Chapter 334: Seeking Weapons, Each with Their Own Schemes

The group arrived at the center of the palace. After they were seated, Beinu served tea and then withdrew.

Ao Guang glanced at Yuan Hong, who was beside Sun Wukong, a strange look appearing on his face. He secretly thought that his convenient son-in-law certainly had good methods—to be clearly far away in Beiju Luzhou, yet still able to arrange for a subordinate to mingle with this Monkey King of Huaguo Mountain—and to have become so close so quickly.

However, such thoughts were naturally not to be spoken to outsiders, and after just a moment, he suppressed them. Dealing with this Monkey King's affairs now was the key.

Seeing him with a smile on his face, he looked only at Sun Wukong and asked a question he already knew the answer to: "I wonder when the High Immortal attained the Dao, and what immortal arts were bestowed upon you?"

Sun Wukong pretended to take a sip of tea, using the opportunity to ponder for a moment, then set down the teacup and replied: "After I was born on Huaguo Mountain... seeing my own kind suffer birth, old age, sickness, and death, I finally developed a heart for the Dao, so I left home to cultivate and obtained a body that is neither born nor destroyed."

"As expected—"

Fang Longye, who had also followed along, remained hidden in the void. Seeing Sun Wukong's eyes flickering incessantly as he pondered, and his speech being evasive—saying not a single word about his master—

he immediately understood that, just as the *Journey to the West* from his past life stated, that Bodhi Patriarch, who was likely an incarnation of a Saint, did not allow this monkey to report his name.

"This monkey is quite good at keeping his word. It seems he truly regards Bodhi Patriarch as his own reborn parent, treating him with the utmost respect. What a pity—"

Fang Longye thought to himself.

From the current perspective, this monkey had likely fallen into a scheme from before he was even born—

preaching the Dao and imparting knowledge, nothing more than this.

It could be said that the whole thing was a scheme.

Take, for example, the East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang before him.

If anyone told Fang Longye that his convenient father-in-law knew nothing of Sun Wukong's background, he would definitely spit on them—are they trying to fool a ghost?! Did they really think he couldn't tell that this old thing was acting with this young brat Sun Wukong? Which Taiyi Golden Immortal, or even Half-step Daluo, would lower their status for no reason to a mere Golden Immortal, even calling him "High Immortal" at every turn? Fang Longye's thought-incarnation, hidden in the void, watched this old thing Ao Guang putting on an act, his brows twitching and the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

He really had no shame at all! He wondered what benefits the Brahma sect had promised him in secret? To actually make him cast aside such dignity—but seeing this old thing laugh after hearing Sun Wukong's response, he said: "Huaguo Mountain, that is truly a close neighbor—"

His whole face was wreathed in smiles, his tone gentle; he feared that even his own Dragon Princes and Dragon Princesses had never seen him so kind and amiable.

In his mouth, it was "High Immortal" this and "High Immortal" that, saying: "The High Immortal coming to my East Sea Dragon Palace makes the humble dwelling shine, and I am honored by your presence. I do not know what matter the High Immortal has that this old dragon can help with?"

"This favor, you, the old Dragon King, can definitely help with."

Sun Wukong was overjoyed to see Ao Guang bring it up himself, secretly thinking that this old Dragon King seemed quite easy to talk to! He coughed and said: "My worthy neighbor, you may not know, but I have not attained the Dao for long and do not yet have a handy weapon. I have long heard that you, my worthy neighbor the old Dragon King, have a vast estate and enjoy the Yao Gong Bei Que, so you must have surplus divine artifacts. I have come specifically to ask for one."

"Also,"

Sun Wukong saw that Ao Guang had such a good temper; being new to the world, he was actually a bit embarrassed to ask for anything else, so Yuan Hong, who was on the side, supplemented for him: "Old Dragon King, please forgive us. My brother here has many lads in the mountains who need to guard the Cave Abode, but they lack good divine weapons and Dharma Treasures. We heard that our Dragon Palace is the wealthiest in the world, unmatched by any, so we would like to borrow a little bit to arm our own lads—"

"Right,"

Sun Wukong nodded in agreement: "Just as younger brother Chi Ming said, I hope my worthy neighbor will not be stingy with your support—"

After speaking, he blinked his large eyes and looked at Ao Guang, full of expectation.

The corners of Ao Guang's mouth twitched. Looking at the innocent-looking Sun Wukong, he seemed to see the shadow of that monkey from long ago, his own convenient brother-in-law.

Sure enough, monkeys were never good things.

This monkey looked innocent, but he was quite good at opening his mouth like a lion, and "borrowing a little bit"? He had never seen anyone "borrow" his own treasures and actually return them.

However, he already had this deal with the Brahma sect, so he had to satisfy this monkey's request regardless; in any case, the Brahma sect was footing the bill.

Therefore, he agreed to everything.

After the agreement was made, they naturally had to solve the problem of the monkey's own weapon first. Seeing Ao Guang give an order, a short while later, a large pole-blade was presented.

This large blade had an edge like frost, and the handle was embroidered with patterns resembling the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, giving one a sense of heaviness; at a glance, it was clearly no ordinary object.

Sun Wukong took a look but shook his head repeatedly, saying: "Old Sun is not skilled in using blades."

Upon hearing this, just as Ao Guang was about to signal his subordinates to take the blade away, Yuan Hong, who was on the side, had his eyes flicker, remembering his master's instructions, and opened his mouth to speak.

But he did not expect that after shaking his head, Sun Wukong would actually jump up, take the large blade, and laugh: "This blade is not bad. Although Old Sun doesn't need it, my disciples and grandsons can use it—"

"Old Dragon King, what do you think?"

It could only be said that it is hard to learn good, but easy to learn bad. Although this monkey hadn't been back long, after mingling with Yuan Hong, he was gradually becoming mischievous.

He had been embarrassed just a moment ago! After obtaining Ao Guang's promise, he became pushy.

He became impolite.

Of course,

it could also be that once one possesses a sharp weapon, the desire to kill arises on its own.

Being polite before was the result of cultivation and also a feeling of insufficient strength; now that he had returned from his studies, he would naturally slowly recover the temperament of a monkey.

Ao Guang's brows twitched, but he was helpless, secretly thinking that the Brahma sect was footing the bill anyway. He then ordered Ba Taiwei to lead Shan Lishi to carry out a nine-pronged fork.

"Too light, too light."

The Monkey King kicked it up, caught it in his hand, and practiced a set, saying dissatisfiedly: "Not handy, not handy—"

However, that was what he said.

He had no intention of letting go at all, but instead directly put this nine-pronged fork away, only then looking up to say: "Old Dragon King, change it for another one."

The corners of Ao Guang's mouth twitched. He felt more and more that this shameless monkey's shadow overlapped with that wretch of his own who had been suppressed by Dayu.

They were both the same, climbing up the pole to get their way, both the same, pushing for more, greedy and insatiable—originally this was just a process, and he did not expect this monkey to take a fancy to these divine weapons of his. The Brahma sect had already arranged a weapon for this monkey in advance.

His intention was to let the monkey see them, to let him know that the best treasures of the Dragon Palace were given to him, and to make him remember this favor from the East Sea Dragon Palace.

Otherwise, if he had presented the 'Dinghai Divine Needle Iron' right away, this ignorant monkey might have thought that this treasure wasn't anything special in the Dragon Palace!

He didn't expect the other party to be so pushy and shameless, that he would pack up things he didn't even like to take back for that group of monkeys on Huaguo Mountain?

Were those wild monkeys not afraid of shortening their lives? When he was secretly protecting this monkey as he drifted across the ocean before, he hadn't seen that he was such a rogue! At that time, he was so devoted to the Dao and knew etiquette—

Could it be that he learned to be bad after mingling with this subordinate of his convenient son-in-law? Thinking of this, Ao Guang couldn't help but glare at Yuan Hong, who was sitting to the side. It was all the fault of this red ape with the Zhu Yan bloodline—

Otherwise, how could that Shihou, who was so polite and single-mindedly seeking the Dao, have changed his temperament so quickly after returning? Yuan Hong sensed the gaze of the old East Sea Dragon King, his heart feeling flustered, secretly thinking, is this old Dragon King trying to settle scores with me? It's all my own foul mouth's fault!

Fang Longye, hidden in the void to the side, naturally saw the words and actions of everyone present and understood Ao Guang's thoughts, unable to help but shake his head secretly.

His convenient father-in-law had truly wronged Yuan Hong. Even without his instructions for Yuan Hong to incite Sun Wukong to loot the East Sea Dragon Palace,

Sun Wukong would not have been that honest either.

If one followed the *Journey to the West* he had read in his past life, after this monkey obtained the Golden-Hooped Rod, evil would arise from his courage, and he would directly use the Golden-Hooped Rod obtained from the East Sea Dragon Palace to turn back and extort a suit of armor.

How did the original words go? He remembered them very clearly: "There really isn't any, just try this iron with you!"

If this isn't extortion, what is it? As the saying goes, "When one carries a sharp weapon, a desire to kill arises." This Monkey was never a kind-hearted soul to begin with; he has that innate ferocity in his bones.

It would be one thing if he lacked power! Naturally, one would know etiquette and follow the Dao. Once he possessed skills he deemed rare in the world, turning hostile and heartless was inevitable.

……

While Fang Longye was deep in thought, Ao Guang restrained himself and ordered his subordinates to continue bringing out Weapons. "Heave, ho! Heave, ho! Heave, ho!"

Before long, only the sound of work chants could be heard as four soldiers at the True Immortal Realm carried out a painted halberd. They were drenched in sweat, looking thoroughly exhausted.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong returned to his seat, then performed a somersault and flipped back into the center of the hall.

With a single hand, he exerted force and picked up the painted halberd, which looked incredibly heavy.

Boom—it sounded like a thunderclap.

What a Monkey; he lifted the painted halberd with one arm and danced it so tightly that not even wind or rain could penetrate. The entire hall was filled with shimmering cold light, congealing like frost and snow, piling up into a thick layer.

A slight touch was enough to make one feel chilled to the bone.

A moment later, he suddenly retracted it, held the painted halberd in his hand, smacked his lips, and said with lingering dissatisfaction: "Light, light, it's still too light!"

Sun Wukong sighed, looked at the East Sea Dragon King, and said: "Old Dragon King, bring another one! This halberd still cannot unleash my, Old Sun's, strength."

"Then there is nothing I can do~"

Ao Guang adjusted the Golden Crown on his head and said in a tone of helplessness: "This is the heaviest divine Weapon in our Longgong~"

Though he appeared this way on the surface, he was complaining incessantly in his heart: "What is the Brahma sect doing? They raised such a bumpkin~"

This painted halberd was not bad.

Although it could not compare to that Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron, it was still a rare divine Weapon of the Longgong, yet because it wasn't heavy enough, it was discarded like worn-out shoes by this Monkey~

If not for the fact that he figured the Brahma sect would foot the bill anyway, he would never have brought it out according to the original plan, given the way this Monkey had been packing things up just now~

A look of suspicion appeared on Sun Wukong's face as he said: "Old Dragon King, you wouldn't be intentionally hiding things, would you? I, Old Sun, have heard from Brother Yuan that the Dragon Clan is immensely wealthy, and few in the world can compare~"

"And among the Four Seas, your East Sea ranks first. I don't believe you don't have better treasures."

Ao Guang waved his hands repeatedly and said with a sincere face: "I dare not deceive the Immortal, there truly isn't any."

Yuan Hong, standing to the side, saw this situation, and his master's previous instructions flashed through his mind.

Although he was anxious in his heart, fearing that this East Sea Dragon King would settle scores with him later.

He still gritted his teeth, stepped forward to assist, and said: "Old Dragon King, we are all family. This Great Sage Equaling Heaven is a friend valued by my master, Yuanlong, so don't be so stingy~"

"To be honest, although I don't have much experience, you're just spouting empty words; how can you expect people to believe you~"

"The Great Sage Equaling Heaven has only taken a few of your Weapons, and you're already feeling the pinch? You want to send us away so quickly? This is not the way of hospitality in the Longgong~"

Sun Wukong nodded repeatedly and said: "Brother Yuan is right! I, Old Sun, truly do not believe that such a vast Longgong would not have a Weapon to my liking~"

Yuan Hong continued to assist: "Stop dawdling!"

"Bring out the good stuff! Otherwise, you won't have an easy time explaining yourself to Yuanlong!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Guang was so angry his nose was almost crooked, and the look he cast at Yuan Hong was practically murderous. It wasn't that he was angry about the loss of these few divine Weapons—this had been agreed upon with the Brahma sect, and at worst, he would just have them pay for it.

The key was that he had finally realized his cheap son-in-law was truly shameless! He was being generous with someone else's wealth to solve someone else's problem.

This subordinate of his seemed to be making unreasonable trouble, yet he kept mentioning Yuanlong, as if the fact that the East Sea Dragon Palace could produce treasures for this Monkey King was entirely due to Yuanlong.

This is truly bullying people too much!

He had worked so hard, running around for the affairs of the Brahma sect; what was it for? Aside from the things promised by the Brahma sect, wasn't it because he wanted to forge a deep bond of gratitude with this Monkey King of extraordinary origin~

And the result? A massive favor was forcibly turned into his cheap son-in-law's! The key was that he didn't even contribute a single hair! It's bullying! How can he treat him like this when he is, after all, his cheap father-in-law? And he's a young lord of the Dragon Clan, too! Even if he didn't respect the monk, he should respect the Buddha; even ignoring this relationship, he should at least observe the camaraderie of the same clan!

Ao Guang, having realized what was happening, was so angered by Fang Longye's shameless scheme of "grafting flowers onto another tree" that his entire body began to tremble.

……

Sun Wukong, who knew nothing, was naturally unaware of the twists and turns within.

Seeing that the East Sea Dragon King was slow to respond and was even casting fierce looks at Brother Yuan, who was speaking up for him, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and say angrily: "The ancients said: 'Do not worry that the Sea Dragon King has no treasures'! Old Dragon King, don't be so stingy. 'A man without credibility cannot stand'; we agreed on this just now."

"A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. It is not easy for this Great King to come and ask you for something once; are you really going to give me, Old Sun, no face? Can you go back on your word?"

He usually had the appearance of a macaque, jumping around, carefree, and possessing a bit of innocence and cuteness.

But the moment he got angry, baleful energy surged between his brows, and an indescribable power permeated and swirled from the void, making one feel nothing but fear.

Not to mention the Dragon Princes and grandchildren in the palace who were startled, even Fang Longye, who was hidden in the shadows, was secretly shocked. This baleful energy in his bones was truly extraordinary! He didn't know where it came from~

However, setting that aside, when this Monkey goes mad, he really has an air of fearing neither heaven nor earth; he is truly worthy of being the one who would dare to cause Havoc in Heaven in the future~

Seeing Sun Wukong get angry, Ao Guang temporarily cast aside the cursing of Fang Longye in his heart and secretly made a gesture with his hand, signaling the people he had arranged to continue according to the original plan.

Immediately, Longpo and Longnu stepped out and said: "Great King, looking at this Saint, he is definitely no small matter. In our Sea Treasury, that piece of Heavenly River Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron has been shining with brilliant light and auspicious energy these past few days; could it be that it is time for it to appear and meet this Saint?"

Ao Guang deliberately furrowed his brows and said: "That is a stabilizer used by Dayu when he controlled the floods to determine the depth of the rivers and seas; it is just a piece of divine iron, what use could it have?"

Longpo said: "Great King, I see that this Saint felt all the weapons he chose earlier were too light, and the heaviest object in our Longgong is none other than that divine iron."

"Just give it to him and let him modify it however he wants~ Trying it is like treating a dead horse as if it were still alive."

The few of them spoke, deliberately lowering their voices, appearing to be discussing in private, yet they allowed Sun Wukong to hear them, which naturally piqued his interest.

Out of curiosity, he scratched his ears and cheeks, and the baleful energy on his body gradually subsided.

Subsequently, Ao Guang ended his conversation with Longpo and told him the whole story about the divine iron.

Sun Wukong said: "Bring it out, let me see~"

Ao Guang shook his head repeatedly and said: "It cannot be carried, it cannot be lifted! You, the Immortal, must go see it yourself~"

When Sun Wukong heard that it could not be carried or lifted, he became even more interested, and the baleful energy on his body was completely retracted.

It vanished without a trace.

The aura that had originally permeated the hall, feeling almost tangible and pressing down so hard that people couldn't breathe, suddenly dissipated.

Everyone in the hall felt a sudden lightness in their bodies.

"It's not about strength."

Ao Guang lowered his eyelids, blocking the strange look in his eyes; he had understood that the invisible pressure from before seemed to come from the other party himself.

An innate majesty, truly rare indeed.

It was unclear whether it was the power of Heavenly Luck or something else; it could not be seen clearly.

It is evident how extraordinary this Monkey is!

Precisely because of this, he hated his cheap son-in-law far away in Beiju Luzhou even more, his teeth itching with resentment, and he continued to curse him bitterly in his heart~

"Where is it? Quickly, lead me there!"

Sun Wukong did not care about such things; being hot-tempered, he saw Ao Guang dazed and directly pulled on his sleeve, wanting Ao Guang to lead him to see that piece of divine iron~(End of this chapter)