Chapter 8: The 9th Reincarnation Ends with a Pie in the Sky

Upon arrival at Plum Blossom Villa, Yan Shisan tossed Tang Sanzang onto the table.

"There should be no delay, let's kill him now to prevent any future troubles!" Wukong said. He remembered those demons who had caught Tang Sanzang but hadn't killed him immediately; as a result, they were all rescued by him. He was determined not to make the same mistake.

"How can we kill him? It is said that consuming Tang Sanzang guarantees eternal life, invulnerability to myriad tribulations, and greatly enhances one's cultivation. But do any of you know how to eat him?" Xie Xiaofeng frowned, still harbouring some reservations about cannibalizing a living person.

Everyone turned their gaze to Ye Gucheng who, being extensively knowledgeable and exceptionally intelligent, had become the chief strategist among them.

"The essence of this man resides within his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. After all, we are human, not demons; the idea of consuming human flesh is repulsive. We should combine our efforts to extract his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and after that, we each take an equal share," Ye Gucheng said.

"What do you think, Heaven-Defying?" Yan Shisan asked.

"Very well!" Wukong nodded.

The five of them each took their place, setting up a formation to trap Tang Sanzang in the center.

This was Wukong's suggestion; it was always better to be cautious. Who knew if there were any formidable prohibitions on Tang Sanzang's person? If it were to summon the Dharma Body of a Buddha, that would be quite unfortunate!

Wukong twiddled the Dharma Decree, and his body's Hongmeng Purple Qi surged and roared. Beams of purple light burst forth from behind his head, shrouding the entire room in an instant. Seeing that the others looked alarmed, Wukong reassured them, "My fellow Daoists, there is no need to panic. I've merely used a spell to isolate this room from the outside world. Once we've refined Tang Sanzang, I'll withdraw it."

Ximen Chuixue said, "That's fine."

His speech was brief and to the point, but always effective.

The group got ready and started casting various secret spells.

A sneer crossed Wukong's mind: "Golden Cicada, today you are sure to die. These four swordsmen are decisive and ruthless, certainly not indecisive like those demons waiting for someone to come and save you. The Buddhist Sect is full of ambition, using the Journey to the West for such a grand scheme, even absurdly wishing me to become a Buddha, devoid of all desires... Heh, heh, heh! Had I not uncovered the conspiracy of the Buddhist Sect, I might have truly ended up in emptiness."

The five forces converged within the formation, slowly rotating, and Tang Sanzang was lifted by the combined powers.

"Ha!"

The five men exerted their strength, and saw Tang Sanzang's bald head suddenly emit Essence, Qi, and Spirit; Essence Blood, Spiritual Energy, and Primordial Spirit, the three basic elements of a person, emerged from his body and convened above him, gradually solidifying.

Lucky that Wukong was cautious, having stripped off Tang Sanzang's robes, or they might have faced the arrival of a Tathagata Dharma Body.

"Everyone, release your Primordial Spirits, leaving just a thread to control the formation; the rest of your Primordial Spirit shall enter the formation to evenly divide the bald donkey's Essence, Qi, and Spirit!" Ye Gucheng commanded, a beam of golden light bursting out from his crown—the spiritual body in his likeness. He did not hesitate and flew straight into the formation.

The others also released their Primordial Spirits and flew into the formation to divide the Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Such was the abundance of Tang Sanzang's Essence, Qi, and Spirit that even after refining for an entire hour, he was still not depleted, as if it were endlessly flowing.

The five Primordial Spirits each took a position, inhaling the refined Essence, Qi, and Spirit from Tang Sanzang.

Within his heart, Wukong was neither happy nor sad, using the "Primordial Three Thousand Transformations" to stimulate his Primordial Spirit, constantly inhaling and exhaling. They had agreed to divide equally, and no one hastened their pace, as the Essence, Qi, and Spirit expanded into five streams of vapor being absorbed by the Primordial Spirits. Each could feel their Primordial Spirits growing stronger, their mana deepening, and their Divine Sense soaring!

"Indeed, this is the greatest nourishment in heaven and earth!"

Such thoughts crossed everyone's minds.

All of a sudden, Wukong shouted, "The Essence, Qi, and Spirit of this Tang Sanzang are almost refined; let's give it our all!"

One could see that Tang Sanzang, trapped within the formation, had already become skin and bones, and would soon turn into a dried corpse.

After three full hours, Tang Sanzang's physical body was entirely drained.

Five Primordial Spirits swallowed the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of Tang Sanzang voraciously. They gleaned many secrets of the Buddhist Sect from his Primordial Spirit, realizing that the Journey to the West was nothing but a plot by the Buddhist Sect for plunder —a conspiracy to seize the Incense Willpower of the Eastern Divine Region.

Ye Gucheng said, "This Tathagata Buddha is indeed a shrewd planner. However, their conspiracy ends today!"

The five returned their Primordial Spirits to their bodies, and in an instant, five streams of Essence, Qi, and Spirit burst out from their crowns, soaring upwards like signal fires.

The men reined in their minds, with the Essence Qi returning to their bodies. The boons brought by Tang Sanzang were indeed significant; all four sword masters felt a tumultuous surge inside, their Sword Qi crisscrossing violently, as if about to burst from their bodies, and the shackles of the High Immortal Realm began to loosen at this moment!

Within the Immortal ranks, the nine strata commence with the Superior Immortal, followed by the High Immortal.

After reaching the status of a Superior Immortal, one can prove the Dao and achieve the eternal existence of a Taiyi Golden Immortal. The vastness of heaven and earth awaits your exploration!

"Excellent! We shall begin our seclusion immediately. Heaven-Defying, do you wish to join us?" Xie Xiaofeng said joyfully, and even Ximen Chuixue, usually expressionless, showed a deep smile on his face.

Having consumed the Essence Spirit of this Tang Monk, Wukong felt the Hongmeng Purple Qi surge within him, and his Cultivation Level skyrocketed, jumping from that of an ordinary immortal right up to a High Immortal, skipping over the Realms of True Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, Profound Immortal, and Great Immortals consecutively! Indeed, even consuming the Immortal Pills of the Old Master might not compare to consuming this Tang Monk.

Confident in his possession of the Hongmeng Purple Qi and feeling it was not yet time to seclude himself, Wukong said, "My fellow Daoists may proceed. It is not yet time for Heaven-Defying to enter seclusion; I must still travel and comprehend the great Dao."

"Hmm... That may be for the best," Xie Xiaofeng nodded in agreement.

Wukong smiled, glancing at what remained of the Tang Monk, his Essence Spirit dried up and now reduced to a mere corpse. He reflected upon the days when he had risked his life to protect this Master; now he had not only colluded in the murder but also drained him dry. There was an aura of absence and clarity within him.

Ye Gucheng swept out a palm, and a gust of wind from his palm turned the Tang Monk's body to dust, scattering it out of the window.

"This matter is of utmost importance; everyone must swear to keep it secret, or we shall face catastrophic consequences," Ye Gucheng stated.

"Rest assured, Brother Dao," Wukong replied. "Only the five of us are aware of this matter. However, I would ask Brother Xie to visit the Divine Swordsman Villa once more, casting a spell to make your three children forget that we ever mentioned assassinating the Tang Monk. Heaven-Defying does not distrust them, but this matter is of great significance, and it is best to forestall any chance of their inadvertently speaking of it."

Ximen Chuixue said, "It should indeed be so."

Xie Xiaofeng nodded and added, "Then I shall make a trip to the Divine Swordsman Villa before I commence my seclusion."

"We should also go our separate ways to avoid suspicion," Ye Gucheng said.

Wukong could not help but admire Ye Gucheng for his meticulous thinking and flawless execution of plans.

After further discussion, they each prepared to depart.

"Heaven-Defying, would you care to accompany me to the Divine Swordsman Villa?" Xie Xiaofeng asked Wukong.

However, Wukong shook his head and replied, "Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Dao, but Heaven-Defying is accustomed to wandering at will and prefers to travel far and wide. Please do not take offense."

Now greatly empowered, Wukong planned to travel far and wide before secluding himself for several years. Once things had settled down, he intended to visit Water Curtain Cave to slay the Dharma Bodies of the Heavenly Dragon Generals and devastate every Buddhist temple in the Eastern Divine Region! He harbored deep hatred for the Buddhist Sect and could not be at ease until this was accomplished.

The five agreed to meet at the Divine Swordsman Villa in ten years, then went their separate ways.

Once the others had left, Wukong opened his Mustard Seed space with a gesture, revealing a Nine-Toothed Rake and the Tang Monk's Magic Wand.

If one looked closely, they would see a faint shroud of Hongmeng Purple Qi enveloping both the rake and the wand, a measure to prevent those in the Buddha Land from locating them through these Magical Treasures. Xie Xiaofeng and the others might not have understood their value, but Wukong was very aware that both the Nine-Toothed Rake and the Tang Monk's wand were extremely powerful treasures. Now lacking such treasures, he collected them with the intention of melting them down to forge a new staff someday.

Taking advantage of his increased magical power, Wukong found a secluded mountain and punched out a Cave Abode, then crawled inside.

He then took out the rake and the wand, set up a Formation, threw them in, and with a flick of a Dharma Decree in his hands, Samadhi True Fire burst wildly into flames within the Formation, aiming to melt the rake and the wand.

In the past, it would have been nearly impossible for the True Fire to refine these two treasures; now, however, with the help of the Hongmeng Purple Qi, it was extraordinarily simple.

With a swirl of Hongmeng Purple Qi, the Tathagata's mark left on the wand was instantly erased without even a moment to resist.

The wand turned golden, the Nine-Toothed Rake black, both melting into liquid which then slowly blended together.

Wukong's hands constantly shifted through Dharma Decrees to control the heat, while the other hand cast successive Formations into the liquid mix.

This process of Artifact Refining took a full three days and nights before he rested. Wukong, drenched in sweat, pinched a Dharma Decree and shouted, "Rise!" The Samadhi True Fire instantly extinguished, and a nine-foot dark gold iron staff burst from the Formation.

Wukong grabbed it with one hand and swung it twice, feeling that it suited him well. It was no less splendid than the Ruyi Golden Cudgel he had used before, and it was even heavier! This was likely due to the infusion of a small amount of Hongmeng Purple Qi.

This staff was exquisitely forged, with Golden Hoops on both ends and patterns for grip along the shaft. These patterns included auspicious creatures like the Qilin and Phoenix... but the ends with the Golden Hoops depicted the "heinous defiance" of the collapsing Heavenly Court and the fallen Buddha Land.

"Heh, this staff shall be named Buddha Beating Staff," Wukong thought with great satisfaction, deciding on the spot to name the iron staff as such, the profound implication clear without saying.

Meanwhile, Tathagata in Western Heaven felt the melding of the magic wand immediately, and wanted to look for the perpetrator, but he was hindered by an inexplicable force that made it impossible for him to trace the source.

"With such skills, this person must possess extraordinary Divine Powers... However, all beings of Great Divine Power in this world have a tacit understanding with me and would never do such a thing. Who exactly is this person?" the Tathagata wondered, feeling uneasy, sensing a formidable adversary for the Buddha Land.