Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 68 - The Divine Monkey Joins Forces to Repel

Wukong asked, “How do we get out?”

Yuan Hong laughed and explained, “This Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map was forged by Hong Jun, capturing the vastness of mountains and rivers, the weightiness of nations, blending a strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi in its creation. It is a first-rate Magical Treasure, indestructible. Once inside, one’s fate is like clay in the hands of others. If I had wanted to kill you earlier, I merely needed to activate the prohibitions and formations within the map. The elements would turn, and in an instant, you could be reduced to ashes.”

Wukong thought to himself, “It seems that even the Heavenly Emperor’s Great Mountains and Rivers Seal was probably modeled after this Sheji Map, capturing the vastness of mountains and rivers and the weight of nations.” Suddenly, he had an epiphany, and two more Dao marks appeared on his Golden Core, “The Dao of the vastness of mountains, and the Dao of the stability of nations.”

“Truly, Creation offers opportunities everywhere!” Wukong was secretly overjoyed, but he did not show it.

Yuan Hong performed a Dharma Decree with his right hand, his fingers moving deftly. After a brief moment, the boundless mountains and rivers around them began to fade, peeling away bit by bit, revealing the desolation and bloodiness of the Ancient Battlefield. Finally, it transformed into a scroll that appeared in Yuan Hong’s hands. He tossed the scroll, then opened his mouth to inhale, sucking the scroll into his mouth.

“This is that Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map,” said Yuan Hong.

“With this Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map, doesn’t it mean you are invincible?” Wukong asked in amazement.

“You could say that, but this Magical Treasure is somewhat passive in use. It’s best used as a trap, luring enemies into it,” Yuan Hong told Wukong about the limitations of the Sheji Map.

Wukong nodded, and Yuan Hong then asked, “Where is Indra now? I shall go and slay him.”

Wukong said helplessly, “Yuan brother, you are only at the Cultivation Level of Taiyi Golden Immortal, how can you fight against a Daluo Golden Immortal?”

Yuan Hong declared proudly, “Back in the day, my Cultivation Level reached the heavens. Although I’ve fallen to Taiyi Golden Immortal, my combat power and Divine Skills are not to be underestimated! I can battle against a Daluo Golden Immortal!”

Wukong didn’t know if Yuan Hong was bluffing and didn’t pursue the topic further, to avoid riling him up and causing him to seek a fight with Indra to the death. After all, though he was once a great master, he had hidden in the Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map for a hundred and twenty thousand years, long detached from battle, and tormented by injuries from the Dao, his Cultivation Level had decreased so much that if it came to battle, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

Wukong asked, “Green Emperor said that there is great peril within this Ancient Battlefield, what could it be?”

Yuan Hong replied, “What danger could there be? Nothing but some Void Illusion Realms, Ten Absolute Formations, and such.”

Wukong nodded and inquired, “What was your Cultivation Level back then, Yuan brother?”

Yuan Hong responded, “Back then, I was a Primordial Golden Immortal, at the Sect Founder Level!”

The Ancient Times were indeed a grand era; as heaven and earth were newly formed, fish swam in shallow waters, eagles soared in the sky, and dragons battled tigers. Any great being could be a Sect Founder, unlike today, where talent is sparse, and a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal could dominate a region and establish a sect.

Above a Taiyi Golden Immortal lies a Daluo Golden Immortal, who having grasped cause and effect, can attain Primordial status, and by refining the Primordial Dao Fruit achieves the Cultivation Level of Primordial Golden Immortal.

“Sun Wukong, how I have suffered in search of you!” With a flash of golden light, the Great Might Heavenly Dragon appeared before them.

Wukong sighed, “Why do you chase me so relentlessly? It seems today we must come to a life-or-death confrontation.”

The Great Might Heavenly Dragon was taken aback upon seeing two monkeys and exclaimed, “Eh? Have you made a significant advancement in your cultivation, and slain another of your undying corpses?”

Yuan Hong was furious and shouted, “You brat, I am the illustrious General Yuan, and you dare not recognize me! Take this hit from me!”

With that said, he spread his arms, hoisted the nine-foot iron staff in his hands, and pounced forward at an astonishing speed that left onlookers agape. Midair, Yuan Hong twisted his body, using the high-speed rotation to build tremendous force and brought the staff crashing down toward the forehead of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon!

The Great Might Heavenly Dragon, with a Bodhisattva’s poise, stood with feet planted upon a dragon elephant and hands forming seals, extending eight heads and sixteen arms.

Yuan Hong surged forward with reckless strength and swung his staff without a care!

The Great Might Heavenly Dragon reached out to clamp the iron staff with his palms, but the staff appeared to twist strangely, with half of it vanishing into thin air. In the next instant, it reappeared out of nowhere before the chest of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon and struck fiercely, sending him flying backwards! One could see the Great Might Heavenly Dragon’s face turn pale as the dragon elephant beneath his feet roared repeatedly, retreating seven or eight steps before finally stabilizing. Had it been an ordinary person struck by this blow, their physical body likely would have exploded on impact.

“You have mastered the power of the void? That’s a patriarch’s technique! Who exactly are you?” the Great Might Heavenly Dragon cried out in shock. These were the moves of a sect founder, capable of controlling the void, making every action and Dharma Decree unpredictable as spirits and ghosts.

Grinning fiercely, Yuan Hong replied, “Did I not just say so!”

Having finished speaking, he charged again, unleashing his staff technique that shrouded an area of a hundred paces in dazzling golden light, as if hundreds of suns had appeared in the sky. The Great Might Heavenly Dragon mouthed incantations while his hands in front of his chest came together in prayer, and the other fourteen arms wielding magic artifacts went on to defend.

Sparks flew in all directions as the battle raged on. The Great Might Heavenly Dragon was on the defensive against Yuan Hong’s bizarre and space-shattering moves. Although Yuan Hong’s mana had fallen to the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, and he had a much deeper understanding of the realm, in the heat of battle, he still couldn’t gain much of an advantage. Soon, the Great Might Heavenly Dragon familiarized himself with Yuan Hong’s staff technique and thrust his silver spear at Yuan Hong’s chest!

Yuan Hong parried with his staff, only to be faced immediately with a dazzling golden scriptures! Irritated, Yuan Hong entrusted a thread of Divine Thought into his staff to contend with the Magical Treasure, his arms extending suddenly to a great length, and delivering a punch straight at the chest of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon! The Great Might Heavenly Dragon countered with the Great Lion Seal, but upon contact, the Great Lion Seal crumbled instantly. How could an innate and primordial Divine Ability like that of the Long-Armed Ape’s be so easily blocked?

“Bang!”

Yuan Hong landed a punch squarely on the chest of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon, and the impact resonated like thunder. The Great Might Heavenly Dragon spat out blood and was sent careening through the air, with a deep dent in his chest.

“What fearsome physical strength! Could this monkey be the legendary Long-Armed Ape rumored to shrink mountains and pluck the sun and moon?” wondered the Great Might Heavenly Dragon in shock. The power in those two arms was immeasurable; it was as if being smashed by two great mountains.

Jubilantly, Yuan Hong shouted, “Thrilling, truly thrilling!”

No sooner had he spoken than he swung his staff again. With half of the staff disappearing, that peculiar space-shattering technique was employed once more. The other half of the staff materialized above the head of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon and fiercely descended! The Great Might Heavenly Dragon let out a light shout and raised a Demon-Subduing Pestle in one arm and an iron sword in the other, lifting them above his head just in time to ward off the blow.

Wukong, witnessing this scene, somersaulted into the fray and bellowed, “Eat my staff!”

A staff swept across the sky, engraved with scenes of collapsing mountains, passed Buddhas, and the shattered Heavenly Court – it was the Buddha Beating Staff!

Annoyed, the Great Might Heavenly Dragon retorted, “Very well, the Buddha Beating Staff, what grand claims!”

Without delay, he raised a Sarira of Maitreya Buddha, transforming it into a giant Sanskrit script that hovered before him.

“Thunderous boom!”

That staff blow could have cleaved Mount Sumeru in half, yet it was firmly blocked by the Sanskrit script and could not descend. Wukong quickly split off the Heaven-Defying Taoist, while he himself, as a beam of azure light, sprang out of his own spiritual apex and, already at full draw of the bowstring, notched a Sun-Shooting Arrow, performing a backward glance at the moon shot.

“Swoosh!”

Though the arrow had not been brewing for long, its force was tremendous, almost completely draining all of the Heaven-Defying Taoist’s mana.

This arrow, too, struck the Sanskrit script, resulting in a burst of golden light and the cry of the Golden Crow echoing across the heavens!

The script was shattered by the arrow, and the outstretched arm of the Long-Armed Ape, now several hundred feet long, swiftly followed up with a punch that pulverized it! The Sarira lost its luminance and fell back into the hands of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon.

Brandishing his staff, Yuan Hong struck again, sending hundreds of staff shadows towards the head of the Great Might Heavenly Dragon!

Just as the Great Might Heavenly Dragon seemed doomed to meet his end, he abruptly grasped the Fate Seal above his head and squeezed it firmly, causing it to crumble into pieces before the shadows of the staff could fall. That feedback of fate also turned into streams of mist, merging into Wukong’s own overhead fate, and became one with it.

With one leap, Wukong became the top ranking individual on the Emperor’s Path, and the Great Might Heavenly Dragon was eliminated, to the astonishment of all onlookers.