Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Above the vault of heaven, Sun Wukong was still engaging in idle chatter with Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun to stall for time.

"Heavenly Venerate, you claimed that the Jiuling Yuansheng was your mount, and I, Old Sun, should have believed you. But just a moment ago, he already swore an oath to join our Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Cult. Now he is a part of our ranks, I, Old Sun, simply cannot let the Heavenly Venerate take him away so effortlessly!"

"So the Great Saint means to forcefully abduct this one's mount?"

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun's face turned cold; if not for Sun Wukong's notorious reputation, he would have taken action already.

"Heavenly Venerate, those words are hardly appropriate. Is that the kind of person I, Old Sun, am?"

Sun Wukong put on an expression as if he were being slandered and raised a hand, saying, "What I, Old Sun, mean is that we should first ascertain whether the Jiuling Yuansheng is truly your mount. Isn't that a prerequisite?"

"The Great Saint suggests that this one is fabricating stories? Can a mount be mistakenly recognized?"

"Not at all, not at all. People may look alike, and objects may be similar; how could a mount be beyond mistake? Heavenly Venerate, you say the Jiuling Yuansheng is your mount, but do you have any proof?"

"Proof? Once this one shouts from these clouds, that beast will reveal its true form. With the second call, it shall rise on four hooves into the clouds and obediently appear before me!"

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun spoke with an air of defiant confidence.

Sun Wukong's eyebrows raised, "Oh? Is that so? Then I, Old Sun, must truly witness this. And if it does not come when you call?"

"Impossible! It shall come at two calls!"

"It seems the Heavenly Venerate is quite confident! Very well, I, Old Sun, will bet with you. If you can call Jiuling Yuansheng with two calls, proving he is indeed your mount, I, Old Sun, will leave without another word and let you take him back. But if he doesn't respond... hehe, then the whereabouts of Jiuling Yuansheng will no longer be up to the Heavenly Venerate!"

"Agreed, a spoken word is a settled thing!"

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun readily accepted the bet. In his mind, bound by the master-servant contract, no matter how extensive Sun Wukong's divine skills were, could they truly withstand the power of a contract? The bet was his to win!

"Yuansheng'er, why not reveal your true form now if not sooner?"

After taking a deep breath, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun bellowed towards Jiuling Yuansheng on the ground below, the sound waves rippled towards Jiuling Yuansheng, and he waited with confidence for Jiuling Yuansheng to show its form.

Utter silence!

Jiuling Yuansheng seemed as if he hadn't heard at all, not even moving a finger.

"Hmph!"

Sun Wukong let out a cold chuckle. His external incarnation had already dissolved much of the master-servant contract within Jiuling Yuansheng, leaving behind just a trace of the contract's mark, which was not sufficient to penetrate the two barriers he had set up, so of course, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun couldn't get a response!

"How can this be?"

The complexion of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun darkened, his face felt as if it had been harshly slapped, burning with indignation.

Humiliation! Utter humiliation! It's like smacking one's own face in front of Grandma's house!

"Yuan Sheng'er, this Venerate is here, why have you not revealed your true form yet, if not now, then when?"

"Yuan Sheng'er, you still won't reveal your true form?"

"Hurry up and reveal your true form! Do you dare to defy the command?"

Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate's face turned completely green with fury. He called out three times, and the veins on his forehead bulged, but still, there was no response from Yuan Sheng'er, while Sun Wukong stood by with a face full of cold, mocking laughter. That expression was the very epitome of naked ridicule!

"Great Saint, I feel the master-servant contract mark disappearing rapidly within me, is this real?"

On the ground, within the barrier, Yuan Sheng'er's face was filled with shock. Sun Wukong could actually dissolve the master-servant contract!

No wonder Sun Wukong insisted that he swear an oath to join the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Race before, he had already been sure of dissolving the contract inside him!

"Genuine as it gets!"

Wukong's External Incarnation laughed, "Calm your mind and heart! After this last trace of the mark is gone, I, Old Sun, will help you completely remove it. You won't have to suffer under the control of Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate anymore!"

The Chaos Primordial Force could assimilate all kinds of energy in the world, and the master-servant contract mark was also a form of special energy. As long as it was energy, there was nothing that could not be dissolved; it was just a matter of time.

"Thank you, Great Saint!"

Yuan Sheng'er's gratitude was sincere. He had dreamed of achieving freedom for years; otherwise, he would not have secretly escaped from the Immortal Palace. Now that freedom was within reach, the excitement and joy in Yuan Sheng'er's heart were almost enough to make him shout out loud.

Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate, tried with all his might to invoke the power of the master-servant contract from the sky, its force reaching through Sun Wukong's barrier to affect Yuan Sheng'er. Although Yuan Sheng'er could certainly feel it, the contract mark within him was now barely there, greatly reducing its binding power, and he could already use his own strength to resist the call of the contract!

Above the heavens, Sun Wukong interrupted Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate's loud calling, "Hey, hey, Heavenly Venerate, enough is enough. Yuan Sheng'er has no reaction to your calls at all! It seems like you've lost our bet, haven't you?"

Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate's face flushed red. He had called out far more times than the two calls agreed upon with Sun Wukong, but he just couldn't bring himself to concede defeat!

A mount as powerful as Yuan Sheng'er was not something anyone could chance upon; had he not captured him as a youngster, trying to obtain him as a mount after his growth would have been a fool's dream. How could he give up just like that?

"Great Saint, perhaps it's because we are too far apart, and something is amiss. I need to go down and ascertain the situation!"

Steeling his heart, and tucking his pride away, Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate bit the bullet and made an excuse, descending from the clouds.

Sun Wukong sneered. He had known all along that Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate wouldn't admit defeat easily and would surely play foul. No matter! Since he refused to accept his loss gracefully, he couldn't blame Old Sun for slapping his face hard!

With a mere thought, the two layers of barrier Wukong had set up were silently undone, and as Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate landed on the ground, he sensed no barrier whatsoever. And at that moment, the External Incarnation had finally completed its help for Yuan Sheng'er, utterly dissolving the master-servant contract mark within him!

Turning into a wisp of blue smoke, the External Incarnation silently returned to Sun Wukong. Although Taiyi, the Savior from Suffering Heavenly Venerate perceived something, he did not dwell on it as all his attention was focused on Yuan Sheng'er.

"Yuan Sheng'er, why do you ignore my call?"