Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.
At last, after agreeing to a series of unequal treaties and swearing an oath to the Great Dao, Sun Wukong was finally satisfied. He hoisted the dark, heavy Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron, its aura grim and foreboding, onto his shoulder and chuckled.
"Old Dragon King, don't look so glum. Cheer up!"
"Give me a peace sign and smile!"
"Your Brother Monkey said I'd look out for you from now on!"
"Once I've wiped out the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist School, all you'll have to do is pay tribute to Flower-Fruit Mountain!"
Ao Guang sneered inwardly. The monkey had gone mad. A mere Grand Unity Golden Immortal thought he could wipe out Heaven and Buddha?
What a joke!
If this Mischievous Monkey hadn't still been useful, Spirit Mountain would have wiped out Flower-Fruit Mountain long ago for killing two Bodhisattvas of the Buddhist School!
Of course, Ao Guang could only keep those words to himself. He suppressed his anger and forced a smile more miserable than a grimace.
"Brother Monkey is right. Your humble servant will be counting on you to look out for him from now on!"
"Hahaha! Of course, of course."
Sun Wukong roared with laughter. He slung the Golden Cudgel over his shoulder and was about to make a swift exit when he suddenly stopped and turned to Ao Guang.
"Old Dragon King, your Brother Monkey still needs a suit of armor. What do you think we should do about that?"
The East Sea Dragon King was already numb to it all. He thought that one more suit of armor wouldn't make much difference, so he rang the dragon bell and summoned his three brothers.
After the four dragons discussed it,
West Sea Dragon King Ao Run brought out a suit of Chain Mail Golden Armor. "Wear this, and blades and swords won't harm you!"
North Sea Dragon King Ao Shun presented a pair of Lotus Silk Cloud-Treading Boots. "Wear these, and you'll be as light as a swallow."
South Sea Dragon King Ao Qin offered a Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown. "Wear this, and you'll look majestic!"
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Sun Wukong was delighted. In his golden armor, cloud-treading boots, and jeweled crown, he gave the Golden Cudgel in his hand a twirl. His presence was awe-inspiring, his bearing peerless.
Truly, the Handsome Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, gleaming in golden armor and a silver crown!
"Dragon Kings, your Brother Monkey is off!"
With the cudgel slung over his shoulder, Sun Wukong strode about with wild abandon and swaggered out of the Dragon Palace.
"We've finally seen the last of that damn monkey!"
"That monkey is far too vicious! Far too domineering!"
"I never want to see another monkey as long as I live!"
"That monkey is a sly one. What on earth did Bodhi teach him?"
The Four Sea Dragon Kings gathered together, angrily grumbling about him.
Just then!
The entire seabed suddenly went pitch-black. They couldn't see a thing, even with their claws held right in front of them.
"What's going on?"
"Big Brother, why did it suddenly get dark?"
"That can't be right! My Eastern Sea Dragon Palace has millions of Night Pearls embedded in it. It should always be as bright as day!"
The Four Sea Dragon Kings looked at one another, staring wide-eyed in utter confusion.
Just then, Sun Wukong's voice drifted from far above the sea:
"Old Dragon King, I saw that your Dragon Palace has millions of Night Pearls, each as big as an egg, smooth and lustrous as jade. Your Brother Monkey's just a wild monkey from the mountains with little experience, so I'm taking them home to admire them. I'm sure you don't mind, right?"
At those words, the East Sea Dragon King was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood. By then, Sun Wukong had already vanished without a trace.
"AAAAAAH! The millions of Night Pearls in my Dragon Palace, each as big as an egg, were carefully selected and gathered over countless years!"
"Mischievous Monkey, Ao Guang and you are enemies for life!"
"AAH! Mischievous Monkey! I, Ao Guang, curse you to hell!"
"Sun Wukong, screw you! #@&@#~(one million words omitted)"
The other three Dragon Kings hurried to console him.
"Big Brother, forget it. The monkey's already gone!"
"Exactly! He can't hear you cursing him now!"
"Big Brother, if you're really that angry, we can go curse him at Flower-Fruit Mountain!"
At that, Ao Guang's face turned green!
Go curse him at Flower-Fruit Mountain?
I'm a dragon, a noble member of the Dragon Clan. I'm not an idiot!
"Forget it. A good dragon doesn't fight with a monkey!"
Ao Guang pursed his lips. "I'll prepare a memorial at once and set off for the Heavenly Court to ask the Jade Emperor to capture that demon monkey! Once the Jade Emperor and the Buddhist School deal with him, I'll make him pay back everything the Dragon Clan suffered today!"
What Ao Guang didn't know was that Flower-Fruit Mountain would one day truly become the greatest power in the Primordial Wilderness. Under its protection, the old Dragon King would roam the Primordial Wilderness unchallenged, with no one daring to bully him.
From then on, Ao Guang's attitude would undergo a complete reversal. In the blink of an eye, he'd turn into a chameleon!
He'd not only become Sun Wukong's biggest fan, but also sing his praises everywhere!
But that's a story for another time.
Western Ox Continent, Lingxuan Dao Field.
[Ding! Sun Wukong has obtained the top-grade acquired merit spiritual treasure, the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron.] [Ten Billion Times Share: The host has obtained the Chaos Fierce Fiend Treasure, the Chaos Demon Ape Cudgel.]
[Ding! Sun Wukong has obtained one thousand fresh Dragon Corpses.] [Ten Billion Times Share: The host has obtained one hundred thousand Chaos Demon Dragon corpses.]
[Ding! Sun Wukong has obtained ten million top-grade Night Pearls.] [Ten Billion Times Share: The host has obtained ten Night Pearl Mountains.]
[Ding! Sun Wukong has obtained Chain Mail Golden Armor, Lotus Silk Cloud-Treading Boots, and the Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown.] [Ten Billion Times Share: The host has obtained the Profound Light Spirit-Gathering Armor, Golden Crow Cloud Treading Boots, and the Dragon Scale Crimson Flame Crown.]
Beneath the ancient willow tree, Zhou Xuan lounged in a rocking chair, leisurely reading a novel. Today's pick was Time Stands Still: I Do Whatever I Want at the Women's Academy. I Wish Life Could Stay Like This Forever...
He was right in the middle of an exciting part when he suddenly heard the system's notification in his mind.
"Huh? My monkey's gone and made a ruckus at the Dragon Palace? Not bad, not bad. He's gotten so many treasures!"
He was still muttering to himself when—
BOOM!
One hundred thousand Chaos Demon Dragon corpses fell from the sky, sending a tremendous wave of fiendish energy surging into the heavens.
Every Dragon Corpse was pitch-black from head to tail, its scales as hard as iron. Their fiendish energy clung to them without dispersing. They lay sprawled across the ground like mountains, their auras still intact, as if they were alive. Just looking at them was enough to make one's heart tremble.
"Hmm... If cultivators ate these Dragon Corpses, they could increase their lifespan and strengthen their spiritual energy."
As he spoke, the void trembled again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Ten dazzling, translucent mountains descended from the sky, radiating a gentle glow.
The mountains had been carved entirely from massive Night Pearls. They shone from top to bottom, each containing its own spiritual leyline, with spiritual light rising from within like celestial mountains descending from the heavens.
Night Pearl Mountains!
A glance revealed that each mountain stood ten thousand zhang tall, shimmering with iridescent light that illuminated even the underworld. They contained the Light Law, formed over countless years from Chaos Photons.
"Not bad. These Night Pearl Mountains are good stuff. They can calm the mind, clear the heart, and sharpen the intellect. One day of cultivation in these mountains is equivalent to a hundred days outside! If they appeared in the Primordial Wilderness, people would go crazy fighting over them!"
Zhou Xuan spoke calmly.
At that moment, an object appeared in his palm.
It was a pitch-black iron cudgel. It looked ordinary, but demonic light roiled across its surface, and the faint cries of apes and dragons seemed to echo from within, as if a slumbering primordial beast might burst free at any moment.
Demonic energy and fiendish power from the depths of Chaos coiled around it. A pressure that seemed capable of tearing apart the heavens and earth radiated from the cudgel.
"The Chaos Demon Ape Cudgel... A Chaos Fierce Fiend Treasure, equivalent to a top-grade Innate Supreme Treasure."
Zhou Xuan's gaze grew solemn. He slowly stroked the cudgel, and the demonic energy retreated from his fingertips, not daring to taint them in the slightest.
"This was the weapon of the Chaos Demon Ape, one of the Three Thousand Chaos Demon Gods. It slew countless cultivators during the Dao-Devil War. Its material came from the depths of the Chaos Realm and was called Primordial Abyss Devouring Iron. It was originally unclaimed, but the Chaos Demon Ape refined it for a thousand years, turning it into his life-bound divine weapon."
"After the Chaos Demon Ape fell, the cudgel disappeared. I never imagined... it would end up in my hands today."
He smiled softly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
"My monkey inherited the Chaos Demon Ape's bloodline and divine abilities. With this cudgel, he'll be like a tiger with wings. Becoming a Saint someday won't be an empty dream."
With that, he flicked a finger. The Chaos Demon Ape Cudgel instantly let out a resonant hum, and its demonic light took the shape of a phantom ape. It leaped and roared above the Dao Field, seeming to sense a master linked to it by blood and longing to acknowledge him.
"Still, this cudgel needs a blood sacrifice to complete its refinement. When my monkey comes back, I'll refine it for him myself. Then it'll surely become one of the strongest weapons in the world."
A warm smile played in Zhou Xuan's eyes as he slowly put the Chaos Demon Ape Cudgel into his sleeve.
"When my monkey sees it, he'll be so happy he'll jump three zhang in the air."
He narrowed his eyes, his voice full of affection and pride, just like an old father watching his child grow up.
Just then, he suddenly stiffened, sensing an unfamiliar aura.
"Huh? It seems another person with the right fate has entered my Dao Field!"
"Who could it be this time?"
Before you continue