Chapter 98: Perfect Mother, Lost Monkey King

"My child."

"Welcome home."

"These four words seemed to carry some kind of inconceivable magical power."

"Sun Wukong's mind, with a 'buzz', instantly went blank."

"Child?"

"I, Lao Sun, am a child?"

"He leapt out of a stone, fatherless and motherless, causing chaos in the Three Realms, fighting Heaven and Earth."

"He was called a demon monkey, called a reckless monkey, honored as the Great Sage, and feared as the Demon King."

"But never before has anyone addressed him with such a title."

"That was a kind of... tremor that sprang from the deepest part of the Línghún."

"Not because of the Fear Heart Demon."

"But because of an extreme warmth never before experienced."

"A tenderness that left him at a loss, even wanting to flee."

"The figure composed of light and shadow slowly drifted before him."

"She had no physical form, but Sun Wukong could clearly feel,"

"A warm hand gently stroked his cheek, just as his Master had just wiped away his blood."

"No, it was even gentler, more careful."

"I'm sorry for making you suffer so much."

"Her voice was filled with self-blame and heartache."

"Sun Wukong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he could not utter a word."

"His heart, which feared neither heaven nor earth and had remained unyielding even after being crushed under Wǔxíng Shān for five hundred years, now pounded wildly against his will."

"Come, let me show you our home."

"The light-and-shadow figure took his hand, or rather, wrapped him in a soft light, walking toward the depths of the garden."

"Sun Wukong, inexplicably, offered no resistance and simply followed her, step by step."

"Look, every blade of grass here records the birth and death of a Chaos Realm; they remember the moment of your birth."

"The light-and-shadow figure pointed to an ordinary-looking blade of grass beneath his feet, yet flowing with the Dao Rhythm of the Great Luo, and spoke softly."

"Sun Wukong lowered his gaze; on the veins of that grass, countless stars seemed to be appearing and vanishing."

"The spring water here is the transformation of the first thread of the Primordial Source at the dawn of the Chaos Realm; it can wash away all wounds."

"She also pointed to the divine spring not far away, which made a tinkling sound."

"Sun Wukong smelled that fresh, sweet fragrance and felt his wounds,"

"healing at an exaggerated speed, even the depletion of the Primordial Source of the Chaos Magic Monkey was rapidly recovering."

"His throat felt a little dry, and he subconsciously licked his lips."

"He wanted to eat a peach."

"Just as that thought arose,"

"On the towering life-tree ahead, a branch spontaneously drooped down and reached toward him."

"Upon the branch hung a golden fruit, emanating boundless Dao Rhythm,"

"was visibly condensing into form and instantly ripening."

"The mere scent of that fruit made Sun Wukong feel that his Xiūwéi bottleneck showed signs of loosening."

"This surpasses the Queen Mother's nine-thousand-year-old flat peach by more than a hundred million times!"

"This is the 'Genesis Dao Fruit'!"

"He also felt a little thirsty, wanting to drink some wine to relieve his fatigue."

"The divine spring beside him instantly gathered its water, transforming into a clear, limpid liquid that flew to his lips."

"That wine's aroma was rich and mellow, containing the highest-grade Chaos Realm source power."

"Sun Wukong, having lived this long, had never experienced such a feeling."

"A single thought, and everything is accomplished."

"No conditions, no demands."

"Only endless, selfless satisfaction and indulgence!"

"The heart that had been tempered for fourteen years on the pilgrimage, becoming unyieldingly hard,"

"The heart that, in the Chaos Realm battles, was decisive in slaughter, becoming cold and ruthless,"

"was being melted and softened, bit by bit, by this boundless tenderness."

"He even gave rise to a thought that he himself found absurd."

"If..."

"If he could stay here forever, it would seem..."

"... also not bad?"

"No need for fighting and killing, no need for scheming."

"When hungry, there is the Dao Fruit; when thirsty, there is jade nectar."

"When sleepy, the myriad immortal blossoms covering the ground make the softest bed."

"Here, there are no enemies, no scheming, only peace."

"Meanwhile."

"Yao also immersed herself in the great joy of reuniting with her Master."

She knelt on the ground, greedily feeling this familiar aura, feeling the Master's loving kindness.

But gradually, she also sensed a hint of something wrong.

What she cultivates is the Illusion Dream Law.

She is more sensitive to the boundary between reality and illusion than anyone else.

All of this before her eyes is too "perfect".

So perfect……like a dream meticulously woven with endless painstaking effort, without any flaw.

The Master's aura is real, and the garden's vitality is also real.

But this very perfection is the greatest unreality!

Sun Wukong's thoughts churned in his mind; subconsciously, he turned his head, looking toward the figure that could give him all the answers.

"Master......"

He wanted to seek an explanation.

However, he saw.

Bodhi Patriarch, from beginning to end, simply stood with hands behind his back, quietly standing at the edge of that rift.

He did not step into this primordial garden at all.

As if this land that could drive the Saint King Capital mad, in his eyes, was like a forbidden zone.

Bodhi's expression was a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

He neither stopped Sun Wukong from immersing himself, nor showed any sign of approval.

He just watched like that.

Like an aloof bystander.

Watching his own disciple step by step walk toward that gentle "mud pit".

Sun Wukong's heart sank sharply.

The warmth that had intoxicated him instantly faded a bit.

He stopped his steps, turned back to look at the Master at the garden's edge, and loudly asked.

"Master, why don't you come in?"

The garden was very quiet.

His voice carried far.

Bodhi Patriarch's smile on his face did not change.

He did not answer Sun Wukong's question.

He merely, across that brilliant light, posed a counter-question.

That voice was not loud.

But it was like a bolt of Chaos Divine Thunder, exploding loudly deep within Sun Wukong's Original Spirit!

"Wukong."

"Do you still remember who you are?"