Chapter 1: The Buddha, I, Sun Wukong, Refuse!

In the dark and desolate river of the Heavenly Dao, which floats at the boundary between various universes, is the place where the fragments of the Heavenly Dao’s laws blend together. Sun Wukong’s true spirit drifted within, and he had been drifting for an unknown amount of time. The Buddha light that enveloped his true spirit gradually weakened under the erosion of the Heavenly Dao’s law fragments and finally disappeared completely.

“Am I still not dead?”

Consciousness returned to his true spirit. Sun Wukong looked at his semi-transparent body, a bitter smile and a trace of unwillingness appeared on his face. “Only the soul and true spirit remain? Buddha, you didn’t expect that I, Sun Wukong, would not be eroded away in this river of the Heavenly Dao, did you?”

His thoughts seemed to return to the peak of Ling Mountain, inside the Great Thunder Sound Temple, to that plot of substitution and deceit...

“The first is the Stone Monkey of Lingming, who can transform and understand the timing of heaven and the advantages of the earth, and can move stars and change the heavens. The second is the Red-bottomed Horse Monkey...”

“Sun Wukong, out of compassion, I, the Buddha, give you one last chance. Swear a blood oath to the heart demon, completely convert to Buddhism, and recognize me as your master, never to have a second heart. I will help you remove this body of calamity and grant you the fruit of a Buddha. If you still refuse to convert, I can confine you for five hundred years, break your immortal body, and naturally find someone to replace you, making you completely disappear! Life or death, it’s all up to you. Don’t ruin yourself!”

Sun Wukong never imagined that the fake Sun Wukong was arranged by the Buddha. On the surface, the Buddha was explaining the four monkeys to everyone, but secretly, he used his divine will to create a temporary void space, forcibly pulling Sun Wukong’s divine will into it to threaten him.

Yes, a threat, a naked threat!

The heart demon blood oath is the greatest vow for cultivators. Whether it’s gods, immortals, deities, or demons, all must fulfill it. Once he swore to recognize the Buddha as his master, he would have to obey him completely, doing whatever the Buddha said, even if it meant completely breaking ties with the demon race or becoming a ruthless butcher. How could Sun Wukong possibly agree to such a vow?

He is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong! The one who caused chaos in the heavens, making the celestial deities lose their voices! How could he become someone else’s servant and puppet?

“Sun Wukong, your immortal body has been eroded away over the five hundred years under the Five Elements Mountain. Do you think I am still as powerless against you as I was five hundred years ago? If you don’t agree, I will let the Six-Eared Macaque replace you. He looks and sounds just like you, and no one will notice the difference. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, will gradually be forgotten by the world, and what will remain is only the Sun Wukong who guards the Buddha, the future Buddha of Victory in Battle, Sun Wukong!”

As the Buddha’s disdain and mockery echoed, Sun Wukong’s consciousness exited the void space. Seeing the hidden coldness in the Buddha’s eyes on the lotus throne, he felt a chill and wanted to escape, but was blocked by the bodhisattvas, arhats, and vajras in the temple. He transformed into a bee to escape but was captured by the Buddha’s golden bowl.

“Sun Wukong, your immortal body is broken. Do you think I will let you leave alive?”

The Buddha’s cold laughter echoed from within the golden bowl. In the next moment, a Buddha light enveloped him, forcibly changing his appearance into a small monkey with six ears, and all his immortal energy was restrained. The Ruyi Golden Cudgel was also taken away by the golden bowl.

“Buddha, I, Sun Wukong, refuse!”

Sun Wukong wanted to roar to the sky but found his voice as weak as a mosquito. In the next moment, the golden bowl flew up, and a huge iron rod descended from the sky. The last thing Sun Wukong saw was the fake Sun Wukong’s smug smile and the Buddha’s cold mockery, “Sun Wukong, I know you are born of heaven and earth, and your soul and true spirit cannot be easily destroyed. But if you are exiled to the turbulent river of the Heavenly Dao, you will eventually be eroded away! Accept your fate!”

Pain and darkness enveloped Sun Wukong, and he lost consciousness. When he regained it, he was in this state, with only his soul and true spirit remaining, drifting in the river of the Heavenly Dao.

“Buddha, you want me to accept my fate, but I, Sun Wukong, have never believed in fate! Wait, I will return one day and expose your false face. What are emperors and Buddhas? They are all nonsense!”

After roaring to the sky for a while, Sun Wukong had to face reality. He now had only his soul and true spirit, and he didn’t know how long he could survive in the river of the Heavenly Dao.

No, he couldn’t be so pessimistic. He is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. His fate is in his own hands, not in the hands of heaven! He must live and leave this place, he must!

The despair lasted only a moment. Soon, the indomitable spirit in his heart burned like a raging fire. Clenching his teeth, Sun Wukong began to draw the fragments of the Heavenly Dao’s laws floating nearby, absorbing them into his body and merging them with his soul and true spirit. This was an extremely risky move. If it went wrong, his soul and true spirit would be completely eroded. He was gambling, betting that his soul and true spirit could withstand the damage of the fusion.

The Buddha said, didn’t he? Sun Wukong is born of heaven and earth, and his soul and true spirit are special. Even a Buddha like the Buddha cannot easily destroy his soul and true spirit. This was his advantage and his only chance!

“Ahhh!”

As soon as the fragments of the Heavenly Dao’s laws entered his body, Sun Wukong felt a deep pain that pierced his soul, and he couldn’t help but scream. The mournful sound echoed in the river of the Heavenly Dao, lingering for a long time.

Years passed, perhaps a thousand, perhaps two thousand. Sun Wukong didn’t remember. After his soul and true spirit merged with the fragments of the Heavenly Dao’s laws, they gradually strengthened and adapted to life in the river of the Heavenly Dao, but he couldn’t find a way out. It was like a dead end with no exit.

One day, a mysterious fluctuation appeared in the river of the Heavenly Dao, and a spatial rift suddenly materialized. A mysterious jade talisman, inscribed with symbols that looked like the words for life and death or time and space, flew out of the spatial rift and was drawn to Sun Wukong’s soul and true spirit, entering through his forehead. A memory from another time and space flooded into Sun Wukong’s memory.

This was the Time and Space Life and Death Talisman, capable of reversing time and reviving the dead, but it could only be used three times by each owner. On the fourth use, it would leave to find a new owner.

The previous owner of the talisman was named Lin Yi, a cultivator from another time and space. In that time and space, there were many mythological legends, including the Journey to the West and the Investiture of the Gods, and the story of the Journey to the West was similar to Sun Wukong’s experiences.

As soon as the talisman entered his body, it merged with Sun Wukong’s soul and true spirit, recognizing him as its new owner.

A brilliant divine light emerged from the Time and Space Life and Death Talisman, enveloping Sun Wukong’s soul and true spirit in a sphere of light. The entire river of the Heavenly Dao began to tremble, and a spatial rift appeared next to the sphere. In the next moment, the sphere shrank and entered the spatial rift...

In the Immortal World, in the Eastern Continent of Victory, in the kingdom of Ao Lai, on the peak of Flower and Fruit Mountain.

Next to a huge immortal stone, a spatial rift suddenly appeared, and a sphere of light shot out and entered the immortal stone.

Inside the stone, Sun Wukong opened his eyes, and what he saw shocked him. Wasn’t this the immortal stone from which he was born? How did he return here? Sun Wukong looked at himself; his meridians were already mostly formed, but his internal organs were not fully developed. The Time and Space Life and Death Talisman was floating quietly in his forehead.

“Right, the Time and Space Life and Death Talisman can reverse time and revive the dead. It seems it has brought me back to before my birth.”

Sun Wukong’s mind flashed with understanding, and then a surge of joy filled his heart. This was a chance to start over! Good, good! There were too many regrets from his previous life. Since the talisman gave him a second chance, he would make up for all the regrets of his past life!

“Emperor Jade, Buddha, wait for me. I will take back everything from you, tenfold!”

A roar filled with hatred and defiance burst from Sun Wukong’s mouth, echoing in the stone, transforming into a rumbling sound that reverberated through the mountain peak, lasting for a long time.

After the roar, Sun Wukong gradually calmed down. To make up for the regrets of his past life, it wasn’t just about talking. He needed to change step by step, fundamentally making himself stronger, strong enough to never be stepped on again, never to be played with like a toy!

In his past life, Sun Wukong received the true teachings of Patriarch Puti, and his combat power shook the heavens and the immortals. However, there were many who were stronger than him. The Buddha, for example, and even Guanyin Bodhisattva could easily overpower him. Being confined under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, his cultivation did not improve at all, and even the immortal body he had cultivated through golden elixirs was eroded away. Ultimately, he was not strong enough!

The fundamental reason for all this, Sun Wukong knew, was because he was a demon, and demons naturally lacked one of the most important meridians compared to humans!

The cultivation methods of the ancient demon race had long been lost with the decline of the demon kingdom. The cultivation methods that were now passed down were designed for humans, based on human meridians.

When one’s cultivation was not high, the lack of this meridian had little impact. However, after reaching the level of a Great Immortal, the deficiency caused by the missing meridian became apparent, and the time and effort required to advance further were several times that of humans.

Without this key meridian, achieving enlightenment and becoming a sage was virtually impossible!

He must make up for this missing meridian, and now was the best opportunity to do so!

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