What Is Wukong?

"I have realized it."

The Iron-Faced Demon King replied, his voice incomparably hoarse and utterly lifeless.

He was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of the Great Qin Heavenly Court, Sun Wukong. Yet now, he no longer possessed even a trace of his former peerless arrogance.

"Oh? What have you realized?" Buddha asked.

Leiyin Temple's main hall was silent. There was no sound of wind, only Sun Wukong's faint breathing.

After a moment of silence, Sun Wukong answered, "I am too weak."

Buddha frowned slightly and rebuked, "If you obsess over power, you will eventually lose your heart and mind. Is there truly nothing in your heart besides power?"

Sun Wukong remained silent. The iron mask concealed his face, leaving no one able to see his expression.

"Monkey, I chose you because I wanted to pull you free from the sea of suffering. Your sins of slaughter run deep; if they are not cleansed away, you will surely be doomed beyond redemption. There are so many people in the Great Qin Heavenly Court, and there is even another Spirit Monkey. Why did I choose you?" Buddha continued, his tone full of disappointment.

Sun Wukong remained unmoved. He could not break free of the iron mask, much less escape. What use was there in saying more?

"Your name is Wukong. Why can't you understand?" Buddha sighed.

Sun Wukong's body trembled, and memories of his past life involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Mount Lingtai Fangcun, within the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars.

Patriarch Bodhi smiled. "You resemble a macaque, so I shall use the character for macaque as your surname. Remove the beast radical from it, and what remains is ancient moon. Ancient means old, and moon means yin. Old yin cannot nurture life, so that surname will