Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"Ying Long's Roar!"

A dragon's roar accompanied by surging waves of weak water burst forth from Ying Long's mouth, hurtling towards the eighteen rod shadows that Sun Wukong had slammed down.

Boom!

The waves and rod shadows collided, wave upon wave, rod upon rod, the terrifying force spreading in all directions. The weak water prison that had trapped Heaven-Defying Demon Emperor Mu Chenxuan also explosively dissolved. Read latest stories on empire

As soon as Mu Chenxuan broke free, he was blasted backward by the residual energy of the blast, hastily channeling his demon primordial force to stabilize his form. Watching the constant clash of rod shadows and waves between those two towering figures in front of him sent a chill straight from his coccyx to the crown of his head.

Ever since his first encounter with Sun Wukong, Wukong had kept surprising Mu Chenxuan. This sense of astonishment had peaked when Wukong stood firm against Tathagata Buddha's golden Buddha hand, but this time, Wukong had shocked him once again.

The Heaven-Breaking Eighteen Sticks, performed under the augmentation of the Divine Power Dharma Aspect Heaven and Earth and Cloning Divine Powers, were so mighty they could even contend with the Ancient Dragon Clan's Divine Dragon Ying Long, who was at the Quasi-Saint Realm.

Previously confined within the weak water prison, Mu Chenxuan had been completely unable to free himself, giving him a firsthand experience of the ancient dragon's power. Therefore, seeing Sun Wukong battling Ying Long on equal footing was truly a shock to him.

The energy fluctuations generated by the collision of rod shadows and waves forced Mu Chenxuan, a half-step away from the Quasi-Saint, to operate his demon primordial force at full strength even at this distance. One could only imagine the destructive force at the center of the collision!

"Brother Wukong, is he really a Taiyi Golden Immortal? Could he be the strongest Taiyi Golden Immortal in history? What a freakishly strong guy!"

Mu Chenxuan sighed internally but had already pushed his demon primordial force to its limit, with his black Square Sky Halberd beginning to emanate a faint black glow, ready to back up Sun Wukong at a moment's notice.

The rod shadows of the Heaven-Breaking Eighteen Sticks continued to clash with the waves, gradually gaining the upper hand and cleaving through layer after layer of waves, pressing towards Ying Long. For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on the stern face of Ying Long, who began to take this seemingly frail monkey more seriously.

Beneath them, Dragon Island began to crack under the assault of the powerful energy fluctuations. This had never happened before. The island was engraved with countless defensive arrays.

The previous battle between Sun Wukong and Mu Chenxuan in the Beast Spirit Mountain Range against numerous undead mixed-blood beasts had not caused so much damage to Dragon Island, yet now the clash between Wukong's and Ying Long's ultimate moves was causing it to fracture, the cracks spreading toward the interior of the island.

Boom!

Finally, the rod shadow completely broke through the watery barrier and struck Ying Long fiercely, causing an earth-shattering rumble. Ying Long's tens of thousands Zhang long dragon body was sent tumbling away, a colossal mushroom cloud rising, and the already cracked Dragon Island utterly shattered from the impact.

Dust filled the sky, debris flew everywhere, and the massive Dragon Island disintegrated, countless fragments scattering and plummeting towards the endless Cloud Sea below.

"Huff, huff!"

Sun Wukong's towering golden giant monkey Dharma Body shrank back, the Divine Power Dharma Aspect Heaven and Earth consuming vast amounts of strength, not to mention deploying an ultimate move like the Heaven-Breaking Eighteen Sticks. Without the rapid return of chaos primordial force, Sun Wukong would probably be unable to hold on and would plummet from the clouds.

Gasping heavily, Sun Wukong operated the Eight-Nine Profound Skill with all his might. His body seemed to become a massive black hole, forcibly drawing in the surrounding nature's spiritual energy and absorbing it into his body to circulate through the Zhou Tian Revolution, transforming it into chaos primordial force at the fastest rate possible.

The Heaven-Breaking Eighteen Sticks were immensely powerful, but Sun Wukong's cultivation was still too low. Although the last rod strike had hit Ying Long, it likely wouldn't inflict significant injury on the ancient divine dragon. Sun Wukong needed to quickly restore the depleted chaos primordial force to prepare for the fierce battle ahead!

"You, you actually injured me!"

A deep voice arose from Ying Long. It was the first time Ying Long had spoken since awakening from its slumber. On its cyan-gray scaled body, the dragon scales where the rod shadow had struck were shattered, golden blood seeping out.

Even the dragon's formidable healing ability did not immediately stop the bleeding, indicating Sun Wukong's last strike did indeed cause damage, though it seemed relatively minor compared to Ying Long's vast body.

"I've said it before, if you won't listen to explanations, I'll strike until you're willing to listen!"

Sun Wukong's chaos primordial force had recovered by forty percent. Although he still felt very weak, he refused to lose momentum, "If you want to fight again, I, Old Sun, am ready to accompany you to the end!"

"Brother Wukong, let me help you!"

Mu Chenxuan flew beside Sun Wukong, his body steaming with demonic qi, intently staring at Ying Long, ready to unleash his full power at any moment.

"A member of the Demon Race? Didn't you sever the Demonic Realm from the Primeval Earth? Why would you appear in my Heavenly Dragon Valley?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ying Long seemed to have no intention of clashing with Sun Wukong again. He retracted the immense dragon might that radiated from his body and glanced at Mu Chenxuan, a hint of puzzlement flickering in his eyes as he spoke.

"The Primeval Earth, haha!"

Mu Chenxuan let out a bitter laugh, "The so-called Primeval Earth no longer exists. After the great calamities of the Witch-Demon War and the Divine Enthronement War, it collapsed. The current Three Realms have been reshaped by the Hong Jun Daoist Ancestor with his supreme magical power out of chaos. As for how I got here, that's a long story."

"It's fine, take your time. I have all the time in the world!"

Ying Long said this as a blue-gray light suddenly shone from his body, and under the wary gaze of Sun Wukong and Mu Chenxuan, his form swiftly shrank, transforming into an ordinary human state. Unlike the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, aside from the two dragon horns on his head, Ying Long's human form was indistinguishable from that of the Human Race, lacking the huge dragon head of the former.

In his human form, Ying Long's injuries were no longer visible. He was clad in blue-gray battle armor that was likely transformed from his own dragon scales, based on the shape and patterns.

The terrifying might he exuded was completely withdrawn, making him seem harmless to humans and livestock, hardly identifiable as the Ancient Divine Dragon who could split the heavens with his gaze and shake the earth with a flick of his tail.

"Talking is fine, but..."

Sun Wukong stowed away the Ruyi Silver-Hooped Rod and gestured around, "Should we find a place to settle down first?"

As a Divine Dragon of the Ancient Dragon Clan, Ying Long could fly unfettered within Heavenly Dragon Valley, but it was different for Sun Wukong and Mu Chenxuan. They had to spend a substantial amount of Primordial Force to resist the flying ban and remain airborne.

Sun Wukong's reserves of Chaos Primordial Force were particularly depleted at the moment, and wasting it senselessly seemed too foolish.

"Let's rest on Dragon Island up ahead."

Ying Long nodded in agreement. The original Dragon Island, his dwelling place, was destroyed during the great battle, with only a few iron chains remaining. Without delay, the three of them flew directly toward Dragon Island and descended at its edge.

"Our Demon Race, since sacrificing half of our ruling class to separate the Demonic Realm from the Primeval Earth during the Primeval Era, originally intended to rejoin the Three Realms. But unexpectedly..."

Mu Chenxuan briefly recounted his own experience in a similar vein to what he and Sun Wukong had discussed before, including their current visit to Heavenly Dragon Valley in search of treasure. As for the specifics of the treasure, Sun Wukong hadn't disclosed it, and Mu Chenxuan didn't know either.

"You're after the Chaos Dragon Divine Armor, aren't you?"

As someone of Ying Long's caliber, he immediately guessed Sun Wukong's purpose. The best treasure in the entire Heavenly Dragon Valley was the Chaos Dragon Divine Armor. It wasn't just Sun Wukong who desired it – even Ying Long himself did, although the divine armor wasn't something anyone could simply acquire.

"That's right!"

Sun Wukong didn't deny it. His goal was indeed the Chaos Dragon Divine Armor, and since Ying Long had already guessed it, there was nothing to refute. However, he was unsure what the Ancient Divine Dragon was thinking. Just moments ago Ying Long had seemed intent on fighting to the death, yet now he was unexpectedly amicable. It was truly puzzling.

"Monkey boy, you're not without skill, even able to control Chaos Primordial Force. You might actually be accepted by the Chaos Dragon Divine Armor. But to open the Dragon Nest Underground Palace, the presence of three great Divine Dragons of my Heavenly Dragon Clan is required. Ordinary clan members don't have that privilege, and you, being no member of my clan, probably can't even get in, can you?"

Ying Long looked at Sun Wukong with a slight smirk, the look of someone who is eager to watch how things unfold. He wanted to see Sun Wukong's anxious reaction upon hearing this news. After all, hadn't this monkey just put him through considerable pain?

Being able to injure him in a head-to-head fight despite only possessing the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, Sun Wukong's exceptional strength had earned Ying Long's recognition. This was precisely why Ying Long had ceased his attack to engage in a peaceful conversation in his human form. The Dragon Race revered the mighty, and only the powerful could garner their respect.

But this did not mean Ying Long harbored no resentment in his heart – it had been a very long time since he'd been wounded.

"Well..."

Scratching his head, Sun Wukong detected the mockery in Ying Long's words. After pondering for a moment, he took out the Dragon Ball given to him by Ao Tian, displaying the Dragon Soul imprint within it, "This is the Dragon Ball given to me by my comrade. He said it can be used to open the Dragon Nest Underground Palace."

"This is..."

As soon as Sun Wukong produced the Dragon Ball, Ying Long's expression instantly changed. The casual smile dropped from his face, and with an intense glare, he snatched the Dragon Ball from Sun Wukong's hand. After examining it carefully, he looked up sharply with a gaze as cold as lightning and demanded in a chilly voice, "Where did you get this Dragon Ball? Speak!"

An overwhelming pressure burst forth from Ying Long, bearing down on Sun Wukong with even more intensity than during their earlier battle.