Great Demon Sun Wukong

However, this feeling of worry did not last long. The initial suspicion and vigilance slowly faded away in the subsequent days, until they finally disappeared altogether. Everything was too familiar to Sun Wukong, so familiar that he couldn’t muster even a bit of caution. It was as if his life was meant to be this way, slowly, step by step, heading westward with his master and brother disciples.

As for why or what was there, these no longer seemed important. Having a direction was enough. They would travel when the sun rose, rest when it climbed a few spans into the sky, recommence their journey when it slanted, and when the sun set, they would find a place to rest for the night.

Occasionally, they would encounter a demon who wanted to eat Tang Sanzang, but there were also many kind people who would offer them meals or shelter. And so, their journey continued without much incident, and Sun Wukong entirely forgot certain things, engrossed in this world of traveling to the west, forgetting himself.

Until one day, they encountered a tree. It was so large that Sun Wukong could not see the end of it even after flying for a long time. Yet, in his heart, Sun Wukong had a strange feeling that he had to see the top of this tree—there must be something very important up there.

Finally, Sun Wukong reached the top of the tree. Only then did he realize how massive it was, for the top of the tree had grown into the void, meaning it was larger than the world itself!

This feeling of flying in one direction, all the way to the horizon, was very familiar to Sun Wukong. It was like, like the time he made a bet with Tathagata Buddha and thought he had reached the edge of the sky, only to find out it was Tathagata Buddha’s five fingers.

With this thought, Sun Wukong chuckled, then pulled down his pants and took a leak. Just as he was pulling up his pants and preparing to write "The Great Sage Equalling Heaven was here," a voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

"You monkey, when will you ever change your bad habits? Peeing again—are you not afraid of being crushed under a mountain for another five hundred years?"

Feeling smug, Sun Wukong suddenly turned around only to find no one there. But when he turned his head back, there was an old man in front of him. Sun Wukong leaped back three zhangs away but then chuckled and said, "Master, when did you get here? Heh heh, heh heh."

The arrival was none other than Patriarch Subhuti, Sun Wukong’s mentor!

"Hmph, if I hadn’t come, you would have been struck dead by lightning," he said.

"Struck by lightning? Master, what nonsense are you talking about? It’s a perfectly fine day; there’s no lightning."

"You, you are afraid of neither heaven nor earth, only this Heart Demon Illusion. Aren’t you going to wake up soon?"

As he uttered the last sentence, Subhuti exerted all his mana, trying to break this illusory world. Sun Wukong, however, suddenly activated his fiery eyes and golden pupils, looking towards Patriarch Subhuti.

"It’s not a demon after all, Master, what’s going on? What are you trying to do?"

"Wukong, how much longer will you indulge in this delusion? What is lost is lost, finding it again would be fine, but it’s normal if you can’t. You can’t covet this illusory world any longer.

At the end of illusions lies complete destruction," Patriarch Subhuti lamented as his mana surged, waving his hands, a Bodhi Branch resembling a withered twig materialized in the void and then was plunged into the great tree beneath him.

As the withered Bodhi Branch started to beat like a heart, with every beat, the giant tree wilted a little more. And with each bit of the tree’s wilting, the world acquired another crack.

"Master, what are you doing? If you keep this up, the world will be destroyed, and they will all die! Master, please stop!"

But no matter how Sun Wukong tried to stop him, Subhuti did not cease at all. Instead, he intensified the influence of his mana, and the world’s fracturing accelerated.

"No, no, no, I don’t want them to die, I don’t want them to die, stop it!" Watching the world gradually shatter, Sun Wukong panicked. Without further care, he instantly dashed to Patriarch Subhuti’s side.

"Master, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you destroy this world."

After speaking, Sun Wukong transformed into a giant ape fifty meters tall and punched at Patriarch Subhuti. But Subhuti

did not dodge; instead, he looked up, smiling, and suddenly vanished from the spot. Thinking that Subhuti had given up on destroying this world, Sun Wukong quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Therefore, he didn’t dare delay any longer and swiftly returned to his original form as he descended towards the bottom of the tree. For his master and brothers were resting there.

However, when Sun Wukong touched down, what he saw were the corpses of Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse, and not far from them, Patriarch Subhuti, who had just shattered Tang Sanzang’s heart meridian with a palm!

Sun Wukong’s head was a mess, and it was almost exploding. Why, why did Master kill them?

"Ahh, why, why did you kill them? If you killed them, why didn’t you kill me too? Just kill me, kill me. What’s the point of living alone?"

In his roar, Sun Wukong saw the face of Patriarch Subhuti, filled with unbearable sorrow, holding the Bodhi Branch and pointing it at himself. Then, Sun Wukong suddenly felt darkness before his eyes, and he, was already dead!

An endless darkness enveloped Sun Wukong, a complete pitch-blackness without a trace of light. But suddenly, Sun Wukong felt a piercing pain in his mind, and then he abruptly opened his eyes!

The moment Sun Wukong opened his eyes, he understood everything. It turned out that what had just happened was but a dream, and now he was truly awake. However, if possible, he really wished he could fall back into that dream and never wake up.

With a wry smile, feeling his body, Sun Wukong felt even more helpless. His left arm was gone, not only were his limbs utterly destroyed, but even his internal organs had been completely obliterated. Yet, he couldn’t die. Normally, with his physical body destroyed to this extent, he should have died.

But not only was he alive, it seemed like his Divine Soul had strengthened, meaning his consciousness had become even clearer.

So clear that he could feel his physical body slowly dissipating. Although the speed was greatly reduced when he woke up, it was still happening. If he couldn’t think of something, he, would truly die. The feeling of being killed by Master’s strike in that dream was too terrifying.

Right, where was Master? If Master could save him in the dream, he must be nearby.

"Stop looking, bow your head, my mana is severely depleted, and I have been reverted to my original form by the Heavenly Dao."

Hearing this familiar voice, Sun Wukong suddenly looked down and saw a Bodhi Tree planted in front of him on the ground.

"Master, you, how could you?"

"You monkey, you still have the leisure to worry about me? I’ve lived too long already; it’s time for me to rest. However, I still can’t stop worrying about you."

"What do you mean, Master? You surely can live for another seven or eight calamities."

"Wukong, after I’m gone, everything will depend on you alone. Remember, you are the chosen one, not even the Heavenly Dao can destroy you. This world is just the beginning, your path is still a long one!"

After speaking, before Sun Wukong could say anything, the small Bodhi tree suddenly turned into a beam of green light and directly broke through the Destructive Divine Thunder that split the Nine Heavens, entering Sun Wukong’s body.

Then, a green radiance burst forth from Sun Wukong’s body, the light soaring into the sky, actually managing to push back the Destructive Divine Thunder from the Nine Heavens.

It seemed as if the Nine Heavens sensed this power daring to defy the Heavenly Dao and suddenly sent down four more Destructive Divine Thunders, intending to obliterate Sun Wukong.

However, at the same time, four beams of light burst forth from within Sun Wukong’s body, combining with the previous green light to form a Five-Colored Pentagram floating above Sun Wukong’s head, shielding him against the Destructive Divine Thunder from the Nine Heavens.

"Wukong, I’ve used my life-bound Bodhi Ancestor Tree to awaken the Wood Attribute Divine Stone within you, making you into an unprecedented Five Elements Chaotic Body. This is a body that only Pangu the Great God possessed. From now on, take good care of yourself!"

"Master, Master, Master, are you also leaving me, Master!"

Tears streaming down his face, his heart torn apart by grief.

Compared to this so-called Five Elements Chaotic Body, Sun Wukong much preferred to see his Master. Why must everyone sacrifice themselves for his sake? Wouldn’t it be alright if everyone just lived well?

Nezha, Hong Hai’er, and even Master at the end, do I really deserve your sacrifices? Do you know the power you exchanged with your lives is such a pain to me?

But the reality was as such, and very soon, Sun Wukong began to feel the formidable nature of the Five Elements Chaotic Body!