The surroundings became eerily silent, with no sound echoing through the vast Moon Palace.
The heavenly soldiers and generals, who were previously writhing in pain on the ground, stared at Sun Wukong in fear. Despite experiencing intense pain, they kept their mouths shut, even biting their lips to avoid making any noise. They feared attracting Sun Wukong's attention, dreading the consequences of provoking him.
A gulp was heard suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere. One of the heavenly soldiers couldn't bear the tension and involuntarily swallowed saliva.
The heavenly soldiers were instantly filled with dread, their pupils dilated, their eyes showing shock. They held their breath, fearing that any sound might draw Sun Wukong's attention and result in a fatal outcome.
Finally, one heavenly soldier couldn't endure the tension any longer and spat out, "Gulp!"
The heavenly soldiers were instantly horrified, their eyes widened in shock. They held their breath, quivering, afraid of Sun Wukong's reaction. Each of them endured the pain, choosing silence over risking Sun Wukong's wrath. They didn't dare utter a word, fearing that any sound might provoke him.
Sun Wukong, upon hearing the noise, turned his sharp eyes towards the heavenly soldier. The soldier, feeling like he had encountered a ferocious beast from ancient times, shrank back, trembling, and stammered, "Please don't kill me, please don't kill me."
"Sun Wukong, why are you so impulsive? Killing Tota Heavenly King, violating heavenly laws, will surely lead to being sent to the Execution Platform," scolded Chang'e. Although her tone was reproachful, her face showed clear concern.
"You saw it yourself; Li Jing has ill intentions towards me. He framed me for Wu Gang's death and planned to use it as an excuse to punish me. Clearly, he has malicious intentions. If someone harbors evil thoughts against me, they must be prepared for the consequences!" Sun Wukong replied coldly.
"The death of Tota Heavenly King cannot be hidden. What should we do now?" Chang'e asked anxiously.
"I will handle this; you don't need to worry," Sun Wukong reassured.
He then knocked out all the heavily wounded heavenly soldiers and generals, and with a somersault cloud, he left the Moon Palace.
Watching Sun Wukong's departing figure, Chang'e stomped her foot in anger. Despite Sun Wukong consistently belittling her and never praising her like others, she found herself inexplicably caring about his safety.
Sun Wukong, on his way, headed straight to the Duoluo Palace, situated in the Thirty-Three Heavens!
Since the moment he killed Li Jing, he had made up his mind. One way or another, he would seize all the immortal pills from the Duoluo Palace before the heavenly court could react.
In a matter of breaths, Sun Wukong arrived at the Duoluo Palace on the Thirty-Three Heavens.
Inside the Duoluo Palace, the Supreme Elder was sitting on a cushion, meditating with closed eyes. Two child attendants played by his side.
Suddenly, the Supreme Elder opened his eyes, revealing no emotions on his face, and said, "Children, come with me for a stroll."
With a wave of his sleeve, a gentle breeze swept through, carrying the Supreme Elder and the two children away from their original location.
Sun Wukong, observing the partially opened palace door, sneered. As expected, the Supreme Elder knew about his situation like the back of his hand.
The palace doors were wide open, inviting him to come in and steal the golden pills. If his assumptions were correct, there wouldn't be a single person inside the Duoluo Palace.
Sun Wukong pushed open the palace doors without any concealment, swaggering inside. After a quick survey, he confirmed that there was indeed no one inside, validating his suspicions.
In the original story, Sun Wukong caused a commotion at the Peach Banquet and drank himself into a stupor. In the end, he even made his way to the Duoluo Palace.
Coincidentally, no one was inside the Duoluo Palace at that time. The Supreme Elder had taken the child attendants to listen to Lampstand Ancient Buddha's sermon, leaving the palace unguarded. Sun Wukong took advantage of this opportunity to devour all the Supreme Elder's golden pills.
It's important to note that the Duoluo Palace is located in the Thirty-Three Heavens, a realm entirely different from the Peach Banquet scene. How could the intoxicated Sun Wukong possibly find his way to this place?
Clearly, someone was orchestrating events behind the scenes, and Tai Shang Lao Jun was likely the mastermind. Without his acquiescence, it would be impossible for Sun Wukong, with his strength and cultivation, to steal the golden pills. The Eight Trigram Furnace wouldn't have allowed Sun Wukong to survive either.
But, let's return to the main story.
Sun Wukong, having searched around inside the Duoluo Palace, quickly found the location of the alchemy room.
Entering the alchemy room, he discovered a pill furnace placed in the center. On top of the pill furnace was a cauldron, with a fire burning inside, indicating that alchemy was in progress.
Circling around the cauldron, Sun Wukong indeed found five gourds. Opening one of the gourds, he discovered golden pills inside.
"These immortal pills are treasures of the heavenly realm, and countless immortals dream of obtaining one."
Sun Wukong poured out one pill from the gourd and held it in his hand. An aromatic scent filled the air, causing all the hair on his body to relax, making him feel refreshed.
Delighted, Sun Wukong exclaimed, "Just smelling the pill's fragrance has such an effect. Truly worthy of Lao Jun's creation!"
He then put the golden pill into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it in one gulp.
As the pill entered his stomach, it immediately transformed into a warm flow, circulating through Sun Wukong's meridians, gathering in his elixir field and enhancing his magical power.
With just one pill, Sun Wukong felt that his magical power was on the verge of breaking through from the first-level heavenly immortal to the second level.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth wide, directed towards the gourd's opening, and poured all the pills inside, chewing them like peanuts.
One gourd of golden pills was quickly consumed, followed by the second, the third, and so on. After each gourd of golden pills, Sun Wukong's magical power increased exponentially.
By the time he finished consuming the fourth gourd of golden pills, his strength had forcefully ascended from the first-level heavenly immortal to the seventh level.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had progressed from being a Daoist Golden Immortal to a Great Sage Golden Immortal, crossing six realms! His strength skyrocketed faster than riding a rocket!