Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"What is this?"

Steadying himself, Sun Wukong looked at the shadow attacking him. Upon closer examination, his brows furrowed; the shadows shooting from the wall were actually palm-sized bizarre birds made of refined iron!

These strange birds had not the slightest trace of life, yet exuded strong energy fluctuations. Their eyes were blood-red, filled with cold murderous intent, as if determined to annihilate all beings that had entered the corridor. Even after being knocked away by Sun Wukong, they seemed unscathed and difficult to deal with.

"These are mechanical birds!"

Leng Xuan's eyes flashed with gold; he recognized these weird birds, crafted by a special method from the Yuan Realm, known as mechanical beasts.

"Mechanical birds? What kind of thing is that?"

Sun Wukong raised his eyebrows; he'd never heard of such things before!

"Boss, mechanical birds are products of mechanical techniques. These birds, stronger than steel and iron, are not living creatures; they operate by harnessing the power provided by the mechanical magic core in their bodies. To destroy them, we must destroy the mechanical magic core,"

Leng Xuan explained.

"Leng Xuan, where did you learn this?"

Sun Wukong looked at Leng Xuan with some surprise; he'd been in the Yuan Realm far longer than Leng Xuan, yet he had never heard of these mechanical techniques. Where did Leng Xuan hear about them?

"Boss, have you forgotten? I love to read! These mechanical techniques are recorded in ancient texts from the Sky-shaking Cliff. In the ancient times of the Yuan Realm, mechanical techniques flourished but have since vanished in the river of time. Now, only a fraction still circulates, renamed as puppetry technique, existing only in small sects of the South Continent. It's no wonder you haven't heard of it."

"Ah, I see."

Sun Wukong nodded, sneering, "Regardless of whether they are mechanical or puppetry techniques, these strange birds certainly mean us no good. To proceed, we must destroy them first!"

Observing the corridor ahead, Sun Wukong flicked his fingers, releasing several bursts of fire that landed on the floors and walls of the corridor, "Where I've marked with fire is where the formations and prohibitions are triggered. Do not touch them! Everyone, let's act quickly to deal with these strange birds!"

"Yes, Brother Monkey!"

"Boss, just watch!"

Luo Bai and Leng Xuan, itching for action, laughed and charged at the mechanical birds, one from the left and one from the right. Sun Wukong wasn't idle either; in a flash, he appeared in front of a mechanical bird. The Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod in his hands shortened into a stick that he thrust at the bird's chest.

Not knowing the origin of the mechanical birds was one thing, but upon discovery, Sun Wukong naturally sought ways to break through. The Void-Breaking Moon Eyes could discern the energy flow within mechanical birds, especially the core mechanical magic core, which appeared to Sun Wukong like a bright lamp; how could he miss it?

With a slight touch, the violent force surged through the bird's seams straight into its body, bashing fiercely against the mechanical magic core.

Though the mechanical bird's outer shell was indeed hard as steel, making it difficult to damage, its internal mechanical magic core was extremely fragile. A strike from Sun Wukong's power caused it to instantly explode.

"It's effective!"

Sun Wukong laughed, "Leng Xuan, Luo Bai, don't clash head-on with these strange birds. Directly channel your power inside to destroy the mechanical magic core, and they will naturally be obliterated!"

"No worries, Boss, we got it!"

"Brother Monkey, count on us!"

Leng Xuan and Luo Bai responded loudly, each employing their techniques to destroy one bird after another. Together, the trio swiftly turned the swarm of mechanical birds into a pile of lifeless shells, fluttering no more.

"For mechanical techniques from ancient times to appear here, it's certain the owner of this palace must be a master of such techniques!"

Leng Xuan, contemplating the remains scattered on the ground, mused. The other palaces in the Heavenly Que Realm were overwhelmingly grand, but this one differed greatly, with the majority hidden in the void, revealing only the tip of the iceberg, shrouded by prohibitions. Clearly, the palace's owner did not wish others to discover its secrets.

One could say that the palace's owner was extremely low-key but had profound techniques, highly skilled in mechanical and formation arts. Typically, such people's palaces would harbor treasures unmatched by others!

Leng Xuan and Luo Bai exchanged glances, seeing joy in each other's eyes. Following Sun Wukong indeed brings good fortune, heh, their choice was indeed right!

"Boss, what are you doing?"

Seeing Sun Wukong store the mechanical bird remains in a storage bag, Leng Xuan scratched his head, puzzled.

"Keeping them! The mechanical birds are only damaged internally in the mechanical magic core; overall, there's not much damage. They may come in handy in the future!"

Sun Wukong continued collecting without looking up, soon storing all the mechanical bird remnants.

"Brother Monkey is right. Since there are mechanical birds here, there must be records regarding mechanical techniques in the palace. If we can obtain them, we can wield mechanical techniques too, sparing us from creating mechanical beasts ourselves, and instead use what's readily available!"

Luo Bai laughed, "Leng Xuan, Brother Monkey thinks far beyond us in these matters!"

Fully agreeing, Leng Xuan nodded, and the three, wasting no time, continued through the corridor towards the palace's depths.

Shortly after the trio entered the corridor, three figures appeared at the entrance they previously used; precisely the three Domain King experts from the West Continent's Tianyi Alliance.

"Finally got in!"

One of them, wearing tight purple armor that slightly clinked with movement, spoke, it was the Changeng Saint King of the Tianyi Alliance.

The other two were Kun Yang Saint King and Gelong Saint King, originally at the Domain Emperor level of cultivation. To enter the Heavenly Que Realm, they each sealed their cultivation to the Domain King level.

"Such troublesome prohibitions cost us quite an effort. How on earth did Sun Wukong crack them so quickly?"

Gelong Saint King complained, "It's a shame we aren't at Domain Emperor level now; otherwise, forcefully breaking the prohibitions wouldn't have taken this long!"

"Enough of this idle talk! Those three have already been here for a while; they must have entered deep into the palace already. We must catch up quickly! This palace is different from the others; there must be unparalleled treasures inside; they can't be allowed to get them first!"