An hour later, the Spirit Bird returned, and sure enough, Bajie, Wujing, and Little White followed close behind.
Ye Chen stood up and said, "Good, you're back. Rest up first. We'll adjust our plan and hurry to rescue Tang Sanzang. His body is weak now, and he probably doesn't have the strength to hold on much longer."
Bajie and the others nodded quickly. Just then, Wukong opened his eyes.
Suddenly, Wukong's expression changed. Ye Chen realized he was breaking through, so he immediately raised a barrier to protect him.
To break through the fifth stage as a Holy Spirit, one had to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, as well as the essence of heaven and earth. Ye Chen calculated that today was the day the sun and moon would shine together. After Wukong's destruction and rebirth, his breakthrough had come ahead of schedule.
At that moment, the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth gathered around Wukong. Ye Chen opened a hole in the barrier so it wouldn't block the Spiritual Energy from entering.
The sun and moon shone together in the sky. Ye Chen watched as they released immensely powerful Spiritual Energy, and he felt oppressed by it. The energy released by the sun, moon, and earth truly was extraordinary.
Wukong was swept up by the Spiritual Energy and carried into the air. He sat cross-legged, pressed his hands together, and absorbed the spiritual essence of all living things. His body began to change.
Wukong had once been tall and robust, but now he became small and thin, as if he had been reborn.
Bajie watched the astonishing change, then looked at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen said, "It seems today really is a most auspicious day for Wukong."
Bajie asked, "What do you mean?"
Ye Chen said,