Great Demon Sun Wukong

In the hearts of Sun Wukong and the others, the Pangu Realm is their true home. No matter how strong they become or what earth-shattering deeds they accomplish, they never change. Only by returning to the Pangu Realm can they truly find peace, because this is their territory. So upon returning to the Pangu Realm, Zhu Bajie first encountered Chang'er. Although their conversation was not pleasant, it was better than being indifferent.

After separating from Chang'er, Zhu Bajie originally intended to head to Flower Fruit Mountain to join his master and brothers, but halfway through, he changed direction and went to his old lair, Yunlin Cave at Mount Fuling. Although Yunlin Cave was burned down by Sun Wukong in the past, the tomb of Sister Egg is still there. All those years ago, Zhu Bajie never returned, but now that everything is over, he naturally returns for a proper tribute.

Having rebuilt Yunlin Cave with great magical power and paid respects to Sister Egg, Zhu Bajie lay down on his stone bed and fell asleep. No one knew what Zhu Bajie was truly thinking, nor did anyone know the long-standing torment he endured. Zhu Bajie did not go to Gao Laozhuang, even though he knew that Gao Laozhuang still existed after ten thousand years and had developed into a sect, but Zhu Bajie no longer wished to get involved with the people of Gao Laozhuang.

After Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing did not immediately return to Flower Fruit Mountain but bid farewell and first went to Flowing Sands River. In fact, Sha Wujing did not have as many experiences as Zhu Bajie; whether serving as the curtain general in the Heavenly Palace or being cast down to Flowing Sands River, his story remained simple, and his life was equally simple, so much so that it became monotonous.

Standing by Flowing Sands River and watching the yellow sands still flowing turbulently, Sha Wujing was filled with emotion. Flowing Sands River is the most important place in his life; if not for Flowing Sands River, he wouldn't have met his master, his two senior brothers, and junior brother, nor would he have experienced the subsequent series of stories. Thinking of this, Sha Wujing even felt grateful that he had accidentally shattered the Liuli Lantern.

In Sha Wujing's heart, he harbors no resentment towards the Jade Emperor for banishing him to Flowing Sands River, enduring the pain of the Myriad Arrows Piercing Heart formation daily. In fact, he feels somewhat grateful, not merely because of his generous nature but because Sha Wujing knows very well the offense he committed.

Many people believe that the Liuli Lantern Sha Wujing shattered was just a lamp, but in reality, the Liuli Lantern has significant origins. Otherwise, simply breaking a Liuli Lantern wouldn't have startled all the immortals. The Liuli Lantern, refined by Hongjun, the master of all saints, exists in three instances. It can illuminate the darkness of the world and awaken the spiritual wisdom of all things. Hongjun bestowed it upon three of his disciples, formed from the primordial spirit of Pangu: the Supreme Elder Lord, the master of the Perfect Purity Decree and the Virtue Heavenly Venerate; the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, master of the Jade Purity; the Master Tongtian, lord of the Supreme Purity.

As the Supreme Elder Lord constantly refined elixirs in the Thirty-three Heavens of Limitless Resentment, he gave his Liuli Lantern to the Jade Emperor, who naturally knew its value and placed it before his defense podium. This is something many immortals know, so that day, in desperation, Sha Wujing had no choice but to shatter the Liuli Lantern, causing consternation among the immortals and the Jade Emperor, buying time for Sun Wukong.

The Liuli Lantern is a supreme treasure, and if it were anyone else who broke such a treasure, they would undoubtedly face execution without pardon. However, the Jade Emperor, although extremely angry, spared Sha Wujing's life due to his years of dedicated service as a curtain general, casting him down to Flowing Sands River to suffer. So Sha Wujing holds no grudge.

This time, returning to Flowing Sands River, Sha Wujing had another purpose besides visiting his hometown. The fragments of the Liuli Lantern that he shattered were scattered throughout Flowing Sands River, and the reason Sha Wujing was thrown into Flowing Sands River was to find all the fragments, though it was previously stated that this was an impossible task.

However, finding the fragments of the Liuli Lantern had become Sha Wujing's deepest obsession, which speaks to a certain sadness within him. Thus, upon returning to Flowing Sands River, the first thing Sha Wujing did was leap into the river. The original Myriad Arrows Piercing Heart formation no longer existed, but his original cave was still there, albeit very dilapidated.

Pushing open the broken gate, Sha Wujing stepped into the long-abandoned cave, where everything was just as he left it. It seemed that no one had visited here in all those years. Putting aside his sentimentality, Sha Wujing quickly proceeded to the innermost room of the cave. This was a secret room; unless one purposely searched for it, it was difficult to discover. Seeing that nothing in the room had changed, Sha Wujing breathed a sigh of relief.

Pacing six steps from the entrance, Sha Wujing stopped, looking at the ground and nodding in satisfaction. Then he took out a crescent shovel and carefully dug at the ground a few times. Soon, a Purple Gold box appeared. Squatting down, Sha Wujing used his hands to clear away the sand and retrieved the box.

It was a square box the size of a watermelon, crafted from Purple Gold, and inlaid with numerous gemstones, which ensured the box wouldn't corrode from the river water. Carefully twisting open the bull-head lock on the front, Sha Wujing cautiously opened the box. Inside, there was a lamp base, incomplete, with about two-thirds of it present, and riddled with cracks, indicating it was pieced together from numerous tiny fragments.

Seeing the lamp base, Sha Wujing chuckled with delight, raising his right hand to touch it but hesitating, fearing he might inadvertently damage it again. Taking a long breath, Sha Wujing seemed to release a heavy burden from his heart. Contentedly holding the box, he stood up, ready to leave but suddenly recalled something. He was no longer the person he once was.

Back then, he collected the fragments piece by piece, each piece extracted with painstaking effort from the yellow sands of Flowing Sands River. But now, his cultivation had greatly increased, and perhaps he didn't need to go through so much trouble to gather the remaining fragments. Thinking of this, Sha Wujing became excited like a child. Promptly putting the cover back on the box, he closed his eyes, and began emitting a faint blue light from his entire body.

As the blue light spread, it quickly enveloped the entire cave, but within this range, Sha Wujing found nothing, which was expected. He had searched the cave and its surroundings countless times over the years, and undoubtedly, there were no fragments left. So Sha Wujing gradually expanded the coverage of the blue light, tracing Flowing Sands River's upstream and downstream, as the blue light began to swiftly expand.

It didn't take long before Sha Wujing discovered a fragment of the Liuli Lantern, and he became instantly excited. Without further hesitation, he fiercely urged his spiritual power, causing the blue light to burst forth, no longer spreading along the river's direction but radiating outward from Sha Wujing's center.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the light surrounding Sha Wujing had enveloped half of the Pangu Realm, and in the process, he discovered tens of thousands of Liuli Lantern fragments. It turned out that the fragments were not just in Flowing Sands River but scattered throughout the Pangu Realm: mountains, plains, forests, lakes—as if the Liuli Lantern fragments were scattered across the entire Pangu Realm.

Another cup of tea later, Sha Wujing's blue light had completely covered the Pangu Realm, shocking all living beings within, regardless of their cultivation level. That faint blue light was everywhere and seemed to possess the ability to see through everything, causing many to be frightened, but none dared to resist, for they knew the wielder of such power was not someone they could afford to provoke.

Sha Wujing's divine sense covered the entire Pangu Realm, allowing him to reap substantial rewards in a short time, having already found over three million fragments, all gathered back using his divine sense. Now, his Purple Gold box contained a complete lamp base.

Yet another meal passed, and Sha Wujing didn't find any more fragments, leaving him puzzled. Why were there so few? This was merely one lamp base; what about the upper parts? Soon, Sha Wujing remembered two places he hadn't searched yet: Heaven and the Netherworld. His divine sense spread again, extending to the Nine Heavens above and the Nine Serenities below.

As expected, in Heaven and the Netherworld, Sha Wujing found all the remaining fragments of the Liuli Lantern.

"Haha, I finally found all the fragments, haha, I finally found all the fragments." Looking at the complete Liuli Lantern in the box, Sha Wujing laughed heartily and then burst into tears. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)