Great Demon Sun Wukong

Just as Sun Wukong hesitated whether to enter or not, a voice suddenly came to his ears. "You've come all this way, why not come 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 the last 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 uncontrollably. 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 become 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!"

"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 place."

"The Netherworld of the Upper Realm? What is that place?"

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"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 must come to understand them on your own. Remember, right and wrong in this world are relative. You might as well stay here in my Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars for a while and rest."

"Yes, disciple obeys."

After that, Sun Wukong sat in meditation in the Cave of the Slanting 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 occur. 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 calculating, but the results of his calculation 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 calculating something. After a long while, his brow furrowed, "Not good, Six-Eared is in trouble, the Demon Clan is in trouble!"

Having said that, he gestured with his hand, and a magnificently beautiful palace 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 resemblance 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 play about him unintentionally.

"Ah, I had thought the Demon Clan 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 Clan."

No sooner had he spoken than the white-robed Taoist walked back into the Kunlun Divine Palace, 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 Clan 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-third layer of heaven,

"Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerate, Morality Heavenly Venerate, it's time for us to go. It's time to reclaim our dues. For destroying Heaven and bullying our disciples, their sin deserves punishment."

"Yes, in accordance 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 Incomparable 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 eastern lands, 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—Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.