just vanished, and almost simultaneously, the Taomu wooden staff of Kuafu was swung with a swath of starlight from another direction.

    Lastly, a jet-ck Divine Thunder, arriving even faster than Hou Yi¡¯s Sun Shooting Divine Arrow, struck down.

    Yet, these three tremendously powerful attacks all hit empty air. The Sect Hierarch Tongtian, from a distance, couldn¡¯t help but be slightly surprised; with his cultivation, even though the Jingu Bang had be as thin as a strand of hair, it could not escape Tongtian¡¯s Divine Sense detection.

    However, he had not expected the Jingu Bang to suddenly create a space and take the Six-Eared Macaque into it before escaping at an even faster speed.

    With a cold snort, he thenmanded Di Jiang to ambush Sun Wukong, while the Hou Yi Divine Bow continued to fire, shooting the Sun Shooting Divine Arrows at Sun Wukong like a string of pearls. Just after retrieving the Jingu Bang, before Wukong could even warn the Six-Eared Macaque, the Ancestral Witch Di Jiang had already appeared.

    With his mere inches staff sweeping out, Sun Wukong had no choice but to fall. Fighting against Di Jiang in mid-air was not arrogance but folly. As he fell, Sun Wukong caught a glimpse with the corner of his eye, startling him. Not only were nine Sun Shooting Divine Arrows chasing him, the other Ancestral Witches beside the Sect Hierarch Tongtian were all aiming their attacks at Sun Wukong.

    The Broken Jade Hook of the Water Deity Gonggong drew a trail of azure light, a crescent-shaped turquoise water stream shooting toward him; the War God Xing Tian, with the Gan Qi Divine Axe in hand, made a cut through the void from the left side, a giant axe shadow approaching; the Qiuyi God Lu Xiu shook his Heavenly Chime, and a dark hole appeared below Sun Wukong instantly.

    As soon as the dark hole formed, an immense suction force was felt. Was Lu Xiu able to connect to the void beyond the heavens and summon an endless ck hole?

    There was no time to look at the other Ancestral Witches. At that instant, Sun Wukong fell into a desperate situation. Behind him were the Sun Shooting Divine Arrows; to his left was the Gan Qi Divine Axe; the azure water stream was on the right, and a huge suction force wasing from below. Above, Emperor Di Jiang was aiming his mere inches staff at Sun Wukong¡¯s head.

    To continue forward? Looking up, Sun Wukongpletely abandoned the thought of dodging. For ahead, the huge Qiankun Bag was already waiting for him to fall into the trap. What to do? There was no escaping now, and Sun Wukong was not confident enough to withstand these attacks.

    These weren¡¯t just any Ancestral Witches; they were all as strong as himself, and almost all of them were wielding infamous Divine Artifacts in battle. Even if he could withstand an attack from one direction, he would certainly be injured, and he would definitely not be able to dodge the remaining attacks the next moment.

    In the span of that thought, all the attacks had arrived in front of him, the lethal aura from the Sun Shooting Divine Arrows and the Gan Qi Divine Axe even tangible. Gritting his teeth, Sun Wukong no longer hesitated. With a thought, a crack opened in the space before him, and he turned into a streak of light and dove in.

    At that exact moment, Emperor Di Jiang, who had been motionless above, also vanished simultaneously.

    Another cold snort from the Sect Hierarch Tongtian, who had no effective means against Sun Wukong¡¯s almost rogue tactic. Although Tongtian was powerful, he had not reached the level where he could wantonly break open another¡¯s World Within the Artifact.

    Unless one had the power to destroy the Divine Artifact, it might be possible to annihte that world as well while the World Within the Artifact was opening. However, clearly, Tongtian did not have that ability. Nheless, Tongtian was not too concerned, because at thest moment, he had already instructed Emperor Di Jiang to enter that space by folding it.

    As long as Di Jiang entered, and then broke a point in that space, he would be able tomand the rest of the Ancestral Witches to swarm in and destroy that space.

    "Hehehe, now you¡¯re left on your own. Hahaha,"

    "Master Tongtian, don¡¯t be so smug,"

    "Hahaha, why do you bother? Without your true body, what big waves can you, a mere artifact spirit, possibly stir up? If your true form were still intact, perhaps I might have feared you a little. But now, haha, I can extinguish you in the snap of my fingers,"

    "Hmph, you¡¯re celebrating too early. The Taoist sect may havemitted many misdeeds, but the ultimate victor of this cmity will belong to the Demon n,"

    "The Demon n? With merely these few weaklings left? Chaos Clock, if your master were still alive, if you had found your true form, then indeed, this cmity might have ended in victory for your Demon n. But now, there are no ¡¯ifs.¡¯ How mighty was Donghuang Taiyi with the Chaos Clock in hand? My Taoist Sect didn¡¯t have a single general who could match him. What was the result, though?

    Even the great Donghuang Taiyi, even the mighty Demon Emperor Di Jun, weren¡¯t they all destroyed by the Heavenly Dao? And wasn¡¯t the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Clock, shattered to its core, leaving only its artifact spirit to narrowly escape?"

    "Remember, you cannot defy the Heavenly Dao. Haha, this Heavenly Dao, it favours us,"

    After Master Tongtian finished speaking, as if he had released a long-hidden spite in his heart. However, the person in the green robe, or more urately, the artifact spirit of the Chaos Clock, remained silent, shrouded in gloom. Master Tongtian was right, no matter how strong one was, they couldn¡¯t overpower the Heavenly Dao.

    Although Nuwa had once unified herself with the Dao for the sake of the Demon n, she was still unable to overturn the bias the Heavenly Dao held for the Taoist Sect¡ªjust because of that Hongjun, the one second only to Pangu the Great God, Hongjun.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Had it not been for him, the very first to achieve Unity Dao, and with his supreme will influencing the operation of Heavenly Dao, how could the Taoist Sect be so rampant? One could even say that without this bias of Heavenly Dao, the Taoist Sect would never have risen.

    Was it not for the Heavenly Dao incarnate that, under trumped-up charges, eradicated countless great demons including the two imperial leaders of our Demon n? How could this Heaven have fallen to their Taoist Sect?

    It¡¯s intolerable, utterly intolerable! Oh, Great Nuwa, we refuse to submit!

    But, however intolerable we feel within, reality remains reality. And the current reality is that Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque have been forced into hiding within the world inside Jingu Bang, Zhu Long is preupied by Chang¡¯er¡¯s entanglement, unable to create a doppelganger, while Kunpeng is engaged in a fierce battle with the Heavenly Venerate of the Primordial Beginning beyond the heavens.

    The artifact spirit of the Chaos Clock, on the other hand, has to face the mighty Twelve Ancestral Witches alone. With more likelihood of peril than fortune in this battle, or to put it more urately, it is a fight with slim chances of survival.

    Knowing that it was impossible to prevail over the joint forces of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, the person in the green robe simply stopped counterattacking. Seated cross-legged on the ground, he encapsted himself with the Bronze Bell. All his spiritual power was now crazily poured into the Bronze Bell¡ªnot to harm the enemy, but to protect himself.

    He believed in Six-Eared Macaque, he believed in Sun Wukong, and he believed in the Child of Hope chosen by Great Nuwa herself. He couldn¡¯t possibly fail.

    "Hmph, you think you¡¯re safe inside the Chaos Clock? Moreover, it¡¯s just an imitation of a Supreme Divine Artifact, made from a few fragments of the Chaos Clock,"

    With a disdainful snort, Master Tongtian then directed Hou Yi and Thunder God to move forward. In the Thunder God¡¯s hands, the Thunder God Hammer continually fired ck ink-like or harrowing white beams of lightning, while Hou Yi shot the Nine Extreme Sun-Shooting Divine Arrows in session, unceasingly attacking the Azure Great Clock.

    Even though they could not breach it for the moment, Master Tongtian was not in a hurry. His aim wasn¡¯t to destroy the artifact spirit of the Chaos Clock but to force out Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque. Even if he destroyed the Chaos Clock, but Sun Wukong continued to hide inside withouting out, it would all be futile.

    He didn¡¯t summon the Twelve Ancestral Witches at great expense just to extinguish a mere damaged artifact spirit.

    As expected. Just as the Azure Great Clock was densely cracked and about to shatter, suddenly, the space behind Master Tongtian split open. Sensing the spatial fluctuation, a surge of joy rose in Master Tongtian¡¯s heart.

    But just as he began to turn around, he saw that what emerged from the spatial rift was neither Sun Wukong nor Six-Eared Macaque but the severely wounded Ancestral Witch, the space-progenitor Di Jiang.

    Suddenly developing a sense of crisis, Master Tongtian, without even turning his head back, hastilymanded the Ancestral Witch Hou Tu to surround himself with ny-nineyers of defense using the Nine Heavens Soil. Then, Master Tongtian felt a powerful shockwave assault him, sending him tumbling head over heels several times.

 Chapter 100 - 93: The Might of the 12 Ancestral Witches

    Although he was in quite a disheveled state, under the protection of the Nine Heavens Soil, he miraculously did not suffer the slightest injury. It must be said that as the supreme treasure amongst all things earthy, the Nine Heavens Soil indeed possessed its inconceivably formidable strengths. Its defense alone was something few treasures in the world could match.

    He slowly rose to his feet and directed Hou Tu to continue setting up defenses around himself with the Nine Heavens Soil. Master Tongtian¡¯s unhurried actions infuriated Sun Wukong, whose teeth itched with vexation. It had been quite a struggle to build up to that one strike, which ended up beingpletely defended against by the Nine Heavens Soil.

    Not only had Master Tongtian remained utterly unfazed, he had even be more cautious. Now,nding another attack on him would likely be very difficult.

    As soon as the Six-Eared Macaque emerged from the world within the artifact, he charged straight at the man in azure. While sprinting, he transformed into a giant ape sixty meters tall. With a few strides, he stood before the Azure Great Clock, then brought his hands together in prayer, and thick earth-based spiritual power surged out,ying downyers of defense around the Azure Great Clock.

    Finally, Master Tongtian rose to his feet with a dark expression on his face. Looking at the massive earth-yellow giant ape in the distance and the spiritual power that was quickly materializing into a mountain behind it, he slowly uttered one word: "Kill!"

    Other than Hou Tu, who stood beside Master Tongtian holding the Nine Heavens Soil, and the space n¡¯s Ancestral Witch Di Jiang, who was severely wounded and sitting cross-legged in ce to heal, the rest of the Ancestral Witches charged out. This time, Master Tongtian was truly enraged and cast aside all traces of underrating his opponents. The ten Demon Kings unleashed their full firepower.

    Upon seeing the imposing advance of the ten Ancestral Witches, the giant ape that the Six-Eared Macaque had transformed into abruptly stood up. Behind it, a mound of earth surged up to a height of thirty meters, centered around which was the man in azure attire and the soon-to-shatter Chaos Clock. This demonstrated just how much the Six-Eared Macaque valued his master.

    Sun Wukong also knew that it all came down to this battle of life or death. Not holding back any longer, with a roar, he transformed into a seventy-meter-tall giant ape enveloped in seven types of mes. In his true form, Sun Wukong matched and subtly surpassed the might of Saints.

    Master Tongtian, too, waved his hand, and ten pitch-ck small gs suddenly soared into the air, instantly vanishing into the back of the head of the rock n¡¯s Ancestral Witch. Then, the ten Ancestral Witches burst forth with a terrifying surge of Demonic Qi, rolling out like the end of the world.

    However, this Demonic Qi was quickly absorbed by the Ancestral Witches, and they, who were merely three meters tall, suddenly grew to over fifty meters in height.

    The Witch n had always been such a towering and formidable race.

    The sight of seven giants, each over fifty meters tall, was staggeringly shocking. Yet no one had the mood to marvel at this battle, which was unprecedented and unequaled in past and future alike.

    It is important to note that even during the most flourishing epoch of the ancient Witch n, there had never been a situation where twelve Ancestral Witches went to battle at once. The might of the twelve Ancestral Witches ensured their pride, and against powerful enemies, they would only rely on their own strength. This pride was also their tragedy.

    Otherwise, had the twelve Ancestral Witches joined forces to set up the Great Formation of the Twelve Celestial Dire-Spirits, who could have stood against them?

    The Great Formation of the Twelve Celestial Dire-Spirits was indeed ranked alongside the Demon n¡¯s Great Formation of the Celestial Stars and the Taoist Sect¡¯s Nine Bends Yellow River Formation as one of the three ultimate formations.

    Post fusion with the ck gs, the Ancestral Witches had regained their power from their living days, standing at the peak realm of Saints. Ten Ancestral Witches VS two Great Demons ¡ª the numbers did not bode well for Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Without further ado, the ten Ancestral Witches suddenly charged towards Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque. En route, they split into three formations.

    Xuan Ming and Ju Mang, two Ancestral Witches, suddenly separated to the left and right, while the Fire God Zhurong, the Thunder God, Wind Deity Fei Bo, and Kuafu rushed towards Sun Wukong; the Water Deity Gonggong, the War God Xing Tian, Hou Yi, and Ru Shou rushed towards the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Zhurong was enveloped in a pale, almost transparent me that zed intensely, making one feel the space-evaporating heat even from a great distance. The Thunder God was adorned with multicolored thunderbolts and lightning, Wind Deity Fei Bo had numerous azure wind dragons swirling around him, and Kuafu was followed by a trail of starlight.

    These four Ancestral Witches exerted their respective unique powers, determined to annihte Sun Wukong on the spot.

    On the other side, Water Deity Gonggong stood atop a deep blue water serpent. Despite the serpent¡¯s transparent water-elementposition, the vigorous spiritual energy it exuded was hardly less substantial than a living creature, and Gonggong¡¯s water was no ordinary water.

    The War God Xing Tian wielded the Gan Qi Divine Axe backwards, his killing intent visibly forming the image of a hellish Asura behind him. Hou Yi maintained a position at the rear, his Sky-Shocking Divine Bow strung with the Sun Shooting Divine Arrow, waiting for the Six-Eared Macaque to reveal a w for a fatal shot.

    Ru Shou, meanwhile, ran while ringing the Heavenly Chime¡ªhis actions not immediately apparent, but certainly not to be underestimated.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    When Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were in the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang previously, they briefly discussed and concluded that they could not allow the twelve Ancestral Witches toe together. The only way to win was to divide and conquer.

    Therefore, the Six-Eared Macaque did not care about the consumption of his mana to set up a defense as big as a small hill for the man in green, and even secretly fused the Yellow Dragon Essence Blood into the small hill.

    With the suppression of the Yellow Dragon Essence Blood, even if the twelve Ancestral Witches worked together, they definitely would not be able to break through it in a short amount of time. Only by doing so could Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque fight against their enemies without any worries.

    Watching the four Ancestral Witches charging towards him, Sun Wukong dared not be negligent. A pair of Rainbow Wings instantly unfolded behind him. With the speed suppression from the Spatial Ancestral Witch Di Jiang no longer present, Sun Wukong could fully utilize the speed advantage after his evolution.

    Moreover, he could also use the Fire Eyes and Golden Eyes of the Cave-Yin Candle Realm to find the weaknesses of the four and wait for opportunities to counterattack.

    On the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s side, after taking another nce back, the Six-Eared Macaque no longer hesitated. With one hand holding the Jingu Bang, and the other hand summoning the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield.

    The Six-Eared Macaque knew his strength was slightly inferior, so he could only defend while fighting. Indeed, summoning the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield turned out to be an extremely correct decision because the next moment, three Sun Shooting Divine Arrows had already crashed into the Tortoise Shell Holy Shield. This startled the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Even with his Innate Divine Ability, he only heard a faint sound of breaking air before the three Sun Shooting Arrows came his way. The speed was truly frightening.

    But before the Six-Eared Macaque had time to check the condition of the Tortoise Shell Shield, the War God Xing Tian, carrying his huge axe, had already arrived, delivering a straightforward chop onto the Tortoise Shell Shield raised high by the Six-Eared Macaque.

    The Six-Eared Macaque immediately felt an enormous pressure as heavy as a mountain, with his left hand holding the Tortoise Shell Shield bursting into numerous blood mists.

    However, that was not the end. What truly terrified the Six-Eared Macaque was the overwhelming killing intent brought by that axe. It even gave the Six-Eared Macaque a feeling of being invincible, and the killing intent¡ªlike maggots on bones¡ªfollowed the Tortoise Shell Shield and actually clung to the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s body.

    How could such a fearsome killing intent exist? It had materialized to the extent that even the Six-Eared Macaque, at the peak of saintliness, felt fear.

    In that instant, in the moment the Six-Eared Macaque was shocked by the killing intent, the Water Deity Gonggong¡¯s giant water snake bypassed the Tortoise Shell Shield and bit down on the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s right leg.

    The intense pain dispelled the fear brought by the killing intent, but at the same time, it caused the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s right leg to lose sensation instantly. The only feeling was pain, an excruciating pain.

    Under this pain, the Six-Eared Macaque erupted with unprecedented strength. With a throw of his left hand, the Tortoise Shell Shield flew out, crashing fiercely towards the War God Xing Tian, and then both hands tightly gripped the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff.

    In an instant with a sweeping motion, after severing the giant water snake, the staff thrust into the air, and after a few crisp tinkling sounds, Hou Yi¡¯s Sun Shooting Divine Arrows fell short. Then, the Six-Eared Macaque unleashed the Azure Dragon and entangled it around the left side towards Xu Rishou.

    It can be said that in the blink of an eye, the Six-Eared Macaque repelled three great Ancestral Witches and entangled Xu Rishou. But before the Six-Eared Macaque could catch his breath, Xing Tian immediately stood up after dodging the Tortoise Shell Shield, sweeping out with the Gan Qi Divine Axe with unrivaled might.

    Due to the loss of sensation in his right leg, the Six-Eared Macaque could not dodge and had to support himself on the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff to block this sweeping axe. However, to withstand Xing Tian¡¯s axe left him wide open at the front, and the Water Deity Gonggong was already shing diagonally with the Broken Jade Hook.

    "Tortoise Shell Holy Shield, return!" With a loud roar, the thrown Tortoise Shell Holy Shield appeared out of nowhere to block Gonggong¡¯s strike. However, the Six-Eared Macaque saw in the corner of his eye five consecutive Sun Shooting Divine Arrows shooting diagonally at him.

    With a crack, the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s right leg was shot off.

    As to why there was a cracking sound, it was because at the moment of being bitten by Gonggong¡¯s water snake, the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s entire right leg had beenpletely frozen.

    The Six-Eared Macaque plunged into a crisis of certain death!

 Chapter 101 - 94 Tongtianéˆ¥æªš Stratagem

    The Six-Eared Macaque knew in his heart that this time, he might truly be facing death without any chance of survival. The Ancestral Witch was too strong, so powerful that he waspletely unable to resist. No, to be exact, he couldn¡¯t resist four Ancestral Witches at the same time.

    If it were one-on-one, the Six-Eared Macaque was confident that even if he couldn¡¯t defeat one, he would be able to protect himself sufficiently.

    After his right leg was shattered by Hou Yi¡¯s shot, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly toppled to the right side forck of support. War God Xing Tian saw the opportunity, turned sideways, stepped forward, and swung his Gan Qi Divine Axe at the falling body of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    The Six-Eared Macaque clearly saw the iing axe but was oddly unable to dodge it, as if no matter how he tried to evade, he was still moving toward the axe. Suddenly feeling a wave of grief and despair and having lost his right leg, the Six-Eared Macaque closed his eyes and stopped resisting.

    However, what the Six-Eared Macaque received was not the severe pain of being cleaved at the waist nor death, but rather hot liquid dripping on his face. He opened his eyes abruptly, and what appeared before him was not anyone else but the woman who was the embodiment of the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff! And the hot liquid was actually a mix of blood and tears.

    It turned out that after the Six-Eared Macaque gave up resisting, the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff sensed the despair in his heart and took human form in thest moment, throwing herself onto the body of the Six-Eared Macaque, blocking the axe for him!

    Because her original form was the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, a Divine Weapon, she should have been an Artifact Spirit. However, due to the influence of two drops of True Dragon Blood, she had a body simr to that of flesh. This allowed her to cultivate in the ways of humans and have a more genuine sense of touch.

    The downside, however, was that once she transformed into a human form, her defensive power became much weaker, and enemies could directly harm the Artifact Spirit. Unlike the Chaos Clock of Six-Eared¡¯s master, as long as the Chaos Clock remained unharmed, no one could harm or even kill it.

    Now, to save the Six-Eared Macaque, she had thrown herself forward without a second thought, using her body to block that earth-shattering axe blow. As a result, without being able to utter herst words, she reverted back to a red staff. In that instant, the Six-Eared Macaque was stunned, his mind went nk; he had not expected this, truly hadn¡¯t.

    If he knew she would block the blow for him, he would have never given up resisting.

    The Six-Eared Macaque would rather die himself than see her get hurt even slightly. But it all ended, the delicate Artifact Spirit was directly struck by the Gan Qi Divine Axe, a fatal blow.

    Even before saying goodbye, the enormous, sky-shattering killing intent carried by the Gan Qi Divine Axepletely erased the Spiritual Wisdom of the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, which means that she had died,pletely obliterated in both form and spirit!

    "Ah, ah, ah, Xing Tian, Xing Tian, I will kill you, kill you!" came the heart-rending roar from the Six-Eared Macaque. With both hands mming the ground, the Six-Eared Macaque leaped up, his right hand grasping the void, and a vast earthen-yellow light condensed into a massive fist, hurling towards Xing Tian with boundless rage.

    However, this surging hatred, although spurring the Six-Eared Macaque to counterattack, was insufficient given his severe injuries. Concentrating all his strength for the final blow, the unwilling Six-Eared Macaque could only watch as it was blocked by Xing Tian¡¯s Gan Qi Divine Axe.

    Having exhausted his strength and standing on one leg, after Xing Tian blocked the punch, the Six-Eared Macaque was bitten on the waist by the enormous water snake beside him, lifted into the air by the bite.

    "Ah, ah, ah..." The pain that reached deep into the marrow caused the Six-Eared Macaque to lose sensation in half of his body. Then, he watched as Hou Yi¡¯s Sky-Shocking Divine Bow fired nine times, followed by nine shes of golden light, as the Six-Eared Macaque was thoroughly pierced by nine Sun Shooting Divine Arrows, and fiercely nailed to the ground.

    Yet, the end was not there. War God Xing Tian charged forward, raised his axe high, and mmed it down hard. Immediately afterward, the Six-Eared Macaque was decapitated, and his head, with a face full of reluctance, bounced several times beforending at Sun Wukong¡¯s feet.

    The Six-Eared Macaque perished! Under thebined attack of the Four Ancestral Witches, first his right leg was frozen, then shattered by Hou Yi, followed by being bitten by the Water Deity Gonggong¡¯s serpent, then pierced through by Hou Yi¡¯s nine divine arrows, and finally decapitated by Xing Tian¡¯s axe.

    The Six-Eared Macaque, the Demon Emperor, died just like that.

    Actually, when the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s right leg was shattered by Hou Yi¡¯s shot, Sun Wukong had seen it all but was unable to help. Sun Wukong knew that the Ancestral Witch had incredibly strong power but had never imagined it to be this formidable. Discover stories at empire

    Moreover, when the Four Ancestral Witches charged at him, they didn¡¯t start fighting immediately but instead took positions at four different locations and formed a Formation. It was this moment of hesitation that filled Sun Wukong with endless regret.

    Because these four Ancestral Witches had instantly formed a Four Symbols Gods and Demons Great Array, which was a scaled-down version of the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Great Array. Their sole purpose was to trap!

    Sun Wukong had originally thought that Master Tongtian was reluctant to engage him in head-onbat, but upon seeing the right leg of the Six-Eared Macaque rendered useless, Sun Wukong suddenly realized that Master Tongtian¡¯s n from the beginning was not to scatter their forces but to encircle him first and then focus their most ferocious attack to kill the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Once the Six-Eared Macaque was dead, not only would it affect him, but it would also allow them to unify the strength of all the Ancestral Witches and, excluding Di Jiang and Hou Tu, he would have to face ten Ancestral Witches at once.

    However, even though he understood this, Sun Wukong was horrified to discover that he could not break through the formation! He tried every method possible, and in the end, he even detonated all seven types of Strange Fires. But aside from injuring himself, the formation merely fluctuated without breaking.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Watching helplessly as the Six-Eared Macaque was pierced through by nine Sun Shooting Divine Arrows, Sun Wukong truly went mad. He could no longer care about anything; the four attributes of spiritual power surged from the Four Great Divine Stones within him, then all converged together, and finally, Sun Wukong detonated it.

    The Four Symbols Gods and Demons Great Array, jointly arranged by the Fire God Zhurong, Wind Herald, Thunder God, and Kuafu, finally broke open. But, at the moment Sun Wukong broke through the formation, what he saw was a scene he never wished to witness in his life.

    The Six-Eared Macaque had been beheaded!

    And that head, with a face full of reluctance, had, by some cruel twist of fate,nded right at his feet. It was more like he had been deliberately let out of the formation rather than breaking out on his own. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the formation broke at the exact moment the Six-Eared Macaque died?

    All of this had been calcted by Master Tongtian!

    A chill involuntarily rose in his heart. He had thought that he and the Six-Eared Macaque, if unable to achieve victory, at least possessed the power to contend. But hepletely underestimated Master Tongtian¡¯smand over the Twelve Ancestral Witches¡ªwho had not only regained their full strength as in their previous lives but were even more inclined to cooperate due to theirck of emotions.

    Thus, in just a few breaths, the Six-Eared Macaque was dead, and now, he had to face ten Ancestral Witches at once. Is there anything left for him? Even if he were more powerful, could he defeat ten Ancestral Witches at the same time?

    I must truly be a harbinger of death, right? Why does everyone I know always end up dead? The Demon n¡¯s Seven Saints died or were maimed. Nezha, whom I befriended, died because of me. Even the son of my big brother Bull Demon King died for me. Then my master died, my junior brother Sha died, the white-faced brother disappeared, and Bajie left with injuries all over his body.

    Now, the Six-Eared Macaque is also dead!

    Why, why? Why does it have to be like this? What exactly did I do wrong? How should I act so that no one dies? My attack on Heaven was not driven by hatred within my heart, but by the hope for a better future for the Demon n. But in the end, I have almost caused the extinction of the Demon n.

    The Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey died in an attempt to ambush the Spiritual Mount, and I even caused the death of the doppelg?nger left by the Six-Eared Macaque. If, if I hadn¡¯t been so arrogant, if I hadn¡¯t attacked Heaven, then none of them would have died.

    The doppelg?nger left by the Six-Eared Macaque would not have died, and even if the Six-Eared Macaque died today, there would still be a possibility of resurrection. But I not only caused the death of his doppelg?nger, I even caused his death.

    Six-Eared, did you know there woulde a day like this, which is why you split your soul into a spirit and a wisp, transforming into a doppelg?nger to cultivate in the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain? I even made fun of you for it, asking why you were so afraid of death.

    Andter, when we counterattacked Heaven, you were reluctant to join the battle. It was I who encouraged you, saying we would surely win, assuring you that this doppelg?nger could be even more formidable than the original.

    Six-Eared Macaque, it was I who caused your demise!

    Just as Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes were dripping with blood in his grief, a figure suddenly descended from the sky and, with a stomp, crushed the head of the Six-Eared Macaque.

    Sun Wukong, in an instant, went berserk!

 Chapter 102 - 95: The Five-Colored Divine Stone and the Heavenly Dao

    The direct consequence of Sun Wukong¡¯s rampage was the full-force eruption of the four Five-Colored Divine Stones on his body, with rays of four different colors soaring into the sky. At the same time, from the point between Sun Wukong¡¯s eyebrows, the illusory shadows of the four Five-Colored Divine Stones rose out of thin air, hovering and rotating incessantly above his head.

    However, these four stones were not positioned in the four cardinal directions but were instead situated in the four corners of a Pentagram Array, with only thest corner remaining vacant.

    "You¡¯re all going to die, all of you, everyone must die!"

    With a heart-wrenching roar that pierced the soul, the illusory shadows of the four divine stones atop his head suddenly began a kind of resonance. As they resonated, the four stones once again started to vibrate at the same frequency, as if summoning something.

    Suddenly, a streak of emerald light shot from the deepest part of the Hidden Wood Forest, pursued by the Ancestral Witches Xuan Ming and Ju Mang. Had these two abruptly split apart to search for the Five-Colored Divine Stone with the Wood Attribute in Hidden Wood Forest?

    Was Master Tongtian also scheming to find the Five-Colored Divine Stone?, or was he fearing the power I could wield by fusing the five stones?

    Master Tongtian, who had seemed confident of his victory, guessed what that emerald light was upon seeing it, and the Ancestral Witches following it. The next moment, his face revealed a look of terror.

    "Hou Yi, Zhurong, Xing Tian, hurry, stop him, damn it, he can actually summon the Five-Colored Divine Stone. Damn it all." Shouting frantically, upon seeing the Wood Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone, Master Tongtian lost all his earlierposure and pride.

    However, what frightened him more was that neither Hou Yi¡¯s Sun Shooting Divine Arrow nor Xing Tian¡¯s Gan Qi Divine Axe could inflict even the slightest injury on Sun Wukong, who was enveloped by the four rays of light.

    So, Master Tongtian could only watch, wide-eyed, as the emerald light shed and merged into the vacant corner of the Pentagram Array above Sun Wukong¡¯s head. Thus, the four illusory divine stones, together with one real divine stone, the five Five-Colored Divine Stones, were finally united!

    The moment the Wood Attribute Divine Stone took its ce, a burst of five-colored light erupted from Sun Wukong¡¯s body once more. Moreover, these five colors of brilliance shot straight into the sky, eventually connecting directly with the heavens above.

    Back when Gonggong shattered Mount Buzhou, Nuwa melted the Five-Colored Divine Stone to mend the sky. Therefore, the Five-Colored Divine Ster merged into the Heavenly Dao, embodying the might and power of the Heavenly Dao.

    Thus, when the five Five-Colored Divine Stones assembled once again, the Heavenly Dao responded, epting the five colors of brilliance outright. And the embodiment of these five colors of brilliance, Sun Wukong, in that very moment, directly received the Heavenly Dao¡¯s baptism.

    Watching Sun Wukong truly fuse with the five stones and even triggering a response from the Heavenly Dao, Master Tongtian, no longer concerned with panic or fear, immediatelymanded the twelve Ancestral Witches to set up the Twelve Protectors of Heaven and Earth Great Formation!

    As Sun Wukong¡¯s five-colored brilliance connected with the Heavenly Dao, two people engaged in a fierce battle somewhere Beyond the Heavens also sensed it and immediately ceased fighting, rushing back to the Pangu Realm at top speed. Such a sensation reminded them both of something significant.

    Since ancient times, all cultivators have aimed to prove and achieve the Great Dao as their lifelong goal, for only by realizing the Great Dao can one instantly be a saint. However, no one knew that sainthood was not the end but merely the starting point.

    Because only a saint is worthy ofmunicating with the Heavenly Dao and, at a certain moment, receiving the baptism of the Heavenly Dao, and then, breaking through sainthood to reach another realm¡ªSaint of the Great Dao!

    If one says a saint is the one who has proven the Great Dao and received the acknowledgment of the Heavenly Dao, then a Saint of the Great Dao is one who possesses their own Dao above the Heavenly Dao., The individuals in this realm can be said to be on par with the Heavenly Dao, and the exemry few even surpass it.

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    But how difficult is it to receive the baptism of the Heavenly Dao? Since Pangu created the world, countless have proven the Dao, yet only a dozen or so have been worthy of the Heavenly Dao¡¯s baptism!

    And while those dozen individuals received the Heavenly Dao¡¯s baptism, not one could break through to the realm of the Saint of the Great Dao¡ªthey all failed at the final step, thus bing Half-step Saints of the Great Dao.

    Kunpeng, the Heavenly Venerate, Donghuang Taiyi, Di Jun, Human Emperor Fuxi, Nuwa, Chi You, Yellow Emperor, Shennong, and Samantabhadra Tathagata were all Half-step Saints of the Great Dao who had received the Heavenly Dao¡¯s baptism but failed to advance.

    Among them, Samantabhadra Tathagata was the teacher of Mahavairocana Tathagata, the first to be a Buddha of the formless realm, having attained Buddhahood an immeasurable number of great eons ago.

    Now, in the whole Pangu Realm, the strong who are Half-step Saints of the Great Dao amounted to only Kunpeng and the Heavenly Venerate¡ªso the surprise at this third individual, Sun Wukong, who was presently receiving the Heavenly Dao¡¯s baptism, was certain. Compared to this, their own conflicts seemed unimportant.

    Meanwhile, Chang¡¯er, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Zhu Long, also sensed the abnormalities in the Heavenly Dao. As an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, Chang¡¯er was sensitive to changes in it. She nced at Zhu Long before her, whom she had grievously injured, and without a furrowed brow, uttered an incredulous "impossible," before she instantaneously descended.

    Zhu Long also sensed the anomaly, but he did not descend; being severely injured, his priority was to heal quickly. Otherwise, once the battle resumed, he would surely be the first to fall.

    Just as Master Tongtian had finished directing the twelve Ancestral Witches to set up the Twelve Zodiac God of ughter Great Formation, just when the Primordial Heavenly Venerate suddenly appeared behind Tongtian, just as Kunpeng waved his hand to block Chang¡¯er¡¯s sneak attack on Sun Wukong, Sun Wukong, undergoing the baptism of the Heavenly Dao, suddenly let out a muffled shout.

    Then, the radiance of the five colors abruptly ceased, followed immediately by a sense of fury emanating from the Heavenly Dao above the vault of heaven.

    Oddly enough, the Heavenly Dao should just be a set of rules, an order, yet at this moment, everyone could clearly feel the Heavenly Dao¡¯s furious emotions, as if it had been deceived, its wrath shaking the very foundations.

    When the Heavenly Dao is enraged, all living beings tremble with fear.

    Every creature within the Pangu Realm, feeling this boundless rage, prostrated themselves on the ground, daring not to make the slightest movement.

    Even beings as mighty as Kunpeng and the Primordial Heavenly Venerate knelt on one knee, overwhelmed by this unassable pressure.

    Then, dark clouds suddenly began to umte above the azure sky, conveying a divine might¡ªthis was a strong will of destruction, a determination to obliterate everything!

    Feeling this resolute will to destroy, both the Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Kunpeng looked rmed. The Primordial Heavenly Venerate mustered all his strength to barely stand up, then spat out three wisps of clean clouds from his mouth. Finally, he sat cross-legged above the clouds and fled into the distance.

    The terror of the Heavenly Dao¡¯s destruction was so great that it even robbed the Primordial Heavenly Venerate of the courage to escape with Master Tongtian.

    Kunpeng, too, instantaneously revealed his true form. His vast body that blotted out the sky gave Kunpeng a moment of relief from the pressure. Then, with a sh of his wings, he created a gust of wind that swept up the dazed Chang¡¯er, the corpse of the Six-Eared Macaque, and the damaged Azure Great Clock before swiftly departing.

    Along the way, he encountered the fleeing Zhu Long and took him along in the escape.

    After the death of the Six-Eared Macaque, the small, earthen mountain crumbled into nothing, leaving only the residual Azure Great Clock on the spot.

    In the blink of an eye, at the entrance to the Hidden Wood Forest, only Master Tongtian, caught within the Twelve Zodiac God of ughter Great Formation, and the seated Sun Wukong remained.

    Three breathster, dark clouds above Sun Wukong¡¯s head began to swirl, gradually forming into a vortex of clouds. In a single breath, without warning, a thunderbolt ten meters thick and pitch-ck struck down from the vortex. This thunder was none other than the Destructive Divine Thunder of the Heavenly Dao.

    It was the thunder of obliteration that only appeared when an extremely vile person threatened the existence of the Heavenly Dao and the entire Pangu Realm.

    Now, this Destructive Divine Thunder was aimed directly at Sun Wukong and crashed down in an instant! And this was only the first bolt of thunder!

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    It is known that divine thunders sent from heaven, whether for punishment, tribtion, or destruction, only grow stronger with each bolt. But the first bolt to destroy Sun Wukong is already the Destructive Divine Thunder of the Heavenly Dao, what could possibly follow?

    Just as Sun Wukong was overwhelmed by the Destructive Divine Thunder, Master Tongtian in the distance had turned dumbfounded, not merely from fright, but because he realized that the twelve Demon Gods had broken free from his control.

    His twelve poles of the Demon God¡¯s g, for which he had ughtered one million and two hundred thousand living beings and consecrated with their blood, had lost their connection with him. This meant that the twelve Ancestral Witches were no longer under his control; he had lost his greatest defense, bing effectively a cripple.

    A Saint of the Taoist Sect, desiring to turn to the Demon Path, could only do so by being baptized with the blood of living beings, erasing their divine imprints, thus fallingpletely into demonhood!

 Chapter 103 - 96: Seemingly Undergoing Tribulation?

    So when Master Tongtian found out that the Twelve Ancestral Witches were out of control, he waspletely bewildered. Despite thinking of a myriad of possibilities, he couldn¡¯t figure out why the Twelve Ancestral Witches would break free from hismand. However, Master Tongtian, after all, had been a saint for a long time, and he quickly calmed down.

    Even if all his Taoist Spells had been rendered useless, even if the Twelve Ancestral Witches were gone, even if the Primordial Heavenly Venerate had abandoned him and fled, he did not want to die. No matter how dire the situation, Tongtian did not want to die.

    Therefore, after the Destructive Divine Thunder struck Sun Wukong, instead Master Tongtian sat down right where he was, absorbing the Destructive Will and Heavenly Dao Laws radiated by the Destructive Divine Thunder.

    Although Tongtian did not understand why, one moment, Sun Wukong wasmunicating with the Heavenly Dao, yet in the next, a Destructive Divine Thunder descended upon him, this did not hinder Tongtian from absorbing the released Destructive Energy. Since he couldn¡¯t escape, Tongtian faced his fate with equanimity and simply began cultivating where he sat.

    Moreover, because he had fallen into demonhood, absorbing that Destructive Will seemed particrly effortless.

    But Sun Wukong wasn¡¯t so lucky. Since the Destructive Divine Thunder targeted him specifically, it appeared to cover a radius of almost ten meters¡ªthunder that huge. However, by the time it reached just above Wukong¡¯s head, it had narrowed to the thickness of an arm. Nevertheless, though it had shrunk in size, its power had actually increased by a third.

    After striking Wukong, it disyed the terrifying destructive power of the Destructive Divine Thunder.

    After Sun Wukong absorbed the four Divine Stones, his physical strength had already surpassed the Buddhist Sect¡¯s Six-Zhang Golden Body. If he could further merge the Wood Attribute, Wukong would be the unprecedented Five Elements Chaotic Body. Yet, due to an unexpected incident with thest Five-Colored Divine Stone, Wukong did not absorb and merge with it, only managing to utilize its power.

    This led to Wukong¡¯s body not reaching the zenith of its potential, but even so, it was far superior to the Buddhist Golden Body. If there were to be aparison, only Xing Tian, among the Ancestral Witches with the mightiest physical form, could match him.

    One must know that among the Twelve Ancestral Witches from Ancient Times, those with the most formidable physical bodies were paramount. Gonggong was able to break Mount Buzhou with his strength alone!

    Mount Buzhou was the Heavenly Pir, the backbone of this world, yet Gonggong shattered it with a headbutt, which signifies the extent of the Ancestral Witches¡¯ physical might, especially the top-level Ancestral Witch Xing Tian.

    Yet, even so, under the wrath of the Heavenly Dao¡¯s Destructive Divine Thunder, Sun Wukong¡¯s body was still disintegrating, eroding bit by bit. Although the rate of deterioration was slow, it was undeniably happening. All of this Wukong could feel, but he was utterly unable to stop.

    Neither the power of the Five-Colored Divine Stone nor his own Primordial Divine Power could stop that force of destruction. Sun Wukong was truly afraid.

    Whether it was being suppressed under Five Elements Mountain,ter failing the attack on Heaven, or even Tang Sanzang¡¯s demise, Wukong had never felt fear; no matter the failure nor the enemy¡¯s strength, he could see hope, could fight for that slim chance in despair. "The Great Dao has fifty, but Heaven yields forty-nine," and that one that slips away represents that slim chance of survival.

    But this time, Sun Wukong could not see that thread of hope. No matter how he looked, he saw only death and destruction. When the Heavenly Dao is outraged and vows destruction, how could there be a chance of survival left?

    And yet, it seemed as if this was still not enough for the Heavenly Dao! It could not stand the excruciatingly slow erosion; it sought utter andplete destruction!

    So while Sun Wukong was still trying to fend off the Destructive Divine Thunder, from above the Nine Heavens, a pink thunderbolt, thin as a thread, struck down once again.

    Although the Destructive Divine Thunder was terrifying, Sun Wukong kept resisting firmly. This couldn¡¯t stop the destruction, but it could buy some time. But when that pink thread of lightning struck down, Wukong¡¯s eyes suddenly became vacant, and then he lost even hisst bit of resistance.

    The Destructive Divine Thunder, like a fish in the water, destroyed Wukong¡¯s physical body at an rming rate.

    Once Sun Wukong¡¯s physical body waspletely destroyed, his Divine Soul would be exposed, and then any thunderbolt from the Heavenly Dao couldpletely annihte Sun Wukong.

    Since ancient times, those who achieved immortality did not necessarily die with the decay of their physical body. Most could immediately project their Divine Soul out of their body, undergoing Soul Possession to rebirth or focusing on cultivating their Spiritual Body.

    However, if one is undergoing Tribtion or is being punished by the Heavenly Dao formitting great evil, then death means both soul and body are extinguished, never to exist again, not even Saints are exceptions!

    So, when Sun Wukong¡¯s physical body was destroyed and his Divine Soul dissipated, that was the moment when Sun Wukong would truly andpletely die.

    So what exactly happened to Sun Wukong? Why did his Divine Sense suddenly scatter and he gave up resisting? What exactly was that pink thunderbolt?

    The first thunderbolt was the Heavenly Dao¡¯s Destructive Divine Thunder, created to destroy the physical body, and even the mighty Ancestral Witches were no exception.

    The second thunderbolt, however, was the Heavenly Dao¡¯s Heart-Mirroring Illusory Thunder, capable of reflecting the innermost world of one¡¯s heart and unconsciously replicating one¡¯s memories, altering them into the form one most hopes for.

    Read exclusive adventures at empire

    If this Divine Thunder were to strike in normal circumstances or be used alone, it would at most trap a person in an Illusory Realm, but it could be easily disrupted and the illusion broken by an external force. However, if used during a Heavenly Tribtion, it would be horrifying.

    No matter who it was, if they were struggling on the edge of life and death and were suddenly hit by such a thing, plunging them instantaneously into a world crafted from memories by the Divine Thunder, there would only be one oue, and that would beplete annihtion without even remains left.

    At the moment, Sun Wukong found himself in just such a situation. When struck by the pink Mirror Heart Illusory Thunder, Sun Wukong felt a spell of dizziness and shook his head. After that, Sun Wukong noticed a bald head appearing in front of him.

    "Brother Monkey, what are you dazing off for? Did Hong Hai¡¯er fry your brain?"

    Hearing this familiar voice, Sun Wukong turned around all of a sudden, only to find that it was Zhu Bajie speaking. "Idiot, you¡¯re not mad at me anymore?" His head, still somewhat dizzy, cleared up in an instant at the sight of Zhu Bajie, so he hurriedly asked this question.

    "Why would I be mad at you? Brother Monkey, could it really be that your brain is fried?"

    "I, I killed Master, and old Sandy, and even White Dragon is gone."

    "What nonsense are you talking about, Brother Monkey? I thought your brain was damaged, but it turns out you¡¯ve had a huge nightmare, haha. Master, Master, this monkey is being preposterous, even going as far as to say that you, old man, are dead."

    After hearing Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong was suddenly stunned because he remembered the familiar bald head he saw the moment he had opened his eyes! Upon turning around again, indeed, he saw Tang Sanzang¡¯s smiling, familiar face.

    "Master, Master, so you¡¯re not dead, that¡¯s so good, so good. I thought I¡¯d never see you again." Upon seeing Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong immediately lunged forward and hugged him, bawling his eyes out. In his crying, there was remorse and reluctance, and also the relief of a burden lifted.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Wukong, your master hasn¡¯t died, and your brother Sandy isn¡¯t dead either; White Dragon is still here. You must have been injured earlier, so you had a nightmare while sleeping." But Sun Wukong kept crying, crying so hard that everyone could feel his joyous sorrow.

    "Big brother, stop crying, we¡¯re all here. It was just a dream, don¡¯t take it as real." This was said by Sandy. After listening to Sandy¡¯s persuasion, Sun Wukong finally stood up, wiping his tears while looking at everyone. His demeanor was as if to meticulously recognize everyone all over again.

    "Brother Monkey, I, old pig, am not that pretty. What¡¯s there to look at? If you¡¯re going to look, you should be looking at Master, so handsome."

    "You idiot, daring to make fun of Master, see if I don¡¯t hit you."

    "Master, Master, the monkey is starting to hit people again."

    Through Zhu Bajie¡¯s teasing and jesting, Sun Wukong finally came back to his senses. After all, dreams are just dreams¡ªonce awakened, they no longer exist.

    However, Sun Wukong vaguely felt that he had forgotten something!

 Chapter 104 - 97: The Power Gained from Life!

    However, this feeling of worry did notst long. The initial suspicion and vignce slowly faded away in the subsequent days, until they finally disappeared altogether. Everything was too familiar to Sun Wukong, so familiar that he couldn¡¯t muster even a bit of caution. It was as if his life was meant to be this way, slowly, step by step, heading westward with his master and brother disciples.

    As for why or what was there, these no longer seemed important. Having a direction was enough. They would travel when the sun rose, rest when it climbed a few spans into the sky, rmence their journey when it nted, and when the sun set, they would find a ce to rest for the night.

    asionally, they would encounter a demon who wanted to eat Tang Sanzang, but there were also many kind people who would offer them meals or shelter. And so, their journey continued without much incident, and Sun Wukong entirely forgot certain things, engrossed in this world of traveling to the west, forgetting himself.

    Until one day, they encountered a tree. It was sorge that Sun Wukong could not see the end of it even after flying for a long time. Yet, in his heart, Sun Wukong had a strange feeling that he had to see the top of this tree¡ªthere must be something very important up there.

    Finally, Sun Wukong reached the top of the tree. Only then did he realize how massive it was, for the top of the tree had grown into the void, meaning it wasrger than the world itself!

    This feeling of flying in one direction, all the way to the horizon, was very familiar to Sun Wukong. It was like, like the time he made a bet with Tathagata Buddha and thought he had reached the edge of the sky, only to find out it was Tathagata Buddha¡¯s five fingers.

    With this thought, Sun Wukong chuckled, then pulled down his pants and took a leak. Just as he was pulling up his pants and preparing to write "The Great Sage Equalling Heaven was here," a voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

    "You monkey, when will you ever change your bad habits? Peeing again¡ªare you not afraid of being crushed under a mountain for another five hundred years?"

    Feeling smug, Sun Wukong suddenly turned around only to find no one there. But when he turned his head back, there was an old man in front of him. Sun Wukong leaped back three zhangs away but then chuckled and said, "Master, when did you get here? Heh heh, heh heh."

    The arrival was none other than Patriarch Subhuti, Sun Wukong¡¯s mentor!

    "Hmph, if I hadn¡¯te, you would have been struck dead by lightning," he said.

    "Struck by lightning? Master, what nonsense are you talking about? It¡¯s a perfectly fine day; there¡¯s no lightning."

    "You, you are afraid of neither heaven nor earth, only this Heart Demon Illusion. Aren¡¯t you going to wake up soon?"

    As he uttered thest sentence, Subhuti exerted all his mana, trying to break this illusory world. Sun Wukong, however, suddenly activated his fiery eyes and golden pupils, looking towards Patriarch Subhuti.

    "It¡¯s not a demon after all, Master, what¡¯s going on? What are you trying to do?"

    "Wukong, how much longer will you indulge in this delusion? What is lost is lost, finding it again would be fine, but it¡¯s normal if you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t covet this illusory world any longer.

    At the end of illusions liesplete destruction," Patriarch Subhutimented as his mana surged, waving his hands, a Bodhi Branch resembling a withered twig materialized in the void and then was plunged into the great tree beneath him.

    As the withered Bodhi Branch started to beat like a heart, with every beat, the giant tree wilted a little more. And with each bit of the tree¡¯s wilting, the world acquired another crack.

    "Master, what are you doing? If you keep this up, the world will be destroyed, and they will all die! Master, please stop!"

    But no matter how Sun Wukong tried to stop him, Subhuti did not cease at all. Instead, he intensified the influence of his mana, and the world¡¯s fracturing elerated.

    "No, no, no, I don¡¯t want them to die, I don¡¯t want them to die, stop it!" Watching the world gradually shatter, Sun Wukong panicked. Without further care, he instantly dashed to Patriarch Subhuti¡¯s side.

    "Master, I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let you destroy this world."

    After speaking, Sun Wukong transformed into a giant ape fifty meters tall and punched at Patriarch Subhuti. But Subhuti

    did not dodge; instead, he looked up, smiling, and suddenly vanished from the spot. Thinking that Subhuti had given up on destroying this world, Sun Wukong quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Therefore, he didn¡¯t dare dy any longer and swiftly returned to his original form as he descended towards the bottom of the tree. For his master and brothers were resting there.

    However, when Sun Wukong touched down, what he saw were the corpses of Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse, and not far from them, Patriarch Subhuti, who had just shattered Tang Sanzang¡¯s heart meridian with a palm!

    Sun Wukong¡¯s head was a mess, and it was almost exploding. Why, why did Master kill them?

    "Ahh, why, why did you kill them? If you killed them, why didn¡¯t you kill me too? Just kill me, kill me. What¡¯s the point of living alone?"

    In his roar, Sun Wukong saw the face of Patriarch Subhuti, filled with unbearable sorrow, holding the Bodhi Branch and pointing it at himself. Then, Sun Wukong suddenly felt darkness before his eyes, and he, was already dead!

    An endless darkness enveloped Sun Wukong, aplete pitch-ckness without a trace of light. But suddenly, Sun Wukong felt a piercing pain in his mind, and then he abruptly opened his eyes!

    The moment Sun Wukong opened his eyes, he understood everything. It turned out that what had just happened was but a dream, and now he was truly awake. However, if possible, he really wished he could fall back into that dream and never wake up.

    With a wry smile, feeling his body, Sun Wukong felt even more helpless. His left arm was gone, not only were his limbs utterly destroyed, but even his internal organs had beenpletely obliterated. Yet, he couldn¡¯t die. Normally, with his physical body destroyed to this extent, he should have died.

    But not only was he alive, it seemed like his Divine Soul had strengthened, meaning his consciousness had be even clearer.

    So clear that he could feel his physical body slowly dissipating. Although the speed was greatly reduced when he woke up, it was still happening. If he couldn¡¯t think of something, he, would truly die. The feeling of being killed by Master¡¯s strike in that dream was too terrifying.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Right, where was Master? If Master could save him in the dream, he must be nearby.

    "Stop looking, bow your head, my mana is severely depleted, and I have been reverted to my original form by the Heavenly Dao."

    Hearing this familiar voice, Sun Wukong suddenly looked down and saw a Bodhi Tree nted in front of him on the ground.

    "Master, you, how could you?"

    "You monkey, you still have the leisure to worry about me? I¡¯ve lived too long already; it¡¯s time for me to rest. However, I still can¡¯t stop worrying about you."

    "What do you mean, Master? You surely can live for another seven or eight cmities."

    "Wukong, after I¡¯m gone, everything will depend on you alone. Remember, you are the chosen one, not even the Heavenly Dao can destroy you. This world is just the beginning, your path is still a long one!"

    After speaking, before Sun Wukong could say anything, the small Bodhi tree suddenly turned into a beam of green light and directly broke through the Destructive Divine Thunder that split the Nine Heavens, entering Sun Wukong¡¯s body.

    Then, a green radiance burst forth from Sun Wukong¡¯s body, the light soaring into the sky, actually managing to push back the Destructive Divine Thunder from the Nine Heavens.

    It seemed as if the Nine Heavens sensed this power daring to defy the Heavenly Dao and suddenly sent down four more Destructive Divine Thunders, intending to obliterate Sun Wukong.

    However, at the same time, four beams of light burst forth from within Sun Wukong¡¯s body,bining with the previous green light to form a Five-Colored Pentagram floating above Sun Wukong¡¯s head, shielding him against the Destructive Divine Thunder from the Nine Heavens.

    "Wukong, I¡¯ve used my life-bound Bodhi Ancestor Tree to awaken the Wood Attribute Divine Stone within you, making you into an unprecedented Five Elements Chaotic Body. This is a body that only Pangu the Great God possessed. From now on, take good care of yourself!"

    "Master, Master, Master, are you also leaving me, Master!"

    Tears streaming down his face, his heart torn apart by grief.

    Compared to this so-called Five Elements Chaotic Body, Sun Wukong much preferred to see his Master. Why must everyone sacrifice themselves for his sake? Wouldn¡¯t it be alright if everyone just lived well?

    Nezha, Hong Hai¡¯er, and even Master at the end, do I really deserve your sacrifices? Do you know the power you exchanged with your lives is such a pain to me?

    But the reality was as such, and very soon, Sun Wukong began to feel the formidable nature of the Five Elements Chaotic Body!

 Chapter 105 - 98: End of the World

    ```

    The Five Elements Chaotic Body was the unique constitution of Pangu the Great God, fusing the origin of the Five Elements within the body, ultimately forging the Chaos Body. Before this, Sun Wukong had never heard of such a physique, but now, Sun Wukong was distinctly aware of the formidable power of the Five Elements Chaotic Body.

    Because, in just a moment¡¯s time, not only had Sun Wukong¡¯s flesh, which had been disintegrated by the Destructive Divine Thunder, regrown, but it had also be unprecedentedly powerful. Sun Wukong even felt that the strength of his newly regrown flesh surpassed that of the Jingu Bang!

    Moreover, the power of the Five Elements Chaotic Body originated from five Five-Colored Divine Stones, so after the disintegrated flesh had recovered, this power did not cease but continued to transform the intact parts.

    Otherwise, Sun Wukong¡¯s body would have been too odd, with parts strong and parts weak, and he would rather die than feel like that. However, what astonished him was not this, but rather the rising five-colored radiance that actually managed to push back the five Destructive Divine Thunders. This was simply contending with Heavenly Dao; Sun Wukong was fighting against a world all by himself!

    Once Sun Wukong¡¯s flesh waspletely transformed, the five-colored radiance had already pierced through the heavens. Feeling the surging power within his body and the sense that he could shatter the sky with a single punch felt extremely satisfying to Sun Wukong¡ªthis power should be enough to do something significant!

    However, at this moment, a cold snort suddenly came from above the Nine Heavens, abrupt yet filled with supreme authority. Had it not been wrapped in the five-colored radiance, Sun Wukong had no doubt he would have been prostrating on the ground in an instant!

    Strange, why is there a cold snort? Could it be that Heavenly Dao has developed sentience? If so, that would be terrifying. The five Divine Stones floating above Sun Wukong¡¯s head seemed to have felt this pressure as well, for they slowly stopped rotating and amazingly began to fuse!

    The Five-Colored Divine Stones, only when the Divine Stones of five attributesbine into one, do they form the true Five-Colored Divine Stone. However, since three of the five Divine Stones had once developed their Spiritual Wisdom, the fusion was not going smoothly. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of difficulty, andpleting the fusion was just a question of time.

    In the meantime, Sun Wukong was sitting cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed, feeling the supreme Taoist Spells and will within the Five-Colored Divine Stones.

    The Five-Colored Divine Stones were not naturally formed by heaven and earth but were the crystalline formations born of the highly condensed Five Elements Qi emitted from the disintegrated Five Elements Chaotic Body after Pangu the Great God¡¯s demise. In essence, the Five-Colored Divine Stones were the crystallization of Pangu¡¯s Five Elements Power.

    Moreover, after Pangu perished, his body transformed into this realm, thus Nuwa could use the Five-Colored Divine Stones to mend the heavens, because this power was from the same source. Otherwise, how could the heavens be mended with something else?

    But even Pangu the Great God¡¯s innately formed Five Elements Chaotic Body, after death, all the origin of the Five Elements formed merely three Five-Colored Divine Stones. Since Nuwa used two for mending the sky, the stones that were currently fusing above Sun Wukong¡¯s head must be thest of the Five-Colored Divine Stones in this world, and the only force capable of contending with Heavenly Dao.

    So, whether or not the Heavenly Dao had developed a will by this time, the fusion of the Five-Colored Divine Stones was something it could not tolerate. Therefore, following the cold snort, a terrifying power unlike any before began to gather above the Nine Heavens.

    This was undoubtedly the strongest force to have emerged since the time Pangu cleaved the heavens with his axe, a power so immense it defied description.

    And at this moment, every creature within the Pangu Realm had one feeling¡ªthat the world was going to be destroyed!

    Could it be that, to destroy the Five-Colored Divine Stones, Heavenly Dao was willing to sacrifice this world as well?

    Whether it was Tongtian stealthily absorbing the Destructive Will emitted by Heavenly Dao, or Sun Wukong perceiving the Five-Colored Divine Stones, or even the Twelve Ancestral Witches who had broken free from control, each one of them was looking up at the sky with a face full of horror at this moment. Heavenly Dao was truly enraged.

    Compared to the current threat, the previous Destructive Divine Thunders were like a gentle spring rain. This was the true Destruction, the power of world-ending.

    Feeling this true Destruction, the Five-Colored Divine Stones above Sun Wukong¡¯s head also sensed the crisis and were fusing with all their might.

    However, ording to Sun Wukong¡¯s perception, even at the fastest, it would take about ten breaths¡¯ worth of time, and moreover, he felt that even if the Five-Colored Divine Stones were to sessfully fuse, they would still be inadequate in the face of this world-ending force!

    After the first breath, a blue light suddenly shed across the sky, followed by a giant palm extending out from the heavy dark clouds. This palm was so huge that Sun Wukong felt it could crush the world with a p!

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "So, you can¡¯t bear to destroy the world along with it, and instead, you use the strongest force under destruction to see if you can erase me?"

    By this time, Sun Wukong was utterly convinced that Heavenly Dao indeed had its own consciousness. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t make ast effort before the destruction of the world. If this palm could extinguish him, there would be no need to destroy this world. If not, it wouldn¡¯t be toote to do so after. How could such a n be possibly conceived by a mere rule?

    ```

    Although Wukong hade to understand all this, he could only offer a bitter smile. The previous Destructive Divine Thunder had already been unstoppable, and if it hadn¡¯t been for the radiance of the Five-Colored Light, he would have been dead by now. Facing the heavenly palm that loomed like the sky itself, Sun Wukong truly felt a sense of powerlessness.

    And what was worse, the Five-Colored Divine Stone was at the critical moment of fusion and could not spare any energy to help him.

    Could it be that he was still doomed to fail? The overwhelming might of heaven was indeed not something he could shake at will. The strength of a peak Saint, in front of the Heavenly Dao, was as feeble as a child!

    Wukong couldn¡¯t help but bow his head and sigh. Despite possessing immense power, was he still unable to escape the fate of death?

    But just as Wukong hung his head, he heard twelve consecutive whooshing sounds in his ears, and suddenly looking up, he found himself surrounded by twelve Ancestral Witches!

    Heh, even at this point, they still wished to kill him; Tongtian¡¯s hatred for him was indeed too deep. Shaking his head, Sun Wukong got to his feet. Though powerless against the Heavenly Dao, he was not willing to be killed by Tongtian.

    As Wukong stood up, all twelve Ancestral Witches also took their positions, and immediately after, twelve loud shouts emanated from them: "The Twelve Divine Killing Great Formation, form!"

    As themand was given, countless strands of pitch-ck Demonic Qi rose from the bodies of the twelve Ancestral Witches. These tendrils of Demonic Qi interwove and mingled together, eventually outlining an Ancient Great Formation.

    Feeling the terrifying demon power emanating from the Great Formation, Wukong frowned deeply, then prepared to transform into his giant ape form. However, just as the thought arose, he suddenly felt something, halting his action and looking around at the surrounding Ancestral Witches.

    In his puzzlement, Wukong saw that as the twelve Ancestral Witches continued to pour demon power into the formation, a gigantic silhouette, thousands of meters tall, began to take shape above it. Soon, the phantom became solid, and there, above the Great Formation, appeared a living being with the body of a human, the hooves of a bull, four eyes, and six hands¡ªthe Demon God Chi You.

    And there stood Sun Wukong, dumbstruck, at the center of the Great Formation!

    This¡ªthese twelve Ancestral Witches had actually used him as the Formation Eye to summon the Ancient Demon God Chi You? This was far too inconceivable. When had he ever had any involvement with Chi You? And judging by the situation, this Demon God Chi You was clearly helping him resist the sky-shrouding giant palm?

    In fact, from the appearance of the heavenly giant hand to the emergence of Chi You, there had been only the time span of three breaths. In three breaths, the giant palm fell exactly above the Demon God Chi You.

    With not a hint of mncholy, the thousand-meter-tall Chi You let out a fierce roar, and then his six arms grasped in the void, creating a massive Law Sword in his hands.

    Yet this great sword was merely a phantom and not solid, but even so, with his fiery, golden gaze, Wukong could still discern the three blood-red characters etched onto the sword: Evil-Tool Sword.

    Then, Chi You, holding the colossal sword, struck down fiercely upon that palm!

    With the Evil-Tool Sword¡¯s descent, a huge crack appeared in the sky, and the giant hand was split in two and then dissipated between heaven and earth.

    Chi You¡¯s single strike was terrible beyond words! It certainly surpassed that of a Saint, reaching a realm of power that no one had ever attained before.

    In the meantime, the Five-Colored Divine Stone above Sun Wukong¡¯s head finallypleted its fusion.

    However, the Heavenly Dao¡¯s apocalypse had also begun!

 Chapter 106: 99 chapters Lean on the Mountain

    In fact, when the illusion of Chi You appeared, Sun Wukong knew he was not going to die just yet. However, it was only temporary! The Twelve Ancestral Witches had already dispersed the Great Formation after Chi You¡¯s strike, and the illusion of Chi You was gradually fading. Yet the Twelve Ancestral Witches still stood firmly around Sun Wukong, guarding him with all their might.

    Sun Wukong didn¡¯t understand why the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who had been fighting him to the death and even killed the Six-Eared Macaque, were now standing around him protecting him instead of protecting Master Tongtian! There must be a reason for this. Otherwise, how could Master Tongtian possibly have saved him?

    Although somewhat perplexed, Sun Wukong now had no time toprehend it clearly. Because the destruction of the world had already begun!

    The first to be affected was the very ce where Sun Wukong stood. Originally an expansive in in the far east, this in suddenly began to crack open with countless giant fissures. These fissures extended right down to the Earth¡¯s core, and then, rolling magma began to emerge, quickly converging into numerous streams ofva.

    After thend had fractured, the sky began to churn with countless tornadoes, and even vast tornadoes extended directly into the streams ofva. Then, the tornadoes began waving massive amounts ofva across thendscape.

    In a moment¡¯s time, the world had turned into a mortal purgatory.

    Heavenly Dao had really gone too far this time. In order to annihte Sun Wukongpletely, it did not hesitate to take this world down with him. However, Sun Wukong was truly frustrated because up to this point, he still didn¡¯t understand why he had angered Heavenly Dao so deeply to warrant such punishment, to the extent of not sparing the destruction of the world itself to destroy him!

    Just then, the newly merged Five-Colored Divine Stone shed and had already entered the sea of consciousness within Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead! Afterward, Sun Wukong suddenly froze, his eyes fiercely shining as if he had sensed something incredibly unbelievable. However, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes soon calmed down, and atst, he took a deep breath and exhaled as if digesting some shocking cosmic secret!

    "Heh, it really has gone too far!" Unable to help himself, Sun Wukong shook his head with a wry smile. Now, he finally understood the cause of all these events, and all the perplexities in his heart were unraveled. Shaking his head again, he put aside other thoughts. What was most important now was to stop the world-ending forces of Heavenly Dao!

    Slowly standing up, Sun Wukong summoned the Jingu Bang with a wave of his right hand. Gazing intently at the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong said, "Whether it¡¯s life or death this time depends on you."

    Having said that, he threw the Jingu Bang skyward, then sped his hands together and shouted, "World Suppressing Stele, Wastnd Soil Number Three, manifest, suppress!"

    As his voice fell, a five-colored divine light suddenly shot from Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead, striking the Jingu Bang in mid-air. Shortly after, the Jingu Bang trembled, tearing open a portal in the void that led to the world within the artifact!

    Once the portal was wide open, a ck shadow suddenly burst forth from within the world of the Jingu Bang. After leaving the world within the artifact, the shadow rapidly expanded in the wind, instantly transforming into a hundred-meter-tall stupendous stele!

    Carved on the front of the stele were the words: "World Suppressing Stele, Wastnd Soil Number Three." With the appearance of this World Suppressing Stele, Heavenly Dao seemed to be provoked again. Not only did the speed at which thend fell increase by more than tenfold, but even the space itself began to shatter.

    Could it be that this World Suppressing Stele was actually what Heavenly Dao truly wanted to destroy?

    As if confirming this guess, countless thunderbolts suddenly rained down from the Nine Heavens, including Destructive Divine Thunder, yin thunder of water and fire, and explosive lightning, among others. Almost all kinds of thunderbolts assaulted down all at once, and their target was only one¡ªshattering that World Suppressing Stele!

    However, all these ceased when a yellowish-brown light emitted by the World Suppressing Stele uponnding flickered. Countless divine thunders above the Nine Heavens dissipated in mid-air, the ground began to mend itself, and the tornadoes gradually subsided. The world-ending power of Heavenly Dao was actually suppressed by this single stele?

    Seeing the might truly embodied by this stele, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but recall the memories endowed to him by the Five-Colored Divine Stone!

    Legend has it that after Pangu the Great God created the world, the heaven and earth were unstable and showing signs of healing. Hence, Pangu supported the sky with his body to prevent heaven and earth from returning to Chaos. At that moment, a stele descended from nowhere, broke through space, and stood underneath Pangu¡¯s feet.

    As soon as the stele connected with the Earth, a miracle urred, and the heaven and earth gradually stabilized. It seemed that this stele possessed the ability to solidify the world. However, having exhausted a tremendous amount of energy, Pangu was no longer needed to prop up the heavens but eventually copsed and died.

    After the fall of Pangu, the stele rose from the ground by itself and vanished without a trace.

    Until, countless yearster, Di Jun, the supreme leader of the Demon n, chanced upon this stele and rapidly led the Demon n to be the rulers of the Pangu Realm. All living beings were under the dominion of the Demon n! Later, Di Jun, bolstered by the power of the stele, coborated with the Nine Heavens to construct numerous pces of the thirty-threeyers of Heavenly Pce.

    From then on, the Demon n resided above in the Heavenly Pce.

    However, one day, afterprehending Heavenly Dao and reaching the pinnacle of sainthood, Di Jun received the baptism of Heavenly Dao with his supreme talent. But just as the baptism of Heavenly Dao was nearingpletion, he was sneak-attacked by someone. Not only was the baptism a failure, but Di Jun was also backfired upon by Heavenly Dao and killed.

    Since then, the Demon n fell into internal strife, and the whereabouts of the World Suppressing Stele were unknown. Di Jun¡¯s death became a great unsolved mystery of the Demon n, with no one aware of who had plotted against him to this day.

    Amid the Demon n¡¯s internal discord, the Taoist sect swiftly rose under the leadership of the Three Purities. Harnessing countless magic treasures and terrifyingly fast cultivation speeds, they eventually defeated the Demon n, took over Heaven, and ruled over the Pangu Realm.

    Thus, the world regressed once again until the emergence of the Human n who began building nations across the Nine Provinces. Seeing the prosperity of humans and fearing future threats to Taoism, numerous Taoist experts joined hands to set up the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, seeking to erase the entire humanity with the waters of the Yellow River.

    However, the Human n was destined to rise. When the Yellow River¡¯s waters overflowed, Yu the Great emerged from the Human n. Uniting the strength of the masses, he broke the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. Realizing the formation was about to be breached, the Taoists sent people to the Mortal World in an attempt to kill Yu the Great.

    Unexpectedly, Yu had a stele in his hand that ughtered all the Taoist invaders.

    Intimidated, the Taoists abandoned their suppression of the Human n in favor of cooperation.

    Afterward, Yu the Great, with the help of the stele, swiftly broke the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation and used the power of the stele to cast the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, dividing the Mortal World into nine great provinces: Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Liangzhou, and Yongzhou, suppressed by the Nine Tripod Cauldrons!

    Once the world was settled, Yu the Great sealed the World Suppressing Stele within his Sea-Probing Needle and then sealed the Sea-Probing Needle at the bottom of the East Sea.

    With the loss of the World Suppressing Stele, Yu the Great mysteriously passed away soon after.

    Nevertheless, the Nine Tripod Cauldrons continued to suppress the Nine Provinces, ensuring the Mortal World¡¯s stability.

    It was not until today that Sun Wukong, wielding the strength of the Five-Colored Divine Stone left by the great god Nuwa, broke Yu the Great¡¯s seal to reveal the World Suppressing Stele in the Mortal World.

    At this thought, Sun Wukong could not help but feel a profound admiration for Nuwa. Tens of thousands of years ago, the great Nuwa had already foreseen the Demon n¡¯s great tribtion and used her supreme might to split the Five-Colored Divine Stone to deceive the Heavenly Dao.

    She even detached her will and embedded it within the Earth Attribute Divine Stone, in the hope that one day, with Spiritual Wisdom fully developed, someone would gather the Five-Colored Divine Stones, break Yu the Great¡¯s seal, and obtain the power of the World Suppressing Stele to lead the Demon n to restore their splendor.

    Even, Sun Wukong began to suspect whether Gonggong¡¯s furious assault on Mount Buzhou was so that Nuwa had an excuse to collect the Five-Colored Divine Stones!

    The Twelve Ancestral Witches are the flesh of Chi You, and Chi You is the heart of Pangu the Great God! Thus, there is nock of reason for the Twelve Ancestral Witches to help Nuwa defy the Heavenly Dao.

    After all, Pangu¡¯s demise has an inseparable connection with the Heavenly Dao!

    Returning to the present, as soon as the World Suppressing Stele appeared, countless earthy-yellow rays of light scattered in all directions, and soon the entire Pangu Realm was filled with this earthy-yellow light. As the light shone, the shattered void and the sunken earth mended bit by bit.

    The World Suppressing Stele stabilized the world. Although the Heavenly Dao is strong, it still cannot withstand the World Suppressing Stele!

    An hourter, the Pangu Realm hadpletely recovered to its original state, and the Heavenly Dao had no response whatsoever. If not for the presence of the Twelve Ancestral Witches around him, Sun Wukong might even think that nothing had happened.

    When the Pangu Realm was thoroughly stabilized, the World Suppressing Stele suddenly trembled and then shrank to only one meter in size. However, no one dared to underestimate this stele anymore. It possessed the strength to defy this world.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Just as Sun Wukong let out a sigh of relief, the space next to the World Suppressing Stele suddenly rippled, and then a figure appeared out of nowhere and attempted to take away the World Suppressing Stele with a sweeping motion of hisrge sleeve.

    At the same time, space fluctuated once again on both sides of the World Suppressing Stele, and two more figures emerged. Unlike the previous figure, these two directly attacked the one who tried to take the World Suppressing Stele.

    Seeing his theft thwarted, the first figure waved his hands and swiftly retreated. At that moment, Sun Wukong realized someone was trying to snatch his World Suppressing Stele and, without hesitation, summoned the Jingu Bang to his hand with a gesture, and then touched the stele with one end of the staff.

    Space cracked open, and the World Suppressing Stele automatically flew into the world within the Jingu Bang.

    "Who are you? Why are you stealing my stele?"

    But before Sun Wukong could finish speaking, several figures suddenly flew in from the distant sky. Warily turning his head, Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery eyes activated, but when he saw the faces of these neers clearly, he involuntarily gasped.

    Soon, the neersnded. However, they all took positions behind the one who had attempted to snatch the World Suppressing Stele. Now, the appearances of the neers were clearly visible!

    First was an old man with white beard and eyebrows, holding a short whip, all smiles. Next to him stood a handsome young man, holding a yellow-orange gourd. Following them was a middle-aged man with eyebrows trailing to the ground.

    Apart from these three, there were two others whom Sun Wukong recognized: King of the Heavenly Tower Li Jing and the previously escaped Primeval Lord of Heaven. Together with the earlier figure, there were five people in total!

    Though Sun Wukong did not know the three, Sect Hierarch Tongtian recognized them clearly. Upon seeing these five figures, Tongtian felt truly fortunate he had not given in to despair, d that he had survived.

    Then, trails of light once again dashed across the sky, but this time, the neers all stood in front of Sun Wukong.

    As everyone took their positions, one figure among thistter group stepped forward and said, "What? You think our Demon n is without protectors? Today, I, Hun Kun, am here. Let¡¯s see who dares to touch a single hair on Sun Wukong!"

 Chapter 107 - 100: Battle of the Clan

    ```

    Looking at the people before him with a hint of surprise, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel deeply moved. It turned out that my Demon n is not without supporters after all. However, Sun Wukong also felt worried at the same time. Could these people, possibly, die because of him again? No, this time he absolutely could not let anyone perish.

    "So it¡¯s Patriarch Hun Kun, haven¡¯t seen you in a long time. I thought you were already dead," said the young Taoist holding an orange-yellow gourd!

    "Hmph, after so many years, you still speak so rudely. It seems you haven¡¯t really taken in much of Master¡¯s teachings," Hun Kun retorted.

    "Whether I¡¯ve taken it in or not, we¡¯ll know after a try!" the young Taoist replied.

    Watching the two bicker, Sun Wukong hurried over to Patriarch Hun Kun¡¯s side and said, "Thank you foring to assist, Sun Wukong is forever grateful."

    "Haha, no worries, it¡¯s been tens of thousands of years, I should indeede out and stretch my limbs a bit. Otherwise, people might start forgetting who Patriarch Hun Kun is, hahaha. By the way, little monkey, do you know who I am?"

    Hearing Patriarch Hun Kun¡¯s question, Sun Wukong quickly responded, "I know, I know. Wukong was epted as a disciple by Patriarch Bodhi, and Patriarch Bodhi was your disciple, so naturally, you¡¯re Wukong¡¯s grandmaster!"

    "Haha, that¡¯s right, it looks like Subhuti taught a good disciple."

    "Grandmaster, Patriarch Bodhi, he, he, he sacrificed himself to help me refine the Five-Colored Divine Stone, bing a Bodhi tree, he is already, already..."

    At this point, Sun Wukong was choking with sobs.

    "No matter, my good disciple, Patriarch Bodhi had his own fate to face, there¡¯s no need for excessive grief. Come, let me introduce you to thest of our Demon n¡¯s strength!"

    After speaking, Patriarch Hun Kun took Sun Wukong¡¯s hand and, pointing to a person wearing Dragon Scale Armor and holding a Sea-Calming Trident with a dragon¡¯s head and human body, said, "This is the Great Demon Ji Meng, who once resided in concealment in Zhang Yuan; where he went, tempests followed. His power lies mostly within these storms. He is a half-step Great Path powerhouse."

    Sun Wukong paid his respects to him, and Ji Meng, not being pretentious, nted his trident into the ground and said, "I Ji Meng am a simple man, not fond of formalities. Just give it your all when the fight starts, haha!"

    After he spoke, Patriarch Hun Kun then pointed to another person holding a Mixed Iron Stick covered in dense talismans and with a tiger-striped body and bird wings, and said, "This one is the Great Demon Ying Zhao, a half-step Great Path powerhouse. Take a careful look at his stick, tsk tsk, even I have some reservations about it."

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Haha, my old stick couldn¡¯t possibly catch your eye, could it?" Ying Zhaoughed.

    Before Hun Kun could continue, a handsome middle-aged man who couldn¡¯t wait to speak and who was holding a Square Sky Halberd said, "I am Gui Che. My true form is a nine-headed bird, also a half-step upon the Great Path."

    "Hehe, Gui Che, you¡¯re always so impatient."

    "Since Brother Gui Che has introduced himself, I guess there¡¯s no need to bother Patriarch Hun Kun. I am Bai Ze, probably the weakest here."

    The voice came from a young man leisurely fanning himself with a feather fan.

    "Hehe, so for the remaining two, would you prefer to introduce yourselves or shall I do the honors?"

    This was addressed to the two figures who had appeared from the void to protect Sun Wukong and the World Suppressing Stele; they¡¯d been standing quietly behind everyone without speaking.

    "Ah, forget it, I¡¯ll do it myself. Wukong, I finally meet you. Perhaps, you¡¯ve already guessed who I am!" A woman¡¯s voice was clearly heard. After she finished speaking, the seven-colored radiance slowly dissipated from her body. What came into Sun Wukong¡¯s sight was a beautiful woman that took one¡¯s breath away, yet one could not harbor any disrespectful thoughts towards her.

    However, that was not the important part; the most important thing was that this woman¡¯s lower body was not a pair of human legs, but a serpent¡¯s tail!

    In ancient times, a woman with a human body and serpent tail was often deemed extraordinary. Her identity was now almost self-evident!

    "You are, Nuwa Matriarch?"

    "Yes, it¡¯s me. Wukong, you truly are the hope of our Demon n."

    Having said that, Nuwa no longer spoke. Sun Wukong, although having many questions, also knew this was not the right time to ask. So he buried all the questions in his heart.

    After Nuwa Matriarch had finished speaking, the final person also let his own brilliance fade; he was an impressive and majestic man: "I am Human Emperor Fuxi, summoned by Nuwa Matriarch to congratte your Demon n. Sun Wukong, I hope you will treat the Mortal World¡¯smon people kindly in the days toe!"

    Sun Wukong quickly affirmed.

    Hearing these thunderous reputations, the blood in Sun Wukong¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but boil. With such powerhouses in my Demon n, we are destined to flourish.

    At this moment, Bai Ze spoke again, "Come, let me introduce you to the ones on the other side; otherwise, you might suffer from ack of understanding when the fight begins."

    But just as Bai Ze finished speaking, the young Taoist on the opposing side interrupted, "No need to bother the wise demon Bai Ze. Since the protagonist of this battle doesn¡¯t know us, we should introduce ourselves. I am Taoist Lu Ya, brother-disciple to your grandmaster, Patriarch Hun Kun. This time, I havee to kill you."

    After finishing, the long-browed old man added, "I am Daoist Yang Mei."

    ```

    "As for me, heh, I am none other than Hongjun Laozu!"

    Thest to speak was the long-browed elder holding a short whip. "I am Jiang Ziya, hehe, the junior here. No, that¡¯s not right, Li Jing¡¯s seniority should be less than mine. Hehe."

    After this person spoke, neither Li Jing nor Yuanshi Tianzun said anything more, for these two were already known to Sun Wukong.

    Lu Ya, a reclusive immortal and a mysterious powerhouse from the ancient divine battles, wielded the Flying Knife and the Seven Star Sword. He was the fourth disciple of the primordial spirit and Hongjun Laozu¡¯s first disciple, under whom Pangu first crafted the heavens. Before the heavens existed, there was Hongjun, with Lu Ya predating even them.

    Yang Mei Daxian, whose true form was a hollow willow tree, attained the Dao three thousand years before Hongjun Laozu. Legend had it that he once shed with Hongjun, who exhausted all his magic treasures but could not harm him in the least.

    Hongjun Laozu, the eldest disciple of the founding primordial spirit and also the teacher of the Three Pure Ones, possessed the might that shaped worlds from the beginning of the heavens and the earth.

    As for Yuanshi Tianzun, Li Jing, and Jiang Ziya, there is no need to mention them further. However, it is worth noting that for some unknown reasons, whether it was due to some fortunate encounter or not, both Jiang Ziya and Li Jing from the era of deification possessed the strength of the Half-step Great Path. Jiang Ziya was understandable, but the case of Li Jing was rather curious.

    Thest time when they attacked the heavens, Sun Wukong had seen Li Jing. At that time, his cultivation was only at the early Emperor Level and quite unstable at that. Yet, in such a short span of time, he had already broken through to the realm of the Half-step Great Path. This was truly unimaginable. Could it be that Li Jing had always concealed his true strength?

    If so, that would be terrifying indeed.

    Looking at the group opposite them, Sun Wukong frowned deeply. Although his side also had a gathering of strong warriors, the other side was evidently not weak either. This imminent battle involved too much.

    These were not mere mortals, each one of them veterans of countless years, and it was well known that among them, Nuwa, Human Emperor Fuxi, and Hongjun Laozu had all been mighty beings who had merged with the Dao. Yet now, they too were present.

    It seems that the World Suppressing Stele truly has an endless allure.

    At this moment, both sides had finished their conversations and introductions but were not in a hurry to start the fight; instead, they seemed patiently waiting for something. Could it be that there were reinforcements yet to arrive?

    As Sun Wukong pondered, two streaks of light raced from different directions across the distant sky. The people on Sun Wukong¡¯s side hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but their voices had already reached them, "Huanglong and Kirin havee to aid in the battle!"

    Like thunder from the Nine Heavens, before the echo of their voices faded, the two figures had already arrived. One was a dignified middle-aged man in a Golden Dragon Robe, and the other a robust man in a blood-red battle armor.

    "Atst, you¡¯ve arrived. Now, everyone¡¯s here, right? It¡¯s a pity that of the Five Great Divine Beasts, now only the Kirin remains,"mented Hun Kun Laozu as he patted the shoulders of Huanglong and Kirin and then sighed. If the Four Symbols and the Five Great Divine Beasts of our Demon n were all present, how could we allow the Taoist Sect to run rampant?

    On the other hand, as the light dissipated, the neers were none other than Zhen Yuanzi, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, and the Guiding Sage!

    Seeing that thest reinforcements for the Taoist Sect were Zhen Yuanzi and the Guiding Sage, both Sun Wukong and Patriarch Hun Kun were stunned. Sun Wukong was stunned because he had not expected Zhen Yuanzi to get involved in this final stand, and moreover, his power had also reached the realm of the Half-step Great Path.

    Patriarch Hun Kun was stunned because he believed that Guiding Taoist had long since perished. After the great battle for the deification of Ancient Times, Zhun Ti Taoist incarnated as Patriarch Bodhi, while Guiding Taoist incarnated as Amitabha Buddha. Yet unexpectedly, Guiding Taoist had now reappeared with the cultivation realm of a Half-step Great Path. What on earth was going on?

    Not just Sun Wukong and Patriarch Hun Kun, but many from the Demon n also showed a trace of solemnity. It seemed that the Taoist Sect was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. The sudden emergence of so many Half-step Great Path powerhouses gave everyone a chilling feeling.

    No one knew whether the neers from the Taoist Sect were all that wereing. If, perhaps, they had reinforcements, then the outlook for this battle was not optimistic. After all, those standing here now were all of the Demon n¡¯s Half-step Great Path powerhouses. It could be said this was the Demon n¡¯s all-out final battle.

    "Wukong, my good brother, I owe you an apology. Although we call each other brothers, I am after all a member of the Taoist Sect, and Yang Mei the Immortal is even my master. Therefore, in this battle, I have no choice but to participate," Zhen Yuan said.

    After he spoke, Zhen Yuan made a gesture with his sword finger and cut off a piece of his Taoist robe. "My dear brother, as this robe is torn, so too are our ties of kindness." Watching the half-piece of the robe slowly fall to the ground, Sun Wukong¡¯s heart ached, but there was nothing he could do.

    Finally, the people from both sides were all present, or in other words, all who were to participate in the final stand had arrived.

    On the side of the Demon n: Patriarch Hun Kun, Nuwa, Human Emperor Fuxi, Yellow Dragon, Kirin, Kunpeng, Ji Meng, Ying Zhao, Ghost Car, Bai Ze, and Sun Wukong¡ªeleven Half-step Great Path powerhouses in total!

    On the side of the Taoist Sect: Yang Mei the Immortal, Patriarch Hongjun, Lu Ya, Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Guiding Taoist, Zhen Yuanzi, Jiang Ziya, and Li Jing¡ªeight Half-step Great Path powerhouses.

    Suddenly, Sun Wukong remembered someone, Master Tongtian! But after carefully looking around, Wukong did not see Master Tongtian, nor any of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. With this, Wukong had an ominous feeling rise within him, but then, observing the abyssal aura of the powerful beings at his side, his heart steadied once again.

    A person who has already been discarded, cannot stir up any waves.

    In the midst of these thoughts, the great battle had already begun!

    Patriarch Hun Kun faced off against Yang Mei the Immortal, Nuwa faced Patriarch Hongjun, Human Emperor Fuxi and Yellow Dragon faced Lu Ya, Kirin faced Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Kunpeng faced Guiding Taoist, Ji Meng and Ying Zhao faced Zhen Yuanzi, Ghost Car and Bai Ze faced Jiang Ziya, while Sun Wukong stood together with Li Jing.

    In an instant, everyone paired off to fight. With their power reaching such realms, they could at most cooperate in pairs; any more would likely inhibit their own power. Unless they had long been ustomed to some sort of formation technique together.

    Actually, Sun Wukong¡¯s targets were Primordial Heavenly Venerate or Guiding Taoist, but as soon as the battle began, Li Jing entangled him. The fact that Li Jing wielded the Exquisite Pagoda with a life-or-death stance tied Wukong¡¯s hands somewhat.

    Meanwhile, others broke through the void and headed to Beyond the Heavens. Neither side wanted to risk the inadvertent destruction of the Pangu Realm out of carelessness. Their goal was the World Suppressing Stele, not the destruction of the world.

    (PS, this is the hundredth chapter, and this book has been updated for a while now. However, the support in terms of favorites and rmendations has beenckluster. I hope that those who read daily could cast a rmendation vote. Sanzang gives thanks. Also, book fans are wee to join the group discussion: the group number is 214501643. Let¡¯s discuss together.)

 Chapter 108 - 101 Sun Wukongéˆ¥æªš Strength

    Sun Wukong had not paid much attention to Li Jing, but when they came to blows, Wukong realized that not only had Li Jing¡¯s cultivation reached the Half-step Great Path, but hisbat power had also attained this level. This surprise was no small matter for Wukong.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    There are indeed several methods if one¡¯s cultivation is to advance by leaps and bounds. The first is to consume Heaven and Earth Treasures, utilizing the immense spiritual power contained within to break through one¡¯s realm.

    Another method is for a person of a higher cultivation realm to be willing to infuse all of their cultivated realm into another, which can also rapidly enhance strength in a short period. As for other unorthodox methods or even more special methods, Wukong was unaware.

    However, these two methods, or rather all methods that can rapidly enhance strength,e with certain risks. After all, strength not cultivated bit by bit by oneself will definitely not be as controble at will. But, in the fleeting moments ofbat with Li Jing, Wukong could feel that Li Jing¡¯s cultivation was absolutely not attained in a short time.

    Whether it was the use of power or thebat techniques of this level, Li Jing was certainly a master, a master fully qualified to do battle with himself.

    Could it be that Li Jing has always been a supremely skilled master hidden from sight? What then is his purpose in hiding his strength and being a marshal in Heaven? With his prowess, he could very well be a supreme existence in Heaven.

    Since it was iprehensible, Wukong no longer pondered. No matter what schemes Li Jing had, today, he must die, even if he is Nezha¡¯s father. I have opposed the Heavenly Dao, and now this Taoist Sect shall be utterly eradicated. Since you seek a life-and-death fight, then I shall apany you to the end.

    Havinge to this realization, Wukong no longer held back. The Five-Colored Divine Stone was summoned, enveloping Wukong in its five-colored glow, providing him with a continuous supply of immense power. As long as this world did not perish, the Five-Colored Divine Stone could offer him an unlimited amount of tremendous spiritual power. What had he to fear?

    With a roar, Wukong was ready to transform into his true form, the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape. However, just as Wukong was about to transform, the five-colored light surrounding him suddenly fluctuated and then all submerged into his body.

    Moreover, the Five-Colored Divine Light, unlike the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power previously supplied to Wukong, contained more than just the powers of the Five Elements; it was mostly a power belonging to Chaos.

    "This power, this power..."

    Feeling this bizarre force, Wukong seemed to have an epiphany. Then, casting an indifferent nce at Li Jing, who was exerting his full power to activate the Exquisite Pagoda not far away, Wukong softly uttered, "Five Elements Chaotic Body,plete!"

    Then, a dull gray radiance burst forth from Wukong¡¯s body. Wukong transformed into a three-meter-tall being covered in gray fur, his muscles solid yet bursting with power. His eyes shone golden, and two beams of golden light constantly shot forth, the corners of his mouth bearing two fangs over three feet long, sharp and resilient.

    Looking down at his new form, Wukong let out a wicked smile. This was his true self, whether as the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape Ye Hao, or the Great Sage Equalling Heaven Sun Wukong; those were merely manifestations of his iplete self when his power had not reached its zenith. The Giant Ape was a manifestation of power, while Sun Wukong was a manifestation of cultivation. Now, he wasplete.

    Chaos, all powers amalgamated into one, awakening the real self. The sensation was marvellous.

    Afterward, the Chaotic Body Wukong suddenly looked up at Li Jing and let out a chucklingugh, then disappeared in an instant. When he reappeared, he was directly above Li Jing¡¯s head. Sensing Wukong¡¯s ghostly speed, Li Jing¡¯splexion couldn¡¯t help but change. This was Beyond the Heavens, a ce that could suppress thirty percent of one¡¯sbat power.

    Yet, he still possessed such terrifying speed. Could it be that Wukong was not affected by the spatial suppression of Beyond the Heavens?

    Although he felt some panic,

    the very next moment, thinking of the reason he came here, all panic dissipated, leaving behind only the strong resolve to kill Wukong.

    In Li Jing¡¯s right palm, the Exquisite Pagoda sensed the boundless intent to kill and instantly radiated a dazzling treasure light. And all the light in a split second conjured a simr pagoda above Li Jing¡¯s head. However, by the time the pagoda took shape, Wukong was already gone.

    Knowing his speed was far inferior to Wukong¡¯s, Li Jing did not intend topete with Wukong in speed. Instead, he sat cross-legged in the void, cing the Exquisite Pagoda in front of him. Then Li Jing began to chant in Brahman, and countless mysterious characters scattered from his body and surged into the Exquisite Pagoda before him.

    Meanwhile, Wukong stood quietly not far from Li Jing, simply watching as Li Jing prepared what could likely be a life-threatening move against him.

    "Li Jing, considering that you were once Nezha¡¯s father and that Nezha is not only my friend but also a person who has shown me profound kindness, I will give you time to ready your ultimate move," said Wukong.

    At the Half-step Great Path Realm, many techniques were useless. If one wished to stake their life to annihte the opponentpletely, they could only employ their strongest attack. Otherwise, it was merely a prolonging of the inevitable. Li Jing knew this, and so did Wukong.

    Therefore, the moment the two engaged, it was time to decide life or death. Although Wukong did not know why Li Jing harbored such strong murderous intent towards him, since you wish to kill me, then be prepared to be killed.

 Chapter 109 - 101 Sun Wukongéˆ¥æªš Strength_2

    Upon hearing Sun Wukong¡¯s words, which seemed tinged with pity, Li Jing couldn¡¯t help but seethe with rage inside. How dare he mention Nezha? How could he still bring up Nezha?

    Boundless fury almost made Li Jing lose his reason, but though he managed to suppress his anger at thest moment, it also led him to abandon all regard for his life. Originally golden, the talismans had now all turned blood-red in color, for Li Jing was burning both his life-bound essence blood and his cultivation on the half-step Great Path.

    It could be said that this was Li Jing¡¯s strike of certain death.

    Sun Wukong could have easily dodged this attack, for after this strike, even if Li Jing didn¡¯t die, he would likely be left a broken man, his fate¡ªto kill or to maim¡ªat Sun Wukong¡¯s discretion.

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    But Sun Wukong did not do so. Because he respected Nezha, he would not evade Li Jing¡¯s sacrificial strike, even if it meant his own demise.

    As countless talismans poured into the Exquisite Pagoda, it suddenly surged with a brilliant blood light. Then, the Exquisite Pagoda split from one into two, two into four, four into eight, eight into sixteen... In the blink of an eye, wherever the gaze fell, there were Exquisite Pagodas bathed in the blood light. And each one was solid, at least indiscernible to Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery, golden eyes.

    Although Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t discern the reality of the Exquisite Pagodas, the heavy sense of imminent danger was unmistakably clear. And between these millions of Exquisite Pagodas, a Great Formation was faintly taking shape¡ªa formation that felt eerily familiar to Sun Wukong.

    "Could it be, could it really be the Zhu Tian Star Dou Formation? Li Jing, you, how could you know this formation?" When the image of a formation in Sun Wukong¡¯s mind ovepped with the scene before his eyes, he was utterly shocked.

    Even though Sun Wukong intended to brace for Li Jing¡¯s life-risking strike, it didn¡¯t mean he wanted to die. On the contrary, Sun Wukong was confident in his own abilities to do so.

    But as the formation waspleted, Sun Wukong faltered. This was the Zhu Tian Star Dou Formation set up by a single person¡ªits power was surely enough to kill him instantly.

    "Sun Wukong, so you can feel fear after all, haha, but this is not your Demon n¡¯s Zhu Tian Star Dou Formation, this is the Zhu Tian Stars Array, a great formation of the Taoist Sect!"

    Although it wasn¡¯t the Zhu Tian Star Dou Formation, its power was certainly not much less. The deadly threat of death was undoubtedly real.

    Without hesitation, Sun Wukong¡¯s body shone with brilliant Chaos light, and he began to form extremely peculiar Dharma Seals with both hands, resembling Taoist, Buddhist, and Demon n talismans all at once.

    Finally, Li Jing, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, opened his eyes and let out a gentle sigh of relief. One hundred and eighty million Exquisite Pagodas, all real, had consumed most of his life-bound essence blood and nearly all of his cultivation to form the Zhu Tian Stars Array.

    It didn¡¯t matter if Sun Wukong was on the half-step Great Path, even if a true Great Path powerhouse were toe, they would certainly be doomed.

    Perhaps after this final strike, he too would die. But even in death, he would have no regrets. Nezha, I have never been a good father, but this time, I will fulfill a father¡¯s duty. I willpletely kill Sun Wukong and avenge you!

    A satisfied, relieved smile slowly emerged on Li Jing¡¯s face. But what followed was resentment and viciousness. Sun Wukong, today, you are destined to die.

    The feeling of death grew stronger, yet Sun Wukong¡¯s confusion deepened. This formation should not exist in this world; it was beyond the Zhu Tian Star Dou Formation. The Pangu Realm¡¯s three ultimate formations definitely did not include this one, nor could it be some lost formation. The oppression and the sensation it gave off could not belong to this world. Could it be...

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    By then, the Great Formation had begun to operate.

    And Sun Wukong¡¯s Dharma Seal was alsopleted with thest one.

    "Zhu Tian Stars Array, annihte."

    "Chaos Five Decisions, The First Form, Heavensplitting Strike."

    Finally, thest strike of the two men, the same life-and-death blow, erupted simultaneously.

    First, countless Exquisite Pagodas, each one meter tall, began to spin wildly, and then, under Li Jing¡¯smand, hundreds or thousands of Exquisite Pagodas split into groups and, in the form of a miniature Zhu Tian Stars Formation, hurtled towards Sun Wukong. When a miniature star formation reached a certain critical point, it would explode with a bang.

    Moreover, the exploding Exquisite Pagodas were rapidly stacking upon each other. In just three breaths, the simultaneously exploding Exquisite Pagodas had reached tens of millions. Although these explosions did not reach Sun Wukong, all the st forces were swiftly converging towards a single point.

    Seeing this, Sun Wukong suddenly understood that this Stars Array was actually a formation for individual attacks. It gathered all the forces of the explosions at a single point. If the final 180 million Exquisite Pagodas all exploded and their power converged on one point, that force could potentially st Pangu Realm apart.

    However, Sun Wukong¡¯s attack had also taken shape. As Sun Wukong¡¯s hands came down, a figure a hundred meters tall rose from his form. The towering shadow had bulging muscles and held a massive battle axe in both hands.

    When the shadow appeared, warriors fighting across Beyond the Heavens all paused, especially Hongjun, Yang Mei, Nuwa, Fuxi, and Lu Ya, who felt it most directly. The shock of that instant even made everyone stop their attacks.

    "This presence, this, is this the breath of Pangu? Could he..."

    "How is it possible, how could Pangu appear?"

    Among these people, only Nuwa knew some of the truth, but she did not reveal it and instead quickly calmed down to focus on the opponent in front of her.

    Li Jing also saw the shadow and felt that deste and tragic pressure that seemed like the Heavenly Dao. Suddenly, a feeling that he should not offend the shadow rose in Li Jing¡¯s heart. And the explosion of the billion stars also paused at that moment.

    It was during this instant pause that the hundred-meter-tall shadow swept both arms horizontally, and then a streak of pitch-ck light shed past.

    The next instant, Li Jing¡¯s 180 million Exquisite Pagodas, all instantly shattered. And Li Jing himself was cut in half at the waist.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s strength had be dreadfully powerful.

    Right up to thest moment, Li Jing remained in shock. He did not understand why he had lost or even why he had died.

    However, hisst thought before death was of the day when Nezha was born, the day when Nezha called him "father" for the first and also thest time!

    (This is a promotion for "Tudou Weekend Show 2014," an entertainment program directed by Sanzang¡¯s friend and hosted by Da Zhang Wei, first broadcasted on Tudou. Fans might want to check it out. Also, I hope to get more publicity for it.)

 Chapter 110 - 102: The Balance of Victory

    ```

    With a single strike, he yed the half-step Great Path warrior Li Jing, and also shattered the Zhu Tian Stars Array! This level of power made it impossible for anyone to look down on him any longer. Looking up at that tall and solitary figure, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of admiration.

    Can it be that Pangu the Great God had taken the final step, given that a mere projection could kill a warrior on the cusp of the Great Path with a single blow?

    Shaking his head, the capabilities of Pangu the Great God were now beyond his realm of understanding. ncing again at the swiftly fading phantom of Pangu, Sun Wukong felt a bout of dizziness.

    Seated in the void, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill.

    This strike, though seemingly majestic, was one only known by Sun Wukong himself. Following that strike, the spiritual power within his body had almostpletely dissipated, and not only that, the consumption of his physical strength was also terrifying! Looking at his empty dantian and feeling his strengthless body, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile.

    It seemed that even as a Five Elements Chaotic Body, he wasn¡¯t invincible after all.

    Not to mention anything else, even the Chaos Five Decisions inherited from the Five-Colored Divine Stone could only sustain the First Form with his current spiritual power. Fortunately, it was a one-on-one fight with Li Jing. If there had been a third person there, Sun Wukong would have been utterly defenseless.

    If the First Form was already this terrifying, what would the following four forms be like? Moreover, how did the Chaos Five Decisions end up hidden within the Five-Colored Divine Stone? This Five-Colored Divine Stone was, after all, a gift from Nuwa to him; did Nuwa also know this technique?

    Could it be that this technique was created by Nuwa? But considering its power, it definitely didn¡¯t belong to the Pangu Realm. Sun Wukong believed that he would not have been able to execute the technique in the Pangu Realm, but that profound and mysterious sensation only strengthened his conviction.

    Sighing once again, it seemed there was still much that Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know.

    However, now that he had be the Five Elements Chaotic Body that only Pangu the Great God once had, and with the mysteriously powerful Chaos Five Decisions and that World Suppressing Stele, not to mention the Jingu Bang which was on its way to evolving into a Supreme Divine Artifact, Sun Wukong believed that no one in the Pangu Realm had an advantage over him.

    Sun Wukong needed time! With these assets, Sun Wukong was now eligible to contend for the ultimate path. Given time, he was confident he could surpass everyone and unravel all mysteries.

    He was no longer willing to be a pawn at the mercy of others. In this game of chess, he aimed to be the one making the moves!

    But for now, the priority was to quickly restore his physical and spiritual power. This war had only just begun.

    Seated within the void, the Five-Colored Divine Stone within him operated at full capacity, and strands of azure energy flowed from the stone into Sun Wukong¡¯s body, replenishing his physical and spiritual power. As he quietly recovered, Sun Wukong suddenly remembered something.

    That was when he had been struck by the Destructive Divine Thunder in the Pangu Realm, Kunpeng should have flown away with the corpse of the Six-Eared Macaque and Chang¡¯er. However, when Sun Wukong awoke, he saw no sign of Six-Eared¡¯s master, that Azure Great Clock!

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    Logically speaking, the Azure Great Clock should have been on the verge of shattering, unable to escape on its own, and it didn¡¯t seem like it had been taken by Tongtian either. Sun Wukong decided he must ask Kunpeng for rification as soon as he saw him. Additionally, he needed to inquire about Chang¡¯er¡¯s whereabouts. Even though she had intended to kill him, she was after all Bajie¡¯s beloved.

    If something went wrong, Sun Wukong would feel even more ashamed to face Bajie.

    In the midst of these thoughts, Sun Wukong¡¯s physical and spiritual power had almost returned to their peak condition. He got up and nced at the floating corpse of Li Jing, seemingly with a hint of reluctance. With a flick of his right hand, a raging me rose on the severed remains of Li Jing, consuming it in just a moment.

    With no further hesitation, Sun Wukong gripped the Jingu Bang and flew towards the others.

    This makes it necessary to mention the countless realms Beyond the Heavens, outside the Pangu Realm. The so-called Beyond the Heavens, to be precise, refers to the vast empty space formed after the explosion of celestial stars. This space can be understood as a hole sted open by the tremendous force of a star¡¯s explosion. And these holes are known as Beyond the Heavens.

    The reason for battling here is that it is the only space that is rtively stable and can withstand being broken.

    Otherwise, if someone dared to have a major battle in outer space, it would surely be an act of suicide. Not to mention the asional space fractures, even the space storms are not something that someone on the cusp of the Great Path could resist.

    Therefore, after emerging from the Beyond the Heavens where he had in Li Jing, Sun Wukong proceeded with caution in search of another Beyond the Heavens where others fought fiercely.

    Finally, after a quarter of an hour, Sun Wukong located a Beyond the Heavens with intense mana fluctuations and dove in without hesitation.

    Upon entering, Sun Wukong immediately spotted the three engaged in a fierce battle: Ji Meng and Ying Zhao were fighting against Zhen Yuanzi. Upon Sun Wukong¡¯s arrival, all three turned their attention to him, their expressions varying. Ji Meng and Ying Zhao were overjoyed, while Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s face was filled with resignation.

    No one expected Sun Wukong to resolve his battle so quickly. A half-step Great Path warrior was not someone to be easily killed.

    "Monkey, hurry over! Let¡¯s join forces to kill this old Taoist, haha. With this battle, the Demon n is sure to win!"

    With an involuntary sigh, Sun Wukong swung his Jingu Bang and joined the fray.

    With Sun Wukong¡¯s involvement, Zhen Yuanzi, who was already at a disadvantage, felt his pressure increase immensely. His Qiankun Great Sleeve and a small Ginseng Fruit Tree were constantly in motion in his hands. However, it was clear to everyone that without some secret ultimate move capable of turning the tide, Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s death was inevitable.

    Zhen Yuanzi also knew that if things continued this way, he was doomed. The inherent prowess of Ji Meng and Ying Zhao in their true forms was formidable, and even he had only been hanging on thanks to the Innate Spirit Root Ginseng Fruit Tree.

    After giving Sun Wukong a profound nce, Zhen Yuanzi bit his teeth fiercely, seemingly having made a difficult decision. He wielded the Ginseng Fruit Tree in his right hand, and his left hand retreated into his great sleeve. But soon, Zhen Yuanzi pulled out another small tree radiating Seven-Colored Divine Light from within his sleeve!

    ```

    "My master¡¯s Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree? Zhen Yuanzi, how could my master¡¯s Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree be in your hands?"

    "Wukong, you¡¯re not aware of many things. If you manage to defeat me today, perhaps, I might tell you some of them. But now, it¡¯s time to fight for our lives."

    The Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, officially known as the Seven Treasures Wonderful Brush Tree, was forged by Zhunti using his innate Western Essence Gold Bodhi and seven treasures such as gold, silver, and colored ze. It was known to brush away all things and was Zhunti¡¯s proof of Taoist spell as a magic artifact.

    Zhunti, who waster known as Patriarch Subhuti, had never used the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree in Wukong¡¯s presence since he became a disciple of Patriarch Bodhi. Wukong hadn¡¯t even heard Patriarch Bodhi mention it; he only knew about the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree because Nezha had told him.

    Wukong had always thought that his master never used the tree because it was too powerful. But it wasn¡¯t until the very end, that his master faced death without ever revealing the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree. It turned out that the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree wasn¡¯t with his master at all, but with Zhen Yuanzi!

    With this realization, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but erupt in rage. In this world, the person Wukong felt the closest and most respected towards was Patriarch Bodhi.

    In his anger, Sun Wukong transformed into the Five Elements Chaotic Body, with golden light bursting from his eyes. Ying Zhao and Ji Meng, who clearly also knew of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree¡¯s reputation, also erupted with all their might.

    Clutching the two magical trees, Zhen Yuanzi took a deep breath, then brought his hands together to merge the two treasures, brushing at the charging Ying Zhao with a sweep.

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    Seeing Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s movement, Ying Zhao realized it was no good, but as the thought arose, she was already struck by a nine-colored divine light. Her skin split and flesh tore open, suffering serious injuries.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong had already gripped his Jingu Bang firmly and appeared behind Zhen Yuanzi. Roaring furiously, he swung his staff down. But Zhen Yuanzi, as if he had anticipated the attack, brushed the Jingu Bang away with the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, then with a flick of his right hand, dispatched a ginseng fruit from the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

    However, this ginseng fruit was golden all over. Caught in a desperate situation, Sun Wukong had no time to dodge and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Then, he felt an immensely heavy impact at his chest, and he was uncontrobly sent flying backward.

    Zhen Yuanzi tried to strike again, but Ji Meng had already pounced forward, leaving Zhen Yuanzi no choice but to turn around and defend. As Sun Wukong was sent flying, he tapped the void to stabilize himself, but he felt a numbing sensation in his arms. When had Zhen Yuanzi managed to refine the ginseng fruit to be so mighty?

    It was almostparable to the Heaven-Overturning Seal.

    After shaking his arms, Sun Wukong charged forward once again. It was fortunate that the three of them were fighting Zhen Yuanzi together, and it was also fortunate that Zhen Yuanzi, for some unknown reason, hadn¡¯t used the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree or even showed the ginseng fruit before Wukong had arrived.

    Otherwise, the two might have been defeated long ago, without waiting for Sun Wukong toe.

    But even with three against one, the fight was only at a stalemate. It had to be said that thebined use of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree and the Ginseng Fruit Tree was terrifyingly powerful.

    No matter what attack wasunched, a swipe of the seven-colored divine light rendered it ineffective, while at the same time, a wave of the Ginseng Fruit Tree not only targeted the spirit with its essence but also made dealing with the heavy-as-mountains ginseng fruit very troubling.

    To Sun Wukong, Zhen Yuanzi felt like an embodiment of magic treasures. The divine light of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree guarded him, the ginseng fruits were like countless Heaven-Overturning Seals, and the attacks from the Ginseng Fruit Tree were like the Soul Capturing Demonic Sound.

    However, no one wanted such a deadlock, given that a great battle was underway, and it was a race to see who could resolve their opponent faster to support the others.

    Therefore, Sun Wukong and hispanions suddenly, as if by unspoken agreement, ceased their attacks against Zhen Yuanzi.

    "Let¡¯s end this with the final move, older brother Zhen Yuan," said one.

    "Wukong, my brother, I¡¯m sorry!" responded Zhen Yuanzi.

    Finishing their words, all four began to retreat, then stopped at the same time, each preparing their most powerful strike.

    One could see Zhen Yuanzi clutching both magical trees in his hands, and then, astonishingly, his hands began to merge together, seemingly attempting to integrate the two trees into one.

    On the other side, Ying Zhao, in her true form, was a giant creature with the body of a horse and the face of a human. Now, she raised her forelimbs, lifting half of her body while umting a massive amount of destructive energy in her mouth.

    Ji Meng, surrounded by stormy torrents, quickly condensed the storm into countless forms of himself. In the blink of an eye, there were thousands of Ji Mengs. Was he nning a grand charge?

    Sun Wukong, for his part, summoned the World Suppressing Stele, lifting it with both hands, ready to smash it down fiercely!

 Chapter 111 - 103: Affection and Morality

    Zhen Yuanzi saw that the most powerful attacks of the three opponents were almost ready and refused to show weakness. The fusion of his hands sped up by another third. Three breathster, Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s hands suddenly radiated a treasure-light, and then two treasure treespletelybined into a small emerald tree flickering with twelve colors of brilliance.

    Looking at the small tree with the flowing twelve-colored radiance, Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s face showed a mix of pain and regret. But when he looked up at Sun Wukong and his twopanions, he also revealed a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted.

    "Wukong, my dear brother, we part today, and there may be no day of reunion in the future. If there is another life, I, Zhen Yuanzi, am still willing to be your brother!"

    Not far away, Sun Wukong, who was dragging the World Suppressing Stele, heard Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s words, which sounded like a final farewell, and suddenly felt an ominous sensation in his heart. However, it was toote to think about anything at this time because the most potent attacks from all four people had already beenunched.

    Zhen Yuanzi, holding the treasure tree radiating twelve colors of light, brushed across the void twice in session. With just these two brushes, all of the spiritual power within Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s body was instantaneously depleted. However, Zhen Yuanzi did not panic; instead, he looked at the two unstoppable twelve-colored rays flying towards Sun Wukong and hispanions with a smile.

    At the same time, Sun Wukong and hispanions also unleashed their attacks. Ying Zhao, who had originally raised his forehooves and lifted his head, now mmed his hooves down fiercely while firing a destructive beam of light from his mouth. After releasing the beam, Ying Zhao looked visibly weakened, indicating that he had put everything on the line for this attack.

    Ji Meng let out a piercing scream, and beneath him, the countless heads of Ji Meng suddenly roared in unison. Then, unbelievably, they actually started a collective charge. Ji Meng¡¯s move resembled an ancient cavalry charge¡ªa grand assault by thousands! However, when the charge reached one-third of the distance, the numbers rapidly dwindled. By the halfway mark, from the multitude, only one remained.

    But the aura that this one person emitted was even more terrifying than that of the real Ji Meng.

    Seeing that the attacks from the other two had been released, Sun Wukong quickly focused his mind, gathered strength in his arms, and then firmly threw the World Suppressing Stele towards Zhen Yuanzi. In truth, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know if what he was doing would have any effect.

    He had no idea how to wield the World Suppressing Stele; he simply followed a subconscious thought to throw the stele at his enemy.

    When Sun Wukong threw the stele, he also saw the two twelve-colored rays from Zhen Yuanzi. However, when he saw there were only two rays, he suddenly understood.

    "Ying Zhao, Ji Meng, retreat, retreat quickly!" He yelled frantically as he kicked off with his legs, following the World Suppressing Stele towards Zhen Yuanzi. At the same time, his entire mind and spirit were attached to the stele with one purpose¡ªto stop the stele from smashing down. But it was all in vain.

    The hurled World Suppressing Stele seemed to be drawn towards Zhen Yuanzi by an irresistible force. No matter how Sun Wukongmanded it with his Divine Sense, it was to no avail.

    Before long, the two rays of brilliance from Zhen Yuanzi had already flown past both sides of Sun Wukong¡¯s body and then directly collided with the attacks from Ji Meng and Ying Zhao. The next moment, both Ji Meng and Ying Zhao disyed faces of disbelief. Their most powerful attacks, unleashed with all their strength, had barely managed to deplete around half of the brilliance of the two rays.

    After erasing their attacks, the remaining half was heading straight towards them both.

    The two of them quickly realized the danger, but it was already toote. They barely had time to turn around before the twelve-colored brilliance hit them. In an instant, their flesh was torn, and their viscera and bones were almostpletely shredded. What¡¯s more terrifying was that the brilliance not only caused severe damage to their bodies but could directly harm the soul as well.

    So when the two beams of lightpletely entered their bodies, Ying Zhao and Ji Meng were both on theirst breath, teetering on the edge of death.

    On the other side, Sun Wukong had caught up with the World Suppressing Stele, but was unable to stop it no matter what, nor could he even make it veer off course slightly. When he thought about flying in front of the stele to block it, it was already toote.

    Behind the World Suppressing Stele, Sun Wukong only heard Zhen Yuanzi¡¯sst words, and then the stele smashed heavily onto Zhen Yuanzi. In an instant, Zhen Yuanzi was obliterated, leaving only one small tree quietly suspended in the air.

    Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s final words were, "Wukong, dear brother, I have left behind five ginseng fruits for you at the Five Vis View. They are thest ginseng fruits in this world. When you find Sanzang, eat them all together. I am going ahead, and I leave this treasure tree to you!"

    Then there was a bang, and the World Suppressing Stele smashed Zhen Yuanzi into nothingness.

    The master of the Five Vis View, the progenitor of Earth Immortals, the great immortal Zhen Yuanzi, who was at the Half-step Great Path, perished.

    For a moment, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know what he was feeling. When he saw the attackunched by Zhen Yuanzi, Sun Wukong already knew Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s intention.

    He had given everything to attack Ying Zhao and Ji Meng, aiming to take them out instantly, but he didn¡¯t attack Sun Wukong at all and withdrew all his defenses, intentionally allowing himself to be crushed to death by Sun Wukong¡¯s World Suppressing Stele.

    Since the moment he saw Sun Wukong appear, Zhen Yuanzi had harbored thoughts of death. Such an oue was probably the most fitting for Zhen Yuanzi. On one side was his sworn brother with whom he had evenunched a counter-attack against Heaven and severely injured the Supreme Elder Lord. On the other side was his mentor and the lineage of the Taoist Sect.

    No matter the oue, Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s heart was certainly filled with immense sadness and agony.

    That¡¯s why when he saw Sun Wukong, he had such thoughts, which also exined why he didn¡¯t deal a killing blow at the beginning, instead choosing to stand in a stalemate with Ji Meng and Ying Zhao.

    Injuring Ji Meng and Ying Zhao could be said to uphold the name of his Taoist heritage. In the end, dying by Sun Wukong¡¯s hand and even bequeathing that superb treasure, which was a fusion of two treasured trees, was to honor the brotherhood that existed between them.

    Zhen Yuanzi, you thought of everyone, yet you were the only one you didn¡¯t consider. I would rather it be me who died than for you to die like this.

    Staring nkly at the twelve-colored radiant treasure tree floating in the void, Sun Wukong stepped forward. He reached out and touched the base of the sapling, then ced the small tree before himself. As he observed the tree¡¯s light radiating in waves, Sun Wukong suddenly felt engulfed by a massive wave of sorrow and weariness. Enough of such ughter.

    Gently caressing the treasure tree, Sun Wukong even felt the sorrow emanating from it. "From now on, you will be called the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree!"

    Treasuring it dearly, he collected the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree into the World Within the Jingu Bang. He then turned his attention to the World Suppressing Stele, also floating in mid-air. Now, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know how to face the stele. Because just now, he had felt as if the Heavenly Stele had some will of its own, as if it was acting on its own volition in the attack.

    If the Heavenly Stele truly had its own will, that would be a terrifying matter. But when Sun Wukong scouted with his Divine Sense, he found the stele perfectly normal, no different from controlling the Jingu Bang. This really puzzled Sun Wukong.

    However, in the end, Sun Wukong still took the World Suppressing Stele into the Jingu Bang. No matter what, the stele was tied to too much. Even if he didn¡¯t use it, it couldn¡¯t be allowed to fall into others¡¯ hands. The might of that one strike, Sun Wukong had seen it; it was an unbelievable force.

    To obliterate a Half-step Great Path power in one blow, even if he had abandoned his defenses, it was by no means ordinary.

    Even if Sun Wukong attacked with all his might wielding the Jingu Bang, at most he would destroy the physical body of a Half-step Great Path behemoth, yet he could not annihte even the soul.

    "Oh no, that¡¯s not good."

    Suddenly snapping out from his daze, Sun Wukong thought of something and quickly retreated. He moved to Ying Zhao¡¯s side, who was truly in a state as tenuous as a thread. His physical body was almostpletely destroyed, and even his soul had sustained great damage.

    In the future, even if his body recovered, without some Heaven and Earth Treasures, it was doubtful that Ying Zhao could ever fully heal.

    He took Ying Zhao into the Jingu Bang, then turned to Ji Meng. Simr to Ying Zhao, his body was destroyed, and his soul was heavily damaged. He also took Ji Meng into the Jingu Bang, and Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the terrifying power of the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, certainly at the level of a Supreme Divine Artifact inbat.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    It was probably because it had just been born and likely hadn¡¯t had time to form a World Within the Artifact.

    Experience tales at empire

    Only a Divine Artifact that had formed a World Within could be considered a Supreme Divine Artifact. At this moment, Sun Wukong also realized why the World Suppressing Stele was able to obliterate a Half-step Great Path being in one strike. It must have been Zhen Yuanzi using the power of his soul to merge the two divine trees.

    Otherwise, how could two such different types of treasured trees have merged so easily?

    After securing the two, Sun Wukong nced around, then soared into the air. He still needed to go support the others!

    (An extra note about the game rules: For every increment of 500 rmendations, such as 500, 1000, 1500, etc., an extra chapter will be released. Also, for every rank that Sanzang climbs in League of Legends, three additional chapters will be released. Currently, he is at Bronze II, haha. If you want extra chapters, put in the effort! And remember to join the group 214501643

    )

 Chapter 112 - 104 Jiang Ziya

    After leaving the Beyond the Heavens, Sun Wukong hurriedly flew toward the next Beyond the Heavens. Time was of the essence, as he knew that Taoist figures like Zhen Yuanzi and Li Jing had perished, and members of the Demon n such as Ji Meng and Ying Zhao were severely injured and on the verge of death,pletely losing theirbat power.

    He had thought that with his help the Demon n would gain a bigger advantage, yet he hadn¡¯t expected Zhen Yuanzi to perish along with his opponent, resulting in only a meager increase to their side with his own addition; the advantage was not significant!

    However, during his flight, Sun Wukong wasn¡¯t idle, instead putting all his effort into activating the Five-Colored Divine Stone within his body to recover his expended physical and spiritual power. Moreover, during his great battle with Li Jing, Sun Wukong had felt as though he was not subject to the same suppression of strength as others in the Beyond the Heavens!

    Ordinary individuals, unless they had truly ascended to the stature of a Saint of the Great Dao, would suffer a thirty percent suppression of their strength¡ªeven those at the Half-step Great Path were not exempt. Saints would see their capacity reduced by fifty percent, and those at the Emperor Level Realm would be hindered by seventy percent.

    Daluo Golden Immortals, they simply couldn¡¯t enter the Beyond the Heavens at all!

    Experience tales with empire

    Yet, Sun Wukong discovered that whenever he utilized the power of the Five-Colored Divine Stone, that suppression vanished, allowing him to unleash his full strength. Although he didn¡¯t know why this was the case, Sun Wukong had no desire to probe further. It was more pressing to reach the next battlefield. Dy could breed disaster.

    Soon, Sun Wukong sensed a battle raging within a nearby Beyond the Heavens and elerated his pace, instantly entering that domain.

    The moment he entered, Sun Wukong saw the great Kunpeng, with its hulking body blocking out the sun and sky, engaged inbat with a simrly immense Buddha¡ªthe Guiding Taoist. The two were evenly matched in both cultivation andbat power, thus their battle had been at a deadlock; without considerable time or reinforcement, it would be difficult to determine a victor.

    But Sun Wukong¡¯s arrival was the tipping factor in the scales of victory.

    Just as Sun Wukong, transformed into the Five Elements Chaotic Body, prepared to step forward and assist, a pitch-ck whipshed out explosively from the distance. Seeing the ill intent from the iing attack, Sun Wukong sidestepped and swung his Golden Hoop, deflecting the whip.

    The fighters, previously engaged in fiercebat, both retreated upon noticing someone¡¯s approach, and were on full alert. Sun Wukong too opened his fiery, golden eyes wide and slowly floated to Kunpeng¡¯s side. Kunpeng, seeing that Sun Wukong had already dealt with the opponent, couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised and then nodded his head at Sun Wukong but said little else.

    Meanwhile, the Guiding Taoist carried an oldmp emitting a hazy yellow light and eyed the approaching figure from afar. Upon recognizing the face, he let out a sigh of relief. The one who had blocked Sun Wukong¡¯s path was none other than Jiang Ziya!

    The three others present had not expected Jiang Ziya to resolve his battle so swiftly, especially against guises like Gui Che and Bai Ze. While Bai Ze¡¯s strength might have been slightly lower, barely reaching the Half-step Great Path, Gui Che¡¯s prowess was not to be underestimated. However, against two opponents, he too had been promptly vanquished.

    Jiang Ziya was no ordinary individual¡ªhe either possessed a Supreme Divine Artifact or an absolutely terrifying secret technique. Even so, it was inconceivable that he could so quickly defeat two peers of the same realm!

    But there was no need for further conjecture, as they would soon discover how Jiang Ziya had managed to kill Gui Che and Bai Ze in such a short span of time.

    The four exchanged nces and without further adomenced battle. Kunpeng continued his fierce duel with the Guiding Taoist, while Sun Wukong faced off against Jiang Ziya.

    By this point, Sun Wukong had transformed into the Five Elements Chaotic Body, his speed and strength multiplied several times over, and he was also armed with two great Magic Treasures: the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree and the World Suppressing Stele. Therefore, he was confident he could take down Jiang Ziya.

    If he defeated Jiang Ziya and then helped Kunpeng y the Guiding Taoist, the Demon n could essentially dere the grand situation settled. However, this was under the assumption that the others didn¡¯t suffer too many defeats. Otherwise, even if Sun Wukong fought to the death, it would be impossible to turn the tide.

    Without further thought, Golden Hoop in hand, Sun Wukong engaged in a fierce sh with Jiang Ziya!

    Only after he truly crossed hands with Jiang Ziya did Sun Wukong realize that Gui Che and Bai Ze¡¯s defeat was no injustice, for Jiang Ziya¡¯s God-Beating Whip turned out to be a Supreme Divine Artifact.

    The God-Beating Whip, a treasure granted to Jiang Ziya by the Primordial Heavenly Venerate during the Investiture of the Gods, was made of white jade and fashioned in the form of a wooden whip. It was three feet, six inches, and five fen long, divided into twenty-one segments, each adorned with four talismans, totaling eighty-four talismans.

    However, at that time, the God-Beating Whip was ineffective against anyone not listed in the Investiture of the Gods.

    But now it seemed that all seals on the God-Beating Whip had been unlocked, and the weapon had undergone some sort of transformation. Every time it struck the Golden Hoop, not only did Sun Wukong feel tremendous force, but also a paralyzing sensation indicative of lightning.

    If it weren¡¯t for the constant operation of the Five-Colored Divine Stone within his body, Sun Wukong feared he wouldn¡¯t be able to move after just a few strikes. No wonder, with such a Divine Artifact in hand, Gui Che and Bai Ze were understandably subdued.

    Just then, a voice echoed in Sun Wukong¡¯s mind, "Great Saint, it¡¯s Kunpeng. That God-Beating Whip in Jiang Ziya¡¯s hands is peculiar. In my view, it must be that Jiang Ziya has fused the God-Beating Whip with Lei Gong¡¯s Whip. Otherwise, the God-Beating Whip alone couldn¡¯t possibly possess such immense Thunder System power."

    Kunpeng is a supreme expert atprehending the pathways of both the Wind System and the Water System, but he also had a strong intuition about the power of the Thunder System. Thus, he sensed the terrifying thunderous energy within the God-Beating Whip at first instance.

    The God-Beating Whip, Sun Wukong knew, was the weapon of Shen Gongbao during the Investiture of the Gods, containing the supreme thunder from the Great Dao and was an even more formidable treasure than the Lei Gong¡¯s Drill in Lei Zhenzi¡¯s hands. He hadn¡¯t expected it to now be integrated by Jiang Ziya into the God-Beating Whip.

    It was clear that he absolutely must not be struck by the God-Beating Whip. Not to mention the terrifying attack power, but the irresistible paralyzing force also made Sun Wukong dare not take it lightly.

    In a battle of this level, perhaps a single moment of negligence could mean the difference between life and death.

    At this moment, a thought suddenly arose in Sun Wukong¡¯s heart. This Taoist Sect seemed quite strange.

    Not only had their powers surged crazily to the realm of half-step Great Path, but whether it was the Divine Artifacts they held or the attack methods they used, all were shockingly powerful.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Take Li Jing for instance, originally a regr Heavenly Court Marshal, yet suddenly he became a half-step Great Path supreme powerhouse and could even set up the Zhu Tian Stars Array that was not inferior to the Demon n¡¯s Great Formation. Had it not been for his Five Elements Chaotic Body reaching maturity, the oue would still be uncertain.

    And Zhen Yuanzi, if one could argue that Li Jing might have been concealing his cultivation all along, for Zhen Yuanzi it was definitely a sudden increase in strength.

    Because whether it was during the journey to retrieve the scriptures or the recent counterattack against Heaven, the strength Zhen Yuanzi had shown was rather normal.

    In fact, during thest assault on Heaven, when he was nearly obliterated by Master Tongtian and the Supreme Elder Lord, if Zhen Yuanzi had possessed the strength of a half-step Great Path then, even without fighting back, the Supreme Elder Lord probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to break his defense.

    Moreover, not only had Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s power increased, but he¡¯d also somehow obtained the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, and in the end, could forcibly fuse the two great trees into one with his soul power, a difficulty akin to forging a new Supreme Divine Artifact.

    Now, facing Jiang Ziya, whose strength had simrly soared, and who held the God-Beating Whip that was a Supreme Divine Artifact after fusion ¨C although like the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree in his own hands, it was an iplete Supreme Divine Artifact,cking a World Within the Artifact.

    Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly upon this realization. Wasn¡¯t his own Jingu Bang also an iplete Supreme Divine Artifact? Although it had given birth to a World Within the Artifact, itcked the Divine Skills a Supreme Divine Artifact should have. It was more like an extremely hard Spatial Magical Treasure.

    Shaking his head with another bitter smile, although some things were hard toe to terms with, he could only ept them. However, there was definitely something odd about this Taoist Sect.

    With these thoughts in mind, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t dare to be careless. With a wave of his hand, the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree appeared. However, instead of holding the tree in his hand, it spun around Sun Wukong of its own ord.

    Jiang Ziya, seeing Sun Wukong summoning an unheard-of treasure tree, did not dare to be careless either and immediately wielded the God-Beating Whip as if it were the wind. The white whip, after cutting through the void, revealed a pitch-ck color, looking like a string of ck evil dragons enveloped in terrifying thunder.

    Yet, when the treasure tree appeared, it began to flip up and down, and each time, it cast a twelve-colored radiance. Although Jiang Ziya¡¯s eachsh was full of attack power, upon encountering the twelve-colored radiance, they were all brushed away, and for a time, they couldn¡¯t harm Sun Wukong in the slightest.

    Seeing the marvels of the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, a name shed in Jiang Ziya¡¯s mind: Seven Treasures Exquisite Brush Tree. But upon closer inspection, he noticed differences; the Seven Treasures Exquisite Brush Tree emitted Seven-Colored Divine Light, while this tree could cast a Twelve-Colored Radiance.

    On the other side, the Guiding Immortal in the fierce battle with Kunpeng also beheld this miraculous sight, but he recognized it at once, "Jiang Ziya, this is not the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree; it must be a fusion of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree and Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s Ginseng Fruit Tree. Be careful!"

    And Sun Wukong, at this time, was already wielding the Jingu Bang, advancing towards Jiang Ziya!

 Chapter 113 - 105 Absolute Defense

    "I already said that in battles at such cultivation realms, a momentarypse of attention can lead to death and the annihtion of one¡¯s path," Wukong said. And at this moment, Jiang Ziyamitted this very mistake! However, despite being caught off guard by Wukong¡¯s close approach due to his divided focus, Jiang Ziya was not in a panic.

    As Wukong¡¯s Golden Hoop staff swept towards him, Jiang Ziya quickly maneuvered his God-Beating Whip. Apanying the defensive swing of the whip, a pitch-ck dragon crackling with lightning coiled out from it, attempting to entwine Wukong¡¯s staff and dodge the blow.

    But for the ck dragon that spiraled towards him, Wukong didn¡¯t even spare it a nce. sping the staff with both hands, a streak of red-golden me suddenly surged from his palms ¡ª the Sun Golden Fire! The already potent Jingu Bang, now imbued with the highly prating Sun Golden Fire, would certainly injure Jiang Ziya if itnded a hit, potentially causing severe damage.

    Initially counting on the ck dragon to snare the Jingu Bang, Jiang Ziya realized the situation was dire as soon as a treasured glow shed from the little tree beside Wukong and twelve colors of radiant light swept out. Jiang Ziya hastily clenched his God-Beating Whip, using it as a short stick to fend off Wukong¡¯s strike.

    Sure enough, as the twelve-colored glow swept past, the ck dragon dissipated into nothingness. At the same time, the Jingu Bang harshly struck the God-Beating Whip. In the next moment, Jiang Ziya was sent flying backward, blood spurting from his mouth. However, while being thrown back, Jiang Ziya miraculously righted his body, then pointed his whip at a distance before trailing it behind him.

    Afterpleting this action, he crashed into the body of the Guiding Immortal, who had transformed into the Golden Giant Buddha.

    Jiang Ziya was fortunate; had he collided with Kunpeng, he very likely would have been met with Kunpeng¡¯s sharp ws.

    Having sent Jiang Ziya flying with a single blow, Wukong was about to pursue when he suddenly felt an immense Thunder System power approaching from behind. This power was hurtling towards him at an inconceivable speed. Recalling Jiang Ziya¡¯s peculiar movements as he flew backward, Wukong guessed that it was another attack from him.

    Wukong dared not be careless. Under his fullmand, the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree suddenly began to grow explosively, rapidly expanding to a thirty-meter-tall tree with twelve-colored treasured radiance flowing around it, which was incredibly striking.

    However, Wukong had no time to appreciate the sight because the attack had already arrived. Like a twenty-meter-tall silver-white kirin forged from lightning, roaring as it charged from the Pangu Realm towards Wukong.

    "Haha, Jiang Ziya, it seems you¡¯ve run out of tricks. The real kirin is battling Beyond the Heavens, and you still dare to summon an illusion of it? Haha, you¡¯re giving me a goodugh," Wukong taunted.

    No sooner had he finished speaking, Wukong prepared to smash the thunderous kirin with the Jingu Bang, now over thirty meters long. But just as he was lifting his staff, an urgent cry rang in his ear: "Great Saint, don¡¯t! Use the treasure tree!"

    Recognizing the voice as Kunpeng¡¯s, and sensing his urgency, a hint of doubt flickered in Wukong¡¯s mind. Was there something unusual about this Thunder Kirin? Despite his suspicions, Wukong decided to follow Kunpeng¡¯s advice. After all, Demon Master Kunpeng¡¯s reputation was by no means unearned. And being a great demon of ancient times, his insights were iparable to Wukong¡¯s.

    Thus, Wukong hesitated only briefly before stowing away the Jingu Bang andmanding the towering thirty-meter Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree to fiercely sweep at the Thunder Kirin.

    Wukong, who had been rather dismissive before, broke into a cold sweat when he realized that the Thunder Kirin could actually withstand the twelve-colored radiance. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t been arrogant and had listened to Kunpeng¡¯s advice ¡ª there was indeed something mysterious about the Thunder Kirin.

    As the Thunder Kirin collided with the twelve-colored radiance, it managed to hold its ground for a moment before gradually pressing against the radiance, even showing signs of overpowering it. rmed by this sight, Wukong hurriedly approached the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Tree, wrapped his arms around its trunk, andunched seven consecutive sweeps at the Thunder Kirin.

    Finally, the Thunder Kirin dissipated with a reluctant roar. After it vanished, Wukong was left panting heavily from exertion.

    Normally, the twelve-colored glow from the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree didn¡¯t require the input of Wukong¡¯s spiritual power; the power it absorbed on its own was sufficient to function. However, against an attack as terrifying as the Thunder Kirin, Wukong had to personally control and inject a tremendous amount of spiritual power to meet the challenge.

    Seven sweeps, just seven of them, had drained more than half of Wukong¡¯s spiritual power, and his physical strength was also severely depleted.

    Kunpeng, from a distance, had originally nned to strike at Jiang Ziya while he was injured, risking his own injuries and then dealing another blow with the hope of either killing or crippling hisbat power. However, as soon as he sensed that force of thunder from afar, he abruptly abandoned his attack.

    After alerting Sun Wukong, he quickly retreated to Wukong¡¯s side and watched Guiding Daoist and Jiang Ziya intently.

    That thunder might not be recognized by Sun Wukong, but Kunpeng recognized it. Although it seemed no different from ordinary thunder in appearance or sensation, anyone who treated it as such would face only one oue:plete assimtion into the Heavenly Dao.

    That thunder was the Heavenly Dao¡¯s Transforming Thunder. Any living being struck by this thunder, unless they were at the Saint Realm of the Great Dao or above, would be integrated and absorbed by the Heavenly Dao, their consciousness erased, and be part of its power.

    However, there were certain constraints to this thunder; someone must be willing to sacrifice themselves to connect with the Heavenly Dao to guide this Transforming Thunder down.

    Thus, the instant Kunpeng recognized the thunder, he hurriedly informed Sun Wukong. Otherwise, if Wukong underestimated it, the consequences could be disastrous. Fortunately, Wukong was cautious enough to heed his warning; the oue would have been unimaginable otherwise.

    Having transformed back into human form, Kunpeng supported Sun Wukong, remaining vignt as he watched the two individuals across from them. The duo opposite were no better; Guiding Daoist too dissolved his Golden Giant Buddha and returned to human form, helping the panting Jiang Ziya, all while looking warily at Sun Wukong and Kunpeng.

    For a time, the four stood there in an awkward standoff. Although each knew the other contained an injured member and that attacking now would be opportune, both sides were also unsure if the injuries were genuine or a ruse to bait an attack for a joint counterattack. Thus, each waited for the other to reveal a w to decide whether to attack or retreat. Discover exclusive content at empire

    Yes, retreat. It wasn¡¯t just a life-and-death struggle between two, or even four individuals. Unless there were deep-seated grudges, there was no need to stubbornly fight to the death here. If they could escape and find another battle in Beyond the Heavens, joining the fray there was equally a sound strategy.

    So it was, a quarter of an hour went by. Suddenly, Sun Wukong let out a deep breath, then stood up rxedly with a smile, addressing Jiang Ziya and Guiding Daoist, "Just now, you missed a great opportunity. And it seems, Jiang Ziya is truly injured. Hehe, now, it¡¯s our turn to have the upper hand."

    After speaking, Sun Wukong and Kunpeng simultaneously moved, vanishing from their spot. Guiding Daoist and Jiang Ziya¡¯s expressions changed, inwardly cursing. It seemed that even if Wukong hadn¡¯t been injured, he definitely suffered great exhaustion. But by the time they realized, it was toote.

    Feeling the two deadly threats approach, Guiding Daoist threw his ancientmp emanating a yellowish glow upwards, and a dull yellow light cascaded down, epassing both Guiding Daoist and Jiang Ziya within it.

    Simultaneously, Sun Wukong¡¯s Golden Hoop and Kunpeng¡¯s ws struck the protective barrier. Half a breathter, the light barrier shattered with a sound.

    However, that half-breath of interference bought time for Guiding Daoist and Jiang Ziya to react. With a point from Guiding Daoist¡¯s hand, the ancientmp in mid-air suddenly burst into thousands of light spots, while Jiang Ziya also threw his God-Beating Whip, which transformed into a swarm of ck dragons, twirling together with the light spots towards Sun Wukong and Kunpeng.

    "Great Saint, be very careful with this ancientmp; it¡¯s not simple. It is a fusion of Buddha of the Banner of Light¡¯s banner and Ancient Buddha of the Lamp¡¯s light, having reached the level of a quasi-Supreme Divine Artifact," Kunpeng said quickly as they dodged.

    Hearing Kunpeng¡¯s words, Sun Wukong paused, yet another fused quasi-Supreme Divine Artifact! Although surprised, Wukong reacted quickly. As the ancientmp shot out thousands of light spots, the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree beside Sun Wukong also reverted to its original size and began to spin rapidly around him, swiftly brushing out streaks of twelve-colored radiance.

    Kunpeng watched in amazement, and Guiding Daoist was even more astonished. This treasure tree was simply a defense paragon. Whether it was a solo or group attack, it could deflect all. Possessing this treasure was like having an absolute defense.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The fusion of the supremely offensive World Suppressing Stele and the supreme defensive Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree had taken Sun Wukong¡¯s strength to a terrifying level without notice!

    (This chapter is specially added for students without IDs and the concave-convex students. Sanzang follows through on his words, thank you for your efforts. Keep up the good work in the future.)

 Chapter 114 - 106: Three Victories

    Soon, the myriad dots of light and the swirling ck dragons were all brushed away by the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree. Even though Kunpeng, who was dodging at the side, found it tricky to avoid them, he didn¡¯t suffer any significant harm. Seeing the extraordinary nature of Sun Wukong¡¯s treasure tree, his spirit soared.

    They locked eyes for a moment and gave a slight nod before once again leaping into the attack.

    Watching his own attacks beingpletely deflected, Guiding Daoist¡¯splexion was far from good. However, he didn¡¯t flee but instead sat cross-legged where he was, with his mana surging throughout his body, pouring it all into the ancientmp. In an instant, the ancientmp shone brilliantly.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Beside him, Jiang Ziya also clenched his teeth and then gripped the God-Beating Whip tightly, beginning to infuse it with mana.

    Seeing this, Sun Wukong and Kunpeng, who had initially charged forward, also stopped. It was clear to both of them that Guiding Daoist was channeling all his mana into the ancientmp for defense, while Jiang Ziya was preparing for a full-power attack. Since Guiding Daoist was confident in themp¡¯s defense against both their assaults, it meant the ancientmp indeed possessed that capability.

    So what Sun Wukong and Kunpeng needed to do at this time was not to consider how to breach Guiding Daoist¡¯s defense, but rather to prepare a stronger attack to directly overwhelm Jiang Ziya.

    Neither of them were men of many words; they exchanged a nce and then each retreated. Kunpeng, upon flying back, immediately transformed into his true form, a gigantic bird. However, he didn¡¯t block out the sun and sky, which was clearly a deliberate control of his size. Otherwise, if Kunpeng fully disyed his true form, he would probably be toorge for the entirety of Beyond the Heavens.

    As his true form took shape, Kunpeng¡¯s ws started to randomly tear through the void, causing cracks to appear even in what was originally empty space!

    Seeing Kunpeng take action, Sun Wukong fell into hesitation. His situation was somewhat awkward. Although the Jingu Bang in his hand was a pseudo-Supreme Divine Artifact, aside from being hard, it had no other divine skills. Relying on the Jingu Bang was clearly not enough to withstand Jiang Ziya¡¯s final strike.

    As for other methods, Sun Wukong had many, but either the power was too weak or he didn¡¯t dare take the risk.

    Take, for example, the seven kinds of Strange Fire within his body. Sun Wukong could fuse the seven Strange Fires together and detonate them, but in the Void of Beyond the Heavens, he wasn¡¯t sure if the Strange Fire would be affected. Excluding Strange Fire, there was the Five-Colored Divine Stone within his body.

    But aside from teaching Sun Wukong a set of Chaos Five Decisions, the Divine Stone didn¡¯t exhibit much else. Oh, it also helped himplete the Five Elements Chaotic Body.

    However, the power of the Chaos Five Decisions was too strong, and Sun Wukong was still not able to control them well. If he really used them, he might end up cutting down Kunpeng as well. But aside from the Chaos Five Decisions and the seven kinds of Strange Fire, the only formidable attack left was the World Suppressing Stele.

    But towards the World Suppressing Stele, Sun Wukong still held some caution. This mysterious item that suddenly appeared, considered the most mysterious in the entire Pangu Realm, was something Sun Wukong knew too little about. Although he could stillmand it like he did with the Golden Hoop, he remained quite wary of this stele.

    But then he thought about it. He and Guiding Daoist or Jiang Ziya had no real rtionship. If the World Suppressing Stele became uncontroble again and directly killed them, it wouldn¡¯t affect him much. Otherwise, he really didn¡¯t have any other strong attacks at his disposal.

    Having made up his mind, Sun Wukong hesitated no further. With a flick of the Jingu Bang, the World Suppressing Stele appeared from the void. He poured his mana into it, and the Stele, sensing Sun Wukong¡¯s power, suddenly emitted a dim glow.

    At that moment, Jiang Ziya, who was within Guiding Daoist¡¯s Light Barrier, gave a gentle nod to him. Knowing Jiang Ziya was ready to attack, Guiding Daoist waved both hands, and the Light Barrier slowly dissipated. Once the Light Barrier vanished, Guiding Daoist sat cross-legged in the void; the sweat on his face indicated how great his depletion had been in just that brief time.

    This also revealed just how incredible the Light Barrier¡¯s defensive power was.

    Jiang Ziya, seeing the Light Barrier disappear, gave a furious shout and then threw the God-Beating Whip forth. In his hands, the ordinary-looking God-Beating Whip began to dance through the void immediately upon being released, and with its dance, countless pitch-ck thunders quickly surrounded the area.

    Moreover, these thunders gradually formed a continuously spinning thunderstorm as the whip moved.

    The attack from Kunpeng was also ready. Suddenly, Kunpeng was seen grasping a pitch-ck sphere in his ws, which he hurled forward. At the same time, Sun Wukong, mustering Divine Power in both arms, forcefully threw the World Suppressing Stele towards Jiang Ziya and Guiding Daoist behind the raging thunderstorm.

    This had been coordinated from the beginning with Kunpeng, who would obstruct Jiang Ziya¡¯s attack, allowing Sun Wukong to finish off both Jiang Ziya and Guiding Daoist with his strongest blow.

    Just as Sun Wukong hurled the World Suppressing Stele, Kunpeng¡¯s pitch-ck sphere collided with Jiang Ziya¡¯s thunderstorm. Sun Wukong had wondered why Kunpeng would create such an inconspicuous sphere, but the moment the sphere touched the lightning, it exploded violently. Moreover, the explosion instantly tore a huge hole in the void!

    ```

    One should know that this ce, Beyond the Heavens, situated in the Void, has spatial barriers far stronger than those of the Pangu Realm. Yet, the pitch-ck sphere still sted a huge hole into it. As soon as the hole appeared, an unstoppable and powerful suction force emerged, gradually pulling the Thunderstorm into it.

    As it turned out, Kunpeng had noticed Jiang Ziya¡¯s preparations for the attack and realized that the final blow was still the Heavenly Dao Tempestuous Thunder. Although shocked, Kunpeng quickly devised a countermeasure: creating a ck hole in the Void to absorb the Heavenly Dao Tempestuous Thunder.

    This meant that even though Jiang Ziya knew Sun Wukong¡¯s treasure tree could dissipate the Heavenly Dao Tempestuous Thunder, he still used this tactic, implying it wouldn¡¯t be easily neutralized this time.

    Despite Kunpeng¡¯s serious attention to Jiang Ziya¡¯s strike, when the Thunderstorm appeared, Kunpeng knew he had underestimated it. While the ck hole was absorbing the Heavenly Dao Tempestuous Thunder, a significant portion was still hurtling towards him and Sun Wukong.

    With no other option, Kunpeng once again summoned his full strength, hoping to create another ck hole. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, upon seeing the iing Thunderstorm and knowing it shouldn¡¯t be touched, took a deep breath, shrunk the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree to ten meters, and started sweeping incessantly.

    With each sweep of the twelve-colored radiance, the storm of the Heavenly Dao Tempestuous Thunder diminished a bit. But at this rate, the storm would still engulf them both eventually.

    Realizing the danger, Sun Wukong suddenly shouted to Kunpeng, "Senior, give me all your mana, I¡¯ll stop it." Hearing this, Kunpeng took a brief moment to think, then shed behind Sun Wukong and poured all his remaining mana into Sun Wukong¡¯s body.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s previouslyrgely depleted spiritual power began to recover rapidly with Kunpeng¡¯s mana infusion. The Five-Colored Divine Stone within Sun Wukong also operated wildly, causing vast flows of spiritual power to circte through his body and limbs, reducing his physical exhaustion. Fortified by this support, Sun Wukong swung the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree twenty-eight more times.

    Then hepletely copsed in mid-air, unable to move even a finger.

    Though Kunpeng was in better shape than Sun Wukong, with mana mostly depleted and drenched in sweat, the terrifying storm of Heavenly Dao Tempestuous Thunder had dissipated.

    Wukong shuddered when he thought about how close they hade¡ªif not for Kunpeng and the Five-Colored Divine Stone pouring spiritual power into him without reservation, he might now be having his will erased by the Heavenly Dao.

    While Wukong was recovering from the shock, Kunpeng had already leaned down to help Sun Wukong up, saying, "The Guiding Daoist and Jiang Ziya must have fled. You didn¡¯t notice just now, but your stele was blocked by the Guiding Daoist. However, both of them have been seriously injured; even if they¡¯re not dead, they¡¯ve definitely lost theirbat power.

    Stay tuned to empire

    Although I don¡¯t know where they ran off to, they shouldn¡¯t pose a threat anymore. Let¡¯s rest and recover our strength before checking on the others."

    After speaking, Kunpeng sat cross-legged on the spot to recover his strength and spiritual power, while Sun Wukong looked around, feeling a bit puzzled. The fact that the Guiding Daoist and Jiang Ziya managed to escape even after taking a hit from the World Suppressing Stele proved they were no ordinary figures.

    Shaking his head, despite his Fiery Eyes having advanced to a level where they could discern the tiniest of details, Sun Wukong still found no trace or clue.

    Sighing in resignation, Sun Wukong also sat down cross-legged. The Five-Colored Divine Stone floated out from Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead and began to orbit both him and Kunpeng, elerating their recovery of strength and spiritual power.

    Time passed slowly. Since the various parties had entered Beyond the Heavens up until now, a whole day had psed. Night had already fallen upon the Pangu Realm. Suddenly, space at the entrance of the Hidden Wood Forest fluctuated, and two extremely disheveled figures tumbled out from the air, seeminglycking the strength even to stand and copsing to the ground immediately.

    Despite their dishevelment, the young man in a white robe holding an Eight Trigrams Map couldn¡¯t help but reveal a slight smile. However, when he surveyed the surrounding devastation, he was caught off guard.

    ```

 Chapter 115 - 107: The Taoist Sect Does Not Perish

    The sudden appearance of these two individuals was none other than Mu Jingshi and Meng Gui, who had previously been trapped by the Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s Eight Trigrams Map. The intensity of the battle among these three was indescribable, with eachbatant fighting for their life by the end.

    Mu Jingshi even resorted to using his life-bound magic, "Boundless Forest of Myriad Woods", to resist the influence of the Eight Trigrams world. Then, Meng Guiunched his most powerful attack, "A Dream of Three Thousand," which finally led to severely wounding the Supreme Elder Lord and breaking the Eight Trigrams Map at thest moment.

    Regrettably, in the critical moment, the Supreme Elder Lord managed to escape. In an instant, the two could no matter what not locate any trace of the Supreme Elder Lord. Out of necessity, as both were at their limits, Meng Gui put away the Tai Chi Diagram, and the two supported each other back to Hidden Wood Forest for rest.

    After the two had departed, a woman in a moon-white robe appeared out of thin air. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she abandoned the idea of pursuing the Tai Chi Diagram. Instead, she looked towards Beyond the Heavens, an enigmatic smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

    In Beyond the Heavens, Sun Wukong and Kunpeng¡¯s location!

    Having defeated the Guiding Sage and Jiang Ziya, the two were swiftly recovering with the aid of the Five-Colored Divine Stone. Finally, after about half an hour, the two were back to their peak condition. Realizing the powerful recovery abilities of the Five-Colored Divine Stone, Kunpeng was truly astonished.

    With this Divine Stone on his side, Sun Wukong¡¯sbat power and survival capabilities were undoubtedly more than doubled.

    Find adventures at empire

    Well-rested, the two stood up, and after another round of careful scouting revealing nothing out of the ordinary¡ª it seemed their opponents had indeed escaped¡ª they said,

    "Great Saint, let us go find the others. It¡¯s been a long time; the oue should be decided by now."

    Sun Wukong nodded, and the two left Beyond the Heavens, standing in the void to sense their surroundings. Kunpeng pointed in a direction and, the next moment, they turned into a streak of light, speeding away.

    Soon, in full-speed flight, they reached another part of Beyond the Heavens where a fierce fight was still in progress. Without hesitation, they plunged into the fray. But upon entering, they were both taken aback.

    It turned out that this particr battle in Beyond the Heavens involved several individuals. The Kirin, Human Emperor Fuxi, and Yellow Dragon were united against Lu Ya and Tongtian. The battle had initially been between Human Emperor Fuxi and Yellow Dragon against Lu Ya, while the Kirin faced off against Tongtian.

    But as the fight ensued, both groups ended up shing in the void before merging into a chaotic brawl, eventually dragging each other back into Beyond the Heavens. This was the situation Sun Wukong and Kunpeng stumbled upon.

    The five originally fighting characters, seeing reinforcements arrive, showed different expressions. The Kirin, Yellow Dragon, and Fuxi were visibly relieved, while Lu Ya and Tongtian frowned deeply. It appeared that at least two people from the Taoist sect had perished¡ª Sun Wukong¡¯s opponent, Li Jing, and Kunpeng¡¯s adversary, the Guiding Sage.

    Reflecting on this, both showed a look of scorn.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I thought at least one between Li Jing and Guiding Sage would prevail, but who would¡¯ve guessed they¡¯d be so useless. It seems that power boosted by those methods is still unreliable. What a waste of two pseudo-Supreme Divine Artifacts."

    Both Lu Ya and Tongtian were supreme experts who obtained enlightenment during the Ancient Times, looking down or feeling indignant towards younger generations like Li Jing and the Guiding Sage¡ª especially Tongtian. The Guiding Sage, if ranked by seniority, would be Tongtian¡¯s senior brother. However, due to the disparities in cultivation, he was always suppressed by Tongtian.

    Yet due to this battle, his powers were forcefully elevated to the same realm as Tongtian, and he was even endowed with a pseudo-Supreme Divine Artifact, the Guiding Ancient Lamp.

    Now that Sun Wukong and Kunpeng had appeared, it was clear that the other two had been defeated. Yet unbeknownst to them, Li Jing¡¯s Exquisite Pagoda was shattered by Sun Wukong¡¯s Chaos Five Decisions and was not acquired by Sun Wukong. Moreover, the defeats were not limited to these two; Zhen Yuanzi had also been defeated, and even Jiang Ziya was severely injured and routed.

    But of course, Sun Wukong would not reveal this to them.

    Yet Sun Wukong overheard their conversation, which indirectly confirmed his suspicion that there was something odd with the Taoist sect this time. They mentioned that Li Jing and Guiding Sage indeed had their strengths suddenly enhanced, and Sun Wukong noticed the word "bestowed," suggesting that those two pseudo-Supreme Divine Artifacts were given by someone.

    Who could this person be, able to elevate someone directly to Half-step Great Path and freely bestow even pseudo-Supreme Divine Artifacts? This individual had to be extraordinary. Despite racking his brains, Sun Wukong could not think of any powerful being in the Taoist sect with such omnipotent abilities.

    Deciding not to dwell on it any further, Sun Wukong thought it could be dealt with after the great battle when they would interrogate them.

    And so, without further ado, Sun Wukong joined the fray along with Kunpeng. Five against two, even if these two attempted to flee immediately, it would not be easy. With Sun Wukong and Kunpeng joining the battle, Lu Ya and Tongtian felt their pressure immensely increase.

    Initially, Lu Ya¡¯s Expert Flying Knife had been more than a match in offense and defense against his three adversaries, but as soon as Sun Wukong joined the battle with the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, Lu Ya¡¯s Expert Flying Knife seemed to have met its nemesis. Each sh would be deflected by the twelve-colored radiance.

    The more they fought, the more shocked Lu Ya and Tongtian felt. Putting all else aside, Sun Wukong¡¯s currentbat power had definitely reached a levelparable to any one of them. And with the additional four, it wasn¡¯t long before the two found themselves outmatched. If they didn¡¯te up with a strategy soon, they might indeed perish there that day.

    Both knew that persisting in the fight would lead only to their demise. So, in the midst of their battle, they nodded almost imperceptibly to each other and suddenly unleashed their most powerful attacks without any warning.

    Lu Ya, holding a yellow gourd, saw it swell to the size of a small hill. He then bowed respectfully to the gourd and said, "Please turn around, dear treasure." As his words fell, the yellow gourd burst into blinding glory, and from within emerged a massive flying knife that shed horizontally at Kunpeng and others.

    At the same time, Primordial Heavenly Venerate pushed outwards with both hands, and three wisps of pure qi shot out like lightning, following close behind the giant flying knife.

    Seeing these two suddenly resort to desperate moves without any sign, Kunpeng and the Kirin were caught somewhat off guard, but they managed to coborate and defend against the two attacks.

    However, at this moment, Wukong suddenly had a thought and quickly moved away from Kunpeng and the others. Taking advantage of the moment while Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lu Yamanded their attacks, he ruthlessly hurled the World Suppressing Stele at them. It dawned on Wukong that the two weren¡¯t attempting ast stand but nning to flee.

    So, he secretly submerged himself and, catching them unawares, hurled the World Suppressing Stele. The two, who were just about to escape, suddenly felt a deadly crisis. Whipping their heads around, they saw the Stele rapidly erging in their pupils. The stone arrived too swiftly for them to dodge at this point, and the world wasn¡¯trge enough for retreat.

    In the end, it was Lu Ya who clenched his teeth and hurled his famous magic treasure, the Seven-Star Sword.

    However, before Lu Ya couldment the loss, his righteousness-bound Seven-Star Sword was shattered to pieces by the World Suppressing Stele. With the Seven-Star Sword linked to Lu Ya spiritually, its destruction caused him to spurt out a mouthful of blood, and hisplexion grew deathly pale. But the World Suppressing Stele cared not whether he bled, continuing its relentless descent.

    Seeing this, if no one could intervene, both would likely die. The renown of the World Suppressing Stele was something both Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lu Ya were all too familiar with, even more so than Wukong.

    The World Suppressing Stele, capable of suppressing a world, was once used by Di Jun, its first owner, to directly crush a. Against such might, although Wukong couldn¡¯t bring out its full power, seriously injuring the two was definitely within reach.

    Should they be gravely injured, the four individuals who were eyeing them hungrily would surely take their lives at the first opportunity.

    Primordial Heavenly Venerate nced at Wukong, then at the blood-spewing Lu Ya. His eyes instantly turned blood-red, and he lowered his head to speak to Lu Ya, who was half-floating in the air, "Lu Ya, remember, avenge me!"

    With that, he pushed with his right hand, propelling Lu Ya into a spatial rift with a twisting force. As Lu Ya suddenly grasped Primordial Heavenly Venerate¡¯s intent, he was about to speak out, but saw Primordial Heavenly Venerate already leaping into the air, colliding with the descending World Suppressing Stele.

    The collision momentarily halted the Stele¡¯s fall, allowing Lu Ya to enter the spatial rift that had appeared unnoticeably, vanishing without a trace.

    Lu Ya¡¯s treasured Immortal-ying Flying Knife, too, shrank all of a sudden and disappeared into space.

    Turning to look at Primordial Heavenly Venerate, after being struck by the World Suppressing Stele, his physical body burst apart. In that moment, Wukong¡¯s fiery eyes caught a detail ¡ª as the Stele shattered Primordial Heavenly Venerate¡¯s body, it emitted three red shes, and three drops of True Blood floated out from his remains, instantly absorbed by the Stele.

    Before Wukong could react in surprise, the Stele erupted with a murky glow, and then, the soul of Primordial Heavenly Venerate fragmented.

    The half-step Great Path Primordial Heavenly Venerate had fallen! To save Lu Ya, he had sacrificed his own life. Perhaps the Taoist sect still retained some true righteousness after all.

    Sigh!

    (Today¡¯s second update is the result of ID Fellow and Convex-And-Concave Fellow¡¯s efforts. Let¡¯s apud. Only those who join the group know why.)

 Chapter 116 - 108: Hope and Despair

    Seeing that the Primordial Heavenly Venerate had truly fallen, andpletely at that, spirit and body annihted, without even leaving behind a remnant soul, everyone inevitably felt a sense of mourning for another¡¯s plight. There was even a feeling of disbelief.

    Although those present hade with the intention of utterly destroying the Taoist Sect today, witnessing the death of a great master like the Primordial Heavenly Venerate right before their eyes, each person felt introspective.

    How then for themselves, if even the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, someone at the peak of the Half-step Great Path Realm, had fallen? Who might be the next to perish? In this chaotic world of strife, just how many deaths would it take to bring it all to an end? War, always war¡ªif there are people, there will be wars, and with warse death. This is the unchanging truth of the world.

    Even they, who had long transcended the confines of this world, could not escape this fate.

    The Primordial Heavenly Venerate, that was the Primordial Heavenly Venerate. The highest Taoist existence, among the great three purities and three virtues of the natural order, he was the strongest.

    The Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerate, the High Pure Lingbao Heavenly Venerate, and the Supreme Pure Moral Heavenly Venerate. These three could be considered the spiritual pirs and supreme leaders of the Taoist Sect. Moreover, the Primordial Heavenly Venerate was also revered with the ancient title of Primordial Heavenly King, from the time of Pangu.

    But what of it? Even the great divinity Pangu could not escape the fate of demise, so what could the Primordial Heavenly Venerate do? Wasn¡¯t he still crushed into spirit and body annihtion by a stele at this nameless ce in the end?

    There is life and there is death; even if you could live forever, even if your power reached the heavens, in the end, death is inescapable!

    Quietly retracting the World Suppressing Stele, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t even feel like checking why, after annihting the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, the stele shed with three red rays of light and absorbed the Life-bound Essence of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate.

    Though he had personally in Li Jing and mistakenly killed Zhen Yuanzi, Sun Wukong did not feel the same direct and intense emotions as he did now. Li Jing, inly speaking, was a minor character. Even if his powers rose to the Half-step Great Path Realm for some reason, in their eyes, he was still that minormander from Chentang Pass, who had driven his own son to death with his own hands.

    Even if he had be the Great Marshal of the Heavenly Court, even if he wielded the Supreme Treasure, the Exquisite Pagoda, he remained the same powerless and ipetent Li Jing. Thus, he was doomed to be a minor figure. Perhaps, that was also why Li Jing had appeared in this final battle. Maybe, he wanted to do onest thing for his son Nezha, in a father¡¯s name.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But no matter what, no one really took Li Jing¡¯s death to heart.

    The death of Zhen Yuanzi brought Sun Wukong a sense of grief for the passing of a good friend. Zhen Yuanzi¡¯s situation was indeed very difficult, and for a person who had always regarded loyalty as his life¡¯smand, death was the best solution under those circumstances.

    Therefore, it was only after the death of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate that Sun Wukong truly felt fear in his heart. Sun Wukong didn¡¯t want to die; he had been aware of this ever since he was born. Rather than say Sun Wukong was always rebelling, it would be more urate to say he just didn¡¯t want to die.

    For a very long time, Sun Wukong truly believed he would not die because he was Sun Wukong, vested with extraordinary abilities. But upon witnessing the death of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, for the first time, Sun Wukong thought that perhaps, someday in the future, he might also die, possibly even in the next moment.

    Sun Wukong, Kunpeng, Human Emperor Fuxi, the Yellow Dragon, and the Kirin¡ªall five were silent, and as if upon a tacit agreement, they began sitting cross-legged on the spot, recovering their spent Spiritual Power or contemting certain matters.

    Only after half a Chinese Hour did Sun Wukong suddenly stand up. With the help of the Five-Colored Divine Stone and having sustained almost no injuries, Sun Wukong was the first among the five to return to his peak state. However, the others were not far behind and quickly stood up as well.

    These five were now the Demon n¡¯s most powerful individuals, of course, not forgetting Nuwa and the Ancestral Master Hun Kun. So although they all felt a sense of sorrow for the death of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, none of them were weak. They knew the battle was not over yet.

    However, when all five of them stood up, they suddenly sensed intense fluctuations of Spiritual Powering from the distance. Clearly, someone was fighting and heading in this direction at the same time. The five exchanged nces and almost simultaneously took to the air to respond.

    It didn¡¯t matter who wasing; as long as there was fighting, one of the parties involved must be from the Demon n. With these five surviving members of the n, they were confident of defeating any opponent.

    No sooner had the five taken flight than four streams of light, tangled with one another, approached from afar. Upon spotting the five figures below, two of the lights suddenly split from the other two and flew towards them.

    By that time, Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery, golden eyes were wide open, and he had already recognized the two streams of light as Ancestral Master Hun Kun and Nuwa. Moreover, Nuwa was severely injured, nearly unconscious. Sun Wukong immediately shed through the air and caught Nuwa, then helped her back to the center of the group.

    Another streak of light had already descended; it was none other than the ancestor Hun Kun. Although he too had sustained injuries, they were not particrly severe.

    On the other side, two more streaks of light revealed their forms, revealing themselves to be the immortal Yang Mei and the ancient sage Hongjun. Although both appeared somewhat disheveled, they werergely unharmed. However, upon seeing that the Demon n still had five members standing, a trace of solemnity appeared on their faces.

    At the beginning of the great battle, the Taoist Sect was outnumbered, leading figures like Lu Ya, Zhen Yuanzi, and Jiang Ziya to each take on two opponents. Now it seemed that the numerical advantage of the Demon n had indeed be the key to their eventual victory.

    Although it was not certain that the rest of the Taoist Sect had met their demise, they had likely lost the capacity to fight again. Otherwise, Wukong and his fourpanions would not be waiting here in their peak condition.

    The moment they saw their opponents, Hongjun and Yang Mei quickly analyzed the situation. In short, it proved to be very disadvantageous for them. Stay connected via empire

    While the two could have taken the opportunity to flee immediately, or even wait until the Demon n¡¯s strong had dispersed before picking them off one by one, they simply could not do so. They could die, but the Taoist Sect could not be defeated; otherwise, all would be lost.

    At this thought, they both made a fierce decision, no longer concerned about whether they were outnumbered, whether they could win, or if there were any other alternatives at all. With all considerations cast aside, the two showed a ferocity that the strong of the Demon n could never have anticipated.

    They fought with a disregard for their own lives, intent on trading blow for blow, injury for injury. One must understand that these two were thest bastions of the Taoist Sect and had always been revered figures from legends. Yet today, they fought like street thugs.

    This bizarre scene gave Wukong the feeling that there was some terrifying force behind these two,pelling them to fight desperately as if they had no other choice.

    Or, more urately,pelling all members of the Taoist Sect.

    Li Jing followed this pattern, as did Zhen Yuanzi and the Venerable Hongjun, and now, both Yang Mei and Hongjun joined in. If it were just one person fighting with such disregard for life, it could be exined away, but when everyone did the same, it became truly eerie.

    Moreover, having just witnessed the fall of Venerable Hongjun with their own eyes, Wukong and his fourpanions actually felt some apprehension toward Hongjun and Yang Mei¡¯s desperate stance.

    Thus, a strange situation arose, where two were pressuring seven in battle. And of those seven, five had already returned to their peak condition! How could such a situation not arouse Wukong¡¯s suspicion? He began to wonder if Venerable Hongjun¡¯s actions had been deliberate.

    But at this moment, Wukong had no time to ponder those thoughts further. Steadying his mind with a roar, he transformed into the Five Elements Chaotic Body and summoned the World Suppressing Stele, ready for a desperate fight himself.

    Just then, Hongjun and Yang Mei, who had until now been fiercely attacking, suddenly ceased their assault and quickly retreated, creating distance between themselves and Wukong¡¯s group.

    As Wukong and the others looked on in confusion, the space around the seven of them began to fluctuate. Then, they witnessed a scene that shocked and even frightened everyone present.

    After the spatial fluctuations, rifts began to appear. From within these spatial fissures, figures started to emerge.

    The Jade Emperor, Emperor of Eternal Life, ck Tortoise Emperor, Purple Tenuity Emperor, Yang Jian, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Great Peacock Ming King, Maitreya Buddha, the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp, Bodhisattva Manjushri, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, and finally, Bodhisattva Guanyin. A total of twelve people, moreover, all of them had been considered dead.

    But what truly frightened everyone present was not their appearance; it was that all twelve possessed the power of the Half-step Great Path!

    (Third update delivered. I could have written more words for this chapter, but as I was typing away, I identally clicked the back button and lost everything. I had to rely on memory to type it all again. The new gaming mouse I bought is too powerful; right under the thumb, there are two buttons for going back and forward.)

 Chapter 117 - 109: Desperate Situation

    Seeing this, some might wonder, "How can the Four Heavenly Kings be counted as one?" Heh, this is not an oversight, but rather because the Four Heavenly Kings of Heaven are also called the Four Heavenly Kings who protect the world, or The Four Heavenly Vajra Kings.

    The Southern Growth King, Moli Qing, holds the Azure Edged Sword with a talisman inscribed, divided by the four words: "Earth, Water, Fire, Wind". The wind is a ck wind, containing a myriad of spearheads within it.

    The Northern Multitude King, Moli Hong, holds the Chaos Pearl Umbre, with the meaning of the umbre harmonizing with "rain". On the umbre, there are emeralds, granny seals, granny blue, Luminous Pearls, azure dust beads, azure fire beads, azure water beads, cooling beads, Nine-Bend Pearls, and beautifying beads.

    To fasten the wind, and pearls are strung into the four words "Containing Heaven and Earth."

    The Eastern Support King, Moli Hai, wields a spear and carries a Jade Pipa on his back, with four strings tuned to "Earth, Water, Fire, Wind". Strumming the strings brings both the wind and the fire.

    The Western Wide-Eyed King, Moli Shou, uses two whips. In his pouch, he carries a creature shaped like a white mouse, named "Purple Gold Flower Marten". Released into the sky, it appears as a white elephant with wings growing from its ribs, devouring all humankind.

    The once majestic Four Heavenly Kings of Heaven, however, after the Demon n¡¯s counterattack on Heaven, were converted by Buddhism¡¯s Tathagata Buddha into four Dharma-Protecting Arhats. This was already tragic enough, but now, the Four Heavenly Kings appearing before Sun Wukong barely resembled humans.

    One body, eight hands, four heads. The eight hands each grasp one of their renowned weapons, while the four heads are bald. And Sun Wukong saw in their eyes only pain and numbness.

    It wasn¡¯t just the Four Heavenly Kings. Everyone who had just appeared from the void had eyes filled with pain and numbness. Especially Eng God¡ªWukong remembered that Eng God should not have died, but had left Heaven with his hound. Yet for some unknown reason, he too was here, his eyes filled with even more struggle and pain.

    It was not just Wukong who was upset, but all of the Demon n. Seeing these twelve people suddenly appear and surround them, they were filled with indignant fury. Toying with the dead like this is a taboo that offends the harmony of heaven.

    Although everyone was angry, they dared not act rashly. Clearly, the Taoist Sect must have used some means to raise the strength of the ten dead and Eng God along with the Four Heavenly Kings to the Half-step Great Path level, and also found a way to control them. So, the twelve people in front of them were, to be precise, twelve puppets with the strength of a Half-step Great Path!

    Such enemies were terrifying. Although they mightck the agility and thinking ability of living beings, they possessed the capability to not fear death or pain. Puppets are most horrifying because they feel no pain and fear no death, fighting with desperation once the battle starts.

    Although among the remaining seven people of the Demon n, besides Nuwa who was severely injured and the Ancestral Master Hun Kun who was slightly wounded, the other five can be said to be at their peak condition. So, upon seeing these twelve people suddenly appearing from the Taoist Sect, they were not too panicked. Twelve against six (not counting Nuwa) was not an unwinnable fight.

    Even proper coordination might allow them to annihte these twelve puppets.

    But Yang Mei the Immortal and Hongjun the Ancestor were watching closely from afar. Everyone believed that once the chaos of battle began, these two would surely take advantage of the confusion to strike. Twelve puppets plus two mighty beings with sky-reaching power¡ªthat was the reason why the Demon n had not made a move.

    Having once been in an absolutely dominant position, the Demon n was now, in a dramatic turn, at a disadvantage. This situation forced everyone to wonder¡ªwhat other means did the Taoist Sect have? How were these twelve Half-step Great Path puppets created?

    Among these twelve puppets, there were not only those of the Taoist Sect but also those of Buddhism. Could it be that the Taoist Sect and Buddhism had joined forces to prepare this final power? But even so, neither would likely use the corpses of their own fallen to make puppets.

    The creation ofbat puppets is a method that has existed since ancient times. But there is a taboo among them, that it is deemed uneptable to use the bodies of one¡¯s own people to make puppets. Otherwise, once discovered, punishment is certain!

    Yet today, this taboo has been openly vited. Has the Taoist Sect be so brazenly unconcerned? Or could there be another force behind the Taoist Sect and Buddhism?

    Just as the Demon n was pondering and preparing to counterattack, suddenly, countless streams of light shot in from the distance. Feeling the aura of these beams, all the Demon n¡¯s faces showed horror and deepest despair. It was utter despair.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Then, as the iing streams of light dissipated, Jinzha, Muzha, The tinum Star of the White Emperor, the Giant Spirit God, and then the Eight Immortals of the Taoist Sect appeared: Lv Dongbin, He Xiangu, Lan Caihe, Zhang Guo, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Tieguai Li, Han Zhongli.

    Another twelve people! And all twelve at the Half-step Great Path! The overwhelming aura that surged with their appearance struck terror into the hearts of the Demon n! What was happening with the Taoist Sect? Had the Half-step Great Path mighty ones be so cheap? To casually reveal twenty-four individuals?

    It should be noted that the Half-step Great Path is the extreme limit that the Pangu Realm can amodate. Surpass it by a bit, and one must ascend immediately! Hence, from the time of Pangu¡¯s creation of heaven and earth, the total number of Half-step Great Path strong ones in this world might be just this many.

    Yet in a few days, there suddenly appeared a full twenty-four Half-step Great Path beings, and if added to those before, the Taoist Sect actually had more than thirty Half-step Great Path?

    This, can the Taoist Sect actually mass-produce Half-step Great Path powerhouses now?

    And looking at the twelve people who came, it¡¯s clear that they are puppets controlled by someone.

    This battle, there¡¯s no need to continue, seven people against twenty-four, is there any chance of victory? Moreover, who knows if another twelve will appear?

    For a moment, the members of the Demon n just stood there, stunned, unsure of what to do. They couldn¡¯t beat them in a fight and couldn¡¯t escape if they tried. Could it be that their only choice was to fight to the death? But clearly, to fight head-on meant certain death.

    Just then, the twenty-four Half-step Great Path level puppets suddenly split apart, twelve to each side, leaving a path open in front of the Demon n members. As everyone looked on in confusion, a beautiful woman dressed in a light moon-white robe flew over. With the woman¡¯s arrival, all twenty-four puppets showed reverence and a touch of fear on their faces.

    "You, you are Chang¡¯er?"

    "Hehe, Great Saint, impressive observation. However, unfortunately, you won¡¯t be able to see the Great Saint after this."

    With a delicate chuckle, the woman openly admitted her identity. It was indeed the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, Chang¡¯er. However, Chang¡¯er¡¯s appearance had slightly changed at this time. The original tranquility andposure were gone, reced by allure and strangeness. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t the Chang¡¯er that Sun Wukong had known before. It was very likely just borrowing Chang¡¯er¡¯s body.

    Yet, upon seeing Chang¡¯er, what worried Sun Wukong was not whether all of them would fall that day but rather Zhu Bajie. What would Bajie do if he knew that Chang¡¯er had turned into this? Based on that fool¡¯s temperament, he would probably fight Chang¡¯er to the death, wouldn¡¯t he? Hopefully, the fool doesn¡¯t run into this Chang¡¯er.

    After speaking, Chang¡¯er nced at the besieged Demon n members once more. Then she turned to leave. It seemed that her appearance was meant to tell the Demon n members that Chang¡¯er was the mastermind behind the scenes?

    After leaving the encirclement, Chang¡¯er directly came before Yang Mei and Hongjun. Looking at the two, Chang¡¯er snorted coldly and said, "I originally thought you could wipe out this bunch, but in the end, it was almost you who got wiped out! I had to deploy the Combat Puppet Army in the end. If I had known this, I should never have counted on you two in the first ce."

    In the face of the arrogant words from Chang¡¯er, Yang Mei and Hongjun didn¡¯t say anything. However, the deep helplessness unintentionally betrays itself in their eyes.

    "The Clear Moon Puppet Army, third squadron, heed mymand. Seven members of the Demon n, annihte them!"

    At thismand, the twenty-four puppets at the Half-step Great Path level immediately sprang into action, engaging the seven from the Demon n in battle. And in this sh, Sun Wukong discovered that the puppets¡¯ strength was truly at the Half-step Great Path, and their attacks were extremely well-coordinated.

    Although Kunpeng, Kirin, Yellow Dragon, Hun Kun, and Nuwa all showed their true forms, and Sun Wukong immediately transformed into the Five Elements Chaotic Body, summoning both the World Suppressing Stele and the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.

    Each had to face three puppets, while Sun Wukong, Hun Kun, and Kirin each battled four. Even though Sun Wukong¡¯s World Suppressing Stele kept smashing down, these four puppets could jointly use a Formation. Once the Formation was established, it would create a phantom Xuanwu in the Void, and each smash from the World Suppressing Stele could only shatter the phantom without harming the four puppets.

    Soon, Sun Wukong was wounded. Although he was healing quickly with the help of the Five-Colored Divine Stone, there was no way to quickly restore the rapidly depleting Spiritual Power.

    The Five-Colored Divine Stone, although miraculous, couldn¡¯t keep up with the surge of Spiritual Power from Sun Wukong. Each smash of the Stele consumed one-fifth of the Spiritual Power, and each swipe of the Treasure Tree cost roughly an eighth. During normal times, the replenishment from the Divine Stone would be entirely sufficient for Sun Wukong¡¯s continuous fighting.

    But now, the Divine Stone was helpless because Sun Wukong was relentlessly smashing the Stele and swinging the ancient Tree. Otherwise, the injuries on his body would keep increasing.

    If Sun Wukong was struggling this much, the others were faring even worse. In a short span, each had suffered injuries, big or small. Especially Nuwa,rge mouthfuls of fresh blood kept spouting out.

    "Everyone, think of a way quickly, there¡¯s something strange about these puppets. Although they have the cultivation of Half-step Great Path, their actual Combat Power seems to far exceed that. If we don¡¯t find a way, we¡¯re all going to be wiped out today."

    This was Hun Kun speaking. He realized right from the start that the puppets¡¯ Combat Power was much higher than their cultivation level. But as soon as he spoke up, it distracted him, and in that moment of distraction, Hun Kun suffered a serious injury. He was shed in the back by Lv Dongbin¡¯s sword, then blood spurted from his mouth as he was flung towards Sun Wukong.

 Chapter 118 - 110 Life and Death

    Watching Hun Kun cough up blood as he flew towards himself, Sun Wukong hastily smashed out several Heavenly Steles, forcing four Combat Puppets to retreat a half-step, then flew up to catch Master Hun Kun. But in the blink of an eye, Sun Wukong and Hun Kun were surrounded by eight Combat Puppets.

    These Puppets didn¡¯t care about your convenience; instead, they fully embraced the idea of kicking someone when they were down.

    On one hand, Sun Wukong had to support Hun Kun, and on the other hand, he had to deal with the attacks of the eight Combat Puppets. In just three breaths, he had sustained more than ten wounds. After this short dy, Master Hun Kun also recovered his strength. He rose and joined Sun Wukong in fighting the enemy.

    But despite their efforts, they were hard-pressed to fight back, as two fists were no match for four hands, and Master Hun Kun¡¯s assistance only served to reduce the frequency of the injuries.

    "Everyone, if we go on like this, we¡¯ll all be annihted. Let¡¯s join forces to ensure that at least one of us gets out. Otherwise, the Demon n will truly be extinct."

    "Alright, a man can die but once. I, Old Dragon, am not afraid,"ughed the Yellow Dragon boisterously, as his tail whipped a Combat Puppet away; yet in the next moment, another two Puppets struck him, tearing his flesh and spilling his blood.

    "I agree too. We old bones should do something for the young ones of the Demon n." The speaker was the Kirin. Although the Kirin wasn¡¯t as bedraggled as the Yellow Dragon, he too was badly injured.

    The rest didn¡¯t even have time to nod in agreement before they were once again pulled into the fray by the Puppets. Though still at an overwhelming disadvantage, they consciously started to huddle together.

    Even though the pressure on the seven of them was greater against twenty-four, everyone was no longer thinking about survival; rather, they were focused on creating a path for at least one individual to escape.

    Therefore, no one was concerned about how many injuries they might suffer; instead, they were considering how they could carve out an escape route. But it seemed the twenty-four Combat Puppets, or perhaps Chang¡¯er whomanded them, had already fathomed their intent.

    The twenty-four Combat Puppets tightly encircled them, leaving no gaps. As their Spiritual Power drained drastically, it seemed that death was the only path left. In desperation, the Yellow Dragon roared loudly, and his hundred-meter-long dragon body swelled even further, stretching beyond two hundred meters.

    As the members of the Demon n shouted out, heughed wildly, his dragon body coiling to ensnare all twenty-four Combat Puppets at once.

    "Old Dragon is leaving first, haha. If you survive, remember to tell my descendants how I died. Haha."

    Having said this, with the twenty-four Combat Puppets entwined, he hurtled rapidly downward. As he plummeted, blood spurted from his mouth. After all, these were twenty-four Half-step Great Path beings, not mere mortals. Although caught off-guard by the Yellow Dragon, they soon followed Chang¡¯er¡¯smand and attacked the body of the Yellow Dragon.

    The power of twenty-four Half-step Great Path beings attacking simultaneously was immense. In just two breaths, the Yellow Dragon was covered in wounds, scales and blood flying from his massive body. Yet the Yellow Dragon persevered, for the distance was still insufficient¡ªif he self-destructed here, it would surely affect the others.

    He needed to descend further, it still wasn¡¯t enough. But time had run out. As the Yellow Dragon fell, he let out an agonizing scream, and a massive sword light cleaved him in two at the waist.

    From the moment the Yellow Dragon swept everyone up to the moment he was bisected, only five breaths had passed. Yet no one from the Demon n ran, as they were stunned. No one expected the Yellow Dragon to choose such a method for their escape. In an instant, hot tears streamed down every face.

    However, in that momentary daze, the Yellow Dragon had already been split in two by a sword light. That piercing scream snapped everyone back to reality. Seeing the Yellow Dragon sacrificing his life in vain against the Puppets, both Kirin and Kunpeng¡¯s eyes reddened with rage.

    "Master Hun Kun, Wukong, Fuxi, you three take Nuwa and leave quickly. We¡¯ll hold off those Puppets. I, the noble Kirin, can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being besieged by these junior Combat Puppets. Humph."

    With that, the Kirin leaped forward, charging toward the swiftly approaching Puppets below.

    "Great Saint, take care."

    Hun Peng said no more, unfurling his enormous wings and following close behind the Kirin. Initially, after the Yellow Dragon was bisected and the Puppets had escaped, they were once again caught up by the massive bodies of Kirin and Kunpeng plunging downward.

    Although the Yellow Dragon was already two hundred meters long, the Kirin was evenrger, standing at three hundred meters tall. As for Kunpeng, his wingspan reached five hundred meters with a simple stretch. That was with Kunpeng deliberately shrinking his size; had he revealed his true form, he would likely be toorge for even Beyond the Heavens to contain.

    So, when Kunpeng spread his wings, he engulfed the Kirin, the Yellow Dragon, and the twenty-four Combat Puppets. Then he continued to fall.

    "You two, cough, are you really nning to apany Old Dragon in death today," queried the Yellow Dragon.

    "Who asked you to be so fragile? You got cut in two before you even self-destructed," the Kirin retorted, originally wanting to tease the Yellow Dragon. But those Puppets focused their attacks on one point¡ªin this case, the Kirin himself. So after finishing his sentence, the Kirin spat out a mouthful of blood.

    "Luckily, I¡¯m tough-skinned. Kunpeng, go faster, I can¡¯t hold on much longer."

    Even with his strong defensive power, the Kirin could not withstand the constant barrage from over twenty Half-step Great Path beings.

    Finally, behind Kunpeng¡¯s all-out efforts, the three beings plus the twenty-four Combat Puppets finally left that part of Beyond the Heavens. Then the Yellow Dragon, Kirin, and Kunpeng all self-destructed simultaneously.

    In theirst moments, their faces revealed a profound unwillingness. Supreme beings of the Demon n were relegated to perishing alongside Combat Puppets.

    Thest thought shed through their minds, and then a violent explosion erupted! The self-destruction of three half-step Great Path powerhouses was so formidable that it could reduce a smaller Star Sinker to rubble, and not just once.

    The twenty-four Combat Puppets at the center of this fierce explosion were unquestionably obliterated into nothingness. Such an intense explosion, let alone a half-step Great Path, even a true Saint of the Great Dao would likely sustain some injuries.

    The massive energy fluctuations from the explosion immediately swept through the Beyond the Heavens above. Originally, Beyond the Heavens was a space formed by the indentations of exploding stars, and after this explosion, the entire Beyond the Heavens showed signs of fracturing.

    However, at this time, there was no one left in Beyond the Heavens. In the instant that Kirin and Kunpeng lunged out, Puppet Master Hun Kun and Human Emperor Fuxi rapidly ascended with the expressionless Sun Wukong and the severely wounded Nuwa.

    Chang¡¯er, Saint Yang Mei, and Patriarch Hongjun also flew upward immediately; they all recognized that the twenty-four Puppet Masters certainly could not escape amidst Kirin and Kunpeng¡¯s encirclement in such a short time, and such would be the fate if Kirin and the others seeded in their self-destruction.

    If one didn¡¯t flee under such circumstances, then they were resigned to a shared grave.

    Therefore, when Kirin and the other two self-destructed simultaneously, everyone in Beyond the Heavens had already fled. However, they didn¡¯t go far, stopping instead in a ce not reached by the st, with both factions pausing their movements.

    Chang¡¯er¡¯s face was as dark as water as she watched the silent fracturing of Beyond the Heavens below. Both Patriarch Hongjun and Saint Yang Mei frowned in silence.

    Sun Wukong and the others also lowered their heads, watching the explosion slowly devouring Beyond the Heavens. Both Hun Kun and Fuxi looked deeply grieved, while Sun Wukong remained silent, head bowed!

    "Sun Wukong, you will not escape today. For destroying my Combat Puppet army, all of you must die. Do you know how much effort I put into these twenty-four Puppets? How many resources did I expend to allow them to handle the power of a half-step Great Path? You think that by destroying my Combat Puppet army you can survive today?

    Today I will show you what is the Heavenly Dao, what is called the unalterable course of the Heavenly Dao."

    Having said that, Chang¡¯er¡¯s face was seething with rage. And on that furious face, Sun Wukong actually saw a trace of evil.

    But just as Sun Wukong and the others were about to make their move, they felt a fluctuation in space. Then, Nuwa let out a tragic scream, and all Sun Wukong managed to do was turn his head, only to see Chang¡¯er¡¯s right hand reaching straight into Nuwa¡¯s chest.

    In a sh, Sun Wukong was filled with shock. What kind of speed was this? He had not even caught a glimpse of a shadow, and yet she was already by his side.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    With a ferocious smile, Chang¡¯er tightly clenched her right hand. Nuwa¡¯s heart burst with a pop, but before her death, she gave Sun Wukong a deep look. And then, Nuwa died!

    Two lines of bloody tears streamed down from Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes. That final look from Nuwa before her death conveyed a message to Sun Wukong. But there was no time for him to check; he could only deeply bury that message in his mind.

    Another tragic scream followed. Human Emperor Fuxi, who was supporting Nuwa, had his head prated by a White Silk Ribbon. Until his death, Fuxi had no chance to speak a single word, but in thest moment of consciousness, his eyes remained on Nuwa, filled with love.

    As he watched Fuxi fall, Sun Wukong suddenly felt an immense fear.

    "No, no, stop, stop. I¡¯ll give you the Heavenly Stele, I don¡¯t want anything anymore, just stop."

    At that moment, Sun Wukong was driven mad. Watching hispanions die one by one before him, his heart was driven to madness. He didn¡¯t want anything now, not the World Suppressing Stele, not the Demon n, not hope; he wanted nothing at all. He only hoped that no more lives would be lost.

    Yet, Chang¡¯er seemed to not hear him speak at all, and with a grab, the head of Puppet Master Hun Kun burst open.

    They were all dead, all of them, again, they were all dead. Only he was left; this time he really was the only one left.

    In an instant, Sun Wukong was filled with despair. The fear of death and all the negative emotions that had been umting within him eruptedpletely.

    Watching Puppet Master Hun Kun slowly fall, seeing the regret and unwillingness in his eyes, Sun Wukong copsed to the ground, his face nk.

    Then, a White Silk Ribbon wound around Sun Wukong¡¯s neck.

    "Hand over the World Suppressing Stele, or you¡¯ll die!"

    (The third update from silver. No IDnguage concave-convex ssmate did well, but I also did well, haha.)

 Chapter 119 - 111: The Final Victor

    Feeling the tightening force of the white silk ribbon wrapping tighter around his neck, Sun Wukong felt his mind go nk. However, just as Sun Wukong closed his eyes, epting his fate and waiting for death, he felt the white silk ribbon around his neck loosen unexpectedly.

    The moment the white silk loosened, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but cough violently.

    Watching Sun Wukong bent over coughing, Chang¡¯er suddenly giggled and said, "Sun Wukong, why bother? Since you¡¯re going to die anyway, that Heavenly Stele is of no use to you. I promise you, if you give me the Stele, I¡¯ll ensure your Monkey Tribe is worry-free for life. I¡¯ll give them a ce rich in spiritual energy, where they can live peacefully and securely."

    But Sun Wukong didn¡¯t even give Chang¡¯er a nce. Instead, he suddenly sat down cross-legged and began to recite the K?itigarbha Sutra to liberate the souls of the dead. Seeing this, Chang¡¯er, who had been smug just moments before, realized that Sun Wukong had made up his mind. She feared that no matter what she said, it would be useless.

    Chang¡¯er suddenly became furious. She had already suppressed a great deal of anger by not killing Sun Wukong directly, but Sun Wukong was so oblivious to his own good fortune. After all, once she killed Sun Wukong, she could still find a way to unlock the world of the Jingu Bang. The World Suppressing Stele would still be hers in the end, albeit with a little more trouble.

    With a flick of her hand, the white silk ribbon wrapped around Sun Wukong¡¯s neck once again. But Sun Wukong remained unmoved, his hands joined in prayer, continuing to recite the K?itigarbha Sutra.

    "Heh heh, Sun Wukong, seeing as you are about to die, let me tell you some things. Did you really think that this final battle was just a grudge between the Taoist Sect and your Demon n? Haha, now let me tell you, the purpose of this battle was solely for you, did you know that? Just because of you, so many of your Demon n died."

    "Do you know why it had to be you? Because, you carry the bloodline of Yu the Great. That damned Yu the Great, until his death, refused to tell me the whereabouts of the World Suppressing Stele. Surprised? Are you wondering how you, a stone monkey born from the Five-Colored Divine Stone, could possibly carry Yu¡¯s bloodline? You think I¡¯m deceiving you again?

    Hahahaha, that¡¯s why I say, foolish mortals always believe what they want to, so utterly foolish."

    "Ever since the World Suppressing Stele appeared in this world, I have been devising ways to obtain it, but unfortunately, the Stele seemed to deliberately evade me. It first aided Pangu in suppressing the world, and at that time I was just a nascent form of Heavenly Dao, so I had no power to acquire it. However, when I finally became powerful enough, Di Jun had already obtained the Stele.

    I spent an enormous amount of cunning to finally kill Di Jun."

    "But damn it, the Stele disappeared! Later, I incited the war between the Taoist Sect and the Demon n and secretly forged countless divine artifacts for the Taoist Sect; I even lifted certain Heavenly Dao constraints on people. Later, the Demon n almost got wiped out, but I couldn¡¯t have the entire Demon n die off, otherwise there would be no one to check the Taoist Sect.

    Unfortunately, I turned Heaven upside down but still couldn¡¯t find the World Suppressing Stele. At that time, I always thought Di Jun destroyed the Stele before his death."

    "After that, wonder of wonders, the Stele that I searched for countless years suddenly ended up in the hands of Yu the Great, and he even managed to unleash its full potential. So I sent the Taoists to seize it, but all were killed by Yu, and in the end, he even broke through the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation.

    But that didn¡¯t matter, I am the Heavenly Dao; if I can¡¯t do it openly, I¡¯ll do it covertly."

    "Hahahaha, do you know what happenedter? Yu the Great waster killed by my schemes. Humph, how strong can he be as a mere mortal? What drove me mad, though, was that after Yu¡¯s death, the World Suppressing Stele disappeared once again!

    I was so furious I almost went mad; if it weren¡¯t for discovering that Yu had left a drop of his blood on a stone, I might have destroyed the Mortal World entirely."

    "Ever since then, I¡¯ve been watching that stone, until the day you were born. I knew you were definitely the next owner of the Stele. So I designed a n to force you into rebellion against Heaven, to urge you West in search of scriptures. All this was within my calctions.

    Oh, and by the way, Hou Yi killing Di Jun¡¯s son, Gonggong breaking Mount Buzhou, Nuwa fixing the sky¡ªthey were all part of my n. Now, tell me, after all the trouble I¡¯ve gone to for this World Suppressing Stele, shouldn¡¯t I get to have it now?"

    Regrettably, by then, Sun Wukong¡¯s neck had already been snapped by the white silk ribbon!

    The Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong of the Water Curtain Cave in Flower Fruit Mountain, was dead.

    He did not die on the journey to the Western Paradise, nor in the great battle to overthrow the Heavenly Pce, nor the final sh with the Taoists, but under Chang¡¯er¡¯s white silk ribbon! For Sun Wukong, this was the ultimate disgrace. Yet, he had no chance to wash away this humiliation.

    There were no grand derations of valiance, no one to be heartbroken, because Sun Wukong died far too alone. A great Demon King, just like that, silently strangled to death by a white silk ribbon.

    "Oh dear, I might have used a bit too much strength, huh? I¡¯m so sorry! Who made me a Saint of the Great Dao with all this strength? Ah, such a pity, I didn¡¯t even get to tell you about my origins!" Stay updated through empire

    That contrived expression, that face with evolving malice, Chang¡¯er at this moment was more demonic than any demon. Leaning over to check Sun Wukong¡¯s neck, she confirmed that Sun Wukong was indeed dead. Her face, which had been all smiles, suddenly turned cold and gloomy as she wiped her blood-stained hands with the white silk ribbon.

    She slowly stepped to the side, but then suddenly turned back and snapped her fingers at Sun Wukong¡¯s corpse.

    Immediately, the white silk ribbon stood up like a giant snake and then suddenly plunged into Sun Wukong¡¯s corpse, shattering it into countless pieces. Such was the power of a Saint of the Great Dao; even a Half-step Great Path powerhouse could not withstand a single strike. Even Sun Wukong¡¯s pride, his undying body, could not withstand a hit from the white silk ribbon.

    One must say, Chang¡¯er¡¯s heart was so venomous that she wouldn¡¯t even allow Sun Wukong to leave a whole corpse in death!

    "You two, go search for Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang and those treasures for me," she said emotionlessly, her voice as cold as the eternal mysterious ice of the extreme north.

    "Yes."

    Yang Mei the Immortal and Hongjun the Ancestor did not dare to dy and hurriedly stepped forward to search among the remains of Sun Wukong. However, after going over every part of Sun Wukong¡¯s body, the two of them found nothing! Not only was the Golden Hoop missing, but even the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree was nowhere to be seen.

    "Look in his ears, Sun Wukong¡¯s Golden Hoop is in his ears!"

    Chang¡¯er¡¯s voice, originally cold, was now filled with murderous intent and a chilling coldness.

    But after Yang Mei the Immortal carefully searched Sun Wukong¡¯s ears again, he still came up empty-handed!

    "Useless fools, I¡¯ll have to do it myself."

    With a furious shout, Chang¡¯er snapped her fingers at Sun Wukong¡¯s corpse, which then burst into mes without warning. Chang¡¯er¡¯s power was simply unimaginable. Sun Wukong, who had fused with the Five-Colored Divine Stone and even devoured seven kinds of Strange Fire, was still set aze by this nameless me.

    However, when the nameless me turned Sun Wukong¡¯s body to ashes, there was still nothing to be found. No Golden Hoop, no Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, and not even the Five-Colored Divine Stone¡ªonly a pile of charred cinders remained!

    Witnessing this scene, Chang¡¯er¡¯s face twisted drastically. Anger was not enough to describe her state of mind!

    How many years? How many years had she nned? For the sake of the Heavenly Stele, how many people had she killed? Almost since the birth of this world, she had been plotting, painstakingly designing conspiracies and traps step by step. Moreover, to annihte the entire Demon n in this ultimate battle, she had paid a tremendous price to summon those twenty-four Half-step Great Path powerhouses.

    In the end, she had even risked using her own true strength. But now, even though all the people were ughtered, the World Suppressing Stele had disappeared again. Just like before, it vanished at thest moment! What was going on? Why couldn¡¯t she obtain the Stele no matter what?

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    With a twisted face, Chang¡¯er looked up and let out a piercing roar. Then suddenly, she looked down and waved her hands, causing the nameless mes to appear again, this time burning the corpses of Nuwa, Fuxi, and Hun Kun the Ancestor.

    But when the bodies of these three also turned to ash, still, nothing was found!

    In a fit of rage, Chang¡¯er waved her hands again, unleashing two massive, irresistible forces that instantly pulled Yang Mei the Immortal and Hongjun the Ancestor towards her. She then grabbed onto their throats with her hands.

    But then, Chang¡¯er seemed to remember something and released her hands. With a wave of her sleeve, she sent the two flying. "Go and find it for me, even if you have to turn the Pangu Realm upside down. I¡¯ve expended a lot this time, so it¡¯s up to you two now; don¡¯t disappoint me. Oh, and if youe across someone named Zhu Bajie, let him be!"

    After saying this, Chang¡¯er seemed to be in pain, her brows furrowed tightly. Then, without waiting for Hongjun and the others to respond, she transformed into a streak of light and disappeared.

    Not long after, a silhouette suddenly appeared in The Moon Pce on the moon. However, this figure¡¯splexion was extremely pale. Upon reaching the pce, the figure stumbled and managed to make it to the bed, then fell into a deep slumber.

    This person was naturally Chang¡¯er, but her condition was indeed very bad. She hadn¡¯t even noticed the presence of another figure sitting quietly in the main hall of The Moon Pce.

    "Brother Monkey is dead, Master is dead, Old Sandy is dead, the White Dragon is missing. It¡¯s all over, really over, they¡¯re all dead! Heh, only I, old Zhu, am left. Hahaha, only Zhu Bajie remains. Brother Monkey, you just wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Would¡¯ve been good to stay as the king of monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain.

    Now look what happened, you¡¯re dead, all dead. Oh right, the little peach tree; no, I must go check on the little peach tree."

    Muttering to himself, Zhu Bajie quickly got up and flew towards the Peach Garden in the Heavenly Pce.

    But just as he was getting up, he suddenly turned his head to nce at Chang¡¯er¡¯s chambers in The Moon Pce. "Chang¡¯er, you have a good sleep. I¡¯ll be back soon to apany you!"

    Life as death, love without hate, the heavens unjustly provoke the wrath of beings. Some wish to defy their fates, ask not why their tears of blood have dried.

    (Boys, hurry and give Sanzang the motivation for more updates.)

 Chapter 120 - 112: New World

    When Zhu Bajie hurriedly arrived at the Peach Garden in Heaven, he was shocked! All the peach trees in the entire Peach Garden had withered away! The whole Peach Garden was filled with withered peach trees of various sizes.

    A sense of rm rose in Zhu Bajie¡¯s heart as he quickly flew to the deepest part of the Peach Garden. At that moment, Zhu Bajie realized that not all the peach trees had withered, but only the outer ones that blossomed every three thousand years and bore fruit every three thousand years hadpletely died.

    The inner six thousand-year bloomers and the nine thousand-year bloomers at the back were all still intact. However, Zhu Bajie¡¯s worries did not abate!

    Soon, Zhu Bajie reached the end and saw that small peach tree.

    "Fan Xin? What¡¯s happened to you?"

    At the sound of Zhu Bajie¡¯s voice, the small peach tree seemed to respond. It gently shook its branches, and a voice breezily floated over, "I¡¯m fine, Bajie. Wukong, did something happen to him? Why can¡¯t I sense his presence anymore?" Enjoy more content from empire

    Although Zhu Bajie had guessed that Fan Xin might already know Brother Monkey had died, he still found it hard to answer when she asked so directly. But sensing the urgency and concern in Fan Xin¡¯s voice, Zhu Bajie replied, "Yes, Brother Monkey is dead, everyone is dead."

    Hearing such a definite response from Zhu Bajie, the small peach tree suddenly began to tremble, and as it did, a wail seemed to emanate from all the peach trees in the Peach Garden. Yet Zhu Bajie did not know what to say. Perhaps by this point, nothing he said would have made a difference.

    The small peach tree soon stopped quivering, but its voice became even more ethereal, "Bajie, who killed Wukong?" Zhu Bajie¡¯s heart clenched, as expected, she had asked. But he could not tell her. Otherwise, she would certainly seek revenge for Brother Monkey. But that force was not something Fan Xin could contend with.

    "I, I don¡¯t know. I just felt Brother Monkey¡¯s soul fire extinguished. Back when we went on the quest for scriptures, each of the five disciples exchanged a part of our soul fires with one another. However, now only mine and the white-face¡¯s are still burning." Here, Zhu Bajie told a lie. Perhaps for Fan Xin, or perhaps, for Chang¡¯er.

    After Zhu Bajie finished speaking, silence fell for a long time. Eventually, unable to bear the atmosphere, Zhu Bajie broke the silence, asking, "By the way, Fan Xin, are you okay? When I arrived, I saw that many trees at the front had withered, did something happen to you?"

    Hearing Zhu Bajie¡¯s inquiry, Fan Xin forced a smile and said, "No, I¡¯m fine. And soon, I¡¯ll be able to shed this peach tree form and transform into a human. I had wanted to surprise Wukong, but I didn¡¯t expect..." Her voice trembled again as she spoke.

    "Then, then why have so many peach trees withered?"

    "Because if I seed in my transformation, these peach trees would be spiritless Spirit Roots. So I figured, rather than wasting them here, it¡¯s better to channel all the Spiritual Power of these Spirit Roots into your master¡¯s body. Not only will it preserve your master¡¯s flesh from decay, but it will also turn his flesh into a body of wood spirit.

    Moreover, because of that miraculous flower, your master can fully absorb the innate spiritual power of these peach trees."

    "Ah, then, then can my mastere back to life?"

    "I don¡¯t know, because your master¡¯s soul is not in his body. My method can only strengthen your master¡¯s body, but it can¡¯t resurrect him. However, if you can find the Ancient Divine Artifact, the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, I think there¡¯s a very good chance of reviving your master. Moreover, by then he will definitely be stronger than he is now."

    Originally filled with despair, Zhu Bajie had not expected Fan Xin to have a way to revive his master. Suddenly, a fierce hope ignited in Zhu Bajie¡¯s heart. As long as there was a chance, even a one in a million shot at reviving his master, Zhu Bajie was willing to go through fire and water. The Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, if it still resides in the Pangu Realm, I will find you.

    Then I¡¯ll revive Master.

    Hope gradually began to gather in eyes that were once filled with despair.

    Seeing the urgency in Zhu Bajie¡¯s demeanor, Fan Xin sighed softly, "Bajie, I¡¯m alright. I believe Wukong won¡¯t die so easily. He¡¯s a hero, how could a hero die? So go, find the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, I¡¯ll be waiting here for your return."

    After she finished speaking, a leaf suddenly floated down from the small peach tree, gentlynding on Zhu Bajie¡¯s forehead, and then it merged into Zhu Bajie¡¯s Sea of Divine Consciousness.

    "With this leaf, I can sense your location. If you¡¯re in danger, I¡¯ll feel it ande to your rescue. Bajie, be careful."

    After nodding in agreement, Zhu Bajie left directly and flew towards the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain. The Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, Zhu Bajie knew, was an Ancient Divine Treasure, belonging to Zhun Ti. Hence, Zhu Bajie spected that the people of Buddhism should know something about it.

    As Zhu Bajie scoured the world for the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree, Yang Mei and Hongjun returned to the Pangu Realm. Then they split up, with Hongjun going to consolidate the remnants of the Taoist Sect, retake Heaven, and search for the World Suppressing Stele together.

    Yang Mei, on the other hand, went to the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain, nning to use his powers to forcibly recruit the people of Buddhism to help him search for the World Suppressing Stele.

    In the current Pangu Realm, excluding Yang Mei and Hongjun, the only remaining half-step Great Path powerhouses are probably Jiang Ziya, the Guiding Immortal, and Lu Ya, who had fled during thest battle.

    Reflecting on it now, they must have also utilized the power of the Heavenly Dao to quickly tear through space within the realm Beyond the Heavens, allowing them to escape.

    Among those at the Saint Realm, aside from Zhu Bajie, there was also Zhu Long, who was saved by Kunpeng before the final battle as Sun Wukong faced the Nine Heavens Annihtion Divine Thunder, and indeed, we must also include the n Leader of the Illusion Demon n, Meng Gui, as well as the n Leader of the Spiritual Wood n, Mu Jingshi.

    But no matter how many at the Saint Realm there are, they are no match for a Half-Step Great Path powerhouse. The reason why the Immortal Yang Mei and Hongjun the Ancestor did not eradicate these two immediately, I fear, is because they simply did not take them seriously.

    Thus, the current situation in the Pangu Realm is one where the Taoist Sect reigns supreme. Five Half-Step Great Path powerhouses, although three of them are seriously injured and it¡¯s unknown where they have gone to recover, as long as they are alive, they are the strongest force of the Taoist Sect.

    So even though the Taoist Sect was disastrously defeated and suffered heavy casualties when Sun Wukong counterattacked Heaven, as long as these few Half-Step Great Path powerhouses exist, the Taoist Sect will not be finished. Conversely, the Demon n and Buddhism are effectively extinct in all but name. Perhaps Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is the only Saint left in Buddhism.

    But regardless, the ultimate winner of this battle is the Taoist Sect. Without any Half-Step Great Path powerhouses to hold them in check, the entire Pangu Realm can be said to bepletely dominated by the Taoist Sect. Given time, they will undoubtedly grow into the strongest existence within the Pangu Realm. No other force will be able topare with them.

    Moreover, since Chang¡¯er did notpletely exterminate Buddhism and the Demon n, the people of the Ancient Primordial World would not be able to sense the changes in the Pangu Realm, and therefore, would not send anyone over to help. One could say that with this move, Chang¡¯er haspletely taken control of the Pangu Realm.

    From now on, no one can threaten her, nor can they threaten the Heavenly Dao.

    But all of this is predicated on finding the World Suppressing Stele!

    Now, in the Six Great Divine Nations, in the Netherworld Realm.

    In the vast universe, all worlds are divided into three types! Small worlds, intermediate worlds, and high-level worlds! The Pangu Realm is a small world, while the Ancient Primordial World is a high-level world.

    In the universe, each high-level world dominates a varying number of intermediate worlds, which in turn each dominate a varying number of small worlds. Generally speaking, inhabitants of high-level worlds seldom go to small worlds, unless it¡¯s a newly born world or one with an emergence of a super-strong being; only then would a high-level world send someone to the lower realm.

    Normally, an intermediate world canpletely manage all affairs of its small worlds.

    However, aside from these three tiers of worlds, there are six special worlds known as the Six Great Divine Nations. These six Great Divine Nations belong to the highest level in the universe, and each one ispletely ruled by a single nation.

    Although high-level worlds and the Six Great Divine Nations do not have a direct hierarchical rtionship, they also do not invade each other needlessly. It is worth mentioning that in the entire universe, there are very few high-level worlds, only a meager dozen or so, while there are nearly ten thousand intermediate worlds, and countless small worlds.

    Aside from the Netherworld Realm, among the Six Great Divine Nations, there is a world known as the Myriad Gods Hall. The other four Divine Nations have always been shrouded in mystery; outsiders only know of the existence of the Six Great Divine Nations, but what the other four are called and where they are ispletely unknown.

    And only the very few true rulers know why the status of the Six Great Divine Nations is so exalted, even capable of withstanding a world¡¯s power against the countless small worlds and numerous intermediate worlds ruled by the high-level worlds! Because within each of the Six Great Divine Nations or realms, there is a World Suppressing Stele!

    At this moment, one of the Six Great Divine Nations, the Netherworld Realm, has weed a strange new visitor bearing the World Suppressing Stele.

    However, this mysterious visitor has the lowest strength in this world.

    In high-level worlds and the Six Great Divine Nations, the strength of all individuals is indicated by something called "Patterns." The person with the lowest strength is called One Pattern, which, depending on their upation, is divided into a One-Pattern Daoist, who relies on various spells to attack; a One Pattern Illusionist, who uses various illusion techniques to attack or confuse; a One-Pattern Warrior, who relies on close-quartersbat with fists or weapons.

    Apart from these three, there are all sorts of other upations, but the lowest are all One Pattern, and the highest can be Nine Patterns.

    As for how to distinguish a person¡¯s level of strength, there are three methods. The first is based on the aura emitted by the person; higher-level beings can easily sense the power realm of those who are lower. The second method is the Dao Patterns embroidered on their clothing by the strength testing organization set up by the rulers.

    One Pattern is indicated with a single Dao Pattern on their clothing, Two Patterns with two, and so on.

    The third method bes apparent during battle when Dao Pattern phantoms corresponding to a person¡¯s strength will emerge around them.

    This ranking system, however, is only qualified for use by those in the high-level worlds and the Six Great Divine Nations. The ranking symbols of intermediate and small worlds are not much different from those in the Pangu Realm. However, the strongest in a small world like the Pangu Realm can only be at the Half-Step Great Path. In intermediate worlds, the strongest are Dao Transformation Saints.

    Those above the Emperor Level are Saints, above Saints are the Half-Step Great Path, above the Half-Step Great Path are Saints of the Great Dao, above the Saints of the Great Dao is Unity Dao, and above Unity Dao is Dao Transformation. Only by breaking through the Dao Transformation Realm does one qualify to enter a high-level world and thus possess Dao Patterns.

    However, the natives of high-level worlds are exceptions.

    Yet, the person who appeared in the Netherworld Realm was only at the Half-Step Great Path. This is truly miraculous. In the legends of small worlds, it is said that after dying at the Saint Realm, a soul would go to a ce called the Netherworld.

    But such a statement is inurate¡ªfor those below the Dao Transformation Realm and above the Saint Realm, when they die, their souls go to the Lesser Netherworld, an intermediate world beneath the Netherworld Realm. This is also the only intermediate world among the Six Great Divine Nations.

    Therefore, the presence of a Half-Step Great Path soul in the Netherworld Realm is definitely abnormal!

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    (There¡¯s more today, brought back by student No ID, haha.)

 Chapter 121 - 113: Slaughter, Devouring, More Slaughter!

    But no matter what, one of the Six Great Divine Nations, the Netherworld Realm, has indeed seen the emergence of such a weakling on the Half-step Great Path. Setting aside what would happen if the ruler of the Netherworld Realm were to discover him, just his feebleness alone would make it impossible for him to survive in the Netherworld Realm.

    Putting it bluntly, the Netherworld Realm is the world of souls. In the entire universe, whether from high-level or intermediate levels, or even the other five great divine nations, as long as one is above Dao Patterns in strength, after death their souls will reach the Netherworld Realm through a special method.

    Then, the strong souls will devour the weak souls, and when a soul feels it has be strong enough, it may apply for the qualification of bing a native resident of the Netherworld Realm. Of course, you can also choose reincarnation, but your memory will be wiped clean.

    However, beyond that, you have another choice, which is resurrection. If you think you are strong enough, you can apply for resurrection. Then the ruling ss will present you with a series of challenges, and if you survive them, you can go to the Resurrection Pavilion, and it will give you a body of your designation.

    But this method is extremely difficult. Apart from those prodigies or unparalleled geniuses, no one chooses this path. If you seed with this method, you will be resurrected, but if you fail, your soul will be utterly extinguished. Therefore, only a very few people, due to a particrly powerful obsession, would choose this method.

    So most souls, after devouring enough other souls, choose to be original residents of the Netherworld. And even some exceptionally talented individuals, with their formidable gifts and strength, be part of the ruling ss of the Netherworld.

    And all of this, for Sun Wukong who has just arrived in the Netherworld, is still a secret. To be precise, Sun Wukong knows nothing about the Netherworld Realm.

    Therefore, when Sun Wukong woke up, he just sat there in a daze for an entire day! In the world of souls, people can still feel hunger, but this hunger is, to be urate, for the devouring of other souls. So it wasn¡¯t until Sun Wukong felt hungry that he came back to his senses.

    Although he was still in a state of extreme confusion, the instinct of living creatures directed Sun Wukong to search for food. It must be mentioned that the people in the Netherworld, although in a state of souls, ording to the rules of this world, appeared exactly the same as they did in life. Moreover, to the naked eye, there seems to be almost no difference.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But the strong can detect the differences with a sweep of their Divine Sense.

    With empty eyes, Sun Wukong walked slowly forward. At this time, his mind was still nk, likely because his inadequate strength had forcefully brought him to the Netherworld, causing damage to the Primordial of Divine Consciousness. If not for a mysterious force protecting him, Sun Wukong would, fearfully, have be an idiot from the spatial traversal.

    However, the current situation isn¡¯t much better, it¡¯s just that he had more than just the basic instinct of a fool.

    Soon, Sun Wukong, who resembled a zombie, encountered a humanoid soul, only this soul had the appearance and body size of a human but with one difference: it had three eyes on its forehead. If Sun Wukong were conscious, he would have been shocked. A third eye on the forehead, Sun Wukong knew no one other than the Eng God with such a feature, could this person be a rtive of the Eng God?

    But unfortunately, at this moment Sun Wukong didn¡¯t even know who he was, so he was even less likely to care whether the person had three eyes or six. Upon seeing this tri-eyed individual, Sun Wukong suddenly let out a roar like a wild beast. His vacant eyes were instantly reced by a blood-red hue.

    Although the tri-eyed person saw Sun Wukong adopt an attacking stance, he didn¡¯t mind. He had been in this ce for a long time and had devoured numerous souls, now being a One Pattern powerhouse. When he first saw Sun Wukong, he used Divine Consciousness Scouting and discovered that Sun Wukong did not even possess Dao Patterns.

    Such a soul hardly aroused any interest in devouring from the tri-eyed person.

    Facing Sun Wukong¡¯s ferocious charge, the tri-eyed person didn¡¯t even bother to counterattack but simply waved his hand, and a powerful Soul Storm swept towards Sun Wukong. "Powerful" in the sense rtive to Sun Wukong. To the tri-eyed person, it was as effortless as swatting a fly in front of us.

    As the Soul Storm was about to hit Sun Wukong, his eyes still crimson, he continued to pounce toward the tri-eyed person,pletely ignoring the oing storm.

    A sneer yed at the corner of the tri-eyed person¡¯s mouth. But that sneer hadn¡¯t faded before it was eternally frozen on his face. Just as the Soul Storm was about to engulf Sun Wukong, a sh of five-colored brilliance suddenly appeared around him, and then the storm abruptly dissipated.

    Then, under the incredulous gaze of the three-eyed person, a stele phantom suddenly appeared out of nowhere and, in the next moment, smashed directly onto the top of the three-eyed person¡¯s head.

    At that time, Sun Wukong also happened to pounce on the three-eyed person. Without any hesitation, Sun Wukong suddenly bowed down and began to tear at the three-eyed person¡¯s soul body with his mouth. With bite after voracious bite, Sun Wukong¡¯s soul aura grew increasingly domineering.

    After Sun Wukongpletely devoured the three-eyed person, his soul aura had surged to the pinnacle of the Saint of the Great Dao. He was just an opportunity away from beginning his next breakthrough.

    However, if it were someone else, consuming the soul of a Half-step Great Path being might not necessarily reach One Pattern, but achieving Dao Transformation would definitely not be a problem. Yet, now Sun Wukong, this freak, had only advanced by one grade, and it was uncertain whether this was fortunate or unfortunate.

    In the Netherworld Realm, there are no limits to cultivation levels. As long as you have the ability to devour enough souls, in principle, you can level up indefinitely. One could even rise to the rank of Nine Patterns Supreme, bing a top-level powerhouse of the Netherworld. That¡¯s also why many souls choose to stay here.

    After the devouring was finished, Sun Wukongy down on the ground and astonishingly fell into a deep sleep right there. Only Sun Wukong could do such a thing; anyone with a bit ofmon sense or consciousness wouldn¡¯t act like this. They would look for a rtively safe ce to rest, unlike Sun Wukong, who would sleep wherever he copsed.

    Fortunately, though, Sun Wukong had been sleeping there for half a day and not a single soul had passed by. Otherwise, he might have been eaten while still in his dreams.

    After a long sleep, Sun Wukong woke up. Upon awakening, he suddenly became stunned. However, after a moment, he began to roll on the ground, holding his head.

    It turned out that after devouring the soul of a One Pattern strong being, Sun Wukong¡¯s damaged Primordial of Divine Consciousness had been slightly repaired. But it was only a very slight repair, enough for Sun Wukong to barely remember that he was called Sun Wukong. Anything else would cause his head to throb with unbearable pain the moment he tried to recall.

    He rolled on the ground for a long time until the pain made him pass out. However, Sun Wukong soon came to. But this time, uponing to, Sun Wukong began to incessantly mutter, "I am Sun Wukong, I am Sun Wukong, I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong."

    He seemed like a madman!

    In this state, Sun Wukong¡¯s primal beast instincts were maximally stimted. Furthermore, the urge to kill and devour within his heart grew even stronger.

    With a roar to the heavens, Sun Wukong began to run on all fours towards the distance. He had sensed the aroma of souls, of souls far more powerful than his own. He needed to devour, to devour more souls.

    The Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, was killed by Chang¡¯er, but his soul did not dissipate. Instead, it came to the Huangquan World of the Six Great Divine Nations. Due to the damage to the Primordial of Divine Consciousness caused by forcibly traversing through space, the current Sun Wukong had be a ferocious beast that knew only battles and devouring.

    In the already brutally violent Netherworld Realm, he began his endless battles!

    (Thanks to the user with no ID who reached silver tier four, here¡¯s an extra chapter as a token of appreciation. Also, any opinions or suggestions are wee for discussion in the group chat or via private message.)

 Chapter 122 - 114: Eachéˆ¥æªš Story

    Just as Sun Wukong was engulfed in endless ughter and devouring, in the infinite void beyond the Pangu Realm, a gamble of life and death was simultaneously ying out.

    The infinite void was a ce that struck fear into the hearts of all who heard of it. If it was rtively closer to one¡¯s own, it might not be too bad, but once it was a little farther away, that void became the most dangerous ce of all.

    Countless spatial torrents and vicious spatial beasts roamed, but the most terrifying of all were the space-time ck holes and the Source of the World. Spatial torrents were like invisible and colorless space forces flowing like rivers. These torrents were undetectable in advance. Only when they had already sliced you into pieces would you possibly realize their existence.

    And only those superpowers possessed something like the Space-Cleaving Shuttle to evade these spatial torrents.

    Spatial beasts were not a single species but a category of creature. These beasts varied in shape and species, but they all shared onemon trait: they could freely traverse space and had the power to manipte it.

    On any given day, these spatial beasts would lurk in the void, choosing their prey.

    As for the space-time ck holes, everyone likely knows about them: those ck maws with endless suction power. Anyone who encountered them had no chance of escape, unless they were extremely powerful or possessed a Divine Artifact capable of counteracting them.

    As for thest, the World Origin, it was the embryonic form of a world soon to take shape. This was a ce of both risk and opportunity. If you were unfortunate or fortunate enough to encounter it, you had two choices. First, look away. Unlike the ck hole, the World Origin wouldn¡¯t actively suck you in, so you could simply pass by without any loss.

    To put it figuratively, the World Origin was like a giant egg, nurturing a new world within.

    Second, you could crack open the eggshell and steal the yolk. That meant trying to enter the World Origin and devour the purest force of the World contained within. However, this approach was extremely dangerous. Because before you entered the World Origin, you could never know what was inside.

    Perhaps you had a Fire Attribute constitution, but the World Origin was an ice world; entering would mean your immediate demise. Although some people were so strong that they could destroy aplete world, they were still no match for the World Origin.

    Your next read is at empire

    That¡¯s because the World Origin represented the highest Cosmic Law of the universe, and no one could contend or conflict with it. Thus, entering the World Origin was a gamble of life and death. Even if you initially gambled right and the World Origin¡¯s Attribute perfectly matched your own, that only ensured you wouldn¡¯t die right away.

    Whether you could absorb such immense power or had sufficient Realm to do so was what truly mattered. Absorbing a World Origin was equivalent to fusing a thread of the supreme Cosmic Law. The Cosmic Law was countless times more powerful than thews of a world. For those who had fused with the Cosmic Law, bing a Supreme ruler was a broad and easy path.

    While others were still striving toprehend and break through their Realms, those who had integrated with the Cosmic Law just needed enough Spiritual Power to advance.

    Therefore, every World Origin was an opportunity to be a Supreme. But precisely because of this, nearly all World Origins were in the hands of the highest rulers. The Six Great Divine Nations, several High-Level worlds¡ªthey were the highest echelon of the cosmos. Not all World Origins could be absorbed; otherwise, the universe would cease to produce new worlds.

    After saying so much, what I want to say is, if you can encounter an uncontrolled World Origin that matches your own Attribute, that is entirely down to luck, incredible luck.

    And now, not far from the Pangu Realm, beside a small ck hole, therey such a faint blue World Origin. Faint blue, which was very likely to be a Water System or Ice System World Origin. If this world were to be born, it would be a massive water globe. However, there is someone in the heart of this World Origin, positioned at its very center.

    It seems that he is refining the Origin Power and perceiving the Cosmic Law. But judging by his furrowed brow and pained expression, this absorption and perception are hardly easy tasks.

    If Sun Wukong or Zhu Bajie were here, they would certainly recognize that the person at the center of the World Origin was none other than their junior brother, the pretty-faced White Dragon!

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Originally, when Sun Wukong was counterattacking Heaven, he was about to im victory when Tathagata unexpectedly intervened¡ªjust as a mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. As a result, Sun Wukong¡¯s near-triumph came to naught.

    It was during that time that the Little White Dragon was captured by a mysterious figure who tore open the fabric of space and hurled him out of the Pangu Realm. Back then, the Little White Dragon¡¯s strength was merely at Emperor Level; being cast out into the Infinite Void was as good as death, and perhaps even worse than dying outright.

    This was probably the reason the person didn¡¯t kill him directly, instead throwing him into the Void. The boundless darkness and oppression were unbearable, practically worse than death. However, whether it was good luck or bad, upon being cast out, Little White Dragon found himself entangled by the gravitational pull of a small ck hole.

    With his Emperor Level strength offering no chance of resistance, he was swept away by the attractive force.

    But just as Little White Dragon closed his eyes and waited for death, he suddenly felt an even stronger force pulling at him. Then, he found himself in a world of icy tundras and snowfields. The cold not only failed to cause pain but instead felt surprisinglyfortable. (This feels incredibly awesome! So refreshing! Hehe, the song suddenly popped into his head.)

    And then, White Dragon passed out. Though he was unconscious, his body continued to absorb and refine the massive Water System Power. It was not so much White Dragon absorbing the power but rather the origin power flowing into him of its own volition.

    The Cosmic Law within the Source of the World was also fusing into White Dragon¡¯s sea of consciousness, gradually being enlightened by him even in his slumber!

    Meanwhile, in the Pangu Realm.

    Zhu Bajie, who had intended to go to the Western Paradise Sacred Mountain to inquire about the whereabouts of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree in order to rescue his master, suddenly felt a jolt of attraction in his heart. This mysterious feeling would vanish when focused on, yet reappear unexpectedly when ignored, carrying with it a powerful urge.

    That urge was to go underground, to keep descending. It seemed as if something deep below was drawing him in. However, for Zhu Bajie, nothing was of more importance than finding the Seven Treasures Exquisite Tree to save his master; everything else paled inparison, not even worth one ten-thousandth of his attention. Shaking his head, he tried to suppress that urge and sensation.

    But before Zhu Bajie had taken more than a few steps, the feeling in his heart intensified, as though something unfortunate would happen if he didn¡¯t follow it. The stronger the urge became, the more Zhu Bajie resisted it. Besides, he thought, with everyone already dead, what could possibly be worse?

    After taking a deep breath and constantly reminiscing about his master, he managed to suppress the feeling a bit more. But just as Zhu Bajie took a step, the urge exploded within him, and he let out an angry roar, his voiceden with frustration and pain. However, once the roar dissipated, Zhu Bajie felt a strange calmness and then shot toward the ground.

    Uponnding, the same feeling continued to guide Zhu Bajie downward. Gritting his teeth, he tore through the earth and flew swiftly downward. It was not until he felt a surge of heat that he realized he was nearing the Earth¡¯s Core.

    At that moment, the urge in his heart burst into a cheer, growing even stronger. Helplessly, Zhu Bajie continued to descend, braving the waves of heat.

    Eventually, Zhu Bajie found himself within the Earth¡¯s Core, surrounded by nine Golden Crows. It was fortunate that the Crows appeared at thest moment; otherwise, he would have been transformed into a roasted pig.

    Within the Earth¡¯s Core, Zhu Bajie found it hard to describe his surroundings, except that he felt an intense heat, with zing white and fiery redva filling his sight. Zhu Bajie believed that even Chang¡¯er would be charred to a crisp if she were here, yet he himself remained unharmed. It seemed that these nine Golden Crows were not so simple.

    As Zhu Bajie marveled, the Golden Crows suddenly began to cry out, their resounding calls as if summoning something. Soon, amidst the Earth¡¯s Core magma, a golden trunk slowly emerged. At first nce, the trunk seemed to have been forged from the purest gold, its shimmering light stupefying Zhu Bajie.

    "The L¨®u S¨¡ng Divine Tree? And a gold one that has been continuously absorbing the heat from the Earth¡¯s Core? My god, I¡¯ve really stumbled upon a treasure!"

    (One update today, okay. Whether there will be a second depends on you all.)

 Chapter 123 - 115 Recovery

    ```

    Perhaps, this is fate.

    The Demon n was severely defeated, and Wukong lost his physical body, leaving only his soul; Tang Sanzang¡¯s physical body died, and his soul was sealed by the Void Transcendence Flower; Sandy¡¯s whereabouts are still unknown; Zhu Bajie was originally gravely injured by Chang¡¯er, but he identally¡ªno, it cannot be called idental¡ªit should be said that under the guidance of the nine Golden Cores within his body, he reached the depths of Earth¡¯s Core and obtained the power of the divine Lasang Wood.

    With its power and the fire of the Earth¡¯s core magma, he refined the nine Sr Divine Elixirs within his body; the White Dragon was drawn away by the source of a world, therebyprehending cosmicws of a higher level than the world itself.

    Misfortune leans on fortune, and fortune lies in misfortune. The wisdom of the ancients always holds its reasons.

    Without delving into how Zhu Bajie and White Dragon painfully yet joyfully absorbed that tremendous power, in the Netherworld Realm where Sun Wukong now resided, he underwent substantial changes as well.

    Ever since that day when he encountered the One-Patterned man with three eyes and sessfully killed and devoured his soul, Sun Wukong¡¯s soul origin was slightly repaired, but it was only enough for him to remember his own name.

    Thereafter, relying on his innate primitive frenzy akin to a wild beast,bined with the miraculous abilities of the World Suppressing Stele and the Five-Colored Divine Stone, Sun Wukong embarked on a path of frenzied ughter and devouring.

    Whoever he encountered, regardless of their strength or race, Sun Wukong would pounce on them. The Five-Colored Divine Stone emitted the Five-Colored Divine Light to bind them, and then the World Suppressing Stele would materialize a phantom to smash down out of thin air. All who were encountered were instantly killed without exception, and then devoured cleanly by Sun Wukong.

    All this proved the extraordinariness of the World Suppressing Stele and the Five-Colored Divine Stone. Although the Five-Colored Divine Stone was found by Nuwa in the Pangu Realm, the facts showed that these two items couldn¡¯t possibly belong to such a small world like the Pangu Realm.

    In the Pangu Realm, the Five-Colored Divine Stone at most taught Sun Wukong a set of Chaotic Five Decisions and perfected his Five Elements Chaotic Body, and could also increase the recovery speed of his spiritual power and injuries when he was hurt.

    However, after reaching the Netherworld Realm, the abilities of the Five-Colored Divine Stone evidently increased significantly, although for now, it only possessed the binding power of the Five-Colored Divine Light. But this definitely was not the full extent of the Five-Colored Divine Stone¡¯s capabilities.

    And after Sun Wukong ceaselessly devoured souls, his strength finally reached that of a One-Patterned powerhouse. It might seem easy for a Dao-patterned strongman to advance at first nce, but this is under the premise of Sun Wukong¡¯s strength, which could instantly kill a Three-Patterned strongman. With no limitations of realms, as long as he continued devouring, he could enhance his power.

    This ce seemed particrly suitable for Sun Wukong.

    When Sun Wukong¡¯s strength was elevated to that of a One-Patterned powerhouse, the eternally dim sky of the Netherworld Realm suddenly filled with countless celestial music. Then, a lightning-like ray of light streaked across the sky and directly entered Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead, into the sea of consciousness!

    The next moment, Sun Wukong burst into a longugh towards the heavens. Afterward, he fell to his knees and wept bitterly, clutching his head. It turns out that when a person¡¯s strength is elevated to a One-Patterned powerhouse, they would receive a baptism from the cosmicw. This baptism also simultaneously repairs all of a person¡¯s injuries, including those of the mind, soul, and physical body.

    Thus when Sun Wukong¡¯s soul origin waspletely restored, he also remembered everything. Heughed facing the sky because heaven did not abandon me; it let my soul reach this miraculous ce. As long as I have not utterly perished, then there is still hope, hope for revenge, hope to return.

    And then he wept bitterly, thinking of those who died for him. Sun Wukong could no longer recall how many people had died for his sake. Especially the Yellow Dragon, the Kirin, and Kunpeng, who stayed behind to fight the puppet and perished with it to give he and hispanions a chance to escape. But they have squandered the opportunity created by their sacrifice.

    Stay updated with empire

    Subsequently, thinking of the unwilling and desperate expressions of the Hun Kun Ancestor and Nuwa Empress before they died, Sun Wukong¡¯s heart was torn with grief. Now, with the most powerful beings of the Demon n all dead, there no longer remained any force in the Pangu Realm that could stop the Taoist Sect!

    Moreover, Chang¡¯er¡ªthinking of her now, it¡¯s certain that Chang¡¯er must have already reached the strength of a Saint of the Great Dao; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to wipe them out with a mere flick of her hand. That feeling of powerlessness and the terror of facing death made Sun Wukong still shudder with residual fear.

    After his sorrow, Sun Wukong leaned against a withered ancient tree, his mind very chaotic for a time. Although he had survived, Sun Wukong could feel that he was only in a state of soul. He had heard that after death, the souls of beings above Saints would go to a ce called the Netherworld Realm, but that was just a legend, and he couldn¡¯t be certain this ce was indeed the Netherworld Realm.

    Moreover, after regaining his memory and consciousness, it was clear that he had be stronger, much stronger, but he had no way of knowing what his current strength or realm was.

    ```

    After much contemtion, the most pressing matter at hand was to quickly find someone familiar with this ce and inquire about it to see exactly where it was and whether there was any way to leave. Otherwise, beingpletely in the dark, there was a fear of being trapped here indefinitely.

    Having rified his next objective, Sun Wukong was no longer so perplexed. He slowly got up, and after stretchingnguidly, he habitually summoned his Jingu Bang, which appeared in his hand. However, Sun Wukong was then taken aback. If he was existing in a soul state, this should be a world for souls. But the Jingu Bang was tangible.

    Seeming somewhat incredulous, Sun Wukong bit down hard on the Jingu Bang and then bit down on his own clothes. And then, Sun Wukong was stunned once again. When he bit the Jingu Bang, it was rather hard on the teeth, but when he bit his clothes, he actually tore a hole in them.

    The thing is, the sensations werepletely different. This left Sun Wukong¡¯s brain in disarray. But soon, another matter urred to him! Inside the world within the Jingu Bang, there were two members of the Demon n at the half-step Great Path realm. If the Jingu Bang was undamaged, then those two should be alright too, right?

    But Sun Wukong hesitated. He was a bit afraid to directly open up that world. He feared that upon opening it, he would be greeted by two corpses. Although the Jingu Bang was intact, Sun Wukong trulycked confidence that the people inside would be unharmed as well. Or perhaps, they were originally fine, but by opening it, they could be turned into souls by somew of this soul world!

    Such an urrence was not impossible.

    After hesitating for a while, Sun Wukong still gave up on the idea. It was better to find someone to ask for information. Otherwise, if his recklessness led to an ident, it would be better off dead.

    At this moment, Sun Wukong suddenly heard someone calling for help in the distance. His heart leapt with joy, as he had been looking for someone to ask for directions. Now, someone wasing right to him. After he saved them, asking questions would surely not be refused.

    With this thought, Sun Wukong hurriedly tried to fly on the clouds, but when he somersaulted into the air, he unexpectedlynded back on the ground. With a helpless pout, Sun Wukong realized that flying might be impossible here, or perhaps it was due to insufficient strength. Since he couldn¡¯t fly, Sun Wukong had no choice but to sprint wildly.

    Once he started running, Sun Wukong was surprised yet again. This time, it was by his own speed. Without even applying his full strength, he was already more than three times faster than before. If he exerted his full force, how terrifying would it be? Even though the gravity in this world seemed much greater than in the Pangu Realm, the increase in speed was still quite evident.

    While slowly getting used to this sudden surge in speed, Sun Wukong carefully discerned the direction from which the cries for help wereing.

    Before long, Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery, golden gaze spotted a figure in the distance that looked very much like a human but had a huge pair of wings on their back, being pinned down by arge stone. Although the person looked a bit odd, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t mind, for even in the Pangu Realm there were many strange spirits and demons; this person¡¯s appearance was quite eptable.

    Picking up his pace once again, Sun Wukong arrived beside the person in a few steps. Without a word, Sun Wukong prepared to push aside the huge rock to rescue the person.

    However, in his eagerness to save someone, Sun Wukong failed to notice the sinister smile curling at the corner of the mouth of the person beneath the stone.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    (Although there was no promotion today, I¡¯m still posting a second chapter. After all, ID and Convex fought very hard. Consider this chapter a reward.)

 Chapter 124 - 116 Xi Zhao

    ```

    Just as Sun Wukong was about to embrace the giant stone, he suddenly heard a voice, "Stop, don¡¯t touch that stone, get back quickly!" Hearing this voice, Wukong was startled and his movements slowed. That split second of hesitation saved his life!

    The person trapped under the stone, upon hearing someone trying to stop his rescue, twisted his already sinister face even more grotesquely. Before Wukong could react, the stone on the victim¡¯s back split apart like the jaws of a primeval beast, revealing an enormous mouth full of countless sharp teeth. The deep green fluid dripping from the teeth left no doubt of their lethal poison.

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    However, the mouth opened too swiftly, and Wukong was far too close, having not taken any precautions. Moreover, the gas exhaled by the giant mouth seemed to have a paralyzing effect on the spirit. Thus, Wukong could only watch in shock as the gaping maw lunged at him.

    When it was almost toote, a shadow suddenly flung itself at Wukong¡¯s side. The figure hurled itself onto Wukong, grabbed his waist, and with a twist avoided the attack of the enormous mouth.

    But the figure¡¯s evasion was barely sessful, and although they avoided the gaping mouth, Wukong and his savior tumbled to the ground in a rather ungainly manner, rolling several times beforeing to a stop.

    After a tackle, a fall, and a roll, Wukong felt the numbness on his body fade away. He quickly got up and helped the person who had saved his life to their feet.

    However, catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, Wukong saw the person who had been under the stone now standing up, carrying the stone on his back and looking ready to leap at him. But by then, Wukong had regained hisposure. He had been caught off guard before, but now, prepared, the situation was different.

    Watching the creature leap high into the air, mouth agape and aimed at him, Wukong snorted coldly, and with a point of his right hand, a shadow of a pitch-ck stele appeared above the attacker¡¯s head and then smashed down with a thunderous crash. Although the stone on the creature¡¯s back seemed incredibly hard, it shattered instantly under the World Suppressing Stele.

    Unprecedentedly, Wukong didn¡¯t devour the creature¡¯s soul for fear that its potent poison would affect him through the soul-devouring process. However, just because Wukong abstained didn¡¯t mean the soul would go to waste. Before his slightly astonished eyes, the stele¡¯s shadow sucked in the creature¡¯s soul like a whale sucking in water.

    First, it drew in three drops of True Blood from the Heavenly Venerate and now it could even absorb souls. This stele was bing increasingly peculiar. But at that moment, Wukong had no time to ponder on the stele, as when he helped his savior up, he noticed a chunk of flesh was missing from the person¡¯s calf, torn away by the teeth of the enormous mouth.

    Wukong now confirmed his suspicions about the lethal poison in the giant mouth; within a short period, the entire leg had turned a deep green. Although he knew the man was poisoned, Wukong realised he neither knew how to detoxify poison nor how to heal others!

    In his desperation, Wukong had no choice but to take out the Five-Colored Divine Stone and the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree to continuously shine on and cleanse the wounded man¡¯s body. Although unsure of the effect, he couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch the man be poisoned to death.

    Fortunately, with the help of these two divine treasures, the severe poison in the man¡¯s leg began to dissipate slowly. Seeing this, Wukong couldn¡¯t help but feel a shudder of terror. It seemed that at times, the World Suppressing Stele would not protect its master autonomously, especially when hecked any intent to fight. Even if suddenly attacked, the stele might not appear to assist him.

    And this time, he had met a kind soul who saved his life, and he just happened to have the means to counteract the poison. But what about next time? Would he still be so lucky?

    With a sigh of relief, Wukong admitted to himself that he had been too careless. His past enemies, regardless of their race, could not withstand a single strike from the World Suppressing Stele, which had led him to subconsciously underestimate the Netherworld Realm. This experience served as a stark reminder that he had greatly underestimated the dangers of the Netherworld World.

    After cautioning himself to be more vignt in the future, Wukong noticed that the person he had saved was beginning to regain consciousness, though still looking somewhat dizzy from the poison.

    "Thank you for saving my life; I, Sun Wukong, am immensely grateful." Not knowing how else to address his rescuer, Wukong simply referred to him as a fellow Daoist.

    ```

    "Uh, it¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing, we¡¯re all from the Human n; helping each other out is the right thing to do. Was it you who helped drive the poison away from me just now?" Shaking his head to clear it, the man then stood up with the support of Sun Wukong.

    "Yes, luckily my Magic Treasure just happened to be able to drive away the poison, otherwise, I would really feel terribly guilty."

    "Haha, that¡¯s really fortunate, I saved your life, and you saved mine. Now we¡¯re even. My name is Xi Zhao, may I ask how you are called, fellow daoist?"

    "Sure thing, my name is Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong!"

    Having exchanged names, and because both had saved each other¡¯s lives, they quickly became familiar with each other. At that time, Xi Zhao also told Sun Wukong that the thing from before was called a Negative Stone Poison Man, and it wasn¡¯t from the Human n. That thing on its back that looked like a giant rock was actually that creature¡¯s mouth.

    Usually, the Negative Stone Poison Man wouldy on the ground, pretending to be pinned under arge rock to deceive those uninformed passers-by. Once someone approached or touched the rock, it would emit a poisonous gas that could paralyze a person¡¯s spirit, and then the rock would open its mouth to devour the neer.

    However, generally, those who had stayed in the Netherworld Realm for some time all knew about this creature. So, it could only trick neers who also happened to be kind-hearted people.

    After listening to Xi Zhao¡¯s exnation, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The Netherworld World truly wasn¡¯t a simple ce. Afterward, Sun Wukong asked some basic questions and expressed his doubts, especially about how to leave this ce.

    It seemed that Xi Zhao had been living here for a long time and had all the answers to Sun Wukong¡¯s questions, providing them in great detail. He especially exined the three methods of survival in the Netherworld Realm and the ways to leave it.

    When Xi Zhao finished speaking, Sun Wukong fell into deep silence. It seemed that his initial guess hadn¡¯t been wrong; this indeed was the mysterious Netherworld Realm. Moreover, it was possible to leave, even though the method was certainly very difficult. Still, Sun Wukong was determined to try it, for there were too many things in the Pangu Realm worth being concerned about.

    What delighted Sun Wukong was that Nuwa, Hun Kun, and the others should be in the Lesser Netherworld, that Intermediate World affiliated with the Netherworld Realm.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong suddenly remembered he still had two people inside his Jingu Bang, so he quickly shared the situation. However, after hearing this, Xi Zhao also fell silent for a moment. It seemed he was trying hard to think but came up with no solution.

    "I¡¯m not too clear about this sort of situation. After all, this is the world of spirits, and it¡¯s unprecedented for living people to enter. So you better wait and ask otherster. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, your two friends could be in great danger.

    Moreover, your situation is also very special, to have died and yet be able to bring your weapon and Magic Treasure with you to the Netherworld Realm is truly strange."

    Although Sun Wukong also felt that his situation was very special, neither of them could think of a reason why. However, after their conversation, they discovered that their goals were very aligned¡ªto strengthen themselves, undergo the final trial, and strive to leave this ce. Although Sun Wukong didn¡¯t ask, he could sense that Xi Zhao must also have his ownmitments and story.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Having amon goal, it was fitting for them to travel together. In the perilously dangerous Netherworld Realm, having a trustworthy friend is always a good thing. Moreover, Xi Zhao was not weak; he had the strength of a Three Patterns warrior. Sun Wukong learned about using Dao Patterns to distinguish levels of strength from Xi Zhao.

    ording to Xi Zhao¡¯s exnation, each Dao Pattern signified a cosmic Law. Thus, the gap between different levels of strength was extremely vast. Sun Wukong, however, was a bit skeptical about this statement. He thought to himself that the people he had fought before were much stronger than him, probably having at least Two or Three Patterns.

    If Xi Zhao knew about this, it would surely startle him. The ability to defeat someone stronger than oneself was definitely freakish.

 Chapter 125 - 117: The Strong One

    It turned out that traveling together in dangerous ces was definitely the right choice. For it was as Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were making their way towards the nearest city in Xi Zhao¡¯s memory that Sun Wukong finally encountered a powerful opponent he had never faced before¡ªa four-pattern Martial Saint.

    Xi Zhao told Sun Wukong that the reason he hadn¡¯t encountered any exceedingly powerful enemies was because he had always been wandering the periphery. The Netherworld Realm boasted one hundred and eighteen cities, with the spiritual strength of souls stronger the closer one was to a city. And those qualified to live within the cities were all strong beings with at least four patterns.

    The city lords themselves were six-pattern Saint Level powerhouses.

    Of these one hundred and eighteen cities, one hundred and eight were Outer Cities, spread throughout the Netherworld World. And at the center of the Netherworld World were ten Inner Cities. The Outer City lords were upgraded to seven-patterns, while the Inner City lords were Nine Patterns Supreme!

    At the same time, Sun Wukong also learned from Xi Zhao about a more detailed division of strength. Those below Dao patterns were considered the lowest level of existence in the Netherworld Realm, the natives, typically responsible for all menial tasks.

    From one to three patterns, they were Warrior Level fighters. Unless they had extremely powerful backers and connections, they were not allowed to enter any city.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    From four to six patterns, they were at Saint Level. They had the freedom to enter and exit all Outer Cities and could enjoy all the resources within these cities, though they had to pay a certain price. This echelon was already the backbone of the Netherworld World.

    From seven to nine patterns, they were Supreme beings. They were the top-level existences of this world, the highest level of the food chain. They had the right to enter and exit the ten Inner Cities! And most importantly, they had the right to apply to leave this world.

    As long as they passed a certain threshold orpleted the ultimate trial, they could receive a body of their own making and leave this world!

    Thus, this world was one with a strict hierarchy and survival of the fittest, no different from any other normal material world, except that everyone was a Soul Body.

    ording to Xi Zhao, Sun Wukong was currently at the Warrior Level with one pattern because Sun Wukong had hardly taken any action, so it was difficult to ssify Sun Wukong¡¯s upation. Xi Zhao, meanwhile, was a three-pattern Ice Attribute Samurai whose weapon was the Supreme Divine Artifact, Formless Vanishing.

    (Formless Vanishing consisted of two deep blue semicircr ring-shaped weapons, each with a blue cold dragon¡¯s head at the center, and the ring des were exceptionally sharp. Every swing released countless shes of blue cold light.)

    Yet even so, facing a four-pattern upgraded powerhouse, Xi Zhao still felt immense pressure. Although there was only a one-pattern difference between three and four patterns, the disparity in strength was as vast as heaven and earth. Sun Wukong, too, felt the same shocking deterrence.

    This feeling was one he had only experienced when he was a Half-step Great Dao and faced Chang¡¯er, the Saint of the Great Dao, though it still couldn¡¯tpare to the current situation.

    As if facing a formidable enemy, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao stared intently at the person before them, not daring to make the slightest move.

    This four-pattern Saint held an ancient-looking Treasured Sword in his left hand, but the sword was still sheathed in its scabbard. Although the sword had not been drawn, both were still shocked by the murderous aura; this sword was definitely a Ferocious Sword of exceptional kind.

    But what truly shocked Sun Wukong was not the Treasured Sword in the man¡¯s hand, but the fact that this man also had a third eye on his forehead¡ªonly it was closed!

    Another three-eyed freak? Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit uneasy. After observing the man more closely, he began to feel that something wasn¡¯t quite right, and suddenly, a thought shed through his mind.

    The man¡¯s clothes were the same as those worn by the three-eyed person Sun Wukong had killed a few days earlier! Could it be that this person hade for revenge? While guessing, the four-pattern Martial Saint suddenly spoke, "Just a one-pattern Samurai? But his weapon is of a material form? Strange indeed, no wonder he was able to kill my nephew. Boy, do you know whom you¡¯ve provoked?"

    Although it seemed like he was talking to himself, thatst question was aimed at Sun Wukong. Instantly, Sun Wukong felt a rush of rm¡ªclearly, this man hade for revenge. It looked like today would be another battle for life and death.

    Without replying to the man, Sun Wukong quickly turned to Xi Zhao and said, "Brother Xi Zhao, you should go. I killed this man¡¯s nephew, and I¡¯m afraid things won¡¯t end well today. However, this has nothing to do with you, you should go!"

    "Wukong brother, it¡¯s impossible to leave today. Let¡¯s fight!" Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xi Zhao replied.

    "Hmph, neither of you will escape today. How could he, a mere one-pattern Samurai, kill my nephew? It must have been you assisting him. Today, you will learn what it means to repay a blood debt with blood!"

    The Three-eyed Martial Saint didn¡¯t waste any more words. He switched the Treasured Sword to his right hand, and without even drawing it from the scabbard, he thrust it directly at Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao. It was just one sword thrust, but to Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, it seemed like it was aimed at each of them.

    What¡¯s more, the three-eyed man¡¯s speed was incredibly fast. Just as Sun Wukong saw him blur, the man was already before him. In his panic, Sun Wukong managed to lift his Jingu Bang upright in defense, while Xi Zhao also crossed his Twin Rings in front of him, likewise blocking the sword thrust.

    The three-eyed man seemed somewhat surprised that his sword strike hadn¡¯t injured the two of them. With a flick of his wrist, the treasure sword twisted, and suddenly, the sword scabbard shot out towards Xi Zhao. Subsequently, Sun Wukong saw a fine blood-red sword stabbing toward him again, its de shrouded with misty vital energy that had transformed into a blood dragon clinging to the sword.

    "Condense Frost Armor," Xi Zhao bellowed in a low voice, and suddenly a pale blue Ice Armor appeared in front of him. The charging scabbard struck the Ice Armor, halting briefly, but did not stop, shattering the Ice Armor and continuing towards Xi Zhao.

    With the momentary dy provided by the Ice Armor, Xi Zhao was prepared and with a misstep, his figure evaded the scabbard, then with the Formless Vanishing in hand, he delivered a fierce blow to the side of the scabbard.

    After the strike, ayer of frost covered the scabbard before it fell to the ground. Having dealt with the scabbard, Xi Zhao hurriedly looked over to Sun Wukong, and nearly let out a cry of surprise with what he saw.

    To his astonishment, the sword thrust by the Three-eyed Martial Saint had been blocked by one end of Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang. Since the Jingu Bang was a material weapon, it had a certain resistance to the weapons of the Netherworld World. Thus, the confident strike from the Three-eyed Martial Saint hadnded on the Jingu Bang; however, this did not mean that Sun Wukong was out of danger.

    The bulging veins on Sun Wukong¡¯s arms and the sparks shooting from the Jingu Bang indicated he was far from rxed.

    Seeing an opportunity, Xi Zhao rapidly moved around, his feet tracing an incredibly strange pattern as he instantly appeared behind the Saint of the Three-eyed n.

    "Ice and Frost Condensation," he shouted, and suddenly a st of intense cold light erupted from the Twin Rings, quickly enveloping the Three-eyed Martial Saint inside.

    At that moment, Xi Zhao¡¯s figure disappeared from sight. While Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know what technique Xi Zhao had used, he saw the Martial Saint getting encased in ice. Seizing the chance, Sun Wukong leaped backwards, retreating, and with a point of his right hand, a pitch-ck stele appeared in the void above the Three-eyed Martial Saint¡¯s head.

    However, just as the anger-filled shout rang out, the Three-eyed Martial Saint had already broken free from the ice. Following that was a sword sh; initially, Sun Wukong thought the man had lost his senses in anger, slicing at the empty air.

    However, Sun Wukong then heard a muffled grunt and saw blood spurting out from nowhere, realizing that the three-eyed man must have seen through Xi Zhao¡¯s invisibility.

    "Humph, daring to y such tricks in front of my Three-eyed n, courting death."

    Having injured Xi Zhao with a sword, the Three-eyed Martial Saint suddenly looked up in shock, to see a pitch-ck stele rapidly growingrger in his field of vision.

    "Huh? This stele?"

    Still bewildered, the stele had alreadye crashing down. But, at thest moment, it seemed as though the three-eyed man recognised something and hurriedly swung his sword above his head to block the falling stele.

    The previously unstoppable stele had now met its match and was blocked by the Blood Sword wielded by the Three-eyed Martial Saint. This also showed the formidable strength of a Four Patterns Saint.

    But before the Three-eyed Martial Saint had a chance to closely examine the stele, he suddenly felt a numbing sensation all over his body. While he was still registering the numbness, a huge sky-blue circr weapon cleaved the Three-eyed Martial Saint in two in an instant!

    With an expression of disbelief, the Martial Saint¡¯s body split into two, and then was crushed by the Heavenly Stele from above.

    The Four Patterns Saint, fallen!

    As the three-eyed man perished, Xi Zhao emerged from the void, his face deathly pale. Seeing Xi Zhao, Sun Wukong hurried over. On closer look, Sun Wukong inhaled sharply. Xi Zhao¡¯s waist bore a massive wound that almost bisected two-thirds of his body. Had the cut been any deeper, Xi Zhao might have been cleaved in half.

    Seeing Xi Zhao unconscious, Sun Wukong felt a surge of grief. But then, recalling something, he quickly summoned both the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree and the Five-Colored Divine Stone. Without hesitation, he directed the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree to envelop the bifurcated three-eyed man with a twelve-color divine light.

    Afterward, the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree began refining the enormous soul power of the three-eyed man and, through the Five-Colored Divine Stone, infused it into Xi Zhao¡¯s body.

    Watching the wounds gradually heal, Sun Wukong breathed a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 126 - 118 Leveling Up by Fighting Monsters

    It had been about three Chinese hours since they arrived, and because there was no specific measure of time here, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know exactly when it was. However, during this time, Xi Zhao had already absorbed the entire soul of the Three-eyed Martial Saint.

    After thest bit of the soul passed through the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree and the Five-Colored Divine Stone and was absorbed by Xi Zhao, the quantitative change finally triggered a qualitative change, and the enormous soul power of a Four Patterns Martial Saint allowed Xi Zhao to advance.

    Following the descent of a Cosmic Law, Xi Zhao finally woke up. Upon waking, the first thing Xi Zhao did was to close his eyes once again, sit cross-legged on the ground, and begin toprehend the hint of Cosmic Law he just received.

    Previously, Sun Wukong had heard from Xi Zhao that each pattern represented a Cosmic Law. One mustprehend thisw as soon as they level up. Those with highprehension could fully grasp it, while those with poorprehension could only understand a part of it, resulting in a waste of thew. This was also why, within the same realm, some were vastly more powerful than others.

    As he watched Xi Zhao earnestlyprehend thew, Sun Wukong felt dejected. Because when he advanced to the rank of One Pattern, he was in a frenzied state and had no idea aboutprehending anyw at all. Moreover, when heter tried to sense it after hearing Xi Zhao describe it, he got nothing. It seemed that his first encounter with the Cosmic Law had been for naught.

    This was truly a tragedy, and theter in life it unfolded, the more apparent it became. Others, even those with lesser talents, could at least grasp some of it, but his own firstw had vanishedpletely. This meant that even if he reached the peak and became a Nine Patterns Supreme, he would always know one lessw than others.

    Every time he thought about this, Sun Wukong was filled with extraordinary sorrow; it was clearly a congenital defect. Because of this, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know how many times he had secretly cursed the Heavens.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Mired in grief, Sun Wukong took out the World Suppressing Stele and carefully observed it. Today¡¯s battle had been quite shocking for Sun Wukong. It seemed even the World Suppressing Stele was not invincible; if it could be withstood by Four Patterns, then what of Six Patterns or Seven Patterns? Could they blow away the Stele with a single sneeze?

    Before Sun Wukong could think any further, Xi Zhao had already woken up again.

    "How are you feeling? No serious issues, I hope?" Sun Wukong hurriedly turned and asked, in truth, he was unwilling to see someone else die.

    "I feel great. The soul body has this advantage; as long as the soul hasn¡¯tpletely dissipated, no matter how severe the injury, one can recover by absorbing souls. And now, I am a Four Patterns Martial Saint. By the way, I have to thank you for this; I owe you my life!"

    "Heh heh heh, don¡¯t mention it. Next time when your humble Sun is struck down, it¡¯ll be your turn to save me, haha."

    The two shared a smile once again, then Sun Wukong suddenly asked, "Friend Xi Zhao, which Cosmic Law did youprehend this time? As you know, I¡¯ve lost one, so I¡¯m still quite unfamiliar with them."

    "When I was at One Pattern, I mastered the Ice Law; at Two Patterns, it was the Frost Law; at Three Patterns, the Stealth Law, and just now, Iprehended the Explosion Law! It¡¯s just that my grasp on the Stealth Law and Explosion Law is still very limited."

    "No worries, no worries, you are still far stronger than me. By the way, now that you are at Four Patterns, does that mean we can enter the city?"

    "Of course we can. But when we enter the cityter, I¡¯ll say you¡¯re my servant, otherwise you won¡¯t be able to get in due to your low level."

    "Okay, okay, let¡¯s hurry along!"

    Curious about new things, Sun Wukong was very interested. What exactly would the city that Xi Zhao mentioned, which only Four Patterns Saints could enter, look like?

    With anticipation, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao set off again. Although Xi Zhao had only possessed the strength of Three Patterns before, he had gained a certain understanding of the Netherworld World, so he was rtively familiar with the locations of the one hundred and eight Outer Cities.

    Thus, leading Sun Wukong along quickly, they finally arrived at the gates of a city before dark. Here it must be mentioned that the Netherworld World has both day and night. The daytime there has no sun and the sky is yellowish; as for the night, it is utter darkness without stars or moon.

    Just as Sun Wukong was excitedly preparing to enter the city, Xi Zhao suddenly grabbed him. Not only did they not enter immediately, but they also started running in the opposite direction. Sun Wukong was puzzled but nheless followed Xi Zhao. They ran for a full three Chinese hours.

    "Xi Zhao buddy, what are we running for? The city gates were right there; why did we suddenly run away?"

    After catching his breath, Xi Zhao looked around. It was nowpletely dark. "That city just now, we can¡¯t enter it. You¡¯re new here and unfamiliar with this ce, and I only knew there was a city, but I had somewhat forgotten what city it was. However, when I saw the emblem on the city gate, I remembered ¨C that city belongs to the Three-eyed n. If we entered, wouldn¡¯t that be asking for death?"

    Hearing Xi Zhao¡¯s exnation, Sun Wukong did recall the emblem with three eyes on the city gate tower. Thankfully, otherwise, if they had entered and discovered that he had killed their people, they would indeed be on a suicide mission.

    Taking a moment to breathe, Xi Zhao continued, "Let¡¯s rest here for tonight. The nights in the Netherworld World are too dark, and many Soul Beasts emerge. It¡¯s very dangerous."

    ```

    "What can soul beasts do?"

    "Soul beasts are ferocious creatures from the Netherworld World that feed on souls. Each soul beast possesses a unique ability that can directly harm the soul, and most soul beasts are social animals. If you encounter them at night, the odds are against you."

    Sun Wukong knew that encountering a pack of wild beasts was a particrly tricky matter. Since flying was not an option here, it was best to find a safe ce and wait until dawn to continue on."

    So, with the help of the light from Sun Wukong¡¯s Five-Colored Divine Stone, the two of them found a recess on a hill, where Xi Zhao ced his two rings outside the recess, turning them into a huge ice shield.

    Neither of them spoke anymore, each sitting in meditation to recover and contemte.

    During this period, both of them woke up several times. Once, they felt some trembling on the ground and peeked out to find dozens of soul beasts, asrge as mammoths, stampeding at the other end of the hill. However, since the beasts were not headed their way, they decided not to meddle in the affairs of others and paid no further attention to them.

    The second time they were awakened by the sound of fighting. Judging by the pressure emanating from the sh, the twobatants definitely possessed the strength of Five Patterns, or even stronger. Such a level of power was beyond what Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao could contend with. Fortunately, the fighters did not discover, or rather, did not care about Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao.

    But as the fighters left, one of them suddenly unleashed a terrifying sword qi, shaving t the hillock where Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were hiding¡ªas a warning. Explore more adventures at empire

    Thest time they awoke was because dawn had broken!

    They exchanged a nce and shook their heads helplessly. After the two scares fromst night, both realized that their strength was toocking. Especially Sun Wukong, whose One Pattern strength put him at the very bottom of the food chain in this world, without any right to speak. Although Xi Zhao was a Four Patterns Martial Saint, his situation wasn¡¯t much better.

    So, at the break of dawn, the two rose at the same time, and both had the same thought: to increase their strength. Otherwise, with their current power, not to mention searching for other cities, even if they found one, what could they do? Without strength, they would be nothing more thanmbs to the ughter wherever they went.

    Moreover, Xi Zhao knew that the distances between different cities were extremely vast. Without the protection of a powerful escort, given their own strength, they likely wouldn¡¯t survive for long. Xi Zhao had always been active around another city and knew that arge military deployment from that city had recently urred.

    He had simply followed their army and made his way to the vicinity of the Three-Eyed City.

    Therefore, the two decided to find a way to enhance their strength first and then search for the next city once Xi Zhao reached Five Patterns or Sun Wukong achieved Four Patterns.

    With their decision made, the two no longer hurried on their way. Instead, they cautiously advanced toward a densely grown forest in the distance. There were three ways to rapidly increase strength: the first was to kill others and absorb souls; the second was to hunt soul beasts and absorb Soul Beads; the third was to find Heaven and Earth Treasures to consume and thereby increase strength.

    Of these three methods, the first was too risky¡ªif they encountered someone too powerful, they would probably end up as someone else¡¯s prey. The chance of finding the third was too small, so the only option left was to hunt soul beasts.

    Thus, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao headed for the lush forest in the distance.

    There¡¯s a saying that when traveling in the wild, you should avoid the woods. But there¡¯s also a saying that fortune favors the bold. For the sake of wealth and status, they had to take risks.

    That being said, both Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong had great confidence in their own strength. They believed that as long as they worked together, even if they encountered a Five Patterns powerhouse, they could still put up a fight, and with some luck, they might even emerge victorious.

    After their mad dash, they had entered the forest. And that¡¯s when the soul beasts inside found themselves in trouble.

    This was no nameless forest. On the contrary, it was well-known to the people of the Three-Eyed City, for the forest was somewhat special. Both the flora and fauna inside were neatly divided into three distinct parts, each living in order.

    If the forest werepared to a circle, the outermost part of the circle would contain soul beasts with One to Three Patterns. The central part would consist of Four to Six Patterns, and the core area would be home to Seven to Nine Patterns. Moreover, the soul beasts in these three areas had strict territorial restrictions.

    You would never find a Four Patterns or higher soul beast in the outer area, and so on.

    So when Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong entered this forest, it was like wolves amongst a flock of sheep, especially for Sun Wukong, who wielded the World Suppressing Stele. No matter which soul beast it was, all were killed in one hit.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong also discovered that the World Suppressing Stele had the power to instantly kill any beast with less than Four Patterns. It would be quite difficult to do the same to Four Patterns beasts; if they were prepared, they couldpletely withstand the attack.

    However, in the outer area of the forest, Sun Wukong was having the time of his life. He felt as if he had the world at his fingertips with the stele in his hand! (Sun Wukong was probably the first person to ever use the World Suppressing Stele as a brick.)

    ```

 Chapter 127 - 119: Strength Enhancement

    So it went that Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao cut through their path as if slicing through melons and vegetables. Finally, after three days, an open space appeared before them. The clearing abruptly opened up, measuring roughly fifty meters across, with the dense forest resuming beyond.

    It was quite startling toe upon such a space after walking through the lush jungle, and anyone would have been taken aback.

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    "When things are out of the ordinary, there must be demons about," the saying goes, so the two of them didn¡¯t rashly step onto the clearing but instead walked along the edge of the forest. As they continued, they realized they were walking in circles. It turned out that the clearing was actually a round ring.

    As they walked, suddenly a small hill made of stacked stones appeared before them. The two hurried over and found a stone stele standing in front of the hillock. Inscribed upon the stele were words in manynguages.

    Among them, Sun Wukong recognized the Chinese characters: Central region, no entry below Four Patterns, enter at your own peril.

    Seeing these words, Xi Zhao understood. No wonder the strongest soul beast they had encountered in three days was only of Three Patterns. It turns out this forest was so peculiar. Apparently, this vacant area was meant to help those entering the forest discern the different regions. It was better not to wander about without the requisite strength.

    After sharing his spections with Sun Wukong, who sneered and resolutely strode forward without hesitation.

    "Hey, what are you doing? Inside, there may be powerful soul beasts of Five or even Six Patterns."

    "Hehe, I, Old Sun, love a thrill. Are youing or not? If you¡¯re not, I¡¯m going ahead on my own."

    Xi Zhao saw that although Sun Wukong wore a smile, his eyes were determined, and the soul beasts in the outer region were indeed too weak; even after absorbing them, they were of little use. Sighing, with a face full of helplessness, he followed Sun Wukong toward the central region.

    No sooner had they stepped into the central region than both felt a pressure. If the soul beasts in the peripheral area were littlembs, then those in the central region were certainly fierce, big grey wolves. The pressure caused even Sun Wukong to be cautious, and together, they explored forward warily.

    Not knowing exactly which level of soul beast would appear in the central region, but the lowest should be of Four Patterns; thus, they did not venture too deep, instead searching for soul beasts near the edge of the clearing.

    Soon, they encountered their first Five Patterns soul beast, a colorful fierce tiger with wings. Though they both suffered injuries, their skilled teamwork enabled them to kill the beast with more excitement than danger, and they each absorbed half of the tiger¡¯s spirit.

    Then, for a full fifteen days, they hunted soul beasts almost without rest, absorbing them. Meanwhile, they moved from the initial edge of the forest gradually deeper into its heart.

    In the beginning, they barely managed to kill Five Patterns soul beasts together, but after Sun Wukong advanced to a Two Patterns warrior and grasped the Momentum Value Law, the Five Patterns beasts were no longer a match for him.

    After killing several Five Patterns soul beasts with minor injuries, the two of them, grinning wickedly, cornered a Six Patterns Sombre Water Crocodile.

    However, they underestimated the strength of a Six Patterns soul beast. At first, onnd, the Sombre Water Crocodile was no match for the two of them, taking a beating as they attacked it in turns. But after Sun Wukong carelessly let the crocodile escape into a deepke, and they both impulsively jumped in after it, the tables turned immediately.

    The Sombre Water Crocodile, which had been fleeing for its life, suddenly unleashed enormous strength, its speed more than doubling. As the crocodile twisted, their attacks missed, and it even manipted theke water to condense numerous water element crocodiles, each with the strength of a Three Patterns soul beast.

    In their rage, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao soon sustained serious injuries. The sheer number of fierce water element crocodiles in the water and their ferocity made it so. Seeing that they would likely be dinner for the Sombre Water Crocodile if this continued, the two decided to make for the shore first. But the moment Xi Zhao turned around, a sharp pain shot through his buttock.

    Looking back in shock, he found a tiny crocodiletched onto his bottom!

    Both Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were stunned at this sight. However, Sun Wukong then burst into loudughter, even forgetting to swim to the shore, while Xi Zhao was visibly enraged.

    As Sun Wukongughed and swam toward the bank, he suddenly shivered. In the next moment, he realized the air temperature around him had plunged. A thought crossed his mind, but he only managed to shout, "Brother Xi Zhao, wait...," before he turned into an ice sculpture.

    But that was not the end of it. Amidst Xi Zhao¡¯s angry roars, the entire deepke bespletely frozen over, turning into a huge block of ice, or more aptly put, an inverted ice mountain!

    ```

    Having done all that, Xi Zhao seemed particrly gratified; then he practically crawled over the icy surface to Sun Wukong¡¯s side, "For making fun of me, freeze to death." With that, he jabbed with his right hand, and then his whole body thudded onto the ground.

    After being poked by Xi Zhao, the ice sculpture that Sun Wukong had be suddenly showed cracks, and then as Sun Wukong muttered something iprehensible, he burst out of the ice.

    Instantly standing on the ice, Sun Wukong looked incredibly annoyed. "Stingy person, I onlyughed at you a bit and you went and froze me, nearly to death at that. Hmph, serves you right for getting bitten on the butt. Once I¡¯m done with that crocodile, I¡¯ming to settle the score with you."

    Without paying any more attention to Xi Zhao lying on the ice, Sun Wukong held the World Suppressing Stele in one hand and walked over to the half-submerged crocodile. After delivering a fierce kick, Sun Wukong flexed his legs and then leaped high into the air, bringing down the World Suppressing Stele he was holding with all his might.

    With the sound of the ice shattering, the crocodile was smashed in two by the Heavenly Stele. Then Sun Wukongnded, stowed away the World Suppressing Stele, and with one hand holding the crocodile¡¯s tail and the other its head, he dragged the creature onto the ice.

    "Since you went overboard exerting yourself, the Soul Bead is yours; I¡¯ll take the crocodile. Hey, this is the first time I¡¯ll be eating a frozen spirit."

    After saying this, he reached into the crocodile¡¯s head and pulled out a fist-sized pale blue bead. Then, summoning the Five-Colored Divine Stone, he began the refinement of the crocodile¡¯s corpse and started to absorb its soul.

    Just as Sun Wukong finished absorbing the crocodile¡¯s soul, Xi Zhao awoke. However, when Sun Wukong turned to greet Xi Zhao with a few words, he suddenly noticed that Xi Zhao¡¯s strength had actually decreased. After the frenzied absorption before, Xi Zhao had reached the peak of Four Patterns and was on the verge of breaking into Five Patterns.

    But now, his cultivation had regressed to the level of someone just entering Four Patterns. It looked as if he had just broken into Four Patterns.

    "There¡¯s no need to be so surprised; did you think unleashing such a powerful move wouldn¡¯te with a price? Luckily, I had already reached the peak of Four Patterns before. Otherwise, I¡¯d surely have dropped to Three Patterns."

    Hearing Xi Zhao say this, Sun Wukong also came to terms with it. If such a terrifying move came without any cost, it would be far too frightening. Six Patterns Soul Beasts could be instantly frozen; if it weren¡¯t for a little special care towards himself, he¡¯d probably be dead by now.

    When he found Xi Zhao fainted earlier, Sun Wukong had used his Divine Consciousness Scouting and realized it was due to excessive energy consumption. He¡¯d known Xi Zhao would wake up soon, which is why he went to kill the crocodile and absorb its soul. Although Xi Zhao had almost dropped an entire level of cultivation, Sun Wukong was still a bit shocked.

    Ignoring Sun Wukong¡¯s expression, Xi Zhao slowly got up and flexed his hands and feet.

    "Next up, hurry and eat up, crocodile eggs, haha."

    He caught the Soul Bead that Sun Wukong tossed to him and sat down once again to start absorbing the energy from the surroundings.

    Thus, after their battle with the Six Patterns Crocodile, both men realized their strength was still insufficient. After absorbing the crocodile¡¯s Soul Bead, Xi Zhao had only managed to reach the peak of Four Patterns, still failing to break through to Five Patterns.

    So, they stopped being arrogant and picking fights with Six Patterns Soul Beasts, instead, specifically targeting solitary Five Patterns Soul Beasts to hunt and kill.

    That¡¯s how it yed out: they¡¯d hide from anything above Six Patterns and kill anything below.

    The two of them continued hunting and devouring tirelessly in this forest. Finally, after a month, Sun Wukong reached the peak of Four Patterns, while Xi Zhao reached the peak of Five Patterns. With their newfound strength, the hearts of Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were once again set aze.

    Perhaps it was time to hunt Six Patterns Soul Beasts.

    They delved deeper again, and another month passed. In that month, the two of them worked together to kill sixteen Six Patterns Soul Beasts and twenty-three Five Patterns Soul Beasts.

    Sun Wukong¡¯s strength had advanced to the mid-level of Five Patterns, while Xi Zhao had reached the mid-level of Six Patterns.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Therefore, today, the two of them prepared to take on the strongest existence in the central region, the Seven Patterns Soul Beast! (Second update, student ¡¯no ID¡¯ is awesome. Also, we¡¯re currently in a transition phase, so for those not satisfied with the plot, please bear with me.)

    ```

 Chapter 128 - 120 First Encounter with an Eight Patterns Soul Beast!

    However, before proceeding, the two needed a good rest. After several months of frenzied killing, both had be somewhat numb. Yet all this was worthwhile. In Xi Zhao¡¯s words, the increase in strength over the past few months exceeded his years of effort. It was three years ago that Xi Zhao arrived in the Netherworld Realm.

    At that time, he was a One Pattern Samurai, living a life of concealment and caution for three years to finally advance to the Three Patterns realm. But after meeting Sun Wukong, he ascended three patterns in just a few months, reaching the current Six Patterns Martial Saint.

    And now, he was about to challenge a Seven Patterns Supreme! Seven Patterns, that was the level of the top warriors of this world.

    Just as Sun Wukong was also marveling at how easily one¡¯s strength could be enhanced in this world, Xi Zhao suddenly said to Sun Wukong with a serious face, "Monkey, we have be knownpanions now, so there is something I must tell you."

    Seeing Xi Zhao¡¯s sudden serious expression, Sun Wukong put away his yful demeanor as well. "Okay, go ahead, I¡¯m listening."

    After pausing for a moment, Xi Zhao took a deep breath and changed the subject, "The stele you have been using, is it called the World Suppressing Stele?"

    Sun Wukong did not expect Xi Zhao to bring up this question first and was also quite surprised. He had thought that only people from the Pangu Realm would recognize the World Suppressing Stele, so he had used it without any worries aftering here. But today, Xi Zhao recognized the stele as well, suggesting that the origin of this stele was far from simple.

    With a gesture, the World Suppressing Stele appeared, but now, without the need tobat enemies, the stele was only about one meter tall. cing the World Suppressing Stele in front of him, Xi Zhao took another careful look and said, "Indeed, this is the World Suppressing Stele. And this one of yours should be number three, right?"

    Sun Wukong nodded. When he first saw the stele, Sun Wukong noticed the front inscribed with: World Suppressing Stele, Wastnd Soil number three. The backside featured the Demon n¡¯s Great Formation of the Stars. However, Sun Wukong had never had the time toprehend this formation. Otherwise, his strength would definitely be greater than it is now.

    After receiving Sun Wukong¡¯s confirmation, Xi Zhao suddenly sighed softly. In that sigh, Sun Wukong could feel a boundless sense of destion and nostalgia.

    "Xi Zhao? What¡¯s with the stele? I only know that in my original world, many were fighting over this stele. But besides being powerful, I don¡¯t see anything special about it."

    "Monkey, you possess a Supreme Treasure without realizing it. If you don¡¯t think the stele is much now, it¡¯s because your strength is still too weak to unleash its full might. Once you reach the level above Supreme, you will realize just how terrifying the World Suppressing Stele truly is."

    "Above Supreme? There¡¯s something more powerful above a Nine Patterns Supreme? Right, how do you know about this stele?"

    "Heh, Nine Patterns Supreme is not the limit. As to why I know about this stele, it is because I once possessed one myself. Moreover, mine was the first of the Broken series! Nobody knows how the World Suppressing Steles came into being. It is only known that ever since the birth of the universe, these steles have stood within the Nine Great Divine Kingdoms.

    Of course, there are only nine steles in existence."

    "Nine Great Divine Kingdoms? Didn¡¯t you say there were only Six Great Divine Nations before?"

    "That¡¯s because the other three Divine Kingdoms have already vanished. Nine Great Divine Kingdoms and nine World Suppressing Steles; if a stele ever leaves its Divine Kingdom, that kingdom will face a catastrophe of obliteration. It could be a world-ending disaster, or an assault by another Divine Kingdom. In any case, as long as the Heavenly Stele stands, the world exists."

    "So ording to you, there¡¯s one in this Netherworld World too? What about yours?"

    "Yes, there is one in this world; if I¡¯m not mistaken, it should be the Soul Suppressing number five. Among the current Six Great Divine Nations, the one in the Pantheon is the second of the Birth series. As for my stele, it was taken by someone else, and that¡¯s actually how I died."

    "Are you suggesting that I should use the World Suppressing Stele as little as possible in the future?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s right. Right now we¡¯re in this forest, so it¡¯s no big deal, but once we go outside and encounter others, you must not use the stele anymore. Otherwise, if recognized by the wrong person, you and I might end up dead with nowhere to bury us.

    In fact, I¡¯ve been wanting to tell you this, but since we entered this forest where there are no outsiders and we really needed your stele to hunt Soul Beasts, I didn¡¯t mention it. However, after we leave, you must be careful. Unless you¡¯re in an absolutely safe environment or confident you canpletely wipe out your opponent, never take it out."

    Hearing Xi Zhao¡¯s words, Sun Wukong also realized he had been careless. How could something capable of instantly killing anyone below Three Patterns not be extraordinary? Besides, in the Pangu Realm, even the incarnation of Heavenly Dao, Chang¡¯er, schemed for eons to obtain this stele. How could such an object be ordinary?

    It seems that things not obtained through hard effort are still not treasured enough.

    He quietlymitted Xi Zhao¡¯s remarks to memory. Yet at the same time, Sun Wukong became exceedingly curious about Xi Zhao¡¯s identity. Someone who could own a World Suppressing Stele in their lifetime was surely no ordinary person.

    And this stele, which could suppress a whole world, probably could not be owned by anyone without immense power and authority, except perhaps for himself, who somehow got lucky enough to acquire one.

    Destruction Number One, Divine Birth Number Two, Wastnd Soil Number Three, Soul Suppressing Number Five. What about the others? What are their names and what do they do? Which Divine Kingdom is suppressed by the one I have? Why did it end up in such a small world as the Pangu Realm? Moreover, how did it eventually fall into my hands?

    Is it all a coincidence, or was it someone¡¯s deliberate n?

    Wukong had previously asked Xi Zhao these questions, but even Xi Zhao was not very clear about these matters.

    The two of them rested again, restoring their condition to peak form.

    After all, the prey they were going to hunt was a Seven Patterns Soul Beast. There¡¯s a fundamental difference between Seven Patterns and Six Patterns. Even though Xi Zhao had now advanced to the mid-stage of Six Patterns, beyond his original fourws of ice, frost, concealment, and explosion, he had alsoprehended the Law of Sealing and the Law of Prestige.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The Law of Sealing could temporarily immobilize an opponent¡¯s movements, but its effectiveness varied with the rtive strength difference. The Law of Prestige was aw that enhanced one¡¯s own might. As long as the opponent¡¯s strength was not overwhelmingly greater, they would be deterred by the Law of Prestige, thus affecting their ability to exert their full strength.

    Wukong, having lost aw during his One Pattern stage,prehended the Law of Momentum at Two Patterns, the Law of Speed at Three Patterns, the Law of Strength at Four Patterns, and the Law of Defense at Five Patterns.

    Speed and strength were self-exnatory, and defense was just that¡ªdefense. Thews a personprehends are rted to that person¡¯s abilities or particr characteristics.

    Because Wukong possessed the Somersault Cloud and the ability to transform into the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, he correspondingly obtained thews of speed and strength, while the Law of Defense was entirely due to the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree.

    Although Wukong hardly used this treasure tree anymore due to its level, he still acquired the Law of Defense because of this magic treasure.

    Moreover, having gone through subsequent battles, both individuals had also gained someprehension and application of theirws.

    However, all of this was still not enough in the face of a Seven Patterns Soul Beast. Yet neither person shied away. In this world, reaching the very top definitely requires paying a price.

    Thus, after double-checking everything, they boldly stepped into the second circr nk area. As the stele marking "Central Zone, No Entry Below Nine Patterns Supreme" grew more distant, Wukong suddenly had an uneasy feeling.

    But it was toote for uncertainty; they had to move forward. Otherwise, this preemptive fear of the enemy could create a w in their minds for future advancement. Moreover, the Law of Momentum Wukongprehended at Two Patterns was all about momentum, an invincible momentum, a relentless till-death-do-us-part momentum!

    So they entered this domain reserved for supreme powerhouses with caution. Once inside, although they dared not venture too deep, they still covered considerable distance without encountering a single Soul Beast. This left them puzzled. Could it be that there were no Soul Beasts in this central region, or were there just too few?

    As they moved deeper with their doubts, darkness hadpletely fallen, yet they still hadn¡¯t encountered anything. Underneath an ancient tree, the two of them stopped. This situation was certainly not ordinary, but since it was already night, it was best not to wander around aimlessly in this absolute darkness.

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    Even though Wukong had fiery golden eyes, he was not certain that they could prevent an ambush by a Soul Beast.

    Hence, they climbed the tree, ready to spend the night. But just as they had settled down, the earth suddenly shook as if there were an earthquake. The trembling grew more intense, and they could barely maintain their position in the tree. They then decided to jump down. But the moment theynded, they felt something was off.

    Wukong¡¯s fiery golden eyes red up as he suddenly looked down, and then both of them shouted at the same time and leaped away to escape.

    For under the light of Wukong¡¯s fiery golden eyes, they had discovered that their feet were not on the ground but on the body of one, no, two giant pythons. And what made them simultaneously decide to flee was that on the heads of these two pythons were eight gleaming Dao Patterns.

    These two pythons were Eight Patterns Soul Beasts! Soul Beasts above Three Patterns would disy Dao Patterns of their level on a certain part of their body. That¡¯s why people could recognize the level of a Soul Beast at a nce.

    Realizing they were facing two Eight Patterns Large Pythons, Wukong and Xi Zhao turned tail and ran. It was a joke to fight two Eight Patterns Soul Beasts. Should they stay and be ate-night snack for their predators? No way!

    Due to the sheer panic and darkness, Wukong and Xi Zhao eventually got separated as they fled!

    (For those who like Great Demon Sun Wukong, feel free to join the group 214501643. One more chapter, okay.)

 Chapter 129 - 121: The Gap in Levels!

    Madly fleeing, Sun Wukong had nearly exhausted all his strength. Finally, when he sensed no sounds pursuing him, he stopped. But the moment he stopped, he realized that he was alone, surrounded by pitch darkness, unable to see anything.

    It seemed that in the midst of their frantic escape, the two had be separated. Truly, when it rains it pours; being alone in such a dangerous ce was simply too stimting. More importantly, Wukong¡¯s strength was currently at the level of a Five Patterns Saint, in a ce where the weakest were Supreme beings of the Seven Patterns level¡ªthis was no different than seeking death.

    With his fiery eyes and golden pupils fully activated, he scanned the surroundings and, finding them seemingly safe without the presence of any soul beasts, he dared not wander. He quickly located arge tree and swiftly climbed up.

    At that moment, Wukong suddenly wondered, how did those two massive pythons appear so abruptly? And twisted together, at that¡ªcould they have been fighting? But that didn¡¯t seem right, because they quickly separated when they saw the two of them. If they were fighting, they wouldn¡¯t have split apart instantly, right?

    Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on questions he couldn¡¯t answer. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions. Despite his worry for Xi Zhao, attempting to search for him in such a dark environment was akin to suicide. He could only wait for daylight to return. s, his own strength was still insufficient.

    Originally, he thought his frenzied strength improvement was enough to ensure his survival in this world. Yet, he never anticipated encountering soul beasts with Eight Patterns strength in a random forest. Could it be that there were many Supreme powerhouses in this world?

    But then again, he reasoned, if he could increase his strength so rapidly within such a short period, others surely could as well.

    Moreover, those who had lived in this world for longer would undoubtedly possess even more terrifying strength. Suddenly, Wukong felt that the lords of the one hundred and eight Outer Cities¡¯ might was not as Xi Zhao had described; each person¡¯s strength was likely between the Seven and Eight Patterns, if not reaching Nine, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to govern suchrge cities.

    As these thoughts crossed his mind, Sun Wukong slowly entered a transcendent state. In this state, a person would be in a light sleep, able to rest yet wake instantly at the slightest disturbance.

    However, the night passed remarkably peacefully, without incident.

    When the first ray of light hit Sun Wukong¡¯s face, he woke up. But the moment he opened his eyes, he broke out in a cold sweat. Less than half a meter from his face, a massive snake¡¯s head hovered in mid-air.

    Looking at the very distinct Eight Patterns, Wukong didn¡¯t dare to move a muscle. Although he didn¡¯t know why the python hadn¡¯t attacked him while he was unconscious, he certainly wouldn¡¯t believe that it hade to share breakfast with him in the early morning. Hmm, it was possible that it wanted to have him for breakfast.

    So there they were, a pair of snake eyes staring at a pair of monkey eyes, beginning a standoff. Although Wukong wanted to smack it with a stele, on second thought, if even a Four Patterns Saint could barely withstand it, then an Eight Patterns Supreme would likely finish him off with one blow.

    But, he couldn¡¯t just keep still forever; who knew what the python was plotting? Was it possible that it had a fixed time for breakfast?

    While Wukong was entertaining these random thoughts, he suddenly felt a gust of wind from behind. After fighting for his life in this forest for so long, he instantly realized why the python was holding out but not attacking.

    It turned out that the python was keeping him in ce while another silently circled around for a sneak attack. At that moment, Sun Wukong truly felt like crying without tears. Two Eight Patterns soul beasts against him, a mere Five Patterns Saint, and they still needed to be so cautious. They were giving him far too much credit. Find your next adventure on empire

    While these thoughts shed through his mind, all Wukong could do in reality was to instantly set the Jingu Bang upright behind him, and then he felt himself being struck by an unstoppable force and sent flying. But before he could adjust his position, he saw a very thick python tail whip towards him once again.

    Without any suspense, Sun Wukong was sent flying once more, but his misfortune didn¡¯t end there. The python that hadunched the sneak attack from behind had already coiled itself around the tree, its tail flicking in eagerness.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong spat out a mouthful of blood in distress. On the one hand, the blow and the whip had already caused him internal injuries. On the other hand, he realized why the two pythons had formed a front-and-back encirclement: they were literally using him as a ball to kick around.

    It turned out that they never intended to have him for breakfast, but rather to entertain themselves after breakfast!

    Although a soul body is not physical, it would still bleed when injured¡ªbut such bleeding is the loss of highly concentrated soul power, lessening with every mouthful expelled.

    ```

    Although Sun Wukong was so angry that he wanted to go mad, there was nothing he could do. With eachsh, the tremendous force that came through was something Sun Wukong simply couldn¡¯t withstand. Despite having applied four Taoist Spells to himself after the initial sneak attack, under absolute power, they were useless.

    Could it be that today was the day he would die? Could it be that even in this world, he couldn¡¯t escape death? And to die in such a humiliating way?

    Suddenly, a strong unwillingness to ept this fate surged up from Sun Wukong¡¯s heart. Even if he were to die, he couldn¡¯t die in such disgrace. He was the Great Sage Equalling Heaven! With this unwillingness and anger, Sun Wukong, after beingshed and sent flying once again, summoned all his strength to bring forth the World Suppressing Stele, making it over three meters tall.

    With all his might, he barely managed to ce the World Suppressing Stele at his side. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Sun Wukong saw the giant snake tail whipping towards him again.

    Come on,sh out with all your might. Let¡¯s see if your tail is tougher or my Heavenly Stele.

    As expected, because Sun Wukong was moving so quickly through the air, the giant python couldn¡¯t react in time and viciouslyshed its tail onto the World Suppressing Stele!

    As Sun Wukong was sent flying back again, the giant python suddenly let out a painful hiss. The other giant python, not understanding what was happening, thought Sun Wukong was attacking, so its tail suddenly shone with a dismal green light. Sun Wukong nced over and knew it was over. That dismal green light was clearly venom, but he had no control over his body.

    With no other option, he had to bring out the Five-Colored Divine Stone and the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, not knowing if they would help, but it was better than waiting for death.

    Then, the green-glowing tailshed Sun Wukong¡¯s body. Since this strike was made with the intent to kill, even with the protection of the World Suppressing Stele, Sun Wukong was almost split in two, with a massive wound like that made by a huge axe on his waist.

    Moreover, after crashing to the ground, Sun Wukong felt both his legs were broken. Lying on the ground, he could only watch helplessly as that snake tail, sharp like a spear, pierced towards his skull.

    This time, it seemed he would truly die.

    However, just as the spear-like snake tail was only a meter away from him, and even as the sharp aura had already pierced Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead, arge hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and firmly grasped the iing tail.

    "A mere Eight Patterns, daring to harm a member of the Demon n?"

    A majestic, domineering voice that one could not resist resonated, and Sun Wukong suddenly felt very familiar with it. Then, the owner of the hand leaped up, still holding the python¡¯s tail, and with a flex of his arms, he flung the giant python away.

    With a ¡¯boom¡¯, the python smashed into a huge tree that would take several people to encircle. At that moment, the other giant python swiftly struck like a sh of lightning, its sharp fangs aiming straight for the man¡¯s face.

    But the man merely snorted coldly and pointed a finger, which prompted Sun Wukong to observe as a massive shadow of a finger formed with the man¡¯s gesture and then collided with the giant python. Following another agonized shriek, the giant pythony dead.

    One finger, killing an Eight Patterns Soul Beast.

    Who was this person? That strength, it must be at the level of a Nine Patterns Supreme!

    Between Eight Patterns and Nine Patterns, there lies an insurmountable chasm!

    (Second release delivered.)

    ```

 Chapter 130 - 122 The Strongest of the Demon Clan

    Looking at the corpse of therge python not far away and the other python twitching beside it, Sun Wukong suddenly felt a bit dazed. From life to death, and then from death to life, such huge ups and downs are not something ordinary people can withstand. Just as Sun Wukong was somewhat in a trance, a person suddenly appeared next to the python that was still twitching.

    Sun Wukong watched as the person huffed and puffed, attacking the twitching python on the ground with a pair of pale blue ring-shaped weapons. Rubbing his eyes, Sun Wukong suddenly saw clearly, the special weapons and the sky full of ice flowers blossoming with each strike were actually Xi Zhao¡¯s.

    So, he was also alright, thank goodness, seeing him appear at this time, he must have been saved by this person too.

    The moment he thought of the person who had saved him, Sun Wukong suddenly looked up and saw a sharply defined and very handsome face. Judging by his age, he should be around thirty, but the more Sun Wukong looked, the more familiar he felt. This appearance, it seemed like he had seen it somewhere before.

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    Handsome in appearance, wearing a green robe, Sun Wukong¡¯s gaze continued to scrutinize as he contemted, then suddenly, his gaze fixed on the person¡¯s waist.

    A small bronze bell! And then, a figure emerged in Sun Wukong¡¯s mind! This appearance, green robe, and the bell, could this person be Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s master?

    In an instant, Sun Wukong was extremely excited, not caring about his injuries, he stood up straight and grabbed the person¡¯s shoulders. Because the injuries were too severe, Sun Wukong was nearly trembling all over, and as soon as he opened his mouth, another mouthful of reverse-flow blood came out.

    "Six-Eared, where is the Six-Eared Macaque? Since you are here, then where is Six-Eared?"

    Hearing Sun Wukong¡¯s voice, Xi Zhao, who was busy beating up the python, came over as well.

    "Are you Sun Wukong?"

    The calm voice yet carried supreme authority, a kind of demeanor only someone long in a superior position could possess, and also a form of dominance.

    As if sensing something, Sun Wukong let go of the hands he was holding onto the person with, but as soon as he let go, his body started to fall backwards. At that moment, Xi Zhao quickly stepped forward to catch Sun Wukong.

    "Yes, I am Sun Wukong, who are you? You are not the Six-Eared Macaque¡¯s master!"

    When Sun Wukong gave a positive response, the person seemed to exhale in relief. Then he said, "Xi Zhao, take out that python¡¯s Soul Bead, one each for both of you, and absorb it quickly."

    After speaking, he did not bother with Sun Wukong¡¯s questions and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes as if feeling something. Watching this person, Sun Wukong knew that even if he asked further there would be no result. So, with Xi Zhao¡¯s help, he also slowly sat down, then Xi Zhao ran to the dead python, and from its vital point, he retrieved a Soul Bead the size of a human head.

    But when he reached the other python, he smiled wryly and looked towards the mysterious Supreme being.

    The Supreme being didn¡¯t even open his eyes, just pointed a finger, and the struggling python instantly died. Then Xi Zhao took another, slightlyrger, Soul Bead from the wound.

    cing the slightlyrger Soul Bead on thep of Sun Wukong, who had seated himself in the lotus position, he took the other bead and walked to the side to start absorbing while sitting cross-legged.

    Looking doubtfully at the Supreme being, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t think too much and began to absorb the Soul Bead¡¯s power as time was of the essence. Sun Wukong was currently at the mid-stage of the Five Patterns, but this Soul Bead belonged to an Eight Patterns Supreme Soul Beast, and the enormous Soul Power contained within it stunned Sun Wukong for a moment, unsure of how to begin.

    However, considering that there were no cultivation restrictions in this Soul World, and that he was not afraid of being blown apart by the energy, he steeled himself and bit directly into the human-head-sized Soul Bead. Then, Sun Wukong felt a surge of wild yet very sinister Soul Energy madly crashing into his body.

    Soon, Sun Wukong felt a surge of intense pain within his body. At that moment, a very majestic bell sound suddenly rang in his ears. Amidst the intense pain, Sun Wukong barely lifted his head and saw an ancient Azure Great Clock beside the Supreme being seemingly being struck by an invisible force, producing wave after wave of lingering bell sound.

    To Sun Wukong¡¯s delight, with the ringing of the bell, the pain in his body slowly faded away. It felt as if the bell sound was purifying the Soul Bead¡¯s energy.

    "Fully absorb, there¡¯s not much time left." Amidst the echoes of the bell, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao heard the words of the Supreme being, and so they both focused entirely, voraciously devouring the pure Soul Energy. After the bell¡¯s purifying wash, the Soul Bead turned into pure energy, without a speck of impurity, making it very convenient to absorb.

    Soon, both Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao¡¯s strengths increased rapidly, until, at some critical point, Sun Wukong first advanced to Six Patterns. A ray of light passed from the endless horizon and directly entered Sun Wukong¡¯s forehead.

    After the light disappeared, the palm of Sun Wukong¡¯s right hand quietly revealed an ancient "Zhen" character, but Sun Wukong, who was fully engrossed in absorbing energy, did not notice.

    However, after the two hadpletely absorbed the two Soul Beads, Xi Zhao did not advance, but stayed at the peak of Six Patterns. At that time, Sun Wukong had reached mid-stage Six Patterns.

    Seeing Xi Zhao appearing somewhat perplexed, the Supreme being waved his hand and the Azure Great Clock suddenly transformed into a stream of light that hung at the Supreme being¡¯s waist.

    "Advancing from Six Patterns to Seven Patterns is not that easy. There¡¯s no time, quickly follow me."

    Speaking, he simply swept his great sleeve, engulfing Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, and then they shot up into the sky.

    Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao hadn¡¯t even had the chance to react when they were already flying high. Of course, it was the Supreme being who was carrying them with his immense power.

    Come to think of it, this was the first time the two of them had flown in this world, but it didn¡¯t feel any different. However, the sensation of flight made Sun Wukong even more determined to be stronger.

    Just a moment after the three of them had left, four figures suddenly appeared at the ce where they had just been. Yes, figures, three men and one woman, all of whom were extremely handsome. After appearing, they first looked at the tworge pythons on the ground, then walked around and looked up at the same time.

    "Hmph, lucky for him he¡¯s fast. Damn it, my two big snakes are just dead like that."

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    "Who told you not to watch them properly? Two with Eight Patterns, that¡¯s going to hurt for a while. Well, the people have run away, everyone, disperse."

    The one speaking was the beautiful woman dressed in red. Afterwards, she suddenly transformed into a butterfly and disappeared as her wings pped.

    Watching the woman fly away, the remaining three exchanged nces and also dispersed one after another.

    Following the Supreme being, they flew for an entire day and night! It wasn¡¯t until the early morning of the next day that the Supreme being finally slowed down, and Sun Wukong knew they must be close. Throughout the journey, the three of them hadn¡¯t spoken a word. Neither Sun Wukong nor Xi Zhao asked where they were going or who the person was, and it seemed that he had no intention of exining.

    Soon enough, after flying over anotherrge mountain, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were shocked by the scene in front of them. They had just flown over the mountain, expecting more mountains or trees, but what they saw was a mountain that had been cut in half.

    To be precise, it was an originally steep mountain whose top had been shaved off near the summit. And on that half-mountain with the removed peak, there was an enormous square castle. The castle was high in the sky and seemed to be shaped like the Chinese character "»Ø," likely divided into an Outer City and Inner City.

    What an incredible feat, to shave a mountain into a fortress! How powerful was the lord of this castle?

    While Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were still in awe, the three of them gentlynded on the giant ancient city built on the mountainside. From a distance, it had been a shock, but up close, it was downright terrifying. When the threended at the city gate, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao realized the city was truly colossal.

    The walls were a hundred meters high, and the gates were extremelyrge. It looked as though it was built for giants. As the three descended, the soldiers guarding the gate parted automatically to both sides while shouting in unison, "Wee Deputy City Lord back to the city!"

    Their neat shouts and awe-inspiring presence left both Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao thoroughly startled.

    "Send someone to inform the City Lord. I¡¯ve brought Sun Wukong back."

    "Yes!"

    A soldier, receiving his orders, hurried into the city. Watching his speed, Sun Wukong realized that all the soldiers guarding the city were Five Patterns Saints!

    "From now on, this Demon War City will be your home. Follow me into the city!"

    For some reason, Sun Wukong could feel a hint of helplessness and age-weariness in the words of the previously majestic Supreme being, as well as a sense of a burden lifted.

    As Sun Wukong pondered, suddenly a warm and instinctively trustworthy voice came to them.

    "Haha, Taiyi, well done as always, my good brother indeed. You really found him. Haha. Sun Wukong, right? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time!"

    Hearing this voice, Sun Wukong suddenly froze, his heart immediately filling with great waves of astonishment.

    Did that voice just call him Taiyi? Taiyi? Could it be that he is the monarch of the Demon n, Donghuang Taiyi? Then who would the owner of this voice be? To call Donghuang Taiyi a brother, could it be, could it really be the Demon Emperor Di Jun?

    What¡¯s going on here? Howe they are here?

 Chapter 131 - 123 Behind

    ```

    While Sun Wukong was lost in thought, a middle-aged man d in a golden yellow dragon robe appeared before him. The moment heid eyes on the man, Sun Wukong nearly knelt down uncontrobly. What dominance and majesty this was! Wukong had thought Donghuang Taiyi was already very dignified, but upon seeing Di Jun, he suddenly understood what a natural-born king was!

    Although Di Jun always seemed to be smiling, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t dare to take him lightly. Even though he didn¡¯t perform the kneeling salute, he still bowed in a gesture of respect from a junior.

    However, while Sun Wukong was astounded by Di Jun¡¯s aura, he failed to notice that Xi Zhao, though surprised, showed no panic at all. Upon seeing the Nine Patterns Supreme of the Demon n, Di Jun, he merely sped his hands together in greeting.

    With augh, Di Jun quickly approached. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the surrounding guards. Then, he scrutinized Sun Wukong closely before nodding in satisfaction, saying, "Mid-level Six Patterns ¨C not bad. Reaching this level in the Netherworld World in less than a year, even with some shortcuts, is still quite impressive.

    Come, let¡¯s continue in the hall; this is not the ce for a conversation."

    Having said that, he took Sun Wukong and started walking. Yet, after only a step, he suddenly turned to Xi Zhao and remarked, "Although I don¡¯t know what your intentions are, you seem to be a friend of Wukong¡¯s. Come along as well."

    Then, without further concern for Xi Zhao or Donghuang Taiyi, he led Sun Wukong away.

    It seemed he was quite pleased with Sun Wukong¡¯s arrival! Donghuang Taiyi, well-acquainted with Di Jun¡¯s character, didn¡¯t mind and looked at Xi Zhao before heading towards the Inner City on his own.

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    Xi Zhao touched his nose and smiled wryly, but followed Donghuang Taiyi toward the Inner City all the same.

    When Xi Zhao arrived at the hall with Donghuang Taiyi, he found Di Jun and Sun Wukong already sitting inside, talking about something, so he seated himself at the entrance.

    "All right, now that everyone¡¯s here, we can finally speak. Though it¡¯splicated ¨C on one hand, we hoped you would reach this ce, but on the other, we wished you would nevere."

    "Senior, Wukong has many doubts as well. Can you help to rify them for me?"

    "Of course, today was meant for revealing everything to you. But I don¡¯t know how much you understand, so you ask away!"

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    And Donghuang Taiyi just sat at a ce next to Di Jun, resting with his eyes closed. Xi Zhao sat at the entrance, pricking up his ears to listen in.

    Sun Wukong, who was seated behind Donghuang Taiyi, felt a bit sorry for Xi Zhao, who was sitting so far away. Di Jun, of course, noticed this, and beckoned, "Come over here. Even though you¡¯re not from the Demon n, you¡¯re still from the Human n. And you seem to be a sworn friend of Wukong¡¯s; if you want to listen, then listen together.

    Hopefully, you¡¯ll be a friend of our Demon n in the future!"

    Upon hearing Di Jun say this, Xi Zhao showed a grateful expression and sat down next to Sun Wukong.

    With Xi Zhao seated nearby, Sun Wukong organized his thoughts and then asked, "Senior, why are you and Senior Donghuang present here? Legend has it that both of you have... perished, haven¡¯t you?"

    "Ha ha, indeed we¡¯ve died, but have you forgotten this is the Netherworld World? Back in the day, I chanced upon the World Suppressing Stele, the same piece you¡¯re holding. Later, with the mighty power of the Stele and the deployment of the Great Formation marked upon it, I led the Demon n to be the Supreme Monarch of Pangu Realm. All beings revered the Demon n above all others."

    "Then, Senior¡­"

    "s, victory blinded me back then. I thought that as long as I had the World Suppressing Stele, there would be no rivals in this world. This led to a series of events and eventually, Donghuang and I turned against each other and both perished!"

    "What? Could it be, could it be that you two¡­"

    "Yes, Donghuang and I were both killed by each other. In that battle, we both met our end! Actually, there was a huge conspiracy involved, which I only understood after I died. After our death, Donghuang and I, due to our insufficient realms, ended up in the lesser Netherworld.

    Later, we both realized our mistakes, thus, giving up our hatred and making concerted efforts, we finally reached our current state, bing Nine Patterns Supremes and possessing our own cities!"

    "Senior, what exactly is this conspiracy? Frankly speaking, beforeing here, I too had a feeling that there was something even greater behind the Heavenly Dao."

    ```

    "Oh? You¡¯ve noticed it too?"

    Subsequently, Sun Wukong recounted the scene of thatst battle and how he met his own death. After finishing his story, even Donghuang Taiyi, who was meditating with his eyes closed, opened his eyes in surprise.

    "So it hase to this? It seems that over such a long period, they haven¡¯t been without gains. To think they could create so many at the Half-step Great Path level, the situation is more serious than imagined."

    "Senior, there¡¯s no need to worry so much, right? Not to mention you, even I now possess the power of Six Patterns, and dealing with those at the Half-step Great Path will be very easy."

    "No, things are not that simple. Every world has its own rules. Even if you can leave this ce sessfully, you will be unable to return to the Pangu Realm. Unless you are willing to give up your current power. Let¡¯s not talk about this for now. I ask you, you are aware that Chang¡¯er is actually an incarnation of Heavenly Dao, right?"

    Sun Wukong nodded.

    "However, that isn¡¯t a pure incarnation of Heavenly Dao. To be precise, Chang¡¯er is a vessel for Heavenly Dao. After Pangu initially created the heavens and the earth, countless yearster Hongjun achieved the Great Dao and, eventually, sought to merge with it to reach higher levels and break through limits.

    But he didn¡¯t expect that not only did he fail to break through, but because of his obsession, he inadvertently contaminated the Heavenly Dao, which wrongly gave birth to Spiritual Wisdom. This type of wisdom is abnormal, entirely an embodiment of Hongjun¡¯s greed and obsession."

    "Therefore, Nuwa and Fuxiter chose to merge themselves with Dao in hopes of eliminating this erroneously born wisdom. But because the obsession and greed were too strong, Chang¡¯er and Fuxi could only suppress it, unable to eradicate itpletely.

    And the so-called ¡¯mending of the heavens¡¯ by Nuwa was merely using the power of the Five-Colored Divine Stone to temporarily seal the Spiritual Wisdom of Heavenly Dao."

    "But as time went on, the Spiritual Wisdom of Heavenly Dao managed to escape and then found a host in Chang¡¯er. Thus, Chang¡¯er usually acts on her own consciousness, but whenever anything threatens Heavenly Dao, the will of Heavenly Dao awakens. The first awakening of Heavenly Dao¡¯s will was when I acquired the World Suppressing Stele.

    The Heavenly Stele was not from the Pangu World originally, so Heavenly Dao cannot control it, and furthermore, the might of the stele is too powerful. If someone can wield its true power, they would definitely possess the ability to annihte Heavenly Dao."

    "Senior, it¡¯s said that you can unleash the full power of the Heavenly Stele. There are even rumors that you once used the stele to pierce through a."

    Hearing Sun Wukong bring this up, Di Jun suddenly became somewhat embarrassed. At this moment, Donghuang Taiyi suddenly said, "Legends are fictitious; at best, he just learned the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation from that stele. As for the rest, the stele was just like throwing a stone in his hands.

    However, it¡¯s true that he pierced through a, but that was already on the verge of breaking apart."

    Unexpectedly downying his own shorings, Di Jun suddenly raised his head, his face filled with pride as he said, "Now I can definitely unleash a hundred percent of the Heavenly Stele¡¯s power. And if I use it as a stone, it¡¯s the most formidable stone. Enough of this, let¡¯s talk about the important matters!"

    With a provocative nce at Donghuang, Di Jun continued, "When Heavenly Dao realized I possessed such a terrifying Heavenly Stele, it directly tried to take control of Chang¡¯er¡¯s body to snatch it. But by then, I was already at the Half-step Great Path level, and with the World Suppressing Stele, I could even fight a Saint of the Great Dao.

    So Chang¡¯er was defeated by me, butter she managed to escape."

    "I thought that would be the end of the matter, but unexpectedly, Chang¡¯er reappearedter with a young man by her side. This young man had a nefarious aura, but his power was high; at least, I couldn¡¯t see through him at the time. When Chang¡¯er appeared, Donghuang and I didn¡¯t take much notice.

    But during the subsequent great battle, we found that the young man with the evil aura was actually able to engage both of us at the same time. While the young man held us off, Chang¡¯er began a massacre of the ordinary demons of the Demon n. Enraged by the sight, I immediately used the World Suppressing Stele.

    After taking out the stele, the young man could not stand against it, and he started to flee with Chang¡¯er. But how could I let them escape? Holding the World Suppressing Stele, I gave chase. Eventually, I chased them to a very dpidated in the Endless Void."

    "There, we engaged in another great battle. That is the one rumored to have been pierced by me. Butter I realized, the reason the crumbled so easily was that it had no Spiritual Energy at all, and even if I hadn¡¯t struck it, it probably would have exploded soon after. However, because Donghuang and I were not familiar with the Void, we ultimately let the two of them escape."

    At this point, Di Jun suddenly asked me mysteriously, "Wukong, have you been to the Moon Pce?"

    Caught off guard by this question, Sun Wukong nevertheless instinctively replied, "I have."

    "So, the where the Moon Pce is located, had it already be a dead star? A dead star is onepletely devoid of Spiritual Energy, with no nts, no water, utterly lifeless, and also very small."

    "Now that I think about it, aside from The Moon Pce, there really wasn¡¯t much else on the moon."

    "That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll tell you, in our era, the moon was a world just like the Pangu Realm, with life ascribing to it. And why it has be a dead star is all due to that young man with the evil aura that I just mentioned. This young man belongs to a special race whose ability is to devour the Energy of matures.

    Thus, those Half-step Great Path puppets created by Chang¡¯erter were using the energy ofs to augment their strength."

    "So, just like you said, behind Heavenly Dao, there is a veryrge force involved, but due to certain reasons, they can only covertly aid Heavenly Dao to achieve some of their goals."

 Chapter 132 - 124: The Truth

    It might have been because too much time had passed, or perhaps because Di Jun did not wish to discuss certain matters, which caused Sun Wukong to be increasingly confused the more he heard. In the end, however, with the help of Donghuang Taiyi, he was barely able to make sense of the things Di Jun wanted to convey. Still, some details remained vague between the two of them.

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    But generally, Sun Wukong hade to understand. Put simply, first, it was because Hongjun the Taoist was so obsessed with breaking through the Great Dao Realm that he caused the Heavenly Dao to errantly evolve spiritual wisdom, andter, it was very likely also influenced by that evil spirit young man, thus finally turning the Heavenly Dao into a conglomerate of greed and malevolence.

    However, due to the suppression by Nuwa and Fuxi, the Heavenly Dao was mostly calm most of the time.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Later, Di Jun obtained the World Suppressing Stele, leading the Heavenly Dao to covet it. Therefore, in collusion with the evil spirit young man, they set a trap, luring Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi into a battle in the void. As a result, although Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi defeated Chang¡¯er, Di Jun became infected with the greed of the Heavenly Dao and the malevolence of the evil spirit young man.

    Or one might say that Chang¡¯er¡¯s goal was not to defeat Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi but to infect Di Jun through the capabilities of the evil spirit young man. And the results showed that Chang¡¯er¡¯s move was very sessful.

    So, Di Jun slowly became unable to control the malevolence and greed within his heart, recklessly attempting to eradicate all life in the Pangu Realm except the Demon n. But how could Donghuang Taiyi allow Di Jun to do this, so he spoke out to stop him. Unfortunately, by then Di Jun was already demonically corrupted by evil thoughts and the two of them broke into a fierce fight.

    No one could have anticipated that this battle would be theirst.

    The two of them did not borate on the specifics of this great battle, merely mentioning that Donghuang Taiyi¡¯s righteous Supreme Divine Artifact, the Chaos Clock, was no match for the World Suppressing Stele and shattered into countless pieces. Donghuang Taiyi, in a desperate move, took Di Jun to the void and self-destructed. Subsequently, both of them died.

    However, after Di Jun¡¯s death, the World Suppressing Stele did not disappear with his soul as it does now, but vanished on its own. Fortunately, when Donghuang Taiyi and Di Jun were involved in the preparation of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation on the World Suppressing Stele, they had already anticipated this event based on astrological predictions.

    Therefore, to cleverly engineer fate and reincarnation ¨C even at the cost of their own cultivation ¨C they ensured that in the end, the World Suppressing Stele woulde into Sun Wukong¡¯s possession.

    Nheless, they did not delve into this process either. But Sun Wukong did not wish to quibble anymore. Despite feeling like he had been consistently manipted, after all, as a member of the Demon n, he had no choice but to ept being schemed against by an ancestor!

    In fact, Sun Wukong was more astonished that the two could predict events millions of years into the future based on astrological positions, almost equal to Nuwa¡¯s abilities, no, this ought to be part of the n orchestrated by the three of them, including Nuwa.

    First, Nuwa used the Five-Colored Divine Stone to repair the sky and suppress the Heavenly Dao, seizing the opportunity to leave behind a piece of the Five-Colored Divine Stone, the Earth Attribute incarnation of which became herself. Then, Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi arranged for the World Suppressing Stele to end up in their own hands.

    No, that¡¯s incorrect, another link is missing. Right, it was Yu the Great!

    It is very likely that Yu the Great unintentionally obtained the World Suppressing Stele, but after understanding its abilities and the ns of Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, Yu the Great utilized the World Suppressing Stele to break the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, before unifying the Nine Provinces and decreeing the division of the worlds.

    After aplishing his great work, Yu the Great sealed the World Suppressing Stele within the Jingu Bang, also known as the Golden Cudgel, and even made a special effort to find himself when he was still a stone, leaving behind his life-bound essence blood so that he could sessfully im the Golden Cudgel, which was in fact the World Suppressing Stele!

    Taking a deep breath, everything finally made sense! No wonder, no wonder he felt a strange connection when he firstid eyes on the Jingu Bang.

    But at that moment, Sun Wukong suddenly thought, if the Five-Colored Divine Stone was left to him by Nuwa, what about the overbearing Chaos Five Decisions within the Divine Stone? And since he was transformed from the Five-Colored Divine Stone, why did he end up being the Five Elements Chaotic Body in the end?

    So Sun Wukong ryed his thoughts to Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, and upon hearing this, they were stunned into silence!

    Seeing the expressions of the two, Sun Wukong suddenly felt somewhat puzzled.

    "What¡¯s the matter? Is there something wrong? Or is there a problem with the Chaos Five Decisions?"

    After being stunned for a moment, the two of them finally regained their senses. Hearing Sun Wukong¡¯s question, they looked at each other before Di Jun sighed and said, "It¡¯s not just a problem¡ªit¡¯s a huge problem! If what you¡¯re saying is true, then the issues here are far moreplex. But, before I can exin it properly, first, you need to know how the Pangu Realm came into being!"

    "The Pangu Realm? Wasn¡¯t it created by Pangu the Great God?"

    "Although that¡¯s not wrong to say, the problem lies with Pangu himself. As the legend of the Pangu Realm goes, when the heavens and earth were one and all was Chaos, at some point a person was born within the Chaos, and that was Pangu. Pangu greatly disliked the feeling of Chaos, and somehow he found a huge axe. With one swing, he split the Chaos in two."

    "This legend isrgely urate, the world was indeed created by Pangu, but to be correct, Pangu had already existed. Pangu was a member of the Chaos Tribe from one of the six great divine nations, the Genesis Divine Nation. Although we don¡¯t know much about the Chaos Tribe, each member of their tribe has the ability to create worlds.

    Therefore, as for the creation of the Pangu Realm, the actual fact is that after the Pangu Realm was spontaneously born, Pangu, for reasons unknown, came to this ce. Perhaps it was unintended, perhaps intentional, but upon seeing this world forming, probably could not stand idly by, so he swung his axe and expedited the world¡¯s birth! Afterwards, Pangu likely left behind a Dharma Body."

    "So, Pangu was a member of the Chaos Tribe, and the hallmark of the Chaos Tribe is the Chaos Five Decisions and the Chaos Body! Now that you possess both things, it is very likely that regarding this World Suppressing Stele, Pangu, or rather the Chaos Tribe, also had a hand in it! If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s going to be troublesome!"

    After Di Jun finished speaking, everyone fell into deep thought. For Sun Wukong, all of this was incredibly shocking. Itpletely overturned the concepts he had always held in his mind.

    However, at this moment, Xi Zhao, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "The Heavenly Stele in the monkey¡¯s hand is Wastnd Soil Number Three. The Wastnd Soil Number Three Heavenly Stele was the World Suppressing Stele of the Dominion of Soil within the original Nine Great Divine Kingdoms.

    However, the Dominion of Soil¡¯s World Suppressing Stele was lost for reasons unknown, and without its Stele, the Dominion of Soil was destroyed by the Genesis Divine Nation led by the Chaos Tribe. Yet, due to interference and obstruction from the other divine nations, the Genesis Divine Nation has not yet obtained the Dominion of Soil¡¯s World Suppressing Stele!"

    After pausing, Xi Zhao took a deep breath before continuing, "Looking at it now, this matter is really not simple. It is very likely that Pangu had infiltrated the Dominion of Soil earlier and stolen the Wastnd Soil Number Three World Suppressing Stele, then came to the current location of the Pangu Realm with the Stele.

    Coincidentally, he found a small world about to be born, and using his Genesis Divine Power, Pangu helped the worlde into being, then left behind a Dharma Body and the World Suppressing Stele. If this is the case, then this must have been a well-nned scheme. The Chaos Tribe must have known the whereabouts of this World Suppressing Stele all along.

    The reason they have note to take it is probably out of fear of being discovered by the other great divine nations."

    "Are you saying that the World Suppressing Stele we fought so hard to protect is actually already in someone¡¯s pocket?" Di Jun¡¯splexion looked very unsightly. What was thought to be just some disputes within the Pangu Realm now seemed to involve the Genesis Divine Nation and the Chaos Tribe.

    Although he and Donghuang were now Nine Patterns Supremes, and there were many Seven and Eight Patterns powerhouses in the Demon War City, their strength was probably inconsequential in the eyes of the Chaos Clock!

    Because of the shocking nature of this discovery, none of the three, including Di Jun, considered how Xi Zhao could have known such a secret. They all fell silent, especially Di Jun and Donghuang, who seemed utterly dejected.

    Now, this conjecture seemed to be very close to the truth. The power behind the Heavenly Dao must have been the deterrent force of the Chaos Tribe, which is why they could only make subtle moves without daring to openly snatch the World Suppressing Stele. And the Heavenly Dao, or rather its incarnation, must have been used by others as well.

 Chapter 133 - 125 The Demon Clan Fears Nothing!

    Time flew by, and three days had passed since the conversation that day. For these three days, Sun Wukong stayed within the Inner City Lord¡¯s Mansion of Battle Demon City, needing time to assimte those things and to carefully consider the path he would take in the future.

    After three days of contemtion, Wukong had roughly rified his thoughts. First and foremost, he needed to find a way to leave this world. Then he would try to return to Pangu Realm, revive his master, find Bajie and White Dragon, and if possible, annihte the Heavenly Dao; if not, he would leave behind a doppelganger.

    In any case, he had to ensure that the Demon n of Pangu Realm would not be eradicated at its root. As for the rest, it was useless to think about them now; he could only take things one step at a time since the affair concerning the World Suppressing Stele was too significant.

    So, this morning, Wukong left the City Lord¡¯s Mansion and strolled along the streets of Battle Demon City, observing as he went. It was his first time entering a city since he arrived in the Netherworld World, so he was naturally curious.

    As he slowly walked down the street, Wukong suddenly felt that maybe this kind of life suited him better, but the thought vanished as quickly as it came.

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    While Wukong was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the rapid sound of drums. Simultaneously, the entire Battle Demon City sprung into action. Allbatants grabbed their weapons and took their positions, while merchants and other nonbatants on the street quickly found ces to hide.

    Still somewhat confused, Wukong felt someone grab him, and when he turned his head, he discovered it was Xi Zhao!

    "Hurry up, someone might be attacking the city. Let¡¯s go help!" With that, Wukong followed Xi Zhao as they both rapidly ran toward the Inner City Lord¡¯s Mansion. On the way there, Xi Zhao told Wukong what had happened.

    It turned out that the city-states of the Netherworld World didn¡¯t get along well and were even antagonistic towards one another. Although the distance between each city-state was extremely vast, that didn¡¯t stop the city lords from harboring ambitions. Therefore, sieges weremon urrences, and the higher echelons of the Netherworld World seemed to not prohibit such battles.

    Actually, Battle Demon City was previously known as y Demon City and was governed by the Taoist Race. The Taoist Race wasn¡¯t part of the Human n, but they were very simr to the Taoist Sect of the Human n. There was even a legend suggesting that the Taoist Sect originated from the Taoist Race.

    The people of the Taoist Race were born masters of Taoist arts, looked no different from humans but carried innate Dao Patterns on their bodies. Thus, members of the Taoist Race advanced in strength particrly quickly.

    However, the Taoist Race still faced defeat by Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi leading countless members of the Demon n, who then captured y Demon City and renamed it Battle Demon City.

    After that, there were other city-states that led armies to attack, but they were all repelled by Di Jun and Donghuang. Since then, Battle Demon City rose to fame, and the duo of the city¡¯s Supreme Lords became a symbol of the Demon n. Yet, unexpectedly, today, someone dared to attack Battle Demon City.

    Of course, Di Junter shared all this with Wukong. At the moment, Wukong and Xi Zhao were standing among the Demon Venerable Squad of Battle Demon City.

    The Demon Venerable Squad of Battle Demon City, the sharpest sword in Di Jun and Donghuang¡¯s arsenal, consisted of seventy-two Supremes with more than Seven Patterns, of which fifty-four were Seven Patterns Supreme and eighteen were Eight Patterns Supreme. This could be said to be the strongestbat force of Battle Demon City.

    Currently, these seventy-two individuals, along with Wukong and Xi Zhao, totaling seventy-four, all knelt on one knee in front of the gates of the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, awaiting Di Jun¡¯s pre-battle mobilization. However, at that moment, Di Jun suddenly changed his tone, "Starting now, Wukong and Xi Zhao are appointed as the chief and deputy leader of the Demon Venerable Squad.

    Everyone is to obey their orders without error. Your mission is to decapitate the enemy!" Having said that, he didn¡¯t wait for Wukong and Xi Zhao¡¯s astonished expressions to settle and leapt into the air. But seeing Wukong¡¯s surprise, he added, "Great Sage Equalling Heaven Sun Wukong, there are no cowards within my Demon n.

    Seize your courage, and show the invaders that my Demon n is not to be trifled with!"

    As Di Jun¡¯s voice fell, the seventy-two Supremes roared in unison, "Those who vite the majesty of my Demon n shall be in!" The resounding battle cry ignited the hesitation in Wukong¡¯s heart, and it surged with fervor! The consecutive defeats had already stripped away Wukong¡¯s former arrogance and ferocity.

    One scheme after another, one formidable enemy after the next, had forced Wukong to tread carefully, to look before and after and to live in humiliation. But this was not Wukong; the real Sun Wukong was the hero who couldugh in the face of the vast sky without fear, the madman who would fight regardless of who the opponent was.

    So, hearing the angry roars of these people, Sun Wukong suddenly felt that he had found his true self. He slowly stood up, then made his way to the front of the crowd and bellowed, "Demon n warriors, battle, battle, battle!" There was an endless surge of fighting spirit, a soaring momentum.

    With a swoosh, he brandished the Jingu Bang, and then, with a sudden tremor of his right foot, a great brilliance emanated from Sun Wukong. After the light receded, Sun Wukong had changed his appearance.

    He was now d in an imposing set of Dragon Scale Cangyun Armor, with a sanguine, blood-stained Poyue cloak draping his back, wearing a ze Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown on his head, Vajra Purple Cloud Bracers on his arms, and Kirin Ghost Stomping Boots on his feet. He indeed looked majestic and full of grandeur.

    Sun Wukong looked at the seventy-two Supreme experts and Xi Zhao in front of him, didn¡¯t say much more, and with a wave of his hand, everyone suddenly scattered and disappeared, while Xi Zhao also entered a state of invisibility.

    At this time, both Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi were dressed in battle robes, with Di Jun in An Azure Dragon Armor, and Donghuang Taiyi wearing a Taiji Eight Trigrams Armor. Both flew high into the sky, at an altitude where they could already see the billowing smoke in the distance.

    Based on their current distance and the speed of the enemy, they would likely reach the base of the mountain in a quarter of an hour.

    Di Jun continued to observe the enemy situation from mid-air, while Donghuang Taiyi had alreadynded on the walls of Battle Demon City. As the city had been conquered by Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi leading the Demon n army, both were well aware of all the strengths and weaknesses of this massive city situated halfway up the mountain.

    The advantage was clear; the Battle Demon City, located on the mid-mountain, was easy to defend but difficult to attack, unless the enemy was entirelyposed of Nine Patterns Supreme experts, otherwise, they could only obediently climb up from the bottom of the mountain. This provided a significant advantage to those defending the city.

    However, the disadvantage was equally apparent; the enemy could attack from all sides of the mountain simultaneously. Although the mountain was steep and Di Jun, together with Donghuang Taiyi, had proudly used their great magical power to smooth all the edges of the mountain, turning it essentially into a giant pir, even so, this could not y a more significant role.

    Those with Four Patterns or above could destroy the mountain body and therefore climb up. Therefore, if the enemy had more troops than oneself, such terrain would be very stressful.

    That¡¯s why Donghuang personally descended to guard the South City Gate, so that military forces could be concentrated as much as possible on the other three gates. Using Nine Patterns Supreme experts to defend the city, probably only the Demon n had this capability.

    In other¡¯s offense and defense battles, Nine Patterns Supreme experts were strategic-level resources, and no one was willing to use them just to guard city gates.

    Before long, Di Jun, who was flying in mid-air, could clearly see the appearance of the enemies at the forefront. They looked undoubtedly human, but with three eyes on their foreheads, obviously belonging to the Three-eyed n!

    The Three-eyed n should be considered a powerful force in the Netherworld World, inherently possessing formidablebat power, and what was most fearsome was that the third eye of each member of the Three-eyed n had an innate divine ability. Some could freeze everything, others could burn everything, and some could see through all illusion techniques.

    Seeing this time that it was the army of the Three-eyed n, Di Jun suddenly had a bad feeling. The cities of the Three-eyed n were very far from here; even for a Nine Patterns Supreme expert flying at full strength, it would take a day and a night, and ordinary experts would need at least half a month on foot. Let alone such arge army?

    But their own side had not detected it until the enemy entered their alert range.

    It seems the Three-eyed n had been nning this for a long time. He sighed, a trace of reluctance crossing his eyes.

    In any world, alive or dead, one cannot escape war! And here, once dead, it¡¯s truly aplete demise, a soul-shattering death.

    But Di Jun would not be afraid. The Demon n wouldn¡¯t be either.

    So, since you want war, then war it shall be, a fight to the death!

 Chapter 134 - 126: The Three Clans Join Forces

    Looking down at the Demon n soldiers who were ready for battle below, Di Jun suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Who goes there? Why do you attack my city without cause?" Although these words seemed pointless, they were a necessary step in a standoff between two armies. Unless one side wasunching a surprise attack, they wouldn¡¯t just start fighting without speaking.

    At that moment, the approaching armies from all sides gradually halted their advance and then lined up in a typical siege formation. Di Jun nced around; the Three-eyed n within view probably numbered around one hundred and fifty thousand. Meanwhile, there were one hundred thousand capable fighters within the city.

    The enemy¡¯s number exceeded his by half, but the defensive advantage of the city was much greater. Unless the besieging force outnumbered the defenders by more than three times, it would not exert too much pressure.

    It seemed the Three-eyed n either had reinforcements on the way or some other n up their sleeve.

    During these thoughts, a figure slowly flew up from the direction of the South City Gate. When this person flew up to the same height as Di Jun, he stopped. He then saluted Di Jun with a bow and said, "I am Yang Xian, the lord of the Three-eyed n¡¯s Eradicating mes City. I have long heard of the great reputation of the Demon Emperor Di Jun of Battle Demon City.

    It is a great fortune to meet you today."

    "I¡¯m not worthy of such praise, Your sight reduces all to ashes, Lord Yang is the true embodiment of might. May I inquire what brings Lord Yang and so many of his people here today?"

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Heh, it¡¯s nothing serious. I heard that Donghuang Taiyi had saved two individuals in the Soul Casting Forest near Eradicating mes City a few days ago? Is there any truth to this?"

    Hearing this, Di Jun already knew what was going on. Damn it, it must have been Sun Wukong who used the World Suppressing Stele and was discovered by someone from the Three-eyed n. Now with their army threatening us, the Three-eyed n is certainly determined to take away the World Suppressing Stele. Humph, they really think my Demon n has no one to stand against them.

    However, Di Jun didn¡¯t show his anger but chuckled instead and responded, "Lord Yang must have seen wrong. My deputy lord, Donghuang Taiyi, has been in seclusion within the city recently and has not been to the Soul Casting Forest."

    Yang Xian¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly, and then he alsoughed and said, "Does Lord Di Jun truly wish to start a war with my Three-eyed n? All for a couple of nameless brats?"

    "Oh? Brats? I am honestly unaware of any brats; please, Lord Yang, do rify!"

    "Hmph, a few months ago, a young demon of your Demon n, in collusion with a human youngster, murdered members of my Three-eyed n. Theyter fled to the Soul Casting Forest to evade punishment, but a few days ago, they were rescued by Donghuang Taiyi. Do you dare say this didn¡¯t happen?"

    "Ha ha, I didn¡¯t realize our Demon n was so defiant, ha ha. To dare kill members of the Three-eyed n near their own city. Tsk tsk, let me inquire about this matter!"

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    Then Di Jun suddenly addressed his vast army below, "Demons, heed mymand! The lord of the Three-eyed City says that a few months ago, a One Pattern youngster of our n killed two of their Four Patterns Saints. Who has done this deed? Whoever it was, step forward!"

    The Demon n below was taken aback, not quite understanding what Di Jun meant. But Di Jun then dered, "Whoever admits to it, quickly do so! Step forth and I will immediately promote you to Great General of our Demon n. Ha ha ha! Such talent is sure to greatly prosper our n, ha ha ha!"

    "The prosperity of the Demon n, the mighty Demon n! Those who challenge our divinity shall be in, they shall be in!"

    Initially thinking Di Jun was truly afraid, it wasn¡¯t expected that he would reverse his stance so abruptly, instantly boosting the morale of the Demon n to its peak, whereas the morale of the Three-eyed n plummeted. If a mere One Pattern youngster from their side could kill our two Four Patterns Saints, how could they hope to fight this war?

    The lord of Eradicating mes City, Yang Xian, was so vexed that his face turned green, but he managed to hold back his anger. After sneering, he flew back to his army. However, just as he turned, Di Jun suddenly lunged forward, his wrist flicking and a long sword materializing out of nowhere, and then swung the sword down.

    "Since you¡¯vee up here, do not go back down." Di Jun¡¯s n was simple: entangle Yang Xian. As long as he was upied, the leaderless Three-eyed n forces trying to siege would certainly be disorganized below. Additionally, their side had a Nine Patterns Supreme. Even if the Three-eyed n had greater numbers, without their Nine Patterns Supreme, they could not pose a serious threat.

    Clearly, the lord of the Three-eyed n¡¯s city had not anticipated that Di Jun would take action so directly. Thus, he was slightly caught off guard but managed not to appear too disheveled. He turned, a long spear materializing in his hand, and held it horizontally above his head, blocking Di Jun¡¯s sword strike.

    However, Di Jun didn¡¯t give him much time to recover and continued to sh with his long sword ceaselessly.

    Both of them were Nine Patterns Supremes, withparable strength, which meant that if one was intent on entangling the other inbat, it would be very difficult for thetter to escape without help from others. Therefore, although Yang Xian knew that such a fight would definitely disadvantage the Three-eyed n, he wasn¡¯t too worried.

    Instead, he took advantage of a lull to issue orders to the Demon n¡¯s forces: "All units, attack¡ªwe must take down Battle Demon City!"

    After giving the attack order, Yang Xian turned his attention back to the fight with Di Jun, seemingly unconcerned about theck of amander for his forces.

    At Yang Xian¡¯smand, the entire Demon n¡¯s army transformed into several iron torrents. The Three-eyed n had 160,000 warriors, perfectly suited for dividing into four directions, with 40,000 in each. The Demon n had 100,000 warriors, but with Donghuang Taiyi present, they left only 10,000 troops to guard him at the South Gate, with the remaining 30,000 each at the other three city gates.

    The contest of 30,000 against 40,000, originally a small gap, became pronounced with the advantage of defense over attack. Despite the Three-eyed n charging fiercely, even to the point of disregarding their own lives, the geographical advantage of the Demon n was far too apparent.

    Not to mention the several-hundred-meter-high mountain, the mere one-hundred-meter-high city wall was already an insurmountable obstacle for the Three-eyed n.

    The Demon n¡¯s city walls were not only high but also incredibly wide, allowing for a dozen rows of soldiers to stand atop. These soldiers were divided into Shield Guards and power attackers, with Shield Guardsprising demons innately strong in defense, and power attackers being demons capable of long-range assault.

    The coboration between the two types of soldiers turned the hundred-meter-high walls into a deadly zone for the Three-eyed n.

    Such a one-sided battle didn¡¯t even require the deployment of Sun Wukong¡¯s Demon Venerable squad. The soldiers alone were sufficient to hold their defense, and there seemed to be no Supreme or higher-level beings amongst the enemy troops.

    Thus, even though they currently held the advantage, Sun Wukong and the others didn¡¯t let their guard down. If the Three-eyed n¡¯s lord wasn¡¯t a fool, he must have further tricks up his sleeve. It would be impossible to hope to take a city with these forces alone.

    After all, it had taken Di Jun and Donghuang and a staggering 250,000 demons to capture this city, while the Taoist Race had only about 100,000 at that time. Even so, the Demon n suffered nearly 100,000 casualties.

    Anyone with a clear vision could see that this battle was merely a warm-up.

    Indeed, as soon as half of the 150,000 Three-eyed n warriors were lost, the entire force suddenly began to retreat. Witnessing the unanticipated retreat of the Three-eyed n, Sun Wukong knew that what followed would be the true great war.

    These 150,000 warriors from the Three-eyed n were but cannon fodder, meant to drain the Demon n¡¯s city defense resources and carve steps in the mountain and city walls that could be used for climbing.

    Indeed, as the Demon n soldiers watched, the Three-eyed n retreated to a position far behind. Subsequently, a tremendous rumble emanated from the four directions¡ªeast, south, west, and north¡ªof Battle Demon City, as if countless warhorses were galloping. Then, all Demon n soldiers witnessed this scene:

    Numerous near-ten-meter-tall rock giants, carrying beings almost indistinguishable from humans, were rapidly running towards Battle Demon City. Seeing this multitude of giant stone figures, Di Jun, entangled in midair with Yang Xian, and Donghuang Taiyi at the South City Gate both suddenly had their pupils constrict, as an extremely ominous feeling washed over them.

    The High Mountain Giant n allied with the Taoist Race? How did theye together? Was this a conspiracy between three races? In fact, upon seeing the massive stone people carrying Taoist beings, Di Jun already had an inkling. It seemed they were really willing to go all out for the World Suppressing Stele. With the three races joining forces, the Demon n might be in danger.

    And if there were three races involved, could there be more than one Nine Patterns Supreme?

    Upon witnessing the stone giants thundering towards them, all the soldiers on the city walls felt their resolve waver. High Mountain Giants were known for their terrifying defensive power; a three-patterned High Mountain Giant could withstand attacks from a four-patterned Saint from other races.

    With such horrifying defense coupled with the formidable Taoist Arts of the beings they carried, how could the city possibly be defended? Their attacks couldn¡¯t breach the giants¡¯ defense, and they couldn¡¯t withstand their opponents¡¯ attacks! Immediately, all Demon n soldiers felt their confidence falter.

    Watching the huge stone giants that were closing in rapidly, some already beginning to scale the mountain, Sun Wukong, with an expressionless face, waved his hand and simultaneously said, "Demon Venerable squad, it¡¯s time for us to take the stage!"

 Chapter 135 - 127: Forbidden Existence!

    With amand from Sun Wukong, seventy-two of the Demon n¡¯s Supreme fighters vanished on the spot. Sun Wukong exchanged a nce with Xi Zhao and, in a few leaps and bounds, they too headed towards the South City Gate. The Demon Venerable squad,posed of seventy-two members, almost represented the entire top-levelbat force of the Demon n. Sun Wukong¡¯s aim was decapitation.

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    Given such arge-scale siege from the enemy, there would certainly be many generals or advisors inmand; exterminating these figures would render the invading army far less formidable.

    Just as the Demon Venerable squad led by Sun Wukong reached the South City Gate, Donghuang Taiyi, who had been defending there, suddenly let out an angry roar and soared into the sky. Following him closely were two other figures. Di Jun and Yang Xian, who had been entangled in battle mid-air, also instantly split apart upon their arrival.

    Seeing the neers, Di Jun¡¯s face darkened, while Yang Xian appeared extremely smug and arrogant. Drawing closer to Donghuang Taiyi, Di Jun asked in a low voice, "How is it? Can you still fight?"

    Donghuang Taiyi, clutching his left nk, hastily swallowed several spirit-recovery elixirs. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I¡¯m fine for the short term, but not for too long. That person just now had a weapon smeared with Soul Devouring venom, but I¡¯ve suppressed it." Hearing Donghuang¡¯s exnation, Di Jun felt a jolt of shock. It seemed that the three ns had indeede fully prepared.

    A moment ago, just as Sun Wukong and the others had reached the top of the walls and Donghuang had let out a sigh of relief due to the retreat of the first wave of the Three-eyed n, two "corpses" on the ground suddenly erupted in action. Both their speed and attack strength affirmed that these two "corpses" were certainly Nine Patterns Supremes.

    Taken by surprise, Donghuang Taiyi could only manage to fend off one attacker with his Bronze Bell before feeling an intense pain in his waist. In a fit of rage, he smashed the Bronze Bell down horizontally; however, the attacker, havingnded a sessful blow, had already briskly retreated.

    To avoid giving the two of them a chance to continue their assault, Donghuang had no choice but to take to the sky. Moreover, he soon realized that the attacker¡¯s weapon was smeared with the lethal toxin Soul Devouring!

    "Demon Emperor Di Jun, Donghuang Taiyi, ha ha, that¡¯s all there is to you! Today, with our three ns united, your Demon n will be annihted!" As the threeughed heartily, Di Jun and Taiyi shouted lowly and struck out simultaneously from left and right. A great sword in Di Jun¡¯s hand suddenly released millions of golden lights, and, once the Golden Light dispersed, the sword had transformed.

    Firstly, the de became incredibly thick, and on its spine, fourrge characters appeared. On the front it read: Xuanyuan. On the back: Yellow Emperor.

    Much in the same way, Donghuang Taiyi¡¯s Azure Great Clock emitted thousands of strands of Golden Light, which fading away, transformed the clock into an ancient, golden Bronze Bell!

    Then, the Demon Emperor Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, carrying an unmatched momentum, collided fiercely with the three enemies. Nevertheless, the foes were also Nine Patterns Supremes and, although surprised that the two had been concealing their true power, they were not so easily injured in a single exchange; they still found themselves in a slightly disheveled state.

    As five Supreme powerhouses waged a great battle in the sky, down below, the Demon n forces had begun to sh with new enemies, instantly feeling the immense pressure.

    The Taoist Race was indeed favored by the Cosmic Law. At the same level of power and realm, the Taoist Race couldprehend Laws that were a bit more advanced than those of other ns.

    Apart from the Taoist Race and some special ns, all other races from One Pattern to Three Patterns could grasp only Primary Laws; Four Patterns to Six Patterns could master High-Level Laws, and Seven Patterns to Nine Patterns, the true essence of Laws. This ounted for the substantial differences between the three phases of strength.

    However, the Taoist Race could alreadyprehend High-Level Laws at the One Pattern stage.

    Such a disparity was truly terrifying. Especially since the Taoist Race mostly excelled in long-range attacks, their special abilities were not suited for siege battles as they were weak in defense. But with the Stone Giants¡¯ protection, their assault was devastating.

    As the Demon n soldiers fell in battle, Sun Wukong¡¯s eyes zed with fury. Directing the seventy-two Demon Venerables, he leapt down from the South City Gate¡¯s battlements. Instead ofnding on the ground, he stood perpendicr to the city wall, his feet nted on its side at a ny-degree angle!

    "Demon Venerable squad, heed mymand, follow me¡ªwhomever I attack, all of you concentrate your attacks on that person. But don¡¯t use all your strength. Xi Zhao, go invisible and strike at the Taoist Race!"

    Although the seventy-two Supremes did not understand Sun Wukong¡¯s intention, they all executed his orders effectively. Then, Sun Wukong exploded all the Laws he hadprehended in a burst. Bringing his palms together and then parting them, in the center of each palm appeared a character for "Suppress"!

    This was the Six Patterns Law of Soul Suppressing that Sun Wukong hadprehended from the World Suppressing Stele.

    With Sun Wukong as the spearhead, the seventy-two Supremes immediately formed a triangr battle formation behind him, following closely. In no time, Sun Wukong, who was swiftly descending, encountered the first pairprising a Giant Stone and a Taoist Race individual.

    Although the Taoist Race people noticed Sun Wukong and the others as soon as they appeared and initiated their Taoist Arts attack, not only were Sun Wukong and the others few in number, but every one of those seventy-two were Supremes. So while dodging and defending, except for a few unlucky ones who were injured, the rest emerged unscathed. Read exclusive chapters at empire

    Thus, the Taoist at the forefront could only watch in horror as Sun Wukong, with an expression of sheer madness, mmed his palm onto the Stone Giant beneath him. Immediately afterward, Sun Wukong shifted sideways, and to the baffled Taoist, this abrupt move seemed senseless.

    But despair struck in the next moment as the Stone Giant under him suddenly froze, and as he tried to jump off, he found his own body immobilized. Then, in thest moments of his life, he saw a myriad of splendid attacksing his way.

    The Six Patterns Soul Suppressing Law was thew that could shock souls. With the same realm as one¡¯s own, it would shock for three seconds, which meant six patterns would shock for three seconds, seven patterns for two seconds, and eight patterns for one second. Shocking could be directly understood as suppressing and sealing.

    However, when Sun Wukong noticed that the attacks of the seventy-two individuals were all directed at one person, he suddenly felt it was a bit wasteful. "From now on, form groups of ten. Eight people attack the stone giants and two attack the Taoist Race. Xi Zhao, finish off those who are not yet dead with the final blow."

    Seeing the eerie attacks from Sun Wukong, everyone¡¯s hearts trembled! What kind of attack was that? It could seal the enemy¡¯s movements? And judging from the previous attacks, those who were sealed couldn¡¯t even defend themselves but had to rely on their natural defenses to resist. This was too terrifying.

    Thankfully, this person was from the Demon n; otherwise, just thinking about it would send shivers down one¡¯s spine.

    Then, an eerie scene unfolded on the battlefield. Led by Sun Wukong, with the seventy-two Supremes divided into seven groups behind him, wherever Sun Wukong went, everyone was instantly sealed, regardless of their strength or realm. As soon as they were sealed, countless attacks from the rear followed. Even the stone giants, naturally strong in defense, were instantly killed.

    Sun Wukong, with the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, the Law of Defense, and the Five-Colored Divine Stone¡¯s bondage and recovery, was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

    From a distance, the sight of Sun Wukong and the others was like a torrent, sweeping over the Taoist Race people wherever it went, making them fall one after another. For a moment, the seventy-two Demon n Supremes were worshiping Sun Wukong like a Heavenly God. Although they had fought city defense battles before, none had been as exhrating and clean as this.

    It didn¡¯t matter if it was Six Patterns or Seven Patterns or even Eight Patterns, whether it was a single person or a team, attack or defense, none could withstand a single blow!

    In just a quarter of a Chinese hour, the entire southern mountainside and wall had been cleared. Those below who were still nning to climb were horrified by the scene and hesitated for a moment.

    But Sun Wukong paid no attention to these things. After ncing at the battle in the sky, he led the seventy-two Supremes straight down to the bottom of the city wall. Then, he brought out the World Suppressing Stele, magnified it, and with a boom, ced it in front of the South City Gate. The huge stelepletely sealed off the South City Gate.

    Afterward, Sun Wukong headed directly for the Eastern City Gate.

    Like an unstoppable force, after a Chinese hour, Sun Wukong had returned to the South City Gate! Although Sun Wukong and the others were all panting and pale, and only about forty of the seventy-two remained, with Sun Wukong himself being heavily injured and even the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree reduced to just a single root, the loss they inflicted on the Taoist Race was negligible inparison.

    This time, the three races joined forces, with the Three-eyed n sending 150,000 troops, the Taoist Race 120,000, and the High Mountain Giant n 130,000, totaling 400,000. Yet now, including the wounded, the three races together barely amounted to 150,000. This meant that in that one Chinese hour, Sun Wukong and his followers had in around 150,000.

    Seventy-two individuals had killed 150,000 in a single hour, and that too when their strengths and realms were not much different. This battle made Sun Wukong¡¯s name known in the Netherworld World!

    It could be said that Sun Wukong alone had dismantled the offensive of the three races¡¯ allied forces. As long as Sun Wukong was alive, the Taoist Race and the High Mountain Giant n would not dare to attack.

    And the five Nine Patterns Supremes in mid-air watched all this. Everyone¡¯s minds were shocked, incredibly shocked! Although each of the five present could ughter 150,000 beings below the Nine Patterns level, Sun Wukong only had Six Patterns. Over-level killing was already inconceivable, but not only had he killed over-level, he had also killed 150,000 in an hour!

    Sun Wukong had be a threat to the bnce of the Netherworld World! A person with only Six Patterns but who could exhibit the strength of a Nine Patterns Supreme on the battlefield, such a person was cheating. They would not be allowed to exist.

    Therefore, the three races¡¯ Nine Patterns Supremes simultaneously abandoned Di Jun and Taiyi, and then pounced directly toward Sun Wukong.

    The Demon n might endure, the World Suppressing Stele could be spared, but Sun Wukong had to die!

    (Brothers, hurry up and vote for the rmendation. You get one free vote every day; not voting is a waste. Also, wee to join the group 214501643! The group¡¯s name is The Lament of Tang Sanzang.)

 Chapter 136 - 128: Victory!

    Watching the three people rushing toward him with murder in their eyes, Sun Wukong sat on the ground with an air of ease, without any intention of dodging or defending, merely closing his eyes gently.

    However, after being momentarily stunned, Di Jun suddenly shouted and, along with Taiyi, desperately chased after those three. But the speed of a Nine Patterns Supreme was incredibly fast, and the moment Sun Wukong closed his eyes, he could already feel the harsh wind against his face. The next moment could very well be hisst.

    At this moment, Di Jun and Taiyi were still a short distance away from the three, and seeing their formation¡ªwith one in front and two behind¡ªDi Jun understood the two trailing ones were there to prevent any attack from behind. So even if he could strike, it was unlikely to save Sun Wukong. Could it be that the hope of the Demon n was about to be extinguished?

    The next moment, the full-force attack from the Taoist Race¡¯s Nine Patterns Supreme mmed right into the spot where Sun Wukong was sitting. Dust flew into the air, and the thunderous explosion was deafening.

    But soon, as the dust cleared, everyone saw that the full-force strike of the Nine Patterns Supreme had not injured Sun Wukong in the slightest. However, no one was surprised by this, at most, there was a hint of astonishment. Above the heads of Sun Wukong and the other Demon Venerable squad members floated a huge ck stele.

    In thest moment before the attacknded, the World Suppressing Stele that Sun Wukong had ced at the South City Gate had suddenly vanished, only to reappear above his head, blocking the full-force blow from the Taoist Race¡¯s Domain Lord.

    Looking at Sun Wukong, unharmed, the murderous intent in the eyes of the members of the Three-eyed n, the Taoist Race, and the High Mountain Giant n vanished, but greed emerged without warning. It really was the World Suppressing Stele, indestructible even by the full-force strike of a Nine Patterns Supreme. This was undoubtedly the genuine World Suppressing Stele.

    Only by obtaining this stele, to say nothing of a single Outer City, even if all the Outer Cities of the Netherworld World werebined, they wouldn¡¯t be as valuable as one World Suppressing Stele.

    Possessing the World Suppressing Stele was like having a shortcut to the realm above that of the Nine Patterns Supreme, and with this stele, one truly could challenge the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World! Even if ascension to saint was not possible, leaving this world would indeed be a breeze.

    Only by obtaining the stele, as long as they could get it, nothing else would be a problem! However, just as the three Domain Lords were about to act, Di Jun and Taiyi suddenly appeared in front of the stele. At the same time, with a summoning gesture from Di Jun, the World Suppressing Stele began to shrink, eventually bing one meter tall, before flying into Di Jun¡¯s hands.

    Seeing this, the Domain Lords of the three ns felt their eyes bulging out!

    What was going on? Why did the World Suppressing Stele automatically fly into Di Jun¡¯s hands? If it had originally belonged to Di Jun, they would have to think long-term. The might released from the World Suppressing Stele in the hands of a Six Patterns Saint and a Nine Patterns Supreme was worlds apart.

    If Sun Wukong were to use the stele, each of the three Domain Lords was confident they could take it. But now it was in Di Jun¡¯s possession, and if the three still wanted to forcibly take it, it would be no different from courting death. Yet, a glimmer of hope lingered in their hearts. Perhaps Di Jun could not actually use the World Suppressing Stele.

    Maybe it was just that Six Patterns brat posturing?

    Therefore, although the three Domain Lords did not immediately attack, they didn¡¯t flee either. Moreover, theymanded the remainder of their nsmen to attack at all costs. The purpose of their arrival today was for the World Suppressing Stele, whether they could take down Battle Demon City was inconsequential.

    The forty thousand allied forces today were, to put it urately, all cannon fodder meant to facilitate the sessful capture of the stele.

    The original n of the three Domain Lords was to rely on numerical superiority to take down Battle Demon City, then use the remaining forces to wear out the power of the Demon Emperor Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, finallybining forces to kill Di Jun and Taiyi and take the World Suppressing Stele.

    The n was perfect, and the three ns had meticulously prepared for a long time. Just the coordination and climbing practice between the Taoist Race and the High Mountain Giant n took two months, not to mention the secret movement of troops. It was almost immediate after the Three-eyed n discovered the World Suppressing Stele in Sun Wukong¡¯s hands that the three ns joined forces.

    If the Three-eyed n¡¯s Domain Lord knew that on that day, Sun Wukong was only with Xi Zhao, Yang Xian would probably vomit blood. But thankfully, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao had entered the Soul Casting Forest right away; otherwise, they might have been captured by Yang Xian¡¯s people already.

    But now, everything was toote, even the three city lords had missed their chance to escape. Just after the three had issued their orders to their nsmen, Di Jun and Taiyi made their sudden move.

    Donghuang Taiyi threw the Chaos Clock from his hand, and then his hands moved through a series of Magical Decrees. The originally golden clock suddenly transformed into eighteen thousand pieces, while the Heavenly Great Formation had already been silently set up. This time, the formation was not meant to kill the enemy but to dy the three city lords for a moment.

    On the other side, the Demon Emperor Di Jun had thrown the World Suppressing Stele. Sun Wukong, who was below, originally thought the Stele in the hands of Di Jun would disy some different Divine Skills; however, he found, speechless, that Di Jun simply flung it and smashed it forward.

    At that moment, Sun Wukong suddenly felt that perhaps that¡¯s exactly how the World Suppressing Stele should be used!

    But Sun Wukong soon discovered that the Stele he had thrown waspletely different from the one Di Jun had smashed. Currently at the Six Patterns realm, the Stele he could throw would at most injure someone at the Seven Patterns, while an Eight Patterns powerhouse couldpletely dodge or resist it.

    But the Stele from Di Jun directly smashed the right hand of the Three-eyed n city lord, along with his entire arm and half his shoulder to dust. This was only because Yang Xian had a quick reaction and used a defensive Divine Artifact; otherwise, he might already be dead.

    Although he was not dead for the moment, what followed was that the three Nine Patterns Supreme city lords, who usually stood high above others, were now fleeing like homeless dogs, unable to escape, unable to fight, and could only watch as their bodies were pierced and shattered by the World Suppressing Stele over and over again.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The three groups of the Allied Forces, originally preparing to attack, saw their city lords being beaten like dogs by others and stood there dumbfounded,pletely in shock.

    Four hundred thousand men attacking the city against one hundred thousand, and they hadn¡¯t even reached the walls. Three Nine Patterns Supremes ganging up on two, only to be now trapped in a formation, ughtered like pigs and dogs. Everyone found such an oue impossible to ept!

    But there was nothing they could do, as the battle of the Nine Patterns Supremes was not something they could intervene in.

    As the three city lords were reduced to thest from the High Mountain Giant n, someone suddenly shouted and then turned to run. This act, like a stone dropped into a calmke, started a ripple effect. Once one person fled, there was a second and a third, and soon, the fear of death overcame the city lords¡¯ authority, after all, the city lord was already dead.

    However, as soon as the fleeing began, Donghuang Taiyi had already ordered the city gates open, and all the Demon n soldiers pursued with full force. Thus, the chase began: one hundred thousand against a hundred and fifty thousand.

    After annihting thest Giant n city lord, Di Jun, who was in mid-air, suddenly fell without any warning. Fortunately, Taiyi was quick to react and shed to catch Di Jun, but this also agitated his own wounds, and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

    The soldiers nearby quickly came forward to support Di Jun and Taiyi, and at the same time, someone helped Sun Wukong and others towards the Inner City. The battle was decided. The task for these people now was to rest and recover, for after such a siege battle, there was no better opportunity for other cities tounch a surprise attack.

    So at that moment, a Nine Patterns Supreme Level Soul Crystal was ced in front of Sun Wukong!

 Chapter 137 - 129 Fight, My Demon Clan Fears No One!

    In the following three days, everyone absorbed the spoils from the battle¡ª a massive quantity of Soul Crystals¡ªat the fastest pace possible! The Allied Forces of the three groups already outnumbered the Demon n, and the pursuit at the end resulted in over fifty thousand killed. Of the four hundred thousand in the Allied Forces, only fifty to sixty thousand managed to flee, an utter defeat!

    Of the hundred thousand Demon n, about thirty thousand also perished. However, such an oue was a definite victory. Seventy thousand survivors, three hundred thousand Soul Crystals.

    Nearly everyone could get four Soul Crystalsparable to their own level; if they could fully devour and integrate these three hundred thousand Soul Crystals, the strength of the Demon n could absolutely surge manifold!

    However, Di Jun didn¡¯t consume all of the Soul Crystals but distributed three to each individual, keeping close to a hundred thousand pieces as reserves. After all, there would surely be more wars toe, and with these hundred thousand Soul Crystals, the Demon n could once again double their Combat Power.

    Seeing this, Di Jun had decided to take the route of an elite force.

    Because of his tremendous merits, Wukong even received a Nine Patterns Supreme Level Soul Crystal! Instantly, all of the Demon n envied him, but only with envy. Everyone knew that this victory could bergely attributed to Wukong; without his bizarre sealing abilities, Battle Demon City might have had to change its name by now. Therefore, a sense of pride and honor radiated from everyone¡¯s faces.

    Our Demon n not only has two Nine Patterns Supremes but also such a formidable and peerless genius. How could the Demon n not flourish?

    Thus, the next day, not only did all the remaining Supreme fighters of the Demon n appear, but over ten thousand soldiers also spontaneously gathered around Wukong¡¯s residence and formed a Heaven and Earth Soul-Locking Great Formation to protect him. Wukong, witnessing all this, once again felt an emotion known as being moved after a long absence.

    Xi Zhao, after joining a Demon Venerable squad for cleanup duty earlier that day and ensuring the true death of the enemy forces with his final blows, thus conserving his strength rtively well, continued to participate in the ensuing massive pursuit. The end result was that Xi Zhao himself single-handedly obtained twenty-three Eight Patterns Supreme Level Soul Crystals.

    These were all imed by Xi Zhao through his own kills, not scavenged from behind Wukong and others. However, Xi Zhao didn¡¯t hoard them all for himself but kept only three, giving the rest to the members of the Demon Venerable squad.

    Three dayster, with the help of the Heaven and Earth Soul-Locking Great Formation set up by Myriad Demons, Wukong hadpletely absorbed the Nine Patterns Supreme Level Soul Crystal; of course, due to his rtionship with Wukong, Xi Zhao also benefited from the Great Formation.

    However, what puzzled both Wukong and Xi Zhao was that, despite absorbing a vast amount of Soul Energy, neither had broken through to the Seven Patterns; they were both stuck at the peak of the Six Patterns. Moreover, both could clearly sense that their Soul Energy had reached a saturation point, with the majority of the Energy lying dormant inside, unabsorbed.

    Faced with this situation, both Wukong and Xi Zhao were perplexed. Nevertheless, they couldn¡¯t just ignore it, so they went to consult Di Jun. In three days¡¯ time, Di Jun and Taiyi had also absorbed the remaining two Soul Crystals. At this moment, both were frowning and discussing something.

    After knocking on the doors of the grand hall, Di Jun turned his head and saw it was Wukong and Xi Zhao, so he beckoned them over without saying anything. As soon as Wukong and Xi Zhao approached, Di Jun said, "To advance from Six Patterns to Seven Patterns, you need more than just a vast amount of Soul Energy; you must go to a ce called the Supreme Pool.

    Only those who undergo the baptism of the Supreme Pool can ascend to the Seven Patterns Supreme."

    After hearing this, both Wukong and Xi Zhao were taken aback¡ªadvancing to Seven Patterns was moreplicated than expected? However, before Wukong could speak, Di Jun continued, "Wukong, our Demon n is in a precarious situation. Donghuang Taiyi and I think that you should take the World Suppressing Stele and leave immediately."

    Looking at Di Jun¡¯s deeply furrowed brow, Wukong knew that something was amiss, "Senior, what has happened?"

    "I originally thought we were only facing the Allied Forces of three tribes, but yesterday, a scout reported that they discovered eight cities simultaneously mobilizing for war. Reliable intelligence suggests that their target is our Demon n.

    Donghuang Taiyi and I guess that the three groups of Allied Forces might have leaked intelligence before, so those Eight Tribes likely also know about our Demon n possessing a World Suppressing Stele. Moreover, with the three groups¡¯ disastrous defeat, their suspicion is further confirmed. So..."

    "So, our Demon n is very likely to soon face the onught of eight cities?"

    "It¡¯s not a possibility, it¡¯s a certainty. In at most three days, the troops of the Eight Tribes will arrive at the gates of Battle Demon City. Against the three tribes, our Demon n might manage to win or even kill the three City Lords, but against the forces of the Eight Tribes, numbering over a million, there¡¯s no chance of victory for the Demon n."

    Indeed, now the total number of soldiers in Battle Demon City is just over seventy thousand. Seventy thousand against one million; this is a fight destined for defeat. Yet, can I really do as Di Jun said¡ªtake the World Suppressing Stele and run away like a dog who lost its home? Flee during the Demon n¡¯s moment of life or death?

    I, Sun Wukong, cannot do such a thing!

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Elder, although my strength is humble, I cannot do such a thing as fleeing the battlefield. I am also a member of the Demon n. The survival of the Demon n should include my participation. Besides, they are alling for my World Suppressing Stele; I have even less reason to run away."

    Sighing softly, Di Jun and Taiyi had already anticipated this, knowing Sun Wukong¡¯s character¡ªhe would probably rather die in battle with the Demon n than escape alone.

    At that moment, Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged nces, and then Taiyi said, "You two,e with me." After speaking, he directly walked towards the back hall of the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. Sun Wukong looked at Di Jun, who nodded. So the two followed Taiyi.

    Once inside the great hall, the pair followed Di Jun through dozens ofplex corridors before arriving at a ce that seemed to be a study. Gently pushing the door open, Taiyi walked straight in. Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao hurriedly followed.

    Upon entering the study, Taiyi walked to a veryrge table that was covered with many scrolls. Even at the top right corner of the table sat a City Lord¡¯s Seal. However, Taiyi picked up two delicately crafted jade boxes, one big and one small, one tall and one wide. He then handed the taller one to Sun Wukong and the wider one to Xi Zhao.

    After taking a deep look at Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, he said, "Xi Zhao, I know you have an extraordinary origin. But now, I hope you can be a friend of the Demon n. I believe in Wukong¡¯s choice. Wukong, since you refuse to leave, then be prepared to fight to the death."

    Seeing the solemn expression on Donghuang Taiyi¡¯s face, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao both nodded gravely.

    "Open the boxes. Inside are the only two Soul Magic Treasures remaining in Battle Demon City. Wukong, yours are a pair of Flowing Cloud Golden Winged Boots that, once worn, can increase your speed to the level of a Nine Patterns Supreme, but they consume a great deal of Soul Power. Xi Zhao, yours is a Folding Space Armor that can achieve invisibility by folding space.

    It¡¯s absolutely indetectable by anyone below Nine Patterns Supreme. These are for your survival. In addition, each of you will receive five Eight Patterns Soul Crystals, which are used to restore the consumption of Soul Power."

    Upon opening the boxes, Sun Wukong saw a pair of white boots embroidered with flowing cloud patterns, exquisite in every detail. Meanwhile, Xi Zhao¡¯s box contained a pure ck half-body armor.

    The two knew that they might need their own abilities in the uing great battle, so they did not hesitate to put on their new equipment. Looking at the handsome and eye-catching boots, Sun Wukong was very pleased.

    Despite Sun Wukong¡¯s often frivolous demeanor, he was actually quite vain; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been called the Beautiful Monkey King, nor would he have bothered to trade for a beautiful outfit from the Dragon King.

    But as attractive as they were, when Sun Wukong put on the Flowing Cloud Golden Winged Boots, he immediately felt as if he could fly with just a little effort. Having not experienced the sensation of flight for far too long, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t wait to instantly disappear from the spot, hurrying outside to familiarize himself with the speed of a Nine Patterns Supreme.

    At the same time, Xi Zhao also disappeared from the spot. However, where Sun Wukong¡¯s speed was incredibly fast, Xi Zhao had achievedplete invisibility. The Folding Space Armor didn¡¯t just conceal the wearer¡¯s form but created a spatial fold to envelop the person, which could move with the person¡¯s actions, effectively what¡¯smonly known as teleportation!

    Space and time, these are the highestws of the universe, only essible to a Nine Patterns Supreme. Thus, in the Netherworld World, only a Nine Patterns Supreme can soar freely in the sky.

    Watching these two, a long-lost smile appeared on Donghuang Taiyi¡¯s face.

    Even if it meant sacrificing everyone in the Demon n, Sun Wukong could not be allowed to suffer any harm.

    (Three updates today, first update ok)

 Chapter 138 - 130: The Battlefield for Two!

    ```

    Finally, on the seventh day after the siege by the three allied ns had passed, Battle Demon City was about to face another arduous and extraordinary battle. If the Demon n could win this battle, they would be an unstoppable force within the entire Netherworld World. However, all these presuppositions rested on the Demon n¡¯s survival.

    Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, alongside Donghuang Taiyi and the Demon Emperor Di Jun, stood atop the South City Gate. Looking at the vast army before them, everyone felt a profound heaviness in their hearts! A full million, the eight cities allied together truly made a grand gesture. How many years had it been since the Netherworld World had seen such a massive army inbat?

    Due to the particr nature of the Netherworld World, each city¡¯s poption was not veryrge¡ªthe most populous of the Outer City had fewer than two hundred thousand, and some cities had only a few tens of thousands.

    And the poption within the Inner City was even less, with an average of only about ten thousand people per city among the top ten Inner Cities!

    So to gather an army of a million, only the Allied Forces could achieve it! And to form an alliance, there must be amon enemy powerful and nearly insurmountable. Only under such circumstances could an alliance form. Moreover, the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World had very strict control over the allied forces.

    The principle of the Netherworld World¡¯s city lords was that you could attack another¡¯s city, but you could not annihte all the cities through the allied forces! The Domain Lord of the Netherworld World hoped to grow stronger throughpetition, not by allowing certain races to annex all the cities through alliances.

    Therefore, the most a city lord of the Netherworld World could possess was three cities at most. Any more, and they would face interference from the top ten Inner Cities, andplete extermination was also a possibility.

    So this time, the alliance of the Eight Tribes was taking a huge risk. But as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold, and everyone held the belief that if they could capture the World Suppressing Stele, they could fight even if the people from the top ten Inner Cities really came.

    Seeing the enormous army below and the eight Nine Patterns Supremes rising into the sky at the same time, Sun Wukong suddenly thought that rumors really couldn¡¯t be trusted. When Sun Wukong first arrived in the Netherworld World, he heard that among the 108 Inner City lords, only the top ten Inner City lords were Nine Patterns Supremes, and the others had merely Seven or Eight Patterns.

    Now it seemed that even the lords of the 108 Outer Cities were Nine Patterns Supremes. What about the top ten Inner Cities? Could they still be Nine Patterns Supremes? Shaking his head slightly, Wukong realized there were still many mysteries in this world that he needed to uncover. But for the moment, the immediate concern was how to survive the current crisis.

    Seventy thousand demons against a million allied troops, two Nine Patterns Supremes against eight.

    No matter how one looked at it, it seemed the Demon n had only a path to death.

    Patting Sun Wukong¡¯s shoulder, Di Jun and Taiyi also ascended into the sky. The injuries of these two had healedpletely in five days, and the rest of the 70,000 Demon n members also recovered, with many even greatly increasing their strength. However, there had been no increase in the number of Supremes with Seven Patterns or above.

    Looking at the ten Supremes in the sky, an extreme desire for power surged within Sun Wukong¡¯s heart. There was a time when he too looked down upon all beings from high above. Xi Zhao seemed to sense Sun Wukong¡¯s emotions and patted his shoulder too. Then he leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Monkey, fancy ying a big game?"

    "Hmm? A big game? How big?" Sun Wukong¡¯s interest was piqued by Xi Zhao¡¯s strange tone. He knew Xi Zhao must have his own unknown stories. But since he considered him a friend and Xi Zhao did not wish to speak of it, Sun Wukong did not inquire. Besides, Wukong always felt that Xi Zhao¡¯s strength was not as simple as it seemed.

    "Heh, just the two of us against a million, dare or not?"

    "You, you mean the two of us? To fight against the million below?"

    Xi Zhao did not speak and instead silently took out his strange weapons, Formless Vanishing, and concealed his presence.

    "If you don¡¯t want the Demon n to be extinguished forever, there¡¯s only this one method. While their eight city lords are confronting Di Jun in mid-air, we¡¯ll strike inside. Together, we can instantly kill anyone who isn¡¯t a Nine Patterns Supreme.

    As long as we are careful not to get surrounded, and if we eliminate all their supreme fighters, the allied troops will fall into chaos, and the Demon n might still have a chance!"

    Although Wukong could not feel Xi Zhao¡¯s presence, he could hear his voice. And his words deeply tempted Sun Wukong.

    Indeed, without a miracle under the current circumstances, the Demon n would likely be defeated. Although Sun Wukong felt that Di Jun and Taiyi must have some contingency in ce, he could not simply wait for death. Perhaps Xi Zhao¡¯s method could indeed work!

    He nodded fiercely, "Alright, when has Old Sun ever been afraid? I¡¯ll suppress them first, you follow with a fatal blow. Remember, hit their Soul Crystals. If we don¡¯t kill them in one strike, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t make it back!"

    ```

    "Alright, let¡¯s go. Let them see how the two of us brothers can take on a million-strong army!"

    Following that, Sun Wukong leaped down the city wall, with the Flowing Cloud Golden-Winged Boots beneath his feet fully activated. His Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils were synchronized with all the Laws he had mastered, he deployed them to their utmost. Finally, he brought out both the Five-Colored Divine Stone and the World Suppressing Stele, which transformed into an iron que the size of a palm.

    Sun Wukong dared not wield the World Suppressing Stele directly since he could no longer use the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree. Without any defensive items, he feared he might be sted to death before he could even rush into the fray.

    So, with no other choice at hand, he had to take the risk.

    As Sun Wukong dashed down along the mountainside, everyone saw him. The ten Nine Patterns Supremes in mid-air, the seventy thousand Demon n within the City of Battle Demons, the million-strong Allied Forces at the foot of the mountain.

    However, apart from the seventy thousand of the Demon n who keenly understood the terror that was Sun Wukong, the rest of them thought Sun Wukong was mad as they realized the Demon rushing down was only at the Six Patterns level of strength.

    It was normal to go insane facing a million-strong enemy force; the pressure was unbearable! Hence, as they watched Sun Wukong charge towards the meticulously prepared million-strong army which was clearly divided ording to the eight distinct cities, nobody cared much. Let alone a Six Patterns, even a Nine Patterns Supreme wouldn¡¯t rashly plunge into the enemy¡¯s battle formation.

    It was practically suicide.

    Yet facing the elite million-strong army, Sun Wukong showed not a hint of panic or fear, instead, he elerated even more. But soon, his pace decreased, and he seemed to hesitate, shifting unpredictably left and right.

    Seeing Sun Wukong act this way, the million-strong Allied Forces thought he was intimidated by the closeness of the vast army but was too embarrassed to retreat, hence his hesitance.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    However, for Sun Wukong, it was because Xi Zhao had told him to slow down; Xi Zhao couldn¡¯t keep up with such speed!

    Somehow speechless, yet Sun Wukong knew he couldn¡¯t be careless. Thus, after slowing down, he unpredictably weaved left and right to obscure his own line of attack from the enemy.

    The eight Domain Lords in the air also witnessed all this, yet they could actually see the invisible Xi Zhao. But even with one individual¡¯s stealth, it was just a Six Patterns kid. Not worth mentioning. No one believed that two little Six Patterns demons could affect their million-strong army.

    So, under everyone¡¯s contempt, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao directly barged into the battle formation of the million-strong army. Many soon regretted it.

    No matter if it was Six Patterns, Seven Patterns, or Eight Patterns, regardless of the race, Sun Wukong immobilized them in an encounter, all defenses lost. Without defenses, their souls were likembs to the ughter before Xi Zhao. With a swing of his Twin Rings, heads flew into the air followed by a hit that shattered the Soul Crystals!

    In the Netherworld World, except for Soul Beasts, all other races possessed a Soul Crystal, most of which were located in the head, while a few unique races had their crystals in the chest or other ces.

    However, to others¡¯ eyes, what they saw was Sun Wukong shing past at indiscernible speed, leaving behind him countless heads flying and disintegrating instantly, dying for good!

    Was this person really only at the level of Six Patterns?

    Amidst everyone¡¯s bewildered stares, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao unleashed a storm of ughter. Wherever they went, heads flew, exploded, bodies died. There were no extra moves, no one could resist. Six Patterns Martial Saints were no different, nor were Seven Patterns Supremes or Eight Patterns Supremes.

    If there had to be a distinction, it would be that many Eight Patterns Supremes¡¯ heads did not explode¡ª not out of mercy, but because Xi Zhao spared them momentarily to extract their Soul Crystals.

    An utterly disproportionate battle, apletely iprehensible fight, abat of two against a million, a one-sided massacre!

    Witnessing this bizarre scene, the eight Domain Lords in the air simultaneously flew into a rage! But as they were about to descend to kill Sun Wukong, Di Jun suddenly tossed the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand, the weapon once wielded by the Yellow Emperor.

    As the sword was thrown, Di Jun shouted, and the Xuanyuan Sword suddenly fractured! After that, the eight Domain Lords were stunned, for they felt an awe-inspiring presence, an aura only the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World possessed!

    Could it be that the Domain Lord had arrived?

    (Second update ok, also the student with the ID has reached Gold IV, three updates for tomorrow as well!)

 Chapter 139 - 131: Slaughter!

    But soon, the eight city lords sensed something awry. Although this momentum was quite simr to that of the Domain Lord, there were significant differences. The simrityy in the fact that the power of this momentum was on par with the Domain Lord¡¯s. Both were of that transcendent realm beyond the Nine Patterns Supreme.

    Moreover, the eight city lords quickly noticed that after the Divine Artifact-level Treasured Sword shattered, the fragments formed an ethereal human figure. None of them recognized this person, but this set them somewhat at ease because the momentum clearly emanated from this figure, indicating that it was a phantom with the Domain Lord¡¯s strength.

    If the Domain Lord himself had truly arrived, then the city lords would not hesitate for a moment to flee. The strength of the Netherworld World Domain Lord was deeply etched into every city lord¡¯s mind. Such power was an unstoppable force, much like how a person of One Pattern strength would feel facing a Nine Patterns Supreme.

    But this phantom, though simr in strength to the Domain Lord, was after all an illusion, and most importantly, this figure did not possess the World Suppressing Stele! Due to ignorance, there was no fear, and because there was no fear, the eight city lords charged forward!

    Only one thought upied the minds of the eight at this moment: to deal with the phantom before them, then to kill Demon Emperor Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, and finally to locate that World Suppressing Stele.

    For Demon Emperor Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, there was an even more desperate need to fight for their lives. Both were acutely aware that although the phantom had a momentum exceeding that of the Nine Patterns Supreme, it was unlikely to withstand thebined assault of eight Nine Patterns Supremes for long.

    So even in death, the two must hold off these eight in order to buy some time for Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao¡ªperhaps the Myriad Demons would not necessarily be defeated!

    Witnessing all of this, Sun Wukong, though immensely shocked, did not let this affect his speed. Instead, with the appearance of the phantom, a seemingly inexhaustible force spontaneously surged within him. This power doubled his speed and then some.

    Thanks to the explosive increase in his speed, Sun Wukong was nearly capable of immobilizing around three thousand people each second. This speed surpassed that expected of a Nine Patterns Supreme. As the speed grew too swift, Sun Wukong¡¯s figure disappeared from everyone¡¯s view. An entire million soldiers could do nothing but receive blows, without the slightest chance to fight back.

    Because of the Folding Armor, Xi Zhao remained undetected, and Sun Wukong¡¯s speed had increased to the point where it eluded the naked eye of the observers. Thus, the million-strong army could only watch in horror as theirrades or kin fell in droves, utterly unable to see their assants!

    Panic set in as they faced this situation. Everyone felt it.

    If the enemy were tangible, visible and touchable, then no matter how powerful, everyone would have the confidence to ovee them with overwhelming numbers. Even a Nine Patterns Supreme could not contend with a million soldiers. But now it was different; at first, they were able to see it was Sun Wukong attacking, butter they could no longer see the enemy.

    Though invisible, the enemy was genuinely real and dispatching their people en masse in a baffling manner.

    With each breath taken, thousands of heads would abruptly fly into the air, only for the bodies to perish instantly! A million soldiers were merely being ughtered.

    How could this battle go on? Could it even continue? What kind of monster was this? Such strength could probably only be met by a city lord. Therefore, everyone looked up with hope at the eight city lords in the sky. The only thought remaining in their hearts was: City lords, pleasee down quickly¡ªthis enemy is too horrifying.

    But what they saw was not the eight city lords making quick work of the two Nine Patterns Supreme of the Demon n, but rather, the eight city lords thoroughly engaged inbat with an ethereal figure. What on earth were the city lords doing? Why not quickly dispatch the enemy ande to our rescue? Could it be that the city lords nned to abandon us?

    The initial confidence of certain victory gradually turned to astonishment, shock, and then to fear and dread after Sun Wukong disappeared. As allies dwindled in number, fear grew into panic. Now, seeing the city lords seemingly disregard their plight, panic transformed into looming despair!

    Then, with that despair in their hearts, they were beheaded by Xi Zhao! And such panic and despair spread rapidly. Although some troops had started to form various defensive positions early on, it was to no avail. No method was effective. Any defense, once touched by that invisible figure, would instantly copse and then the troops would be immobilized, and thereafter inexplicably killed.

    A devil, this was certainly the work of a devil.

    Those of the Demon n atop Battle Demon City were already dumbstruck! Whether in life in their original world or after death in this one, they had never witnessed such a bizarre spectacle!

    Two individuals, just two Six Patterns Realm warriors, had dared to face a massive army of one million head-on¡ªand were now ughtering thousands of soldiers every second! A million, what kind of number was that? From atop the city walls, the end of that sea of enemies was simply not in sight.

    Even if a million men stood still and let the Demon n¡¯s seventy thousand soldiers hack at them, it might still nearly kill the vast majority from sheer exhaustion!

    Yet, despite all this incredulity, the scene was ying out right before their eyes. As members of the Demon n watched the allied forces of different races being felled continuously, a fervent faith began to grow wild within their hearts!

    And this fever quickly spread. When it reached a certain critical point, suddenly, someone shouted out loud, "Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Great Sage Equalling Heaven!" With one person¡¯s voice rising, soon, everyone was boiling with blood, shouting those words with all their might.

    The deafening roar of shouts undoubtedly reached Di Jun¡¯s ears. Seeing the battle spirit and swelling pride burning in every warrior¡¯s eyes, Di Jun seized a lull in the battle to shout to the seventy thousand Demon n warriors below, "Sons of the Demon n, what do you want to do?"

    "Fight, fight, fight, fight!" The coordinated shouts pierced the heavens!

    "You¡¯re only seventy thousand against their million. Do you still want to fight?"

    "Fight, fight, fight, fight!"

    "Very well, all Demon n warriors aremanded to march out and ughter the million-strong enemy army!"

    At Di Jun¡¯smand, the seventy thousand Demon n warriors burst into thunderous cries, which felt as if they weren¡¯t just seventy thousand strong, but a force of seven million! The South City Gate copsed with a thunderous crash, as all Demon n warriors bared their upper bodies, eyes bloodshot, and charged down the city walls with wild abandon.

    Despite numbering only seventy thousand, facing an enemy ten times their size, they charged madly forth.

    So what if you have a million-man army? My seventy thousand passionate warriors dare to battle it!

    Already scared soulless by Sun Wukong, the Eight Tribes¡¯ allied forces began retreating at the sight of the crazed onught of the Demon n! The charge of seventy thousand sent a million reeling backward!

    But when they wanted to retreat, they found there was simply no way back. A million people were too many¡ªwithout an effectivemander to issue orders, everyone was clueless about the situation!

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Those at the front, already petrified by the carnage wrought by Sun Wukong and seeing their City Master disregard them, started to retreat. However, the vast rear army was utterly oblivious, sensing only some disturbance up ahead, but with nomander to issue orders and no ability to take flight, they had no idea what was happening.

    Thus, the forward ranks of the allied forces were first thrown into disarray by Sun Wukong, then stormed by the seventy thousand.

    In an instant, they copsed into chaos!

    In the midst of the frenzy, Wukong suddenly flung an object with a flick of his hand¡ªan obsidian token the size of a palm flew towards Di Jun, who was in mid-air!

    (Third update, off to sleep)

 Chapter 140 - 132: The Might of the World Suppressing Stele

    The eight already anxious city masters, upon seeing that their million-strong forces were dispersed by just seventy thousand men, were instantly so furious that smoke seemed to be billowing out of their seven orifices. Gritting their teeth, the city masters knew that if they did not dispose of these phantoms with the utmost urgency, this battle would likely end in a disastrous defeat.

    A million defeated by seventy thousand, the eight Supremes bested by two¡ªit would be a dire humiliation, a defeat so shameful that the Eight Tribes would lose all face in the world!

    But just as the eight city masters were about to burn their souls to unleash their strongestbat power, they suddenly noticed a pitch-ck token the size of a palm shooting up from below. With their exceptional vision, they recognized in an instant that it was no mere token, but the World Suppressing Stele¡ªyet even with this knowledge, they were toote to snatch it.

    With a swoop of his hand, Di Jun held the shrunk World Suppressing Stele in his grasp. "Those who dare affront the majesty of the Demon n shall be annihted!" Seeing Di Jun ready to wreak havoc with the Heavenly Stele, Donghuang Taiyi¡¯s eyes revealed a thick concern, yet he also knew this was the best opportunity.

    Without further ado, he bellowed loudly, and golden light suddenly zed around him. At the same time, he tossed the Chaos Clock into the air, and the Great Formation of the Zodiac stars instantly unfolded. This time, the Chaos Clock instantly split into 180 million doppelgangers, each working together to establish the Great Formation of the Zodiac stars.

    "Di Jun, quickly! I¡¯ve burned my soul and cannotst long!"

    After all, trapping eight Nine Patterns Supremes would not be possible without a significant sacrifice. And even with Donghuang Taiyi¡¯s soul aze, he couldn¡¯t hold out for too long. As the golden mes erupted around him, the eight city masters also began to burn with golden mes.

    No one expected that a battle they were certain to win now forced them to burn their souls merely to stand a chance. Such humiliation drove the eight city masters to madness.

    The might of a Nine Patterns Supreme wielding the World Suppressing Stele was not something ordinary Nine Patterns couldprehend.

    Donghuang Taiyi, engulfed in golden mes, instantly deployed the Great Formation of the Zodiac stars, and at the same time, Di Jun let the World Suppressing Stele fly from his hand. The Stele swelled against the wind, transforming into a massive stele over ten meters tall, and as Di Jun released it, this time it underwent a transformation.

    Previously, whether it was Sun Wukong or Di Jun, they had used the Heavenly Stele as a hard, heavy weapon to smash directly. Due to the Stele¡¯s special Divine Skills, anyone struck by it, even a Nine Patterns Supreme, would suffer significant damage. However, this time, as the Stele soared into the air, a vast amount of soil erupted from it!

    This soil seemed to be a part of the Stele¡¯s surface, as if the Stele were originally made of this soil, with the soil now shedding from it.

    Although it appeared strange, none present fully understood the World Suppressing Stele¡ªthey only knew it possessed mystic powers, but the exact nature of its Divine Skills remained unclear. Even though they sensed that these substances separated from the Stele were no ordinary matter, they didn¡¯t pay it too much heed.

    To the Nine Patterns Supremes, even the divine Nine Heavens Soil was no more than mere earth!

    So, the eight focused more on the oing World Suppressing Stele and simply took some defensive measures against the resplendent soil.

    The massive Stele then crashed down with a thunderous impact. The moment it touched the light barrier, the eight city masters felt an unrealistic sensation, as the gigantic Stele appeared to be easily deflected by a few people¡¯s defensive light shields!

    Could it be that the legendary World Suppressing Stele was not as formidable as it seemed, or had their defenses be potent enough to withstand it?

    As the eight city masters puzzled over this and grappled with disbelief, suddenly one of them let out a pitiful scream.

    The remaining seven jolted inwardly and spun around, only to see that the city master who had just been setting up defenses with them was nowpletely enveloped in a cluster of glistening soil, even the soul me produced by their burning souls was trapped within that deceptively thinyer of soil.

    The rest of the seven city masters leaped away, the previously dismissed soil now disying terrifying capabilities, casting both disbelief and fear into their hearts.

    Whether ordinary people or Nine Patterns Supremes, the fear of the unknown prevails, particrly when that unknown force is devouring their lives in an inconceivable manner. Howling and iling in madness, the remaining seven city masters began to burn their souls in full.

    But the immense power they gained from thisplete soul burning was not used to attack Di Jun or the mystifying soil; instead, they frantically attacked the encircling Zodiac star Great Formation.

    The seven city masters were truly scared¡ªthey were afraid. Faced with death, neither the World Suppressing Stele nor Battle Demon City mattered anymore. Survival was the only thing of importance.

    However, by the time they realized this truth, it was already a bitte! In just three breaths, the City Lord enveloped in the glistening sand was now reduced to a mere soul crystal. Then, in the presence of the nearly crumbling gazes of the seven remaining City Lords, the sand swept up another person. A scream rang out, followed by a loss of breath.

    The mysterious deaths of two in session nearly drove the six City Lords to the brink of copse. Who were they? They were the Nine Patterns Supreme warriors, highly esteemed and powerful, the City Lords of one hundred and eight Outer Cities, the topbat powers of the Netherworld World. But now, they were trapped inside a Great Formation, waiting to be devoured by that terrifying sand.

    Such a feeling was something the few of them could neither ept nor endure. Watching the Nine Patterns Supreme warriors ofparable strength being swept up and devoured by the sand with no capacity for resistance, and in three breaths, only a soul crystal remained.

    But damn that Great Formation, damn that Donghuang Taiyi. This Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation proved to be so troublesome. Of the eight City Lords, only five remained, and just now, another was devoured by the sand! Fear, frenzy, regret, unwillingness¡ªall negative emotions piled up and finally, someone couldn¡¯t bear it.

    Then, with a heart-wrenching cry, there was a loud bang, and they self-destructed.

    Donghuang Taiyi, who had been barely holding on under the frenzied attack of several people, was now overwhelmed by the self-destruction, which acted as the final straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. The self-explosion of a Nine Patterns Supreme warrior possessed unimaginable power.

    The Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation shattered in an instant, countless doppelgangers of the Chaos Clock were devoured by the resulting shockwave. Donghuang Taiyi spat out arge mouthful of spiritual blood and fell straight from the sky, already unconscious. The Chaos Clock, too, was sted with several cracks and fell alongside Donghuang Taiyi.

    Even the explosive power of the self-destruction managed to slightly tear apart that mysterious sand, although the Nine Patterns Supreme it enveloped was already dead. Thanks to the protection of the World Suppressing Stele in front of him, Di Jun was unhurt, and he even had the strength left to control the World Suppressing Stele to block the power of the self-destruction.

    Otherwise, the Demon n down below would have suffered a great number of casualties.

    Although the allied forces of different races certainly suffered more deaths than the Demon n, the Demon n had only these seventy thousand warriors. Moreover, after the recent charge and massacre, only a little over fifty thousand of the seventy thousand Demon n remained. Thus, Di Jun could not afford to lose anymore.

    When the shockwave from the self-destruction dispersed, only a mass of sand holding three soul crystals remained, quietly floating in mid-air. Di Jun, struggling against fainting, slowly descended onto the ramparts of the South City Gate. Using hisst bit of strength, he controlled the World Suppressing Stele to retract the mass of sand and collected the three Nine Patterns Supreme soul crystals.

    Then, he fainted as well.

    The soldiers guarding the gate quickly supported Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, then several people carried the two back to the Inner City Lord¡¯s Mansion to rest. Regardless of the oue of the great battle, neither of them had any energy left to continue. Donghuang Taiyi had burnt a significant amount of his soul and moreover was bacsh-stricken by the self-destruction, threatening his life.

    But let¡¯s not delve into the medical treatment by the Demon n¡¯s physicians for now.

    The great battle beneath the city walls was also nearing its conclusion at this time. With the involvement of the seventy thousand blood-thirsty Demon n, the massacre became even more evident. Although the Demon n lost twenty thousand of their number, what they gained in return was the death of five hundred thousand of the allied forces.

    It would be more urate to say that those twenty thousand did not die in battle but died of exhaustion. Although the allied forces had lost their will to fight and began to scatter, their number was still substantial, and without Sun Wukong¡¯s deterrence, they had a certain defensive capability.

    The Demon n warriors often had to attack many times before they could kill one, so many who rushed too far ahead died after they were exhausted and then killed by the allied forces.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    However, there was no more suspense in this battle.

    Of the eight City Lords, three were dead, and five were severely injured and fled. One million troops were reduced to a massacre of only five hundred thousand, and these were because they were stationed too far back, making them difficult to pursue, so they were able to escape with their lives.

    Watching the five hundred thousand scatter and flee, all with faces stricken with fear and despair, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao stood before the remaining fifty thousand strong Demon n andughed wildly.

 Chapter 141 - 133: Calamity!

    But before Sun Wukong¡¯sughter had ended, his body suddenly fell straight backward. Fortunately, Xi Zhao, quick on his feet, quickly caught Sun Wukong. However, the moment Xi Zhao made contact with Sun Wukong, he felt an incredibly heavy weight, and unexpectedly, Sun Wukong¡¯s body pressed down upon him.

    Xi Zhao himself had been exhausted from his own frenzied killing spree, barely standing by sheer will. With Sun Wukong crashing onto him like that, he found himself unable to stand up at once.

    The soldiers behind them saw the two great heroes suddenly fall and quickly came forward to help them up. Fortunately, at that time the allied forces of other races had already fled far away; otherwise, seeing Sun Wukong down, they might have immediately turned back to attack. Without the threat of Sun Wukong, a battle of five hundred thousand against fifty thousand would have had no suspense.

    With the help of the soldiers, Xi Zhao managed to stand, although wobbly. Looking at the unconscious Sun Wukong, Xi Zhao couldn¡¯t help but feel a mix ofughter and tears.

    This Sun Wukong really was extraordinary; originally, he had thought the two of them would only kill tens of thousands to create some panic, but for some unknown reason, Sun Wukong went berserk and singlehandedly defeated a million-strong army.

    Not only the Demon n but even Xi Zhao himself found it a bit unbelievable. In fact, Xi Zhao had been prepared to use that one move, but thanks also to Sun Wukong¡¯s intervention, if he had used it to instantly annihte the million-strong army, his existence would definitely have been discovered, potentially leading to even more trouble.

    Upon checking Sun Wukong¡¯s body, he only found an overexertion of soul power, but just as Xi Zhao was about to turn around, he suddenly paused and frowned. He then approached Sun Wukong and meticulously examined him with his Divine Sense. His expression turned very odd, as if he had discovered something utterly unbelievable.

    However, Xi Zhao quickly returned to normal as if nothing had been found. Assisted by the soldiers, he moved towards the City Lord¡¯s Mansion in the Inner City. Sun Wukong was simrly carried by soldiers into the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.

    The remaining soldiers, though exhausted, still had to clean up the battlefield. They picked out the bodies of their fallen Demon nrades and buried them in a special area of Battle Demon City.

    Every city has a special ce¡ªthe Burial Cab! This ce is for all races, where the bodies of soldiers who died in battle are ced. Since everyone in the Netherworld World is essentially a soul body, the souls would slowly dissipate after death, and this soul energy would then coalesce into soul beasts in some ce!

    However, the soul bodies ced within the Burial Cab would not disperse their soul power into the Netherworld World after dissipation; instead, the Burial Cab would absorb it and transform it into a pure form of energy, either to supply the City Protection Array or for other uses.

    Ultimately, in this special world, people had long learned to maximize every bit of energy for their own better survival.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The bodies of those from other races would likewise be collected. Some would bury the enemy¡¯s bodies underground so that their bodies would be powerful soul energy nourishing thend. Others would process the enemy¡¯s bodies intobat puppets with a special method¡ªalthough their strength would decrease by one level, the advantage lies in the puppets¡¯ inability to feel pain or fear death.

    Of course, some cities would refine the bodies into elixirs that can recover soul energy.

    Battle Demon City, however, would not do this. Instead, they took the opportunity with the five hundred thousand enemy corpses, burying about two hundred thousand around Battle Demon City and sealing the remaining three hundred thousand with a Great Formation, nning to refine them all intobat puppetster on.

    The very nature of this world was ughter, and although the method of refiningbat puppets was deeply abhorred in the Pangu Realm, it was quite normal in this world.

    The reason why Battle Demon City had not producedbat puppets before was that each city defense battle had been too fierce, and the number of attackers was not particrlyrge.

    So after each battle, either the bodies of the enemies were too terribly damaged or there were too few to be of any real use even if they could be sessfully refined, wasting considerable manpower and resources instead.

    This time, however, was different. With a full five hundred thousand bodies, even taking out three hundred thousand, and allowing for a high failure rate, it was estimated that about two hundred and fifty thousandbat puppets could be refined in the end. This would be an enormously powerful force.

    With so manybat puppets at hand, Battle Demon City would surely leap into the top ten in terms ofbat power among the Outer Cities!

    The next day, Di Jun was the first to recover! In fact, among those who fought, Donghuang Taiyi was the most severely injured, Xi Zhao the least, and both Sun Wukong and Di Jun were merely drained. After a day of absorbing a Nine Patterns Supreme soul crystal, Di Jun had recovered.

    However, from his still very pale face and thinner physique, one could tell that Di Jun¡¯s recovery was far fromplete.

    First, he had shattered the Xuanyuan Sword, releasing the powerful phantasm within that possessed the strength of a Domain Lord. Later, he had activated the World Suppressing Stele to evolve the Three Thousand Barren Soil, and although he withdrew the phantasm and the Three Thousand Barren Soil in a timely manner, it still caused inexpressible trauma to Di Jun¡¯s soul.

    The Three Thousand Barren Soil is a unique Divine Skill of World Suppressing Stele number three. The reason why this stele was called barren soil number three was because of the cosmos-level Divine Object it contained¡ªthe Wastnd Soil. To be precise, this Wastnd Soil consisted of individual grains of sand.

    Therefore, at a great cost, Di Jun could control the World Suppressing Stele to evolve into Three Thousand Barren Soil, which is three thousand grains of sand. Just these three thousand grains of sand could dissolve a Nine Patterns Supreme¡¯s flesh in three breaths, leaving only a soul crystal behind.

    And this was the result of Di Jun deliberately holding back; otherwise, probably not even the soul crystal would have remained.

    But still, the Three Thousand Barren Soil was only one of the weakest Divine Skills of the World Suppressing Stele! From this, one could imagine just how terrifying each World Suppressing Stele could be.

    The soul shadow that emerged from the Xuanyuan Sword also required Di Jun to expend soul power tomand, and due to insufficient strength, he couldn¡¯t even unleash the full potential of that shadow.

    Although Di Jun didn¡¯t seem to be burning his soul, the consumption of soul energy was still quite severe. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t fainted, so he could recover by absorbing the power of the soul crystals!

    Di Jun went first to see Donghuang Taiyi and Sun Wukong, both of whom, under the protection of the Demon Venerable squad, were slowly absorbing the power of the soul crystals and the pure soul energy converted by the Burial Cab. Both were gradually recovering.

    Since Xi Zhao had hardly been injured, he had essentially recovered by now.

    After checking on Taiyi and Wukong, Di Jun sent for Xi Zhao toe to his book room.

    A momentter, led in by a soldier, Xi Zhao walked in.

    "For this time, I owe you my thanks. Otherwise, our Demon n might have been annihted!"

    "It¡¯s mainly Wukong¡¯s merit. It would have been the same without me. As for you, I didn¡¯t expect you to have already grasped some of the divine power of the World Suppressing Stele."

    "Heh, just a fluke. What ns do you have next?"

    "Me? What ns could a loser have? However, it seems the Demon n is about to face a great disaster."

    With a thought, Di Jun felt a new spection about Xi Zhao¡¯s identity. Looking at Xi Zhao with a strange gaze, Di Jun then sighed deeply, saying, "You¡¯re right; it seems you really are extraordinary. But as someone who has done a great service for our Demon n, I won¡¯t pry any further. I called you here to request a favor!"

    "Oh? What favor?"

    "You probably already know. Take Sun Wukong and escape immediately. The Demon n might not escape this disaster. Even if the entire Demon n is wiped out, we can¡¯t let anything happen to Sun Wukong. But neither Taiyi nor I can leave this ce, so you¡¯re the only one who can take him away!"

    "Even without your request, I would have taken him away. As for the affairs of your Demon n, I¡¯ve done all I can out of respect for Wukong. But rest assured, I¡¯m not going to let Sun Wukong die!"

    "Then I¡¯ll entrust this task to you. My Demon n has nothing of value to offer, and the only item we have left is this Xuanyuan Sword. It might not be of much use now, but the shadow within still holds some help."

    "That figure inside is him, isn¡¯t it? But never mind, this sword is useless to me; keep it for self-defense. I think Wukong wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to you all!"

    Having said that, Xi Zhao stood up, never looking back as he left the book room and headed straight for where Sun Wukong was resting. Watching Xi Zhao¡¯s proud retreating figure, Di Jun¡¯s heart was filled with helplessness.

    As night fell, a figure carrying another seemingly unconscious one made a few leaps and bounds before leaving Battle Demon City!

 Chapter 142 - 134: The Fuse

    In the night sky, watching the two figures receding into the distance, a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, appeared in Di Jun¡¯s eyes. Both Di Jun and Xi Zhao knew that this time, repelling the Eight Tribes Allied Forces was not the ultimate victory but the beginning of a disaster.

    The Netherworld World consisted of one hundred and eight Outer Cities, each with awork of spies from various other cities. So, when the Allied Forces of the Three Tribes first attacked the Demon n¡¯s Battle Demon City, it was likely that all the cities in the Netherworld World would receive the news immediately.

    However, to verify the authenticity of the message, almost all of the cities were holding their troops back. The World Suppressing Stele¡¯s power was indeed tremendous, but if they were to send out troops rashly and fell into a trap, that would mean losing both their wife and soldiers.

    However, not all cities stood still; eight cities, due to having rtively reliable insiders within those three cities, obtained more information than others. Hence, after the Allied Forces of the Three Tribes set out, those Eight Tribes secretly formed an alliance while waiting and watching.

    If the Three-eyed n¡¯s army could breach Battle Demon City and secure the World Suppressing Stele, then those Eight Tribes could strike with the greatest speed, taking advantage of the weariness after the three tribes¡¯ great battle to annihte them in one fell swoop.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Then, they could not only obtain the World Suppressing Stele but also take the opportunity to capture the two cities belonging to those three tribes!

    However, what no one expected was that the Demon n, relying on merely one hundred thousand soldiers, could actually defeat the four hundred thousand troops of the Three Tribes Allied Forces, thereby sessfully defending Battle Demon City.

    This oue was clearly not what the Eight Tribes had hoped to see. But it didn¡¯t matter; the original interdiction turned into a siege. Thus, the city lords of the Eight Tribes discussed and quickly assembled their armies, marching directly towards Battle Demon City.

    Seeing the Three Tribes Allied Forces fail, and then an Eight Tribes Allied Forces suddenly emerging, the rest of the other cities could no longer sit still.

    The World Suppressing Stele was no trivial artifact, and taking advantage now that the top ten Inner Cities haven¡¯t interfered, all the lords of the Outer Cities who were not deaf to the call of opportunity began to send envoys to form alliances with nearby and friendly cities and to unite their forces!

    Just when the remaining ny-plus cities had all found allies, spies from all cities brought another piece of news!

    Using merely seventy thousand remnants, the Demon n astonishingly defeated an army of one million from the Eight Tribes! And the Demon n only suffered twenty thousand casualties, while the Eight Tribes Allied Forces lost a full five hundred thousand!

    At the same time, the grandiose feat of Sun Wukong and Di Jun using the World Suppressing Stele to annihte six Nine Patterns Supreme powerhouses spread rapidly far and wide!

    As a result, the cities that had already formed alliances started a new round of evenrger-scale alliances! The oue was the formation of alliances by ny-two cities, excluding the Eight Tribes and the Three-eyed n, of course, though some cities did not participate in this chaos.

    Seventy-two cities eventually divided into three forces! Thergest faction was an army alliance formed by thirty cities. The alliance totaled four million soldiers, led by the King of Qin, the city lord of the Ghost Soldier n, and a Nine Patterns Supreme powerhouse!

    The second force was the Light Army, created by twenty-two cities, amassing three million attackers! Led by Yao Guang, the city lord of the Light n, the Light n was a unique race that specialized in Divine System Magic, with all its members enveloped in a halo of multicolored light.

    Thest faction was made up of twenty cities, with the Ghost King of Ghost King City, Cangming, held in the highest regard. The armyprised two million four hundred thousand, mostly consisting of various demons and evil creatures!

    Three forces, with abined army of nine million forty thousand, nearly ten million!

    This nearly ten million-strong army had only one goal: to annihte the Demon n and seize the World Suppressing Stele! And, if possible, to take a few cities along the way. After all, such a massive military action needed tangible benefits to justify itself.

    So, as soon as Di Jun recovered from his injuries, he received reports from spies hiding in various cities. Thus, Di Jun knew that this time, the Demon n could not escape their fate. Seventy thousand against ten million, this was no longer a fight on the same level; facing such a vast military force, the Demon n had no hope.

    That¡¯s why Di Jun had Xi Zhao quickly flee with Sun Wukong ¨C as long as Sun Wukong was alive, the Demon n still had hope!

    Moreover, Di Jun was well aware that this time, a major upheaval was likely to take ce in the Netherworld World. And his Demon n just happened to be the trigger for this great reshuffle. Otherwise, although the World Suppressing Stele was valuable, it would not have caused nearly a hundred cities to go mad.

    Moreover, the one hundred and eight Outer Cities of the Netherworld World had been fighting each other for countless years; without prior nning, how could theyplete alliances and assemble their forces in such a short time?

    It¡¯s likely that they had been preparing since before Sun Wukong came to this world. There had never been a good excuse to deploy troops otherwise; attacking under the banner of the Allied Forces to pige cities and exterminate ns would have probably resulted in them being wiped out by the Inner Cities even before departure.

    Perhaps others did not know the strength of the ten Inner Cities, but the lords of the various Outer Cities were clearly aware of it. Among the ten Inner Cities, five were controlled by the strongest five high-level worlds in the cosmos. These five Inner Cities were not controlled by any one race but were under the control of a high-level world.

    The other five are directly controlled by the Five Great Divine Nations. Any one of these Inner Cities can easily annihte more than ten Outer Cities.

    But this time it was different, the three forces all came under the banner of either avenging the Eight Tribes¡¯ Allied Forces or seeking revenge for the three groups of allied forces against the Demon n!

    Although everyone was well aware that nobody really cared about the Eight Tribes or the Three Tribes¡ªno one had even attempted to intervene, not even the ten great Inner Cities.

    Di Jun had clearly seen this point early on, but he still did not let his people flee! The Demon n could be exterminated, Battle Demon City could be destroyed, but the Demon n could not run, Battle Demon City could not run!

    Those who vite our Demon n must be killed. This was not just a slogan, but a determination, a belief.

    Three tribes, four hundred thousand strong, we of the Demon n dare to fight!

    Eight cities, one million strong, we of the Demon n dare to fight!

    A hundred ns, ten million strong, we of the Demon n still dare to fight!

    Therefore, after Xi Zhao took Sun Wukong away, Di Jun ordered the whole army to prepare for war. Of the original five hundred thousand enemies, four hundred thousand were used to make Exploding Puppets, and the remaining one hundred thousand were buried around Battle Demon City to supply energy to the Mountain Protection Array!

    The production of Exploding Puppets, unlike Combat Puppets, is quite simple. However, Exploding Puppets can¡¯t fight; their only purpose is to self-destruct. As soon as they encounter even slightly strong attacks, they will instantly explode. Four hundred thousand Exploding Puppets were equivalent to four hundred thousand human bombs!

    And the Mountain Protection Array of Battle Demon City, improved by Donghuang Taiyi from the Zhou Heaven Star Battle Great Formation, was a formation specifically designed for defense. Its protective power was very strong!

    In the end, after consulting with Taiyi, Di Jun even brought out eighteen Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannons that hade into their possession by chance. The Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon was the signature weapon of a lost Divine Kingdom from among the three great Divine Nations.

    Each firing required the consumption of a Supreme Level soul crystal, and its power was three times the explosive energy of the soul crystal.

    The only problem was that the Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon was a banned weapon. After the fall of the Divine Kingdom that had created it, all remaining Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannons were ordered to be destroyed. The weapon¡¯s power was so great that it could cause catastrophic damage.

    And it was precisely because of the overwhelming power of the Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon that the kingdom that created it was eventually destroyed by a coalition of the other Divine Nations.

    As the three forces approached Battle Demon City from three different directions, Battle Demon City was also preparing for the full-scale war.

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong was being carried farther and farther away on Xi Zhao¡¯s back. This departure could very well be a farewell forever!

    Simultaneously, in the Genesis Divine Nation, one of the Six Great Divine Nations, in the grand hall of the Chaos n

    "Lord of the City, a few days ago I suddenly felt someone using a Doppelganger Shadow I had left behind. I¡¯m afraid the World Suppressing Stele I left in that small world has encountered some changes. I n to take a trip to the Netherworld World. The World Suppressing Stele must not fall into the hands of Netherworld World!"

    "Go ahead, I will open the Gate of Genesis for you tomorrow. But be careful; the old timers from the other Great Divine Nations might have also sensed the presence of that Heavenly Stele. Exercise caution in everything!"

    After speaking, a very tall figure walked out of the grand hall. He was extremely handsome, his muscles bulging all over his body, and he carried a giant battle axe that was as tall as a man on his back!

    (Dear Readers, remember to cast your rmendation votes!)

 Chapter 143 - 135: Turmoil in the Netherworld, the Demon Clan Falls!

    Three dayster, Battle Demon City weed its first force: an army of four million led by the King of Qin from the Soldier Combat Alliance! The original allied forces of one million from the Eight Tribes had seemed boundless and impressive, yet it was only upon witnessing these four million troops that one truly understood the earlier conflicts were minor skirmishes!

    Moreover, the previous Eight Tribes¡¯ allied forces were not truly elite; there were very few Supreme beings with Seven Patterns or higher. After all, the majority of their forces had to be left behind to guard their cities. Otherwise, if everyone evacuated, it¡¯s likely that their homes could be easily overtaken.

    But this time was different; nearly a hundred cities had poured out all their elites. Especially within the Soldier Combat Alliance led by the King of Qin, there were hardly any below Four Patterns. Even if there were some, it was because of their unique abilities.

    This army of four million carved through mountains and filled rivers, astonishingly creating a vast expanse in the direct south of Battle Demon City,rge enough to amodate four million soldiers for rest. You should know that this area was originally a tall mountain and a pristine forest. But before the might of absolute power, these were no obstacle!

    Under themand of the King of Qin, the four million troops were arrayed in a square formation. Standing at the forefront of the battle formation alongside the King of Qin were thirty Nine Patterns Supremes, gazing distantly at the Battle Demon City perched on the mountainside.

    Among the Nine Patterns Supremes, there was also a significant disparity in strength. A powerful Nine Patterns Supreme could potentially annihte a weaker one with a single move. And the measure of the Nine Patterns Supremes¡¯ strength was the Laws they had integrated.

    Upon bing a Dao Patterns warrior, for each additional Pattern they advanced, one wouldprehend another Cosmic Law. These Laws varied greatly, with some being high-level and some low, some mystical and others ordinary. Unless one is an exceptional case like Sun Wukong, the vast majority would have realized Nine Cosmic Laws by the time they reach the level of Nine Patterns Supreme.

    Upon realizing the Cosmic Laws and bing a Nine Patterns Supreme, that isn¡¯t the end. To further enhance one¡¯s strength as a Nine Patterns Supreme, one must integrate the Laws¡ªmerging all nineprehended Cosmic Laws into one. With each sessful integration, strength would increase exponentially.

    Once all Nine Cosmic Laws were merged into one, they would enter another realm, that of the Domain Lords of the Six Great Divine Nations.

    However, the integration of Laws is exceedingly difficult, and even a once-in-a-millennium genius may struggle to progress beyond this point. Even the Demon Emperor Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi had only managed to integrate the first three Cosmic Laws. Yet with that, they ranked as middle level among the one hundred and eight lords of the Outer City.

    Many lords had merely integrated the Cosmic Laws afforded by One Pattern and Two Patterns!

    The King of Qin, however, had integrated the first seven Cosmic Laws. If he were to integrate the eighth and ninth, he would be another mighty individual with Domain Lord strength in the Netherworld World. However, without the World Suppressing Stele, he would never be a match for a true Domain Lord!

    For this reason, the King of Qin was qualified to be the Alliance Hierarch of the thirty cities¡¯ allied forces,manding an army of four million!

    Just as the army led by the King of Qin had finished arraying its formation, from the eastern direction of Battle Demon City, another force had already arrived. Three million strong, an orderly army, and within it, many exuding a holy aura, was the Light Army led by Yao Guang!

    Though the Light Army was one million fewer than the Soldier Combat Alliance, they faced each other without fear! This wasn¡¯t for any other reason but that the overall strength and individualbat capabilities of the Light Army were more than a little stronger than the Soldier Combat Alliance.

    Despite only numbering three million, if a real battle were to break out, it¡¯s very likely that the Light Army would ultimately triumph!

    This was not only because the Light Army contained arge number of holy races but also due to their fervent belief. Everyone who had fought against them, victorious or not, would remember their fearless frenzy. No one wished to battle these crazedbatants.

    The only drawback was the personal strength of Yao Guang. Although he was also a prodigy, he had integrated only six and a half Cosmic Laws. His strength fell somewhat short of the King of Qin.

    Hardly any time had passed since the Light Army¡¯s arrival when, from the west side of Battle Demon City, the Cangming Ghost King¡ªadorned in pitch-ck Battle Armor and hoisting the grotesque Ghost King¡¯s Banner¡ªalso led an army of 2.4 million people!

    If the Soldier Combat Alliance was the force with the highest numbers and possessed the strongest beings in the Netherworld World, and the Light Army was the mightiest inbat power, then the Crimson Army led by the Cangming Ghost King might well be the most mysterious and terrifying.

    For this time, the Cangming Ghost King united twenty cities, all various Ghost Cities and Evil Demon¡¯s Demon Cities.

    It is worth mentioning that the one who harbored a deep-seated grudge against the Cangming Ghost King was not Yao Guang¡¯s saintly Light Army but rather the King of Qin¡¯s military alliance or, to be more precise, the King of Qin¡¯s Ghost Soldier City!

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Because the King of Qin was once the vice lord of the Ghost King City under the Cangming Ghost King, at one time referred to as the Netherworld King of Qin! However, for reasons unknown, the Netherworld World suddenly produced an Imperial Ghost Seal. To acquire this Imperial Ghost Seal, the Cangming Ghost King came to blows with the Netherworld King of Qin!

    Ultimately, the Netherworld King of Qin defeated the Cangming Ghost King to obtain the Imperial Ghost Seal, and then he led his loyal troops out of Ghost King City and founded another city, which he named Ghost Soldier City.

    After obtaining the Imperial Ghost Seal and with the power it provided, the King of Qin¡¯s cultivation surged dramatically. In just over a decade, he became the strongest in the Netherworld World, and the Ghost Soldier City hemanded became the first among the 108 Outer Cities!

    However, the defeat of the Cangming Ghost King was notplete and utter. In the year following his defeat, when everyone thought the Cangming Ghost King was dead, and someone had already taken the position of lord of Ghost King City, the Cangming Ghost King made a powerful return!

    Not only did his strength improve to the realm of fusing with Six Patterns Law, but he somehow came into possession of a Demon Suppressing Seal! This Demon Suppressing Seal was an artifact of the same level as the Imperial Ghost Seal, and with it, the Cangming Ghost King once again became the lord of Ghost King City.

    He continuously expanded his territory, and eventually, all the members of the Ghost n and the Evil Demon n in the Netherworld World became either allies or subjects of the Cangming Ghost King!

    Yet for many years, the Cangming Ghost King and the Netherworld King of Qin had never confronted each other head-on, at most there were only some minor skirmishes. It was not until now that the two powers finally began their first direct confrontation!

    And so, the Demon n¡¯s Battle Demon City was besieged on three sides by the King of Qin¡¯s military alliance, the Light Army led by Yao Guang, and the Crimson Army of the Cangming Ghost King!

    However, it seemed as if the three forces had a tacit understanding, and none of themunched an attack, instead keeping the city surrounded. It seemed they were all waiting for something!

    On the night the three forces arrived, the Demon Emperor Di Jun received three letters, which were almost identical in content! All letters suggested that Di Jun lead the Demon n to join their ranks, offer inside support, and then decide which of the other two forces to attack based on the situation.

    Moreover, the letters all stated the military strength andbat power of their forces and were written in a very sincere tone!

    But what keen insight Di Jun had, for he guessed in a mere thought that this was just the three forces not wanting to be the first to attack and be the target of the other two forces. Should he agree to side with any one of these forces, that force would certainly immediately proim to have invited the Demon n as reinforcements.

    In such a case, that force would be most likely to secure the Heavenly Stele first. To the three great forces, the Demon n¡¯s mere seventy thousand troops would never engage in war against them. For the Demon n, if they wanted to avoid annihtion, the best strategy would be to join one of the forces and hand over the World Suppressing Stele.

    As long as they could secure the World Suppressing Stele, with its might, even if the other two great forces joined forces, they would not be a threat. If they were fortunate, they might even be able to annihte one of the forces and seize their city.

    This oue was the best and also the reason why the three forces did not immediately attack. Although the Demon n only had seventy thousand troops, should they be pushed to the brink of desperation and conduct a blood sacrifice of their entire n to activate the World Suppressing Stele, it would be a disaster for any of the forces!

    However, after reading the three letters, Di Jun consulted with Donghuang Taiyi, wrote three replies in session, and sent them to the three forces respectively!

    The letter to the King of Qin read, "My Demon n is willing to heed the orders of the King of Qin. We will first join forces to annihte the Ghost King and then hand over the World Suppressing Stele to assist the King of Qin in eradicating Yao Guang!"

    The letter to the Cangming Ghost King read, "My Demon n is willing to heed the orders of the Ghost King. We will first join forces to annihte Yao Guang and then hand over the World Suppressing Stele to assist the Ghost King in eradicating the King of Qin!"

    The letter to Yao Guang read, "My Demon n is willing to heed themands of the King of Light. We will first join forces to annihte the King of Qin and then hand over the World Suppressing Stele to assist the King of Light in eradicating the Ghost King!"

 Chapter 144 - 136 The Terror of the Demon Clan!

    This night was one of chaos, with scouts, spies, and informers from all three forces in motion. Yet by dawn, no valuable information had been gathered!

    However, King of Qin, Ghost King, and Yao Guang, the King of Light, didn¡¯t fully trust the letter from Di Jun. But since they had arrived with such fanfare, it was impossible to simply bask in the sun together!

    So, as darkness receded, the camp of the King of Qin sounded the horn to attack. A total of four million soldiers, leaving one million to defend against the Light Army from the east, the remaining three million troops rushed towards the Ghost King¡¯s army to the west in a triangr pyramid battle formation, under the leadership of the King of Qin!

    After pondering for a night, the King of Qin decided to strike the Ghost King first. The grudge between him and the Cangming Ghost King had reached a point of irreconciliation, doomed to a fight to the death. The reason he hadn¡¯t acted yet was merely the fear that both sides would suffer severe losses, allowing Yao Guang to benefit as the third party.

    But today, the Ghost King had to be fought. For if the King of Qin attacked Yao Guang¡¯s Light Army or Battle Demon City first, he would likely face a joint attack from both Yao Guang and the Ghost King simultaneously.

    Focusing on the Demon n second and striking the Ghost King first, there was a great chance that Yao Guang wouldn¡¯t intervene but would instead capture Battle Demon City and the World Suppressing Stele as quickly as possible!

    However, heh, the Demon n wasn¡¯t so easy to beat, and the World Suppressing Stele wasn¡¯t so easy to take. Or perhaps, the King of Qin had no intention of obtaining the World Suppressing Stele from the start. Different perspectives reveal different vistas. Despite his immense desire for the World Suppressing Stele, he knew it wasn¡¯t something they couldy hands on yet.

    So from the beginning, his goal had been to eradicate the Ghost King¡¯s Crimson Army and then seize the Ghost King¡¯s Demon Suppressing Seal.

    With the Demon Suppressing Seal in addition to his own Imperial Ghost Seal, in the Netherworld World, aside from that Domain Lord with the Heavenly Stele, and the ten Inner City Lords, no one could likely defeat him! Naturally, the Domain Lord need not be mentioned; with the Heavenly Stele, he is the supreme ruler of this world.

    And as for those ten Inner City Lords, it is said they are all beings who have merged with the Eight Laws, just one step away from reaching that Realm.

    As soon as the King of Qin¡¯s forces began to move, the Ghost King¡¯s Crimson Army promptly sprang into action as well. Surprisingly, they targeted not the Demon n but the King of Qin. Of course, Yao Guang¡¯s Light Army didn¡¯t fall behind, almost moving at the same time as the Cangming Ghost King¡¯s Crimson Army, aiming squarely at Battle Demon City halfway up the mountain!

    In an instant, nearly ten million soldiers from three forces were on the move. In less than half a moment, the Cangming Ghost King¡¯s Crimson Army and the King of Qin¡¯s allied forces were already locked in fiercebat. And the Ghost King, wielding the Demon Suppressing Seal, had already crossed swords with the King of Qin who bore the Imperial Ghost Seal.

    As the two shed, Yao Guang¡¯s Light Army had also reached halfway up the mountain. With three million people being toorge a number, not all could climb the slope, so roughly only over a million stood below the city walls while the rest either climbed the cliff face or waited at the base of the mountain.

    Di Jun, on the other hand, had long since ordered his subordinates to activate the Mountain Protection Array! A giant screen of light formed entirely from Star Sinkers enveloped Battle Demon City, the very same Great Formation slightly altered by Donghuang Taiyi!

    The siege of three million against fifty thousand began at Di Jun¡¯s furious roar!

    Di Jun¡¯s firstmand was to order the Demon n to throw down all three hundred thousand Exploding Puppets! Due to the rush for time, only three hundred thousand Exploding Puppets had been made by the fifty thousand people working day and night.

    The enemy¡¯s thought process was simple: seeing the current situation, the three forces, because of mutual concern, had not attacked the city at the same time. Instead, Yao Guang¡¯s Light Army was attacking, while the King of Qin and the Ghost King began to grapple with each other. This gave the Demon n some breathing room.

    Otherwise, if the three forces resolved to attack Battle Demon City directly, it was feared that none of their defensive measures would be effective.

    As Di Jun pondered, all three hundred thousand Exploding Puppets had been thrown down. The consequence was that the previously formidable million-strong vanguard of the Light Army was almost entirely wiped out!

    Even though the strength of this vanguard was the weakest within the Light Army, with power between Four Patterns to Five Patterns, who would have thought that the Demon n would have so many Exploding Puppets? The creation of these puppets was almost a lost art; how did the Demon n acquire them?

    With a lividplexion, gazing at Battle Demon City halfway up the slope, he had lost nearly a million soldiers without even touching the enemy¡¯s edge. The three-million-strong army had instantly dwindled to two million, turning what could have been a force rivaling the King of Qin into the weakest link.

    "Commander, what do we do? We¡¯ve lost a third of our forces in just one encounter. How could the Demon n be this terrifying!"

    "Order everyone to attack the mountain itself. Let¡¯s see if their city will copse once we destroy this mountain!"

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    At thatmand, the entire Light Army did not retreat, instead, two million soldiers divided into five formations and began preparing abined strike under Yao Guang¡¯s guidance¡ªthe Light Emperor¡¯s Seal!

    This was a technique exclusive to Yao Guang¡¯s Light Army, whereby the luminous power of all the troops would gather into a unique handprint under Yao Guang¡¯s control, and then be unleashed in one fell swoop! If this attack were to seed, not just a mountain, but the entire Battle Demon City might be reduced to ashes!

    However, the cost of this terrifying attack was enormous as well; it was likely that half of the two million soldiers would be drained of their strength! But Yao Guang had already lost his reason, with an army of one million annihted in an instant, Yao Guang could no longer afford to care about such things. Even at this moment, Yao Guang no longer intended to seize the World Suppressing Stele!

    Just as the two million strong Light Army began to gather their power, suddenly, eighteen dark openings appeared on the side of the mountain where Battle Demon City stood.

    "Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon, target, Light Army, fire!"

    With a singlemand from Donghuang Taiyi, a red light shed across the eighteen Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannons, then eighteen meteor-like beams bombarded the very center of the two million Light Army troops!

    Then there was a sky-rending wail and roar of fury. But this was just a prelude, in the following moments, the eighteen Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannons each fired twenty shots, adding up to a total of three hundred and sixty!

    After the thunderous roar subsided, out of the two million Light Army troops that had been neatly arranged into five formations, now less than one million remained! And even those who survived were mostly heavily wounded!

    The Demon n hadn¡¯t lost a single soldier, while the Light Army suffered two million casualties!

    Even King of Qin and Ghost King, who had been entrenched in their fight, stopped and stared nkly at the carnage and severed limbs scattered around. The two of them looked at each other and couldn¡¯t help feeling a tremendous sense of relief.

    Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon! The Demon n still had such a weapon? What were the origins and Divine Skills of this Demon n? Not only did they possess the World Suppressing Stele, they even had the knowledge of making Exploding Puppets, which had long been lost. Now, they had brought out eighteen Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannons!

    This weapon was explicitly banned by the Six Great Divine Nations.

    However, in the next moment, greed appeared on the faces of both King of Qin and Ghost King, and they simultaneously ordered a ceasefire. Then, nodding at each other, the forces that had been fighting suddenly formed a surprising alliance!

    Although the Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon was terrifying, its consumption was even more so. Both leaders believed that, after the barrage just now, the Demon n surely couldn¡¯t have many Eight Patterns Soul Crystals left!

    They even noticed that the power of the more than two hundred rounds that followed had clearly diminished, meaning the Demon n had run out of Eight Patterns Soul Crystals and had resorted to using Seven Patterns and Six Patterns ones. But Seven Patterns and Six Patterns Soul Crystals couldn¡¯t unleash much power.

    The Thunder Fire Scorching me Cannon had a peculiar trait; it could exert three times or even more power with Eight Patterns or higher Soul Crystals, but with Seven Patterns, it could only unleash two-thirds of the power, Six Patterns, just half. And with anything below Six Patterns, it couldn¡¯t even fire!

    Di Jun stood atop the city gate, watching nearly six million troops of thebined forces of King of Qin and Ghost King charging towards Battle Demon City with roars of anger. Di Jun¡¯s face showed a look of desperation and helplessness.

    The supplies of Exploding Puppets and Soul Crystals were all exhausted, and although the Mountain Protection Array was strong, it was estimated it wouldn¡¯tst long against such a massive army. Once the Mountain Protection Array was broken, the Demon n¡¯s fifty thousand soldiers wouldn¡¯t be enough to fill the gaps between the enemies¡¯ teeth.

    However, just as the armies of Ghost King and King of Qin had started to scale the mountain, a crack suddenly opened in the sky. Everyone froze in horror at the mighty presence leaking from it, when a ten-meter-tall orange Heavenly Stele suddenly emerged from the crack andnded directly in front of the gates of Battle Demon City.

    This Heavenly Stele was orange, appearing extremely beautiful and ethereal. On its front was inscribed: World Suppressing Stele, Soul Suppressing Number Five!

 Chapter 145 - 137 Turn of Events

    Gazing upon the Heavenly Stele that had suddenly appeared, whether it was the Cangming Ghost King or the Netherworld Qin King, whether it was the Demon Emperor Di Jun or the countless armies, all were dumbstruck as they looked at the stele. The pressure emanating from it rendered everyone unable to make any rash moves.

    Then, as the crack gradually vanished, a colossal Heaven¡¯s Gate appeared beside the vanishing fissure in the void, towering a hundred meters tall. Nobody knew what material the gate was crafted from, but everyone found that just one additional nce seemed to threaten to draw their souls into it.

    Feeling the eeriness of the gate, everyone dared not look any longer. At that moment, it was clear in the hearts of all present that both the World Suppressing Stele No. 3 and this Heaven¡¯s Gate signified the imminent arrival of one person¡ªthe Domain Lord of the Huangquan World¡ªTyrant Yue Huangquan!

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Indeed, following the appearance of the Heaven¡¯s Gate, both the Ghost King and the Qin King suddenly rose into the air and, positioning themselves to the left and the right respectively, pushed open the massive gates withbined force. After the gates were opened, the pair knelt down in the void.

    As the two knelt, all present, whether they were from the Demon n or the Crimson Army, began to kneel inrge groups. Even those who were still climbing the city walls simply leaped down to kneel with both knees on the ground.

    "We wee the Domain Lord!"

    "We wee the Domain Lord!"

    After everyone knelt, the Ghost King and the Qin King first shouted aloud, and then all joined in unison with a resounding cry! As the shouts dissipated, melodious fairy music emanated from within the Heaven¡¯s Gate, and with its rise, dozens of incredibly beautiful fairies flew out from the gate.

    These fairies, some holding petals, some with Jade Dew, scattered their contents ceaselessly. As all the fairies flew out of the gate and positioned themselves to both sides, a handsome white-clothed, silver-haired, and silver-eyed youth walked out slowly with hands sped behind his back!

    As this beautiful youth stepped out of the Heaven¡¯s Gate, everyone was immediately roused with high spirits and shouted at the top of their lungs, "We wee the Domain Lord, we wee the Domain Lord!"

    The Netherworld World¡¯s Domain Lord, the Tyrant, Yue Huangquan!

    He was the god of all those present, the living god of supreme majesty!

    As Yue Huangquan noticed everyone¡¯s shouts, he lightly pressed his hand downward. Instantly, the noise ceased, and no one made another sound.

    Then Yue Huangquan first nced at the Demon Emperor Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi within Battle Demon City, then at the three million of the Light Army at the foot of the mountain, now reduced to scorched earth, followed by a look at the kneeling Ghost King and Qin King on either side. Finally, he looked towards a distant ce.

    Atst, he said, "Cangming Ghost King and Netherworld Qin King, heed my orders: cease the attack on the Demon n¡¯s Battle Demon City! Gather your remaining forces immediately. Among the twenty-two Outer Cities where the Light Army of Yao Guang resides, each of you will take ten. Demon Emperor Di Jun, heed my order: immediately send someone to take over the remaining two Outer Cities!

    Let this be the end of the matter. Cangming Ghost King and Netherworld Qin King, remember, from this day forth, for a thousand years, not a hair of the Demon n shall be harmed."

    After pausing, he continued, "All beings of the Netherworld World, heed my decree: from now on, whoever schemes against the Demon n, y! Whoever tarnishes the prestige of the Demon n, y! Any Demon n member bullying others with their power, y! Those who fight over cities in secret, annihte their city!

    Demon Emperor Di Jun, Cangming Ghost King, Netherworld Qin King, concentrate on enhancing your strength, and prepare for the Six Kingdoms War fifty years from now!"

    "Furthermore, everyone, abandon the pursuit of the World Suppressing Stele. If anyone meets a member of the Demon n named Sun Wukong, offer him your greatest support and assistance, and do not trouble him."

    Having finished, Yue Huangquan waved towards the World Suppressing Stele No. 3. The originally stationary stele at the gate of Battle Demon City suddenly rose into the air, hovering above the city.

    Then, Yue Huangquan snapped his fingers in the distance. Immediately, the World Suppressing Stele burst into bright orange radiance, spreading thousands of miles in an instant. All beings within this range felt their wounds healing at an incredibly fast rate, and those uninjured felt their strength slowly increasing!

    "Everyone, sit cross-legged where you are, you will receive a quarter hour¡¯s cleansing by the World Suppressing Stele!"

    Upon hearing Yue Huangquan¡¯s words, all were ecstatic, including the Qin King, Ghost King, and both Di Jun and Taiyi! A cleansing from the World Suppressing Stele could allow one to directlyprehend higher levels of the Cosmic Law. Moreover, it could purify the impurities within one¡¯s Soul Body.

    The benefits were so significant that even the King of Qin, who had fused with seven Taoist Spells, could not ignore them. It is known that unless one has fused with the Nine Law, no matter how much one improves their strength, there will always be some impurities within the soul.

    These impurities could be mental ws, such as hatred and fear towards someone, obsession or regret about something, greed, or extravagant desires for certain objects.

    Moreover, some people, whenprehending Cosmic Law, would experience some ws in the Law due to certain reasons or absorb some detrimental yet indelible substances into their Soul Energy. Such instances were countless. Therefore, to receive the purification of the World Suppressing Stele was the greatest longing for all beings from Netherworld World.

    Soon, the baptism came to an end. Everyone felt as if they had undergone aplete transformation. While they were still marveling at the wonders of the baptism, a loud shout suddenly came from the sky. The voice boomed like thunder, causing some of the weaker individuals to nearly faint. Everyone instantly looked up and saw a massive rift torn in the sky.

    The cosmic storm-like forces emanating from this enormous rift caused everyone¡¯s hearts to tremble.

    "Was that really necessary? Do you need my help?"

    "Hmph, Yue Huangquan, spare me the sarcastic remarks. If it wasn¡¯t for the cosmic storm I just encountered, would I be in such a sorry state?"

    While speaking, a huge figure about ten meters tall appeared. The figure wore coarse hemp garments and had a square face with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. His somewhat long hair was casually tied behind his head. However, upon closer inspection, one could see his clothes were somewhat tattered, indicating he was a bit worse for wear.

    "Why not take the proper gate instead of showing off by tearing through space? Whom do you have to me for this?"

    "I¡¯d rather be blown away by a cosmic storm than to use your broken gate!"

    "Who cares? What brings you here this time? For the World Suppressing Stele, right?"

    "Indeed. A few days ago, I sensed the presence of my doppelganger left in the Pangu World, so I felt there might be an issue with the stele. Later, my older brother deduced that the stele ended up in your territory. If we weren¡¯t on good terms, I might have suspected you stole it."

    "I am not interested in it; that stele is a hot potato I¡¯d rather not handle. However, the stele is indeed with me, but it¡¯s in the hands of a youth from the Demon n. Moreover, he still carries your essence on him. Tsk tsk, surely he¡¯s not your illegitimate child, is he?"

    "Nonsense, I don¡¯t even have a wife, let alone an illegitimate child. Hurry up and take me to that person before the folks from other Divine Kingdoms find out and cause trouble."

    Yue Huangquan obviously understood the gravity of the situation and without saying more, turned around to fly off. However, at that moment, the huge figure suddenly stood in Yue Huangquan¡¯s way, then turned and called out to the people below: "Who has taken control of my doppelganger? Come out and let me have a look!"

    After a brief silence, Di Jun, holding the Xuanyuan Sword, soared into the sky and then said, "Might I ask if the senior is referring to me?" Upon finishing his words, he waved his hand, shattering the Xuanyuan Sword, and the shards of the sword reformed into a simrlyrge figure about ten meters tall.

    Then Di Jun realized that the phantom in the sword bore an exact resemnce to the man, aside from the huge Battle Axe on his back and even the clothes worn were identical!

    Seeing the emergence of this phantom, the giant suddenly let out a mournful sigh, "I never expected you truly fell. s, fortunately, it must have been that kid, the Yellow Emperor who sealed it. He has some foresight after all; otherwise, I would have taught him a lesson. By the way, where is that little flower?"

    Then Di Jun saw that the phantom¡¯s mouth was moving silently as if it weremunicating with the man using a special method. But suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck across Di Jun¡¯s mind.

    This phantom, this replica, was the soul manifestation of Pangu the Great God from the time when heaven and earth were created, sealed by the Yellow Emperor using Great Divine Power. Now this towering figure, identical to the phantom, wouldn¡¯t that mean this giant is Pangu himself? My own ancestral being, the one who created heaven and earth?

    And by his words, was this phantom merely one of his doppelgangers? A doppelganger possessing such might? How powerful then is Pangu?

    With these thoughts, Di Jun suddenly kneeled in the void with both knees and bowed deeply, saying: "The Demon n¡¯s Di Jun pays respects to Pangu the Great God!"

    (I oversleptst night, this chapter is to make up for yesterday¡¯s. Additionally, there will be no more for today.)

 Chapter 146 - 138 Pangu!

    ```

    "Haha, it turns out to be that little rascal Di Jun. Where¡¯s thatd Taiyi? Noting out to see me yet? Be careful, or I might give you both a beating!" No sooner had Pangu¡¯s voice fallen than Donghuang Taiyi hurriedly flew up and kneeled next to Di Jun, saying, "Taiyi pays his respects to Pangu the Great God!"

    "That¡¯s more like it. Since my doppelganger is in Di Jun¡¯s hands, I need not worry anymore. However, this sword of yours is not very impressive; otherwise, my doppelganger¡¯s power could have been increased by another thirty percent. Although it¡¯s only one-tenth the strength of my remnant soul, the aura hasn¡¯t decreased in the slightest. It can still be used to keep up appearances in the future!"

    Having said this, with a gesture of his hand, the phantom returned into the Xuanyuan Sword, and the myriad fragments reformed into a sword! Pangu beckoned the Xuanyuan Sword into his hand, then after a moment of contemtion, he lifted his left hand abruptly and held it at the hilt of the sword.

    Following that, he slid it along the de edge, and a fine cut suddenly appeared on the palm of Pangu¡¯s left hand. From this wound, two drops of blood seeped out. One dropnded on the Xuanyuan Sword, while Pangu caught the other in his hand!

    Once the drop of Pangu¡¯s blood fell upon the sword, the Xuanyuan Sword began to vibrate violently. At that moment, Pangu turned his head to look at Yue Huangquan nearby! Seeing Pangu¡¯s gaze, Yue Huangquan shrugged helplessly, then pointed a finger. A yellow-orange light surged into the Xuanyuan Sword, and the previously violently trembling de instantly quieted down.

    The original silver-white sword turned blood-red, yet a strip of yellow-orange light ran along the spine of the de!

    "Di Jun, boy, take good care of this sword. With it, you can ensure that the Demon n is safe and sound!" After finishing, not waiting for Di Jun to express his gratitude, Pangu and Yue Huangquan directly shed into Heaven¡¯s Gate!"

    However, just as Yue Huangquan¡¯s figure was about to disappear into Heaven¡¯s Gate, everyone¡¯s ears heard another voice: "Ghost King, King of Qin, cease your armies immediately! Battle Demon City is promoted to a quasi-Inner City! Disperse, all of you.

    Let today¡¯s events not be mentioned again!" Before the voice had finished, the person had already vanished, and the enormous Heaven¡¯s Gate also instantly concealed itself in the sky.

    Only after Heaven¡¯s Gate and the presences of Pangu and Yue Huangquan hadpletely disappeared did King of Qin, Ghost King, Di Jun, and Taiyi slowly lift their heads, and then stood up. They all looked at one another, with Ghost King speaking first, "Donghuang and Demon Emperor, this time I have offended you. I will surely prepare generous gifts for a visit when I return!"

    Having said this, he turned his head to the King of Qin and said, "King of Qin, I do not wish to hold grudges any longer, hoping our wells do not intermingle with your rivers. Let us settle our victory or defeat during the Six Kingdoms War!"

    After bowing towards Di Jun again, Ghost King directly turned and alighted among the ranks of the Crimson Army, then ordered the troops to ready themselves to take over the cities of the Light Army!

    Seeing Ghost King¡¯s swift and decisive actions, the King of Qin was somewhat stunned, but ultimately as a ruler in his own right, he knew there would be no conclusion to today¡¯s events. Instead of uttering any harsh words, it was better to act decisively like the Ghost King.

    ordingly, the King of Qin also paid his respects to Di Jun, saying, "I have offended you, I will visit another day!" After that, he toonded down to begin tallying the numbers, also preparing to take over the other half of the cities.

    Twenty Outer Cities, ten for each person; as for how they would divide them, both the King of Qin and the Ghost King were clever enough to have their own ideas. Watching the once ferocious army of millions now silently gathering their remaining forces to retreat, Di Jun and Taiyi both felt a surreal sense of relief.

    Having prepared themselves for a desperate fight or even the extinction of their race, they were now unscathed and even elevated by the Domain Lord to the status of a quasi-Inner City. They had even had the honor to meet their ancestor, Pangu the Great God, who had just re-forged his Xuanyuan Sword! This was truly a blessing in disguise!

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A quasi-Inner City meant that as soon as a member of Battle Demon City merged with the Nine Laws, it would immediately be promoted to an Inner City! During this period, Battle Demon City would conduct itself by the standards of an Inner City, signifying supreme honor, status, and the immense resources and support that came with it!

    From now on, Battle Demon City would be another overlord of the Netherworld World. And all that was missing was time!

    Thus the great battle ended.

    Yet far away, Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong knew nothing of it! The terrifying aura of Yue Huangquan and Pangu, when they appeared, seemed to stir something in Xi Zhao. However, Xi Zhao could never have guessed that the two Domain Lord level powers came not to destroy the Demon n but to save it!

    ```

    Carrying Sun Wukong on his back, Xi Zhao had been running nonstop for three days and nights. Although Xi Zhao knew that if the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World made a move, no matter how far he ran, as long as they were still in this world, it would be futile, Xi Zhao still continued to flee desperately. Perhaps escaping was useless, but he could also not just sit and wait for death.

    He could not die, and Sun Wukong most certainly could not die either.

    However, even Xi Zhao¡¯s physical strength began to falter after carrying Sun Wukong and running madly for three days and nights. Although the nearly ten million-strong army of the Hundred Cities had gone to attack the Demon n, sparing Xi Zhao from encountering any enemies, there were still many soul beasts in the Netherworld World, and they were all very powerful.

    If he depleted too much of his own strength, he feared that he would be in danger if he encountered a formidable soul beastter on.

    Therefore, Xi Zhao found a ce by the water to stop. Although people in the Netherworld World did not need to eat food, they still needed to drink water, and the water here was not like that of the Pangu Realm, but a liquid that could stabilize the state of the soul. If the inhabitants of the Netherworld World went too long without drinking water, their souls would slowly dissipate into the world.

    After giving Sun Wukong some water, Xi Zhao found that Sun Wukong still showed no signs of waking up, which made him worry. Logically speaking, Sun Wukong had only exhausted himself, but it had already been three days, and the Nine Patterns Supreme soul crystal had beenpletely absorbed, yet Sun Wukong showed no signs of improvement.

    Thinking of Sun Wukong¡¯s sudden rampage before, Xi Zhao worried that Sun Wukong might have damaged his soul origin. If that was truly the case, then merely absorbing soul energy was no longer helpful, and they would only be able to look for Heaven and Earth Treasures to administer to Sun Wukong. Just then, Xi Zhao suddenly felt some disturbances in midair.

    In an instant, he summoned the Formless Vanishing technique, and at the same time, he protected Sun Wukong behind him.

    Then, the sky cracked open without warning, revealing a vast fissure, and subsequently, Xi Zhao saw a gigantic gate emerge from the crack. Feeling this overwhelming presence and power, Xi Zhao knew that it was very likely that the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World had found them.

    Seeing the gate swing open, Xi Zhao felt utterly helpless and despondent. Had all his meticulous nning been in vain? Was there really no chance left for him?

    Before long, the gate waspletely open. A domineering aura swept down from above. Xi Zhao could clearly sense that this was undoubtedly the aura of the World Suppressing Stele. This person was indeed the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World¡ªTyrant Yue Huangquan!

    Xi Zhao had heard many legends about Tyrant Yue Huangquan before his death. Yue Huangquan was a soul that was naturally nurtured by the Netherworld World. Others arrived in the Netherworld World only after they died, but Tyrant Yue Huangquan had been born there.

    And from his birth, he disyed terrifying talent and strength. By the age of twenty-two, he had already be a Nine Patterns Supreme, and he managed to merge all Nine Cosmic Laws within two years. It was also at this time that the Netherworld World¡¯s World Suppressing Stele was revealed, and it autonomously flew into Yue Huangquan¡¯s hands. From then on, he became the god of the Netherworld World.

    The title of Tyrant was earned during one of the Six Kingdoms Wars when, wielding the World Suppressing Stele, Yue Huangquan ughtered the champions of the four other kingdoms.

    Only the Chaos n from the Genesis Divine Nation somehow survived, and it was also due to the help of the Genesis Divine Nation that the Netherworld World was not attacked by a coalition of other Divine Kingdoms afterwards.

    Such a man was practically handpicked by the World Suppressing Stele as its inheritor!

    If it was Xi Zhao at his peak, he would not fear facing Tyrant Yue Huangquan. But now, he had lost not only his physical body but also the World Suppressing Stele, while his strength was merely at Six Patterns level. With such power, he was not even enough to match a single finger of Yue Huangquan.

    So, when he saw Yue Huangquan step through the gate, Xi Zhao didn¡¯t even think beforeunching his ultimate move. But before he could act, he felt a swirl in his mind, and then he lost consciousness.

    "Could it be that I am ultimately unable to escape death?"

 Chapter 147 - 139 Searching for the Supreme Pool!

    When Xi Zhao slowly woke up, he discovered that he was not dead. Rubbing his still aching head, Xi Zhao struggled to look around. As soon as he turned his head, he saw Sun Wukong sitting leisurely to one side. Xi Zhao was momentarily at a loss for words; he should have been killed by the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World. Could it be that not only had he died, but Sun Wukong had perished as well?

    But since he was already a soul in the Netherworld World, if he had died again, shouldn¡¯t his soul be scattered to the winds? How could he still feel his soul? Since he could sense his soul, that meant he had not died!

    Feeling again, he found it to be true. "Monkey, what are youughing at?" Xi Zhao, initially surprised, couldn¡¯t help but feel puzzled when he saw the grin on Sun Wukong¡¯s face.

    "Why do I get the feeling that you think it¡¯s so unbelievable, as if you dreamt you died in your sleep?" Sun Wukong said as he stood up and took a stone cup from behind him to hand to Xi Zhao. Xi Zhao took the stone cup, downed the water in one gulp, and felt much better.

    "I wasn¡¯t dreaming. By the way, how are you feeling?"

    "I feel great, as if I have inexhaustible strength."

    "What about your World Suppressing Stele? Do you still have it?"

    With a gesture, the World Suppressing Stele appeared out of thin air. Seeing the palm-sized World Suppressing Stele floating above Sun Wukong¡¯s palm, Xi Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that for some reason, Tyrant Moon Netherworld did not take the World Suppressing Stele!

    "By the way, I don¡¯t know why, but when I woke up, I found that my control over the World Suppressing Stele had greatly increased. Before, I could only shrink it to the size of a palm, but now I can make it smaller than a fingernail. And at its tallest, I can make it a kilometer high.

    Additionally, my Five Elements Chaotic Body has undergone changes, now I can transform my Soul Body into a Five Elements Chaotic Body. Even my Chaos Five Decisions, I¡¯ve already managed to use up to the Third Decree."

    The Chaos Five Decisions is the signature maneuver of the Chaos n of the Genesis Divine Realm. Since ancient times, only members of the Chaos n could learn and use these Chaos Five Decisions.

    Moreover, the Chaos Five Decisions are extremely difficult to master; even among the Chaos n, unless they are prodigies, ordinary members could at most learn the first two forms, while the Third Form is something only those above the Seven Patterns Supreme could study, the Fourth Form requires Eight Patterns Supreme, and the Fifth Form requires Nine Patterns Supreme.

    However, it is said that the n Leader of the Chaos n, who is also the Domain Lord of the Genesis Divine Realm, hasbined the five forms into one, the power of which is simply unfathomable.

    For some reason, Sun Wukong was able to learn the first three forms of the Chaos Five Decisions despite only being at Six Patterns. Although Xi Zhao did not know why this was happening, it was probably not a bad thing. If someone used this method to harm others, that would be incredibly foolish.

    What concerned Sun Wukong most, however, was not these things, but a drop of blood. Afterward, with a flick of his finger, a drop of blood oozing with terrifying energy and vivid to the point of dripping appeared on Sun Wukong¡¯s fingertip!

    "Where did you get this drop of blood from? This energy, it¡¯s terrifying!" Looking at the drop of blood, Xi Zhao was somewhat shocked. Not because of the vast amount of energy it contained, but because Xi Zhao could tell that this blood was definitely something that only the Pangu n possessed. Moreover, considering the pressure it emitted, it was very likely from the leader of the Chaos n.

    "I don¡¯t know either, when I woke up, this drop of blood was floating above my head. And I feel like it¡¯s this drop of blood that caused changes in my Chaos Body and the Chaos Five Decisions. Moreover, this drop of blood has been continuously transmitting a voice."

    "What voice?"

    "Well, roughly it¡¯s saying to ¡¯throw me out¡¯!"

    "Throw it out? What does that mean? Is there still a will inside this drop of blood?"

    "I don¡¯t know, but this feeling is getting stronger and stronger, and I¡¯m not sure what to do, so I was waiting for you to wake up to ask you. Previously, I only heard a voice, but now I feel like this drop of blood is trying to break free from my hand!"

    "This situation is indeed strange; why don¡¯t you feel in which direction it is trying to move, and then, throw it out to see?"

    "Uh... it seems to be in this direction!" After sensing for a moment, Sun Wukong found that the drop of blood on his finger was trying to break free in a direction to his left. Sun Wukong looked at Xi Zhao, and upon receiving a nod of acknowledgment, he flicked his finger, and the drop of blood whizzed away. Then, it pierced through the void, its destination unknown.

    Leaving behind a stunned Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, they stared at the direction where the blood disappeared, seemingly unable to believe it was over just like that! After standing agape for a quarter of an hour, Sun Wukong suddenly turned to Xi Zhao and said, "Hey, that¡¯s it? It¡¯s just gone?"

    Xi Zhao seemed to have a hard time believing it too and said, "It seems, probably so? Maybe, it¡¯s truly gone!"

    "Xi Zhao, what do you think? If we each fused with half of that drop of blood, would our strength increase?"

    "I think it definitely would, at least to Seven Patterns or even Eight Patterns. That drop of blood, it belonged to someone of the Domain Lord Level after all."

    "So, you¡¯ve decided, should I beat you up or not?"

    "You don¡¯t need to, I want to beat myself up. Such a good opportunity, such a precious thing, how could I just throw it away like that. You wasteful monkey!"

    "Hey, you¡¯re the one who told me to give it a try!"

    As they spoke, the two began to scuffle, needing to vent their frustrations, or it seemed both might die of regret. Had they known it would be like this, each could have simply taken half and swallowed it. Then there would¡¯ve been no need to search for the Supreme Pool!

    Xi Zhao, who was somewhat aloof in front of others, waspletely like Wukong in front of Sun Wukong - yful andughing. It was hard to tell which Xi Zhao was the real one.

    After messing around for a while, both of them were actually smart people. They knew that some things, once gone, meant they weren¡¯t meant for them. And besides, Sun Wukong had indeed benefited greatly. Although it was regrettable, they didn¡¯t care too much about it.

    After resting for a while, the two of them continued on their way.

    The road ahead was still long, now was not the time to rest, and the two had just nned their next steps. Since both had reached the Peak Six Patterns strength, their current priority was to find the so-called Supreme Pool and figure out how to receive its baptism to advance to Seven Patterns Supreme.

    Once they reached Seven Patterns Supreme, they would go hunt for some Soul Beasts in arge forest to increase their Soul Energy. After advancing to Eight Patterns, they could venture into certain forbiddennds and extreme regions of the Netherworld World. Otherwise, just relying on devouring energy would not allow them to ascend to Nine Patterns Supreme.

    It was only at the edge of life and death that they couldprehend the true essence of Nine Patterns Supreme.

    Once they reached Nine Patterns, it was time for them to break out of this world.

    With a clear goal in mind and having rested enough to be at their peak conditions, they set out on their new journey without hesitation.

    However, what the two did not know was that from the moment Sun Wukong awoke until the two set off again, everything had been observed by two people high in the sky.

    "Brother Pangu, where did you put that drop of True Blood? I thought you were going to use it for that little monkey!"

    "Heh, this monkey is no ordinary one. Initially, I thought he was just a luckier demon from the Pangu Realm, but now it seems he¡¯s much more than that. So I didn¡¯t waste my True Blood on him."

    "Oh? Does he have some identity that even Brother Pangu finds surprising?"

    "Tyrant, you¡¯ve stayed in the Netherworld World for too long; you should get out more. Do you still remember the Myriad Demons Country among the Six Great Divine Nations?"

    "Of course, I know that. It is said that the Myriad Demons Country descends from the pioneers of this universe, and the Domain Lord of the Myriad Demons Country has the bloodline of a pioneer! Could it be?"

    "Haha, I¡¯m not certain, but I remember, the Domain Lord of the Myriad Demons Country also has a monkey as his main body and is one of the strongest monkeys among the Six Great Divine Nations!"

    "So you think Sun Wukong is rted to the Domain Lord of the Myriad Demons Country, hence you believe he will have other adventures in the future?"

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Actually, what concerns me the most is that little flower! My Doppelganger told me, at the time of its demise, that flower wept with a sorrow that moved heaven and earth!"

    "What flower has you so worried? Could it be your little love?"

    "Don¡¯t talk nonsense. That flower appeared in the Pangu World with me. I named it the Transcendence Bloom!"

    (Don¡¯t forget to rmend and join the group, the name is "Great Demon Sun Wukong", the daily update times will be notified in the group!)

 Chapter 148 - 140 Thunder King City!

    Sun Wukong didn¡¯t know that his actions in Xi Zhao had been closely observed by Pangu and the Tyrant, as he and Xi Zhao raced along, avoiding cities when they encountered them and killing Soul Beasts whenever they appeared, heading continuously in a certain direction.

    After seeing that Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were unharmed, Pangu and the Tyrant also concealed their presence. However, Pangu didn¡¯t return to the Genesis Divine Realm, instead, he followed the Tyrant to the Domain Lord Shrine.

    Although this incident had been resolved, as long as Sun Wukong was still in the Netherworld World, it was very possible that people from the other Divine Kingdoms woulde here. While Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were powerful, they would still be unable to defeat characters like the King of Qin and the Ghost King should they encounter them.

    Therefore, Pangu remained in the Netherworld World to prevent people from other Divine Kingdoms froming.

    Time quickly passed, and after a full three days, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao finally arrived at thest Outer City on their journey to the Supreme Pool, Thunder King City! If the Netherworld World was a huge circle, then the one hundred and eight Outer Cities would be located on the edges of this circle. Further iny various forests, continuous mountain ranges, or deste deserts.

    If one were to cross these ces and head further inside, with good luck, they might see the ten Inner Cities. The ten Inner Cities, in terms of both scale and location, were iparable to the Outer Cities. They not only possessed the best resources of the Netherworld World but also took turns managing the most coveted ce in the Netherworld World, the Supreme Pool!

    The Supreme Pool opened once every ten years. Managed in turns by the ten Inner Cities, it stayed open for one year! During this time, anyone who had achieved the Level of Six Patterns, no matter whether they were from an Outer or Inner City, whether they were a Soul Beast or a Loose Cultivator, could freely enter.

    And it was forbidden to engage inbat or killing inside the Supreme Pool; everyone must strictly abide by these rules, or they would face the joint execution by the ten Inner City Lords.

    And the Supreme Pool was not only essible to Six Patterns Saints; anyone at the Level of Liu Wen and above could enter, and many Nine Patterns Lords would venture in to gain enlightenment. The only difference was that the higher one¡¯s Level, the fewer benefits one would reap. It is said that the Domain Lord of the Netherworld World, Tyrant Moon Netherworld, was born from the Supreme Pool.

    And though it¡¯s called a pool, there was no water inside it but rather liquefied Cosmic Law that manifested tangibly.

    Cultivating and gaining enlightenment within the Supreme Pool was a hundred-fold, thousand-fold, even ten thousand-fold more effective than in the outside world. However, the Supreme Pool was not entirely safe. Because the Cosmic Laws inside were so dense, they could easily give birth to creatures entirelyposed of Laws.

    These creatures could be good or evil, weak or strong, and their nature varied ording to the different minds of those who entered the Supreme Pool.

    This was also the reason why it only opened once every ten years; otherwise, if the creatures in the pool were influenced by some of the evildoers who entered, the Supreme Pool might be a birthce of demons. Even with ten-year intervals, there were still asions where mighty individuals entered the Supreme Pool to kill or capture creatures that had developed evil consciousness.

    Now, eight years had passed since itst opened, which meant there were only two more years until the Supreme Pool would open again. Two years was neither too long nor too short. ording to the management of the Netherworld World, if people from the Outer Cities wanted to enter the Supreme Pool for its baptism, they had to set off three years in advance.

    This was not only because of the long journey but also due to the incredible expanse of the istion zone they had to pass through, the area between the Outer Cities and the Inner Cities.

    Some of these areas were of hostile environments, such as boundless deserts and vast marsnds. Other regions were popted with numerous and powerful Soul Beasts where the weakest were at the Level of Six Patterns, and Seven and Eight Patterns weremonly seen. Even Nine Patterns Supreme Soul Beasts were not as plentiful as the sand, but it wasn¡¯t much different.

    However, some of the truly powerful Soul Beasts had their own territories. Those truly powerful referred to those with at least three Dao Patterns merged into a Nine Patterns Soul Beast.

    Thus, setting off three years in advance was not really an excessively long time. Without Nine Patterns, one could not fly, and in the Soul World, there were no Divine Artifacts and Magic Treasures like those in the Material Realm. Even if there were, they would be in the hands of top-level powerhouses.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The road to the Supreme is also a road towards death.

    However, all of this was not a problem for Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao. Even if there were problems, they would press on without hesitation. For those waiting for them, they would charge headlong into even a dead end.

    By the time they reached thest Outer City, Thunder King City, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao already knew just how arduous the uing journey would be!

    But neither of them had the slightest fear. On the contrary, they were both extremely excited. So without saying much, after their identities were checked by the city guards, they entered Thunder King City one after the other.

    Compared to Battle Demon City, Thunder King City not only surpassed the former in terms of the city¡¯s size and prosperity level but also dwarfed it significantly. Moreover, the city was lined with various shops, and the streets were bustling with people from all races.

    There were Human n Taoist priests, monks, and some cultivators, various demons from the Demon n, and even the Three-eyed n with their three eyes on their foreheads, as well as the High Mountain Giant n that had been encountered before. In short, almost every race one could think of was represented here.

    Sun Wukong even saw a few humans with pristine white wings, and after asking Xi Zhao, he learned that they were actually from the Angel n!

    This truly broadened Sun Wukong¡¯s horizons; he had always believed that the world contained only humans and demons. He had mistaken the Three-eyed n and the Taoist Race as humans, and he had categorized anyone who did not look human, such as the High Mountain Giant n, as demons. Seeing all of this today made Sun Wukong¡¯s head spin.

    During the great battle in Battle Demon City, although he faced people from nearly a hundred cities of the Netherworld World, for one thing, everyone was d in armor and helmets, making it difficult to see their faces. Also, Sun Wukong was solely focused on eliminating the enemy, with no leisure to care about appearances.

    Furthermore, the appearance of Pangu¡¯s phantom stimted his Five Elements Chaotic Body, which inadvertently turned him into a Chaos Body and went berserk, leaving him no opportunity to observe those people¡¯s faces.

    Today, however, it was different. In Thunder King City, no matter what race one belonged to, everyone showed their true faces without concealment.

    Taking Sun Wukong around to sightsee, Xi Zhao went straight to an inn in Thunder King City. He rented two rooms on the second floor and then said to Sun Wukong, "We will rest here for three days. We need to purchase some things; otherwise, just the two of us won¡¯t be able to cross this area. We also need to inquire about the specific timing and details of the opening this time.

    Alright, let¡¯s go eat something first."

    Having said that, he took Sun Wukong to enjoy a hearty meal at a nearby eatery. There was food in the Soul World, but it was not essential. One couldpletely go a lifetime without eating anything, surviving only on water and absorbing soul energy. However, given the opportunity, many would choose to eat. The food here was made from the flesh of various soul beasts.

    Although it was essentially soul energy, after being crafted by culinary masters, not only did it take on the taste and texture of food from the Material Realm, but some also had marvelous functions such as relieving fatigue or energizing the mind.

    So, for whatever reason, the pair indulged in avish meal. Here, there were two methods of transaction. One was using something called Soul Coins. Soul Coins were made from a unique Mixed Iron only found in the Netherworld, and the forging method was controlled by only two of the top ten cities within the Inner City.

    The other was to trade with soul crystals or Soul Beast Soul Beads, and of course, there were also bartering methods.

    After paying the bill with a Six Patterns Soul Bead, Xi Zhao led Sun Wukong to thergest trading center in Thunder King City to purchase supplies. To traverse the istion zone, it was most crucial to prepare a spatial container to storerge amounts of water and Soul Beads or soul crystals for replenishing soul energy, along with some special supplies.

    Although Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang had a World Within the Artifact, he dared not open that space yet because it still contained two other people. Since he had been held up with other matters, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask. He vowed to seek a clear answer from a formidable person next time. If those two were truly dead, he had to bring their bodies back to the Pangu Realm.

    After purchasing supplies, Xi Zhao made some inquiries and found out that this year¡¯s Inner City in charge of the opening was Transforming Thunder City! Transforming Thunder City, ranked fifth among the top ten Inner Cities, was a city controlled by one of the four High-Level worlds of the outer realm, the Ancestral Thunder Realm.

    It was filled with masterful practitioners, most of whom cultivated the Thunder Law, and its lord was the Thunder Emperor Xi Potian, known to coexist with ten thousand thunders!

    They also learned that if they set off from Thunder King City this year, they would enter an area called the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range. The mountain range stretched nearly a million miles, and it seemed they would be in for an arduous journey. However, they didn¡¯t have much choice unless they were willing to spend several months detouring in another direction.

    Since there was no way around it, they decided to face it head-on. Having garnered the information they sought, they stopped worrying and heartily enjoyed themselves for three days!

    (Youngsters, hurry and join the group at 214501643. The group name is Great Demon Sun Wukong, and we notify the update times in the group every day!)

 Chapter 149 - 141 Robbery

    Finally, three days had shed by, and Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were ready to hit the road again. They performed onest check of the items they were carrying¡ªtwo space rings, each with a capacity of thirty cubic units. Half of the thirty cubic units were used to store water, while the rest held tents and some emergency food and clothing.

    It¡¯s worth mentioning that these two space rings had cost Xi Zhao two Eight Patterns Soul Crystals. Had Xi Zhao not seized the opportunity to collect arge number of Soul Crystals during the grand battle at Battle Demon City, there might not have been enough money to purchase these supplies. Notably, Sun Wukong¡¯s ring was filled with a multitude of a certain peach-like fruit.

    After almostbing through the entire Thunder King City, Sun Wukong had discovered these fruits. Having tasted one, he did not hesitate to buy them all. These peach-like fruits not only resembled the peaches from Flower Fruit Mountain in appearance and vor, but the only difference was that they were muchrger than real peaches.

    Additionally, eating them greatly replenished water and stabilized the soul. ordingly, they were also much pricier.

    The total of over two hundred such fruits had cost Xi Zhao ten Eight Patterns Soul Crystals. This resulted in Xi Zhao cursing Sun Wukong for his extravagance. However, Sun Wukong remained unconcerned, happily munching on peaches that were evenrger than watermelons.

    Besides these items, there were things simr to signal smoke and Exploding Puppets. Signal smokeprised ck spheres that emitted dense red smoke when cracked open with mana, which could be used for location marking or calling for help should the two of them identally be separated or encounter danger.

    As for the Exploding Puppets, they were a type of puppet fashioned with special techniques, not even one meter tall. These devices could be used for alerting, blending into the environment once deployed, and would explode if any creature with Six Patterns or above passed by.

    The explosion wasn¡¯t just loud¡ªit could be particrly useful for keeping watch at night when the two of them were profoundly exhausted.

    After inspecting all the items, the pair looked back at Thunder King City before stepping firmly onto the path in search of greater strength.

    Leaving the city with them were not only Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao. Some traveled in groups, while others ventured alone. One could say that every day, countless people came and went through Thunder King City. Some aimed to be baptized in the Supreme Pool, others ventured into the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range for trials, and of course, there were bandits engaged in murder and robbery!

    At this time, few people headed to the Supreme Pool, as unless they had strong self-confidence to cross the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range within two years, setting out now was obviously toote. Thus, most were seeking trials, hoping with good fortune to y some Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Beads.

    Beings like Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, who could kill Eight Patterns Soul Beasts with Six Patterns strength, were extremely rare. And while Sun Wukong didn¡¯t have a single Soul Bead or Soul Crystal on him after several major battles, Xi Zhao had the foresight. Thus, for the time being, they were not in need.

    Furthermore, the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range was full of various Soul Beasts. As long as one had the strength, there was nock of Soul Beasts for absorption. However, having maderge purchases in Thunder King City, both Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong had already been marked by some with ill intentions.

    Although Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong sensed something, theck of direct evidence meant they couldn¡¯t conclusively act.

    When the two left Thunder King City and had traveled for an entire day, preparing to rest for the night, five individuals with different appearances and dubious intentions approached them.

    Together, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao recognized these people as the ones who had been watching them in Thunder King City. Neither of them was surprised; with their strength far surpassing Six Patterns, they had noticed the chasers as soon as they left the city. But neither paid much mind¡ªafter all, the road did not belong to their family alone, and if they could travel it, so could others.

    However, they hadn¡¯t expected that when they stopped, these five would catch up with them directly.

    Even a fool could see that these five people held nefarious intents.

    Xi Zhao signaled Sun Wukong with a look, indicating that he wasn¡¯t going to bother dealing with such insignificant characters, and he pointed at Sun Wukong¡¯s space ring.

    In the midst of Sun Wukong¡¯s reluctant expression, Xi Zhao took one of the watermelon-sized peaches and bit into it fiercely!

    Turning around slowly, Sun Wukong transformed the sting of losing the peach into anger towards the five individuals. Initially, upon noticing the five people following them out of the city, Sun Wukong thought they might just be sharing the road. But Xi Zhao was convinced they were robbers.

    So, the two made a bet: if the group was merely passing by, Xi Zhao would carry Sun Wukong flying for a hundred li using mana. If they were robbers, then Sun Wukong would give Xi Zhao tenrge peaches.

    Therefore, when they saw the five individuals approaching with smirks on their faces, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help but regret the bet.

    The five individuals, particrly the middle-aged man in ck robes leading them, felt a flicker of joy when they saw Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao finally stopping after a day¡¯s journey.

    This middle-aged man was named Bao Dal¨ª, a Seven Patterns Supreme at the peak level and a member of the Underworld Tribe. The Underworld Tribe, neitherrge nor small, was under the jurisdiction of the Ghost King City, ruled by the Cangming Ghost King. Because Bao Dal¨ª refused to join the Ghost King¡¯s army, he secretly escaped and engaged in murder and looting near Thunder King City.

    And the four subordinates behind him, who had also escaped from other tribes because they did not want to join the army, happened to meet Bao Dal¨ª. Sharing the same foul stench, the five of them roamed together near Thunder King City.

    "Little ghost, thought you could get far, did you? Let me tell you, I¡¯m Bao Dal¨ª, a Seven Patterns Supreme at the peak. I specialize in home invasions and robbery; these four are my brothers. Brothers,e, introduce yourselves, let this little ghost see how powerful we are."

    "Hehe, little ghost, remember this, I¡¯m Can Meng from the Ferocious Insect Tribe, early stage Seven Patterns Supreme. I will eat you clean in a moment." The speaker was an extraordinarily ugly individual with a giant insect¡¯s head and a human body, who drooled disgustingly as he spoke.

    "I am¡­" The second person had barely finished speaking when the third person was suddenly hit in the head by a peach pit the size of a fist. He hadn¡¯t finished his sentence before he fell to the ground, clutching his forehead and moaning.

    Seeing that the two Six Patterns little ghosts were not running away in disarray but dared to strike first, the others lost their mood for self-introductions and charged forward with their weapons drawn.

    Aside from Bao Dal¨ª, who was a Seven Patterns Supreme at the peak, the remaining people were all at the early stage of Seven Patterns Supreme. Such strength, let alone Six Patterns, would be able to fight even against ordinary Seven Patterns and even Seven Patterns at the peak.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    However, today they were destined for tragedy. Especially the one named Can Meng with an insect head, who had just taken a step forward when suddenly he saw a ck dot appear before him. Before he could react, the ck dot jabbed fiercely onto Can Meng¡¯s forehead.

    The immense force sent Can Meng flying back, crashing into the person who was on the ground clutching his forehead. Sun Wukong quickly retracted the Jingu Bang and rubbed it disdainfully back and forth on the ground.

    At that moment, Bao Dal¨ª charged at Sun Wukong with arge saber, but before he could reach Sun Wukong, he was rooted to the spot by a nce and couldn¡¯t budge at all.

    It was then that Bao Dal¨ª realized he had kicked an iron te¡ªa scalding hot and spiked iron te. After pinning Bao Dal¨ª in ce, Sun Wukong stamped his foot and two earthen walls suddenly rose from the ground, blocking in front of the other two bandits.

    The two weren¡¯t foolish; seeing their boss immobilized after one look, they knew the opponent was tough and turned to run away. However, at Sun Wukong¡¯s cold snort, several more earthen walls rose suddenly around the two, instantly forming an Earth Escape cage.

    After trapping the two men, Wukong turned and slowly approached Xi Zhao, who was half-lying on one side. He squatted down and then straight stripped the hem of Xi Zhao¡¯s clothes. Under Xi Zhao¡¯s astonished gaze, he wrapped the torn piece of clothing around the Jingu Bang and then walked to the other side of the three men, pausing to say, "Bao Dal¨ª, is it?

    We¡¯re poor, so I¡¯m sending you to a ce for the wealthy."

    After saying this, his arm muscles bulged, and he swung the Jingu Bang down fiercely. The stick didn¡¯t cause much harm to Bao Dal¨ª, but an unstoppable, mighty force sted him into flight. Together with the Earth Escape cage and the two men behind, they were hurled in a certain direction.

    "You, damn monkey, why did you tear my clothes? They are custom-made. And where did you throw those five guys?"

    Sun Wukong nced at Xi Zhao and retorted, "Ghost King City of the Cangming Ghost King, I hear it¡¯s full of the wealthy!"

    (Group number: 214501643 If you¡¯re a reader, hurry up and join the organization!)

 Chapter 150 - 142 Suiren Clan

    After this little interlude, Sun Wukong pulled out a peach and began to eat it as well. By now, night had fallen, and it was so dark one could hardly see their own hand in front of their face. Sun Wukong had no choice but to keep using his fiery eyes and golden pupils; otherwise, he would have been practically blind in the darkness.

    Speaking of which, Sun Wukong felt quite regretful about his fiery eyes and golden pupils, because even though his soul energy had surged to the level of Six Patterns, there wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of Evolution in them. It seemed that the only way to continue Cultivating his fiery eyes and golden pupils was to figure out a way to resurrect himself and reform his flesh body.

    "Xi Zhao, do you know if, after passing all the tests, one will receive a new body and be able to be reborn in the end?"

    Xi Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Legend has it that¡¯s the case, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true. However, whether it¡¯s true or not, we both have to try."

    "Indeed, otherwise we really have no hope. I just hope that the body I get will be powerful; my original body was a Five Elements Chaotic Body."

    "Tell me about it, my original body was a Destruction Divine Body. If after resurrection I ended up with a trash body, that would truly be worse than death."

    "By the way, Xi Zhao, who were you originally? I feel like you must have a very long story too! And isn¡¯t it said that those who possess the World Suppressing Stele are always Domain Lords of the Nine Great Divine Kingdoms? Weren¡¯t you a Domain Lord? Could it be you were the Domain Lord of the Dominion of Soil and had your Heavenly Stele stolen, and then ended up being killed by someone?"

    "Why so many questions? Haven¡¯t I told you? My original World Suppressing Stele was Destruction Number One; how could I possibly be the Domain Lord of the Dominion of Soil. If that were true, I would have seized your stele long ago. Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about the past. When you be strong enough, you¡¯ll naturallye to know these things!"

    "Strong enough? You mean bing a Nine Patterns Supreme or having the strength of a Domain Lord?"

    "Neither, but rather reaching a Realm above that of a Domain Lord. Only at that Realm can one truly be considered powerful! If you have time, you should hurry andprehend the Divine Skills of your stele; knowing these things is of no real use!"

    "What Divine Skills? The World Suppressing Stele has other Divine Skills?"

    Xi Zhao looked at Sun Wukong helplessly, then pped his forehead and promptlyy down on the ground. Then he said, "Monkey, don¡¯t tell me you really think the World Suppressing Stele is just for smashing people? I guess only Di Jun and you would use the World Suppressing Stele as a Heaven-Overturning Seal. I ask you, what is the name of your stele?"

    "World Suppressing Stele, Wastnd Soil Number Three!"

    "Since you know its name, think about it, what Divine Skills could it have?"

    "Wastnd Soil Number Three, it should be rted to soil, right?"

    "Not too stupid. Alright then, from now on, I¡¯ll guide you inprehending the stele¡¯s Divine Skills every night; otherwise, watching you use the stele to smash people day after day breaks my heart."

    "Sure, sure, hehehe, just stop smashing it then. Come on, teach me how toprehend the Divine Skills!"

    "You impulsive monkey, alright then, sit up straight first and erge the stele to a height of one meter. Only at that size will it be in its original form, then attach your Soul origin to the stele so you can feel the stele¡¯s patterns, the stele¡¯s breath, everything about the stele!"

    Sun Wukong immediately sat up properly, his Soul origin fully emerged, and he then slowly covered and enveloped the World Suppressing Stele. In fact, Sun Wukong had tried this before but could never feel anything; however, today was different. As soon as his Soul began to wrap around it, he suddenly felt a vast and incredibly profound earthly aura.

    This aura made Sun Wukong feel extremelyfortable and natural, and it even gave him a sense of security that he could rely on. Gradually, Sun Wukong immersed himself entirely in that sensation, delicately contemting the mysteries of earth.

    Xi Zhao was truly astonished, never expecting Sun Wukong to have such profoundprehension of earth. Sun Wukong had already perfectly merged with the stele right from the start.

    Just as Sun Wukong was sensing the World Suppressing Stele of Wastnd No.3, in the Heaven of the Pangu Realm where Fan Xin, who had been quietly cultivating, suddenly "looked" towards the distant horizon.

    Since she was still unable to transform, Fan Xin couldn¡¯t use her eyes but only Divine Sense to feel. However, Fan Xin was an Innate Spirit Root, and her Divine Sense could almost extend for hundreds of thousands of meters.

    Usually, she would envelop the entire Heaven with her Divine Sense, but now, when Fan Xin¡¯s Divine Sense felt the disturbance at the edge of the sky, she found that her Divine Sense had lost its effectiveness. The only thing she could feel was a very huge Energy breaking through the void, but this energy carried no malice or ill intent; on the contrary, it was very tranquil.

    Quickly, this Energy had already broken through the void and was flying directly towards where Fan Xin was located. This startled Fan Xin; although the energy had no intention of attack, it was too massive. If it hit her body, not to mention herself, probably the entire Pangu Realm would be destroyed.

    Not daring to dy, Fan Xin hurriedly used all her strength to hold back this Energy. However, at this moment, the small white flower that grew in the soil at her feet suddenly began to tremble as if it sensed something incredulous. Then, the white flower suddenly emitted an emotion of joy.

    Because they both belonged to the Wood System, Fan Xin¡¯s feeling was very clear. This joy was the kind of joy thates after despair when one suddenly sees a vast hope. Moreover, the emotion of this joy released a massive Life Force, for Fan Xin had been slowly infusing her Life Force into Tang Sanzang¡¯s flesh in order to help him shed his skin and transform.

    Because of this, Tang Sanzang¡¯s flesh, although dead, was improving by the day. Now, he was almostpletely transformed into a pure Wood Spirit Body.

    But the cost was that nearly two-thirds of the peach trees in the Peach Garden had withered. However, now, all the withered peach trees hade back to life due to the massive Life Force released by the Transcendence Bloom at the moment of its joy. It was a power that brought the dead back to life.

    In her astonishment, Fan Xin saw the Transcendence Bloom shoot up into the sky and collide with the vast Energy. When the Transcendence Bloom touched the iing Energy, Fan Xin realized that the flying energy was actually emitted from a drop of blood! Whose blood was this? Who could possess such immense power?

    Having obtained this drop of blood, the Transcendence Bloom emitted extreme excitement and joy once again. Simultaneously, the Life Force and the Soul Power and Creation Force within the blood drop allowed Fan Xin¡¯s strength to rapidly increase. At this rate, Fan Xin believed that she could take human form very soon!

    Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie, who had been using the Rosana Divine Tree to refine the nine Golden Crow Divine Elixirs within his body at the Earth¡¯s Core, also opened his eyes. However, he didn¡¯t sense the power of the drop of blood flying in from the heavens; rather, Zhu Bajie had finished refining thest Golden Core.

    At this moment, Zhu Bajie¡¯s Cultivation was at the peak of Saint, on the verge of stepping into the Half-step Great Path Realm.

    But with the power of the nine Golden Cores fully refined, and since it clearly wasn¡¯t possible to refine the Rosana Divine Tree as well, Zhu Bajie was momentarily at a loss. Could my strength only improve this much? Such strength is clearly not enough; it¡¯s not just about saving others, even self-preservation is not guaranteed.

    In his bewilderment, Zhu Bajie¡¯s gaze fell onto the Rosana Divine Tree. The Rosana Divine Tree was actually a golden tree trunk, so Zhu Bajie set up a section of it atop the magma, and he himself sat cross-legged at the other end.

    But as soon as Zhu Bajie sat down, he surprisingly discovered a line of characters on the Rosana Divine Tree. The script was very ancient, from the Primordial Era, but as Zhu Bajie had fused with the nine Golden Crow Divine Elixirs, he also inherited the eyesight and knowledge of the nine Golden Crows. Therefore, he could still understand it.

    Engraved on the Rosana Divine Tree was: "The heart of the Earth¡¯s Core, Sui Ren¡¯s firewood!"

    "What does this mean? I, old pig, hate riddles the most. I¡¯m already in the Earth¡¯s Core, aren¡¯t I? The heart of the Earth¡¯s Core... could that be the center of this magma? Sui Ren¡¯s firewood, Sui Ren Shi, now that¡¯s something I¡¯ve heard of!"

    Legend has it that Sui Ren Shi, also known as "Sui Emperor" or simply Sui Ren, whose name was Yun Chuo, was the foremost of the Three Sovereigns, a person from the Ancient Era of the Sui Ming nation, father to Fuxi and Nuwa.

    "Never mind, since there¡¯s nothing else to do right now, why not take a look? If there¡¯s nothing there, it¡¯ll just be like taking a bath."

    Having said that, Zhu Bajie shrank the Rosana Divine Tree to the thickness of his arm and then strapped it to his belt. He then took a daring leap into the scorching hot magma.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    (Youthful readers, make an effort! The road to godhood for Tang Sanzang depends on you guys! Those seeking to join the group, wee to add the ¡¯Great Demon Sun Wukong¡¯ group 214501643. Hurry and let¡¯s fill this group so we can start a second one!)

 Chapter 151 - 143 Nine-Tailed White Fox

    Having returned to the Netherworld World once again, after a night of enlightenment, Sun Wukong not only gained greater mastery over the World Suppressing Stele, but he could also wield some of its Divine Skills. Of course, the Divine Skills Wukong could use were still the most basic, and even in those, he could only utilize a part.

    In thest battle, Di Jun controlled the World Suppressing Stele and turned it into Three Thousand Barren Soil in one fell swoop to annihte three Supreme beings with Nine Patterns. If it were not for one of them detonating themselves, perhaps all the Supreme beings would have been turned into a Soul Crystal.

    Three Thousand Barren Soil is the lowest level Divine Skill of the World Suppressing Stele, also known as the third barren-number Divine Skill.

    Wukong¡¯sprehension wasn¡¯t as profound, and after one night, he could only evolve the Stele to produce a hundred grains of Deste Sand! Only when the Deste Sand reached three thousand grains could it be called Wastnd Soil. However, even these hundred grains of Deste Sand were enough to kill Supreme beings with Seven or Eight Patterns.

    But for the current Sun Wukong, they were of little use.

    But this was only the first day, and both Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao believed that as time passed, Wukong¡¯sprehension of the World Suppressing Stele would be deeper and deeper. Three Thousand Barren Soil would definitely not be a problem, and even Nine Thousand Wastnd Soil could be evolved.

    Moreover, once Sun Wukong¡¯s strength advanced to the Nine Patterns Supreme, he might be able to stimte the Stele to evolve into the Deste Sand Sea or the Mountain of World Suppression!

    Of course, these names were all told to Sun Wukong by Xi Zhao. With his current understanding, Wukong could only know the name of these hundred grains of Deste Sand.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Although Wukong was curious about how Xi Zhao knew so much about the third barren-number Divine Skill, he knew that Xi Zhao didn¡¯t want to talk about it, so he didn¡¯t ask. Regardless, Sun Wukong trusted Xi Zhao and wouldn¡¯t harm him, a trust like the one he had with Master Sanzang, Bajie, and Old Sha.

    Thinking of this, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t help feeling downcast. It had been a considerable number of days since he had arrived in this Netherworld World, and he truly wondered how Bajie was, knowing that Master¡¯s body was still with Fan Xin, and not having any news of Old Sha and Little White Dragon. He must strive hard to leave this world and return to the Pangu Realm to settle everything!

    As the first ray of sunlight shone on Sun Wukong¡¯s resolute face, Xi Zhao suddenly found that Wukong seemed to have matured a bit more. In Wukong¡¯s eyes, Xi Zhao saw the sort of determination and bravery that only someone who desperately craves understanding of the great Dao and power would possess!

    Only someone like this could possibly reach that peak, could possibly be the master of this game, instead of just one of the pieces!

    With strong confidence, the two continued their journey. This road was still long, and now, it was just beginning!

    They left Thunder King City, and after traveling forward for three days, they would enter the territory of the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range. At this moment, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were vigntly confronting a Nine-Tailed Fox that stood over three meters tall and waspletely covered in white fur!

    Wukong and Xi Zhao had entered the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range yesterday. At first, they didn¡¯t encounter any Soul Beasts or bandits, but they didn¡¯t dare to let their guard down. Everything could be lethal within these mountains, and one could easily lose their life if not careful.

    They encountered powerful Soul Beasts, all sorts of venomous insects, and even many man-eating nts. The two were just lucky to have safely made it through the first day. But as soon as the second day dawned, they were attacked by three Eight Patterns Soul Beasts that looked a lot like rhinoceroses, but these beasts had three particrly long and sharp horns.

    And what¡¯s more, their hide was thick and tough; even Sun Wukong¡¯s Golden Hoop Staff couldn¡¯t do much more than cause them to stagger before they continued to charge as if nothing had happened. Later, it was only when Sun Wukong brought out the World Suppressing Stele and knocked the three Soul Beasts unconscious that they managed to retrieve three Soul Beads.

    Then, Xi Zhao even skinned the creatures.

    Looking puzzled, Sun Wukong listened as Xi Zhao said, "These creatures are called Sword-Horned Shield Rhinoceroses. Not only do they possess formidable attack power and strength, but their defense is also terrifying. These are just the ones with Eight Patterns; if we met a Shield Rhinoceros King with Nine Patterns, probably even your Stele wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it.

    That¡¯s why these three pieces of hide are much more valuable than the Soul Beads."

    After saying this, Xi Zhao washed the skins of the Shield Rhinoceroses in a nearby stream and then promptly wrapped one around his body. Seeing Sun Wukong¡¯s puzzled gaze, Xi Zhao said helplessly, "Hurry up and put it on. With this hide, you won¡¯t have to worry about some small creatures ambushing you. What? Do you find it too ugly?"

    "Ah, no." Saying so, Sun Wukong epted the rhinoceros hide and followed Xi Zhao¡¯s example by wrapping it around himself. Then he moved his body to find that the hide was very soft and didn¡¯t hinder his movements at all. Turning to Xi Zhao with a serious expression, Sun Wukong said, "You mentioned these creatures are a kind of rhinoceros, right?"

    "Yeah, that¡¯s right, what about it?"

    "I was thinking, your surname is also Xi, and here we are with three rhinoceroses¡­ Could there be any kinship? Is it okay to just strip them of their hide like this?"

    "Sun Wukong, are you asking for trouble? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s rted to these rhinoceroses!"

    Xi Zhao originally thought Wukong was about to say something serious, given his solemn demeanor, but was taken aback by Wukong¡¯s jest. Just when Xi Zhao had thought that Sun Wukong had matured.

    So the two chased and fought each other along their way until they encountered the white-haired Nine-Tailed Fox facing them now.

    The reason the two had stopped was not that the Nine-Tailed Fox was particrly strong ¨C Wukong could sense that the Nine-Tailed Fox¡¯s cultivation was merely at the peak of Six Patterns, still short of breaking through to the Seven Patterns ¨C thus, neither Sun Wukong nor Xi Zhao had any intention of taking action.

    And this fox didn¡¯t seem to have any ill intentions, not only did it not attack, but it also didn¡¯t run away, simply staring with its bright, watery eyes at Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao!

    Meeting such a soul beast for the first time, one that neither feared nor attacked humans, and what¡¯s more, a very beautiful white fox at that, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were also quite interested in observing her, curious about what she wanted to do.

    And so, the three of them stood staring at each other for a full quarter of an hour, until finally, Xi Zhao couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder and said, "Monkey, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. It looks like it¡¯s just a little fox that has just developed spiritual wisdom. We have important matters to attend to, and if we don¡¯t hurry, we might be toote."

    Sun Wukong thought so, too. Although in the gaze of the little fox, Sun Wukong felt a sense of kinship reminiscent of the monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain, this was, after all, a fox. If it had been a little monkey, Sun Wukong would probably have taken it with him.

    He and Xi Zhao slowly backed away, then changed direction and sped off.

    But what the two didn¡¯t expect was that the fox followed them, still wearing a curious expression with those big, watery eyes, full of innocence.

    Seeing that the fox also followed them, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao exchanged nces and suddenly increased their speed, changing direction. But before they could take three breaths, the fox was right behind them again.

    This game of cat and mouse continued several times until Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao despondently realized that no matter how much they changed directions or sped up, they couldn¡¯t shake the fox off, and they didn¡¯t dare make significant directional changes for fear of getting lost.

    They ran on until the sun was high in the sky, and both were somewhat exhausted. Thus, they stopped running. Finding arge tree, the two settled down to rest.

    The snow-white fox also stopped, resting at anotherrge tree not far from them. It was apparent that the fox was tired as well.

    Even though they had been running for so long, they had not traveled very far, because the mountain range was so vast, and there were countless ancient trees, giant trees, rivers, and swamps. Running here consumed a lot of physical strength, and they always had to keep their divine consciousness power at its maximum to scout the surroundings for powerful soul beasts.

    They would bypass those with six patterns or below, and if they encountered a Nine Patterns Supreme that was significantly strong, they would avoid it.

    They would only engage solitary Eight Patterns soul beasts or weaker Nine Patterns soul beasts. This had been nned in Thunder King City. While resting, Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t resist taking out arge peach and sharing it with Xi Zhao.

    Just then, Sun Wukong noticed that the fox on the opposite tree had eyes full of longing and, unable to resist, tossed over another peach. The fox elegantly leapt, caught the peach, and thennded on another tree.

    "Monkey, I¡¯m worse off than that fox, am I? I only get half while you give it a whole one, I..."

    "What about you? I already begrudge giving you half!"

    "Thank... thank you!"

    "Huh? Who¡¯s talking? Xi Zhao, there¡¯s someone!"

    "Silly monkey, it¡¯s the fox!"

    "Huh? Fox? You, you can talk? Are you a demon?"

    For a moment, Sun Wukong was stunned; he had not expected to encounter a member of the Demon n here and had thought it was just a soul beast!

    "I, I am called Leilei! Yes, yes, I am a demon!"

    Just as Sun Wukong was still in a daze, Xi Zhao snatched therger half of the peach from Sun Wukong¡¯s hand and gobbled it up in a few bites!

    (Youngsters, add oil! The path to divinity of Sanzang relies on you! Friends looking for a group, wee to join group 214501643 Great Demon Sun Wukong. Thinking of filling up one group to start a second!)

 Chapter 152 - 144 Transformation Grass

    Looking at the snow-white fox, Sun Wukong suddenly felt very happy and rxed, although he had felt a sense of familiarity when he first saw this fox, oh, wrong, now he should call her Leilei. When he realized Leilei was from the Demon n, that familiarity turned into a sense of kinship.

    Without caring that Xi Zhao had snatched his peach, Sun Wukong stood up and jumped onto therge tree where Leilei was. Watching the fox nibble on the peach bit by bit, Sun Wukong pointed at Leilei with one hand while shouting at Xi Zhao, "Hey, I¡¯m taking her with us! Do you have a problem with that?"

    Xi Zhao quickly finished the peach and tossed the pit towards Sun Wukong, then replied, "Would you listen if I did have a problem?"

    "Hehehe, no, no!"

    "Then don¡¯t ask such a dumb question, but you should check if she¡¯s willing to go with you. Also, our journey is too dangerous, you have to make that clear. Otherwise, you¡¯d be harming her!" Having said that, Xi Zhao got up and with a few jumps, reached the top of therge tree as well.

    The Nine-Tailed Fox Leilei looked up at Xi Zhao and then at Sun Wukong before speaking softly, "It¡¯s, it¡¯s okay, I, I am willing to go with you. I don¡¯t, don¡¯t have any friends here!"

    "Hehe, see, Xi Zhao? That¡¯s the charm of yours truly. Fox... Leilei, are you really willing to follow us? We¡¯re going to the Supreme Pool for a cleansing!"

    By that time, the Nine-Tailed Fox Leilei had finished therge peach Sun Wukong gave her, contentedly wiped her mouth with her paw, and said, "I also want to go to the Supreme Pool, but before that, I need to find Transformation Grass!"

    "Huh? You want to go to the Supreme Pool too? By the way, where are your parents? Why are you alone in these mountains?" Sun Wukong asked this because he had begun to suspect that the demon fox must have experienced something, as she seemed to have the spiritual wisdom of a mere child.

    Your journey continues with empire

    Although some spirit beasts are born with formidable strength, this was the Netherworld World, where everyone but the Domain Lord Yue Huangquan hade as souls after death.

    Even the Soul Beasts were created by a force within the Netherworld World that condensed dissipated soul energy after other souls vanished. Although Leilei might also be a Soul Beast, the likelihood was small. Soul Beasts would need to reach the Nine Patterns Supreme and merge three Cosmic Laws to transform into human form. And a Soul Beast must transform into human form to be able to speak.

    If it could speak without transforming, then it definitely belonged to the Demon n. This was the most important distinction in the Netherworld World between Soul Beasts and other races.

    Of course, as Leilei mentioned, one could also take a Heaven and Earth Treasure called Transformation Grass to turn into human form directly after reaching Six Patterns.

    And Sun Wukong trusted his intuition, which told him that Leilei must be from the Demon n.

    "I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t remember many things. I only remember my name is Leilei, and I¡¯m a Nine-Tailed Fox from the Demon n! And I need to find Transformation Grass, then go to the Supreme Pool!"

    "Do you remember if you¡¯ve been seriously injured, or when you appeared here?" Xi Zhao asked this, obviously interested in the beautiful White Fox, who could have lost her memory but possessed a speed neither of them could match.

    "I don¡¯t remember, but I think I escaped from a terrifying ce! Wuuwuu, it¡¯s so scary, my head hurts!" As Leilei tried to recall, she suddenly held her head and began to cry as if something terrifying lurked deep within her memory! Not wanting Leilei to continue recalling, Sun Wukong gently stroked her head, but it had no effect.

    "Idiot, that¡¯s useless. This fox must have gone through something extremely horrifying that caused a severe blow to her spirit. You should use your soul power to soothe her."

    After speaking, Xi Zhao¡¯s soul origin energy radiated out, mixed with his Divine Sense, and enveloped the Demon Fox Leilei. Soon, Leilei slowly fell asleep!

    Letting out a long breath, Sun Wukong also leaned against the tree trunk behind him, taking the opportunity to rest.

    "Monkey, are you seriously nning on taking this fox with you? We¡¯re not here for a leisurely stroll!"

    "I know our journey will be very dangerous, but if she¡¯s by herself, it might be even more so. Plus, I feel a sense of closeness to her. By the way, you¡¯re worldly-wise, do you know where to find Transformation Grass?"

    "Transformation Grass, huh, it¡¯s rare for you to be so determined. As for Transformation Grass, it¡¯s a very precious Spirit Grass, likely only avable in the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range."

    "Huh? Why are you so readily telling me this time?"

    "Hmph, you think we¡¯re just on a journey? Along the way, not only do we need to hunt soul beasts and store soul beads, but we also have to look for various Heaven and Earth Treasures and some Spiritual Objects. Transformation Grass is one of them.

    As long as we can store arge amount of soul power within our bodies, there¡¯s a high chance we might break through to Eight Patterns after the baptism of the Supreme Pool! That would save us a lot of time. So, this Transformation Grass is just something wee across on our way."

    "Uh, our journey is going to be quite tough, huh. Sometimes I really want to know who you were before you died, how do you know everything!"

    "That¡¯s why I said that bringing this fox might be a burden. And since you¡¯ve always lived in a minor world, there¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know. Like not knowing this fox might have a significant background."

    "What kind of background? It looks like amon Nine-Tailed Fox to me. We had those in my original world too!"

    "Do you remember what color the real body of the one you knew was?"

    "I remember, it should be fiery red, right? Yes, a fiery red Nine-Tailed Fox!"

    "Exactly, let me tell you, the Demon Fox n is a very peculiar race. All their nsmen share a unique phenomenon: no white fox has nine tails, and no nine-tailed fox is white! This means no white demon fox, whether born that way or cultivatedter, could ever have nine tails. Simrly, no nine-tailed demon fox could ever be white.

    Moreover, in a minor world, cultivating to a Saint or Emperor Level might spawn nine tails, but in an Intermediate World, one must reach the Unity Dao Realm, in a High Level World it¡¯s the Three Patterns Realm, and within the Six Great Divine Nations, one must be Nine Patterns Supreme to possess nine tails!"

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Having said that, Xi Zhao nced meaningfully at the sleeping demon fox before continuing, "If the strength isn¡¯t sufficient, then the number of tails would be less. So, this Six Patterns white Nine-Tailed Fox definitely has some issues. I suspect it might be a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox, the queen of the Myriad Demons Country."

    "What¡¯s the Myriad Demons Country? Is it also one of the Six Great Divine Nations?"

    "Yes, it¡¯s the birthce of all the demons in this universe. Plus, your appearance is almost identical to the Domain Lord of Myriad Demons Country!"

    "Huh? You¡¯re not joking, are you? You¡¯re saying I look identical to the Domain Lord of Myriad Demons Country from the Six Great Divine Nations? Is that Domain Lord also a monkey?"

    "I¡¯m serious, I have fought with that Myriad Demon King, and his true form is called the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape. That Giant Ape is so huge it could even withstand the destructive Divine Skills of my World Suppressing Stele. When I first saw you, I felt you bore a striking resemnce to that Myriad Demon King.

    But then, I found out there¡¯s Chaos n energy within you, and you even have the Heavenly Stele from the original Dominion of Soil! Right now, I really don¡¯t know who you are!"

    "We¡¯re all monkeys, looking alike is normal. Say, Xi Zhao, aren¡¯t you being a bit too sensitive? I am me, Great Sage Equalling Heaven Sun Wukong, Beautiful Monkey King Sun Wukong! Stop overthinking, no matter who I am, I¡¯m still your good brother."

    Grateful, Xi Zhao nced at Sun Wukong, then sat down on a tree trunk to rest. Though he seemed resting, Sun Wukong knew something must have happened to Xi Zhao, and the recent conversation had brought back memories for him. At this time, Xi Zhao needed some time to calm his emotions.

    Meanwhile, Sun Wukong too was pondering what path they would take in the future. Unaware, he fell asleep.

    But Sun Wukong soon woke up, and he had to, because the white fox Leilei was using its tail to slide back and forth across Sun Wukong¡¯s face.

    Sitting up and sneezing, Sun Wukong saw Xi Zhao and the demon fox Leilei looking at him with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile.

    "What¡¯s going on? Do I have a flower on my face?"

    Saying this, Sun Wukong reached out to touch his face, and to his shock, there really was a flower on his face?

    (There are still a hundred spots left,ds, hurry up, 214501643. Great Demon Sun Wukong.)

 Chapter 153: 145 Take the fox with you!

    Bring the fox with you!

    When Sun Wukong felt the flower on his face, he really was stunned. He subconsciously thought he was still sleeping. However, when he pinched himself and felt quite a bit of pain, he knew it wasn¡¯t a dream. But how could a flower possibly grow on his face?

    He grabbed the flower and tugged at it slightly, only to find that it made his face hurt too. By then, Sun Wukong waspletely awake and knew that the flower was real and had grown on his face. Looking up at Xi Zhao and the demon fox Leilei, he noticed that nothing had happened to either of them.

    "Xi Zhao, what¡¯s going on? Why is this thing on my face?"

    But Xi Zhao didn¡¯t pay any attention to Sun Wukong; instead, he held his chin and said to the demon fox Leilei beside him with a smile on his face, "So, does he look more domineering like this?" Unexpectedly, Leilei nodded in agreement.

    Even if Sun Wukong was slow, he understood at this point that it must be Xi Zhao¡¯s doing. Moreover, Sun Wukong was not at all slow-witted but very clever. With a fierce look, he pulled out his Jingu Bang and said to Xi Zhao, "Get rid of it quickly, or I¡¯ll turn you into a flower today!"

    "Hehe, I think it looks quite good, very good! Look, even the demon fox Leilei thinks it¡¯s pretty!"

    "Xi Zhao!!!" The words came squeezed through clenched teeth, and after that, Sun Wukong swung his Jingu Bang and lept into the air. "Little fox, get out of the way. Watch me turn him into a flower!" Leilei, incredibly smart, nodded at Sun Wukong and instantly leapt from the big tree, settling down on another tree.

    Seeing Sun Wukong¡¯s Jingu Bang about to crash down on his head, Xi Zhao hurriedly said, "Stop, Monkey, I¡¯ll get rid of it for you!" And at that moment, the Jingu Bang came to a stop right above Xi Zhao¡¯s head!

    "I¡¯m saying, Monkey, could you really bring yourself to hit me? If I didn¡¯t say anything, were you actually going to beat me up?"

    "Of course I would beat you. I¡¯d just wave and give you a few Soul Beads aspensation. If my monkey subjects saw me with this, how could I show my face? Get rid of it quick!" Sun Wukong had already retracted his Jingu Bang while speaking.

    "Honestly, I didn¡¯t put that flower there. And besides, with that, can you be called the Flower Monkey King? Haha!"

    "You¡¯re still talking? Are you really asking for a beating? If it wasn¡¯t you then who? What exactly is this thing?"

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Alright, alright, I¡¯m telling the truth. This flower is called the Purified Soul Flower, which possesses its own Spiritual Wisdom; it¡¯s one of the spirit objects of heaven and earth. Now that the flower on your face is white, it means that it has just started to grow."

    "Purified Soul Flower? Does that mean it¡¯s going to purify me? Then you better save me quick!"

    "Ah, such a monkey with no experience. If it were harmful to you, I would have helped you by now. This Purified Soul Flower is very special; it has a unique ability to purify the resentment and brutality within pure souls. If it¡¯s the king of the flowers, it can even cleanse you of the Karmic Force and evil barriers you¡¯ve umted through killing.

    In short, it¡¯s all advantages with no disadvantages!"

    "So you¡¯re saying, this flower is helping me? But why would it grow on my face and not yours?"

    "Our realms are different. My strength in life was very high, higher than you can imagine, so such killings have no effect on me. But it¡¯s different for you. Your soul¡¯s realm is too low. If it weren¡¯t for the World Suppressing Stele and the Five-Colored Divine Stone inside you, by now your soul would probably have been entwined with resentment. And you¡¯re lucky¡ªon your face is the king of flowers."

    "Hmph, you talk as if you¡¯re so formidable. Dare you let me smash the Heavenly Stele on you? No wonder I have felt uneasy ever since I left Battle Demon City¡ªit turns out I was haunted by vengeful ghosts. But it¡¯s strange; in the Netherworld World, aren¡¯t they all dead? Killing souls also gets you haunted by ghosts?"

    "I said you were inexperienced and yet you don¡¯t believe me. What¡¯s haunting you isn¡¯t vengeful ghosts; it¡¯s the fear, despair, resentment, and curses of those you killed and defeated in the great battle at Battle Demon City. Here in this world, everyone is a master above Dao Patterns; in your Pangu Realm, any one of them could destroy that small world with a flick of their finger!"

    "Howe I haven¡¯t felt it? The people here don¡¯t seem all that strong either!"

    Explore hidden tales at empire

    "You still have the nerve to say that. What normal person goes around pping people with the World Suppressing Stele while only at One Pattern? Do you know what the World Suppressing Stele is? It¡¯s one of the most intimidating objects in the universe, one of nine created by the Pioneer of this universe to suppress or maintain the universe¡¯s normal operation as the most Supreme Divine Object.

    Each piece of the World Suppressing Stele represents the most supreme will of the universe. Creation, Destruction, Death, Divine Dao, Demon Dao, Human Dao, Earth Dao, Water Dao, Fire Dao! These nine elements constitute the most basic forces that keep the universe running normally!"

    "That¡¯s not right, though. There used to be Nine Great Divine Kingdoms; now aren¡¯t there only the Six Great Divine Nations? Three pieces of the World Suppressing Stele are missing, so why is the universe still running normally?"

    "Who told you the World Suppressing Stele is missing? What¡¯s that in your hand? The Divine Kingdoms are just worlds guarded by the World Suppressing Stele, which in turn either protect or control them through suppression. It¡¯s not that the destruction of a Divine Kingdom causes the World Suppressing Stele to lose its function.

    Indeed, those three Divine Kingdoms were destroyed, but three high level realms were born instead. In a sense, those three high level realms have taken the ce of the three destroyed Divine Kingdoms!"

    "I heard you mention the Six Great Divine Nations and the four High-Level worlds before, but now there are only three?"

    Xi Zhao sighed with a look of resignation towards Sun Wukong, "Forget it, I¡¯ll just tell you everything today, so that you won¡¯t have to keep asking questionster. The four High-Level worlds include the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm I mentioned before, the Ancient Primordial World you know of, and also the Fangcun Spirit Realm and the Cann River Realm.

    The Ancient Primordial World reced the Dominion of Soil, the Fangcun Spirit Realm reced the Li Fire Realm from the original Nine Great Divine Kingdoms, and the Cann River Realm reced the Blue Water Realm from the original Nine Great Divine Kingdoms! The Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm is a somewhat special High-Level world that is equal to those three realms!"

    "So, I took the World Suppressing Stele from the Ancient Primordial World, huh?"

    "Although that¡¯s one way to put it, it wasn¡¯t a theft. Since you obtained it, that means the stele was meant for you. Besides, the Fangcun Spirit Realm and the Cann River Realm don¡¯t have a World Suppressing Stele either. That¡¯s why they are just High-Level worlds, not Divine Kingdoms!"

    "Xi Zhao, which country were you originally from? Your Heavenly Stele is number one; it must be very impressive, right?"

    "Heh, I don¡¯t want to talk about my past anymore. Alright, that¡¯s enough for today; I¡¯ll tell you the rest slowly in the future. And that flower on your face, it¡¯s time to take it off!"

    It turned out that, during their conversation, the little flower on Sun Wukong¡¯s face had changed from pure white to pitch ck. Sun Wukong gently plucked the flower with his hand, and it came off. Only then did Sun Wukong take a serious look at the flower.

    However, by that time, the little flower had turnedpletely ck, and it appeared to be an ordinary flower with nine petals.

    "The Purified Soul Flower, the king of flowers has nine petals, ordinary ones have only five or six. Now, I¡¯m even more certain that you¡¯re destined to be someone important in the future! But for now, you¡¯d better throw away this flower, or else those things will return to your body."

    Hurriedly, he threw away the pitch-ck flower. Once the Purified Soul Flower hit the ground, it hopped and skipped away, disappearing from sight. Watching the flower, Sun Wukong was momentarily lost in thought.

    "After the Purified Soul Flower absorbed your malice and grievances, it should go to a ce with the most concentrated spiritual energy and purify these negative influences. Tsk, tsk, it really is magical. This Flower Monkey King must have sensed that you¡¯re bound to be a powerhouse in the future, so this act can be seen as having benefitted from your destiny.

    It helped you today, and perhaps you¡¯ll help it tomorrow. Cause and effect cycle, all part of the Heavenly Dao!"

    But Sun Wukong didn¡¯t take in these words, as his mind was full of thoughts of his master ¨C his master also had a flower like this! s, it was he who had brought about his master¡¯s death.

    "Monkey? What are you thinking about? It¡¯s time to go. If we follow that Purified Soul Flower, we might stumble upon a great and unexpected reward," said Xi Zhao, knowing that Sun Wukong must be dwelling on some past life event, and so he patted Sun Wukong¡¯s shoulder.

    Snapped back to reality by Xi Zhao¡¯s pat, Sun Wukong realized that no amount of thinking would help now. The only thing he could do was to be stronger, much stronger, strong enough to protect everyone!

    And the only way to be stronger was to reach the Supreme Pool!

    So Sun Wukong put aside his emotions, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, his heart now as still as an ancient well. "Alright, let¡¯s go. I hope that unexpected reward you mentioned isn¡¯t a herd of rhinos!"

    "Are you looking for trouble, monkey?"

    "Hahaha, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. Oh, and bring along that little fox!"

    From the sound ofughter, one could feel Sun Wukong¡¯s confidence and exhration - I am still alive, and that¡¯s enough. As long as I live, I will find a way to revive everyone!

    This is:

    With sudden enlightenment, the universe appeared empty; carrying the burden of life and death, the battle was not over.

    As the nine elements gathered towards the Supreme, only one personughed amidst the vast expanse.

    (ps: I was so close to writing ¡¯The End¡¯ for the entire book. Also, we still need more people in the group, where are all the brothers who read the book, let me see you!)

 Chapter 154 - 146: Valley!

    So it was that the duo and the fox followed the bouncing ck flower as they ran towards the mountain range where they were located. Although it was said to lie deep within the mountains, in reality, they were simply moving further inward, still far from the true depths.

    If they had a map, it would be apparent that the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range was not situated between the Inner and Outer Cities. Instead of a singlerge mountain, it was a chain of peaks linked together, forming a ribbon-like range. Experience more on empire

    Thus, the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range stood erect between the Inner City and the Outer City, meaning that after leaving Thunder King City, Sun Wukong and the others had to climb to the top of arge mountain and then continue forward until they reached the other end of the range and descended.

    Beyond the mountainsy a vast forest, after traversing which, they would arrive at Transforming Thunder City, one of the top ten Inner Cities.

    Transforming Thunder City was established by those who came to the Netherworld World after dying in one of the four High Level worlds, the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm. Everyone within was a master from the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm, and Thunder King City was actually a branch that belonged to Transforming Thunder City.

    Therefore, Xi Zhao and hispanions were not afraid of losing their way, as the initial path was simply a matter of following the terrain upward. Once they reached the summit, they maintained their course at the highest elevation until they descended directly from the mountain¡¯s end.

    The Purified Soul Flower also hopped towards the higher elevation, so they weren¡¯t worried about wasting time. Sun Wukong followed the Purified Soul Flower together with Xi Zhao and the Nine-Tailed White Fox, Leilei, somewhat surprised to find that despite being a nt, the flower¡¯s speed was quite fast.

    If Xi Zhao hadn¡¯t left a trace of his soul imprint at the outset, they might have lost track of itpletely. They continued this way until dusk, when Xi Zhao finally waved his hand, and the three (counting the demon fox Leilei as a person for the moment for ease of writing) stopped on the branch of an ancient tree simultaneously.

    By then, the Purified Soul Flower had hopped into a valley. But it was nearlypletely dark, and Sun Wukong¡¯s fiery, golden eyes were already activated, while the demon fox Leilei¡¯s eyes glowed with a gentle blue light, resembling two sapphire gems! Xi Zhao also seemed to have cast some spell that made his eyes faintly emit a red glow.

    "It seems their of the Purified Soul Flower is within this valley. And indeed, this valley is exceptionally located, its spiritual energy shooting up to the sky. If I¡¯m not mistaken, there must be numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures inside."

    "Then what are we waiting for? All three of us can see in the dark, so why not just go in and raid the ce? It¡¯s much more straightforward!" Sun Wukong was indeed a bit impatient; reaching the Supreme Pool a day earlier meant bing a Supreme a day earlier, which also meant leaving this world one day sooner.

    "What¡¯s the rush, you monkey? Not to mention that the Purified Soul Flower has been kind to you, but such a spiritnd will certainly be guarded by powerful Soul Beasts. Rushing in recklessly, you wouldn¡¯t even know how you died! Let¡¯s rest here tonight, adjust to the optimal condition, and then we¡¯ll see tomorrow!"

    Having said that, he took out a water bag from the Space Ring, passed one to Leilei, took a few sips from another, and then handed it to Sun Wukong. After taking a few sips, Sun Wukong settled down and sat cross-legged on the tree branch.

    He knew Xi Zhao was right; caution was needed here, especially with the Soul Beasts, for Soul Beasts, being aggregations of pure soul energy, had an easier path to increasing their strength. Hence, many spiritnds and treasured ces were indeed guarded by formidable Soul Beasts.

    Seeing Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong both sitting cross-legged on the branch, the demon fox Leilei, out of curiosity, also tried to imitate them and sat on the branch.

    But a three-meter-tall snow-white fox sitting on a branch looked bizarre no matter how one saw it, and eventually, Xi Zhao couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and asked Leilei to go down and y on her own but not to wander too far, staying within the range of his Divine Sense.

    Nodding to Xi Zhao, the demon fox Leilei leaped down. After running all afternoon, Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong were a bit weary, yet the demon fox Leilei still seemed to be brimming with energy, untouched by fatigue. This convinced Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao even more that Leilei was no ordinary demon fox.

    The night ended without incident, and Leilei also ran back in the middle of the night, though she returned with a wreath on her head. After quietly cing the wreath on Sun Wukong¡¯s head, Leileiy down beside Sun Wukong and fell asleep.

    After a night¡¯s rest, Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong were both in peak condition, while the demon fox Leilei seemed to remain perpetually at her peak. Therefore, as daylight broke, Xi Zhao led the trio as they slowly made their way toward the valley.

    Especially the demon fox Leilei, perhaps influenced by the cautious demeanors of Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong, also tread quietly, mimicking Sun Wukong¡¯s stealthy movements, with her ninerge tails stretched out straight. It had an appearance that resembled a weasel about to steal chickens.

    However, Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong weren¡¯t in the mood to observe Leilei, as the moment they entered the valley, both felt a soul-crushing spiritual pressure. It was a powerful and irresistible force; they instantly knew that within this valley, there certainlyy a Soul Beast of terrifying strength.

    Now they had just entered the mountain range, or rather, were still on the edge of the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range, yet such a terrifying Soul Beast had already appeared. Without even having seen it, the mere aura it emitted made Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao terrified. If they continued deeper, what level of Soul Beast might they encounter at the very depths of the range?

    A Soul Beast of Unity of the Eight Paths or Domain Lord strength?

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Monkey, I, I might have guessed wrong. The soul beasts in this valley are all formidable beings with the fusion of sevenws at least. Just the two of us, we are not even enough for one of their fingers. And don¡¯t even think about your Heavenly Stele, in the face of absolute strength, you can¡¯t even summon it."

    Since arriving in the Netherworld World, Sun Wukong had been able to store the World Suppressing Stele inside his body, alongside the Five-Colored Divine Stone and the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree, all floating within his Dantian. Therefore, to use the World Suppressing Stele, he must first summon it from within his body, as Sun Wukong would never carry the Heavenly Stele in his hand all the time.

    The advantage of this was that by refining the Heavenly Stele with the soul origin every day, he would be more and more proficient with it. However, the downside was that against people too powerful, he simply couldn¡¯t summon the Stele. But there was nothing he could do about it; without a definitive answer, Sun Wukong dared not casually open the World Within the Artifact of the Jingu Bang.

    Pulling out the Jingu Bang from his ear and gripping it tightly, Sun Wukong spoke with some nervousness, "What should we do then? Should I take out the Heavenly Stele now? Or should we retreat? This oppressive force is too terrifying; I feel it¡¯s even difficult to move!"

    "Are you content just walking away like this? Running away at the first sign of danger, how would you ever be Supreme? But Monkey, don¡¯t you dare take out the World Suppressing Stele, that would be no different from seeking death. We are only at Six Patterns right now, in the eyes of those soul beasts we are probably no different from ants. They might not even care.

    Let¡¯s quietly slip in, sneak some treasures and leave. That should be no problem!"

    "Ugh, are you sure? I feel like this is much more terrifying than the time I stole the Elder Lord¡¯s Immortal Pills!"

    "Why worry about so many things? Fortune favors the bold. What¡¯s there to be afraid of, with me here!" With that, Xi Zhao became invisible instantly. But Sun Wukong was left stunned behind him.

    "Xi Zhao, how can you do this, turning invisible yourself? Leaving me to fight alone?"

    "Keep your voice down! It¡¯s still much better than the two of us walking in there with great fanfare. I got to say, I feel much safer after turning invisible, haha!"

    Feeling rather like crying without tears, Sun Wukong was always the one ying tricks on others, but ever since he met Xi Zhao, it seemed that he was the one being yed more often! ncing back at the White Fox Leilei, Sun Wukong realized that Leilei was neither suppressed nor scared, but still had that sneaky and cautious look.

    Sun Wukong gave a wry smile, gently patted Leilei¡¯s head, then moved forward along the wall. Even though Xi Zhao was invisible, Sun Wukong could still feel that Xi Zhao was just in front of him and hadn¡¯t taken the opportunity to escape.

    After walking like this for a quarter of an hour, Sun Wukong found that aside from the increasingly intense oppressive force, he hadn¡¯t seen any soul beasts, but his eyes had been met with various Spiritual Medicines and precious Heaven and Earth Treasures. Even with Sun Wukong¡¯s experience, he recognized several of them right away!

    "This is Soul Solidifying Grass, it can stabilize scattered souls, a healing Holy Medicine! And this is the Spirit Enlightenment Fruit, which can purify the soul and even offer a chance toprehend a higher-level Cosmic Law during advancement!"

    However, just then, Sun Wukong suddenly heard a surprised shout from the void ahead, "Monkey,e over here, look, that, that whole patch, it¡¯s all Transformation Grass. My heavens, what is going on here?

    Why is there so much Transformation Grass?" Hearing Xi Zhao¡¯s exmation, Sun Wukong quickly walked a few steps forward and saw that on one side of the mountain wall ahead, there was a spot slightly indented and distinct from other areas.

    The reason for this difference was that the spot was arranged with a nt known as the Soul Locking Flower into a Four Symbols Soul Locking Great Array and, at the center of the array, was arge patch of mature Transformation Grass!

    Just as Sun Wukong was in shock, he suddenly felt his arm being grabbed though the space in front of him was empty. Knowing it was Xi Zhao who had grabbed him, he was about to ask what was happening.

    But before he could speak, Xi Zhao covered Sun Wukong¡¯s mouth with a hand and whispered in his ear, "Don¡¯t make a sound, look at the center of the valley!"

    At Xi Zhao¡¯s words, Sun Wukong turned his head and saw that at the very center of the valley, there was arge round pile of rocks. He looked at it with some confusion, tilting his head to the side when Xi Zhao¡¯s voice again whispered in his ear, "Look closely, that¡¯s the Sacred Armor Supreme Turtle! A Nine Patterns Supreme with the Unity of the Eight Paths!"

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 155 - 147 Supreme Armor Turtle

    Hearing Xi Zhao¡¯s words, Sun Wukong was startled. He hadn¡¯t expected that pile of rocks to be a Soul Beast, and one that had fused with eight Laws, a Nine Patterns Soul Beast! Wukong suddenly felt his body stiffen. Although he and Xi Zhao could easily ughter Eight Patterns Soul Beasts, facing a Nine Patterns Soul Beast was a different story.

    If it had fused with three or fewer Dao Patterns, they might fight to a draw or seize an opportunity to kill it, but with more than three Dao Patterns, they wouldn¡¯t even think about it¡ªthey¡¯d run.

    It simply wasn¡¯t a fight they were in any way equipped for. So facing that pile of rocks¡ªoh no, the Supreme Saint Armor Turtle¡ªWukong had not the slightest desire to challenge it.

    Without speaking, he looked at Xi Zhao with an inquiring gaze. Xi Zhao understood that Wukong had noticed the Soul Beast, so he let go of his hand and whispered in Wukong¡¯s ear again, "There are two types of Supreme Saint Armor Turtles, the offensive type and the defensive type. If this one is of the offensive type, we must retreat immediately.

    But if it is a defensive type, it¡¯s not much of a problem!"

    Seeing Wukong about to ask a question, Xi Zhao slowly materialized his body shape. Then he and Wukong slowly backed away, neither even daring to look at the Supreme Saint Armor Turtle. Because at that level of power, just one extra look could be detected. Therefore, they both lowered their heads and slowly retreated to the corridor of the mountain valley.

    Only when they could no longer see the pile of rocks did they both slowly exhale. "Xi Zhao, how can there be such a terrifying thing here? And, you just said that turtle is divided into offensive and defensive types?"

    Giving Wukong a look, Xi Zhao said, "Who am I to ask? Heaven knows why such a powerful Soul Beast would appear on the outer edges of this mountain range. But this type of Supreme Saint Armor Turtlees in male and female. The males have extremely strong defensive power but low attack power and are quite friendly, not attacking other creatures rashly.

    As for the females, they are very aggressive, with unparalleled attack power. Once targeted by a female turtle, it¡¯s like receiving a death sentence."

    "So, do you think this one is male or female?"

    "How would I know when it¡¯s lying there not moving! If this Nine Patterns Supreme, which has fused with eight Laws, is male, that would be good for us¡ªwe could pick some Spirit Grass and run. But if it¡¯s female, an enraged female turtle, her attack power could definitelypete with a Domain Lord of the Netherworld!"

    "What should we do then? Are we just going to leave it like that? How about I try hitting it from a distance with the World Suppressing Stele?"

    "That¡¯s a wonderful idea. That way, regardless if it¡¯s male or female, we would be dead for sure!"

    "Didn¡¯t you say the males have weak attack power?"

    "Even weak, it¡¯s stronger than both of us. And with its size being like a small mountain, one hit and you¡¯d be done for. Oh, by the way, monkey, have we forgotten something?"

    "What thing? My Golden Hoop is in my hand!" But upon Xi Zhao¡¯s prompting, Sun Wukong also felt as though they had forgotten something. The two looked at each other and then around, and suddenly they both froze!

    "Where¡¯s the Nine-Tailed Fox, Leilei?" they almost said in unison. Instantly, a cold sweat broke out over both of them. Before, it had been Xi Zhao in front, Wukong in the middle, and the Nine-Tailed Fox, Leilei, at the back. But when Xi Zhao spotted the Supreme Saint Armor Turtle, he and Wukong slowly retreated back the way they came.

    By then, Nine-Tailed Fox, Leilei, must have no longer been behind them!

    Where could she have gone?

    The two turned their heads simultaneously, looking back at the valley with pained expressions. Since she hadn¡¯te back with them, she must still be in the valley! Without any hesitation, they carefully re-entered the valley, one in front and one behind.

    No matter if it was a Nine Patterns Supreme or one that had fused with Eight Laws, even if the valley was filled with Domain Lord-level experts, they could not abandon apanion and escape alone!

    This was a conviction, a conviction that Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong shared.

    However, when they touched the mountain walls and entered the valley again and saw the scene inside, their hearts almost leaped out. Although they didn¡¯t literally leap out, it was close enough, because their first reaction was to cover their own mouths with one hand and the other person¡¯s mouth with the other, their eyes bulging wider than a cow¡¯s.

    It wasn¡¯t that the two were exaggerating, but after they entered the valley and instinctively looked at the pile of rocks in the central area, they then witnessed a scene that horrified them¡ªthere was the snowy white Nine-Tailed Fox, Leilei, tiptoeing cautiously on top of that pile of rocks, her nine fluffy and beautiful tails standing tall.

    Moreover, it seemed that the mischievous fox Leilei had no idea what was happening. Perhaps she thought that whaty under her feet was simply a pile of ordinary rocks! No, not ordinary rocks, but stones covered in countless mysterious patterns. Maybe it was the patterns that attracted her, so Leilei was carefully stepping right at the centers of those patterns.

    Initially, it was assumed that Leilei was being careful not to wake the Saint Armor Turtle by using too much force. It was only now they realized that this fox spirit was actually ying hopscotch, and even more unbelievably, she was doing it with a face full of joy and excitement. Unbeknownst to Leilei, with every hop she made, the hearts of Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao thumped wildly!

    They were petrified the fox might wake the slumbering Saint Armor Turtle.

    "She¡¯s literally flirting with death! Wukong, is there any method to call her down? This is too thrilling, I can hardly take it!" Xi Zhao, with one hand over his heart, whispered to Sun Wukong!

    "What can I do? Should I just shout loudly to get her down? You better use your mana to control something and catch the little fox¡¯s attention!"

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "We¡¯re already souls, we don¡¯t have mana."

    "Then use Soul Power!"

    "Are you out of your mind? The moment Soul Power leaks out, the Saint Armor Turtle will definitely detect it instantly. We¡¯ll die even faster!"

    "So what do we do? Just keep watching this little fox hopping around on that turtle shell? I feel like I might not be able to take it!"

    And so, the two of them leaned against the wall, like two people who had been poisoned but refused to die, dancing and prancing around, hoping to catch the little fox¡¯s attention! But to their despair, the little fox seemed to be getting more and more addicted to the game, having hopped from the turtle¡¯s backside to the center!

    And what nearly drove them insane was that the little fox seemed to pick the wrong spot once again, twisting her behind as she ran back to start hopping over again!

    If their willpower hadn¡¯t been so strong, they probably would have copsed by now!

    Just like that, fifteen minutes went by, then half an hour! Finally, after a whole Chinese hour, when Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong were almost falling asleep, the little fox finallypleted her hopping. In their almost tear-filled eyes, the little fox leaped straight from the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s head to the ground.

    They thought that once the little fox had had her fun, she woulde back. But to their dismay, after hopping down, she shook her head as if she wanted to y again! Watching the little fox turn around and try to hop back up, Wukong and Xi Zhao suddenly felt their hearts twitching and their brains dizzy!

    Thankfully, the little fox just looked up and decided not to make another jump! Just when Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, a scene that made them close their eyes in despair urred!

    The little fox, though she didn¡¯t jump back up, began to sweep the Saint Armor Supreme Turtle¡¯s nostrils with her nine fluffy tails!

    After the first sweep, the Saint Armor Turtle showed no reaction. After the second, it was the same. But on the third sweep, the Saint Armor Turtle shook its body and slightly shifted its head!

    Seeing the pile of rocks move on its own, the little fox seemed even more intrigued. Nine tails took turns sweeping across like a fuzzy fan!

    "Wukong, run for it, I¡¯ll save the little fox!"

    In the heart-wrenching shout from Xi Zhao, the Saint Armor Supreme Turtle suddenly let out a vigorous sneeze and then its eyes,rge as temple bells, snapped open!

    (Tomorrow there will be one or two updates; there will be no updates on Sunday! Have a great weekend, everyone! 214501643, Great Demon Sun Wukong awaits your joining!)

 Chapter 156 - 148: Duke, Duke, Duke!

    When the Saint Armor Supreme Turtle opened its eyes, both Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao experienced a moment of dizziness! Although it was just for an instant, it still caused Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao to break out in a cold sweat. Such a briefpse could be deadly if there were any Six Patterns or stronger enemies around; they would have been corpses now!

    Exchanging a nce from afar, they both saw terror in the other¡¯s eyes. This turtle was definitely stronger than imagined! Merely with its imposing aura, it could cause a brief halt in their thoughts. If it had targeted them, they probably wouldn¡¯t even know how they died!

    But there was no time to hesitate. Upon seeing the Saint Armor Turtle open its eyes, Xi Zhao hurriedly threw the two azure rings he was holding, hoping to dy it even for half a breath. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong also ran towards the little fox with the fastest speed he had ever mustered in his life.

    He also threw everything he had, including the Golden Hoop and the World Suppressing Stele, in a haphazard fashion. At this point, he didn¡¯t care if the Heavenly Stele would anger the turtle. The only thing Sun Wukong could think of was to stop it, and then escape with the little fox right after.

    It seemed the Saint Armor Turtle was still disoriented from just waking up and merely bowed its head and closed its eyes when the barrage of items headed its way. To it, these attacks were like a light breeze, not even worth defending against!

    So when the azure Formless Vanishing struck its head, the Saint Armor Turtle didn¡¯t react. When the Jingu Bang hit, there was still no reaction. And when the Vajra Circle Fire-tipped Spearnded, it was the same. No response.

    However, when the dark World Suppressing Stele hit its head, the Saint Armor Turtle suddenly let out a shrill scream of agony. That scream was so horrific, it seemed to tear the heavens apart! Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were rooted to the spot in shock and then suddenly copsed to the ground, clutching their heads in excruciating pain.

    "Monkey, we... this time we¡¯ve stirred up a ho¡¯s nest. This creature... too terrifying. My head is about to burst!" Although it was Xi Zhao who shoved Sun Wukong aside and ran towards the little fox first, Sun Wukong only paused for a moment before immediately giving chase. Thus, the two were very close to each other.

    At that moment Sun Wukong had no thought of speaking. The turtle¡¯s strength was approaching that of a Domain Lord; merely its wail was causing them to bleed from all orifices, almost blowing their heads apart. Luckily, the turtle only howled briefly before stopping, and taking this chance, they staggered toward the little fox.

    They had assumed the worst for the little fox being so close to the giant turtle, especially since her strength was only that of a regr Six Patterns. Yet when Xi Zhao saw the little fox standing still only because she was crying from fear, his heart skipped a beat.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But there was no time for second thoughts, he quickly hoisted the little fox onto his back, and with Sun Wukong covering their rear, they started to flee!

    Even though Xi Zhao¡¯s figure waspletely obscured by the little fox on his back, and it looked quiteical, there was no time for Sun Wukong tough at him. Meanwhile, the Saint Armor Turtle was struggling to remove the dark World Suppressing Stele stuck to its head with its short, stubby ws!

    Sun Wukong had resized the World Suppressing Stele to about three meters long, and since the Saint Armor Turtle was about fifty meters in length, a quarter of the Stele had pierced into the turtle¡¯s head. No, to be precise, it was the helmet-like armor on top of the turtle¡¯s head!

    Even though they now knew for sure the Saint Armor Turtle was male, it was already toote! Just as the two had run only a dozen steps and were halfway to the valley exit, the Saint Armor Turtle that was previously behind them disappeared. In the blink of an eye, the Saint Armor Turtle appeared in front of them, at the valley¡¯s only exit.

    Facing the sudden apparition of the twenty meters tall and over fifty meters long great turtle, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao inhaled sharply. This giant turtle had absolutely mastered thews of space and time. Otherwise, it couldn¡¯t have appeared out of thin air like that, and during its appearance, Xi Zhao felt a faint spatial fluctuation.

    Then, the two men and one fox froze in ce, facing off against this monstrous turtle! Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao couldn¡¯t predict the turtle¡¯s next move, so they didn¡¯t dare to act rashly. By now, they fully understood that this Saint Armor Supreme Turtle was male, and possessed the strength close to that of a Domain Lord!

    Such strength could easily annihte both Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao. And currently, they were full of regret. Being a male, the Saint Armor Turtle had a gentle nature, and would not have minded even if they slept on him, as long as they did no harm. Even if attacked, hits like the Golden Hoop and the Vajra Circle wouldn¡¯t be felt by him at all. But the tragedy was caused by the World Suppressing Stele!

    The Stele remained embedded in the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s helmet-like shell. "Xi Zhao, what should we do? Do you think it would help if we exin and apologize to him?"

    "You can try, but when he steps on you, let¡¯s see if I can escape!"

    At this time, the Saint Armor Turtle seemed to have finally caught its breath, then, under the horrified gazes of Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, the Saint Armor Turtle opened its mouth full of sharp fangs!

    It¡¯s over, we¡¯re definitely dead. A soul beast with Domain Lord strength, this strike is bound to scatter our souls!

    "Min-min-min-min-min-min..." Seven or eight consecutive "min" sounds!

    "Xi Zhao, what is this turtle up to? What kind of attack is this? Is it some sort of sonic attack? But I don¡¯t seem to be affected at all? How about you?"

    Xi Zhao also looked at himself in confusion, then looked at Sun Wukong, and finally turned to look at the little fox cub behind them, to find that all three of them were indeed unharmed!

    "How would I know? This turtle is too strange!"

    At this time, after making such a sequence of sounds, the giant turtle paused for a moment and then opened its mouth again, wheezing to continue: "Min-min-min-min-min..."

    Thinking that this time it must be a powerful attack, both braced themselves to withstand it, only to find that aside from the sound of "min," nothing happened to any of them!

    "What on earth does this huge turtle want? Is it trying to scare us to death? All sound and no attack?" Sun Wukong wiped the cold sweat off his face that fear had brought, then exchanged a nce with Xi Zhao before looking nervously at the giant turtle again!

    "Maybe it¡¯s the prelude to some terrifying move? Try to see if you can get the Heavenly Stele back!"

    "I¡¯ve tried already, no response. That giant turtle can block my soul power!"

    The two hadn¡¯t finished speaking when the Saint Armor Turtle spoke again, once more a string of "min-min-min...", and then, yet again, nothing happened to the three of them! If the first time was desperation, the second time terror, now they were actually getting ustomed to it.

    After checking that they were truly unharmed once more, Xi Zhao put down the little fox cub. But at this time, the little fox cub had already fainted¡ªnot from fright, but from crying itself to sleep!

    Helplessly looking at the peacefully sleeping little fox cub, Sun Wukong simply sat down on the ground with a plop. Xi Zhao seemed equally exhausted and also sat down next to Sun Wukong. In the presence of a soul beast with Domain Lord strength and mastery of Space Law, neither had any intention of running away.

    Then, the fourth sequence of sounds began, the same string of min-min-min, the sameck of consequences. By now, Sun Wukong hadpletely calmed down, even going as far as to pull out tworge peaches, giving one to Xi Zhao and starting to munch on his own. Sun Wukong hade to think that even if the giant turtle was brewing some terrifying attack, they had no way to counter it.

    They might as well die on a full stomach, so eat up while they could!

    As Sun Wukong finished his fourth peach, the giant turtle had already been calling out "min-min-min" almost twenty times!

    As Sun Wukong took out the fifth peach, it seemed the giant turtle really lost its patience, suddenly raising a front leg and stamping it down hard. Thend split ominously, and a deep chasm rolled towards Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao.

    They quickly dodged with the little fox cub on their backs, and that¡¯s when they suddenly heard the turtle¡¯s voice change, from the previous "min-min-min" to: "Min-min-min-min, Princess!"

    (That¡¯s it for today, taking a break this weekend! Who would¡¯ve thought, huh? The giant turtle stutters! By the way, isn¡¯t this giant turtle called Wuwei Country? Also, hitting over a thousand favorites isn¡¯t an impressive number, it¡¯s a huge encouragement for Sanzang, it means at least a thousand people like this book!

    Remember to join themunity to exchange and discuss, let¡¯s improve together, over!)

 Chapter 157 - 149 Divine Bead

    In the midst of the hurry, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao were both startled upon hearing the giant turtle utter the word "princess" in a voice full of anger.

    And after the turtle seemed to have exhausted all its strength to vocalize that sentence, which in its eyes wasplete, it receded in aura and became motionless, simply lying in the direction of the valley exit, with its massive head on the ground, watching Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, and the little fox on Sun Wukong¡¯s back, with its bell-likerge eyes!

    "Monkey, is your nickname ¡¯princess¡¯? Who gave you that name?" Xi Zhao said, his face full of shock, as he turned to speak to Sun Wukong!

    "My nickname is ¡¯Walker Sun¡¯! Is that your nickname? Do you recognize this giant turtle?" Sun Wukong put the little fox on the ground and rolled his eyes at Xi Zhao, refusing to show any weakness. However, after speaking, both of them realized something and suddenly focused their attention on the little fox that was still asleep!

    Since neither of their names was ¡¯princess¡¯, it was obvious that only the little fox could be addressed as such. They nced again at the Saint Armor Turtle at the front and found that the giant turtle was now obediently lying still on the ground. Its earlier arrogance and dominance now seemed somewhat cautious and tentative.

    Ignoring the Saint Armor Turtle, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao hurriedly woke up the sweetly sleeping little fox. With great difficulty, they roused the little fox, and at that moment, the Saint Armor Turtle suddenly stood up and opened its huge mouth. A voice shot out, nearly sting away Sun Wukong¡¯s soul!

    "Pri-, pri-, pri-, princess!" Although it was still challenging to speak, the voice was considerably clearer than before. But this thunderous, loud sound distressed the little fox immensely!

    "You noisy giant turtle, hold on, are you the same pile of rocks from before? You¡¯re actually a turtle?" The little fox had previously been standing in front of the giant turtle, which was lying on the ground asleep. Thus, the little fox happened to see the vague outline of a face in the pile of rocks and decided to sweep away the dust with its tail for a clearer view.

    Unexpectedly, as she swept, a pair of giant eyes on the rocks suddenly opened. That scared the little fox into crying and, crying, she fell asleep. This slumber was so deep that not even the turtle¡¯s repeated calls of ¡¯princess, princess, princess¡¯ could wake her. And upon awakening, she was startled by the thunder-like voice, causing her to lose her temper outright.

    Strangely, the Saint Armor Turtle, which seemed very afraid of the little fox, visibly shrank its neck back when yelled at by the small creature. Seeing the little fox awake, and as the turtle showed no sign of attacking but rather seemed odd, Xi Zhao told the little fox about the turtle calling her ¡¯princess¡¯.

    No sooner had Xi Zhao finished speaking than the little fox suddenly copsed onto the ground, continuously repeating the words ¡¯princess, princess.¡¯ Given her behavior, it was clear that the little fox¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t natural; something must have caused her amnesia. And the word ¡¯princess¡¯ was evidently very important to her.

    Xi Zhao quickly used his soul power to calm the little fox, then looked at Sun Wukong with a headache. Seeing Sun Wukong¡¯s confused face, Xi Zhao realized Sun Wukong was clueless as well.

    The Saint Armor Turtle, which had previously retracted its neck, saw the little fox seemingly in pain and suddenly stretched its neck out again. Its massive body vanished instantly, and the next moment, it transformed into a much smaller turtle, about two meters long and one meter high, appearing next to Sun Wukong.

    Sun Wukong, who had been watching the Saint Armor Turtle, saw the turtle there one blink earlier, but with the next blink, it disappeared, and with another blink, the now smaller turtle had instantly moved right beside him. Shocked was all he could feel¡ªthis was true instantaneous movement, a skill only those with a profound mastery of space and time possess.

    Even Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao at that time could only move quickly, and while they could break free from the spatial constraints of minor worlds, they couldn¡¯t move through space. Not to mention the Divine Kingdom, which was infinitely more advanced than minor worlds.

    Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao now understood that the Saint Armor Turtle likely meant no harm to them, and it was very possible that the turtle was not a soul beast but from the Demon n! Although the turtle¡¯s speech was inarticte and maddening, it was undoubtedly humannguage!

    In this universe, any being with spiritual wisdom capable of speech, besides their own racialmunication methods, would speak a specialnguage. Thisnguage was what Sun Wukong spoke in the small Pangu Realm world. However, thisnguage was not unique to the Pangu Realm, but left behind by the cosmic pioneers!

    Thisnguage belonged to the universe, and no matter the world or kingdom, any creature absorbing nature¡¯s spiritual energy and following the Heavenly Dao or Cosmic Law in their cultivation would use thisnguage. It was as if thisnguage was woven into the Heavenly Dao or the Law.

    However, that was not the onlynguage. For example, when Sun Wukong spoke with his own Monkey Tribe, aside from using this universalnguage, he would also use the uniquenguage of the Monkey Tribe formunication!

    But there was one thing, if you wanted to use those spells, talismans, or magical techniques that required chanting and the utilization of Heavenly Dao or Laws, you had to use this universal cosmguage, or else you wouldn¡¯t receive the favor of the Heavenly Dao and the Laws.

    Therefore, thenguage that the Saint Armor Turtle had just spoken was precisely what was known as the Hannguage in the Pangu Realm. So Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao both suspected that the Saint Armor Turtle might be from the Demon n.

    However, upon further thought, they remembered that the Saint Armor Turtle was a Nine Patterns Supreme, and the soul beasts at the Nine Patterns Supreme level could already transform into human forms, so their ability to speak was not strange at all. Instead of pondering why it could speak, it was better to wonder how this turtle could speak so well!

    When the Saint Armor Turtle appeared beside Sun Wukong, his first instinct was neither to dodge nor to attack, but to reach out and grab the World Suppressing Stele still embedded in the turtle¡¯s shell! At that moment, the World Suppressing Stele had shrunk to about twenty centimeters in height, which was the first time Sun Wukong had seen the stele shrink due to external force.

    However, Sun Wukong tugged at the stele with his right hand and found that it wouldn¡¯te out, which surprised him. Bending down for a closer look, he noticed that the stele had punched a hole through the thick shell on the head of the Saint Armor Turtle, but had only prated halfway before bing tightly wedged inside.

    Not only was the Saint Armor Turtle unharmed, now the stele couldn¡¯t even be removed. From this, Sun Wukong figured that when the stele had hit the Saint Armor Turtle on the head, the creature¡¯s sudden roar was likely out of fright rather than pain!

    It was like having an iparable shield that nothing could ever dent, but one day while walking with it, a child¡¯s thrown stone puts a huge hole in it. You too would certainly be startled!

    Failing to remove the stele in one try, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t say a word but just leaped up, ced a foot on the turtle¡¯s back, and with both hands pulled hard on the stele. Despite his face turning red with effort, the stele didn¡¯t show the slightest sign of budging.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    As for the Saint Armor Turtle, it either reacted slowly or simply didn¡¯t feel the weight of Sun Wukong standing on it. It just stretched out its head, watching the little fox that had been calmed by Xi Zhao and was nowying on the ground.

    While Xi Zhao was slightly surprised by the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s reaction, he wasn¡¯t overly shocked. He slowly retracted his soul power. Although the Saint Armor Turtle seemed to harbor no ill intentions towards them, Xi Zhao did not let his guard down.

    The Saint Armor Turtle didn¡¯t pay any attention to Xi Zhao and instead stuck out its head, gently spitting out a fist-sized, emerald green pearl. This pearl emitted a faint green glow, and under the sunlight, it looked like a natural Luminous Pearl. Carefully controlling the pearl, it floated above the little fox¡¯s head, the green light brightening slightly.

    After the pearl circled above the little fox, the Saint Armor Turtle swallowed it back into its stomach.

    At this moment, Sun Wukong was still furiously trying to remove the World Suppressing Stele, while Xi Zhao swallowed hard. The moment he saw the Saint Armor Turtle spit out the pearl, Xi Zhao¡¯s heart clenched tight and his heartbeat elerated drastically. The Saint Armor Turtle seemed to feel something as well, so it only controlled the pearl to fly a circle before retrieving it.

    In Xi Zhao¡¯s gaze, the Saint Armor Turtle sensed a threat, a greed for its Soul Bead.

    Although every Soul Beast has a Soul Bead, ordinary beads are merely a concentration of soul energy, possessing immense soul power but without any special features.

    However, once a Soul Beast advances to a Nine Patterns Supreme, the Soul Bead would begin to absorb and condense the Cosmic Law. When a Soul Beast sessfully merges with the Nine Cosmic Laws, that Soul Bead turns into a Divine Bead!

    A Divine Bead is a Soul Bead with divine skills, which vary ording to the Soul Beast¡¯s own attributes, though most often they entail divine skills pertaining to space and time!

    If a Soul Beast couldpletely merge this Divine Bead again, it would immediately ascend beyond the Supreme level and reach the rank of a Domain Lord.

    Thus, cultivation is a continuous process of absorbing, merging, condensing, absorbing again, and merging again! The ultimate goal is to be an existence equal to the universe itself. Only by achieving this, can one rise above all beings in the universe!

    (Additionally, due to work reasons, the update schedule will be unpredictable, and the specific timings will be announced in the group!)

 Chapter 158 - 150 Xi Zhaoéˆ¥æªš Conjecture

    So when Xi Zhao saw that the Saint Armor Turtle had actually condensed a Divine Bead, to be honest, Xi Zhao was tempted. As long as he could snatch that Divine Bead, Xi Zhao was confident that his strength would surge forward. Even if he couldn¡¯t reach the level of the Saint Armor Turtle, reaching the Nine Patterns Supreme by integrating seven Taoist Spells would still be no problem!

    However, this thought merely shed by. If it had been Xi Zhao before his death, he definitely would have struck without hesitation, killing and then taking the Divine Bead.

    But now, after just a moment¡¯s consideration, Xi Zhao despondently gave up this attractive idea. The Divine Bead was indeed enticing, but one must be alive to enjoy it. He was no longer the person who once held the World Suppressing Stele and regarded the Nine Great Divine Kingdoms as nothing.

    Now with merely Six Patterns strength, even though he still had his strongest move, Xi Zhao felt his attack probably wouldn¡¯t be very effective against the Saint Armor Turtle, which couldn¡¯t even be harmed by the World Suppressing Stele.

    Although Xi Zhao estimated he could seriously injure the Saint Armor Turtle while it was spitting out the Divine Bead, as long as he couldn¡¯t kill it with one blow, the one to die would definitely be himself.

    Taking a deep breath, Xi Zhao knew that the Saint Armor Turtle was already wary of him. He simply gave up on the ideapletely, but when he saw Sun Wukong on the back of the Saint Armor Turtle, Xi Zhao massaged his temple with a headache! "Monkey, can you not embarrass yourself like this? Get down, will you?"

    Sun Wukong, who was already beside himself with anger, heard Xi Zhao¡¯s words and knew Xi Zhao must have a way, so after stomping hard on the Saint Armor Turtle, he jumped down. Seeing that the little fox was alright, Sun Wukong shook his sore shoulders and asked, "So, you have a n? This big turtle might not have any ill will, but why is it like this?

    It¡¯s indeed my fault for smashing it with the stele, but that doesn¡¯t mean it shouldn¡¯t return it to me, right?"

    "I, I, I, I..."

    "Stop, big turtle, can you not speak anymore? I don¡¯t want the stele; I just beg you to stop talking. We brothers still need to go to the Supreme Pool. If you keep talking, I¡¯m afraid we might just die here!"

    Xi Zhao, already suffering a severe headache, hurriedly stopped the Saint Armor Turtle as soon as he heard it about to speak again. Although the Saint Armor Turtle had shrunk in size, its stuttering problem hadn¡¯t improved at all, and now that he was closer, that voice truly made Xi Zhao feel as though his soul was crumbling.

    It seemed the Saint Armor Turtle also knew about its ownmunication issues, so it just nodded and then looked at the little fox on the ground with a worried face. But it quickly seemed to remember something, as its body shed with a dense green light.

    Under the watchful eyes of Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, as the green light reached its peak, it slowly dissipated. Then, a middle-aged man with a square face, dressed in a simple grey hemp garment, appeared before their eyes!

    The moment this square-faced man appeared, he tossed something, and the World Suppressing Stele fell straight into Sun Wukong¡¯s hands! Clutching the stele tenderly, Sun Wukong examined it closely, fearing that the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s shell was too hard. After a thorough check and finding no damage to the stele, Sun Wukong quickly stored the stele inside his body.

    "I, I, I, I..."

    At the sound of that voice, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao simultaneously clutched their heads and squatted on the ground in agony. The Saint Armor Turtle was too powerful; whether it grewrger or transformed, whether in human shape or in its original form, its stutter didn¡¯t change at all!

    "Look, senior, if it¡¯s inconvenient for you, don¡¯t talk. We both have something to ask you, you can just nod or shake your head!" Sun Wukong couldn¡¯t take it anymore; it was almost as bad as the Tightening Spell. The Saint Armor Turtle, aware of its own issue, nodded with an embarrassed face.

    But then, it suddenly turned around and flicked a green light with its fingertips, which floated onto the little fox¡¯s forehead.

    Seeing therge man doing something to the little fox, Sun Wukong summoned Jingu Bang into his hand. However, Xi Zhao suddenly stopped Sun Wukong, saying, "Rx, this person is not an enemy. That green light has a calming and soul-stabilizing effect, and perhaps there are some things that person doesn¡¯t want the little fox to know!"

    Sun Wukong trusted Xi Zhao¡¯s wordspletely and knew that, in terms of both perception and knowledge, Xi Zhao far surpassed him, so he let it be. At this moment, Xi Zhao asked, "Do you know the origin of this little fox?"

    The square-faced man who was the transformed Saint Armor Turtle seemed to know that Xi Zhao¡¯s background was not simple, and not making a fuss over being referred to as the little fox, he nodded. The man then sat down on the spot. And so, an exceedingly tedious conversationmenced!

    "The little fox is a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox from the Myriad Demons Country?"

    Nod!

    "She lost her memory due to some incident, and her physical body died, hence her soul ended up here?"

    Nod!

    "You were specifically sent to find her? And she used to live in this mountain valley? Are you from Myriad Demons Country?"

    Nod!

    "Because of this monkey, you had the little fox seek us out?"

    Nod!

    "Previously, you made the little fox leave with us, which is why she was crying? And you know who I am? Have you seen me before?"

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    Continue nodding!

    Having asked these questions, Xi Zhao had basically rified everything; he didn¡¯t care to concern himself with the remaining minor details. The mountain valley he thought he had stumbled upon by coincidence was apparently all manipted by the Saint Armor Turtle. It let the Purified Soul Flower catch his attention, then followed him all the way to the valley.

    Next, it had the little fox jump on his back on purpose, forcing him and hispanion to return to rescue her.

    By doing so, it could conveniently trap both of them inside! Earlier, he had referred to the little fox as a princess, clearly to show interest due to Sun Wukong and to indicate that he meant no harm! It seemed the Saint Armor Turtle, despite appearing foolish, was actually quite meticulous.

    And behind these schemes, he was probably trying to evade the notice of certain individuals, most likely the Netherworld World¡¯s Domain Lord.

    "You want us to take the little fox out of Netherworld World and then to Myriad Demons Country?"

    This time, the Saint Armor Turtle, transformed into a burly man, first nodded then shook his head! He then pointed at Sun Wukong! Xi Zhao understood that the Saint Armor Turtle meant that, after leaving the Netherworld World, the little fox shouldn¡¯t return to Myriad Demons Country but should follow Sun Wukong!

    This was getting interesting. Judging from the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s demeanor, this was no joke. Plus, Xi Zhao had made up his own mind, so the little fox¡¯s identity was definitely correct.

    She might not only be a descendant of the Myriad Demons Country¡¯s Nine-Tailed Sky Fox but could also very likely be the daughter of Myriad Demons Country¡¯s Domain Lord and the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox, the true princess of Myriad Demons Country!

    It was only unknown what had transpired that led to the little fox¡¯s death and her soul ending up in the Netherworld World. And the Saint Armor Turtle likelymitted suicide with the purpose ofing to Netherworld World to protect the little fox.

    Now it appeared that the Saint Armor Turtle wasn¡¯t just guarding against the Netherworld World¡¯s Domain Lord but probably against other powerful figures from Myriad Demons Country!

    Moreover, Xi Zhao deduced that since the little fox had been safe in Netherworld World for so long, it meant that the Myriad Demon King only sent subordinates tomit suicide and enter the Netherworld World, withouting personally. After all, being the Domain Lord of Myriad Demons Country, he had the ability to travel between the Six Great Divine Nations.

    The fact that he hadn¡¯t personallye to this Netherworld World could mean that, firstly, the Myriad Demon King had other matters to attend to and couldn¡¯t spare attention here, secondly, he didn¡¯t find it necessary, and thirdly, the Netherworld World¡¯s Domain Lord, Yue Huangquan, might have prevented the Myriad Demon King from crossing the border!

    The first two points were still eptable, but if it was thest point, did that mean Yue Huangquan was on the little fox¡¯s side?

    Based on the situation that Xi Zhao had understood before his death and this incident, he guessed that the Six Great Divine Nations might have already split into two factions!

    Not only would the Domain Lords avoid direct conflict, but even before Xi Zhao had died, the Six Great Divine Nations had already begun to show signs of forming alliances! Thinking this, Xi Zhao became increasingly anxious. He didn¡¯t know what moves the Six Great Divine Nations were making now, but he could be certain that something big would definitely happen.

    And he didn¡¯t have much time left!

    While Xi Zhao was pondering, Sun Wukong suddenly stepped forward, patted the burly man on the shoulder, and said, "I didn¡¯t expect you, old turtle, to have quite the discernment. Rest assured, following Old Sun here, I¡¯ll definitely get the little fox out of this world! By the way, old turtle, with so much Transformation Grass in this valley, why didn¡¯t you feed it to the little fox?"

    Xi Zhao watched as the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s brow furrowed deeply, and he then covered his face with his hands. Ah, monkey, don¡¯t you know that turtle demons or Soul Beasts dislike being called old turtles the most?

    Sure enough, the next moment, the Saint Armor Turtle grabbed Sun Wukong¡¯s arm, swung him around, and then hurled him away.

    Following that, Sun Wukong screamed miserably as he struck the valley wall!

 Chapter 159 - 151 Sacrifice

    With a sense of helplessness, Xi Zhao shook his head, knowing that the Saint Armor Turtle had no intention of harming Sun Wukong, so he did not pay it any further attention. But after casting Sun Wukong aside, the Saint Armor Turtle suddenly fixed its intense gaze on Xi Zhao.

    Feeling somewhat ufortable under the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s stare, Xi Zhao prepared to check on Sun Wukong. If everything was alright, it would be best to leave promptly. The sooner he reached the Supreme Pool, the sooner he could leave this world. After all, there were still many unfinished matters waiting for him outside.

    However, just as Xi Zhao was about to take a step, he froze, staring at the Saint Armor Turtle in surprise. In that instant, a voice had echoed in his mind¡ªclearly the voice of the Saint Armor Turtle!

    Xi Zhao knew the turtle was extraordinarily powerful, but he hadn¡¯t expected its soul power to be so overwhelming that it could prate his soul¡¯s defenses without his awareness and directly project its Divine Sense deep into his mind!

    "Don¡¯t be nervous, I just want to talk to you. You know I have trouble with speech!" the Saint Armor Turtle, who usually struggled with speech,municated fluently through consciousness. Although Xi Zhao felt a twinge of anger, he had neither the strength nor the backing to object and had to let it go. He mentally responded, "If I were my former self, you would be dead by now.

    But speak quickly, this method ces a great burden on my Divine Sense!"

    "I understand, I¡¯ve met the former you, and back then, you truly were the foremost person in the Nine Kingdoms! Now, let¡¯s cut to the chase, you should already know the identity of that little fox, and she has ingested Transformation Grass. However, due to certain reasons, her subconscious believes she is just a fox and hence feels she should retain the appearance of one.

    That¡¯s why she has been unable to transform. I hope that you and that monkey can unlock her heart¡¯s knot and help herplete her transformation!"

    After saying this, the Saint Armor Turtle paused, giving Xi Zhao¡¯s Divine Sense a chance to rest. It soon continued, "You need to leave quickly, those from the Myriad Demons Country will probably find this ce soon. They have three individuals who have fused with Eight Cosmic Laws, you must be cautious.

    Furthermore, as thanks, I will split my Divine Bead into two and give halves to you and that monkey."

    After finishing, the Saint Armor Turtle slowly emitted a pale green bead.

    But Xi Zhao disyed no greed. He was well aware that for a being with the strength of a Domain Lord and willing to offer up its own Divine Bead, the matter must be of such gravity that even a Nine Patterns Supreme, one who had fused with the Nine Cosmic Laws, would be left at a loss!

    "Why don¡¯t you take her out of here yourself? We only possess the strength of Six Patterns, and besides, the little fox is the princess of Myriad Demons Country. Why then is she being hunted by people from her own nation?" Although Xi Zhao neither epted nor rejected outright, he desperately needed the Divine Bead.

    Even half a bead could, after being consumed and refined through the baptism of the Supreme Pool, possibly push him to the realm of an Eight Patterns Supreme.

    "I may have fused with the Nine Cosmic Laws and reached the Supreme Peak level, but I can¡¯t leave this valley. I came to the Netherworld World after taking my own life in search of the princess, and to prevent regressing in strength, I merged my body with this valley. What you see before you is just an illusion formed by my soul¡¯s power!

    So, I can¡¯t leave and am unable to ensure the princess¡¯s safe journey to the Supreme Pool!"

    "No wonder the spiritual energy in this valley is so rich. So you can only entrust the little fox to us, and you¡¯re willing to sacrifice your own Divine Bead?"

    The Saint Armor Turtle suddenlyughed, augh that was like a weight lifted, augh that bespoke relief. "Yes, my mission is to ensure the princess¡¯s sessful resurrection. If she can be entrusted to you, my existence is meaningless. Enough talk, the princess and that monkey have their own fated connection.

    I just hope my choice now is not mistaken, or else, I will be the sinner of Myriad Demons Country. Onest thing, Myriad Demons Country has changed; it¡¯s no longer the same as before!"

    As if afraid Xi Zhao would refuse, the Saint Armor Turtle then used its overwhelming soul power to bind both Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong, who was embedded in the mountainside. The turtle then spat out its pale green Divine Bead and cast onest nce at the calm-looking little fox.

    With determination, it activated its Primordial of Divine Consciousness and the Life-bound Divine Bead instantly split into two halves.

    The Saint Armor Turtle then looked again at Xi Zhao and Sun Wukong. Subsequently, the halved Divine Beads entered the Primordials of Divine Consciousness on the foreheads of Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao. Deprived of its Divine Bead, the Saint Armor Turtle¡¯s strength weakened a hundredfold, but it did not stop there.

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    Watching the two halves of the Divine Beads sessfully merge into the foreheads of Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao, the Saint Armor Turtle let out a long sigh and tears the size of beans rolled from its eyes. After sighing, a jade-green me suddenly zed all over its body. The me looked formidable yet emitted no heat.

    The mes burned fiercely for a full Chinese hour, and when they finally extinguished, the Saint Armor Turtle hadpletely vanished. However, in the instant the mes went out, a stream of green light fell upon the little fox. Then, a green glow resembling a tortoise shell shed across the body of the little fox, but it disappeared in just an instant.

    Suddenly, the entire valley fell silent. The little fox, having received the soul-soothing essence of the Saint Armor Turtle along with that bit of green light, was still in a deep sleep, whereas Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao had fallen unconscious when that half of the Divine Bead merged into the Primordial of Divine Consciousness.

    Xi Zhao was somewhat better off, having prepared for this, and was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, while Sun Wukong was still embedded in the mountain side, unconscious.

    It wasn¡¯t until the next morning that Xi Zhao, who had been sitting cross-legged, was the first to wake up. Upon awakening, Xi Zhao did not move but instead used his Soul Power to carefully examine himself. In his Sea of Divine Consciousness, he indeed found a nail-sized, emerald-green little turtle serenely floating above the Sea of Divine Consciousness.

    Xi Zhao knew this was because his own strength was insufficient, so the Saint Armor Turtle had merely sealed the Divine Bead into his Sea of Divine Consciousness. After the baptism in the Supreme Pool, the power of this half Divine Bead would unfoldpletely, and by then, he could definitely hit the status of an Eight Patterns Supreme.

    Moreover, because the Saint Armor Turtle was proficient in Space Law and had formidable defensive power, when he himself advanced to the Eight Patterns Supreme, there was a great chance of gaining insight into Spatial Divine Skills and enhancing his defense. Coupled with his prior understanding of time and space, his power would certainly step up a level.

    Knowing that he had gained tremendous benefits this time, although apanied by greater troubles, Xi Zhao was not afraid. Slowly standing up and stretching his body, he then walked over to the still-unconscious Sun Wukong. At that moment, Xi Zhao suddenly revealed a mischievous grin.

    Instead of rescuing Sun Wukong directly, Xi Zhao walked around the valley. When he reached the other side of the valley, he indeed found a ck little mushroom. This mushroom looked like a long-rotten stinky fungus and once approached, emitted an unbelievably foul odor that even made Xi Zhao frown.

    Still, Xi Zhao endured and used two sticks to pick up the mushroom, and then returned to Sun Wukong¡¯s side. Subsequently, a piercing scream erupted in the valley, followed by an incredibly furious roar!

    The seemingly rotten mushroom was called a stinky mushroom, a unique entity in the soul world. This type of mushroom was simply the stinkiest thing in the universe, but its stench could only be smelled when one got within three feet of it without being picked. The most terrifying aspect of this mushroom wasn¡¯t its stench, but its powerful and unimaginable contamination ability.

    To exin, whatever touched it would be tainted by its smell, and without special methods, that stench couldst for ten thousand years. Even souls, Divine Sense, and even Mana once touched by this mushroom, would be contaminated with the stench. That¡¯s why Xi Zhao only dared to use two sticks to handle the mushroom.

    Moreover, it was said that the king of all stinky mushrooms, if you so much as nced at it, even your gaze would carry the stench. Fortunately, the one Xi Zhao found was just amon stinky mushroom; otherwise, Xi Zhao wouldn¡¯t dare to touch it.

    So, Xi Zhao nned to use this stinky mushroom to wake Sun Wukong with its smell. The moment Xi Zhao ced the mushroom near Sun Wukong¡¯s nose with the sticks, Sun Wukong suddenly opened his eyes wide, the horrific smell nearly driving him to a rampage.

    After letting out a piercing scream, Sun Wukong suddenly flung out his right hand, tearing down a chunk of the mountain wall and smashing it onto the stinky mushroom.

    Initially amused, Xi Zhao¡¯s eyes showed a sh of panic when he saw Sun Wukong hit the stinky mushroom with the rock. However, because he was too close to Sun Wukong and couldn¡¯t react in time, even though he tried his best to dodge, he was still spattered with the mushroom¡¯s juice on the back of his hand.

    Not only did Sun Wukong¡¯s stone throw fling the stinky mushroom away and smash it, but also the smell startled Sun Wukong so much that he shed away at his fastest speed the moment he threw the stone.

    Ultimately, the result was that after Xi Zhao let out an angry roar, he stood still, utterly devastated!

 Chapter 160 - 152: The Pursuer!

    Time flew by, and the three had been away from that valley for a full seven days! In these seven days, they had not encountered a single Soul Beast, and even when night fell, no soul beasts ever appeared near them.

    That day, Xi Zhao¡¯s attempt to steal a chicken only led to the loss of his rice, for although he woke Sun Wukong with the stench, he ended up in a worse state, getting a ssh of pungent mushroom juice on the back of his hand. Despite trying all sorts of methods, the stench didn¡¯t fade in the slightest!

    Xi Zhao even resorted to cutting off his own arm but, after absorbing an Eight Patterns Soul Bead for recovery, the back of the restored hand still carried the stench.

    Though Xi Zhao gave Sun Wukong a good beating, he remained incredibly frustrated! Furthermore, the little fox¡¯s nose was extremely sensitive. After discovering the stench emanating from Xi Zhao, she never approached him again. Sun Wukong also tried everything to use various kinds of spiritual medicine to make fragrance sachets for the little fox.

    Because of this stench, it was also the reason the three of them had not encountered a single soul beast for seven straight days. Soul beasts¡¯ sense of smell was always more sensitive than that of humans, so they could smell the stench from afar.

    Considering the pungent mushroom¡¯s notoriety, there was nothing in the Soul Extinguishing Forest that didn¡¯t know about it; nobody wanted to be associated with that smell, so the trio had an unobstructed path ahead of them.

    "Monkey, if youugh again, I¡¯ll give you a bath with the pungent mushroom!" Watching Sun Wukong, who was sitting far away whispering with the little fox, Xi Zhao became so angry he couldn¡¯t vent it. But, having no other choice, he could only utter a threatening phrase before leaning against arge tree with a face full of sorrow and closing his eyes.

    When the little fox woke up that day, Xi Zhao told her the Saint Armor Turtle had already left the Netherworld World. If she wanted to find him, she would have to search for the Supreme Pool with Sun Wukong and only by reaching the Nine Patterns Supreme could they leave this ce to find him. Thus, although the little fox felt sad, she wasn¡¯t too grief-stricken.

    Later, when the little fox discovered the stench of the pungent mushroom on Xi Zhao, she became increasingly close to Sun Wukong.

    Of course, Sun Wukong didn¡¯t believe it at first but then asked Xi Zhao and learned the Saint Armor Turtle had indeed sacrificed itself, which left him with mixed emotions. So, he treated the little fox even better and swore to take her away from there! And when leaving, Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao looted the valley extensively, rudely pocketing any mature spiritual medicine into the space ring.

    Moreover, Xi Zhao also mentioned the little fox¡¯s inability to transform, so these past few days, Sun Wukong had been consoling the little fox, but to little effect!

    The night passed without words, as usual, with Sun Wukong and the little fox together and Xi Zhao resting alone elsewhere. The next morning, just as it got light, Sun Wukong was suddenly woken up by an exmation from Xi Zhao.

    However, waking up, he immediately went on guard, summoning the Golden Hoop and the World Suppressing Stele, but after looking around, he saw no enemy, only Xi Zhaoughing uproariously nearby.

    "Hey, have youughed yourself silly with your own stench? You gave me a scare!" After putting away the Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong bent down to wake the little fox and then took out a bag of water from the space ring to wash a peach for her to eat.

    "Haha, monkey, I remember now, I remember now, haha. I know how to get rid of this stench!" Xi Zhao continued tough heartily as he thought of Sun Wukong and ran over to him. The little fox, who had been somewhat groggy, suddenly smelled Xi Zhao¡¯s stench and instantly opened her eyes wide and quickly jumped away in rm.

    Seeing the little fox¡¯s reaction, Sun Wukongughed so hard he rocked back and forth, while Xi Zhao had a look of sheer frustration. However, after Sun Wukongughed for a while, he saw Xi Zhao was genuinely upset, so he stoppedughing and asked, "What way? Actually, you being like this is quite good, at least we don¡¯t have to worry about encountering soul beasts on the way!"

    "Hmph, keepughing, you stinky monkey. This morning, I suddenly remembered, there¡¯s a flower in the Netherworld World called the Soul Prating Fragrance, the natural enemy of the pungent mushroom.

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    As long as we find the Soul Prating Fragrance, this measly stench will be no problem!" After that, Xi Zhao deliberately raised his voice, "If someone eats this flower called Soul Prating Fragrance, their body will emit a fresh scent, and even after resurrection, the scent won¡¯t disappear!"

    Indeed, these words were incrediblypelling for the little fox. Initially having leapt far away, the little fox cautiously peeked out from behind arge tree, looking at Sun Wukong with an eager face!

    This little fox, ever since she spoke the first time they met, had never uttered a single word again. However, she understood every word Sun Wukong and Xi Zhao said and could even express her thoughts through movements and expressions. Xi Zhao said this was because the little fox¡¯s subconscious always believed she was just an ordinary fox, and thus couldn¡¯t speak!

    Seeing the little fox¡¯s eagerness and Xi Zhao¡¯s pride, Sun Wukong had no choice but to spread his hands and say, "Since that¡¯s the case, our next target is the Soul Prating Fragrance."

    But then Sun Wukong asked, "Do you know where this flower is? And it won¡¯t dy our journey, will it?"

    Xi Zhao thought for a moment and said, "I vaguely remember there¡¯s a mountain in the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range called Spirit Flower Peak; there should be some there. And it happens to be on our way."

    "Good, let¡¯s set off! Even if it¡¯s not for you, for the little fox¡¯s sake, we should make the trip, haha! However, Xi Zhao, you really do stink, worse than my second brother Zhu Bajie!"

    "You¡¯re asking for it, monkey!"

    Having said that, the little fox led the way, with Sun Wukong following behind and Xi Zhao at the end, as the three continued to rush down the path. This time, however, their destination was Spirit Flower Peak in search of the Soul Prating Fragrance!

    Meanwhile, in the valley where the three had just been, three figures suddenly appeared. These three shadows were dressed very simrly, all in ck tight-fitting clothes, but the weapons they carried on their backs still revealed their differences.

    After arriving in the valley, they first surveyed the area and found some immature Spiritual Medicine as well as some scattered Soul Power lingering in the air, though this Soul Power was already very weak.

    One of the men in ck, carrying a Thin Sword, said, "Wumeng, I¡¯m afraid that old turtle was killed by someone, and even the valley¡¯s Spiritual Medicine has been plundered clean!"

    The other man in ck, carrying an almost transparent Thin Sword at his waist, continued, "However, that person made a very stupid mistake, getting contaminated with the stench of the rotten shroom. As long as the smell lingers, he won¡¯t get far!"

    After he finished speaking, thest person, who carried a very broad and heavy sword, said, "Indeed, whether it was during a fight or an idental touch, but that person is also out of luck. Let¡¯s go, we must find the person alive or the body if dead. After such a long search, we finally have a clue!"

    Having said this, with a few leaps and bounds, the three pursued in the direction Sun Wukong, Xi Zhao, and the little fox had disappeared. However, upon leaving, the man carrying the Thin Sword suddenly released a spirit bird.

    These three people were the three sent by the King of Myriad Demons Country to the Netherworld World to assassinate the little fox. The one carrying the Thin Sword was named Yao Wuxue. The sword he carried on his back was the once famous Thin Sword, Fish Intestine!

    The one with the almost transparent Thin Sword at his waist was named Yao Wuqing, and that sword was the Thin Sword Cicada Wing, also a famous sword.

    The one carrying the very broad and heavy sword was the leader of the three, and the sword on his back was the Tyrant Sword Juque!

    Each of these three swords could be considered renowned swords, and the three swordsmen were ranked among the top three in Myriad Demons Country! Although each person only had the strength of merging Eight Dao Patterns, once they joined forces, they could possibly take on a Domain Lord Level adversary.

    The premise, however, is that the adversary only possesses the strength of a Domain Lord and is not actually one, for once the World Suppressing Stele is unleashed, no one dares topete with its edge.

    As for the spirit bird, once released by Yao Wuxue, it flew straight to Thunder King City, where Sun Wukong and the others had set off, and then perched on the windowsill of an inn. At that moment, a very handsome young man appeared out of nowhere, and then untied the note from the leg of the spirit bird.

    The note read: "In the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range, the Saint Armor Supreme Turtle has been found, tracking in progress!"

    After reading the note, the handsome young man revealed a devilish smile. With a flick of his finger, the note turned to powder and vanished. Then he called out loudly, "Mo Can, Chu Zhan, Jue Cha, Han Ling, prepare to set off! Yao Wumeng and the others have already found a trail, this damned mission can finally bepleted!"

    No sooner had the man¡¯s voice faded than four people suddenly appeared behind him, each with distinct clothing and weapons, and among them, there was even a woman!

    "Boss Fen Yan, once weplete the mission, we can be resurrected, right? This damn ce is really too boring!"

    The speaker was Chu Zhan, with short hair. After he spoke, he brought his fists together with a heavy sh, instantly igniting several sparks and energy turbulence!

    Obviously, Chu Zhan was a Pugilist. And all five of these people possessed formidable strength. At the very least, in a solo fight, each could probably defeat the top person from the Netherworld World¡¯s Outer City, the Netherworld King of Qin!

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!