Chapter 022: The Heavenly Emperor's Divination Foretells Through the Ages

As Wukong approached the Black Tower, he suddenly felt an impulse, as if a voice was calling him incessantly, urging him to enter. Both of his Primordial Spirits turned fuzzy at the same time; he then plunged forward and entered the Black Tower like an arrow released from its bow through the front portal.

Upon entering the Black Tower, it was as though he had stepped into another world—an infinite starry sky that seemed like the center of the universe. Wukong looked around and saw gigantic stars of various colors. Looking down, he could see the Four Great Continents in the distance, which appeared in the shape of a human. Wukong instantly realized that when Pangu created the heavens and the earth, his physical body transformed into the Four Great Continents, hence the humanoid figure. In the middle, there was a sea of blood, the Netherworld Blood Sea, formed from the filth of Pangu's placenta.

The Ox Demon King and the Jiao Demon King entered this place too, but they were not together with Wukong; they had been transported to another realm.

When Wukong transcended the Heavenly Dao, he had felt this way as well, overlooking everything, surveying the universe.

The entire universe was created by Pangu, which spoke volumes about the power of Pangu the Great God. However, it was said that Pangu was a disciple of Hongjun and had created the heavens and the earth upon the orders of Hongjun. How powerful was Hongjun, then, who was a teacher of Saints, and what kind of mana did he possess? Wukong slowly walked through the boundless starry sky, holding his Jingu Bang, surveying his surroundings.

He saw a warship slowly drifting towards him. The warship was immense, like a giant mountain, but there was not a single person on it, only a lantern swaying on the mast. He stomped his feet and landed on the warship, only to see Yang Jian and the Howling Celestial Dog standing there.

The Howling Celestial Dog barked furiously upon seeing Wukong, but was quickly calmed down by Yang Jian. Wukong bowed and said, "Fellow Daoist Yang Jian, Wukong greets you."

Yang Jian returned the greeting, "It seems we entered at almost the same time, but we were transported to different places?"

Wukong nodded and said, "Yes, did you arrive directly on this warship when you came in?"

Wukong noticed that the warship was covered in scars from swords and was beginning to decay. All the defensive and offensive formations had been wrecked. If this warship had still been in its prime, how terrifying would it have been? The formations were too vast; even a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal might suffer greatly under a single strike.

"Is this a warship left from a great war in the Middle Ancient Period? This type of warship is very old, and its power is enormous. It seems like the handiwork of several Saints," Yang Jian, opening the vertical eye on his forehead, swept his gaze around, "It's made from a peach tree that was struck by lightning for ten thousand years, giving birth to spirits, but the material has already decayed, such a pity."

Yang Jian was a highly powerful Daoist, and it was not yet time for Wukong to turn against him. If he could form a good relationship, it would be easier in future conflicts with the Heavenly Court without needing to fight desperately with him. Even Wukong wasn't entirely confident he could certainly defeat Yang Jian, who was already among the ranks of Daluo Golden Immortals and had many Magical Treasures. Although Wukong had the God-Beating Whip, specially made for battling beings in the Divine Way, it was, after all, a counterfeit, a replication. Even with Laojun's excellent artifact-refining skills, it was not possible to create a replica comparable to the God-Beating Whip. Wukong couldn't kill Yang Jian; at most, he could only force him to retreat, that too only by using the God-Beating Whip.

"Shall we go inside the cabin to take a look?" Wukong suggested.

"I just arrived on this ship too and was thinking the same!" Yang Jian replied.

The curiosity towards the unknown is innate to all; the great war of the Middle Ancient Period, a subject not discussed by Saints. Now that they were in the battlefield from the Middle Ancient Period, of course, they wanted to uncover the truth.

The two men pushed open the somewhat rotten door, which creaked so loudly it could make one's teeth fall out, stirring up a cloud of dust that made the Howling Celestial Dog sneeze violently.

The cabin was enormous but eerily empty, except for a golden-haired monkey sitting cross-legged in the center, wearing tattered battle armor.

"Yuan Hong?!" Yang Jian exclaimed in surprise.

During the Divine Enthronement in Ancient Times, he had used the Sheji Chart from Goddess Nu Wa to capture Yuan Hong, but Yuan Hong had not achieved divine status afterward. Yang Jian had thought his foundation was insufficient, vanishing like smoke, unable to ascend to the Divine Way, yet here he was, seeing him here. After Yang Jian's shout of surprise, Yuan Hong slowly opened his eyes, their brightness like the sun, his aura suddenly surging, the tremendous pressure almost causing the entire warship to burst.

Wukong thought to himself, "One of the Four Great Divine Monkeys, the Tongbei Monkey? Wasn't he slain by Yang Jian in the fifth deadly battle during the Divine Enthronement in Ancient Times?"

Upon seeing Wukong and Yang Jian, Yuan Hong immediately said, "I don't have much time left! You two don't speak; I will tell you everything."

"I became a disciple of the Goddess in Ancient Times. When the time of deadly battle drew near, though I had already achieved the status of Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal, due to the karma involved in the deadly battle, I was destined to meet the calamity. However, Goddess assisted me with the technique of 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell,' creating another Yuan Hong to face the calamity. So, Yang Jian, you merely killed a version that was equivalent to one of my avatars. Did you really think that such a treasure as the Sheji Chart would be casually lent to you by the Goddess?" Yuan Hong said in a hoarse voice, blood trickling from his nose and mouth as he spoke.

Wukong and Yang Jian were greatly astonished and felt even more frightened as they listened to his words.

Yuan Hong continued, "I followed the Goddess to Beiming during the Middle Ancient Period for a great battle and entered this Black Tower in the War God Secret Realm to reach the final battlefield. After an intense battle, my energy was drained, and I became separated from the Goddess and others. Thus, I sealed off all my mana. Although it eroded over countless years, it could not be sustained much longer."

Wukong asked, "What exactly happened in the Middle Ancient Period's great battle? It seems all the saints participated and even faced defeat?"

Yuan Hong coughed up another mouthful of old blood and said, "Indeed, we were defeated, but we also managed to buy time to make a comeback."

Yang Jian was about to ask more, his heart full of frustration, realizing that the person he killed during the Ancient Era of Deification was merely an incarnation meant for disaster. Seeing Yuan Hong, who actually was a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal at the peak of the Creation Realm, his emotions were mixed.

"Don't ask further, I don't have much time left, listen to me... Venerable Stone Monkey, even before the great war, Celestial Emperor Fuxi had already predicted and reversed the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths using the Bagua, calculating a clear vision of your destiny. He said you have a crucial role, cough, cough, cough..." Yuan Hong kept coughing up black blood with each word, his essence, energy, and spirit rapidly weakening, merely hanging by a thread, "The Emperor had predicted you would cultivate two Primordial Spirits, so he told me, if I met you, to entrust my body to you so that you could achieve your second corporeal form through Heavenly Gang Transformation to face the tribulations of Journey to the West and to foil Tathagata's scheme..."

Yang Jian furrowed his brow and said, "Tathagata is nothing but Daoist Duobao resumed Buddhahood, now he dares challenge the Three Pure Ones? What scheme could he have that the saints do not comprehend?"

Yuan Hong replied, "You are greatly mistaken! Tathagata he..." Yuan Hong, reaching a crucial point that Wukong deeply cared about, spat another mouthful of old blood. Knowing his time was short, he hurriedly continued, "Yang Jian, the Venerable Stone Monkey is actually the child of Goddess Nu Wa. You and he both have a destined connection to the Map of Mountains and Rivers. When the time comes, you can vie for it... However, I hope you do not end up killing each other."

Wukong was scratching his head and cheeks in frustration. Tathagata was his major tribulation, yet Yuan Hong stopped short of explaining further. Seeing Yuan Hong possibly on the brink of passing away, he dared not interrupt.

"The Map of Mountains and Rivers is deep within the stars; seek it yourselves... I have said all I can, Venerable Stone Monkey, I entrust my body to you." After saying this, Yuan Hong formed a spell with his hands over his dantian. His eyes gradually dimmed, and his soul dispersed slowly, ending his life.

Wukong and Yang Jian exchanged looks, even the Howling Celestial Dog was stunned. Wukong did not know Yuan Hong personally, so he wasn't saddened by his death, but the words he left impacted them deeply.

"He asked me to take his body... One of the Thirty-Six Transformations..." Wukong muttered, "Could it be the Divine Skill of Fetal Transformation and Easy Shape-Shifting?"

Fetal Transformation and Easy Shape-Shifting allow one's soul to leave the body and enter another, transforming that body into an infant; within seven days, it will grow to full maturity. This technique washes and replenishes the veins, bones, and flesh, but it greatly damages one's moral virtue. It is abhorred similar to the detestable Body-Snatching of the Dao of Immortals. However, being one of the transformations of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations, it vastly surpasses Body-Snatching. The body obtained is not just an ill-fitted shell, but one that can be refined and adjusted to its prime state, even reverting to infancy. The Tao Te Ching states: "Concentrate the energy and you will become supple as a newborn." This transformation allows one to experience this profound principle.

"Celestial Emperor Fuxi, one of the Three Saints of Flaming Cloud Cave, but he vanished after the Middle Ancient battle. It's staggering that he managed to foresee even up to this day; truly formidable, befitting the founder of The Book of Changes and the ancestor of divination," Yang Jian exclaimed, feeling a chill, realizing how difficult it would be if such a person calculated against them—they would have only death to await.

Wukong moved to the front and said, "It seems Sage Emperor Fuxi even calculated Tathagata's scheme... What is my role in the future? The future..."

He felt uncertain, wondering if the future truly could be changed. Once you see the future, it has already altered; the river of destiny has too many branches. Could Sage Emperor Fuxi be so sure in his calculations? Possibly not, the future still had to be grasped in one's own hands.

"Since you do not want this body, then I will take it!"

While Wukong and Yang Jian silently contemplated Yuan Hong's words, a chilling voice echoed through the entire cabin. They saw a shadow abruptly plunge into Yuan Hong's head, and in their moment of distraction, someone had taken over his body.

"How audacious!" Wukong and Yang Jian shouted in unison.

The figure that stood up had black eyes and let out a sinister laugh, "What a powerful body. Even though it can only exert the power of a Daluo Golden Immortal, it's more than enough to kill a couple of you dogs!"

This was a Primordial Spirit of an enemy hidden inside the battleship for who knows how many years. At that time, Yuan Hong didn't have the capability to snatch bodies, and since the battleship was lost in the cosmos, he could only lie in wait. Now, with Yuan Hong's soul completely dissipated, and the ship drifted here from the depths of the universe, he seized his chance and took over the body.

What happens next to Wukong and Yang Jian, tune in next time!