Chapter 331: The Cave Abode Monkeys Take on a New Look; Heading to Kanyuan Mountain to Pay Respects and Give Thanks

"Great King! Great King!"

"The Great King has returned!" "The Great King has returned!"

Following Sun Wukong's call, many, many monkeys indeed leaped out from the mountains; whether large or small, old or young, there were thousands upon thousands of them.

Yet, unlike what he had imagined, these monkeys, regardless of age or sex, were no longer dressed in the vine clothes and grass skirts of his memory.

Seeing these monkeys rolling, crawling, jumping, and leaping as they revealed themselves, each one was clad in armor and helmets, covered in jewels and finery.

In their hands, they held either swords, spears, halberds, or axes, hooks, and forks; every one of them was fully armed.

It could be called quite luxurious and imposing~

Looking at this group of familiar yet strange monkey descendants, Sun Wukong sucked his teeth, feeling that he, the Great King, was so shabby in just a tattered Daoist robe~ "What is the meaning of this?"

Seeing that these monkey descendants still recognized him as their Great King, Sun Wukong breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that there wasn't a new Great King among the monkey troop~ "Great King, there is something you do not know~"

These monkeys, large and small, surrounded Sun Wukong. After kowtowing, they spoke all at once, one after another: "Not long after you, Great King, left, a Demon came here and frequently bullied and oppressed us~"

"Fortunately, a Divine Immortal of great ability, called Yuanlong, came to Huaguo Mountain while wandering. Seeing that we were pitiful, he helped us eliminate that Demon~"

"Afterward, this Yuanlong cleaned up and renovated the Demon's former residence, opened it up as a separate abode, and even dispatched a Divine General to station there~"

"The one stationed at the separate abode is known as the Chiming Divine General. He is actually of the same race as us, a red ape who attained the Dao, so he has been very caring toward us~"

"Especially after we became familiar with each other, he traded with us, collecting some of Huaguo Mountain's local specialties and returning them with various rare items~"

"This Chiming Divine General truly cares for his kin and is very generous to us. After several trades, we were able to exchange for these good things~"

These monkeys spoke one after another, all at once, and their account was somewhat disorganized.

Fortunately, the four old apes—the Tongbi Yuanhou and the Chijiri Horse Monkey—were there, and their explanation was clear and logical.

After some supplementation and sorting, Sun Wukong finally understood the ins and outs of the matter and grasped what had happened to Huaguo Mountain over these years.

"Hunshi Demon King, the Divine Immortal of great ability Yuanlong, the Kanyuan Mountain separate abode, the Chiming Divine General......"

Sun Wukong murmured in his heart; he had not expected that so many changes would have occurred at Huaguo Mountain during the years he was away~

Fortunately,

it seemed to be developing in a good direction~

He looked at the magnificent equipment on these monkey descendants and sighed: "Regardless, I must indeed thank that Yuanlong~"

"Who says otherwise!"

One of the Chijiri Horse Monkeys chimed in: "Great King, if it weren't for that Yuanlong, I fear that even our mountain cave would have belonged to others!"

"The old ape is right. If there is a chance in the future, I must go and thank that Yuanlong properly~" Sun Wukong nodded and said.

He even made up his mind that he would take a trip to Kanyuan Mountain in a while to see the kin that his subjects spoke of.

He would express his gratitude first.

While speaking, the monkeys had already crowded around Sun Wukong and returned to the Water Curtain Cave.

"I never thought our Water Curtain Cave would have such great changes!" As soon as he entered the cave, Sun Wukong praised those around him.

The current Water Curtain Cave was no longer as simple as before; inside the cave, following the terrain, there were all kinds of arrangements.

There were rockeries and floating water, pavilions surrounded by green bamboo, various exquisite towers and Treasure Pavilions, elegant small pavilions, and beautiful cloud stones, all complementing each other and looking magnificent.

The water vapor in the cave mixed with the spiritual energy, scattering across the ground like pearls and jade, tinkling and refracting strange light.

Although it could not be considered luxurious and magnificent, it had a unique scenery of its own. Even though he prided himself on having seen the world, he was still amazed~ "This is all thanks to the Great King's name. That Chiming Divine General heard of the Great King's background and admired you greatly, so he specially sent these to tell us to take good care of the Cave Abode for the Great King~"

These four old apes were good with words; fearing that Sun Wukong would feel disappointed, they flattered him quite a bit.

A short while later, the monkeys arrived at the location of the throne.

Under the organization of the four old apes, the monkeys lined up by rank and age, invited Sun Wukong to the throne, and respectfully kowtowed to their Great King once more.

Afterward, they offered delicacies and filled cups with coconut liquid and grape nectar to welcome him and celebrate.

After a joyous group banquet, a small monkey gathered its courage, jumped onto Sun Wukong's lap, and said: "Great King, now that you have returned, it seems you have already learned great skills?"

The small monkey's words drew agreement from the group of monkeys, and they began to clamor noisily.

"That's right~ I wonder if the Great King is now a match for that Chiming Divine General? We are so envious of this kin of ours!"

"The Great King has an extraordinary background; he must have learned great skills and is no weaker than that Chiming Divine General!"

"......"

Hearing this, Sun Wukong was not annoyed, but only said: "I see that you all have Dharma power in your bodies, so you have clearly obtained a method. As long as you practice sincerely, what is there to envy in others?"

As early as the beginning, he had felt the fluctuations of Dharma power in these monkey descendants.

Although it was somewhat shallow and a bit mixed.

"Great King, you do not know, but we begged the Chiming Divine General to obtain these methods~"

"However, before he taught us, he told us that these methods were all mediocre and could never lead to the Great Dao of immortality."

"As for the true methods and Great Divine Abilities, that Chiming Divine General did not pass them on to us; it was not that he was unwilling, but that he dared not~"

"According to what he said, this is called something like, the Dharma must not be passed on lightly? Yes, that is it, the Dharma must not be passed on lightly~"

Sun Wukong understood upon hearing this. He coughed, reached out to stop the monkeys from speaking, and said sternly: "What that Chiming Divine General said is reasonable. You must not think that he was intentionally making things difficult for you."

"In fact, he has already been caring enough toward you~" Sun Wukong felt a lingering fear at this moment.

These monkey descendants had no experience with the world and did not know how offensive such behavior was. To put it bluntly, it would not have been excessive for him to have turned hostile directly~

"You went to ask for methods so rashly, yet that Chiming Divine General did not refuse and even taught you some methods; he truly values the bond of our race."

Recalling his own arduous journey to seek the Dao in Nanzhan Buzhou and Xiniu Hezhou, Sun Wukong sighed: "You do not know~ in those Human Race kingdoms outside, even if a blacksmith wanted to learn someone's true skills, they would have to be an apprentice for three years, serving tea and water, and enduring beatings and scoldings during those three years!"

"This is what 'the Dharma must not be passed on lightly' means~"

"Just like me~"

Sun Wukong pointed to himself and said: "Do you know the hardships I faced in seeking a master and learning skills along the way?"

"I left you all back then, drifting with the waves, floating across the Eastern Ocean, and went straight to Nanzhan Buzhou. I learned to look like a Human, wore these clothes, put on these shoes, and wandered about for over eight or nine years, yet I never found the Dao."

"Afterward, I crossed the great Western Ocean to the borders of Xiniu Hezhou. After visiting for a long time, I was fortunate enough to meet an Old Ancestor. I chopped wood and carried water for him for a long time, and seeing my sincerity, he finally imparted to me the true Dharma fruit of longevity equal to Heaven, and the great Dharma gate of immortality."

Hearing this, the monkeys could not help but say: "In that case, this Great Dao is truly hard to come by!"

A Monkey added: "I wonder which Old Ancestor it was, and where is their immortal abode? They led the Great King to the Dao~"

Sun Wukong was alerted by these words, remembering the promise he had made to his master in his dream, that he would only speak of what he himself knew. He had not expected that upon returning to Huaguo Mountain and seeing these monkeys and grandchildren, and seeing the great changes in Huaguo Mountain, he would be so excited that he would have a slip of the tongue.

He hurriedly changed the subject and laughed: "Little ones, now everyone in my lineage has a surname!"

"What is the Great King's surname?"

"My surname is now Sun, and my Dharma name is Wukong."

Hearing this, the monkeys clapped and said happily:

"The Great King is Old Sun, and we are all Second Sun, Third Sun, Fine Sun, Little Sun... a family of Suns, a nation of Suns, a nest of Suns!"

They all came to flatter Old Sun with large basins and small bowls, coconut wine, grape wine, immortal flowers, and immortal fruits.

It was truly a happy family! Sun Wukong finally managed to muddle through, and no monkey broke the casserole to ask to the end, pursuing the matter of their Great King's master~

After feasting and making merry with the monkeys, Sun Wukong prepared to set off for Kanyuan Mountain to thank that Chiming Divine General and even that Yuanlong for their care of the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain~ Before departing, the Four Old Apes brought out a set of armor, beautifully decorated and suffused with treasure light, and said in unison: "Great King, this is a set of armor we prepared for you; why not change into it before visiting guests~"

Sun Wukong looked at himself,

wearing a tattered Daoist robe. It had looked quite pleasing before, but now, seeing the new attire of these monkeys and grandchildren, he felt shabby~ Just as he was about to nod and accept, he suddenly remembered that this armor must have been exchanged by these lads from Kanyuan Mountain, and his face grew hot. He said: "How can I wear clothes gifted by others and then go to the original owner to show off~ This Daoist robe of mine is quite good~"

Having said this, he leaped into the air and followed the direction the monkeys had pointed out for him, heading toward Kanyuan Mountain.

Before long, Sun Wukong arrived at the location the monkeys and grandchildren had described, only to see shimmering waves, the sea and sky the same color all around, surrounding an exceptionally steep immortal mountain.

"This must be Kanyuan Mountain!"

Sun Wukong looked closely and praised it inwardly; it was indeed an immortal Blessed Land. No wonder that Yuanlong would open up a separate residence here~

He saw that the top of this immortal mountain had spiritual light floating in the air, thousands of rosy clouds, and five-colored rays of light blooming slowly from bottom to top, like a lotus flower, beautiful and magnificent.

Sun Wukong watched the scenery silently and soon saw that there were quite a few Demon Clan soldiers and generals in the mountain, wearing armor and holding blades, obeying orders and prohibitions, and formed into teams.

They patrolled all around without a moment's rest.

This kind of majestic and mighty posture was something the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain could never compare to~ While Sun Wukong felt envious, he could not help but think to himself: "It seems that in the future, I, Old Sun, must also train the lads of Huaguo Mountain well!"

After tidying up his appearance, Sun Wukong did not hide his figure and slowly descended from the clouds, immediately being discovered by a patrolling demon general.

"Halt~ Where did you come from, monkey? Do you not know this is the separate residence of Yuanlong?"

This demon general originally did not take it to heart, as his own commander, Chiming Divine General, was a Red Ape who had attained the Dao and was very caring toward that group of monkeys at Huaguo Mountain.

Monkeys often came and went here.

But this monkey was very unusual; he was already in the Zhenxian Realm, yet he could not see through him at all.

When did Huaguo Mountain produce such a powerful monkey? I fear he must be from somewhere else!

Hearing this, Sun Wukong was not annoyed and immediately stopped, saying politely: "I am the master of Shuizang Cave at Huaguo Mountain in the far south. Having returned from seeking immortals and visiting the Dao, I have come specifically to thank you all for your care of the monkeys of my Shuizang Cave~"

"Master of Shuizang Cave? The Handsome Monkey King who went out to cultivate, as spoken of by that group of monkeys at Huaguo Mountain?"

The demon general's heart stirred. He looked at Sun Wukong several times and thought to himself that this one was quite polite, and he did not know which immortal's seat he had studied under.

He put away the weapon in his hand and said politely: "Do not take offense, Handsome Monkey King; I am only doing my duty~ Please wait here for a moment; I will go and report to the commander first~"

Sun Wukong laughed: "It is only right, it is only right, sorry for the trouble!"

In Shuizang Cave,

floating pavilions and high platforms, pavilions and towers reflecting each other. Bamboo and rocks intertwined, ponds with misty willows, all kinds of rockeries dotted the landscape, spiritual springs gushed, and flying streams flowed across.

Yuan Hong, wearing armor and holding a staff, with a helmet and armor on, sat cross-legged in front of a Lingchi, meditating in silence.

Suddenly, a subordinate came to report that the Great King spoken of by the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain had returned from his cultivation and was now at the door to pay his respects, and he was immediately startled.

This was because his own master had given instructions long ago.

Coupled with his dealings with the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain over the years, he also knew that this Monkey King was a Shihou born of Heaven, which could be said to be a being born of Heaven and Earth.

More importantly, he was now a Golden Immortal, and his divine sense covered the void, yet he had not sensed the arrival of this Huaguo Mountain Monkey King at all~ It could be seen that this Handsome Monkey King was extraordinary!

No wonder he could make his master specially care for him.

However, he did not immediately send a message to his master, as it had not been truly confirmed yet.

He just hurriedly left Shuizang Cave to meet this fellow clansman of extraordinary origin.

Yuan Hong, wearing armor and holding a staff, surrounded by a group of subordinates, came out of the door and saw a monkey wearing a Daoist robe not far away.

"This should be that Handsome Monkey King."

He looked him over carefully several times and felt that he did not look that extraordinary; he was just a golden-haired monkey, though he was indeed very handsome.

He was worthy of the name Handsome Monkey King.

His eyes were very bright, with a kind of ferocity in his bones, only covered by the Daoist aura on his body.

Of course,

if one really had to say, there was also an inexplicable aura on this Monkey King, circling back and forth, making it impossible to see clearly.

It could only be said that his own realm was insufficient, and there were many things he could not see through. However, he could see the realm of this one at a glance.

It was just a Golden Immortal~ But if one really said this monkey was mediocre, that would be deceiving oneself~

At the very least, Yuan Hong understood why his master valued this Monkey King~

He had truly never seen such a creature, favored by Heaven and Earth, with such vast fortune~

He saw that above the Monkey King's head in the void, it was full of purple and blue rising from the darkness, his fortune vast and soaring to the sky, flourishing to the extreme.

Suppressing everything, causing gods and ghosts to retreat.

He used the 'Observation of the Origin' divine ability taught to him by his master to observe, and only felt his heart tremble, unable to even conceive the thought of becoming his enemy.

One can only say that the more one knows, the more one harbors a heart of reverence; some ignorant, rash youths would not have the same feelings as Yuan Hong.

After looking him over, Yuan Hong immediately reined in his chaotic thoughts, laughed heartily, and went up to greet Sun Wukong.

"I have long heard the kin at Huaguo Mountain speak of your great name, Handsome Monkey King. Seeing you today, it is truly well-deserved."

Yuan Hong arrived before Sun Wukong and flattered him.

(End of this chapter)