Chapter 742: Unyielding Golden Soul

“Daoist friend, have you heard? A great Demon King has emerged from Mount Huaguo in the Eastern Purvavideha Continent!”

“Oh, isn’t that old news from last year? That Demon King is a monkey spirit by birth. It’s said he’s a spiritual embryo born of heaven and earth. No one knows how he got mixed up with the demon race, nor where he learned such incredible, heaven-shattering powers. Good heavens, he beat up a group of old Demon Kings so badly they didn't dare lift their heads! When he went to the Dragon Palace, the Dragon King treated him courteously, but then had the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, used by Yu the Great to control floods, spirited away! No one knows what background this Handsome Monkey King has, to be so lawless and unrestrained.”

“The Dragon Race is truly in decline...”

“Indeed, the Dragon Race is truly in decline.”

“Didn’t the demon race announce they would focus on supporting this Handsome Monkey King? To contend with our human race for dominion over heaven and earth?”

“Didn’t they say that when the Handsome Monkey King heard about it, he went and smashed the mountain gate of the old demon who made that announcement?”

“Haha! This Handsome Monkey King truly has an impressive temperament, but he has indeed become the backbone of the demon race.”

“The demon race rising again? Hah, that’s a pipe dream. The Handsome Monkey King’s influence hasn't fully established itself yet. If he causes any more trouble, the Heavenly Court will inevitably dispatch troops to subjugate him.”

“Daoist friend, you have a point. To be frank, the current Heavenly Court is not the same as the one in the last period of ancient times. Nowadays, any one or two of the Eight Divisions of Righteous Gods from the Heavenly Court could easily defeat the Handsome Monkey King.”

“Could a mere Demon King really overturn the heavens?”

In a Great Thousand World far from the Five Continents of the Primordial World, within an immortal forest where immortals often gathered, a group of immortals were huddled together, discussing ‘Primordial News’ from half a year ago. Without the Heavenly Court's powerful influence behind the scenes, news travelled from near to far. Li Changshou, riding a cloud past the immortal forest, was using his treasured avatar resembling Patriarch Bodhi. He listened to their discussion before returning expressionlessly to his nearby Taoist temple.

Expressionless… Indeed, he should be expressionless. His Dao realm was sealed, so a calm demeanor, a gentle smile, or a soft hum would all be inappropriate. Although Subhuti's Dao realm was locked, it had no effect on Li Changshou himself, as only the Great Dao of Emptiness was locked.

It’s just that… he had been busy for several centuries, only for it to be all in vain in the end, and his own Great Dao was painfully sealed. If Subhuti were still alive, he might have turned dark from this.

Gazing at a distant peach blossom forest, an immortal's abode lay hidden within. It was a grand Taoist temple, vast in its grounds, where male and female disciples could be seen in groups, either playing by the stream, discussing scriptures and principles in the incense-filled main hall, or sitting on the eaves drinking and chatting. Had Patriarch Bodhi gained more disciples? Not exactly. This Taoist temple was originally a famous immortal mansion in this world; Li Changshou merely resided here temporarily, allowing his own disciples to cultivate there. He, on the other hand, frequently went out to search for spiritual roots, seeking a way to unlock the Heavenly Dao's shackles.

What pleased Li Changshou was that the Dao Ancestor's move, akin to ‘killing the cunning rabbit and cooking the hound,’ once again gave him a perfect excuse to search for places where the Great Dao manifested. He was always good at adapting to circumstances. It’s just that he had to wear a long face every day, which was somewhat depressing.

Upon returning to the Taoist temple, Li Changshou went straight to his pavilion, changed into a Taoist robe, and sat cross-legged on his couch to rest. He tapped his finger, opening a cloud mirror, and using the power of the Heavenly Dao, observed the situation at Water Curtain Cave on Mount Huaguo. As he was using the power of the Heavenly Dao, this action was implicitly known to the Dao Ancestor. This small detail was also part of his calculations; Li Changshou was actively maintaining a faint presence to prevent the Dao Ancestor from suddenly thinking of him and looking directly over. If by chance the Dao Ancestor saw him tampering with the Great Dao of the Primordial World, a great battle would erupt prematurely.

Over these past thirty years, Li Changshou had made considerable progress, completing 60% of his overall task; another two or three decades would be sufficient.

The cloud mirror showed:

Inside Water Curtain Cave on Mount Huaguo, a group of monkey spirits leaped about, and there were also many powerful demon experts. Because most demons, upon transforming, retain features of their original race—and in the common demon culture, the more original features they retain after transformation, the greater their honor—at a glance, Water Curtain Cave was filled with tiger-heads, deer-heads, leopard-heads, rabbit-eared men, fox-eared men, and donkey-eared men, creating quite a lively atmosphere. Water Curtain Cave, originally a grotto-heaven and blessed land, was now mostly filled with the smell of alcohol and demonic aura. Sun Wukong and several great demon kings were drinking and chatting around a high platform throne. Among the demon kings surrounding the monkey, there was an old ox with a nose ring, a handsome young man transformed from a flood dragon, a black-feathered roc demon, and a ‘braised lion’s head’... Li Changshou looked closely and saw it was the Lion King, Lion Camel King, whose face was flushed red from drinking.

These great demons were all from the demon race. Except for the old ox, each demon king represented a major demon faction. That old ox... ox...

“Hmm?” Li Changshou secretly raised an eyebrow. Catching the old ox’s habitual small gestures through the cloud mirror, a wave of surprise arose in his heart. Laozi’s Green Ox? Li Changshou was quite puzzled by this. These powerful demon kings were Sun Wukong's sworn brothers, the Seven Great Sages whom the demon race would vigorously promote next—a significant strategic move for the demon race. That old ox would later become the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, Ox Demon King. But why did Li Changshou see the shadow of the Green Ox on the Ox Demon King? Brother Ox’s external avatar? Ugh, could it be that the Green Ox created an identity in the mortal realm to stay with Princess Iron Fan? If that were true, then Brother Ox would later have a ‘second wife,’ the Jade-Faced Fox... Scoundrel Ox!

Not daring to look further, Li Changshou dismissed the cloud mirror technique, then deliberately showed a helpless expression, shaking his head slightly. As a master, he naturally wouldn't want to see Wukong ‘degenerate’ in such a way. In reality, Li Changshou could sense that Wukong was genuinely enjoying himself at this moment. As seen earlier, the Phoenix-Winged Purple Golden Crown, Lotus-Root Silk Cloud-Walking Boots, and Golden Chain Mail were already adorning Sun Wukong, clearly obtained from his ‘raid’ on the Dragon Palace. Thinking of this, Li Changshou felt... quite regretful. He truly wanted to see the ancient powerhouse, the Dragon King of the East Sea, being ‘bullied and tormented’ by his own disciple in various ways. The old Dragon King’s magnanimity was actually quite impressive. The Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle had always been at the location of the sea eye, already serving no further purpose; its merits had been exhausted when it sealed the East Sea’s eye previously. This divine treasure was different from traditional Primordial World artifacts and perfectly suited Sun Wukong’s combat style, destined to shine brightly in his hands.

However... The current Heavenly Court has many experts whose physical bodies were listed on the Investiture of the Gods, gaining the Heavenly Dao’s power augmentation; the Heavenly Court’s strength far surpasses that of the Heavenly Court after the original Investiture of the Gods calamity. If the Heavenly Court didn't hold back, it would be difficult for Wukong to reach the Hall of Universal Brightness this time. Li Changshou could only hope that this monkey wouldn't provoke some of the harmless righteous gods of the Heavenly Court, such as the God of Wealth or the God of Plague.

Incidentally, Lü Yue ultimately couldn't escape the fate of being deified, but he was deified first before being apprehended by the Heavenly Dao. That day, when Lü Yue emerged from the Heavenly Edge Pavilion's secret realm, his legs were weak but his gaze was resolute. With Zhao Gongming's intercession, he insisted on having his physical body listed. Due to Lü Yue's need to refine poison pills, which could inadvertently harm a minor heaven, the Hall of Universal Brightness ordered him to refine pills outside, serve at least sixty years out of every century within the Heavenly Court, and absolutely abide by rules and regulations. This was already considered considerable leniency for Lü Yue. During the Havoc in Heaven, if an expert of Lü Yue’s caliber were to intervene, Wukong would indeed have a tough time, as Wukong’s cultivation foundation was still somewhat weaker.

How many more years until Sun Wukong goes to serve in the Heavenly Court? Li Changshou carefully calculated, but couldn't deduce the Dao Ancestor's precise timeline. Li Changshou could only secretly plan his next steps, trying to efficiently and discreetly embed more ‘illusory spirit nails.’ Whether he could completely annihilate the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Dao's will with the minimal cost would depend on how well he could ‘hide’ himself over the next twenty years.

Current probability of complete victory: 92% or 93%. Only three hidden dangers remained.

Thus, thirteen years later.

Outside the Hall of Yama, on Reincarnation Immortal Island in the Underworld.

“Horse, why did this task fall to the two of us, moo?”

“Don’t complain, don’t grumble, just work diligently, neigh.”

General Ox-Head and General Horse-Face each clutched a set of ‘ghost messenger uniforms’ as they headed towards their residence in Fengdu City. Ox-Head’s face was like a bitter gourd, while Horse-Face, however, was giving him a pep talk. When they dejectedly returned to their residence, as simple as a fenced yard, they instructed a few resentful spirits to guard the gate before hiding away in the main house. With two popping sounds, Ox-Head and Horse-Face pulled off their masks. The two muscular Witch clan men exchanged glances and each sighed deeply. Their lives hadn’t been particularly good these past few years. It wasn’t that the Underworld itself was in difficulty, or that the Witch clan within the Underworld was in trouble. They couldn't quite explain the specific reason; but since a certain day, they had forgotten what deliciousness was, forgotten the pleasure of wonderful flavors blossoming on their tongues. They had searched for centuries, waited for centuries, and in the end could only conclude... that the deliciousness of the past existed only in their dreams. That they had been hallucinating. After that, they were like salted fish who had lost their dreams, spending their days listlessly at the narrow pass on the east side of Fengdu City, losing the motivation to discover Underworld specialties and the hope of pondering netherworld melodies. They nearly became depressed.

“When did our superior tell us to go?” Ox-Head asked casually, unfolding the pure black robe before him and examining it.

“Three days from now, at midnight.” Horse-Face replied, unfolding the pure white robe before him, and pondered for a moment, stroking his chin.

Ox-Head couldn't help but complain, “What soul has such a grand presence that we two personally have to go?! Our superior even said that if the target resists, we should beat them half to death, but not kill them—the main point is to bring the living soul back. It’s all so mysterious.”

Horse-Face said, “The Book of Life and Death had an issue half a month ago, perhaps it’s related to our task.”

“What kind of issue could the Book of Life and Death have?”

“There’s a Golden Immortal who should have transcended life and death, having hidden their lifespan from before their cultivation on the Book of Life and Death, but that Golden Immortal’s original lifespan was still there, seeming to be only a little over three hundred years. The judge wanted to modify it, but the projection of the judge’s brush broke. We’re going to apprehend him.”

“Hiss—three hundred years? A Golden Immortal?” Ox-Head’s eyes widened, “That strong? Is he a favored son of the Heavenly Dao?”

“How would we know?” Horse-Face flexibly slipped into the robe before him, shaking his long neck slightly. “Just do the job.”

“That’s true, the ten Yama Kings don’t go out, and the Five Ghost Emperors fear yang energy. We’re among the few who can fight in the Underworld, so this task was definitely assigned to us.” Ox-Head paced for a moment, a hint of unease in his eyes, muttering, “Something’s wrong, there’s definitely something wrong here.”

Horse-Face said, “We just do the job.”

Ox-Head glared at Horse-Face and put on his black robe. The two Witch clan experts fussed about, donned their black and white tall hats, picked up two ghost implements, and attached two long, scarlet tongues to their mouths. Ox-Head and Horse-Face transformed—into Black and White Impermanence!

“Still three days left, should we go now?”

“There’s nothing much to do here,” Horse-Face said solemnly. “Although I don’t know why, I always want to be extra cautious now, so let’s go early.”

Ox-Head gave a dismissive laugh, swinging the wooden whip in his hand, looking somewhat the part. “Let’s go, we can’t bring shame to our Underworld.”

Immediately, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, disguised as Black and White Impermanence, swaggered out of Fengdu City, found the City God's Well near Mount Huaguo, and plunged into it, successfully descending near Mount Huaguo in the Eastern Purvavideha Continent.

The Underworld’s City God system had, in fact, also been adjusted and reformed by Li Changshou, though all the credit for it now belonged to the Heavenly Court. Ox-Head and Horse-Face were the only two Soul-Reaping Generals of the Underworld; Black and White Impermanence, like judges, were ‘titles’ for Underworld ghost messengers. And Ox-Head and Horse-Face were precisely the direct superiors of Black and White Impermanence. For this soul-reaping operation, the Ten Yama Kings wanted both security and a nonchalant appearance, which led to the absurd situation of having Ox-Head and Horse-Face disguise themselves as Black and White Impermanence. In any case, they were just two sets of outfits, and Ox-Head and Horse-Face didn't mind.

Three days was not a long time. They roamed around Mount Huaguo for a few circles, collecting hundreds of lingering wronged souls and resentful spirits, and unknowingly reached the appointed hour. That night, the wooden whips in Ox-Head and Horse-Face’s hands transformed into ghost banners, their black and white robes emitted a faint glow, and their decorative long tongues appeared even more horrifyingly scarlet.

Conjuring a gust of yin wind, Ox-Head and Horse-Face locked onto the being they were to escort, and with a focused look, saw that the target was a handsome, large monkey. It was, of course, Sun Wukong. Wukong was deeply asleep, drunk. It was right after a grand feast, and thunderous snores filled Water Curtain Cave. This group of demon experts enjoyed themselves in the mountain. Since the Handsome Monkey King was not interested in women, their amusement consisted of drinking and bragging.

The two brothers, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, exchanged glances, quietly crept behind the large monkey, and simultaneously shook the ghost banners in their hands. Just then! The power of the Heavenly Dao descended, forcibly pulling a phantom image from the back of Sun Wukong’s head. Ox-Head and Horse-Face were quick-witted; two chains immediately looped around the phantom. They then conjured a yin wind, blowing it towards the City God Temple near Mount Huaguo, and swiftly escaped into the Underworld. The entire process was incredibly swift, giving the drunken Handsome Monkey King no chance to react.

However, Ox-Head and Horse-Face had no idea that they had actually... reaped a ‘grand ancestor’!

Half an hour later, inside the Hall of Yama.

Sun Wukong’s primordial spirit had actually materialized, shining with golden light all over, as he nonchalantly sat on the Yama King’s throne. That wasn’t all; he crossed his legs on the writing desk, holding a phantom image of the Golden-Bound Cudgel in his hand, lightly tapping it twice on the table.

“Bring me the Book of Life and Death for the monkey tribe of Mount Huaguo!”

The surrounding crowd of big and small ghosts trembled collectively. The chief judge, who had donned a Yama King mask and was impersonating a Yama King, stammered with feigned reluctance and bashfulness, before finally ordering the ghost messenger next to him, “Go, go, bring them all here.”

Horse-Face’s eyes widened and he was about to rush in and teach the monkey a lesson, but Ox-Head raised a hand, stopped him, and pulled him aside. Horse-Face glared and cursed, “Why are you stopping me? This monkey is going too far!”

Ox-Head replied, “What’s the rush? Didn’t you want to be more cautious? Our superiors have already made arrangements. This monkey seems to have quite a background, and there must be a plan at play.”

Horse-Face snorted, looking at the domineering monkey, and felt a surge of irritation in his heart. But as Ox-Head had said, at that moment, the Ten Yama Kings were gathered in a nearby hall, all looking towards them, occasionally exchanging smiling remarks. Most of them were simply jesting.

However, unbeknownst to anyone...

Within the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disc, the white-clad woman who had been sitting by the river, calmly combing her long hair, now turned her head to observe the monkey’s location.

“Oh?”

Indestructible Golden Soul? Wasn’t this a divine ability she had envisioned before? Only, in the end, it couldn't be fully deduced. Later, she had mentioned the concept of this Indestructible Golden Soul in a certain ancient text recording Witch clan combat techniques, and had that text sent by someone to... Changshou!?