Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

(PS: I'm off to attend a good brother's wedding, so there are only two updates today.)

"Marshal, did you, did you see that? That demon monkey wiped out a group of people with a wave of his hand!"

Above the Heavenly River, Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Tianpeng, was observing the drills of the various Heavenly River Navy brigades with a few of his vice-generals when he was shocked to see Sun Wukong wipe out two hundred people with a wave of his hand.

The vice-generals' mouths gaped open as if they could fit a fist, and after a long moment, they all swallowed hard and turned to Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Tianpeng, with quivering voices.

"Nonsense! Do I look like a blind man to you? Of course, I saw it!"

A furious bump landed on the head of the vice-general who asked the question from Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Tianpeng, whose heart was not any less filled with fear than his subordinates.

He was one of the few who had seen clearly what Sun Wukong did—racing past more than two hundred people in an instant, injecting a grey Primordial Force into each one of them, and then swiftly returning to his original position to detonate the Primordial Force inside their bodies. Such speed and strength were beyond the clear sight of ordinary people!

Even if it was Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Tianpeng, he barely saw it clearly. However, to do as Sun Wukong did was absolutely impossible for him!

"If that monkey uses such speed and strength against me, could I hold him off?"

Zhu Tianpeng asked himself in his heart, and the answer was undoubtedly no. He definitely couldn't hold him off!

Has His Majesty the Jade Emperor gone mad, knowing how perverse that demon monkey Sun Wukong is, yet still assigning him to my command as a vice-general? Is he trying to make trouble for me?

"Marshal, Sun Wukong has left. Should we stop him... Ouch!"

The vice-general hadn't finished speaking before he received a hard knock on the head. Zhu Tianpeng, with a face full of anger, berated in a low voice, "Stop him, my ass! Are you looking to die? When that demon monkey goes berserk, which one of you could stop him? You? Or you?"

"Well..."

The vice-generals looked at each other. Judging by the strength Sun Wukong had shown, if they really tried to stop him, they'd probably be wiped out by a mere flick of his hand. By then, nobody would probably stand up for them. No doubt Zhu Tianpeng wouldn't dare to take a stand.

"So, none of you can hold him off, huh? Then just sit tight and pretend you've seen nothing! Sun Wukong's heart isn't set on our Heavenly River Navy. Keep out of his way when it's not necessary, and avoid provoking his jealousy!"

"Marshal, you say that demon monkey doesn't care about the Heavenly River Navy. Then what is he concerned with?"

"Whatever it is, it's none of your business! Keep your mouth shut for me, don't listen to what you shouldn't, don't look at what you shouldn't, and don't even think of asking about what you shouldn't ask! Otherwise, if you really anger him, don't blame me for not protecting you!"

Zhu Tianpeng had already made up his mind to ignore Sun Wukong completely from now on. No matter what Sun Wukong did or where he went, he wouldn't inquire at all! Even if Sun Wukong ended up punching a hole in the sky, it wouldn't fall on the head of Marshal Tianpeng. After all, there would be higher-ups to handle it!

In front of the Jade Pond Water Pavilion, at the Garden of Fruits.

"Eh, what is this place? Such a fragrant and sweet smell, it looks like there are a lot of fruits here!"

Sun Wukong stopped in front of the Garden of Fruits. He had made himself invisible, and in his state of invisibility, ordinary people couldn't see him. He had been to the Jade Pond Water Pavilion several times in his past life but had never ventured into the Garden of Fruits. He was now completely attracted by the fragrance of fruits wafting from the garden.

"Land god, land god!"

After rubbing his nose, Sun Wukong became visible again and stomped his right foot hard on the ground twice. Following his shout, a little old man emerged from the ground—it was the land god of the Garden of Fruits.

"It turns out to be the Great Sage Equalling Heaven! What brings the Great Sage to summon this old man?"

The name of Sun Wukong had already spread throughout the Heavenly Court. The title Great Sage Equalling Heaven was a taboo; none of the Immortals and Gods had such a title before. It was hard to imagine how the Jade Emperor had agreed to bestow Sun Wukong with such a title this time. But since it was conferred, the title of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven had firmly been established for Sun Wukong.

Even if it was just a title, it was much higher in status than these land gods, not to mention that Sun Wukong was also the Naval Deputy General. Naturally, the land god of the Garden of Fruits dared not neglect him.

"Land god, what place is this garden?"

Sun Wukong asked with interest, pointing at the Garden of Fruits.

"This is the Garden of Fruits, the place where various Immortal Fruits are grown. Except for the Peach of Immortality, all the fruits needed for the big banquets come from here."

The land god answered honestly. The question Sun Wukong asked was not a secret and there was no need for concealment.

"There's such a wonderful place in the Heavenly Court?"

Sun Wukong's eyes lit up. He truly didn't know there was such a fantastic place within the Heavenly Court. That must be because his focus in his previous life was only on the Peaches of Immortality in the Peach Garden, paying little attention to other Immortal Fruits. "May I go in and take a look?"

"This..."

The face of the Garden of Fruits land god showed a sign of difficulty. "Great Sage, I'm afraid that might be a bit inconvenient. There's a rule in the Garden of Fruits that nobody is allowed to enter without the decree of His Majesty the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. I really can't breach the rules!"

"What harm is there in just looking around? What rules could that possibly break?"

Sun Wukong frowned unhappily, but the orchard's keeper made up excused not to let him in, no matter what.

"Alright then, since you are truly unwilling, I, your elder Sun, won't make it difficult for you. If I can't go in, then so be it."

Sun Wukong sighed deeply, turned around with a look of regret, and flew away on a cloud. The orchard's keeper tiptoed to watch Sun Wukong fly into the distance, finally letting out a long breath of relief. He had been worried that Wukong, acting on a whim, would insist on entering no matter what. He truly didn't have the power to stop him. Thank goodness!

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, the orchard's keeper slipped beneath the ground.

Not long after the orchard's keeper returned underground, the barrier around the orchard gently rippled and opened a small hole. A little bee buzzed its way in; the whole process went unnoticed, even by the orchard's keeper.

After the little bee entered the orchard, it hovered around and then revealed its form beside some ripe fruit. Who else could it be but Sun Wukong?

"Hmph! What kind of bullcrap rule is this, not letting me in, yet here I am inside, aren't I?"

Sun Wukong snorted. With a thought, he opened his imitation Qiankun Bag and swept all the fruits in front of him into it. These Immortal Fruits were the perfect ingredients for brewing Monkey Wine; he might as well take them all, leaving the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother with nothing to serve their guests!

A golden whirlwind kicked up within the orchard, and wherever the whirlwind touched, the Immortal Fruits were swallowed up, disappearing without a trace. In no time at all, the fruits within the entire orchard were reduced by more than half.

"That's about enough for now. I should leave some for next time."

With enough Immortal Fruits to brew Monkey Wine, taking more would be wasteful. Although Sun Wukong desired to strip the orchard bare, he decided against such an impulse, as no one would know it was his doing. He could always come back later, as taking too many would be pointless.

In a flash, Sun Wukong turned back into a little bee, used his Void-Breaking Divine Eye to create a small hole in the barrier, and leisurely flew out. From beginning to end, not a soul noticed the anomaly within the orchard.

After leaving the orchard, Sun Wukong headed straight for the depths of the Jade Pond Water Pavilion. He landed his cloud outside the Empress's Palace, where restrictions against flying were in place. If he flew straight in, it would trigger the Prohibition Formation and he would be struck by divine lightning.

Although it wouldn't necessarily harm him, he was there to see Zi Lan Fairy, and it was imperative that he met her openly and properly, without causing any commotion that might trouble her.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass on the Empress's Palace!"

At the palace gates, Sun Wukong was stopped by a squad of Heavenly Soldiers wielding long halberds.

"I am the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, here to pay a visit to the Queen Mother. Please announce my arrival."

Sun Wukong grinned and offered a salute to the Heavenly Soldiers.

"The Great Sage Equalling Heaven? Are you the demon monkey newly appointed by His Majesty the Jade Emperor?"

One of the guards, a squad leader, raised an eyebrow. "You're a deputy general of the Heavenly River Navy. This is the Empress's Palace, not a place you can simply enter! If you wish to meet the Queen Mother, you must first submit a request and receive approval. Leave now!"

Submit a request? Get approval?

Sun Wukong's brow furrowed. What an airs the Queen Mother put on!

"Then I won't see the Queen Mother. Just call out Zi Lan Fairy for me, that's enough."

"How audacious! Zi Lan Fairy is an attendant of the Queen Mother, not someone you can summon at will!"

Still, the squad leader frowned and sternly rebuked, "Leave at once, or don't blame us for being rude!"

"Rude?"

A sinister flame surged in Sun Wukong's heart as he let out a cold laugh. "I would love to see just how you intend to be rude to me!"
Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

With that, he started walking straight towards the palace gates.

"How dare you, you audacious demon monkey, attempt to storm into the Empress's Palace—seize him!"

The squad leader bellowed. Following his shout, several long halberds slashed at Sun Wukong from high, middle, and low angles. Sun Wukong didn't even deign to glance at them, and without any apparent movement from him, the halberds shifted in mid-air and collided with each other, causing a loud explosion.

Each Heavenly Soldier was knocked back by the force, two of them tumbling to the ground, while the others steadied themselves with the shafts of their halberds.

"You lot think you can stop me? You're overestimating yourselves!"

Sun Wukong kept walking towards the gate, his contemptuous snort echoing in the ears of all the soldiers.

"How reckless, you demon monkey! Breaking into the palace, attacking and injuring people—you deserve death! Brothers, slay him!"

The furious squad leader roared, leading another assault on Sun Wukong, but with a blur, Sun Wukong charged towards him, grabbed him by the throat, and hoisted him into the air.