Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Zhao Gongming's eyes widened as he grabbed Sun Wukong's shoulder and asked urgently, "Great Saint, can you truly help me break free from the constraints of the Investiture of the Gods?"

"Of course!"

Sun Wukong nodded his head, confident in his assertion. This confidence stemmed from his experiences in the second trial, where he faced monsters formed from clouds, each crafted in the likeness of a Divine General's Lifebound Divinity within the Investiture of the Gods.

Sun Wukong had fought those monsters numerous times, and his Void-Breaking Divine Eye had allowed him to clearly observe their nature, including how the Lifebound Divinities collapsed back into clouds when the monsters were defeated and how their marks of divinity vanished. Wukong was well acquainted with these details.

Given the intention, Sun Wukong could trace back Zhao Gongming's Lifebound Divinity within the Investiture of the Gods, particularly since the upcoming final competition would still take place within it.

Finding the Lifebound Divinity was not a challenging task, and Zhao Gongming could do it himself. However, the key lay in severing the connection to the divinity without inciting a reaction from the Investiture of the Gods.

For Zhao Gongming, the only way was to exploit the moment when the Spacetime Black Hole appeared atop the Ascend to Heaven Platform to alter the Heavenly Dao Laws, using the tremendous power of breaking through to Quasi-Saint to forcibly sever the connection. But for Sun Wukong, such measures were not necessary!

The so-called Lifebound Divinities formed from divine soul marks were, after all, just a form of energy, just like the marks from a master-servant contract. Sun Wukong possessed the Chaos Primordial Force, which allowed him to assimilate all things in heaven and earth.

If he could help the Purple Golden Fox Mink break free from the constraints of its master-servant contract by dissolving its mark, he could similarly assimilate a Lifebound Divinity, enabling Zhao Gongming to break free from the Investiture of the Gods!

"Am I dreaming? Great Saint, are you joking with me? Is everything you've said true?"

Zhao Gongming was beside himself with ecstatic disbelief as he looked at Sun Wukong with fervent eyes. The problem that had troubled him for so many years, causing him untold suffering, seemed so effortlessly solvable in Sun Wukong's words. Having nearly lost all hope, Wukong's statement was like sweet dew pouring onto his desolate heart, filling him with renewed hope.

"This Old Sun never lies. Eh, at least not to his own kind!"

Sun Wukong smacked his lips, thinking that deceiving enemies didn't count as lying, but rather as a tactical strategy, yes, strategy!

"That's wonderful!"

The more Zhao Gongming thought about it, the happier he became, nearly jumping for joy. He suppressed his elation and swallowed hard before asking, "When can the Great Saint help me remove the constraint?"

"Well, this Old Sun needs to enter the Investiture of the Gods to locate your Lifebound Divinity before it can be dissolved."

Sun Wukong pondered a moment, noting that while dispelling a divine mark wasn't much different from lifting a contract mark, there was a distinction; contract marks could be directly lifted, but a divinity's control required finding it first. Fortunately, the final competition would still be within the Investiture of the Gods; otherwise, it would indeed be troublesome!

"Zhao Daoist, this Old Sun needs your Divine Soul Mark to help find your divinity within the Investiture of the Gods. Now, it's up to you whether you trust this Old Sun."

"Great Saint, my life was saved by you; how could I not trust you? However, forcing out the Divine Soul Mark will cause a commotion, and this place is inconvenient. Could you please follow me to my residence and wait momentarily?"

"Is there good wine and food?"

"Hahaha, there will be plenty of good wine and food!"

"Then there's no problem, lead the way!"

Without further ado, Sun Wukong followed Zhao Gongming to the residence of the God of Wealth, where Zhao Gongming had his fortune-dispensing attendants prepare a lavish banquet to entertain Sun Wukong. Zhao Gongming himself entered a secret chamber to gather his Lifebound Divine Soul Mark.

After a short while, he emerged from the chamber, came to the guest hall, and handed over a Divine Soul Mark glowing with green light to Sun Wukong.

"Great Saint, this is my Lifebound Divine Soul Mark. Once inside the Investiture of the Gods, it will naturally respond to my divinity. Simply follow the connection between the two, and you will certainly find my divinity! All depends on you now, Great Saint!"

God of Wealth Zhao Gongming bowed deeply to Sun Wukong, giving him a grand salute. Sun Wukong nodded and took the Divine Soul Mark, raising his glass with a smile and saying, "Rest assured, Daoist Zhao. What this Old Sun promises, he will deliver. At the final competition, I will find time to free you from your constraints and return you to a state of freedom!"

"There are no words to express my gratitude, Great Saint, please!"

"Please!"

After drinking a few rounds, Sun Wukong smacked his lips and said, "By the way, Daoist Zhao, Real Man of Jade Cauldron is a tough opponent. Besides myself, none of you is likely to win against him. If you face him in the first round, don't confront him directly; preserving yourself for future opportunities is the wise move!"

"Thank you for the advice, Great Saint. I will remember that!"

Zhao Gongming nodded in agreement. Although Sun Wukong's words sounded harsh, they were true. With the Sword of Trapping Immortals at hand, capable of employing the Trap Heaven Domain, only Sun Wukong with his Heaven-Breaking Domain could contend against him. Whether it was Zhao Gongming himself, Erlang God Yang Jian, or Nezha the Third Prince, none could match Jade Cauldron's strength.

It was foolish to fight a losing battle knowingly. Now that he could see the hope of freedom, he wouldn't risk his life needlessly at this juncture.

Having set their plan in motion, following the banquet, Sun Wukong left the God of Wealth's residence and flew towards the Naval Marshal's Mansion of the Heavenly River Navy. Just as he was about to reach the gates of the Naval Marshal's Mansion, he ran into Marshal Tianpeng Zhu Tianpeng.

"Great Saint, congratulations on making it to the finals! With your strength, it's not impossible to take the top prize, and securing a spot to cultivate on the Ascend to Heaven Platform is all but assured. How fortunate and joyous an occasion it is!"

Marshal Tianpeng Zhu Tianpeng greeted Sun Wukong with a beaming smile, cordially offering his congratulations.

"Thank you, thank you!"

They say there is no use hitting a smiling face, and when Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Tianpeng, made such a friendly gesture, Sun Wukong did not want to slap him in the face. He returned the smile with a nod.

"Great Saint, Zi Lan Fairy came looking for you. You were not around earlier, so I invited her to rest in the front hall. Would you like to follow me to the front hall, or would you prefer to go back to your room?"

Zi Lan has come, but why?

Sun Wukong's eyebrows raised slightly, and after a glance around he laughed and said, "It's been too much of a disturbance to stay in the front hall for Tianpeng Marshal, I'd better return to Old Sun's room. Would you kindly let Zi Lan know that Old Sun will be waiting for her in my room?"

"No trouble, no trouble at all!"

Martial Tianpeng, Zhu Tianpeng, smiled and gave a signal with his eyes to the guards beside him. Understanding the gesture, one of the guards hurried toward the Marshal's Mansion's front hall, while Zhu Tianpeng continued to smile and watch Sun Wukong head toward his private dwelling. Only after Sun Wukong was out of sight did he breathe a sigh of relief and turned back to his own residence.

Sun Wukong did not wait long in his room before a quick knock on the door was heard, and Zi Lan Fairy pushed the door open and stepped inside. Sun Wukong activated the room's isolation formation to keep sound contained and prevent outside snooping before he looked at Zi Lan Fairy and asked, "Zi Lan, what brings you here? Is there something you need from Old Sun?"

"Wukong, I heard you have entered the final. In three days, you are to vie for a cultivation qualification in the Investiture of the Gods. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right. This matter must have already spread throughout the Heavenly Court, right? Is there a problem?"

"The problem is huge!"

Zi Lan Fairy wore a serious expression, "You must not enter the Investiture of the Gods!"

"Why not?"

Sun Wukong was startled and asked, "But why not? Old Sun has been in the Investiture of the Gods before, and apart from the peculiar internal space, there wasn't any danger!"

"It's different this time!"

Zi Lan Fairy waved her hand sharply and said sternly, "Do you not know that you cannot enter the Investiture of the Gods three times within a year? Otherwise, your divine soul mark will be forcibly stripped from your body and form a divinity within the Investiture of the Gods, completely at the mercy of the list!" Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"What?"

Shock crossed Sun Wukong's face as he exclaimed, "How did you come to know this, Zi Lan?"

"I... I overheard a conversation between His Majesty the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother and found out. Otherwise, do you think those Carefree Immortals wouldn't want to enter the Ascend to Heaven Platform to improve their cultivation strength?

It's precisely because of such restrictions of the Investiture of the Gods that if one wishes to cultivate on the Ascend to Heaven Platform, they would be effectively giving up their freedom, changing from immortal to deity, and becoming everlastingly subjected to the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor's command!"

Zi Lan Fairy's words made Sun Wukong's expression turn completely somber. He trusted that Zi Lan Fairy would not speak nonsense, and since this was a secret discussion between the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, it was likely to be true!

Damn! The Jade Emperor, the old bastard, actually wanted to control him in such a manner! How despicable!

But that's not right. If those Carefree Immortals knew about the effect of the Investiture of the Gods, why would they still be so eager to register for the competition this time?

"That, I don't know. I rushed here as soon as I heard the news. Wukong, you mustn't enter the Investiture of the Gods before getting to the bottom of this!"

"Old Sun understands, Zi Lan. Don't worry; Old Sun won't be so rash as to go in without understanding the situation. There's still three days before the final; Old Sun will certainly clear things up by then!"

"It's good as long as you're aware, Wukong. I sneaked out behind the Queen Mother's back, so I can't stay long. I must return now. Remember, if things are not clear, you must not enter the Investiture of the Gods!"

Zi Lan Fairy was very aware of Sun Wukong's aspirations. His yearning for freedom was stronger than anyone else's, which was why he cultivated so diligently and bore everything silently, agreeing to an official title in the Heavenly Court, all for the sake of gaining more time to develop his strength for an equal dialogue with the Heavenly Court.

It was precisely because of this that Zi Lan Fairy could wholly imagine how much anguish Sun Wukong would feel if he found himself controlled by the Investiture of the Gods and hence by the Jade Emperor.

So, upon inadvertently overhearing the conversation between the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, Zi Lan Fairy could not sit still and secretly slipped out of the Jade Pool to hurry over and inform Sun Wukong of the news.

"Who would have thought that the Investiture of the Gods had such a restriction? I nearly fell for it!"

After Zi Lan Fairy left, Sun Wukong thought more and more that something was off. From the sound of Zi Lan Fairy's voice, all these Carefree Immortals seemed to be aware of the fact. Did Nezha and Erlang God Yang Jian know about it? No, I must ask and find out for sure!