WuKong: The Monkey King

Chapter 10 Underling Turmoil

In a state of semi-consciousness, the stone monkey felt as if he was lying on a warm surface of water, floating and swaying as if in a cradle. Occasionally, the ripples of water caressed him, reminiscent of a mother's touch. This was a sensation he had never experienced before; it was peaceful and warm, seemingly the safest place in the world. More precisely, it was a feeling of bliss.

Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, stirring the water into waves and occasionally whipping up foam. The stone monkey frowned slightly, annoyed by the wind's interference. With just a thought, the water immediately calmed down.

Eh? What is this?

How could the water be so obedient? The stone monkey withdrew his thought, and sure enough, the waves rose again. After several attempts, he realized that the water indeed responded to his manipulation. With just a thought, the water could hover in the air without falling, taking on myriad shapes. He was greatly surprised; when had he acquired such a skill? However, controlling it wasn't second nature to him, indicating he was still new to this art and needed to practice more.

The stone monkey tried to recall past events and suddenly remembered Wuzhiqi, how he had been knocked unconscious by him, and then entered this state. Could it be...

The Spirit Monkey thrives in water, so could this divine power also be transferred to others?

The stone monkey guessed correctly; it was indeed Wuzhiqi who had passed on his water-controlling technique to him. Wuzhiqi had been imprisoned for ten thousand years, his heart as dead as ashes, knowing well the difficulty of escaping his predicament. However, the stone monkey, having survived a great disaster, evidently had a significant destiny. Passing on the water-controlling technique to the stone monkey was almost no loss to Wuzhiqi, who had not had the opportunity to use it for thousands of years. Moreover, such divine powers could not be learned by others, only by those who could apply the essence of creation in the purest form.

The stone monkey, born from creation itself, faced no obstacles and immediately mastered the technique without any issues. Moreover, as the most distinguished among the Seven Spirit Monkeys, he naturally had his unique qualities.

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Deep beneath the Great Sage Zen Temple, Wuzhiqi's form had shrunk to just over four feet in length, lying on the ground listless, as if dead, only occasionally trembling. Only Wuzhiqi knew that the Great Sage National Teacher, Wang Bodhisattva, was extremely dissatisfied with his involvement with the stone monkey and was about to start punishing him again.

In the central stone pool, what the stone monkey thought to be black crude oil churned layer upon layer, as if undercurrents were swirling within. Then, flames inexplicably ignited on the surface of this black substance, with purple flames flickering like snake tongues, drastically increasing the temperature within the space and causing the stones around the pool to gradually turn red.

Wuzhiqi, a Spirit Monkey that thrived in water, was naturally terrified of fire. His fur began to char, emitting a pungent smell as he tried to curl back, but with the hard stone wall behind him, where could he hide?

From above, a sea of flames appeared to engulf a trembling little monkey...

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In the front hall of the Great Sage Zen Temple, Prince Zhang knelt upright, filled with fear and doubt. He feared his master's silence since that day, unsure of how he would be dealt with; he doubted that the one who took the stone monkey was the Xuantian Shangdi! The Xuantian Shangdi, also known as the Emperor ZhenWu, commanded the gods of the north and was renowned for his profound cultivation and ruthless demeanor.