Chapter 308: The Great Sage

Inside the cave dwelling on the northern peak of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Su Chen was just about to stand up to bid farewell to Bai Ze when the Heavenly Secret Treasure Mirror, which had been silent in his sea of consciousness, suddenly emitted a faint light.

A line of small golden characters appeared:

【Prompt: Detected a Saint-level existence attempting to calculate the host's heavenly secrets again; the entry point for the calculation is the "Pudu Temple · Liao Chen" time node. A deep heavenly secret shield already exists at this node (established by consuming 200 heavenly secret points the first time), successfully intercepting this calculation; no additional heavenly secret points consumed.】

【Remaining heavenly secret points: 1400】

Su Chen felt a sense of relief in his heart.

It seemed that the two hundred points spent last time were not a one-time consumption, but had established a permanent barrier at that time node.

As long as the other party continued to trace along the Pudu Temple line, they would forever hit that wall.

However, this also meant that the Fomen had not given up on tracking, and the intensity of this calculation was stronger than the last.

Could it be that two Saints had joined forces?

Su Chen did not think too deeply; he couldn't do anything about it even if he worried now, and he couldn't do anything about the existence of Saints even if he worried.

"Senior Bai Ze, I will take Qiao Ling to the Water Curtain Cave to see Wukong first," Su Chen stood up and bowed.

Bai Ze waved his hand while holding his teacup, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Go, be careful, don't let that monkey beat your disciple."

Su Chen's footsteps paused, and he looked back at Bai Ze.

"Senior, rest assured, Brother Monkey is still reasonable."

Su Chen smiled and replied, then left the cave dwelling and called Qiao Ling, who was admiring the scenery of Flower Fruit Mountain, to leave.

Because Qiao Ling had just arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain, Su Chen, in order to let him familiarize himself with the environment, deliberately did not use flight techniques, and the two walked south along the mountain road.

Along the way, demon soldier outposts were layer upon layer; compared to when Su Chen left six years ago, the layout of the entire Flower Fruit Mountain was even more reasonable.

Every time they passed a checkpoint, the demon generals guarding the gate would bow when they saw Su Chen.

Qiao Ling followed behind Su Chen, his gaze constantly scanning the surroundings.

He had grown up in the Moyie Kingdom; when had he ever seen such a scene?

Now, Flower Fruit Mountain was covered with drilling demon soldiers and patrolling squads; the entire Flower Fruit Mountain was an orderly military fortress.

"Master," Qiao Ling couldn't help but ask, "was this Demon Alliance of Flower Fruit Mountain built by you?"

"No, it was built by the one you are about to see next," Su Chen said without looking back. "I only gave him some ideas."

Qiao Ling thought for a moment: "The Great Sage Saint Qitian, Sun Wukong?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Ling became even more curious about that Great Sage Saint Qitian whom he had never met.

But he did not know how his past life had plotted against that Great Sage Saint Qitian.

Su Chen laughed: "So curious; you should know that he is very likely to beat you on the spot."

Qiao Ling looked puzzled: "Ah? Why?"

"That's a long story, but rest assured, with me here, he won't be able to hit you."

While speaking, Su Chen led Qiao Ling through the last valley, and the view suddenly opened up.

A huge waterfall poured down from a cliff a hundred feet high, the sound of water roaring, deafening.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave behind the waterfall, there were more than a dozen stone tables in the hall, and the monkeys were drinking, very lively.

Beside the largest stone table in the middle, a lean monkey king was tilting his head and gulping down wine.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang was casually stuck in the ground beside him, dark gold all over, with faint killing intent flowing.

Sun Wukong finished a jar of wine and casually placed the jar on the table.

The next moment, he turned his head sharply, golden light flashing in his eyes, looking toward the mountain road.

"Ha!"

Sun Wukong leaped up, jumped straight out from the stone table, passed through the water curtain, and landed in front of Su Chen, leaving two shallow pits in the ground where he stepped.

"Little Brother!" Sun Wukong grinned, revealing two fangs. "You finally decided to come back! You've been gone for so many years; if Senior Bai Ze hadn't said you were fine, Old Sun would have thought you had met with trouble outside!"

Su Chen also had a full face of smiles: "Brother Monkey, long time no see."

"It has been a long time; while you were gone these years, a pile of messy business for the Demon Alliance was dumped on Old Sun, annoying me to death!" Sun Wukong complained twice, his gaze suddenly shifting behind Su Chen.

He saw Qiao Ling.

At first, it was just a casual glance, and then his pupils shrank.

The aura on his body surged, his eyes staring fixedly at Qiao Ling.

The smile on Sun Wukong's face vanished bit by bit.

"Little Brother," he said, his voice suppressed. "How does this kid have the aura of that bald donkey Tathagata on him?"

Before the words fell, Sun Wukong reached out his right hand, and the Ruyi Jingu Bang flew out from the Water Curtain Cave, instantly expanding to three feet long, the tip of the staff pointing directly at Qiao Ling's face!

Monstrous killing intent wrapped in Sun Wukong's monstrous anger poured out.

The small demons near the Water Curtain Cave all lay on the ground, and the water flow of the waterfall was even pressed to a standstill for an instant by this killing intent.

Qiao Ling only felt an overwhelming pressure rushing toward him, his internal organs feeling as if they were being gripped by an invisible giant hand.

His forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, and his legs trembled slightly.

But he did not retreat; he clenched his fists and stood firmly in place.

"Brother Monkey, this is not Tathagata."

Su Chen's voice rang out.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

The "Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes" within his body channeled, and blood-colored light escaped from his palm, at the Great Luo level.

Just this wisp of blood energy countered the killing intent of the Ruyi Jingu Bang head-on.

"Hum—"

The Ruyi Jingu Bang let out a low hum, and the killing intent on the staff was forcibly pushed away by that wisp of blood-colored light.

Sun Wukong's complexion changed.

He stared at Su Chen's palm, then looked at the Ruyi Jingu Bang in his own hand, the anger in his eyes replaced by a trace of astonishment.

"Great Luo physical body?" Sun Wukong's voice was somewhat hoarse. "When did you kid..."

Su Chen withdrew his hand and patted his Daoist robe.

"Brother Monkey, put the staff away first. Let me tell you about this child's matter slowly."

Sun Wukong stared fixedly at Qiao Ling for a few breaths, finally "hummed," and the Ruyi Jingu Bang shrank into an embroidery needle and stuffed it into his ear.

He led the two of them into the Water Curtain Cave, did not sit down, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at Su Chen.

The meaning was very clear: you had better give Old Sun a satisfactory explanation.

Su Chen then began to tell him about Qiao Ling's matter from the beginning.

Sun Wukong listened from beginning to end, his expression changing several times.

At first, it was a cold face.

When he heard "Qiao Ling does not wish to become Tathagata," his eyebrows twitched.

Finally, Sun Wukong listened and laughed up at the sky.

"Good! As expected of you, Little Brother!" Sun Wukong laughed enough and said: "The reincarnation of that bald donkey Tathagata, taken by you as a disciple, and his Dao Fruit is suppressed so it can't turn things around? If those bald donkeys in Lingshan knew this, their faces would turn green with anger! Satisfying! Truly satisfying!"

After he finished speaking, he looked Su Chen over twice, only then reacting belatedly.

"Wait, you still haven't told me when your physical body achieved Great Luo?"

"Old Sun hasn't seen you for these years, but you've progressed faster than Old Sun."

He muttered a sentence, his tone actually carrying a bit of unwillingness to admit defeat.

Su Chen smiled and said he just had some minor opportunities and couldn't compare to Brother Monkey.

Sun Wukong hummed, dissatisfied with Su Chen's perfunctory response, but he didn't dwell on the matter.

"Kid." Sun Wukong walked up to Qiao Ling and looked at him.

Qiao Ling raised his head and looked directly into those golden pupils.

"You really don't want to be Tathagata?"

"I don't," Qiao Ling answered without hesitation.

Sun Wukong stared at him for three breaths.

Then he reached out and patted him on the shoulder, the force not light, directly causing Qiao Ling's knees to bend, almost kneeling down.

"Fine." Sun Wukong grinned. "You've got guts."

He turned to look at Su Chen and gave a thumbs up.

"Little Brother, Old Sun is convinced by what you've done these years. Plotting against the Fomen and the Heavenly Court multiple times, and every time with great gains."

After speaking, he patted Qiao Ling on the shoulder again, causing the eighteen-year-old youth to wince.

"Kid, following your master is definitely the right choice; you must learn well from your master and not let Tathagata turn things around." ===== CHAPTER 309 =====