Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Old Sun Can Help You (2nd Update)

In the grand hall of Thunder Sound Temple in Western Heavenly Buddhist Sect, Spiritual Mountain.

Inside the hall, which normally bustled with many Bodhisatts and Arhats, now sat only Tathagata Buddha on the lotus throne at the center, and Ran Deng Buddha on the lower lotus throne.

Ran Deng Buddha felt peculiar, wondering why Tathagata Buddha had summoned him alone and dismissed everyone else. What could he possibly want to discuss?

“Ancient Buddha, what is your opinion of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong?”

After a moment of silence, Tathagata Buddha turned his gaze towards Ran Deng Buddha and inquired.

“Sun Wukong? That demon monkey?”

Ran Deng Buddha’s brows furrowed, and a surge of malevolence shot up from his heart to his crown. He quickly took two deep breaths and chanted the Buddha’s name to suppress it. After calming himself, he said, “Ancestral Buddha, that demon monkey possesses an otherworldly talent, the likes of which I’ve never seen. Moreover, his temperament is perverse and unruly, impossible to tame. He will surely become a thorn in our Buddhist Sect’s side in the future!”

“A thorn in our side? Do you think you might be exaggerating, Ancient Buddha?”

Tathagata Buddha raised an eyebrow, somewhat incredulous.

“Ancestral Buddha, I have fought with that demon monkey. I know his abilities and am even more aware of his potential. To comprehend domain power amidst battle at the realm of Daluo Golden Immortal – such a feat is unprecedented in history. If one day he were to prove the Tao and become a saint, who then could possibly subdue him? We must take precautions!”

Ran Deng Buddha said through clenched teeth, unable to hide his loathing and jealousy. Losing the Sword of Slaying Immortal had significantly affected his strength; he could only use the Demon-Subduing Pestle to harness domain power. Though the pestle was also an Innate Spiritual Treasure, it only matched a medium-grade one, far inferior to the Sword of Slaying Immortal. How could he not feel both hatred and envy towards Sun Wukong?

“What if we could make him a protector of our Buddhist Sect, bound by our Buddhist Sect’s rules?”

The eyes of Tathagata Buddha flickered with a strange light as he spoke slowly.

“Make him a protector of our Buddhist Sect? How can that be done? Does Ancestral Buddha already have a plan?”

Ran Deng Buddha was shocked. What did Tathagata Buddha mean? Did he intend to subdue that defiant demon monkey, Sun Wukong? Given the monkey’s stubborn nature and hostility towards the Buddhist Sect, it seemed unlikely that he would agree.

Tathagata Buddha smiled enigmatically, saying nothing more, but the cunning light flickering in his eyes suggested he had some strategy in mind.

Ran Deng Buddha’s mouth curled into a sly smile, a glint of mischief passing over his face. No matter what Tathagata Buddha was planning, he had clearly set his sights on Sun Wukong! Great Sage Equalling Heaven, huh! Even if you can equal Heaven, once Tathagata Buddha has you in his sights, you won’t be able to bounce around much longer! Just wait and watch the show!

In the Heavenly Court, upon the martial arts field next to the Jade Pond Water Pavilion in the Ninth Layer of Heaven, figures of Immortals and Gods began to materialize one after another. Those who appeared on the stage were the ones who had passed the second challenge, while those below the stage were the ones who had been eliminated.

Real Man of Jade Cauldron was the first to pass the challenge and appear on the stage. He had changed into a new set of Immortal Robes, and his previously disarrayed hair was now restored to its original state, showing no trace of the earlier dishevelment. However, his face was cold, and he merely nodded indifferently when greeted by the Jade Emperor, with not a trace of a smile.

There were sixteen people who passed the first challenge, but only five who passed the second one. Besides Real Man of Jade Cauldron, there were Sun Wukong, Nezha, Erlang God Yang Jian, and God of Wealth Zhao Gongming. The other eleven were all eliminated, each of them looking at the five on the martial arts field with envy, jealousy, and resentment.@@novelbin@@

“Alas, my strength wasn’t enough! I can’t even make it to the finals! How come there are so many formidable people this time?”

Marshal Tianpeng Zhu Tianpeng was also among the eliminated, his eyes turning green with envy as he looked at Sun Wukong and the others on the martial arts field. However, Zhu Tianpeng was well aware that even if he had fortunately made it into the finals, he would have been eliminated anyway. Among the five people standing on the stage, who wasn’t much more powerful than him? His current level of cultivation strength was no match for any of them; it was better to be eliminated early to avoid the shame and potential serious injuries that would have made it all the worse.

“Congratulations to the five nobles on reaching the finals. Three days from now, the draw for the finals will take place.”

After congratulating Sun Wukong and his four counterparts, the Jade Emperor had Great White Golden Star explain the rules of the final competition. The finals would be determined by drawing lots, with contestants facing off against each other in pairs and one individual receiving a bye. The winners of the head-to-head bouts would then face the individual who received a bye: if the person with the bye won both matches, they would be first; if they won one and lost one, they would be second; if they lost both, they would have to compete again against the previous opponents to determine the third place.

The final match rules clearly favored the individual who had a bye; luck is indeed part of strength, and there’s nothing to complain about. Besides, for Sun Wukong and others, strength is the key to victory, so what does it matter if they fight one more or one less battle?

“Daoist Zhao, other than obtaining an Innate Spiritual Treasure, do you desire to enter the Ascend to Heaven Platform mainly to escape the constraints of the Investiture of the Gods?”

The finals were scheduled to take place three days later. After the announcement of the rules, everyone dispersed to rest. Sun Wukong bid farewell to Nezha and the others, then secretly signaled to God of Wealth Zhao Gongming to follow him to a secluded place. After setting up a soundproof barrier, he chuckled and asked.

Zhao Gongming was surprised, “How did the Great Sage figure it out?”

Zhao Gongming couldn’t recall ever revealing a word about this matter, so how did Sun Wukong know? Could it be that this fellow possessed a Mind Reading Technique?

Indeed, the cultivation conditions on the Ascend to Heaven Platform were very tempting, and the treasures from the spacetime black hole, which appeared once every ten thousand years, were even more alluring. But none of these were the fundamental reasons for Zhao Gongming to compete. His ultimate reason was exactly what Sun Wukong had said—to break free from the restrictions of the Investiture of the Gods!

When a spacetime black hole appears above the Ascend to Heaven Platform, the Heaven and Earth Laws surrounding it undergo massive changes, severing any connection with the outside world. If one can sever one’s corporial “shell” and break through to the Quasi-Saint Realm at that time, it would be possible to forcibly sever the connection between the divinity condensed by one’s life essence in the Investiture of the Gods and oneself, eliminating the restraint forever.

Under normal circumstances, if Zhao Gongming tried to sever the connection between himself and his Lifebound Divinity within the Investiture of the Gods, the Investiture would certainly react, the Jade Emperor would notice and use measures to prevent it. Not only would the severance fail, but even the breakthrough would be interrupted. Only during the appearance of the spacetime black hole, due to the change in the Heaven and Earth Laws, would the Investiture’s sensitivity temporarily disappear, presenting the only chance for Zhao Gongming to break free from its constraints!

Having one’s soul listed in the Investiture of the Gods granted a second life, but it also meant handing over one’s life and death to others forever. Unless one perished and underwent reincarnation, it would be impossible to escape the confines of the Investiture, or more accurately, the Jade Emperor’s control.

The biggest difference between the Immortals and Gods of the Heavenly Court is that Immortals can live unrestrained and carefree lives, only needing to respect the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor, and the Queen Mother. Their constraints from the Heavenly Court are not strong. However, Deities are different. Deities all have their names inscribed in the Investiture, and each has a divinity condensed from their life essence within it. With just a thought, the Jade Emperor could control the divinity within the Investiture, leaving them unable to live or die as they wish!

Without removing this restriction and severing the connection with the Lifebound Divinity in the Investiture, not to mention how proving the Tao and Becoming a Saint in the future will face numerous obstacles, even if one somehow manages to become a Saint through the Formation Path, they still cannot escape control and will remain constrained by the Jade Emperor. Can you imagine the frustration of having to bow down to the Jade Emperor despite being a Heavenly Dao Saint?

Therefore, no matter what, Zhao Gongming had to seize this opportunity to qualify for entering the Ascend to Heaven Platform, break through to the Quasi-Saint within it, and remove the shackles from his body for good!

Zhao Gongming originally thought this matter was unknown to both gods and ghosts, that only he knew about it. But to his shock, Sun Wukong had exposed it with a single comment. While Zhao Gongming was startled, his expression also grew solemn. How did Sun Wukong come to know this secret?

“That, uh, your brother Sun naturally has his ways!”

Sun Wukong chuckled. In fact, he had merely made a guess, and to his surprise, it turned out to be correct!

As an Immortal or a God, who would want to live forever under the control of someone else? Who wouldn’t want to live a free and carefree life? But all Deities have their divinity kept within the Investiture of the Gods, and with a mere thought, the Jade Emperor could decide their fate, making them wish for death that wouldn’t come. Therefore, those Deities with unsatisfied hearts desire to break free from the constraints of the Investiture more intensely than any obsession, and Sun Wukong had seen this desire in Zhao Gongming’s eyes, prompting him to boldly guess—and guess correctly.

“Daoist Zhao, please forgive my blunt words, but your hope of winning one of the top three spots to cultivate on the Ascend to Heaven Platform seems slim,” Sun Wukong said.

Zhao Gongming’s weapon, the Golden Whip, was already damaged, and it was unlikely he would obtain a suitable Divine Weapon in a short period. Besides, he was seriously injured by the Sword of Trapping Immortals during the fight with Real Man of Jade Cauldron, and the Sword Qi of Slaughter that he had received was not easy to heal. Even if suppressed temporarily, it would surely flare up during the decisive battle, and three days was not enough for Zhao Gongming to completely expel the Sword Qi of Slaughter.

It could be said that among the five competitors who entered the finals, the God of Wealth Zhao Gongming had the weakest combat power. Regardless of who he faced, he had no chance of victory.

Sun Wukong’s words made Zhao Gongming smile bitterly. He was well aware that his chances were slim, in fact so slim that they could be described as remote. But was he supposed to simply give up the opportunity to break free from the restrictions of the Investiture of the Gods and the control of the Jade Emperor?

No, he was not willing!

He had lived in such a lowly manner for thousands of years; he could not continue to live so ignobly forever. If he were to live, he needed to live with freedom and dignity; otherwise, it would be better to die and be reborn to start over!

“Daoist Zhao, you needn’t be so disheartened. Your brother Sun isn’t telling you this to discourage you, but rather to let you know that your brother Sun can help you break free from the constraints of the Investiture of the Gods. Even without entering the Ascend to Heaven Platform, it’s possible!”

“Are these words true?”

COMMENT
0 comment

Vote
3 left

SEND GIFT