Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 264 - 258 The Driven Insane Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong【Seeking Subscription, Seeking Monthly Ticket】_1

Chapter 264: Chapter 258 The Driven Insane Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong【Seeking Subscription, Seeking Monthly Ticket】_1

Sun Wukong had expected the reincarnated Jin Chanzi to offer some words of praise, after which he could feign modesty.

But, unexpectedly, Jin Chanzi actually asked if Wukong could kill him.

Sun Wukong nearly choked on his own spit and stared blankly at Jin Chanzi for a long moment.

His expression gradually changed, becoming somewhat unsightly, yet he forced a smile.

He felt that the reincarnated Jin Chanzi was provoking him.

They were only three feet apart, with Jin Chanzi squatting there completely defenseless, a mere mortal. Yet this mere mortal dared to be so arrogant, asking him—Sun Wukong, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven—if he could kill him?!

This was outrageous. Utterly outrageous.

Sun Wukong felt he had never suffered such a profound humiliation; it was a direct challenge to his authority.

Muzha was terrified. He hurriedly tried to intervene, but neither Sun Wukong nor Jin Chanzi paid him any attention.

Jin Chanzi continued to stare into Sun Wukong’s eyes. "Aren’t you Sun Wukong, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace?" he said. "Think you’re so great, do you? Can you kill me?"

Sun Wukong’s cheeks twitched. He struggled to contain his anger and chuckled hollowly. "No, no, Holy Monk, stop testing me. I’m just an honest monkey, harmless to humans and animals."

Just as Sun Wukong was about to congratulate himself on his restraint, the reincarnated Jin Chanzi stood up and spat, his face full of disdain.

"Worthless. You can’t even kill a mere mortal. What use are you?"

He turned and left without hesitation.

Muzha breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart immediately tightened again. He could feel the atmosphere around Five Finger Mountain change—it had become more sinister and terrifying. He looked towards Sun Wukong in horror, the source of this baleful aura and suffocating terror.

Sun Wukong, still trying to hold back his fury, finally couldn’t contain it any longer. "You damn baldy!" he roared. "How dare you look down on your Grandpa Sun? When your Grandpa Sun was wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, you were still playing with mud in the northeast!"

His face was ferocious, radiating a baleful aura. He slammed his head on the ground, causing the earth to shake, the seasons to fall into disarray, and the temperature to plummet. Heavy snow began to fall, and the ground cracked beneath it.

"If I, your Grandpa Sun, weren’t pinned down here, unable to move, would I let a mere mortal like you trample on my dignity?" he roared.

The reincarnated Jin Chanzi turned his head. "Can you kill me?" he asked, looking at Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong sneered, a ghastly smile on his face. "If you have the guts, come here and see if your Grandpa Sun can kill you!"

Without a word, the reincarnated Jin Chanzi walked over and extended his pickled egg towards Sun Wukong’s mouth.

Expressionless, he said, "Eat me."

Sun Wukong was stunned, truly stunned.

Muzha was dumbfounded, genuinely dumbfounded.

Even the myriad immortals and Buddhas observing the scene were so frightened they nearly tumbled from their clouds.

HISS.

Jin Chanzi is seeking death! What is he trying to do?!

Sun Wukong’s face twisted hideously. He sneered, opened his cavernous mouth wide, licked the pickled egg, and then spat.

He was about to devour Jin Chanzi.

But then he suddenly remembered Li Bai’s warning, the words still echoing in his ears.

No, this damn baldy must be tricking me into killing him, cutting off my path of retreat! He can reincarnate and accumulate merit, but I, your Grandpa Sun, would have no way back. If Buddhism uses my killing the scripture pilgrim as an excuse to continue suppressing me, then where could I seek justice?

The more Sun Wukong pondered, the more convinced he became that Jin Chanzi was trying to trick him into killing him!

Stifling his rage, he even managed to appear calm.

All these words and actions are just to infuriate me, to make me kill the scripture pilgrim and force me into opposition with Buddhism! That would give them the perfect excuse to continue suppressing and oppressing me! he thought.

Ridiculous! Such petty tricks! Do you really think your Grandpa Sun can’t see through them? Heh, you want to provoke your Grandpa Sun? I simply refuse to be angered, Sun Wukong sneered inwardly.

With that, he patted the reincarnated Jin Chanzi on the forehead, pushed him away, and said, "Go on, go on. You go your way. Your Grandpa Sun eats peaches, not pickled eggs."

The reincarnated Jin Chanzi got up, frowned, spat, and said, "Trash! You won’t even eat what’s offered right to your mouth, yet you dare call yourself The Great Sage Equal to Heaven? You’re just a brazen monkey!"

Then, without a backward glance, he turned and left, continuing his Journey to the West, showing no intention of releasing Sun Wukong.

Muzha followed, trembling. His perception of the reincarnated Jin Chanzi had completely overturned. This fellow was a madman, utterly reckless with his own life. But what he hadn’t expected was that Sun Wukong could actually restrain himself and not kill the reincarnated Jin Chanzi.

Truth be told, while generally not wanting it, Muzha felt a sliver of dark anticipation.

Just as Sun Wukong had guessed, no one wished for him to interact with the reincarnated Jin Chanzi prematurely. They were certainly not eager to see Sun Wukong devour Jin Chanzi, as it would ruin their future master-disciple relationship.

However, if Sun Wukong *had* eaten him, there was also a hidden, perverse sense of anticipation among them. After all, in that scenario, Sun Wukong would very likely have no path of retreat left. They would then have the perfect reason and pretext to continue oppressing him, ensuring he would never have a chance to turn things around.

Although they could oppress Sun Wukong directly if they wished, even without an excuse, Sun Wukong was, after all, connected to Wa Huang, and to punish without teaching would not sit well. It was just like how they had targeted Sun Wukong and maneuvered him into wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, thereby giving Tathagata grounds to suppress and capture him. Otherwise, what qualifications did Sun Wukong possess to warrant Tathagata personally intervening?

All of this had been meticulously calculated.

Muzha and the reincarnated Jin Chanzi departed, safely leaving the domain of Five Finger Mountain.

The assembled immortals were shaken; the Buddhas, horrified.

Only Sun Wukong remained, slamming his head on the ground, howling in a frenzy, his eyes bloodshot, his cries like those of tormented ghosts and wolves.

"Too much! You’re bullying this monkey too much!" he shrieked. "Damn baldy! Damn baldy! Don’t you ever let your Grandpa Sun out of here! If I get out, you’ll be the first one I eat!"

Sun Wukong was nearly dead from fury. If not for Li Bai’s warning, and if he weren’t still suppressed and wary of Buddhism finding another excuse to continue or even intensify his confinement, he would have long since devoured the reincarnated Jin Chanzi, who was so clearly courting death. Even now that the reincarnated Jin Chanzi had left, Sun Wukong still felt immensely wronged and extraordinarily furious.

That was why he roared with such uncharacteristic rage, not even knowing himself if he could hold back should the reincarnated Jin Chanzi return to provoke him one more time.

The fact that Sun Wukong had managed to restrain himself on two occasions had indeed astonished the celestial beings and Buddhas.

After the reincarnated Jin Chanzi left Five Finger Mountain, Muzha chattered incessantly along the way, urging him not to lose heart and to strive diligently to obtain the True Scripture.

I’m sick of this life, constantly monitored and controlled by Buddhism, the reincarnated Jin Chanzi sneered inwardly. I just want to reincarnate and start over. My only regret is that I won’t remember any of this in my next life. And I don’t know if I’ll ever meet Uncle Hanshan or Master Sha Chen again...

Master?

Suddenly, an idea struck the reincarnated Jin Chanzi. A light flashed in his eyes, a sliver of hope flickering deep within.

I must see Master Sha Chen again! He’ll definitely have a way to help me break free! I must live until I reach the Flowing Sand River! I must survive until I see Master!

「The Flowing Sand River.」

Sha Chen was unaware of what had transpired between Jin Chanzi and Sun Wukong; he had been engrossed in his cultivation all this time.

But that day, he simply couldn’t continue his cultivation. It wasn’t because his Dao heart was unstable or his concentration insufficient, but because he once again faced a dire predicament: his cultivation resources were utterly depleted.

In truth, the resources the Jade Rabbit had brought back were substantial—normally enough for Sha Chen’s cultivation for eight to ten years, or even longer. However, a portion had gone to the Jade Rabbit for her cultivation, some were used by Chang E for her breakthroughs, and another fraction was given to the three phoenixes. Sha Chen himself had used less than half of what was brought back. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

When did I become so overly generous?! Sha Chen almost wanted to cry. He didn’t even have enough for himself, yet he was giving resources away to others.

But giving them to Chang E was to thoroughly win her over, to make her his informant in the Heavenly Court. Giving them to the Jade Rabbit was because the girl hadn’t kept any resources for herself; if Sha Chen didn’t provide for her, she could only bide her time, progressing slowly. Biding her time was one thing, but if her strength didn’t keep up, she would be unable to carry out important tasks for Sha Chen. To enable her to do more in the future, specifically to bring back the treasures from the Primordial Treasure Vault, Sha Chen felt compelled to invest heavily in her.

As for the three phoenixes, investing in them was a gamble on the future. After all, they were descendants of one of the three divine beasts from the Dragon Han’s First Calamity, possessing pure bloodlines and even greater potential than the Dragon Clan. Moreover, there were three of them, all effectively Sha Chen’s daughters, their loyalty unparalleled. If cultivated properly, they would become his mightiest enforcers. For the sake of these future powerful and loyal helpers, Sha Chen had no choice but to invest heavily in their upbringing. Besides teaching them cultivation techniques and divine powers, he also had to provide them with resources for their cultivation.

Fortunately, phoenixes didn’t consume vast amounts of resources for their cultivation. Relying on the nourishment from the Parasol Tree and their various inherent divine powers, they could progress quite well. But Sha Chen, eager for quick results, had them rapidly absorb and refine resources to accelerate their improvement.

Now, however, he found himself in a predicament: his resources were depleted.

At such times, Sha Chen keenly missed the Black Bear Demon and the Spider Demon. Why haven’t they returned yet?

Another month passed. Sha Chen, having run short of resources, had been engaged in austere cultivation for half a month.

Then, someone was calling out from outside the Flowing Sand River.

Sha Chen initially didn’t want to pay any mind; over the years, he had encountered countless such disturbances and had always ignored them. This time, however, he couldn’t. The visitor was Bai Jingjing, the White Bone Demon, who had been gone for decades.

Sha Chen never expected the White Bone Demon to return. He had previously sent her to assist Daoist Hanshan. Later, when Daoist Hanshan went to guide Jin Chanzi, the White Bone Demon had parted ways with him. Now, after so many years, she had unexpectedly returned.

However, the White Bone Demon was behaving strangely outside. She was calling at the entrance, "Master, open up! It’s me, Bai Jingjing! I’m back!"

Sha Chen observed the White Bone Demon but didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he used his divine powers to observe and listen, confirming that there seemed to be nothing wrong with Bai Jingjing herself. However, he could sense her panic and nervousness.

Sha Chen then perceived something else, something unusual, and abruptly turned his gaze towards the Ten-Thousand Year Marsh to the west. He took out the Wanli Soul Chasing Mirror. The view of the marshland reflected in it appeared normal.

However, beside the marshland stood Zeyun Mountain. Within the mountain was Three Corpse Cave, and inside the cave, a ghostly fire flickered. Rows of skeletons stood within, kneeling towards the ghostly flame in the center. Then, the ghostly flame condensed, morphing into a figure in a Daoist robe with disheveled hair and no face, holding a horsetail whisk. A hand emerged from its sleeve—a skeletal arm. It rhythmically tapped the armrest of a chair with its skeletal fingers. Its mouth opened, and a voice, seemingly echoing from the distant Primordial Era, sounded out: "This treacherous disciple, tempted by that River God, actually dared to try and steal from my treasury! Today, I shall use her as bait, fight my way into the Flowing Sand River, set things right, and proclaim the name of me, the White Bone Saint!"