Chapter 217: Journey to the West?

Hearing the words of Master Bodhi, Sun Wukong froze for a moment and stood still.

He felt a coldness spread through his body, and his limbs grew stiff. This kind of reaction at his level of cultivation was unimaginable.

But at this moment, the overwhelming emotions of fear and panic stirred inside him, and even he could not avoid this response.

Sun Wukong cautiously asked,

"Master, where... where should I go?"

Master Bodhi, of course, noticed Wukong's extreme reaction. After a moment of thought, he immediately understood why Wukong was acting this way, which caused him to smile faintly: "I'm not sending you away. Your strength has reached its peak. If you continue to cultivate in the cave, even after thousands of years, you won't advance any further.

You need to experience the world and go through the karmic journey that belongs to you. Only then can you attain the path to a quasi-saint position, or even the level of a Saint!

So, you should go back the way you came and walk the path that's meant for you!"

Upon learning that his master wasn't driving him away, Sun Wukong turned his sorrow into joy. The panic on his face disappeared and was replaced with a cheerful grin:

"I see now. As long as Master isn't sending me away, that's all that matters!"

Due to various changes, Sun Wukong's cultivation was far higher than in the original storyline. Therefore, Master Bodhi felt that Wukong really had a chance to break free from fate, so he refrained from saying things like" You can't be my disciple"

He was prepared to accompany Wukong and challenge the gods and immortals in a game of strategy!

...

As for Sun Wukong, after receiving Master Bodhi's guidance, he quickly set off, leaving the place. He was heading to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, which he hadn't seen in many years.

As soon as he left, Wukong immediately understood the deep meaning of Master Bodhi's words.

Just thinking about returning home in glory made even his Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivation waver, sending ripples through his heart.

These constant waves shook his mind, and at the same time, made his mental state even more solid.

This realization made Sun Wukong understand that although his cultivation had reached the peak of this world, his mental cultivation was still far from adequate. His mind and cultivation didn't align, and this was his biggest flaw!

After bidding farewell to Master Bodhi and his fellow disciples, Alex walked away from the Spirit Platform and Mount Faction. Looking back at the immortal mountain where he had spent thirteen years, he directly soared into the clouds.

At this point, he had also studied techniques like the Golden Light of the Earth and the Five Elements Great Escape. His speed was not slower than the Somersault Cloud, just slightly slower.

However, Sun Wukong still favored the Somersault Cloud the most. This was probably due to his innate nature.

A somersault covering 108,000 miles, which once took him decades to complete, now only took him less than an hour.

The closer he got to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, the stronger his homesickness became.

In the Crescent Moon Three-Star Cave, these emotions were temporarily suppressed by his feelings for his master and his desire to attain the Way. But now, they were released, constantly crashing into his heart and creating ripples in his mind.

Soon, Sun Wukong reached the Flower-Fruit Mountain. When he saw the monkeys and their children, who were barely clothed, his eyes involuntarily filled with tears.

"My children, the Monkey King has returned in glory!"

Suddenly, as he watched his monkeys from the clouds, Sun Wukong noticed that his children were not doing well.

Most of them had injuries, some more severe than others, and a few were even disabled.

With his wisdom, Sun Wukong quickly figured out the cause.

How dare those blind demons bully my Flower-Fruit Mountain and harm my children? They deserve to die!

At this moment, dozens of different little demons charged out from the nearby jungle, rushing toward the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain.

They wielded blades made of metal, and their cultivation was mostly higher than that of the monkeys. With both advantages on their side, the monkeys immediately suffered casualties.

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong's eyes were filled with rage. He immediately flashed onto the battlefield, then transformed a large tree into a staff, swinging it with tremendous force to crush all the demons in his path into a pile of meat!

"To insult my Flower-Fruit Mountain, you deserve to die!" Sun Wukong exuded an immense divine aura, standing before the monkeys like a god!

At first, the monkeys, seeing the figure in Daoist robes, didn't dare recognize him. Finally, an elderly monkey stepped forward, uncertain, and asked: "Is that you, my king?"

Sun Wukong nodded and turned to the monkeys behind him, saying:

"Yes, it's me. Children, I, Sun Wukong, have returned!"

Upon seeing that the god-like figure was indeed their king, the old monkey immediately broke down in tears. He cried out in sorrow and rage: "My king, you must help us!

Since you left to seek the Way and immortality, a demon named the Demon King of Chaos has taken over our cave and constantly bullied our children, even feasting on them!

We've suffered greatly these past years!"

"That's despicable! How dare such things happen? I'll see for myself what this Demon King of Chaos is all about!"

Sun Wukong was enraged. He had no idea such major events had occurred during his absence.

This damned Demon King of Chaos had taken advantage of his absence and seized the Water Curtain Cave of Flower-Fruit Mountain!

With his heart burning with fury, Sun Wukong immediately took his children and flew to the Water Curtain Cave.

Since he was bringing the monkeys with him, he couldn't use the Somersault Cloud, so he used the more convenient Earth Golden Light technique instead.

At this time, the Demon King of Chaos was still having a feast in the Water Curtain Cave, living in luxury and indulgence. He suddenly saw a flash of golden light before him, and the monkeys stepped out from it.

Unaware of the Earth Golden Light technique, the Demon King of Chaos wasn't frightened in the least.

Interrupted during his enjoyment by the damned monkeys, the Demon King of Chaos was furious:

"Damned monkeys, how dare you disturb my feast! You deserve to die!"

Suddenly, he noticed Sun Wukong among the monkeys. Sun Wukong was wearing Daoist robes, with a calm demeanor that didn't resemble a monkey, but rather looked more like a human. The Demon King of Chaos was both furious and amused:

"I was wondering how you dared appear before me and even mastered that golden escape technique. It seems you've brought reinforcements!

But so what? I, the Demon King of Chaos, even with the Water Curtain Cave under my control, and cursed by the countless vengeful spirits I've slain, am still invincible in this world!"

The Demon King of Chaos' arrogant attitude made Sun Wukong unable to figure out his true strength.

In Sun Wukong's eyes, the Demon King of Chaos was just a mere Immortal. Although he was the top practitioner in the mortal world, he was no different from most of Sun Wukong's fellow disciples in the Crescent Moon Three-Star Cave.

'Could this guy be pretending to be stronger, trying to make me underestimate him so he can launch a sneak attack?' Sun Wukong thought to himself.

He then loudly questioned:

"Who are you, demon? How dare you bully my children? What kind of power do you possess?"

The Demon King of Chaos was arrogant and domineering, with an unbothered gaze: "I, the Demon King of Chaos, am invincible under the heavens, unbeatable in the world. You're just a monkey with no skills, bare-handed and unremarkable. Are you here to seek death?"

Seeing the Demon King of Chaos's fearless demeanor, Sun Wukong didn't dare to be careless and immediately used all his strength.

The chaotic power capable of splitting the heavens, combined with numerous divine abilities, enveloped Sun Wukong. The surrounding space was distorted by the immense force.

All the power surged from Sun Wukong's fist as he shouted:

"Take this punch!"

Since Sun Wukong's punch concentrated all his energy in the attack, the divine light concealed it, making it appear like an ordinary punch. The Demon King of Chaos, thinking it was just a regular strike, charged forward, intending to clash with Sun Wukong's fist:

"Little monkey, watch as I kill you!"

When the two collided, Sun Wukong showed a surprised expression, while the Demon King of Chaos's face drastically changed. Before he could react, he was completely obliterated by the powerful punch. Not even a trace of his magical treasures remained.

Sun Wukong slowly withdrew his fist, dumbfounded, and muttered in disbelief: "Was he really this weak?"

He was speechless. The Demon King of Chaos was truly just a Scattered Immortal. How dare such a weak figure claim to be invincible in the world and spout such arrogant words?

Though he had heard about it from his master before, only now did Sun Wukong realize that even in the entire Primordial World, his own strength was at the peak!

Meanwhile, the Demon King of Chaos's minions, who had been strutting around and beating drums for their master, were now frozen in place. They couldn't believe that their Immortal master had been killed by this monkey with a single punch.

What kind of cultivation did this monkey have?

Some of the more clever little demons quickly realized what was happening and immediately rushed out of the Water Curtain Cave.

Now that their master was dead, they knew they stood no chance against this monkey.

Rather than stay and die, they decided to escape. There was still a slim chance of survival.

But Sun Wukong wouldn't let these demons, who had bullied his monkeys and grandchildren, get away. He casually used a divine power to kill them all.

The monkeys around, seeing the demons who had tormented them for years being dealt with by their king, cheered loudly: "Long live the king! Long live the Monkey King!"

The monkeys celebrated their victory in the Water Curtain Cave, drinking fine wine and eating delicious food, reveling in joy.

Just as they were full and content, a monkey hurriedly approached and reported: "Report, my king! There are demons outside, including one called the Bull Demon King, who have heard of your great powers and wish to meet you."

"Oh?" Sun Wukong was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that after just defeating the Demon King of Chaos, other demons would learn about it and come to seek him out.

Indeed, while his strength was immense, he was still vulnerable in certain aspects.

He decided to see whether the visitors came with good or bad intentions. If they were friendly, he would make allies; if not, he would eliminate them on the spot.

Sun Wukong thought for a moment and decided to meet them. However, suddenly, he froze in place, staring blankly ahead.

He saw a young man with white hair and blue eyes, exuding a misty aura, standing before him, smiling.

This person was none other than Alex, who had left the Heavenly Court after satisfying himself in the Moon Palace of the Guanghan.

Confirming that the figure before him was not an illusion, but indeed the mysterious immortal who had granted him the powerful Chaos power, Sun Wukong was immediately filled with excitement. He knelt on the ground and bowed to Alex:

"Disciple Sun Wukong, pays respects to the senior!"

For Wukong, there were only two people in the world whom he held in the utmost respect. One was naturally his master, the Bodhi Ancestor, who taught him the magical arts, and the other was the mysterious immortal who had granted him the powerful divine ability before he even began his cultivation.

To him, both held equal stature, both were revered seniors.

Alex assessed Sun Wukong's current cultivation and nodded inwardly.

Wukong had now reached the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. Compared to the original story, although they were in the same realm, his strength had been significantly enhanced.

The Great Luo Golden Immortal and the Taiyi Golden Immortal were both of the same cultivation level, but their statuses were completely different.

A Great Luo Golden Immortal practices the holy law passed down by saints, with strict rules and regulations, while a Taiyi Golden Immortal is someone who relies on unorthodox methods to achieve their status. While they are technically on the same level, in combat, the Taiyi Golden Immortal is usually at a disadvantage.

Only those born of innate nature, like Sun Wukong, can fight against a Great Luo Golden Immortal at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level.

For most other Taiyi Golden Immortals, they would not be able to match a Great Luo.

Now that Sun Wukong had achieved the Great Luo Golden Immortal fruit position, his strength had been greatly enhanced compared to the original story. If he were to face Yang Jian (Erlang Shen) now, he could likely suppress him.

Moreover, Sun Wukong didn't just have the Seventy-Two Earthly techniques; he also possessed the Thirty-Six Heavenly divine abilities, which greatly increased his combat abilities.

Furthermore, he had the Chaos power that Alex had taught him. This power, when cultivated to its peak, could allow him to reach the Saint-level of Dao through sheer force—a truly extraordinary force.

With all these accumulated factors, Sun Wukong could now possibly battle with quasi-saints without being defeated in a short time.

If he were to cause a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace at this moment, unless the quasi-saints intervened, he might actually be able to overthrow the Heavenly Court!

Noticing Sun Wukong's current cultivation, Alex praised him:

"Not bad, not bad. Compared to thirteen years ago, you've undergone a tremendous transformation.

But this is not enough

The Chaos power I gave you was to help you break the chains of fate, defy the heavens, and challenge the Dao. But your current strength is not enough to achieve this!

In the future, you must make the heavens unable to obscure your vision.

You must make the earth unable to bury your heart.

You must make all living beings understand your will.

You must make all the Buddhas vanish into thin air!"

As Sun Wukong was stunned by these magnificent words, Alex took a step forward, disappearing from his place and reappearing in front of Chang'e, who had just reported to the Jade Emperor.

Facing Su Mu's ambiguous smile, Chang'e felt her legs go weak, almost losing her balance. She could only offer an awkward and bitter smile in response.

---

Back at the original spot, Sun Wukong muttered to himself:

"I want the heavens to no longer block my eyes.

I want the earth to no longer bury my heart.

I want all living beings to understand my will.

I want all the Buddhas to vanish into thin air!

What incredible ambition! The senior is truly a great being!"

But when he opened his eyes, preparing to greet his senior and ask for answers to his doubts, he suddenly realized that the senior had already disappeared, just as he had thirteen years ago.

Thirteen years ago, he had been an ordinary mortal, unable to track the senior's whereabouts, which was to be expected.

But now, as a Great Luo Golden Immortal, he still couldn't detect a trace of the senior.

Indeed, the senior is truly a divine being!

Suddenly, Sun Wukong froze in place, as an influx of information flooded his mind.

At first, he thought this was another divine technique passed to him by his senior, but as he absorbed part of the information, he realized it wasn't a technique at all.

It was just a book, and on the cover were three golden characters:

Journey to the West!