Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 43 - Remembering Zixia in Front of Water

Having said that, they all rose and left the cave abode to meet Nezha in front of Water Curtain Cave.

“I wonder what brings you to Water Curtain Cave, Third Prince?” Wukong greeted with a bow and a smile.

“Third Prince… Don’t call me Third Prince; I despise that title!” Nezha frowned and said, “The day you killed Li Jing, I didn’t save him, which angered Jinzha and Muzha as well as the Heavenly Court. Now the Heavenly Court is after me, and I have nowhere else to go but to seek you all out. Will you allow me to join you?”

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor was elated as he was always eager to recruit talented individuals, which was why his great Qin Empire existed.

Without even lifting an eyelid, Wukong said, “Oh? Is that so?”

Nezha then swore solemnly to the heavens, “If there is any falsehood in my words, may the heavens strike me with thunder, may I never reincarnate, and may my divine soul be annihilated!”

Listening to his oath, the First Emperor Ying Zheng clapped his hands twice and laughed heartily, “Good!”

Wukong also nodded, “Since you have sworn such an oath, we will believe you. In that case, please come into the cave abode for a talk!”

Bai Qi muttered discontentedly, “And here I thought I’d get a fight.”

The Heaven-Defying Taoist then said, “Nezha is highly skilled in martial arts; you all will undoubtedly have plenty of time for sparring in the future.”

They all entered the cave abode to have a detailed discussion on important matters. Nezha had no intention of betraying the Heavenly Court, but given the circumstances, he was compelled to do so and had grown quite resentful of the Heavenly Court. He then shared everything he knew about the Heavenly Court, which helped them realize the profound depth of its foundations. However, some details Nezha provided were vague, indicating his limited knowledge about some of the Heavenly Court’s secrets.

Shen Gongbao chuckled and said, “Nowadays, the Heavenly Court seems unified only in appearance but divided in spirit. Many must be eager to disgrace the Supreme Ziwei Great Emperor of the Jade Purity Heaven. Yet, if someone truly intends to overthrow the Heavenly Court, those people will certainly not stand idly by.”

Jiang Ziya, who once had significant influence over divine matters, was someone Shen Gongbao had deeply envied, leading him to oppose Jiang at every turn until Lord of Primordial Beginning, infuriated, left Shen with no choice but to flee and join the Tong Tian Sect Master under the Jie Taoist sect. After the defeat of the Tong Tian Sect Master, Shen Gongbao became the scapegoat and was suppressed in the depths of the North Sea for a thousand years. Having finally escaped, his resentment towards the Heavenly Court ran incredibly deep.

These individuals, joined by a common goal, were united in their desire to overthrow the Heavenly Court.

Nezha said, “My master bestowed upon me the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, which protected me as I aggressively fled the Heavenly Court. Otherwise, escaping unscathed would have been impossible.”

Shen Gongbao, now acquainted with Nezha, realized his master was Taiyi Real Man, who had once been his fellow sect brother. However, since he now belonged to the Jie Taoist, the bond with his brother had evaporated. For those of the Chan Taoist, only deep-seated hatred remained.

Wukong thought to himself, “Taiyi Real Man is a disciple under the Heavenly Lord of the Chan Taoist Sect and he helped Nezha betray the Heavenly Court? This is serious. Although several of the Twelve Golden Immortals have turned to the Buddhist Sect, the remaining eight still represent the authority of the Jade Purity Heaven. His actions must have been guided by a Saint’s directive.”

Saintly tactics are indeed unfathomable, Wukong speculated wildly, fearing he was being manipulated again.

By now, the power of Water Curtain Cave was formidable enough to cause concern among various forces. The addition of Nezha was like icing on the cake, with Daluo Golden Immortals Ying Zheng and Shen Gongbao, Taiyi Golden Immortals Wukong, Heaven-Defying Taoist, Xu Fu, Bai Qi, and Nezha building a force that anyone would envy.

After their discussion, Ying Zheng decided to go into seclusion to transcend his tribulation, the daunting Heart Demon Tribulation.

All matters were handed over to Shen Gongbao, who had ample experience from his days as a military advisor to King Zhou.

Understanding the intent, Wukong and Heaven-Defying Taoist went into their own seclusions, walking slowly away from the once-famous Water Curtain Cave.

On this cliff, there once was a stone, with a Ziwei flower upon it.

The Ziwei flower had nestled against the stone for countless millennia.

Eventually, the rock transformed into Wukong, who learned spells, and Ziwei flower also achieved the Immortal Dao, ascending to the Celestial Palace…

But now, things have changed, the blue sea turned into mulberry fields.

Though Water Curtain Cave had recovered, where was that flower?

He sat cross-legged here all day, just as if he had turned into a stone, his body the seed left by Zixia; thus coming here, he naturally felt an extreme closeness. He knew this world had the Six Paths of Reincarnation, but he didn’t know whether Zixia had died, so he decided to enter into Reincarnation, to see if Zixia was still alive. The Extermination Immortal Sword left by the Tong Tian Sect Master was his greatest support, killing Buddhas in its path, slaughtering deities who obstructed him!

“Wukong, I knew you would eventually return to Water Curtain Cave, so I buried the seed early. You shielded me from wind and rain for tens of thousands of years, I was but a ziwei flower that grew clinging to you… and now, this is all I can help you with.”

He seemed to hear her voice, he saw the celestial deities high above, this frail woman boldly drew her sword, defying the heavens, but was ruthlessly struck down time and again; later, Erlang manifested with his Three-pointed Double-edged Sword, shattering her spiritual platform, her Primordial Spirit about to be extinguished… At the last moment when Water Curtain Cave burned to ashes, she, with immense willpower and enduring the agony of her soul vanishing, gathered all her spiritual essence and left her final word, burying this seed into the ground.

Although Wukong understood this was the past during his Combat Meditation with Bodhidharma, how could he not be heartbroken coming here?

The heart that once knew nothing of love suddenly agonized.

So, this is what love is.

Is it only after suffering that we can understand such profound emotions?

Is it only after losing that we can realize her existence?

He only knew the ziwei flower clung to him for millions of years before disappearing; he did not care much until he was struck dead by Buddha and returned to Water Curtain Cave, only then did he realize, oh, she had achieved Immortal Dao, she sacrificed herself to protect Water Curtain Cave, for Wukong to survive. He even had not spoken a single word to her!

What kind of pain was this?

—Is someone silently watching your back, feeling pity for your loneliness?

—Is someone silently watching you from the crowd, seeing you defy the Three Realms, worrying for you?

—So, her name was Zixia, she had always been watching me…

Wukong roared to the sky, intimidating the heavens!

The Heaven-Defying Taoist’s eyes snapped open, the Extermination Immortal Sword quivering behind him, its murderous aura enveloping ninety thousand li!

Everyone felt that tremendous aura of fear, making them shudder, yet this murderous aura contained an essence called desolation, called loneliness, called solitude… This essence seemed only able to be resolved with the tears of a loved one as the cure.

Within a radius of ninety thousand li, all demon beasts prostrated, all mortals stood dumbfounded, all deities and Bodhisattvas were in extreme fear!

Xu Fu exclaimed in shock, “What has happened!”

“Zixia!!!”

The sorrow in Wukong’s heart could no longer be contained, and with a roar, he and the Heaven-Defying Taoist turned into two rays of golden light, heading toward the realm of Reincarnation! He intended to break through Reincarnation, he wanted to find her, to find back that girl who had silently given everything for him… that girl… named Zixia.

“This time, even if it costs me my life, I must find trace of you!”

“This time, even if I am suppressed for tens of millions of years, I must see your face!”

“I am no longer that ignorant, impetuous monkey Sun Wukong, I am the stone that protected you for tens of millions of years…”

Shen Gongbao cried out, “Fellow Taoist please wait, where are you going?!”

After hearing Shen Gongbao’s “Fellow Taoist please wait,” Wukong’s heart sank, but he could not care for these any longer, only leaving behind a phrase, two words: “Reincarnation!”

The Heaven-Defying Taoist merged into a blue light with Wukong, entering straight into the Nine Nether Hell, the Six Paths of Reincarnation…

This time, he could not remain calm!

Was this a demonic barrier?

Was this a root of emotion?

Was this impulsiveness?

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This was… no one knew what this was, not even Wukong himself understood, he only knew, her name was Zixia, he needed to see her, he needed to know whether she was still there.