"Wukong, while you were away, I took on another disciple to handle odd jobs."
Zhou Xuan spoke unhurriedly, his voice warm yet authoritative.
"From now on, you'll have a junior fellow disciple."
At that, Sun Wukong, who had been listening with his head tilted, suddenly widened his eyes.
"What?! Old Sun has a junior fellow disciple?"
The next moment, the whole monkey sprang up, flipped through the air, and landed on a branch of the ancient Willow Tree. He danced about in excitement, his tail sticking straight up as the leaves rustled all around him.
"Yeah! Old Sun has a junior fellow disciple!"
Watching the monkey rejoice on the tree, Zhou Xuan couldn't help smiling fondly.
"All right, all right, you little monkey. Outside, you're a Demon King who commands awe across the four seas, and one day you'll ascend the throne and rule a kingdom. So why are you still acting like an immature little monkey in front of me, without a shred of composure?"
At that, Sun Wukong immediately backflipped off the branch. Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled.
"Hehe, in front of Master, Old Sun will always be that little monkey who sprang out of a crack in a rock!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes lit up. He eagerly thumped his chest.
"Master, where's my junior fellow disciple? Where is he? Hurry, hurry! Old Sun wants to see what he looks like!"
Zhou Xuan chuckled, his gaze distant.
"No rush. Your junior fellow disciple will be here any moment."
Before he had finished speaking, his gaze turned toward the distant orchard.
A figure sat cross-legged there, faint sparks of lightning flickering between his brows.
Suddenly, a long cry like a dragon's roar burst forth, and the ground trembled slightly.
Zhao Gongming slowly opened his eyes. An invisible wave of energy surged into the sky.
At the same time, the true spirit sealed on the Investiture of the Gods List broke free with a thunderous boom, transforming into an invisible divine radiance that entered his brow. A vast and mighty Primordial aura emanated from his entire body.
At last, the divine light withdrew, and his soul returned to him.
Zhao Gongming had returned to the early stage of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm—the Quasi-Saint realm.
A faint system notification sounded in Zhou Xuan's mind:
[Ding! Your odd-jobs disciple Zhao Gongming has regained his Primordial Golden Immortal cultivation.] [Ten Billion Times Share: The host's power has surged once again, reaching the fifth level of the Hunyuan Taiji Celestial Venerable realm!]
Zhou Xuan calmly lifted the celadon teacup from the jade table, took a sip, and gently set it down before speaking softly.
"Wukong, your junior fellow disciple has made a breakthrough."
As soon as he finished speaking, a streak of light shot over from the orchard and landed on the bluestone steps in front of the hall.
Zhao Gongming's face was flushed, uncontainable joy shining in his eyes and across his brows. With a thump, he fell to his knees before Zhou Xuan and kowtowed respectfully.
"Master, Gongming did it!"
"Not only have I regained the Quasi-Saint realm, but my spiritual energy is several times denser, and my soul is far stronger than before!"
"Master, your great kindness is beyond anything Gongming could ever repay!"
His voice trembled with irrepressible joy!
He was so overwhelmed with happiness that he wept!
Ever since his true spirit had been placed on the Investiture of the Gods List, he had spent his days drinking, living like the walking dead.
Now he had escaped the Investiture of the Gods List. The world was vast, and he was free to roam wherever he pleased, with nothing to restrain him again.
Zhou Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Good. Get up."
He turned slightly to look at Sun Wukong.
"Wukong, come and meet your junior fellow disciple."
Sun Wukong bounced forward with his hands on his hips, about to speak, when Zhao Gongming bowed and respectfully called out:
"Gongming greets Eldest Senior Brother. Since we parted at Flower-Fruit Mountain, your cultivation has advanced tremendously. Gongming admires you!"
Sun Wukong was taken aback, then grinned so broadly that his fur seemed to quiver.
"Eh? Zhao Gongming, what did you just call Old Sun? Say it a couple more times!"
Zhao Gongming didn't dare be remiss. Smiling warmly, he respectfully called out again:
"Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother! Gongming pays his respects!"
Sun Wukong was delighted. He threw back his head and laughed, calling out excitedly:
"Good, good, good! Old Sun finally has someone calling him Eldest Senior Brother! From now on, I'll look out for you..."
Halfway through, Sun Wukong's smile suddenly froze. He glanced at the surging aura around Zhao Gongming, swallowed, and scratched the back of his head with an awkward chuckle.
"Ahem... But, Junior Brother Gongming, with your cultivation, aren't you probably stronger than Old Sun?"
Zhao Gongming hurriedly waved his hands, his expression modest.
"Eldest Senior Brother, there's no need to be humble. I once cultivated under Sect Master Tongtian, and I was already a Quasi-Saint during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. But you've cultivated for only a few decades and already reached the Great Perfection of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Your talent is peerless, and your future limitless. It's only a matter of time before you surpass me."
Sun Wukong kept smiling, but inwardly clenched his fists. Hmph! Old Sun has to break through to the Grand Unity realm soon. Otherwise, I won't be able to hold my head high as Eldest Senior Brother!
Seeing this, Zhou Xuan raised his teacup and took a small sip. He looked up at Sun Wukong and spoke in an unhurried tone.
"Wukong, you must have brought back plenty of good things from your trip down the mountain, haven't you?"
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up. He hurriedly rummaged through his storage ring, grinning proudly as if eager for praise.
"Hehe, Master, Old Sun went to the Dragon Palace and even made a trip to the underworld. I brought back plenty of good stuff! Here..."
With a wave of his hand, he tossed a gleaming Dragon Corpse onto the bluestone ground. Its scales shimmered with a cold, dark-blue light in the sunlight.
"Master, this is a fresh Dragon Corpse Old Sun got from the old Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. The meat's tender and delicious, and it's very good for cultivators!"
Sun Wukong looked triumphant as he stared eagerly at Zhou Xuan, waiting for praise.
Zhou Xuan smiled and reached out to rub his head, his fingertips brushing over tufts of soft golden fur.
"Very good, very good. My little monkey has learned to show filial respect to his master. It wasn't a waste raising you."
At that, Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed into slits, and his tail swished so hard it whooshed through the air. He couldn't help doing a backflip.
"Master, you've never had dragon meat, have you? Old Sun will roast a dragon for you right now, so you can have a taste!"
At that, Zhao Gongming smiled helplessly beside him and shook his head with a sigh.
"Eldest Senior Brother, Master even wiped out the Chaos Demon Dragon clan. How could he not have eaten ordinary dragon meat?"
Sun Wukong froze, blinking several times as his body gave an involuntary shudder.
"C-Chaos Demon Dragons?!"
The bloodline of the Chaos Demon Ape within him stirred faintly, and ancient memories surfaced: the Chaos Demon Dragon clan had been among the most savage and overbearing clans when chaos first formed. Even the Chaos Demon Apes had been reluctant to provoke them lightly!
Sun Wukong stared at Zhao Gongming, his lips pursed.
"Junior Brother, are you saying Master actually... ate Chaos Demon Dragons?"
Zhao Gongming nodded respectfully. "Master did more than eat them. He slaughtered the entire Chaos Demon Dragon clan. There are still over a hundred thousand Chaos Demon Dragon corpses piled in that valley behind the mountain. Every time Gongming passes by, he gets chills and doesn't dare take a closer look..."
Hearing that, Sun Wukong froze for a moment. He looked at the little Eastern Sea dragon beside him... and his monkey face turned redder than a monkey's backside!
Damn!
Had Old Sun just embarrassed himself in front of Master again...?
Before you continue