Great Demon Sun Wukong-Chapter 558 - 512 (4.0) Journey to the West

Volume One: Unspeakable Chapter Five: The True Self

The rock wall collapsed with a thunderous noise, and then, in the midair, two figures zigzagged back and forth like lightning, their weapons clashing again and again, producing the sounds of metal colliding with metal as heard before.

The Stone Monkey could only move his eyeballs at this moment, and as his gaze followed, he was dumbstruck. Not far from him, in midair, was a huge figure, around fifteen zhang tall, with a body covered in blue-black skin and a head full of white fur. Its enormous eyes occasionally shot forth faint golden beams, and from its gaping maw, unevenly sized, sharp white fangs glistened like blades. Its coarse hair stood on end, and beneath its chin hung a long white beard.

This monster was growling in a low voice, seemingly extremely furious. Wukong observed it closely and sure enough, its blue-black skin was flowing with dark red blood; it had already been injured.

Opposite the monster was a handsome, graceful young man with a face as beautiful as jade and lips red as if dripping, tranquil and stunning like a woman. Clad in tight black attire that accentuated his figure, with a wasp waist and long arms like a monkey, he stood tall, holding a long spear in his hand. The spear's tip flickered like a serpent's tongue, pointing directly at his opponent.

"Wu Zhiqi, surrender at once!" shouted the beautiful young man.

Wu Zhiqi! Could this giant ape actually be Wu Zhiqi? Wukong heard this and was overwhelmed with shock. If this creature was Wu Zhiqi, then the beautiful young man must be Crown Prince Zhang.

Wukong remembered clearly that Crown Prince Zhang had studied under the Great Saint, the national teacher Bodhisattva Wang, and had assisted in subduing the Lady of the Waters along with Bodhisattva Wang and the Four Great Divine Generals. The name Lady of the Waters was a later distortion; in truth, she was none other than Wu Zhiqi.

Since ancient times, Wu Zhiqi had caused chaos in the Huai River, stirring winds and waves, harming the people. When Yu the Great worked on controlling the floods, he assembled the heavenly gods who could not subdue the beast. It was only after summoning the divine beast Kui Dragon that they managed to restrain it and suppress it under Turtle Mountain. Only then did the Huai River become calm.

The Stone Monkey pondered this and felt baffled. Strange? Wu Zhiqi should be suppressed; how did it escape again? Could this Wu Zhiqi be different from that one? Or was the story of its suppression just a rumor?

While his thoughts were unsettled, the battle resumed.

With his enormous size, Wu Zhiqi seemed insignificant before Crown Prince Zhang, yet he was terrified of the prince's spear, almost afraid to get close. Despite his bulk, Wu Zhiqi moved with agility, but it seemed like he was concealing an inner ailment, for whenever Crown Prince Zhang made a move, Wu Zhiqi's movement would falter. Lacking a weapon, he would withstand the spear's electrical surge with his body when he could not dodge. The metallic clash that the Stone Monkey had heard earlier was produced in this manner.

Wu Zhiqi's skin was immensely tough, yet it could not resist the electrical surge. A flash of blue light, and then blood fell from the sky. Wu Zhiqi tried to escape, but the air seemed entrapped by some spell; it crashed in all directions, unable to find a way out, and bellowed in anger continuously.

Seeing Wu Zhiqi's desperation and madness, the Stone Monkey felt an inexplicable sense of pity. He couldn't help but recall a passage from "The Carefree Excursion" in his Water Curtain Cave: There is a bird, named the Peng, with a back like Mount Tai, wings like clouds hanging from the sky, ascending ninety thousand li with a powerful spiral force, above the clouds and bearing the azure sky...

Wu Zhiqi was like a Kunpeng trapped in a cage, full of yearning yet shackled by reality.

Crown Prince Zhang wielded his Divine Spear with impenetrable might, his heroic poise as imposing as a heavenly god. After about a quarter of an hour, Wu Zhiqi no longer had the strength to evade or flee. Its massive body curled up, its defiant eyes dulled from the golden glow, and its coarse fur drooped listlessly.

At that moment, a lucky cloud flew from afar and descended with four silver-armored divine beings, who spread a large net and captured Wu Zhiqi within. The net, like threads of silver, was ultra-fine and sharp, cutting into the flesh at every contact. Yet Wu Zhiqi remained silent as if dead, without any reaction.

One of the divine beings said, "Your Highness, your spear skills are becoming sharper and sharper." Another divine being added, "Indeed, indeed. With Your Highness's extraordinary talent, subduing this demon monkey is naturally no difficult feat."

Demon monkey? Demon monkey!

The Stone Monkey was struck by a sudden realization—they called Wu Zhiqi a demon monkey; could it also belong to the monkey kind? On a closer look, indeed, Wu Zhiqi in its weakened state looked very different from before; apart from its large size, wasn't it just an obedient monkey? "We are the same kind," thought the Stone Monkey to himself.

The Four Great Divine Generals captured Wu Zhiqi, carrying it away in the net aboard the cloud. Just then, Wu Zhiqi's eyes suddenly opened wide within the net, looking in the Stone Monkey's direction. He has seen me! The Stone Monkey could feel it; Wu Zhiqi had definitely seen him. In that gaze, there was desolation, grievance, defiance, and sorrow…

Crown Prince Zhang flicked his wrist, and the chalk-white spear he held disappeared into nowhere. He walked leisurely through the air, and within two or three steps, he arrived in front of the Stone Monkey, examining him from head to toe. He thought to himself, "Master instructed me to bring this Stone Monkey back to the temple, but for what reason?" He swept up his sleeve and wrapped the Stone Monkey inside, then floated straight up into the clouds, heading back to report for his duty.

As soon as the Stone Monkey entered the sleeve, his body instantly warmed. He felt that Crown Prince Zhang's sleeves were not made of silk cotton, but seemed to be woven from golden threads.

A short while later, he felt himself land. The Stone Monkey was placed on the ground, and before him stood a majestic mountain gate, three zhang high and made of white jade, with "Great Saint Zen Temple" inscribed in four golden characters.

Once inside the mountain gate, they were surrounded by grand halls and pavilions, layers of courtyards, enveloping colorful clouds, and winding corridors. In the distance, a nine-story pagoda shone brilliantly, clearly a place of importance.

Crown Prince Zhang said not a word as he led the Stone Monkey into the main hall. Seated quietly in the hall was an old man with brows that reached his cheeks, a head of slightly black curly hair, dressed in plain monk's robes, and a face full of benevolence. On either side of him stood a young monk, both with red lips and white teeth, clear eyes and handsome features, respectfully attending to him.

When the old man saw Crown Prince Zhang enter the hall, a smile appeared on his face, "Disciple, have you achieved anything today?" Crown Prince Zhang placed his hands together in salute and replied, "Three parts faster than last time, but it seems Wu Zhiqi has sensed something, his spiritual wisdom has surpassed his previous self."

"Hmm," the old man responded indifferently, showing neither joy nor anger. Crown Prince Zhang slowly stepped back.

The old man's gaze shifted to the Stone Monkey, and he muttered, "Ling Ming Stone Monkey, indeed an extraordinary creature among heaven and earth." After saying this, his eyes slightly closed, his left hand tucked into his sleeve as he silently calculated. After half an incense's burning time, he opened his eyes, a hint of surprise in his heart: This Stone Monkey had descended to the world barely a year ago and had already encountered a major calamity, truly remarkable. Let's see what sort of tribulation he will face.

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The old man looked at the Stone Monkey and asked, "Do you, Stone Monkey, know where you come from?"

Having waited for a long time, the Stone Monkey eagerly seized the opportunity to speak, "I come from Flower Fruit Mountain in East Shengzhou."

"Hmm, indeed you know the timing of the heavens, the advantages of the earth. Do you have parents?"

"Without father or mother, but I have several brothers."

"Do you have a name?"

"I do not have a name."

"I shall give you one—" At this point, the old man's speech abruptly stopped as if someone had interrupted him. His intention seemed to be "Shall I give you a name?" But the old man's expression unchanged continued, "I shall give you—a set of clothing, and you shall stay here at the Great Saint Zen Temple."

The Stone Monkey's mind brimmed with doubts. This old man was Crown Prince Zhang's master, naturally the Great Saint National Teacher, King Bodhisattva, who had subdued Wu Zhiqi. When Sun Wukong could not deal with the Green Ox Demon and came to mobilize troops, the most classic line he said was, "…However, it was the beginning of summer, when the waters of the Huai River surged, and he had just subdued the Water Monkey Great Saint, who thrived upon water; I feared that upon my departure, he would take the opportunity to cause mischief, and there would be no deity to control him."

In the entire "Journey to the West," it seemed that Tathagata possessed the greatest ability and the Jade Emperor had the most power, but the Stone Monkey, who had almost fully grasped "Journey to the West," knew that there were too many hidden giants in this world. What surfaced was merely the tip of the iceberg, not worth mentioning. The audacity in the line "no deity can control" uttered by the Great Saint National Teacher, King Bodhisattva, was as if he considered all the immortals and deities beneath him. From this one sentence, one could imagine how great his abilities must have been.

He had just now intended to give me a name, which clearly indicated his intention to take me in, but his speech suddenly changed as if someone forcefully interrupted him. What could be the reason for this? Who had the power and capability to influence the opinions of the Great Saint National Teacher, King Bodhisattva?

At this moment, the Stone Monkey couldn't help but think of Patriarch Bodhi. From the moment the Beautiful Monkey King ventured out to sea in "Journey to the West," every second of his life seemed to have been calculated and arranged by others. His seemingly limitless glory was in fact predetermined long ago. Now that I have come to this world, I would not allow this life to be the same.

What is the significance of a life manipulated by others, glorious as it may be if it's merely like a puppet's experience? Only the true self, the 'I am,' represents the real me. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and Monthly Passes at Starting Point ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)