Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 67 - The Divine Monkey Escapes Disaster in the

“Boom!”

Wukong heard a loud noise and looked up to see a rod, like a dragon, falling from the sky.

Startled, he quickly grabbed his Buddha Beating Staff and mustered his strength to block it.

When the two rods collided, Wukong felt that the other’s strength was as formidable as that of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva. Caught off guard and forcefully receiving the blow, he was sent flying, his hands numb, nearly losing sensation. Before he could steady himself, a flash of golden light appeared in front of him, and the golden rod descended once more like a towering pillar!

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Wukong grabbed his horsetail whisk and waved it, releasing Seven-Colored Divine Light. The whisk’s bristles surged out like a tide, ensnaring the rod and yanking it aside. The power of the Seven-Colored Divine Light was not insignificant, and combined with the pull of the whisk, it caused the rod to veer off course, narrowly missing Wukong’s shoulder and flying past.

“Swoosh!”

After hiding for a long time, the Heaven-Defying Taoist seized the moment to shoot an arrow, aiming at the person wielding the rod.

With a thunderous roar, the person grabbed the rod with one hand, while the other hand stretched out swiftly. That arm was covered in golden monkey fur and extended, growing in length and girth, as it reached for the incoming Sun Shooting Divine Arrow. Such audacity and skill were astonishing. Even the Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva wouldn’t dare to catch the Sun Shooting Arrow with bare hands.

A flash of golden light shimmered on the outstretched arm, and a grasp tightened around the shaft of the arrow, which trembled in the palm, the Golden Crow crying out, threatening to burst free, yet it just fell short of doing so.

Wukong, wielding his Buddha Beating Staff, covered a ten-zhang radius and swung at the figure without even trying to get a clear look at his face.

“Hey!”

With a light shout, the person accurately identified the real staff image among the myriad of feints and grabbed it firmly! Such divine skill was truly jaw-dropping.

Upon closer inspection, Wukong realized that this was a six-and-a-half-foot-tall monkey, blazing with golden fur, clad in ancient armor, eyes sparkling like the sun, and extraordinarily long arms that likely stretched below the knees. A poem described him thus: “Hairs like spun gold, face aglow, Fiery Eyes with Golden Vision capable of perceiving all. The battered armor revealed a ferocious mien, beneath which Silver Boots were shrouded in clouds and mist. With the Divine Arrow in the left and the Sun-Shooting Arrow’s cries, the Buddha Beating Staff in the right brings forth spirit’s laments; Plucking stars and grasping moons, shrinking mountains vast, the Long-Armed Ape bars paths a thousand miles fast.”

“Hey! Who are you, and why do you block my way?” Wukong shouted. “We’re both monkeys, yet you attack me on sight without a hint of courtesy!”

The Long-Armed Ape casually released his grip, handing back Wukong’s Sun Shooting Divine Arrow and Buddha Beating Staff, and said, “Hey, you moved so quickly with your escape technique, I only saw a golden flash and thought it was some creature, so I swung my rod to hit it. How was I to know it’d be you, you impish monkey!”

Seeing the imposing Divine Monkey, Wukong felt a surge of joy and asked, “What kind of monkey are you?”

The Long-Armed Ape arrogantly retorted, “What kind of monkey are you?”

Wukong stood tall, planted his Buddha Beating Staff into the ground, and declared, “You listen up! I am the one and only Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage Sun Wukong, from Water Curtain Cave of Mount Huaguo, unmatched within all Three Realms!”

The Long-Armed Ape scratched his head and said, “Sun Wukong? Never heard of him. But those words ‘Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage’ do carry quite the presence, heh heh, not afraid of attracting calamity from the depths of fate, are you? Anyway, I asked what kind of monkey you are, not your name.”

Wukong saw the Long-Armed Ape and felt a deep connection, so he started calling him “Laozi” one after another.

Wukong said, “Laozi is the chief of the Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys—the Intelligent Stone Monkey! I remained here after Goddess Nuwa mended the sky, no matter how big you are, can you be greater than Laozi?”

After hearing this, the Long-Armed Ape exclaimed in surprise, “You are the Intelligent Stone Monkey? Heh, in that case, I am worthy of calling you Laozi after all. Laozi was born 120,000 years before you, named the Long-Armed Ape, with the surname Yuan and the given name Hong!”

In his heart, Wukong solemnly recalled what Tathagata had said, of the four Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys: the Intelligent Stone Monkey, the Long-Armed Ape, the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey, and the Six-Eared Macaque. He himself was the Intelligent Stone Monkey, and he had seen the Six-Eared Macaque as well, only the Long-Armed Ape and the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey had yet to be seen. Today, at last, he had met the Long-Armed Ape.

“Yuan Hong?” Wukong murmured twice, then said, “Are you the Great General worshipped by the Demon Tribe, General Yuan?”

The Long-Armed Ape, named Yuan Hong, laughed, “Who else could it be, if not Laozi!”

Yuan Hong too was a figure from ancient times, a Long-Armed Ape with the ability to pluck stars and seize the moon, possessing extraordinary prowess and immense strength. However, rumors had it that because of causing mischief everywhere, Nuwa had confined him in the Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map. But upon careful consideration, this claim couldn’t withstand scrutiny. If he caused mischief everywhere, who would set up an altar to offer him incense? Although Yuan Hong was not renowned among the Demon Tribe and received little incense offerings, he was, after all, a figure worthy of having an altar!

“Rumor has it that you caused trouble everywhere, bringing disaster to the Mortal World, and were imprisoned by Goddess Nuwa?” Wukong inquired.

“Bullshit! It was because I sustained Dao injuries, and Fuxi said I was to face a great calamity in the future. The only way to avoid it was to hide in this Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map for 120,000 years until a Trouble-causing Divine Monkey came to rescue me and possibly cure the Dao injuries within my body,” Yuan Hong shouted, seemingly very dissatisfied with the rumor, “It’s just a rumor, that’s all.”

Wukong smiled and said, “You mean to say that Fuxi has calculated that I would come to rescue you?”

Yuan Hong said, “I am the Long-Armed Ape, and there are three other monkeys just like me, born from Heaven and Earth, collectively known as Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys. Alas, I was born in the ancient times, long before you were born, and during the battles of those times, I sustained Dao injuries; Fuxi further pronounced that I had a great calamity ahead and thus advised me to retreat into the Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map.”

However, Wukong replied, “Those Dao injuries are extremely severe. The Green Emperor, Ling Weiyang, succumbed to a burst of Dao injuries and perished. How could I possibly save you?”

Yuan Hong was shocked and asked, “Ling Weiyang is dead? How did he die?”

Wukong explained, “That day above the Luo River, a dragon emerged from the Luo waters, carrying the River Map on its back. I was the destined one to obtain the River Map and Luo Book, breaking the seal and taking it into my hands, but then I was ambushed and sent flying. This person is named Many-Treasures Taoist, extremely powerful. The Green Emperor tried to stop him but was gravely wounded by a Black Lotus, triggering his Dao injuries, and he perished, becoming one with the Dao.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hong stamped his foot in lament, “Fuxi said that Ling Weiyang would face a great calamity that he could not avoid, and it turned out to be true! Who would have thought that after enduring a hundred thousand years, one would still end up with nothing.”

Wukong said, “It’s truly lamentable.”

Yuan Hong said, “The Dao injuries on my body are not serious, just a thread here and there. I suppress them with my cultivation daily. Over the years, my cultivation and mana have weakened quite a bit, and now I only retain the cultivation level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal. Since you and I are both Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys, with a connection of mutual growth, you can transfer your True Yuan into my body, and I will handle the cultivation and dissolve the Dao injuries with it.”

Wukong nodded and sat down cross-legged with Yuan Hong.

He gently placed his palms on Yuan Hong’s back and then let his True Yuan circulate, surging forth.

However, Yuan Hong’s body seemed like a bottomless pit; Wukong felt his True Yuan was like a small pond to Yuan Hong’s vast sea. This bit of True Yuan seemed utterly useless. Yet, Yuan Hong was quite satisfied to receive this True Yuan, using his Profound Skills to absorb it into his Primordial Spirit. The thin thread of Dao injury was eroded by this True Yuan, then combining his own True Yuan with the newly acquired one, he charged at the Dao injury and cured it.

After curing his Dao injury that plagued him for a hundred thousand years, Yuan Hong couldn’t help but burst into laughter, saying, “Such Dao injuries are extremely difficult to cure, practically deemed incurable. But as the saying goes, ‘The Dao evolves through forty-nine cycles, hiding one from existence.’ Heaven created the four of us Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys, and that itself is this slim chance of survival. The Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys can cure each other’s Dao injuries!”

Wukong nodded and congratulated, “Congratulations, Elder Yuan Hong.”

Yuan Hong waved his hand and said, “Ah! Since you are the one who resolved my great calamity and are also one of the Trouble-causing Divine Monkeys, don’t call me elder. If you don’t mind, just call me Big Brother Yuan.”

Without any fuss, Wukong bowed and said, “Big Brother Yuan above, please accept my bow.”

Yuan Hong hurriedly helped him up, saying, “Heh, Wukong, no need for such formalities, no need at all! This way of addressing each other is much more straightforward!”

Wukong smiled and asked, “Big Brother Yuan, so this place is within the Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map?”

Yuan Hong nodded repeatedly, “Exactly, exactly! How did you get in here?”

Wukong then shared the entire story about how the Green Emperor became one with the Dao, the subsequent conflict among myriads of demons for his position, and Gou Chen initiating the Emperor’s Path Ranking. He talked for half an hour until he began to feel his throat dry.

Yuan Hong listened intently, nodding occasionally. After Wukong finished, he smacked his thigh and cursed, “What is that Indra up to, pretending to be Di Jun? Reduced to a lapdog for the Heavenly Court, yet still meddling in the affairs of our Demon Tribe!”