Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"This Golden Dragon is really tough!"

In midair, Mu Chenxuan and the Golden Dragon Puppet had already been clashing for over a hundred rounds. Even though Mu Chenxuan's cultivation had recovered to a half-step Quasi-Saint Realm, which was a significant cut above the Golden Dragon Puppet, he still couldn't subdue the puppet.

The dragon scales covering the puppet were incredibly tough, and its physical body had a strong resistance to attacks. Mu Chenxuan's attacks, though painful to the puppet, barely caused any effective damage.

Sun Wukong could tell that Mu Chenxuan had not used his ultimate move and guessed that he probably had concerns similar to his own. However, if things dragged on like this, Mu Chenxuan might deplete his Demon Primordial Force first. In this Heavenly Dragon Valley, only members of the Heavenly Dragon Clan were not restricted by the ban on flying.

Others attempting to forcibly fly would consume a lot of Primordial Force. Even for someone at the half-step Quasi-Saint Realm like Mu Chenxuan, it was impossible to keep it up indefinitely.

"Old Brother Mu, the Golden Dragon's weakness is below its inverse scale, where a puppet crystal core is located. Just shatter it, and you can disable this Golden Dragon Puppet!"

It had already been a long wait. The enemy hidden in the shadows still hadn't made a move; apparently, they were waiting for them to be completely exhausted before showing themselves. Since that was the case, there was no need to drag this out any longer, Sun Wukong took a deep breath and called out loudly to Mu Chenxuan.

Below the inverse scale?

Mu Chenxuan's pupils suddenly contracted. Yes, the weakness of the Dragon Race was indeed in their inverse scale. Even though this Golden Dragon had been refined into a puppet, its weakness hadn't changed. But how did Sun Wukong know the puppet's crystal core was right beneath the inverse scale?

He shook his head slightly. Mu Chenxuan put aside his doubts for the moment. Sun Wukong was someone he could never fully understand and didn't want to spend the effort trying to. There were no conflicts of interest between Sun Wukong and him. The more tricks Sun Wukong had up his sleeve and the stronger he was, the more advantageous it was for Mu Chenxuan.

Perhaps he might even need Sun Wukong's help against the Jidu Demon Emperor in the future!

"Evil Dragon, meet your death!"

With a low roar, the black gleam on the Square Sky Halberd in Mu Chenxuan's hands suddenly withdrew into the halberd, and the next moment, it transformed into a black gleam that shot towards the Golden Dragon's inverse scale.

Bang!

The inverse scale was the toughest part of the dragon's armor, but it was also the most vulnerable area. The black gleam collided with the inverse scale, emitting a crisp snap. The next moment, the black light penetrated the inverse scale; the tough scale provided little resistance.

The Golden Dragon's form stiffened as the black light passed through its scales, tearing through the soft flesh below and burst into the Golden Dragon's body, striking the puppet crystal core and instantly shattering it.

With the crystal core shattered, the glow in the eyes of the Golden Dragon vanished completely, and the dragon power it emitted dispersed in an instant. The entire body stiffened and fell from mid-air towards the Cloud Sea below.

"Catch!"

A glint of sharpness flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes as he deployed a replica Qiankun Bag and collected the Golden Dragon's body into it.

Deep within Heavenly Dragon Valley, on Dragon Island where Dragon Nest was located.

"Damn it!"

A middle-aged man in a dark teal Taoist robe suddenly burst out with an extremely sharp Sword Qi, turning the surrounding ground into a pockmarked mess. A hint of resentment flickered across his face, and his eyes flashed coldly, but he calmed down after two breaths, his face returning to its usual indifference.

"To be able to break my Golden Dragon Puppet, quite skilled! However, the Chaos Dragon Divine Armor is destined to be mine. Whoever wants to interfere will have to ask if my Sword of Annihilation agrees!"

As he murmured, a translucent dark green longsword phantom appeared behind the middle-aged man, emitting waves of extremely sharp murderous intent that scattered in all directions with the sound of a sword cry.

"Wukong, why did you store away the body of that Golden Dragon?"

On the other side of Dragon Island, Mu Chenxuan glanced at the replica Qiankun Bag by Sun Wukong's waist, his eyes filled with surprise. He hadn't expected Sun Wukong to possess such a space treasure that could accommodate the enormous body of a Golden Dragon, albeit a low-grade one. But that wasn't the point; what use did Sun Wukong have for this Golden Dragon's body?

Was he planning to refine a Golden Dragon Puppet as well?

"This Golden Dragon's physical body is so formidable. Although it has been refined into a puppet, it might still have other uses."

Sun Wukong smiled and said. In fact, his purpose in collecting the Golden Dragon's body wasn't to use it for himself, but to prepare a body for Ao Tian.

Indeed, although the Golden Dragon had been made into a puppet, and its body was integrated without much possibility of disassembly for Alchemy or Artifact Refining, and its internal channels, flesh, and bones had nearly zero growth potential, it could still serve as a temporary body for gradual nurturing.

"Wukong, this Golden Dragon's body isn't a great fit for me, and it's already been made into a puppet with little room for growth..."

Ao Tian was well aware of Sun Wukong's intentions, but he was the second-best fighter of the Heavenly Dragon Clan. Using such a low-level Five-Clawed Golden Dragon's body, especially one that had been turned into a puppet, was rather demeaning, wasn't it?

"To have any use at all is good enough; why be so picky!"

Sun Wukong rolled his eyes, "Isn't that what you said? Staying inside my Dantian, your Dragon Soul will recover very slowly. You need a suitable physical body..."

"So I said a suitable physical body!"

"Isn't this suitable? It's a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, after all. Can you be less picky? To have any use at all is already good! Just make do for now, and we'll find something better later!"

"..."

Ao Tian was speechless and frustrated, but Sun Wukong was right, he really had no other options now but to accept it.

With a sigh, Ao Tian transformed into a streak of blood light and flew out of Sun Wukong's dantian, entering the Qiankun Bag at his waist.

Heavenly Court, Lingxia Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Demon Monkey Sun Wukong has left Flower-Fruit Mountain and his whereabouts are now unknown!"

Thousand-Mile Eyes and Listening Ears reported to the Jade Emperor.

"Unknown whereabouts? Are you also unable to track the movements of that demon monkey?"

The Jade Emperor furrowed his brow, having sent the Great White Golden Star to Flower-Fruit Mountain numerous times already, not only to persuade Sun Wukong to become an official in the Heavenly Court but without even catching a glimpse of Sun Wukong. And now, his whereabouts were unknown!

"Your Majesty, we only tracked that demon monkey to the junction of the Four Seas, and then he disappeared without a trace. We are incompetent, please forgive us!"

Thousand-Mile Eyes and Listening Ears knelt hurriedly on the ground, begging forgiveness from the Jade Emperor. Enjoy new stories from empire

"Enough, that demon monkey is no small foe. It's understandable that you lost track of him. Continue to monitor Flower-Fruit Mountain, you may leave!"

The Jade Emperor waved them away, and Thousand-Mile Eyes and Listening Ears, as if granted amnesty, quickly bowed and withdrew.

"Your Majesty, that demon monkey has defied heaven time and again, utterly disregarding our Heavenly Court. Such arrogance cannot be tolerated!"

Observing the grim expression on the Jade Emperor's face, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing stepped forward and declared.

"What do you suggest we do then?"

The Jade Emperor looked up at Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing and asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the demon monkey has fortified Flower-Fruit Mountain with a Mountain Protection Array and acts with unchecked audacity. Ungrateful and insolent, his ambitions are surely grand! I plead for permission to lead our forces there and flatten the demon's lair, destroying his roots!"

"Hmm~!"

The Jade Emperor fell silent. He had considered what Li Jing suggested, especially since the previous attempt with thirty thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals at the Polar Realm of Heaven to capture Sun Wukong had resulted in the loss of mighty warriors including Nezha the Third Prince, with nearly all the forces obliterated.

Having recognized Sun Wukong's strength, the Jade Emperor knew that attacking Flower-Fruit Mountain just because Sun Wukong refused to become an official might provoke a furious backlash from Sun Wukong, seeking revenge without regard for consequences.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will ensure a swift and decisive battle, quickly destroying the demon monkey's den! By the time Sun Wukong hears the news and returns, it'll be just right to trap him completely with the Heavenly Net!"

Seeing the Jade Emperor's hesitation, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing stepped forward and urgently urged, fueled by their past encounters and the deep-seated enmity between him and Sun Wukong. If that demon monkey garnered more strength, he would surely come seeking revenge at Li Jing's doorstep!

Rather than waiting for a formidable enemy to strike first, it was better to take bold action now. Sun Wukong had repeatedly refused the Jade Emperor's decree, and Li Jing felt it was imperative to seize this opportunity or else he would be doing a disservice to himself.

"What do my esteemed nobles think?"

The Jade Emperor's eyes gleamed with conviction, but indecision had long been his habit. Even though he desired to dispatch troops to Flower-Fruit Mountain, he still needed a legitimate reason, such as the unanimous approval of the Immortals.

"Your Majesty, I believe Lord Li's words are most wise!"

From among the court officials, Jiao Mu Jiao of the Twenty-Eight Constellations stepped forward and advised the Jade Emperor, "The Demon Monkey Sun Wukong once caused havoc in the Dragon Palace Netherworld and inflicted damage upon our Heavenly Soldiers. Your merciful Majesty did not pursue it further and decreed him to ascend to Heaven as an official, yet he arrogantly rejected it.

If such blatant defiance isn't addressed with severe punishment, how can our Heavenly Court command the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands in the future? Where would Your Majesty's dignity stand? I, Jiao Mu Jiao, request permission to accompany Lord Li to Flower-Fruit Mountain to eradicate this evil, thereby asserting the might of Heaven!"

"I also concur!"

"I concur as well!"

"We all concur!"

The assembly of Celestial Gods all concurred, and the Jade Emperor, satisfied, nodded without any further hesitation.

He appointed Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing as the Grand Marshal to command one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, along with the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Four Elements Gods, and the Twenty-Eight Constellations, to join in the campaign against Flower-Fruit Mountain to annihilate the Demon Clan and capture the Demon King Sun Wukong.

The dispatching of the army was not as straightforward as one might imagine—a decree followed by immediate troop deployment. This operation aimed to annihilate a demon power protected by a Mountain Protection Array, not a simple campaign against ordinary mountain-dwelling demons.

Furthermore, one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were involved, and pre-battle preparations were essential. Upon issuing the decree, the whole Heavenly Court bustled into action, and the news spread rapidly throughout the Heavenly Court like a hurricane.