Chapter 22: Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield and True Samadhi Fire Refining the Golden Body

Leaving the Crystal Palace, Shi Yue deeply felt the unstoppable momentum of the Journey to the West era. Although he had influenced Sun Wukong somewhat, Sun Wukong still continued along his destined path. He had gathered the seventy-two cave demon kings, caused havoc in the East Sea, and seemingly did so even more severely than in the original story. The ruins of the palace made it clear that the Dragon King of the East Sea had been gravely offended, with little chance of reconciliation.

To Shi Yue's surprise, The Heavenly Court had also intervened so early, specifically targeting him. After much thought, he suspected only one reason: Pusa Pilanp! He distinctly remembered that Pusa Pilanp's primal spirit had fled towards the thirty-three heavens. At the time, he wondered why she didn't flee towards Mount Ling. It now seemed that Pusa Pilanp might indeed have had some connection with The Jade Emperor and even bore him a son with Pure Yang Eyes!

The more Shi Yue thought about it, the more it made sense. He knew The Jade Emperor possessed a Pure Yang Body, so having a son with Pure Yang Eyes was quite plausible. The Queen Mother, being of the Taiyin Body, was a level above The Jade Emperor, which is why she could always dominate him, earning him the infamous reputation of being afraid of his wife.

As for sending people to the mortal realm to find him, it was likely out of revenge for his "little affair" and the desire to seize the Twelfth Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus. He was surprised that The Jade Emperor considered him important enough to send a Taiyi Golden Immortal, seemingly forgetting he had just defeated one before.

Shi Yue was aware that Perfected Taiyi would have other means and wouldn't be as easy to deal with as Pusa Pilanp, who had only a nine-headed, eighteen-armed golden body and needle-sized treasures crafted for his son's eyes.

As Shi Yue pondered, about to head towards Northern Uttarakuru to divert trouble there, suddenly his surroundings changed. Out of nowhere, nine dragon roars erupted, shaking the heavens, as nine fire dragons rose from all directions, instantly forming a Universe World around him, filled with swirling flames and a surging sea of fire.

Shi Yue exclaimed in shock, "Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield!"

A voice echoed from all around, saying, "Measure Heaven Daoist, you are perceptive to recognize my Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield. Since you know it, you must be aware that it can also produce True Samadhi Fire. I hope you will not act rashly."

Shi Yue was instantly furious. Damn! A Taiyi Golden Immortal sneak-attacking with the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield, and then tells me not to be rash! He remembered that Lady Shiji, at the Taiyi Celestial level, was incinerated by this very shield, and he was only at the Taiyi True Immortal level, having just broken through.

Unable to suppress his fury, he shouted, "What is the meaning of this, Daoist friend?"

Perfected Taiyi's voice calmly replied, "Nothing more than the matter of subjugating Flower Fruit Mountain is a sensitive issue for The Heavenly Court, not to be leaked. The Dragon King of the East Sea is partly to blame for your predicament."

Shi Yue continued angrily, "Then why imprison me within this Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield? Daoist friend clearly intends to end my life!"

Perfected Taiyi replied faintly, "You have only yourself to blame. Even I find you inscrutable. How could a mere Taiyi True Immortal like you manage such feats? I am truly wary of you, leaving no choice but to take this drastic measure. I hope you understand."

Shi Yue, unable to contain his rage, shouted, "If shamelessness had levels, you, Perfected Taiyi, would surpass all!"

Perfected Taiyi remained calm, saying, "I urge you not to overestimate yourself. Not to mention a mere Taiyi True Immortal, but even a Taiyi Golden Immortal within my Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield faces incineration. If you stay here for a while and tell me where you encountered the black-furred demon monkey, in due time, I shall release you."

Shi Yue chuckled coldly to himself; although he was on guard against Perfected Taiyi, he hadn't anticipated the sheer extent of Taiyi's shamelessness and certainly didn't believe he would let him go.

However, Shi Yue wasn't afraid. He still had two advantages with the Measuring Sky Staff—one, it might be able to break through the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield, and two, he could hide within the space of the Measuring Sky Staff. Yet, he didn't want to reveal his reliance on the Measuring Sky Staff just yet. After all, didn't Sun Wukong undergo Nirvana and enlightenment in the Old Lord's Eight Trigrams Furnace's True Samadhi Fire, subsequently gaining the Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze? Having shared origin with Sun Wukong and possessing the same constitution, why should he fear being refined by the True Samadhi Fire?

But when he thought of his senior sister Taiyin, he couldn't help but worry. If his true form perished, wouldn't it mean added danger for that mischievous girl? Understanding this, Shi Yue gritted his teeth and revealed his true form, cursing at the top of his lungs. Let the True Samadhi Fire come at him with full force!

There's a saying that an utterly shameless person is invincible, and for an immortal as renowned as Perfected Taiyi, a few insults didn't matter. Seeing Shi Yue transform into a black-furred demon monkey, Taiyi couldn't help but laugh heartily, saying:

"Ah, crafty demon monkey! I hadn't expected to be tricked by you today. You truly do have some abilities. Today, I'll let you taste the True Samadhi Fire within my Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield. Once I reach The Heavenly Court, His Majesty will undoubtedly reward me greatly for your capture! Haha!"

After laughing, Perfected Taiyi released the True Samadhi Fire within the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield and then lifted the shield, flying toward the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Within the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield, Shi Yue's furious curses turned into the agonized roars of a wild beast, but a faint awareness deep within his heart remained clear: "Senior Sister, I'm sorry. Ultimately, I must endure this trial for you, refine the Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus, and then enjoy boundless freedom. If I perish here, I hope you can forgive me. Rebirth in this life and meeting you was a fate I never regret, and if I survive by some miracle, I shall bear my responsibilities."

Meanwhile, in the extreme yin place beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, where Taiyin was secluded, refining the Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus, she suddenly opened her eyes. Shi Yue, under the True Samadhi Fire, was close to life's end, and his deepest, most unacknowledged thoughts reached her, prompting her to awaken anyway.

After calculating briefly, Taiyin showed no change in expression aside from a slight frown. Sun Wukong might face great adversity in the future, but it would also come with great opportunities and fortunes. Shi Yue's future, however, was obscure, even to Patriarch Bodhi. How could she discern it? Recalling Shi Yue's cunning, she thought he wouldn't face hardship easily and pushed the concern aside.

Yet Shi Yue didn't know that Perfected Taiyi's Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield was crafted by Yuanshi Tianzun using nine primeval fire dragons, whereas Lao Jun's Eight Trigrams Furnace was his own creation. Both produced True Samadhi Fire, yet they were different. One was a gentle flame, primarily for refining elixirs; the other a fierce flame, meant for destruction, capable of incinerating all.

Shi Yue's constitution was also different from Sun Wukong's. Sun Wukong had a Supreme Yang Body like The Jade Emperor, whereas Shi Yue was the Essence of the Sun. What changes would occur within Shi Yue under the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield's True Samadhi Fire remained unknown.

Shi Yue did not know whether the True Samadhi Fire would give him the Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze or turn him to ash; he only thought that if Sun Wukong did not die under the True Samadhi Fire, neither should he fear it. He retained only a sliver of consciousness, pressing forward resolutely.

It felt as if eons passed before his consciousness gradually cleared. He realized he was still within the swirling flames of the universe-like world, surrounded by countless dancing flames.

The only difference now was that he no longer felt the burning pain. Instead, the flames dancing around him made him feel quite warm, as if he were soaking in a hot bath.

After a brief moment of confusion, he realized he was lying down and got up from the ground. He then looked at his body, only to be startled to find that his previously sexy black fur was completely gone, leaving him naked and dark red. He couldn't help but wonder how he could possibly show off in front of his senior sister now.

Still, he was overjoyed, at least he hadn't died, proving that he was not afraid of the True Samadhi Fire.

He looked up and saw nine fiery red beads suspended in the sky like nine small suns, continuously spewing flames. He could clearly sense the power of fire emanating from those beads.

At that moment, a celestial maiden clad in a rainbow-colored dress suddenly appeared in the void. Her beauty was indeed unparalleled, with an even slight aura of holiness. However, her expression was icy, though Shi Yue felt nothing. She might be a great beauty, but what did that have to do with him?

Suddenly, the maiden said coldly, "Hand over the Twelfth Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus and my dharma body, and I can spare your life."

"It's you!"

Shi Yue immediately realized who it was and laughed, "So it's you, the chicken demon. Why bother pretending to be a Bodhisattva? And aren't you afraid the Queen Mother will kill you for returning to The Heavenly Court? And what about that big rooster you and The Jade Emperor spawned?"

The maiden, evidently Pilanpo, retorted icily, "Silence! Hand over the Twelfth Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus and my dharma body, or I will make sure you neither live nor die!"

Suddenly, Shi Yue changed his expression and said, "I can."

"You!"

The Pilanpo maiden was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting him to agree so readily. She couldn't help but ask, "What are your conditions?"

Shi Yue thought to himself that she must be desperate, as she was now asking for his conditions after saying she'd spare him. He chuckled and said, "Firstly, you need to give me back my black fur. I rely on it to, um, charm... beautiful ladies. How am I supposed to face my demon subordinates now? I'm a dignified demon king after all!"

"Hmph!"

Pilanpo snorted coldly, "Don't think I don't know you're from Flower Fruit Mountain! And that you have a brother named Sun Wukong! If you refuse, I won't kill you, but I will refine you in the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield for ten thousand years! I'll make sure you can neither live nor die! And I will ensure that not a soul remains on your Flower Fruit Mountain!"

Shi Yue inwardly sighed, thinking she must be quite resentful, perhaps The Jade Emperor neglected her? Damn! The unstoppable momentum of Journey to the West continues. Even if Sun Wukong does nothing, they still find a reason to attack Flower Fruit Mountain.

At this moment, Shi Yue realized he had unknowingly become part of this great narrative, a catalyst, a trigger.

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