Great Demon Sun Wukong

"Ling Ming, like I said, just ignore all these messy nuisances. With me around, I can absolutely protect you and that bearded monk. When the time comes, I’ll send you both back," said Sun Wukong to the little monkey the morning after the meeting had ended. They left the Netherworld Palace and sped on their way until they stopped by a small creek to rest when the sun was three poles high in the sky. It was the little monkey who had initiated this journey. In order to add more odds in favor of the Netherworld World, the little monkey decided to seek out some helpers with Sun Wukong.

Actually, when the little monkey claimed he ruled over all the ferocious beasts of the Patrolling Celestial World, the statement wasn’t entirely false, but it wasn’t entirely true either. It’s true that the little monkey did rule over the majority of the ferocious beasts in the central area of the Patrolling Celestial World, but not all of them. After all, the Patrolling Celestial World had existed for nearly a million years, and many of the ferocious beasts that had been there since its inception had become unfathomably powerful through a million years of cultivation.

Although the little monkey had encountered many adventures, compared to these seasoned, powerful ferocious beasts, he was only more or less equal in strength. Therefore, the idea of making these beasts submit was utterly impossible. The little monkey had even been gravely injured by a particularly formidable dragon beast and only escaped with his life thanks to countless subordinates who fearlessly used their bodies to block the dragon beast’s attacks.

Of course, aside from those few exceptionally strong beasts, all the rest had become the little monkey’s subordinates, including three black chimpanzees of Domain Lord Level. This time, the little monkey planned to have Sun Wukong join him in rallying those formidable beasts whose strength was comparable to his own to their side in the Netherworld World. However, while the little monkey claimed it was to increase the Netherworld World’s combat power, it looked to Sun Wukong more like he was taking him on a quest for vengeance.

Sun Wukong was not averse to this, and was even quite interested. The little monkey, although he had never fully exerted his strength, had shown in his few confrontations that he was definitely formidable. The beasts that had fought the little monkey to a standstill and even nearly killed him must be so powerful. If they could indeed be subjugated, it would be adding a significant force to their side.

At this moment, upon hearing the little monkey’s words, Sun Wukong didn’t reply to him but instead asked, "Send both of us back? What about you? Aren’t you coming with us? I’m sure you miss Flower Fruit Mountain even more than I do!" Finding an ancient tree by the brook, Sun Wukong ate a peach while sitting next to the large tree, leaning against it and then tilted his head to look over at the little monkey who was continuously hopping on the tree trunk.

The little monkey chuckled and said, "As for me, I can’t leave. Did you think I obtained my current strength easily?" Sun Wukong’s expression shifted, and he asked, "So you’re saying you paid a hefty price, huh? But looking at you, it doesn’t seem like you’re missing an arm or a leg. Could it be that you can only appear in this guise of a yellow-furred little monkey forever?"

The little monkey shook his head, "This current form was my own doing to preserve my strength as much as possible. If it were merely a matter of missing limbs, I’d actually consider myself lucky. Telling you won’t make a difference; I am actually the Realm Spirit of this Patrolling Celestial World. You could say that this Patrolling Celestial World is my body, and my current form is simply composed of the purist forces of the Five Elements. That’s why I cannot leave this place. Speaking of the Five Elements Power, ever since you came back I noticed that you’ve also acquired the Five Elements Power, and what’s more, it’s almost at the essence of the Five Element Balance, which is truly impressive. Compared to you, I sometimes wish for death; having similar powers, yet I paid the price of losing my physical body and can only stay here forever!"

After the little monkey finished speaking, he floated down into the creek and threw the pit in his mouth upstream. Sun Wukong gave the little monkey a deep look and said, "I’ve also lost quite a bit. Fortunately, I met you and Old Sha here, which I consider a stroke of great luck amidst misfortune. No wonder you said that you could know everything about the Patrolling Celestial World with just a thought. Since you’ve become the Realm Spirit, heh, doesn’t that make you the god of this world?"

By then, the pit that had been tossed out had flowed back with the creek water. The little monkey scooped it out again and threw it once more, saying, "Have you ever seen a god be nearly beaten to death? That damned wretch, he said it was just a sparring match but then he hit so hard. This time, us brothers must beat him into helplessness, or else I can’t quell the fury in my heart. Ling Ming, to be honest, you don’t need to go through all this. Ignore it all, bring the bearded monk and come back with me to my hometown. We brothers can have a happy and carefree life again; then I’ll send you back. How good would that be? There’s no need to push yourself so hard. And among you..."

Before the young monkey could finish speaking, Sun Wukong interrupted him, "There are things you know are dangerous, that might even kill you if you do them, and you’re aware they might be a trap set by someone else, but you still have to do them. I am the Beautiful Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain, I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, I can’t shrink back, not even once. Otherwise, all that I’ve steadfastly held onto will be gone. That was the case when I caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and it was the same when I went to fetch the scriptures from the Western Paradise. My end may be tragic, but I’ve never hesitated or retreated. That’s also why I couldn’t become a Saint in the Pangu Realm for so long because I couldn’t cut off the obsession in my heart. Sun Wukong, with his obsessions, is the true Great Sage Equalling Heaven!" @@novelbin@@

Sun Wukong’s speech wasn’t particularly impassioned, and his voice was as calm as ever, yet the young monkey heard much in it. Yes, he is the Beautiful Monkey King, he is the Great Sage Equalling Heaven. All I’ve considered is how to make him survive, forgetting about the pride and responsibility in his heart. Perhaps if he had been able to let go of that pride and persistence, he would not have died.

"Ling Ming, tell me the truth, do you have any regrets?"

Sun Wukong fell silent, looking down at the Golden Hoop that had appeared in his hand without him knowing when, touching the two characters engraved on it. Sun Wukong spoke with a somewhat heavy tone, "I only regret that my own strength wasn’t enough, which caused so many others to sacrifice themselves for me. If I were stronger, I could certainly have done better. So this time, I won’t run away. I will ensure the Netherworld World finishes as the first in this Patrolling Celestial World trial. In fact, I also have considerations that leave me no choice. Not to mention the debt I owe Yue Huangquan, but also to ensure that Sand Monk and I remain until the end, it’s essential that both the Netherworld World, where he belongs, and the Ancient Primordial World, become tied for first place. Otherwise, if one of us is eliminated, finding each other again would virtually be an impossible task. So I must make sure that not only does the Netherworld World make it to the end, but the Ancient Primordial World must endure till the last as well."

The young monkey was silent for a moment too, letting the core of the fruit he had just eaten drift away with the current. After a while, he looked at Sun Wukong with sparkling eyes and said, "If I could make you and that bearded monk break free from your respective strengths, no longer bound by the rules of the trial, would you give up this battle?"

Sun Wukong’s body stiffened, and he suddenly looked up at the young monkey but soon shook his head, "Let’s not mention that doing so would surely cost you dearly, but my feelings for those people don’t allow me to do that either. Before entering this place, we had all already had a drink together, agreeing that even if we perish here, we wouldn’t retreat. Even if not for the sake of the Netherworld World, for these people, I must see this final battle through to its end. Tong Bei, I know you mean well for me, but I also have my resolve that I cannot abandon!"

"In fact, I know that your so-called method involves erasing the traces on Sand Monk’s and my soul, thus, I would no longer belong to the Netherworld World, and he would not belong to the Ancient Primordial World. However, I cannot accept such a cunning method. Sanzang once said, I could reach the Western Paradise with a single somersault, and yet he still made me walk every step of the way there. In fact, all of this had nothing to do with what the Western Paradise had to offer, but instead Sanzang wanted me to realize the difficulty of the journey and the power of persistence. Moreover, Sanzang knew even then that the Western Paradise was not the Spiritual Mount in his heart!"

Finally, the young monkey sighed deeply, then tossed Sun Wukong a peach, "You monkey, you’ve always been like this. Forget it, I won’t try to persuade you any further. With our combined strength, we surely needn’t fear those people. If it really comes to it, I’ll just join you in another bout of madness. Even Tathagata I once fought, why should I fear a bunch of enslaved captives now?"

"You’ve fought Tathagata? No wonder Tathagata has always been so difficult towards our Monkey Tribe, even banishing me to Five-Finger Mountain for five hundred years. So, the fundamental reason lies with you."