Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 62 - Not Called Great Saint but Rebel Sage

The Great Might Heavenly Dragon moved swiftly; his Mana was after all profound. As Wukong fought against him, it felt rather elusive–a strange sensation. This realm, the Daluo Golden Immortal, seemed to grasp some mysterious rules which Wukong completely failed to predict the attacking trajectory of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon!

“Boom!”

A punch from the Great Might Heavenly Dragon came crashing down, the punch wind was mighty, stirring up the surrounding air, shattering large rocks all around.

As Wukong cast his Dharma Decree, unable to dodge, the Green Lotus atop his head suddenly shook, a green light bearing Chaos Qi swooshed down, deflecting the Great Might Heavenly Dragon’s fist; then with his left hand, Wukong swept the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk across, striking directly across the Great Might Heavenly Dragon’s face! A dull grunt was heard as he somersaulted backward, with the Dragon Elephant beneath him rolling constantly as well.

Wukong knocking over the Great Might Heavenly Dragon was not through his own skill but through a Magical Treasure. Without the Green Lotus, that punch might have broken his bones and sinews.

“Toward-Spring Finger!” Wukong pointed his finger, coordinating with the Green Lotus, and a green light flashed, all vegetation turning toward spring, a massive log thunderously struck the Great Might Heavenly Dragon.

The Great Might Heavenly Dragon roared furiously, his power capable of shaking Mount Sumeru exploded forth, with a slap, he instantly shattered the thousand-yard-long log, albeit injuring himself as well—truly horrifying!

Suddenly, a golden light flew from the left, greatly alarming Wukong. It was a golden rope, the Immortal Binding Rope once feared by the Twelve Golden Immortals and now restraining Sun Wukong! This Immortal Binding Rope was exceedingly powerful; once it made contact, it clung like a large python which could not be shaken off, binding a person such that they could not gather their essence, spirit, or Mana, stopping even the Primordial Spirit from escaping.

Wukong raised his staff to strike, knowing that against a soft weapon one should aim for the head. If he hit the middle, with a twist and a curl, wouldn’t it bind him? The Buddha Beating Staff shone brightly, Mana surging; with one swing, the tip of the rope was sent flying, but the tail curled back around.

The First Emperor shouted “Hurry!” and his Son of Heaven Sword flew out, the dual sword lights driving the Immortal Binding Rope back, Wukong chased after it with another fierce strike that sent it flying. But that wasn’t all; a square bag descended from the sky, aiming right at Wukong.

“Qiankun Bag!” exclaimed Wukong, wielding his dust whisk forcefully, and the Golden Crow Law Body appeared, with scorching solar essence showering down!

The restraining Buddha was immediately alarmed, hastily casting a spell, recalling both Magical Treasures.

Wukong then saw that the restraining Buddha was hiding among the crowd, and after recalling the Qiankun Bag and Immortal Binding Rope, he executed the Soaring Earth Golden Light and vanished in the blink of an eye. The Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva also performed a Dharma Decree, transforming into a wisp of cyan smoke that dispersed without a trace.

Wukong sneered, twirled the Buddha Beating Staff in his hand twice, shrank it to half an inch long, and tucked it into his ear.

“You damn monkey, I knew you weren’t dead!” roared the Bull Demon King, raising his staff to strike Wukong.

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But Wukong burst out laughing, slapped away the Bull Demon King’s staff, and said, “If I died that easily, who would be left to kill Tathagata? To kill the Jade Emperor?”

The Bull Demon King suddenly embraced Wukong, saying, “I had a feeling there was something off about that Heaven-Defying Taoist—it was you, you damn monkey! Heh, son of a bear!”

Nezha also approached laughing, and said, “Such a Wukong, I knew you were capable. I never expected you to escape from the Tathagata’s clutches alive! Ha ha, ha ha ha, if this news gets out, I’m afraid Tathagata’s reputation will no longer be worth anything!”

The group rejoiced, and Wukong shared how he had grasped a moment to allow a wisp of his Primordial Spirit to escape, but he strictly avoided mentioning the Hongmeng Purple Qi. This matter was too significant; one could even become a Saint through its aid—such a temptation could lead even a father to kill his own son.

Everyone was overjoyed yet kept it discreet.

Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva and Ju Liusun Buddha sprinted swiftly, covering 180,960 miles before halting.

Great Might Heavenly Dragon stopped and said, “You miscalculated, the power of Water Curtain Cave is immense. If we are to force an attack, I fear we will have to send back to Tianzhu for troops.”

Ju Liusun Buddha brought his hands together, chanting “Amitabha Buddha” before speaking, “What’s even more astonishing is that Sun Wukong was not killed by the Buddha Ancestor! This time, he actually appeared right before us, alive and well—he is the Heaven-Defying Taoist, and he is behind those actions that disgraced our Buddhist Sect… Now, his influence will likely be even greater, and the Buddha Ancestor is going to lose face this time.”

Great Might Heavenly Dragon frowned and sighed, “This fellow really hit the jackpot, managing to escape from the hands of the Buddha Ancestor! If it were me, I fear I could not have escaped.”

Ju Liusun Buddha shook his head and said, “This macaque is transformed from a Five-Colored Stone left behind by Goddess Nuwa when she mended the heavens. This Five-Colored Stone is quite extraordinary; heh, after being refined by Hong Jun Taoist Patriarch in the Qiankun Cauldron and adding merit from mending the heavens, having great fate is not surprising. However, this time, our Buddhist Sect is destined to become a laughing stock, especially the Buddha Ancestor. I’m afraid he won’t get over this shame.”

Great Might Heavenly Dragon took a deep breath and sighed, “I just hope the Buddha Ancestor can keep his composure. Now the dispute between Buddha and Tao is fierce beyond comparison, and one false step could mean total loss! This matter, I will send a Buddhist disciple back to Western Heavenly Buddha Land to report to the Burning Lamp Buddha Ancestor, who will then inform the Tathagata Buddha Ancestor. This is the proper way.”

Ju Liusun Buddha nodded, “My master has always been prudent in his actions. It’s feasible!”

Wukong was merely a pawn, yet the one playing the chess game failed to kill this pawn, a truly humiliating situation. Of course, even if Tathagata himself descended personally and slapped Wukong dead, he couldn’t regain his lost face, especially since Wukong possessed the Hongmeng Purple Qi. Unless the Three Pure Ones joined forces to cast spells, it would be difficult to plot against him. Even if Tathagata wanted to kill him, he likely couldn’t pinpoint his location.

Of course, if Tathagata were really to take action, causing a great uproar in the Western Heavenly Buddha Land, the Three Pure Ones wouldn’t mind scheming against them once more and severely damaging his reputation again.

Great Might Heavenly Dragon summoned an earth deity, instructing him to send a message to his Buddhist disciple to report back to the Western Heavenly Buddha Land to inform the Burning Lamp Buddha Ancestor of this event.

This earth deity, being quite gossipy, spoke to a deity from the underworld, and so the news that Monkey King, Great Sage Equalling Heaven Sun Wukong was not dead spread rapidly.

Great Might Heavenly Dragon asked, “What should we do now?”

Ju Liusun Buddha sighed, “Forcing our way seems impossible, and if too many top experts from our Buddhist Sect enter Southern Ridge, I fear it will provoke those ancient figures who have survived four great epochs to take action. Those people from the ancient times are not someone even the Buddha Ancestor can easily handle!”

Great Might Heavenly Dragon frowned and said, “I know all that; I’m asking you what we should do!”

Ju Liusun Buddha replied, “What should we do? We must rely on the power we have built up over the years.”

Great Might Heavenly Dragon said, “It’s said that Gou Chen, the Emperor of the Extreme West, has established the Emperor’s Path Ranking. This ranking list was personally consecrated by Green Emperor Ling Weiyang to select the next Green Emperor! I belong to the Dragon Elephant Clan, so I can join the ranking. You go to the various Buddha Ancestors in the Western Heavenly Buddha Land and borrow some magical treasures for me. When I meet Sun Wukong, I will surely kill him!”

Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva was indeed formidable, never speaking of compassion but solely intent on killing Wukong outright.

Ju Liusun Buddha said, “Then I’ll first lend you the Immortal Binding Rope.”

Ju Liusun Buddha handed over the Immortal Binding Rope to Great Might Heavenly Dragon, also instructing him on the incantations and consecration methods to use.

Great Might Heavenly Dragon memorized every word and said, “I will return to the Dragon Elephant Clan for a while.”

Ju Liusun Buddha said, “Go ahead. I will also seek out the power we have built up over the years. We have, at least, a couple of Taiyi Golden Immortals. At that time, they can compete on that Emperor’s Path Ranking and create some obstacles and troubles for Sun Wukong, which would be good.”

Great Might Heavenly Dragon then said, “I bid you farewell!”

After speaking, the two went their separate ways and carried on with their respective tasks, not mentioned further.

Meanwhile, Wukong was on Water Curtain Cave, feasting with others and discussing recent events, coming to the topic of killing Tang Sanzang, which made everyone pound the table in approval! After a round of hearty drinking, Wukong laughed and said, “Now, I no longer wish to be called Great Sage Equalling Heaven!”

The First Emperor laughed, “Oh? What title would you prefer, friend?”

Wukong proudly declared, “If I am to be called something, it would be Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage! Heaven is the greatest, and only equal to it, but beneath the heavens, there are the Heavenly Dao Saints. These people use me as a pawn, so I shall defy them! To overturn it all! From today onward, I am no longer Great Sage Equalling Heaven, but—Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage!”

“Excellent, an excellent Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage! You have a touch of how I, Shen Gongbao, acted against heaven in the past,” Shen Gongbao laughed heartily.

In the past, Shen Gongbao had defied heaven, aiding the tyrant King Zhou, thus involving the people of the Jie Taoist sect and later even implicating the Tong Tian Sect Master, making the straightforward act of overthrowing the Shang Dynasty and starting the Zhou Dynasty incredibly complicated.

Wukong, feeling invigorated, drank heartily with the others once more, finally returning to his true self without needing to hide anymore, feeling utterly exhilarated. He added yet another path to his nine hundred and ninety paths—a path called—Dominance!

Recovering the domineering feeling of Great Sage Equalling Heaven from his old days, his thoughts became clear, and naturally, he attained enlightenment.