Great Demon Sun Wukong

The wait was not long for Sun Wukong and the others; as soon as he detected the soul energy of the little monkey within the armored figure, the transformation began. Enveloped in green light, the figure started to shrink slowly, and the green light gradually morphed into a yellow glow. It took just over a quarter of a Chinese hour, with the green turning wholly into a dull, earthy yellow, and the figure had diminished to less than one meter in height.

When the yellow light dissipated, the little monkey reappeared before everyone's eyes. Yet, the monkey now looked even more shriveled and frail than before, to the point where it seemed as if he could be blown away by a mere gust of wind. Opening his eyes, looking at Sun Wukong and Ye Zi, and the Dragon Emperor and Ming Tiekuang beside him, the little monkey managed a weak chuckle and said, "I knew you would succeed, Ling Ming. I need to rest now, you should let Ye Zi guide you to the next target."

Having said that, the little monkey closed his weary eyes, and his entire being transformed into a beam of yellow light once more. The light swiftly condensed and eventually became a fist-sized, earthy yellow bead. Sun Wukong was utterly astonished at this bead for it was a Soul Bead. The little monkey had actually transformed into a Soul Bead, something Sun Wukong found hard to believe. Ye Zi, however, was not as surprised as Sun Wukong and explained, "There's nothing to be amazed at. His soul is significantly drained, and that's why he has solidified the power of his soul into a Soul Bead. This way, he can absorb stray soul energy to the greatest extent. So, Great Saint, what's our next target?"

Sun Wukong put away the Soul Bead the little monkey had turned into and kept it close to his chest, saying, "According to the plan made by Through-back earlier, our next targets after including you and the Dragon Emperor are Wu Ming of the Mist Demon Race then the Zombie King Hei Kui. After we get both of them on board, we can head back." Just as Sun Wukong finished his sentence, he heard the Vajra Ape lying on the ground calling him. He turned and walked over to Vajra Ape, checking his injuries once more and finding that the wounds were healing rapidly. Sun Wukong said, "Once your wounds are fully healed, I'll send you back."

Yet, Vajra Ape suddenly grabbed Sun Wukong's arm, hesitating briefly before saying, "Great Saint, I am sorry for opposing you for so long!" Sun Wukong patted the shoulder of Vajra Ape, or Wu Zhiqi, and said, "No worries, you must have had your reasons. Since we've met here again, that's the arrangement of fate. If there are things you'd rather not speak of, I won't ask. Everyone has secrets; no matter what, you're forever my dear brother!" Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

Wu Zhiqi, of the Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey lineage, together with Ling Ming Stone Monkey Sun Wukong, Through-back Ape Yuan Wusi, and Six-Eared Macaque Demon Emperor, are known as the four great Monkeys. However, unlike the other three, including Sun Wukong, who left to pursue their studies, Wu Zhiqi remained on Flower Fruit Mountain. Although his talents were exceptional, the lack of guidance meant he could only practice on his own. Even so, after Sun Wukong embarked on his journey to the Western Paradise, Wu Zhiqi achieved the realm of a Daluo Golden Immortal.

He even reached the level of a Half-Emperor during Sun Wukong's leadership of the Demon Clan's counterattack against Heaven. Unfortunately, in that battle, Buddhism launched a stealth attack, resulting in heavy losses for the Demon Clan, and Wu Zhiqi was trapped in Western Paradise Sacred Mountain. In a situation where escape seemed impossible, Wu Zhiqi sacrificed his life to breach the Netherworld, inviting the Endless Blood Sea to flood Spiritual Mount, catastrophically devastating the Buddhist Holy Land of Western Paradise Sacred Mountain. This caused Buddhism's foundation to falter, and its followers nearly went mad with grief.

At that time, Sun Wukong believed Wu Zhiqi had surely perished, even erecting a tombstone for him on Flower Fruit Mountain. Yet, unexpectedly, Sun Wukong encountered Wu Zhiqi in the Patrolling Celestial World, and what confounded Sun Wukong even more was that Wu Zhiqi was in fact the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape he had summoned himself through the Nine Decisions. This left Sun Wukong utterly baffled; if the little monkey's plight was understandable, Wu Zhiqi's appearance was truly beyond comprehension.

Because he could not figure it out, Sun Wukong did not pressure Wu Zhiqi. The events that had transpired were surely far from simple; otherwise, given their relationship, Wu Zhiqi would have spoken of them himself. As events unfolded, Sun Wukong was beginning to feel engulfed by a massive whirlpool, with unimaginable incidents happening right before his eyes.

Upon hearing Sun Wukong's words, Wu Zhiqi appeared very excited, and his grip on Sun Wukong's arm even had a slight tremble. When Wu Zhiqi appeared as the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape, he recognized Sun Wukong right away, but he did not reveal his own identity. The events that had transpired were so bizarre that even he found them difficult to accept, let alone Sun Wukong. And now his appearance had completely changed; he didn't think Sun Wukong could recognize him. Rather than expose his identity and invite all sorts of trouble, Wu Zhiqi chose to continue protecting Sun Wukong from the shadows as the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape.

That was what he thought and what he did. By relying on the subtle connection he had with Sun Wukong, he would appear by Sun Wukong's side every time he was summoned. Otherwise, with the Spirit Summoning Rule among the Nine Decisions, the summoned creatures were random; it would have been impossible to summon the same entity numerous times in a row. Until today, upon realizing that Sun Wukong would die if he lost this battle, Wu Zhiqi eventually risked his life to buy time for Sun Wukong, revealing his identity only when he thought his death was certain.

What surprised him even more was that Sun Wukong had managed to revive him using Ye Zi and the Wonderful Bodhi Tree, so at the moment, Wu Zhiqi felt quite awkward. It's like thinking you're dying of a terminal illness and confessing to your wife about when you've screwed up, only for the doctor to tell you it was a misdiagnosis and you can be discharged—the feeling then is definitely terrible. Not dying is worth celebrating, but Wu Zhiqi really didn't know how to explain himself to Sun Wukong.

"Great Saint, do you truly believe that I am Wu Zhiqi? Now that I look like this..." Releasing his grip on Sun Wukong's arm, Wu Zhiqi slowly sat up and tentatively asked. Sun Wukong smiled indifferently and said, "Having been brothers for so many years, if I still couldn't confirm your identity, then I might as well discard my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils." Before, he had never suspected the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape of anything, but once Wu Zhiqi revealed his identity, Sun Wukong's Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils already affirmed that it was indeed Wu Zhiqi, or rather, Wu Zhiqi's soul.

Helping Wu Zhiqi to sit up straight, Sun Wukong said, "I have a lot more to do next, would you help me?" Without any hesitation, Wu Zhiqi nodded. Since he discovered that not only had he not died but he had also become one of Sun Wukong's summoned creatures, the meaning he found in living was to protect Sun Wukong, so right now there was no hesitation.

Sun Wukong nodded slightly in response and then turned to Ye Zi and the others, "Rest for a Chinese hour; we'll set off after a Chinese hour." Having said this, Sun Wukong sat cross-legged behind Wu Zhiqi and placed his palms on Wu Zhiqi's back. Using his Five Elements Balance power and the principle of Five Elements Mutual Generation, he helped Wu Zhiqi recover from his injuries quickly. Now, Sun Wukong was feeling increasingly certain about the strength of Five Elements Balance.

Not only could it neutralize the majority of Elemental Spell Attacks through the principle of Five Elements Mutual Restraint, but it could also provide an almost endless supply of Spiritual Power through Five Elements Mutual Generation. Moreover, the harmonious flow of Five Elements Power also had a potent auxiliary effect on injury recovery. For physical defense, he had the Three Thousand Barren Soil, for elemental defense, he had the Five Elements Power, and just now, the Saint Armor Turtle's shell had been imprinted onto the back of his hand. When he found time, he would have to see if he could use that shell; if he could, his defensive power would definitely ascend another whole level.

It seems his arsenal was ever-increasing; just the fusion of his abilities with Wu Zhiqi's alone made countless possibilities for Sun Wukong's combat approach. Just think: Nine Decisions Vajra Ape Wu Zhiqi, clad in an Armor made of Wasteland Soil, wielding an axe born from the Primordial Earth and Heavensplitting Strike, and capable of utilizing both Chaos Five Decisions and Nine Decisions. Add to that the ability to move through Spatial Sand—just how powerful would Wu Zhiqi become? Not to mention, with Wu Zhiqi's existing strength plus the Chaos Giant Transformation, his strength, speed, attack, and defense would definitely reach a terrifying degree.

What Sun Wukong lacked the most now was time; he truly needed a substantial period to integrate these abilities. But things do not always go as one wishes. He could only hope that after subduing Wu Ming and Hei Kui, he would have some time. That way, in the final battle, he would have a bit more assurance.