Sun Wukong's Primordial Spirit left his body, somersaulted through the clouds, and directly reached the netherworld, entering the Senluo Palace.
In an instant, golden radiance burst forth from his body, illuminating the entire dark and gloomy nether realm.
It was the true fruit of Buddhism that cleansed sins—
Thousands of sword trees all bent aside, tens of thousands of knife mountains were all leveled flat. The demons of Unjust Death City transformed, and souls under the Naihe Bridge were reborn. It was as if divine light shone on them like a pardon from heaven, and the dark Yin officials were brightened everywhere.
The ten generations of Lord Yan hurriedly clasped their hands to receive him, and the judges from the five directions knelt to welcome him.
Three Flowers Gathering at the Top opened, and golden light reflected at the gates of heaven.
Such a true immortal or Buddha must be a being of great virtue and ability. His mere presence, with the golden light radiating from his body, allowed the souls of those unjustly and wrongly deceased to let go of past grudges and voluntarily reincarnate.
This was indeed a great merit!
The ten generations of King Yan bowed and said, "Saint, please come in quickly! Please come in quickly!"
Sun Wukong gathered his aura and, escorted by the ten generations of King Yan, entered the netherworld's gate and walked into the Senluo Palace.
The ten generations of King Yan were King Qinguang, King Chujiang, King Songdi, Wuguan King, King Yanluo, King Pingdeng, King Taishan, Dushi King, Biancheng King, and King Zhuanlun.
King Qinguang cautiously asked, "May I ask which exalted one are you, and what brings you to our nether realm?"
He recalled the immortals, Buddhas, and saints from the three realms, but it seemed none matched the appearance of the one before him.
Could it be a newly ascended immortal or Buddha?
They must not be slighted.
"I am from East Victory Divine Continent, Ao Lai, Huaguo Mountain, Shuilian Cave..." Sun Wukong briefly explained his situation with concise words to the ten generations of King Yan.
"Since the Heavenly Immortal has attained the fruit of Primordial Unity, his name should be erased. This is our negligence, and we hope the immortal does not take offense," King Qin trembled.
"There's no need for that," Sun Wukong smiled. "It's simply because I became an immortal too quickly and have not yet joined the ranks of immortals, so you could not sense it."
"That makes sense."
King Qinguang congratulated him, "With the immortal's visit to the nether realm, the aura around you allowed the spirits of those who died unjustly to reincarnate and the obsessed souls to be reborn. This is also an immeasurable merit. We will report this to the Heavenly Court, and the Great Celestial Lord will surely invite the immortal to ascend to the heavens, grant divine titles, and enjoy the bliss of immortality at ease forever."
"That's unnecessary. I am here to trouble you to erase my name, as for ascending to heaven, there is no hurry. I have to subdue a group of demons at Huaguo Mountain and carry out the mission of teaching. Once that is complete, it will not be too late to ascend," Sun Wukong said.
"This is even greater merit!"
King Qinguang exclaimed, and immediately ordered the judge to bring a different type of the Book of Life and Death for monkeys. They found the soul number 1350, marked with the name Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone, with a lifespan of 342 years, destined to die a natural death.
Seeing the name, King Qinguang personally took up a pen and erased the line ahead of time.
"For the immortal, the task is completed without dishonor."
"Very well," Sun Wukong took out a hair and said, "When I attained the Dao, I had 84,000 feathers on my body, each capable of transformation. I gift this one to you. If any demons cause trouble in the nether realm in the future, you may call my name, and I'll arrive in an instant."
"Many thanks to the immortal!"
All ten Kings bowed in gratefulness and respectfully saw Sun Wukong off.
His Primordial Spirit left the realm of the dead and returned to Huaguo Mountain. Sun Wukong opened his eyes and smiled secretly: "Just like that, no more worries about life span."
With a hearty laugh, he drew the attention of Ao Yun, who had walked into the hall.
"Great King, may I know what amuses you?"
"Because I have no concerns about life span," Sun Wukong smiled. This time, he did not erase the names of all the monkeys and his descendants, as he had in the first simulation.
Even though there is birth, aging, sickness, and death, he had already passed down the path to longevity. Whether they can achieve longevity depends on the individual.
If he had carelessly erased all the names from the Book of Life and Death, they would only become walking corpses on Huaguo Mountain, unable to enjoy true liberation.
In cultivation, it's not the result of longevity that's most important but everything experienced along the path that allows one's spirit to grow.
"Hmm?"
Ao Yun tilted her head, clearly puzzled.
Hadn't the Great King already become a Heavenly Immortal?
Why would he say such words?
Sun Wukong didn't explain, but simply rose from his seat, and walked over to Ao Yun, causing her face to blush involuntarily.
However, Sun Wukong did not engage in any unseemly acts. He only patted her on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "I, Old Sun, have high hopes for you."
Ao Yun did not understand, nor did she grasp why the King had so much confidence in her... but she was very touched, for it showed that the King truly trusted her. A warrior dies for those who appreciate her, and she was willing to care for the entirety of Huaguo Mountain for the King!
In the future, Huaguo Mountain must not only have seventy-two cities, but even more, and perhaps, even establish its own nation!
Only by doing so could she repay his kindness to her!
No!
That still wasn't enough, she must also give herself...
At this thought, Ao Yun's cheeks flushed with a deep red.
A hint of perplexity surfaced in Sun Wukong's eyes, guessing that the Dragoness was entertaining some strange ideas, but he refrained from using his Mind Reading Technique, as it would be impolite to use it on a maiden.
Even without resorting to the Mind Reading Technique, he could roughly guess what Ao Yun was pondering.
Perhaps, he should keep his distance from this Dragoness in the future.
The matter of love...
He was a chaste male monkey, with no interest in such affairs.
Leaving Shuilian Cave, Sun Wukong took a step and soared into the clouds, heading towards the Western Niu He Zhou.
Along the way, however, he saw a fairy mountain that he had not come across in his previous visits to the Western Niu He Zhou.
Captivated by the sight, he couldn't help but stop and watch.
He saw peaks majestic and imposing.
Their bases rooted in the Kunlun Vein, their summits reaching the skies.
White cranes alighted on cypress and cedars, mystical monkeys swung on the hanging vines.
The sun cast its light on the verdant woods, weaving a thousand strands of red mist; a breeze arose from the shadowy gullies, sending myriad colored clouds adrift.
There, the Millennium Peak, the Five Blessings Peak, the Hibiscus Peak, all stood tall, radiating splendor; the Everlasting Rock, the Tiger's Tooth Rock, the Triple Pointed Rock all boldly emanating a host of auspicious vapors.
In front of the cliff, the grass was luscious; on the ridges, the fragrance of plums wafted. Thickets of bramble were dense and wild, orichids pure and faint.
In the deep woods, eagles and phoenixes gathered amongst thousands of birds; in ancient caves, qilins ruled over myriad beasts. Dragons' chants and tigers' roars, cranes' dances and monkeys' calls. Elks and deer emerged from the flowers, azure luan birds sang facing the sun.
"Such a fairy mountain must be Longevity Mountain, Wu Zhuang Guan," Sun Wukong recalled the scenery he witnessed during his first simulation, the residence of Zhen Yuanzi, a man of virtue as timeless as the world itself.
In that simulator, he and Zhen Yuanzi had first met in conflict, unable to escape each other's tricks, ultimately swearing brotherhood, and forming a kinship as close as family.
"In that case, why not take a visit?".
Descending from the clouds, Sun Wukong walked amidst the deep mountains, enjoying the view as he strolled upon the ancient cobblestone paths. Occasionally, white deer and white apes would cross his path, pausing when they saw Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong conversed with them in the language of beasts, casually chatting for a while. After learning about Longevity Mountain's general situation and giving them some Spirit Fruits, he proceeded alone towards the mountain top.
Arriving in front of the monastery, he looked up to see several layers of elegant pavilions—not ostentatious, but refined nonetheless. Colorful clouds swirled and mysterious birds flew above, befitting the abode of one who shared longevity with the world.
Thud, thud, thud!
Sun Wukong knocked on the door, the heavy sounds resonating, blending with the forest ambience, and rousing Zhen Yuanzi from his meditation within.
"Curious! Who comes to visit?"
As the founder of Earthly Immortals, how could he be unaware of a visitor's approach?
Could it be a visit from the Three Pure Ones themselves?
With such thoughts, he hastened to rise, accompanied by Qing Feng, Mingyue, and forty-eight disciples, to welcome the guest outside.
But when the gates opened, they saw not the Three Pure Ones, but a stranger—an unfamiliar Immortal.
Although the visitor was unknown, Zhen Yuanzi dared not underestimate him.
For the person before him—
Embodied the Primordial Unity, Innate from aeons past, transcending a myriad of calamities with natural ease. Boundlessly unmanifest within the Great Tai Yi, immovably silent, he is known as the Initial Mystery.
His form like a cauldron refining the true essence, eternal life beyond the material realm signifies his sainthood. Endless transformations, yet constant in alteration, alongside Buddha and Tao, Confucianism's root truth he embodies.
Indeed, a holy figure who mastered the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Therefore, Zhen Yuanzi did not dare to neglect him, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please enter!"