"Brother Taoist's mana is profound. Even the Corpse King General is no match for you. Truly admirable!" Xie Yunhan praised.
Wukong flicked a finger, burning the Corpse King General's flesh, and laughed, "That was but one of General's avatars. He must be seriously injured by now, hiding somewhere to heal. The avatars venture out to seek food, consuming marrow and blood to restore their own mana. If his true body descended upon us, I'm afraid we wouldn't stand a chance of escape."
Wukong's words were quite clever. Xie Yunhan, upon hearing this, felt even more that the Heaven-Defying Taoist came from a reputable background, fearing not even the Corpse King General.
"Brother Taoist, now that this matter is concluded, where do you plan to go next?" Xie Yunhan asked.
"I've heard that Tang Sanzang is traveling to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures. I'm thinking of capturing him to eat his flesh," Wukong said coldly all of a sudden.
Xie Yunhan and the others were astounded.
Eating Tang Sanzang's flesh would greatly increase one's mana and ensure immortality through all calamities. Not only those from the Demon Path and evil sects coveted it, but even the righteous people yearned for it! However, given Sun Wukong's supreme mana beside Tang Sanzang and the formidable support they had, capturing Tang Sanzang was dubious enough, let alone daring to eat him.
"Is Brother Taoist jesting? That Tang Sanzang..." Xie Yunhan had not finished speaking when Wukong interrupted, "Eating Tang Sanzang's flesh would indeed greatly increase one's mana, ensuring immortality through all calamities. May I ask Brother Taoist what your cultivation level is?"
After a moment of contemplation, Xie Yunhan said, "I am at the ninth level of Supreme Immortal."
Wukong smiled lightly, "If you were to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh, I'm afraid Brother Taoist's cultivation level would approach that of a Great Immortal!"
There are nine levels of the Immortals, with Superior Immortal at the first, followed by High Immortal, Great Immortal, Profound Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, True Immortal, Secondary Immortal, Spiritual Immortal, and Supreme Immortal.
However, Xie Qingmei suddenly exclaimed, "Demon! Spouting such nonsense, how can we of the Xie Family, who live honorably and uprightly, indulge in the act of cannibalism?"
Wukong snorted with laughter, "What does a little girl like you know? Go back and ask your father to tell the truth; does he want to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh or not?"
Surely Tang Sanzang's flesh was even more tempting than the Queen Mother's peaches, Supreme Immortal Zhen Yuanzi's ginseng fruit, or the Ancient Emperor's Immortal Pills—it was the ultimate treasure in Heaven and Earth.
"That's right, I indeed want to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh!"
Before the echo of Wukong's words could fade, just as Xie Qingmei was about to retort, a voice was heard.
Looking up, they saw four individuals calmly walking from not too far away, each with a sword weapon on their back, imposing and stately.
The leader had eyebrows like drawn swords and stars for eyes, moved with the strength of a dragon and the grace of a tiger, and despite his weathered appearance, he was a strikingly handsome middle-aged man; the three following him were no less extraordinary: one was clad in white like snow, with hair half-gray, wearing a cold and indifferent expression as though regarding all living beings as mere fish on the chopping block; another had sword-like eyebrows extending into the temples, a straight nose, and square mouth, wearing a warm, scholarly air not at all like a swordsman, but more like a scholar; the last one was dressed in black, with a bright and cheerful smile, as if telling everyone how much he loved life.
"Father!"
The Xie siblings all bowed their heads in respect, then greeted one by one, "Elder Ximen, Elder Ye, Elder Yan. Please accept our respects."
Wukong had long since sensed his Divine Sense locked after he snapped that blue sword, and now realized these few had also watched the battle. Each of these four had high cultivation, and there seemed to be a somewhat equal footing among them. Wukong could tell that their cultivation had reached the High Immortal Realm.
"Heaven-Defying pays his respects to the four esteemed Brothers Taoist." These four were long renowned in the Eastern Lands, so calling them Brother Taoist was not inappropriate.
"Heaven-Defying Taoist is too modest," said Xie Xiaofeng.
Xie Xiaofeng stepped forward and said, "I am the master of White Cloud City, Xie Xiaofeng. The man in white is the Sword Saint, Ximen Chuixue, master of Plum Blossom Villa, renowned as the fastest sword in the world, with few adversaries; the scholar-looking person is named Ye Gucheng, master of White Cloud City, known throughout the world for his 'Soaring Immortal' technique, called the Sword Sect; the man in black is known as Sword Master Yan Shisan, famous for his 'Life-Seizing Thirteen Swords'."
"Heaven-Defying has long heard of the great names of the distinguished few, with unparalleled sword skills," said Wukong.
These four were indeed colossal figures of the same era as Wukong, and if a battle were to ensue, the outcome would be truly unpredictable!
Especially that Ximen Chuixue, it was rumored his swordsmanship was so swift that it could even slice through time!
"The Taoist Brother spoke rightly just now. If I, Xie, claimed not to covet Tang Sanzang's flesh, it would be nothing but obfuscation! My heart in the Sword Dao is clear and unbending. If I desire to eat, then I want to eat, and I'll not utter lies!" Xie Xiaofeng suddenly declared, turning to his three children, "Tell me, do you not wish to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh?"
"I do," Xie Yunhan was the first to speak up.
"I do..." said Xie Yunshen, and even Xie Qingmei hesitantly murmured in agreement.
Xie Xiaofeng looked deeply at Heaven-Defying, saying, "I and these Sword Friends have been in the High Immortal Realm for thousands of years, but we have not been able to advance an inch further. We are anxious in our hearts, and now we have determined to capture Tang Sanzang and consume him."
Wukong laughed, "Brother Taoist is open-minded and unbound by the trivial; truly fitting of the title Sword God!"
Ye Gucheng spoke indifferently, "Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all beings as straw dogs. Rightness and evil, what is right? What is evil? These are nothing more than masks people paste over their faces. If you speak of righteousness, ha, can it be free of the vile and abusive? And if you talk of demons and heretics, aren't there among them individuals who are frank and straightforward, far exceeding the hypocrites of the so-called righteous? If Ye wants to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh, then eat I shall! All beings are equal, and yet it's the law of the jungle that prevails."
Wukong, upon hearing Ye Gucheng's words, as if enlightened, originally intended to devour Tang Sanzang, but was somewhat conflicted. With these words, his confusion was utterly resolved.
Wukong possessed the Hongmeng Purple Qi and could cultivate his mana alone, but the karmic ties with Tang Sanzang were too deep. If he didn't kill him and instead let him reach the Western Heaven and become the Buddha Ancestor, how could he sever these karmic bonds himself? Not to mention karmic ties, his own heart would remain unresolved! In the future, his own cultivation level would surely be hindered because of this. Tang Sanzang must be killed!
"That Sun Wukong is mighty in mana, with Zhu Bajie and Sha Monk guarding him. Capturing Tang Sanzang is not easy," said Wukong.
"Those few are easy to deal with. It's only the figures behind Tang Sanzang that we are wary of," Ye Gucheng replied.
Wukong asked, "Have you all resolved to eat Tang Sanzang?"
Yan Shisan replied, "Of course, otherwise why would the four of us band together?"
Wukong nodded, "You are merely afraid of the Buddha of the Western Heaven, the Heavenly Immortals... But I am not afraid. I have a spell that can obscure the secrets of heaven, such that even the Three Pure Ones Revered Taoist personally calculating it would hardly discern anything!"
"Oh?!"
The four exclaimed in astonishment, their eight eyes bright and penetrating, staring at Wukong as if they were faced with eight divine swords.
Wukong pondered, "However, that Sun Wukong has a Vajra-Indestructible Body, which will make him difficult to deal with." After pondering for a moment, he glanced at the sword weapons carried on the backs of the others, "Could you brothers possibly not use swords? There are so few in this world who can wield a sword to such a transcendental level, it's feared that a casual guess would reveal it to be you people."
Ximen Chuixue spoke few words but said, "What difficulty is there in that?"
Xie Xiaofeng nodded, "Our sword dao has already reached the state of transcendence. Everything in the world can be a sword. It's just that not using these swords will take some getting used to, but it won't affect our fighting strength."
Wukong smiled, "That's excellent. If you brothers don't use your sword weapons, and I use my mana to obscure the heavenly secrets, even if the Tathagata himself comes, he will likely not know who is responsible!"
At this moment, Wukong's heart was neither joyful nor sorrowful when he mentioned the Tathagata. Yesterday's sudden enlightenment had benefited him greatly. Of what use are hatred and enmity? Perhaps hatred is a form of strength, but it is only fleeting at best. What is most important is to maintain a sincere heart! He thought to himself, "Tathagata, you wish to use this opportunity to make the Buddhist sect shine, but I will certainly not do as you wish."
"Fellow Daoist claims he can obscure the heavenly secrets, do not speak rashly, for this matter is of great importance," Xie Xiaofeng said.
"I dare not joke with my own life and that of the fellow Daoists," Wukong uttered seriously. If you do not believe, I will take a vow.
Having said that, Wukong knelt down on one knee, swearing to heaven, "I, Heaven-Defying, swear to the heavens today: if I deceive you gentlemen and cannot obscure the heavenly secrets, then surely one day, my limbs will be broken, I will fall into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, suffer forever and never reincarnate."
Seeing him make such a grave oath, the four believed wholly.
Cultivators should not make vows lightly, as failure to fulfill them could result in calamity.
"Good!" Ye Gucheng clapped in approval, "Since you've made such a fierce vow, the four of us will also take such oaths, to avoid any displeasure in cooperation that could cost us our lives."
"Ye Gucheng swears to heaven, as long as Heaven-Defying fellow Daoist does no wrong to Ye, Ye Gucheng will never attack him. If this oath is violated, my sword weapon shall break and my cultivation cease to advance."
After Ye Gucheng made his vow, the others knelt down and swore to heaven as well.
With this, the five formed a temporary alliance.
Wukong's heart suddenly understood. Initially, he knew nothing and was simply an unruly troublemaker, resulting in all his sworn brothers dispersing... Thinking about it made him regretful; if he had the wisdom he has attained today back then, perhaps he wouldn't be in the position he is in now!
"Good!"
Wukong nodded and declared, "The fellow Daoists are indeed straightforward and righteous, willing to take such momentous oaths with Heaven-Defying! From today onwards, we must work together with one heart and mind, jointly planning the capture of Tang Sanzang. When the time comes, we will fairly divide him up."
Xie Xiaofeng said, "It should be like this!"
Ye Gucheng added, "Though employing such tactics goes against our initial intentions, Sword Masters must exhibit their sharpness; once the thought arises, we must act! Otherwise, if our thoughts are not clear, cultivation will become even more difficult in the future. This meat of Tang Sanzang, if eaten, so be it. How does it matter if the world looks at me with contempt?"
Ye Gucheng was learned and eloquent, his speech flowing like a river and unfolded each of their only concerns.
The Xie family sent Xie Yunhan and the others back to the Divine Sword Villa early, and now that everyone had reached an agreement, they flew up one after another.
Their cultivation had already reached the High Immortal Realm, and even without relying on magical treasures, they could fly with ease.
The four were exceedingly fast, and with Wukong's current cultivation level, he could barely keep up.
Thus, Wukong followed the four, heading west to intercept the Journey to the West party.