WuKong: The Monkey King

Chapter 5 The True Self

The rock face collapsed with a thunderous crash, shaking the ground beneath. Then, in the air, two figures darted back and forth like lightning, their weapons clashing repeatedly, creating the sound of metal striking metal heard moments ago.

At this time, the only part of the Stone Monkey that could move was his eyeballs. With one look, he was utterly astonished. Not far from him, in mid-air, was a colossal figure with dark green-black skin standing thirty feet tall, his head covered in white hair. His enormous eyes occasionally emitted a pale golden light, and his mouth, filled with uneven, snow-white, razor-sharp teeth, was wide open. His body was covered in stiff hair, each strand standing on end, and beneath his jaw hung a long white beard.

This monster was growling softly, seemingly extremely angry. The Stone Monkey, observing closely, realized that the creature's dark green-black skin was streaked with dark red blood, indicating it was already injured.

Opposite this monster stood a beautiful young man, with a complexion as fair as jade and lips red as if they were dripping, tranquil and beautiful like a woman. He wore tight-fitting black clothes that accentuated his figure, with a wasp waist and long, ape-like arms, holding a long spear. The tip of the spear flickered like a snake's tongue, pointing directly at the opponent.

"Kish, surrender now!" the beautiful young man commanded.

Kish! So, this giant ape was Kish? Hearing this, the Stone Monkey felt a storm surge within him. If this monster was Kish, then this beautiful young man must be Prince Zhang.

The Stone Monkey remembered clearly that Prince Zhang was a disciple of the great national teacher, Saint Wang Bodhisattva, who had subdued the Lady of the Water Spirits along with the four great gods. The Lady of the Water Spirits' name was a later distortion; in reality, she was none other than Kish.

Kish had caused chaos in the Huai River since ancient times, stirring up storms and endangering the people. When Yu the Great worked on flood control, he summoned the gods from heaven, but none could subdue this beast. It was only after calling upon the divine beast, Kui Dragon, that they managed to imprison Kish, suppressing him under Turtle Mountain, and since then, the Huai River had been calm.

Thinking this, the Stone Monkey grew puzzled. Strange? If Kish had been suppressed, how could he have escaped? Was this Kish not the same as the other? Or was the story of his suppression merely a rumor?

As he pondered, the battle resumed.

Kish, with his enormous size, seemed tiny in front of Prince Zhang, yet he was extremely wary of Prince Zhang's spear, hardly daring to approach. Despite his large size, Kish moved with agility, though it seemed he suffered from some internal ailment, as his movements would pause whenever Prince Zhang made a move. Kish, unarmed, would resist the spear's electric sparks with his body when he couldn't dodge. The sounds of metal clashing heard earlier were produced in this manner.

Kish's skin was incredibly tough, but it couldn't withstand the electric sparks. A flash of blue light passed, and fresh blood fell from the sky. He tried to escape, but the air around him seemed enchanted, preventing him from finding a way out, infuriating him further and causing him to roar continuously.

Witnessing Kish's desperate fury, the Stone Monkey felt an inexplicable pity. He couldn't help but recall a chapter from "The Free and Easy Wanderer" in the Water Curtain Cave: about a bird named Peng, with a back as broad as a mountain and wings like clouds hanging from the sky, soaring up to ninety thousand miles...

Kish seemed like a Peng trapped in a cage, full of longing yet restrained by reality.

Prince Zhang wielded his divine spear effortlessly, appearing as a majestic deity, and after about a quarter of an hour, Kish could no longer dodge or escape. His huge body curled up, his once defiant eyes dimmed, and his stiff fur seemed to droop down softly.