Chapter 507: Sophistry and begging for mercy!

A feigned spear interrogation!

Tai Xu moved.

Not standing up.

He was crawling.

Rolling and crawling, his knees wore two blood trails on the rocky ground, his four hands alternating to push off the ground,

His black robe was already torn to shreds, revealing the withered, loose skin underneath.

He crawled to three feet before Sun Wukong's feet and stopped.

His head made a 'dong' sound as it hit the ground, cracking the ground into a pit.

"Great Sage, spare my life!"

"Great Sage, show mercy!"

"This lowly one has eyes but no pearls, not knowing the Great Sage is no longer as before; I beg the Great Sage to give me a way to live!"

His forehead bled, black blood flowing down his nose bridge, dripping onto the rocks and steaming.

Sun Wukong said nothing.

He lowered his head to look at him, like looking at a worm crawling up to his feet.

Tai Xu kowtowed again.

This one was harder, his forehead bone cracked, but he dared not stop.

"Great Sage! This lowly one is willing to serve you like a dog or horse!"

"From now on, if the Great Sage tells me to go east, I dare not go west!"

"If the Great Sage tells me to die, I dare not live another breath!"

"I am willing to be the Great Sage's running dog, generation after generation, never to regret!"

His voice trembled, but his speech was extremely fast.

As if speaking slowly would cost him his life.

Before his words even landed, chaos erupted behind him.

Over three hundred old gods, seeing Tai Xu, all knelt; finally, that string also snapped.

"Great Sage, spare my life—!"

"We dare not again!"

"It's all Tai Xu forcing us! We too have no choice!"

Crackling, the sound of heads hitting the ground rose in a chorus.

Some, not holding back, smashed their own forehead bones bare, white bone fragments exposed, mingling with flesh into a bloody mess.

Some kowtowed so hard their eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.

That scene was like over three hundred rotten watermelons exploding on the ground at once.

The ground was covered in blood from the kowtowing.

Sun Wukong stood in place, left hand tucked at his waist, right hand shouldering his iron staff.

He tilted his head.

He raised his empty hand and stroked his chin.

As if pondering something.

Tai Xu secretly lifted his eyelids and saw this motion.

His heart jumped.

He was pondering!

This monkey was pondering!

He had not made a direct move!

Tai Xu's mind raced.

Back when that foul monkey first came out of Five Elements Mountain, he was like this—easily appeased.

Give him a couple nice words, offer a step down, and he'll comply.

He's essentially still a monkey.

A monkey—how sharp can its mind be?

As long as you lower your posture and present a few presentable items, this can likely be brushed over.

Tai Xu secretly felt delighted.

He hurriedly reached into his bosom, pulling out three items in succession from his storage space.

A jade ruyi, entirely bluish-green, inlaid with seven ancient spirit pearls, each worth a fortune.

A fist-sized primordial stone, its surface flowing with five-colored divine light.

A fingernail-sized golden pill, exuding a potent, pungent medicinal aroma.

The three treasures were held aloft by his two hands above his head, his posture as humble as possible.

"Great Sage! These are treasures I've hoarded for three ages!"

"The jade ruyi can extend life by ten thousand years! The primordial stone can aid in comprehending the Dao! The golden pill can even repair the Dao body—"

"All are my humble offerings! Please accept them, Great Sage!"

Sun Wukong lowered his head to look at the three items.

He reached out his hand.

He took them.

Tai Xu's mouth corner involuntarily twitched up.

Indeed.

Sure enough, it's still that gullible monkey.

As long as there's greed, it's easy.

Greed the first time brings a second; a second brings connections; connections let you preserve your life; preserved life lets you seek a chance to turn the tables—

Sun Wukong hefted the three magic treasures in his hand.

His left hand hefted the jade scepter.

His right hand tossed the primordial stone.

He then brought the golden core to his nose to sniff.

Then he casually tossed the three things onto the ground.

The jade scepter fell on the gravel and cracked with a 'ka-la' sound.

The primordial stone rolled two turns, then hit a broken wall and stopped.

The golden core bounced a few times, then landed in the mud and got covered in dirt.

Sun Wukong lifted his foot.

He stepped on the jade scepter with one foot and twisted it left and right twice, like grinding an ant.

The jade shattered into fragments, the spirit pearl exploded, and colorful shards flew everywhere.

He then crushed the primordial stone with another foot.

He then ground the golden core to dust with another foot.

Three steps.

The three magic treasures turned into a pile of powder on the ground.

Sun Wukong opened his mouth and yawned.

His mouth opened wide, revealing a row of white teeth and a pink tongue, and he stretched lazily.

"Scrap copper and rotten iron."

He picked his ear and flicked what came out toward Tai Xu.

"What haven't I seen? You try to fool me with this street‑stall junk?"

Tai Xu's face froze.

The secret joy in his heart felt like a bucket of cold water poured over him, chilling him from head to foot.

It shattered.

All of it shattered.

He kept his bottom‑box treasures, yet that monkey didn't even glance at them?

Tai Xu was filled with shock and fear when suddenly a voice came from above.

"Raise your head."

Sun Wukong said.

His tone was casual.

Tai Xu shuddered all over.

He instinctively wanted to lower his head further, but the voice allowed no refusal.

He slowly raised his head.

As he raised it halfway, his mind raced.

Let me raise my head?

Is there still room for maneuver?

Do you want to see my sincerity?

Yes!

That's definitely it!

This monkey may not want the magic treasures, but perhaps he wants something else—information, connections, or subordinates?

Tai Xu quickly wiped the fear from his face.

He forced a smile.

His smile creased his whole face, revealing his blood‑stained teeth, paired with the cracked wound on his forehead, making him look like a laughing ghost crawled out of a grave.

"Great Sage, what are your orders?"

His voice was full of flattery: "Your servant would rather die a thousand deaths—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

The iron staff fell.

It wasn't a chop.

It wasn't a smash.

It was a 'knock'.

Like striking a nail, it precisely 'knocked' on Tai Xu's left shoulder.

The force wasn't great.

At least not great for Sun Wukong.

But Tai Xu's left shoulder, together with the bones of his entire left side, emitted a rapid series of cracking sounds like popping beans after that blow.

"Ka‑cha ka‑cha ka‑cha ka‑cha—"

His left shoulder collapsed.

His left arm hung at an unnatural angle.

The ribs on the left side were broken in an unknown number, the broken ends pushing out from under the skin, propping the robe into a series of sharp protrusions.

Tai Xu collapsed sideways on the ground, his mouth wide open.

For half a second, he didn't make a sound.

Because it was too painful.

It hurt so much that even a Cànjiào was blocked in his throat and couldn't come out.

Then that howl belatedly surged up from deep in his throat, half a beat late.

"Ah——!!"

It sounded like a pig being slaughtered.

Sun Wukong slung the Iron Staff onto his shoulder.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Who told you to laugh?"

"I told you to raise your head so you could see clearly."

He squatted down.

He squatted down in front of Tai Xu, less than a foot from his twisted face.

"See what exactly?"

Sun Wukong's eyes held no anger.

Nor any killing intent.

There was only something that made people's spines go numb.

"See clearly——"

"Your life ends here today."

Tai Xu's pupils shrank to the size of a pinprick.

That face, still forcing a smile, completely collapsed in that instant.

The wailing of the over three hundred old gods around also fell silent at the same time.

Everyone heard those words.

Everyone understood.

It was not an interrogation.

It was not about demanding terms.

From beginning to end, that monkey never thought of letting anyone go.

He had Tai Xu lift his head, just wanting to see him laugh.

Watch him finish laughing, then crush him.

Toward Fangcun Mountain, the Bodhi Patriarch held his teacup and took a light sip.

A hint of satisfaction touched his lips.

But the hand holding the teacup had whitened knuckles.

Because his attention was not here at all.

He was looking in another direction.

The edge of the Universe.

The crack in that black tree—had gone from one to three.

A deathly white light poured from the gap, as if something inside was straining desperately to push out.

And the aura of that light, Bodhi recognized.

That was not what he had sealed away.

That was a being he had thought was long dead.