Great Demon Sun Wukong

With twelve Laws, one could reach the end of the Supreme Path, but even Dao Zhun knew only of this ultimate point. As for whether there were higher realms beyond, that was simply beyond Dao Zhun's imagination. Even the Pioneer, who had opened up such a vast universe, had never reached the end of the Supreme Path. Hence, no one knew if there were even loftier, more perilous realms above. If there were, how formidable might they be?

Perhaps, Dao Zhun had indeed created someone capable of reaching the end of the Supreme Path. Moreover, when Sun Wukong successfully integrated the Thirteenth Cosmic Law, Dao Zhun knew that Sun Wukong's future held limitless possibilities. The terminal point of the Supreme Path might just be his Starting Point. Of course, Wukong himself did not comprehend what all this meant. Although Dao Zhun had just spoken at length to him, Wukong was still immersed in the sorrow of Dao Zhun's sacrifice for him, hardly caring despite feeling the absorption of another Law after merging with the Twelfth.

Wukong was now in the depths of grief. Although he had not been in contact with Master Dao Zhun for long, Wukong had felt that genuine, selfless affection from Dao Zhun. Besides Sanzang and Patriarch Bodhi, no one else had shown Wukong such love. Dao Zhun had willingly offered up everything for him, ultimately even sacrificing his own life—how could this not plunge Wukong into inconsolable mourning?

Fortunately, Dao Zhun was in the midst of assisting Wukong with the absorption of Cosmic Laws; otherwise, Wukong might have once again been at risk of becoming possessed. And all those who had been observing Wukong actually had no idea what was happening to him. Wukong never shared with them that he was innately missing a Law, so in their eyes, Wukong was indeed absorbing Cosmic Laws. Does the absorption of Cosmic Laws mean that Sun Wukong has advanced in rank?

Here in the Patrolling Celestial World, and at such a critical moment, he was advancing in rank—something no one had anticipated. It was not until now that they remembered Sun Wukong's Cultivation seemed to only be at the Eight Patterns Supreme. No matter how much they speculated, they could never guess that Wukong had not only risen to Nine Patterns Supreme but also possessed the Thirteen Cosmic Laws. And, the act of absorbing Cosmic Laws had not stopped; it was merely concealed expertly by Dao Zhun. Aside from Wukong, everyone else, including the mighty Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent, believed that Wukong was still absorbing the Ninth Law, the Time Law.

The power of the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent far surpassed that of Rogue Heart Sword Hero and others, so it could discern that it was Dao Zhun who had shattered his own Law to let Wukong forcibly absorb it. The interest of the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent stemmed from two reasons. First, the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent also wished to ascend to a higher level. With its power reaching the limit of this universe, it was still unable to take human form due to the unique nature of its species, trapped in its enormous serpent body which demanded vast amounts of energy, forcing it into frequent slumbers.

Yet, it had no means to further its own power, so upon discovering Dao Zhun's intentions, it grew curious. If Dao Zhun succeeded, it meant that Heavenly and Earth Laws could be given or stolen. This would allow the serpent to obtain the Tenth Cosmic Law through other means, and then it could break through the Heavenly Venerate Realm. Indeed, this Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent was also of the Heavenly Venerate Realm. Thus, in this universe, the number of beings at the Heavenly Venerate Realm already far exceeded ten, and why that is, nobody knows.

The second reason was that the aura exuded by Wukong at the moment bore a faint similarity to its former master, igniting a deep sense of nostalgia. The Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent was not originally from this universe, especially this one, which had followed its human master when it was much smaller. However, it became trapped in this universe due to past events, and upon sensing a hint of its master's presence in Wukong, the serpent's curiosity and interest intensified.

It must be said, this Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent was very special, extraordinarily so. It not only had its own intelligence but could also control its innate desire for destruction. Had it been any other Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent, it probably would have begun a campaign of destruction long ago. While the serpent fantasized about obtaining the Tenth Cosmic Law to transform into human form, Wukong had already successfully absorbed the Fifteenth Cosmic Law.

When Wukong fully absorbed the Fifteenth Cosmic Law, the sucking force within his Sea of Consciousness finally vanished. Wukong then fell to his knees with a thud, knocking his head to the ground nine times in a row. Dao Zhun had perished, completely and utterly, without leaving behind even a fragment of Divine Sense. And what added to Wukong's grief was the fact that, to confront Xi Zhao, he had burned the Wonderful Bodhi Tree within him, thus driving the Five Elements Power with immense energy to reach the power of the Heavenly Venerate. Now, after Master Dao Zhun's fall, Wukong sorrowfully realized he hadn't retained anything to remember Dao Zhun by. Had he known, how could he have borne to burn the Wonderful Bodhi Tree?

When Sun Wukong successfully absorbed the fifteenth Cosmic Law, all the aura emanating from his body gradually settled into silence. However, the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent still did not move. Its eighteen massive eyes remained fixed on Sun Wukong, as if pondering something. Seeing that Sun Wukong had finished ascending and that the soul-shaking pressure had dissipated, the Rogue Heart Sword Hero and the others hurriedly ran over.

"Monkey, how did it go? How did you break through at a time like this?" Seeing Sun Wukong kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down his face, Flame God had a vague feeling that something was terribly wrong and quickly asked. Looking up at the people around him, Sun Wukong's gaze swept across each of their faces and finally settled on Flame God, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Master is dead. For me, Master sacrificed himself."

As soon as Sun Wukong spoke, Flame God almost collapsed to the ground, and behind him, Ye Wu also knelt down with a thump. Behind them, Ye Zi, who had been healing the Yu Fan Taoist Monk, wavered unsteadily. If Po Jun hadn't steadied him in time, Ye Zi would likely have collapsed outright. "I'm fine, I still need to heal the monk, don't worry, don't worry." Despite his words, Ye Zi's lips were already bitten and bleeding.

Ye Zi and Ye Wu, the orphaned tree spirits, had relied on each other for survival since they first gained spiritual wisdom. So, when Dao Zhun revived Ye Wu, the gratitude in Ye Zi's heart could not be expressed in words. His jesting claim to acknowledge Dao Zhun as his grandfather was not just talk. In Ye Zi's heart, he truly regarded Dao Zhun as an elder. It could be said that Ye Zi had never respected anyone as much as he did Dao Zhun. And for Ye Wu, Dao Zhun was directly his lifesaver.

Flame God's situation was similar to Ye Zi's. When he was very young, his whole clan was killed by Ling Weiyang and the Hidden Realm. The young Flame God had survived alone, constantly in hiding, until he grew up and was found and killed by the underlings of the Hidden Realm, which led him to the Netherworld World. Although Dao Zhun did not devote as much to Flame God as he did to Sun Wukong, he first allowed Flame God to comprehend the Space Law in his Mystic Space, and then, when they went to the Fangcun Spirit Realm, Dao Zhun led Flame God to understand the true essence of the Burst Phoenix Clan.

In the end, even when Dao Zhun took risks alone, he did not forget to let Flame God absorb the Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame. It could be said that without Dao Zhun, there would be no Immortal Burst Phoenix Flame God of today. It was Dao Zhun who gave him strength, allowing him to have the opportunity to avenge the Burst Phoenix Clan… Otherwise, depending on himself, he might not know how many tens of millions of years it would take. For Dao Zhun, Flame God possessed respect from the bottom of his heart, a respect no different from that for a parent.

Therefore, the death of Dao Zhun dealt a great blow not only to Sun Wukong but to all three of them.

But the dead cannot be brought back to life. No matter how grief-stricken they were, Dao Zhun's death was an indisputable fact. Moreover, now was not the time to be immersed in sorrow, as there were still many matters waiting for them.

And the most imminent was the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent in the sky, with its eighteen massive snake eyes.

"Wukong, do you think the few of us, facing that Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent, have a chance of victory?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for Monthly Pass and recommend votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)