WuKong: The Monkey King

Chapter 9 The Fall of the Divine Apes

"In the ancient times, when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant, and divine beasts and immortals emerged in large numbers, we, the seven divine apes, could not bear to see the slaughter and chaos. We intervened multiple times. Naturally, those younger generations were no match for us and bowed down to our supremacy."

The Stone Monkey wondered, how had things come to this state now?

"After several interventions, all beings acknowledged us as the ancestors of creation and the gods of the world, granting us dominion over various territories."

"However, born alongside heaven and earth, we divine apes were inherently free-spirited and detested nothing more than to be bound to desks, dealing with paperwork and engaging in pretense and deceit. Thus, handling administrative duties was out of the question for us. After deliberation, we handed over our vast authority to the immortals and demons below us and went back to our carefree existence."

"Both immortals and demons, having ascended from mortals or animals, possessed extraordinary wisdom to have caught the divine apes' favor. But, with our inherently pure and straightforward nature, we couldn't foresee that these beings, once empowered, would not only advance rapidly in their cultivation but also form factions to confront us. Most fatally, they discovered how to break through the heavens' secrets, creating countless powerful magical weapons."

"Once empowered, their first act was to attempt to kill the seven divine apes! It seems a natural instinct to not tolerate anyone above oneself. Subsequently, the seven divine apes were scattered, souls shattered by the multitude of immortals and demons, their fortunes dissipated like smoke."

Hearing this, the Stone Monkey was puzzled, "Then what about you now?"

"Now, I am no longer a divine ape, just slightly stronger than you."

The more the Stone Monkey heard, the more confused he became. If their souls were shattered, how could Wuzhiqi stand before him, and how could he, supposedly a Spiritually Brilliant Divine Ape, exist in this world?

"You must understand, the seven divine apes, along with Kunpeng and Pangu, were born from the chaos. Without a place in heaven or a name in the underworld, we are eternal alongside heaven and earth. Even if our souls disperse and we turn to ash, we can still be reborn through nirvana."

The Stone Monkey was astounded, "So, we're immortal, indestructible?"

Wuzhiqi looked at him indifferently, "While that's true, there are fates worse than death."

"Being born from chaos, as long as the cycle of creation continues, we cannot die. But with each rebirth, most of our memories and intelligence are lost, like newborns slowly regaining awareness."

"But the immortals and demons would not allow us the time to grow. At every sighting, they would mobilize in masses to eradicate us. Except for my capture, I do not know how many times the other six divine apes have been killed and reborn. Eventually, they realized the truth and became more cautious in their reincarnations, either changing their forms or hiding their presence, daring not to show themselves openly anymore."

"Why didn't they kill you?"

"They did not kill me because they found a way to subdue me. See this chain on my shoulder? It was forged by the great ancient god Yu to restrain beings like me. The Great Sage National Teacher Wang Bodhisattva of this temple is a descendant of Yu, and no one else can control this chain. He imprisons me here, devoid of water, allowing his disciple to practice on me, draining my accumulated fortunes before returning me here," Wuzhiqi said with a trace of melancholy, "It has been thirty to forty thousand years."