Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Time and time again, the golden bricks smashed against the body of the Zijinhua marten, causing it to howl in pain. The marten tried to bite down on the bricks, but to no avail.

"Fighting with bricks, huh? Smack them in the face, but don't just do it recklessly; if you don't hit, try again, if you do, keep hammering until they're dead. If they die, it's all over!"

While smacking around, the sound echoed with the Six-Eared Macaque's teasing tone. This was something Sun Wukong had muttered, which the Six-Eared Macaque had committed to memory.

In fact, these words were those Sun Wukong learned from the previous owner of the Time-Space Life-Death Talisman, and he had never tried them before, yet the Six-Eared Macaque had taken the initiative to use it first.

"Damn you, accursed demon monkey, your bullying has gone too far! I will tear you to pieces!"

Upon hearing these words from the Six-Eared Macaque, the Great Sight Heavenly King, Mo Lishou, almost exploded with rage—it was sheer humiliation!

Drawing two golden whips, the Great Sight Heavenly King Mo Lishou charged at the Six-Eared Macaque. His golden bricks were transformed from his clones, and as long as he could defeat the Six-Eared Macaque, the clones would naturally disintegrate.

"Demon monkey, take this!"

The golden whips, infused with the surging divine power, aimed for the Six-Eared Macaque's crown. However, the macaque was entirely unconcerned, as this was the exact response he had hoped for!

Afraid? He was waiting for this!

With a swift movement, the Six-Eared Macaque dodged the whip's assault, spun around, and reached behind the Great Sight Heavenly King Mo Lishou, landing a fierce blow on his lower back that sent him flying out with a painful scream.

The Great Sight Heavenly King Mo Lishou's greatest ability laid in his Zijinhua marten – usually, when it came into battle, those with insufficient strength were immediately consumed without a chance to resist. It could be said that his martial skills were the weakest among the Four Great Heavenly Kings; ironically, he enjoyed proving himself by wielding the golden whip personally.

There weren't many who dared to confront him as anyone who did would be devoured by the Zijinhua marten. However, the Six-Eared Macaque would not show any mercy against him.

"Brother!"

"Damn it! How dare this demon monkey!?"

Both the Growth Heavenly King, Mo Liqing, and the Broad Hearing Heavenly King, Mo Lihong, were a mixture of shock and anger as they howled and charged towards the Six-Eared Macaque, shifting from ranged combat to close-range battle.

The Six-Eared Macaque chuckled. In close combat, apart from Sun Wukong himself, he believed he was second to none within his rank, of course.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As he swung his iron staff, the Six-Eared Macaque managed to easily send Growth Heavenly King Mo Liqing and Broad Hearing Heavenly King Mo Lihong flying. It was just like the way he had flung the Great Sight Heavenly King Mo Lishou earlier.

"Boom!"

At the same moment, the clone of the Six-Eared Macaque, which had transformed into a golden brick, finally overwhelmed the Zijinhua marten. Another powerful strike later, the marten let out a pitiful howl as it fell to the ground. The soldiers and generals of the Heavenly Court wanted to come to its aid, but they were driven back by the ready forces of the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Race.

It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed the marten and flung it into the barrier gate of the Flower-Fruit Mountain; in no time, it disappeared from sight.

"My Zijinhua marten!"

Great Sight Heavenly King Mo Lishou, having been struck by the Six-Eared Macaque's staff and sent flying, coughing up blood, now watched as his Zijinhua marten was taken by the people of Flower-Fruit Mountain. Frantic and furious, he spat out another mouthful of blood and fell unconscious.

Growth Heavenly King Mo Liqing and Broad Hearing Heavenly King Mo Lihong quickly caught him, ignoring their own injuries, and retreated back into the vast encampment of the Heavenly Court.

"The Six-Eared is mighty!"

"Victory! Victory!"

The demon soldiers of Flower-Fruit Mountain shouted jubilantly. On the Six-Eared Macaque's face was an undeniable expression of pride. Twirling his iron staff and pointing it towards the great army of the Heavenly Court, he bellowed:

"Next, who wishes to challenge me?"

His arrogance was evident, yet at that very moment, the immortals and generals of the Heavenly Court dared not underestimate the Six-Eared Macaque anymore. He had proven his strength with his actions— even the Four Great Heavenly Kings had been defeated by him.

From this day on, the name of the Six-Eared Macaque would likely spread among the immortal gods of the Heavenly Court, just like the name of the Beautiful Monkey King, Sun Wukong.

"Retreat! Sound the retreat!" Explore hidden tales at empire

The initial defeat was followed by continuous setbacks, leaving the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing with a complexion as unsightly as could be. Without delay, he issued the command to retreat. The sound of the retreat signal rang out, and the grand army of the Heavenly Court withdrew into the distance.

In no time, all of the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals around the Flower-Fruit Mountain within a hundred miles had been completely withdrawn, without a single one left. The Six-Eared Macaque, amidst cheers and escort from the demon soldiers, rode the clouds back to Flower-Fruit Mountain.

"Six-Eared, well done!"

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"Good fight! Thrilling! Ha ha!"

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Back at Flower-Fruit Mountain, the Six-Eared Macaque received unanimous praise from the Demon Clan, whose performance today was vastly improved compared to several years ago, earning him the complete admiration of his peers.

"Not bad! You've improved significantly! No wonder the boss said you were not to be underestimated!"

Within the Water Curtain Cave Heaven, Leng Xuan patted the Six-Eared Macaque on the shoulder with praise.

"The boss mentioned me?"

The Six-Eared Macaque's eyes lit up. If there was one person in all of Flower-Fruit Mountain whose recognition he craved, it was unquestionably Sun Wukong. He had thought Sun Wukong despised and belittled him, but now he discovered Sun Wukong's opinion of him was surprisingly high.

"Of course. The boss has mentioned you to us more than once. Otherwise, do you really think you could have redeemed the Eight-Nine Profound Skill and the Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiend Transformation Technique with your mere merits?"

Leng Xuan chuckled. To tell the truth, he had been somewhat skeptical when Sun Wukong initially instructed him to keep an eye on the Six-Eared Macaque and to secretly give him some advantages while monitoring his nature and performance.

With so many talented demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain, he found it strange that Sun Wukong took such an interest in the Six-Eared Macaque, an unfamiliar newcomer to their ranks. But now, it seems that Sun Wukong's discernment is as sharp as ever—he truly recognized the potential that the Six-Eared Macaque holds!

"So that Eight-Nine Profound Skill and Transformation Technique, were they exchanged for me by you on the boss's orders?"

The Six-Eared Macaque was astonished, his mouth gaping open. He had always believed that Sun Wukong held a bias against him, a mysterious hatred. He never imagined Sun Wukong would instruct Leng Xuan to give him such special treatment.

"What else? Alright, when the boss comes back and hears of your performance today, I believe he'll be proud of you!"

Leng Xuan smiled again, patting the Six-Eared Macaque on the shoulder, "Alright, you must be tired too after today, Six-Eared. Go rest early. I reckon the Heavenly Court won't be launching any attacks today."

The Six-Eared Macaque nodded. The battle today had not been particularly exhaustive for him, but he indeed had much to gain and needed to properly sort through and reflect on it.

Watching the Six-Eared Macaque turn and walk towards the Heaven-Piercing Tower, Leng Xuan's expression turned serious as he ordered the captured Purple-Gold Fox Mink to be brought forward. The creature's limbs and neck were bound by light rings imbued with talisman seals, its strength completely suppressed.

It now looked no different in size than an ordinary mink, far removed from its previous elephantine form.

"Purple-Gold Fox Mink, a born rarity, yet you willingly served the Human Race. Now that you've been captured, do you have any last words?"

Leng Xuan's face was stern as he glanced coldly at the Purple-Gold Fox Mink and spoke.

"Spare my life, great king! I was compelled against my will!"

At the mention of last words, the Purple-Gold Fox Mink shuddered in fear, its body beginning to tremble as it began to plead with a tearful voice.

"Oh, so you can speak? Tell me, how exactly were you compelled against your will?"

Sun Wushuang from Leng Xuan's side couldn't help laughing. Leaping beside the Purple-Gold Fox Mink, he examined it before saying, "Considering your cultivation is at the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, you're stronger than the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Mo Lishou. How were you compelled against your will?"

"Great king, you are unaware. I was raised by that Mo Lishou since I was little. He had ingrained a master-servant contract in me from an early age, and I simply cannot defy his orders. A single thought from him is all it takes for me to endure the torment of a thousand arrows piercing my heart—I simply have no power to resist!"

The Purple-Gold Fox Mink's face was filled with bitterness, and tears began to spill from the corners of its eyes as it spoke.

"A master-servant contract? So Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Mo Lishou placed such a contract on you? That explains it!"

Sitting within the Water Curtain Cave Heaven were the mid to upper-tier members of the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Race. Ever since the Heaven-Piercing Tower had been established, Sun Wukong had made every ancient tome he knew available within it.

Demons of mid to upper-tier status had the privilege to access those tomes that did not require points to redeem, hence they had a fair understanding of the power of contracts.

In the Three Realms, immortals and gods had the custom of keeping spiritual beasts as pets or mounts, some subdued through sheer force, compelling obedience, while others utilized contracts for control, among which were master-servant and equal contracts.

An equal contract meant the spiritual beast and its master had a relationship of equals: no hierarchy, the ability to borrow each other's powers, and upon the death of either party, the contract dissolved harmlessly.

A master-servant contract was entirely different: the servant must unconditionally obey the master, with no room for rebellion; a mere thought from the master could obliterate the servant's very being.

A servant's talent, no matter how high, would always be suppressed by the master, unable to break through until the master did so first.

Within the Three Realms, any immortal or god who bonded with a spiritual beast or mount through contract used a master-servant contract. No one had heard of equal contracts being used in such contexts. However, practically no one willingly entered into master-servant contracts.

Many demons would rather die than lose their freedom permanently to servitude, so those who bound their pets or mounts through contracts were rare, with the majority relying on overpowering dominance.

To bond with a spiritual beast or mount through a contract usually meant catching one in its youth or when severely weakened to the point of being unable to even commit suicide. So after hearing the Purple-Gold Fox Mink's lament, all demons present fell silent. The more hot-headed ones like Sun Wushuang and the Bull Demon King flashed a bitter anger in their eyes.