Chapter 43

“Someday, when the chance arises, I must make a careful layout on this human path,” Su Chen silently resolved.

But now was not the time to think of such things.

The immediate priority was to go to the Eastern Victory Divine Continent and find Brother Monkey.

First, he wanted to see how he was faring now.

Second, he hoped to extract a few more heavenly fate points from him.

After all, Sun Wukong was the core of the Great Journey Tribulation; the karmic threads tied to him were the greatest.

As for that mysterious scroll…

Su Chen glanced at his one hundred and fifty heavenly fate points and felt a faint itch in his heart.

Deciphering the scroll required two hundred points—he was still fifty short.

“Almost there, almost there,” he reassured himself. “Once I meet Brother Monkey, I’ll find some excuse to alter a small thing—fifty heavenly fate points will be as easy as picking fruit.”

With this thought, Su Chen’s mood brightened further.

He no longer delayed, confirmed the direction, stepped onto azure clouds, and shot eastward as a streak of light.

The Southern Jambudvīpa was vast and densely populated.

As Su Chen flew onward, endless cities and fields stretched beneath him, each place brimming with the vibrant energy of human civilization.

Unlike the Western Niúhé Continent, where Buddha-light shone universally and immortal mountains stood thickly, here the celestial spiritual energy was relatively thin—but the immense momentum of human destiny enveloped the entire Southern Jambudvīpa, making even demons and immortals dare not stir up trouble lightly.

He did not linger long in the Southern Jambudvīpa; after several days, he crossed the vast continent and reached the shore of the Eastern Sea.

The boundless Eastern Sea stretched endlessly.

The sea breeze carried salt and dampness.

Su Chen drew a deep breath and, without pause, ascended his clouds again, diving into the vast ocean.

With his prior experience crossing the Western Sea, he now moved with far greater calm.

Along the way, he encountered many sea spirits.

But most of these spirits had low cultivation and undeveloped intellect; sensing Su Chen’s aura from afar, they all panicked and dove deep into the sea, not daring to surface.

Su Chen had no interest in bothering with them.

After flying for several more days, a chain of endless islands finally appeared ahead on the sea.

Su Chen knew he had entered the Eastern Victory Divine Continent.

He descended his clouds and landed on an uninhabited, desolate island, intending to rest briefly and inquire about the exact location of Huaguo Mountain.

The moment he landed, his spiritual sense spread out.

Soon, he detected that the spiritual aura in this surrounding sea was far denser than anywhere he had passed before.

Clearly, the Eastern Victory Divine Continent was also a paradise for demon clans.

Su Chen chose a random direction and flew about a hundred li, when he spotted two shrimp spirits dragging a trembling sea turtle across the water, heading somewhere unknown.

He flickered forward and blocked their path.

“We pay homage to the Immortal!”

The two shrimp spirits were barely transformed minor demons, only at the Qi Refining to Primordial Spirit stage—mere conscripts forcibly enlightened.

Seeing Su Chen, they immediately fell to their knees on the water’s surface, pounding their heads in terror.

“Rise,” Su Chen said calmly. “I have no intention of taking your lives. Tell me—do you know of a place called Huaguo Mountain nearby?”

“Huaguo Mountain?”

One of the smarter shrimp spirits blinked his eyes, then asked cautiously: “Immortal, are you seeking Huaguo Mountain to pay respects to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?”

“Oh? You know of him?” Su Chen’s interest stirred.

“Of course I know! How could I not?” The shrimp spirit bowed deeply. “Who in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent doesn’t know the name of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, of Huaguo Mountain’s Water Curtain Cave? Just recently, he stormed the Eastern Dragon Palace and beat up the Eastern Dragon King, stealing the Ruler of the Sea’s Divine Needle. Now, even we sea folk tremble at the sound of his name.”

The other shrimp spirit chimed in: “Yes, yes, Immortal! If you’re going to see the Great Sage, be careful—he’s not easy to deal with.”

“Just tell me which direction Huaguo Mountain lies,” Su Chen said.

“Go east—keep going east,” the clever shrimp spirit pointed his pincers eastward. “When you see the mountain with the strongest immortal aura and most beautiful scenery, that’s Huaguo Mountain! It’s unmistakable—out of all the islands in the Eastern Sea, none compare to its grandeur!”

"Go east, keep going east," the clever shrimp spirit said, pointing eastward with its claw. "You'll see a mountain brimming with the most divine aura and the most beautiful scenery—that's Huaguo Mountain! It's easy to spot; among all the islands of the Eastern Sea, none is more majestic than it!"

Having learned the direction, Su Chen no longer troubled the two minor demons. He flickered and vanished from sight.

Watching Su Chen disappear, the two shrimp spirits finally exhaled deeply and collapsed onto the water.

“My heavens, I nearly died! Who is this Daoist? Such overwhelming aura!”

“I don’t know, but since he’s going to see the Great Sage too, he’s probably no ordinary soul. Let’s get out of here fast.”

The two shrimp spirits muttered a few more words, then hurried off, still dragging the turtle.

Su Chen followed the direction the shrimp spirit indicated, heading east.

Indeed, after flying for just over a day, a majestic immortal mountain appeared before his eyes.

The mountain soared into the clouds, wreathed in auspicious mist, radiating a thousand rays of fortune.

Its slopes were covered in exotic flowers and rare herbs, with clear springs and cascading waterfalls, while monkeys cried and cranes sang—truly a blessed land of spiritual refinement.

“What a magnificent Huaguo Mountain!”

Su Chen gazed at the immortal peak and couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.

The spiritual energy here was denser than that of the cave dwelling he had once found belonging to Canglang the Hermit—by several times over.

No wonder it had given birth to Sun Wukong, the primordial stone monkey.

He suppressed his aura, descended his clouds, and landed silently at the foot of Huaguo Mountain.

The moment his feet touched the island’s soil, Su Chen felt a vibrant, pure vitality surge toward him.

Every inch of earth, every blade of grass and tree here pulsed with spirit.

He followed a narrow path worn by monkeys, walking slowly toward the summit.

He did not fly directly to the Water Curtain Cave.

After all, he was here to “seek refuge,” not to challenge—proper etiquette must be observed.

He had not walked far when a rustling sound suddenly came from the forest ahead.

Immediately, seven or eight monkeys wielding wooden clubs and spears leapt down from the trees, surrounding him.

Their leader, an old monkey, bared his teeth and eyed Su Chen warily. “Who are you, Daoist? What do you want here in Huaguo Mountain?”

Looking at the furry, snarling yet sharp-eyed monkeys before him, Su Chen felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He remembered how, years ago in Jiang State, he had first met Brother Monkey—just like this, wary yet curious of the outside world.

He remembered how, back when he first met Brother Monkey in Jiang State, he had looked just like this—full of wariness and curiosity toward the outside world.