Chapter 510: Side Story One: Sent into the Dan Furnace

Side Story One: Sent into the Dan Furnace

"Your Majesty, "

In the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, a Heavenly General bowed and saluted, his voice resonant as he reported:

"The Four Great Heavenly Kings and their forces have jointly captured that demonic monkey, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and now have escorted him outside the hall, awaiting Your Majesty's decree."

The Jade Emperor, seated high upon his throne, heard the words, gave a slight nod, his expression showing little disturbance, as if handling a routine matter.

His gaze swept over the assembled celestial beings, and he issued an edict:

"Since it has been captured, it shall be dealt with according to heavenly law. He commands Da Li Gui Wang, together with the Heavenly Ding Warriors and others, to escort that demonic monkey to the Demon‑slaying Platform outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, to execute the ultimate punishment, dismember its body, as a warning and to display heavenly might."

"I accept the order!" the gods of the hall replied in unison.

The Heavenly General who had just reported the order immediately turned, strode swiftly toward the hall's exit, ready to convey the decree.

But scarcely had he stepped outside when a booming, unruly shout, full of vigor, echoed from afar, piercing the clouds and flooding into the hall:

"Old Jade Emperor! You rely on your numbers and mighty artifacts—what real skill is that?! If you have the ability, come down yourself and truly spar with me, Old Sun, blade to blade! I'll make you understand what it means 'the emperor takes turns, next year it's my house'!"

"Old Sun must …"

The voice, as Sun Wukong was forcibly dragged by Heavenly Soldiers and Generals away from the Demon‑slaying Platform, grew fainter and faded, leaving only the customary solemnity and silence of the Heavenly Court.

The Jade Emperor, listening to the receding clamor, shook his head helplessly and sighed:

"That monkey truly is unruly; it still needs proper tempering …"

Yet, moments later, Da Li Gui Wang, who had just taken the order, returned to the hall with a contingent of Heavenly Soldiers, his face embarrassed and his steps hesitant, to report back.

Da Li Gui Wang knelt on the ground, his voice tinged with fear:

"Your Majesty … that demonic monkey, we do not know where it learned such protective arts! Following your command, on the Demon‑slaying Platform we used the Demon‑slaying Divine Sword to cut, the Mountain‑splitting Great Axe to cleave, summoned Nine‑Heaven Divine Thunder to strike, called forth Samadhi True Fire to burn … after exhausting all punishments, that monkey still … still emerged unscathed, not even a single hair broken! Not a single root hair damaged! We truly do not know … how to deal with it, please render a Holy judgment!"

At these words, all the celestial officials in the hall displayed startled faces and began murmuring among themselves.

Could such a thing truly happen?

The Jade Emperor, hearing this, had a precisely appropriate hint of puzzlement and surprise appear on his face.

He slightly furrowed his brows, his fingers lightly tapping the throne's armrest, as if in a dilemma, he murmured:

"This fellow … actually possesses such ability? Sword, axe, thunder, fire cannot harm … what … what shall be done? How to deal with it?"

Though his words were as such, his gaze drifted unintentionally toward the Tai Shang Lao Jun beside him, who had kept his eyes closed in meditation, seemingly indifferent to the hall's clamor.

At that moment, Lao Jun opened his eyes.

Their gazes briefly met in the air.

"You still haven't acted?"

"I'll act now, no need to rush."

Tai Shang Lao Jun understood instantly, flicked his dust fan, stepped ahead of the crowd, bowed slightly toward the Jade Emperor, and said:

"Your Majesty, the old Daoist observed that the demonic monkey first stole the Peach of Immortality from the Queen Mother, then pilfered the jade nectar, and further infiltrated my Dou Shuai Gong, swallowing all five cauldrons of Golden Core I had refined—both the already‑matured 'Mature Pill' and the still‑incubating 'Raw Pill'—into its belly."

"That monkey's head possessed a certain destiny; it employed the Samadhi True Fire within its body to forcibly fuse the powers of the Peach, the celestial wine, and the raw and mature Golden Core into one, forging an Indestructible body, thus ordinary punishments could not harm it in the slightest."

He paused briefly, then continued:

"In my view, it would be better to hand this monkey over to me and return it to Dou Shuai Gong."

"My Bagua Furnace is a primordial divine artifact, containing the yin and yang energies, separating the civil and martial fires."

"Place it within the furnace, and refine it slowly with the civil and martial fire."

"First, this will extract the still‑unrefined Golden Core potency from its belly, returning the substance to its rightful owner; second, even its Indestructible body, under the combined assault of civil and martial fire in the Bagua Furnace, will, given time, turn to ash and its spirit will be extinguished."

"Thus, we recover the stolen Immortal Pill and eliminate this menace—a win‑win."

The Jade Emperor, having heard, saw the previously puzzled expression vanish instantly, replaced by a delighted smile as he clapped his hands and said:

"Excellent! Lao Jun, this method is marvelous! In that case, we shall follow your words. Six Ding Six Jia!"

"I am here!" the Six Ding Six Jia divine generals stepped forward.

"You all hurry to the Demon‑slaying Platform, release that demonic monkey, and hand it over to Tai Shang Lao Jun for disposition."

"As you command!"

The Six Ding Six Jia immediately took the order, and together with Tai Shang Lao Jun left Lingxiao Hall, heading to the Demon‑slaying Platform outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.

……

Dou Shuai Gong, before the Bagua Furnace.

The violet‑gold furnace fire burned quietly for forty‑eight days; within the furnace a muffled clatter and roar could be heard faintly, yet the furnace walls were solid, sealing all motion inside.

The boy attendants guarding the fire performed their duties diligently, daring not a moment of slack.

The forty‑ninth day.

In the Human World, forty‑nine years have passed.

Tai Shang Lao Jun, who had been seated on a cloud couch nearby, eyes closed in meditation as if indifferent to the furnace's state, suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze did not look at the Dan Furnace within arm's reach, but pierced through thirty‑three heavens, landing upon some distant spot in the Human World below.

A faint, almost imperceptible, profound smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he murmured softly:

"It comes."

The moment has arrived.

He instantly rose, flicked his dust fan lightly, and walked slowly toward the blazing Bagua Furnace.

The boy attendants and the Ding Jia divine generals guarding the fire, seeing him approach, quickly bowed and saluted: "Lao Jun."

Lao Jun arrived before the furnace, his expression unchanged, and instructed the crowd:

"You all step back a little; I will personally examine the furnace's heat, to see how that monkey has been refined."

"Yes." The others dared not ask further, and as instructed stepped back several paces, clearing space before the furnace.

Tai Shang Lao Jun paced to directly above the Bagua Furnace, where the sealed furnace lid formed its nexus.

He lowered his head to inspect, as if looking at something.

Just then—

"Oh dear."

A slight sound, like a purely accidental low call, came from Lao Jun's mouth.

Just then, the whisk in his hand slipped and fell, landing squarely on the edge of the Bagua Furnace's tightly sealed lid.

"Clang!"

A clear metallic clang rang out!

The furnace lid, struck by the whisk, actually shifted slightly from its original position, revealing an extremely fine crack just wide enough to let light in.

No sooner said than done!

Inside the furnace, Sun Wukong, who had been baked and stewed for forty‑nine days but whose consciousness remained unextinguished thanks to his diamond body and the elixir's power, was feeling irritable and angry when suddenly he felt the pressure on his head ease, and a long‑missing beam of light shone in through that tiny crack.

He suddenly lifted his head, and his fiery eyes and golden pupils instantly locked onto that light!

"Opportunity!"

The boundless anger and power accumulated over forty‑nine days erupted explosively at this moment!

"Out!!"

Only heard was an earth‑shaking roar, and the Bagua Furnace shuddered violently!

The furnace lid was flung up by a matchless violent force!

A figure wreathed in lingering furnace fire, with scorched, tangled hair yet radiating golden light, shot up from the furnace mouth like a long‑suppressed volcano erupting!

It was none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong!

He leapt out of the Dan Furnace, performed a mid‑air somersault to steady himself, looked back at the Bagua Furnace that had trapped him for forty‑nine days, his fury blazing higher, and he kicked it hard with his foot!

The heavy Bagua Furnace was kicked over by him, spilling its furnace fire and unrefined metal‑stone medicine dregs everywhere, leaving the Tushita Palace in utter disarray!

Sun Wukong stood amidst the mess, his whole body steaming, his eyes shooting golden light, his aura reaching the heavens.

"Ha!! Grandpa Sun has come out!"

"Watch the fight!"