The Gate to the Fourth Order Genetic Lock

Fang Yu sat cross-legged in a secluded mountain cave, a bolt of purple lightning occasionally striking down from the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool hovering above his head, illuminating his furrowed brow. The * Taiyi Qinghua Dongxuan Secret Chapters * lay open before him, the text on the fourth page twisting and writhing like a living thing. He recognized each character individually, but together they were obscure and difficult to understand. It was like numbers written on a blackboard by a math teacher in class; individually, they were at least recognizable as 1, 2, 3, 4, but combined, they were utterly baffling. "The three souls return to their places, the seven spirits solidify," Fang Yu traced the words with his fingertips. "What does this mean?" He slammed the book shut, veins throbbing at his temples. Ever since publicly unleashing the Raigo in Chang'an City, the flow of spiritual energy within his body had been somewhat sluggish, like an invisible reef obstructing a river. "Should I ask the Great Immortal Zhenyuan?" Fang Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly. Since that Ancestor of Earth Immortals had used his Universe in the Sleeve to send him to Chang'an, he clearly didn't want to get involved anymore. He was now just like the Monkey thrown out of the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, disowned by his sect. "Ask someone else? Wouldn't that be leaking secrets?" "What to do?" The mountain wind blew through the cave, carrying the chill of late autumn. Fang Yu suddenly had an idea! "Five Finger Mountain!" Five hundred years ago Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who Tathagata havoc in the Havoc in Heaven, was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain by Buddha. Now, before his release, a banana could bribe the Monkey. A banana tree might even provide Monkey with a cave! He decided to go! Fang Yu went to the market and bought peaches, bananas, apples, pears, and a bunch of other fruits. A day later, he arrived at a desolate valley. It was less like a mountain and more like five towering pillars. The reddish-brown rocks were barren, and at the foot of the mountain were scattered, weathered Buddhist verse tablets. At the base of the central pillar, a dark cave entrance was faintly visible. When he was still a hundred feet from the foot of the mountain, dense Sanskrit characters suddenly appeared on the ground. These golden characters seemed to come alive, wrapping around Fang Yu's ankles, the burning sensation instantly penetrating to his very bones! "Hiss—" Fang Yu quickly wrapped himself in Divine Protection Evasion, and the burning sensation subsided slightly. "Tathagata Buddha!" A hoarse curse suddenly echoed from the cave, "Five hundred years and you still send a bald donkey to chant sutras? Your grandpa's ears are calloused from hearing it!" Fang Yu's eyes lit up! Although the voice was hoarse, it carried a familiar arrogance; it was none other than Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong Havoc in Heaven! He endured the burning pain and stepped forward, finally seeing the scene in the cave around the corner. A furry head was stuck in a crevice in the rock, its Fiery Golden Eyes shining like candlelight in the darkness. The monkey's head was covered in a thick layer of ash, looking quite disheveled. "Hmm?" Sun Wukong suddenly twitched his nose, "Not a bald donkey?" He struggled to move his eyes, finally catching sight of Fang Yu's figure, "Where did this brat come from? Aren't you afraid of getting burned?" Just as Fang Yu was about to explain his purpose, the Sanskrit characters beneath his feet suddenly burst forth! Dozens of golden chains shot out from the void, binding him tightly. "Ha!" Sun Wukong grinned smugly, revealing a missing canine tooth. "This barrier is specifically designed to restrain cultivators; the more you exert your power, the tighter it binds you!" Upon hearing this, Fang Yu immediately stopped struggling, and sure enough, the chains loosened slightly. He panted heavily and said, "This junior Fang Yu, has come to seek guidance from the Great Sage." "Seeking guidance?" Sun Wukong's ears twitched. "What are you holding?" "Fruit and books." Monkey King's Fiery Golden Eyes darted around, his whole body radiating cleverness. "Oh? You don't understand the things in the books, so you've come to ask me, Old Sun?" "The Great Sage is indeed the Great Sage; he understands immediately." "Give them to me, let me see." Fang Yu crawled forward, the chains hissing against his flesh with every inch he moved. Finally, after handing over the books, Monkey King smiled. "Peel a banana for me first!" Fang Yu laughed awkwardly, pulling a handful of bananas from his bag. Monkey King's eyes lit up, and he swallowed hard! Five hundred years! Anyone willing to give it a banana is more precious than the Star of Africa or the Tear of the Ocean! After all, this is a barrier set up by Buddha. Ordinary people would be afraid and run away, cultivators wouldn't be able to withstand it, and only a powerful immortal, somewhere in between, could come before the Monkey, but they would have to consider whether the Pure Land of Bliss would hold a grudge against them, and whether they would be tainted by Karma. Fang Yu shoved the banana in front of Monkey King's mouth, and Monkey King opened his mouth and took a bite! "Peel! The peel isn't finished yet!" "Mmm, mmm." Monkey King ate impatiently, saying, "I don't care about this or that! Give me another one!" After a bit of fuss, Fang Yu finished all the fruit Monkey King had brought. It licked its lips contentedly, closed its eyes, and actually fell asleep. "Hey! You Monkey, what's wrong? Trying to back out?" Monkey King blinked. "Look at my memory, I'm so stupid! Oh right, what did you want to do again?" Fang Yu sighed. "Ask you what those words in the book mean." "Aww, I can tell you, but... I've been imprisoned at the foot of the mountain for five hundred years. I usually don't get to eat anything, just drink the occasional drops of mountain spring water and the sour wild fruit that accidentally slips onto my face." Fang Yu understood perfectly well that Monkey King was playing the victim and trying to raise his price. He slapped the ground opposite him. "You wait." Before Monkey King could figure out what the V50 mark on the ground meant, Fang Yu vanished! "Hmm?!" Sun Wukong noticed something. His eyes blinked rapidly, but he couldn't figure out what kind of Divine Ability this was. Not long after, Fang Yu reappeared with a "whoosh." This time, he was carrying a bundle bigger than himself! Monkey King's heart raced the moment he saw it! This smell! It was all bananas and peaches! Fang Yu gave Monkey King a smile, "Go ahead and eat! Eat as much as you want!" Monkey King Wukong was moved to tears. "I, I, Old Sun!" Fang Yu waved his hand and used Green Lantern Energy to create a fruit conveyor belt. Monkey King looked at the fruit spinning above the conveyor belt and Fang Yu peeling bananas. Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore! "Kid! Wait until I finish eating! After I finish, I'll tell you what I have to say! Just wait!" Fruit peels and scraps of paper were scattered all over the ground. Monkey King was so full that even his burps smelled of bananas. He gestured for Fang Yu to scratch his face. The Monkey laughed awkwardly, "This is the first time Old Sun 've felt that the crevice in this mountain is so small. There's no room for my stomach!" Seeing his childhood idol being tortured to this extent, Fang Yu suddenly felt a little teary-eyed. He also understood why this Great Sage was evenly matched with everyone during the journey to the West, completely losing the pride he had when he wreaked havoc in the Havoc in Heaven. Anyone who had been imprisoned under this godforsaken Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years, enduring excrement and urine on their legs, and not seeing their "little brother" for five hundred years, wouldn't dare cause trouble or harbor any disloyalty. Monkey King rested for a moment, his Fiery Golden Eyes fixed on the fourth page of the booklet, before finally saying, "You're stuck on 'Three Souls Returning to Their Places'?" "Yes, every time I circulate my energy..." "Idiot!" Sun Wukong interrupted abruptly, "I'll teach you!" He suddenly lowered his voice, "Listen carefully!" A difficult incantation resounded in Fang Yu's mind like a thunderclap. His whole body trembled violently, and the stagnant spiritual energy within him suddenly surged like a tide, carving out new paths in his Meridians! "Hehe, learned it?" Fang Yu immediately felt refreshed! Even the threshold of the Fourth Order Genetic Lock seemed to be subtly stirring!