Great Demon Sun Wukong

This trip to the Heavenly Palace 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 Clan imprisoned in Heaven. Lastly, he needed to visit Patriarch Bodhi and Zhen Yuanzi of Five Villas 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 was complete.

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, becoming 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, the latter 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 eyelash transformation brought boundless benefits to Zhu Bajie. At this thought, Sun Wukong’s heart warmed slightly.

If a mere eyelash 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 successfully merged them into his body, what heights would his power surge to? Even if not comparable 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—an 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 would come. Eventually, all would reach an ending. With these thoughts, Sun Wukong entered the stone room where Tang Sanzang was. He saw that the original Flame Giant Egg had now become 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 was coming into being—a contradiction yet so fitting!

Finally, the forty-ninth day arrived.

However, what also arrived was not just the completion of Bajie’s body refinement but an overwhelming onslaught of Buddhist Soldiers.

Sun Wukong had no idea how Tathagata had discovered his whereabouts since, although many Buddhist Soldiers had come to scout, he was absolutely confident they couldn’t have relayed 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 to come still came, right at the last stage when Bajie was about to achieve great success. 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 place. You have some skill, but how did you find it? The Buddhist Soldiers sent to scout have all been slain by me; none could have possibly returned to send a message."

All Sun Wukong could do now was to delay for time, hoping to stall until Zhu Bajie successfully completed 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 places 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 net, 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 the command, 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 become more and more incompetent." Without caring how unsightly Tathagata’s face had become, he swept his robe, releasing a golden lotus platform from his sleeve that expanded rapidly in the wind. The Carefree Buddha then stood upon the lotus platform. In the next instant, the platform 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 platform suddenly appeared before him, his heart skipped a beat. What terrifying speed that was—had 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 newcomer, how strong must their actual power be?

The initial contempt had evaporated, replaced with the tension and focus of facing a formidable adversary. Sun Wukong knew that a great battle was forthcoming, 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 slay 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."

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