The Truth Behind Gohan's Death

What kind of ending could possibly be worthy of this arduous journey!

Touching the non-existent sweat on his head, Son Gohan stood before the resplendent Dragon Balls.

Given his current size, normal humans appeared as tiny ants in his eyes, and the Dragon Balls were even smaller, almost invisible like ant eggs.

The seven Dragon Balls were piled together, seemingly sensing each other, their lights flashing and transmitting their own radiance.

"Come forth, Shenron!"

As his summoning incantation fell, the seven Dragon Balls simultaneously erupted with a light that pierced the heavens!

"BOOM!"

With a muffled thunderclap on flat ground, everyone's heart felt as if a heavy weight had been placed upon it, feeling somewhat burdened.

As the light vanished, boundless darkness covered the sky, even obscuring the full moon that had just hung in the sky.

What followed were bolts of lightning connecting heaven and earth, striking near the seven Dragon Balls. A dragon shadow then emerged from the center of the Dragon Balls, initially tiny. In the blink of an eye, it spanned the horizon!

Its dragon eyes were crimson, its scales dark green, exuding a divine aura with a hint of malevolence.

"You who summoned Shenron, speak your wish. Whatever it may be, I shall grant it!"

A deafening voice echoed as Shenron lowered its head to look at the minuscule being who summoned it.

However, as it clearly saw the summoner, the red light in its dragon eyes flashed, and for some reason, its tone changed.

"My lord summons...!"

Its heart was in utter chaos. The Giant Ape before it possessed an aura identical to that of the Great Lord, and its appearance was also extremely similar. It only sensed that the soul seemed much younger, lacking any ancient aura.

"Young summoner, what is your wish!"

Shenron, who had been aloof moments ago, now seemed to have encountered a deity far superior to itself, becoming slightly subservient. It quickly controlled its expression, trying to appear as majestic as possible.

It lowered its dragon head, its twin whiskers drifting in the air, quietly awaiting the summoner's reply.

"Shenron, could you please revive our Grandfather, Gohan?"

"This wish is very..."

"Apologies, as the deceased's physical form has already dissipated, I cannot directly revive him!"

"..."

Son Gohan fell silent. Although he knew the earliest Shenron was somewhat weak, he hadn't expected it to be this useless.

"Then, Shenron, could you please reshape Gohan's body, awaiting his revival next time?"

"I can reshape his body, but only for a short time to achieve resurrection. If we wait until the next wish, the life within his body will dissipate, and he cannot be revived!"

He explained in great detail, not daring to show the slightest impatience.

Beside him, Son Goku saw his hope dashed and his spirits drooped considerably. He sat there in a daze, muttering to himself.

"I'm so stupid, really. I originally thought that as long as I gathered the Dragon Balls and summoned Shenron, I could save Grandpa..."

Son Gohan turned and patted his head.

"Then, my new wish is for Shenron to bring Grandpa Son Goku here from Mount Five Elements, so that we grandfather and grandson can meet!"

Since he couldn't be resurrected immediately, he might as well meet Grandpa one last time. At least it would fulfill their grandfather-grandson bond and leave Wukong with no regrets.

"This wish is very simple. I will grant it for you now!"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his temples. Fortunately, this wish fell within his capabilities, otherwise, it would have been difficult to resolve.

"Buzz!"

With a burst of intense red light, Shenron unleashed his miraculous power.

"Huh? Where is this place? Where is my Anning?"

A white-bearded old man wearing a felt hat and an orange copper coin vest suddenly appeared out of thin air, looking at his surroundings in confusion.

He had just been having hot pot with Anning using the Eight Trigrams Furnace, chatting about innocent things, and how did he suddenly end up in such a desolate place?

"Your wish has been granted. This old man can remain in the mortal realm for the duration of one incense stick."

"If there's anything you need to communicate, please do so quickly!"

"You, do you have anything else you want to ask?"

After granting the wish, Shenron didn't rush off but unusually asked a question back.

"Thank you, Shenron. We have no further questions!"

Son Gohan politely performed a martial arts bow to express his gratitude.

Shenron shivered and quickly dodged, then transformed back into the seven Dragon Balls, which blinked and turned back into stones, scattering across the sky.

"Huh? Why does Shenron seem so flustered at the end?"

Son Gohan scratched his head, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Never mind, reuniting with Grandpa is more important!"

He was in a hurry, but someone else was even more so.

The moment Son Gohan appeared and looked around, he had already rushed towards Son Gohan.

"Grandfather, Grandfather!"

Son Goku, carrying the Ruyi Staff, rushed in like a young swallow returning to its nest, colliding head-on with Son Gohan.

"Oh, it's Wukong!"

A familiar face appeared before his eyes. Son Gohan revealed a kind smile and picked him up.

"I never thought I'd see you again, child. I have no regrets now."

"Grandfather, Grandfather, I missed you so much! I have so much to tell you."

"Hey, Grandpa Gohan, I can vouch for that. Wukong often talks to himself while holding the Four-Star Ball."

Son Gohan joined the conversation after sending off Shenron.

Who knew that the moment Son Gohan heard his voice, he immediately looked up. Upon seeing the Great Ape physique, he became furious.

"I'll beat you to death, you Turtle Grandson!"

"You brat who doesn't respect your elders! You've broken my old back!"

Clearly, Son Gohan's appearance triggered the last memory of his life.

He leaped up and slammed Son Gohan's head with a powerful dunk.

"Grandfather!"

Son Gohan didn't dare to fight back and could only dejectedly hug his big head, squatting on the ground and looking at Son Gohan with a wronged expression.

"Hmph, it seems you can control this Transformation now. That's acceptable. Remember not to cause trouble in the future. Grandfather can't protect you anymore!"

Son Gohan said with a look of emotion.

Although he didn't know what was happening, the bright circle above his head told him that he hadn't truly resurrected, but was merely temporarily back in the mortal world through some means.

"What?!"

"Grandfather, are you saying you were stepped to death by me?!"

Son Gohan was shocked. This, this, this was not what they had always believed!

"You still have the nerve to say that? Your strength has always been terrifying, much stronger than Wukong. I didn't expect your strength and speed to surpass mine by a large margin after transforming."

"I might have had some confidence in blocking Wukong."

"Who knew you young people wouldn't fight honorably, taking advantage of my old age and frailty. While I was blocking Wukong, you stepped on me with a single kick."