WuKong: The Monkey King

Chapter 34 Han FeiZi

The Bull Demon King was taken aback; he was allowed to leave just like that, which made him think that Zhen YuanZi was surprisingly easy to talk to. In fact, Zhen YuanZi had realized during their previous confrontation that the Bull Demon King was exceptionally skilled in martial arts and extraordinary in Taoist magic, clearly having been guided by a renowned teacher. Without suffering any loss himself, how could he dare to trouble him lightly?

However, the Bull Demon King was ungrateful, saying, "If you let me go, you must also let my brother go." Zhen YuanZi shook his head, "Your brother has a cunning look about him, clearly not of good sort. Letting him go would be inviting trouble." Sun Wukong asked, "What else can you do then?" Zhen YuanZi suggested, "I could seal your magical powers and have you do menial tasks for me for a hundred years, how about that?" Neither of them changed their expression.

Sun Wukong laughed heartily, "What a boastful claim. Even if you have the ability, I doubt you have the courage." Sun Wukong's bold words stemmed from his knowledge that in "Journey to the West", after he damaged the ginseng fruit tree, Zhen YuanZi did not retaliate but instead tried to win him over, deliberately seeking his friendship. Not knowing the reason, but aware that this person preferred a simple life and disliked conflict, and considering his and the Bull Demon King's significant magical powers, Zhen YuanZi would certainly think of the consequences.

Every cultivator has a backing, so Sun Wukong deliberately boasted to intimidate Zhen YuanZi. Zhen YuanZi chuckled, "What background could you, a mere macaque, have?" Sun Wukong thought, as expected, he's feeling guilty, let's scare him a bit. Thus, Sun Wukong said, "The Buddha of the West, the Three Pure Ones, and the Four Emperors are all old friends of mine. The Five Elders and all the celestial stars consider me a brother, what do you say to that?"

Zhen YuanZi exclaimed, "What arrogance! Today, I shall test you to see who can best whom." After saying this, Zhen YuanZi performed a hand seal, and Sun Wukong noticed that this hand gesture was quite peculiar, resembling a Buddhist handprint he had seen in a previous life, which intrigued him. This handprint conjured a void lotus flower that floated towards Sun Wukong. Although the lotus seemed formless, it contained infinite mysteries and harbored limitless magical power.

He dared not intercept it directly and used a technique to shift and transform his shape, allowing the lotus to pass through his illusory form. Sun Wukong had already moved out of the combat zone, standing atop a wall. Zhen YuanZi was secretly shocked; his lotus was a special move to seal magical powers. It appeared slow but had already locked onto the opponent's soul. Once deployed, it was nearly impossible to escape. He didn't realize that Sun Wukong's Thirty-Six Transformations were the most orthodox transformation techniques.

His spell, though powerful, had been passed down through several hands and had lost its original divine power, merely retaining its form. It might be effective against lesser deities but was useless against Sun Wukong. Zhen YuanZi pondered to himself, his magical powers were robust, but only the "Cosmos in the Sleeve" was his most powerful divine ability, capable of trapping but not harming. The ancient scriptures left by that monk included methods to increase magical power and cultivation but few for combat and subduing opponents, leading him to regret not having a method of cultivation.

Sun Wukong saw Zhen YuanZi standing there, lost in thought. After a pause, Zhen YuanZi angrily said, "All of you, leave! Now!" Seeing Sun Wukong still standing on the wall, the Bull Demon King quickly pulled him away, leaving the courtyard. The Bull Demon King commented, "What's gotten into this old Taoist today? Last time I came, he trapped me for a long time with his formation, but today he's so agreeable."

Sun Wukong laughed, "It must have been my scare." After leaving the Five Elements Mountain, they realized there are always greater powers. Meanwhile, Zhen YuanZi locked himself in his room, feeling extremely depressed. His cultivation was that of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, but when it came to casting spells, he had only a few divine abilities, like a teapot full of dumplings that couldn't pour them out. Recalling the many celestial generals, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas he had met, each possessed countless battle techniques and varied divine powers. Could it be that he really needed to rely on others?