One human named Wu Cheng’en compiled Sun Wukong’s story into a book called Journey to the West.

But the birth of the real Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, was far earlier than that.

His life was short compared to the higher divine beings who had lived tens of thousands of years, but he was still close to a thousand years old.

He was the type who could not endure boredom and loved seeing the world.

If there was one clear difference from other heavenly gods, it was that Sun Wukong possessed a complete physical body.

Extraordinary from birth, he crossed through all kinds of worlds with a living body.

After all, wasn’t he someone who came and went even to the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld before skyways like the ones now had even opened?

In doing so, Sun Wukong saw and learned many things.

He punished villains across the land, beat yokai that ate humans to death, and also committed countless atrocities as a yokai king.

He met good and admirable humans like the monk Tripitaka, and he even became a Buddha.

And what about treasures?

He had seen many supreme and precious treasures, and he had possessed them too.

Even the Dragon Kings’ treasure armor he wore was a rare item hard to see in the mortal world.

And on top of that, there was the Ruyi Staff that he carried.

That item, which was also called the Heavenly River Stabilizing-Depth Divine Treasure Iron, was a treasure among treasures that measured the height of the sky and the depth of the sea.

It was an item so great that legends said the creator god Pangu made the world and tamped down the earth with this cudgel.

To a Sun Wukong like that, was Yi-gang’s meteorite-iron sword truly something to covet?

No matter how precious the meteorite iron it was forged from was, could a single old sword really rouse the greed of a Sun Wukong who possessed the Ruyi Staff?

No. It couldn’t.

“Isn’t that blade far too good for you!”

And yet Sun Wukong shouted that.

Before him stood the expressionless human youth, Baek Yi-gang.

He was certainly an incredible master.

He was unbelievably young, yet his martial arts had reached the pinnacle. Talent like this was rare.

But over his long years, Sun Wukong had killed countless formidable foes.

“Hand it over! Or I’ll crush your head!”

He overwhelmed Yi-gang.

Yi-gang’s swordsmanship could not pierce Sun Wukong’s armor.

A blade wrapped in sword aura could easily cut even solid iron, yet it could barely slice Sun Wukong’s hide.

Sun Wukong kicked Yi-gang in the stomach.

It carried the force to topple even an elephant.

But it felt light, like he had kicked a sheet of paper.

Yi-gang let the force flow off and retreated.

Annoyed, Sun Wukong swung the Ruyi Staff.

It was a distance the staff should not have reached, yet the Ruyi Staff stretched long.

The point of impact was precisely the crown of Yi-gang’s head,

And yet again.

By a hair’s breadth, the Ruyi Staff only smashed into the ground.

Dust blasted upward and obscured vision.

An ordinary person would have panicked, but Sun Wukong’s gaze flashed instead.

His Golden Pupils Fiery Eyes could see through dust like this.

Beyond it, Yi-gang’s quick movements were sensed clearly.

‘He’s nothing special.’

Sun Wukong’s impression of Yi-gang remained the same.

He was fairly nimble, but still just an ordinary human, not fit to be compared to Sun Wukong himself or the heavenly gods.

‘And yet, it feels like there’s something strangely latent in him.’

Sun Wukong’s eyes that discerned truth and lies, and what was hidden.

He saw many things within Yi-gang.

For some reason, he was wearing a treasure with a strange feeling, and within him there was a mix of yokai energy, immortal energy, and demonic energy.

Too many things could be felt from Yi-gang for a single human to contain.

But among them, what caught Sun Wukong’s attention was something unique.

It was Yi-gang’s very soul.

A reincarnator, perhaps. Up to that point, like other transcendent beings, Sun Wukong could tell.

But it was a little different. It felt like there was something deeper.

As if his soul held a hard seed within it.

‘If I smash him open, something inside might come out.’

Unlike his thoughts, it was not easy to beat Yi-gang down.

But this was Sun Wukong, someone who had even beaten down the Dragon King.

He decided to shake Yi-gang once and see.

“I don’t know what Zhang Sanfeng and Bodhidharma were thinking.”

At that, ripples appeared even in Yi-gang’s calm expression.

Thinking, ‘That’s it,’ Sun Wukong continued.

“Their eyes must’ve been crooked, to make such a gambling move for a punk like you!”

“…What are you talking about?”

Yi-gang reacted.

“If you want to hear it, then…”

That was when it happened. For the first time, Sun Wukong felt a sense of danger.

His gaze sharpened, and his fur bristled and swelled.

Yi-gang’s sword pierced the spot where Sun Wukong’s throat had been a moment ago.

For the first time, Sun Wukong evaded instead of blocking.

His pride was bruised. A vein bulged on his forehead.

At the same time, his mouth spread in delight.

“Let’s see how many times you can do that.”

That sword strike just now was one that could reach even a heavenly god.

It was not something he could fire off freely.

Sure enough, Yi-gang showed a more cautious attitude than before.

“Then I’ll show you something fitting as well.”

Sun Wukong’s presence changed.

He decided to use his domain.

Using it on a human was no different from using an ox-slaughtering blade to kill a chicken, but…

He had beckoned him to enter, but more precisely, his domain swallowed the place where Yi-gang stood.

Sun Wukong’s dominion was on a level far beyond ordinary heavenly gods.

In an instant, a radius of about a hundred meters became Sun Wukong’s domain.

It was nothing compared to the most lethal domain he could create, but even this produced astounding results.

The swirling dust and gusting winds stopped.

The air grew heavy.

It was not just the atmosphere. It truly became so.

Hair floated and swayed in midair, and breathing became impossible.

It was as if he was submerged deep underwater.

The air within Sun Wukong’s hundred meter radius turned into something like water.

It was the true power of a domain, distinct even from a Supreme Ultimate Technique that merely distorted the world’s laws for an instant.

“How do you like my home, the Water Curtain Cave?”

Sun Wukong laughed.

Water Curtain Cave, the Monkey King’s kingdom he discovered by leaping into a waterfall.

Back when he was a stone monkey, he became the master of the Water Curtain Cave.

In water, it is hard for a person to move.

Even for a master, it is the same.

The faster the speed, the stronger the resistance becomes. That applied even to the strongest swordsman.

Yi-gang’s movements noticeably slowed.

Breathing was impossible as well.

Even so, Sun Wukong’s movements were perfectly fine.

It was only natural for the master of the domain to be free of its effects.

Sun Wukong, holding the Ruyi Staff, thrust it straight out.

It seemed like it might get a little fun, but that was as far as it went.

The fight would end by smashing Yi-gang’s brow.

With Yi-gang slowed within the Water Curtain Cave domain, he couldn’t avoid the Ruyi Staff.

Or that’s how it should’ve been.

Yi-gang easily dodged the Ruyi Staff.

Then he advanced.

He looked like he was not affected by the domain at all, just like Sun Wukong.

And that was not all. Starting from around Yi-gang, the domain was being undone.

Sun Wukong was aghast.

Yi-gang didn’t miss that brief opening.

A slash as powerful as before chopped down into Sun Wukong’s collarbone area.

Kwagagagak!

The Golden Chainmail Armor was a treasure armor he had received from the Dragon King.

Yet that treasure armor split under a sword that was not even coated in Sword Aura.

The blade tore Sun Wukong’s tough furred hide, then was stopped by bone.

Sun Wukong’s eyes met Yi-gang’s.

Calmly, they were eyes preparing the next move.

The wounded yokai king’s fury exploded.

In this moment, he had not let his guard down even a little, yet Yi-gang’s sword had clearly reached Sun Wukong’s bones.

“…You human bastard!”

A pride shattered to pieces.

And the savage ferocity that burst out from the recoil.

Sun Wukong let out a feral roar and unleashed his full strength.

In an instant, the surroundings became a sea of fire, and the Ruyi Staff emitted a flashing light.

Yi-gang still couldn’t resist a dominion on this level.

The Ruyi Staff pierced Yi-gang’s abdomen.

It didn’t end with a single strike.

The Ruyi Staff lengthened.

And it thickened.

Sun Wukong’s arm muscles bulged as if they would burst, and he raised the Ruyi Staff into the sky.

Yi-gang was hanging from its tip.

The Ruyi Staff that had been lodged in his abdomen had originally been the thickness of an ordinary spear.

But before long, it thickened to the size of a palace’s main beam.

Even then, the ascent did not stop.

Yi-gang felt a horrifying pressure from his abdomen.

At last, the Ruyi Staff grew as thick as Yi-gang’s torso.

Kwaaaaah!

As his body was pushed along, the wind that battered his ears was insanely powerful.

When he barely managed to open his eyes, he was already so high the ground was faint and distant.

「That crazy monkey bastard is showing his true colors!」

Nezha revealed himself and clung to Yi-gang’s back.

Struck in the collarbone, Sun Wukong lost his reason and raged. That brought out his true power.

Yi-gang kept being driven higher and higher into the sky by the Ruyi Staff.

Maybe due to the acceleration, blood rushed to his head.

His vision darkened, and it felt like he would lose the thread of consciousness at any moment.

「When you’re actually taking it, it’s hard to deal with, so get a grip!」

Nezha slapped Yi-gang’s cheek.

Yi-gang clenched his teeth and held onto the thread of consciousness.

All he could do was hope Sun Wukong’s concealment spell was working properly.

Yi-gang was high up in the sky, and that sight would be visible even from the Evil Cult’s main headquarters.

At last, he pierced through the clouds.

He had entered the stratosphere.

The air became shockingly cold, and the ground was no longer visible.

Only a sea of white clouds filled the world below.

Haa.

His exhaled breath turned into white snow crystals.

Frost formed in his hair and eyebrows, and at last the Ruyi Staff’s ascent stopped.

Even so, Yi-gang floated up a little more.

A brief moment of weightlessness.

Yi-gang slowly spun around in midair.

The Ruyi Staff that had brought him here rapidly shrank again.

Yi-gang was left alone in the sky, hundreds of ri away from the ground.

「Get a grip!」

Feeling the burning on his face, Yi-gang snapped back to his senses.

In front of him, Nezha was gripping Yi-gang by the collar.

「This is actually an opportunity. That monkey bastard will be off his guard.」

If he fell from this height, lightness skills or anything else wouldn’t matter. He would die, flattened like dried fish.

And yet he called it an opportunity.

Due to the lack of oxygen and the shock to his brain, Yi-gang’s mind was hazy.

Nezha grabbed the Red Armillary Sash tied at Yi-gang’s waist and untied it.

Then the Red Armillary Sash fluttered around Yi-gang as if it were alive.

「Along with the Red Armillary Sash, I’ll give you the Qiankun Ring.」

Nezha spent his own causality without hesitation.

A round ring appeared in the sky.

It revolved around Yi-gang and Nezha, like Saturn’s rings.

「The Fire-Tipped Spear.」

Even then, Yi-gang didn’t let go of Shooting Star Fang.

Red flames overlaid the Shooting Star Fang.

It was like he was gripping a spear made of fire.

「I’ll lend you the Nine-Dragon Holy Fire Cover.」

Bar-like lines appeared around Yi-gang.

It was shaped like a birdcage.

The flames on the Fire-Tipped Spear spread over Yi-gang’s entire body. Those flames writhed like snakes.

Nezha, born from a treasure.

The four heavenly treasures he lent to Yi-gang.

「My treasures aren’t even something you’d compare to the junk that monkey bastard has.」

In this moment.

Yi-gang had temporarily gained divine power.

The fall began.

Only then did Sun Wukong, who had flung Yi-gang away with the Ruyi Staff, come to his senses.

The Ruyi Staff that had lengthened shrank again, but of course Yi-gang was no longer hanging from its end.

“I-I didn’t kill him, did I?!”

He had taken a hit from a human and, in that instant, snapped.

Sun Wukong regretted it. He had not intended to kill Yi-gang at all.

If he was alive, he would fall soon.

Thinking that, Sun Wukong looked for the direction Yi-gang would fall and took his stance.

Even when he looked to the sky, he could not see Yi-gang falling. There were only clouds.

Sun Wukong’s eyes widened.

His Golden Pupils Fiery Eyes told him something was falling beyond the clouds.

However, it was clearly not an ordinary human.

“Th-This…”

What burst through the clouds was Yi-gang, wrapped in flames.

Orbiting around Yi-gang’s body were unmistakably the Crown Prince Nezha’s heavenly treasures.

Sun Wukong now felt a sense of danger incomparable to anything he had encountered before.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep