Chapter 103 - 96: Seemingly Undergoing Tribulation?
So when Master Tongtian found out that the Twelve Ancestral Witches were out of control, he was completely bewildered. Despite thinking of a myriad of possibilities, he couldn’t figure out why the Twelve Ancestral Witches would break free from his command. However, Master Tongtian, after all, had been a saint for a long time, and he quickly calmed down.
Even if all his Taoist Spells had been rendered useless, even if the Twelve Ancestral Witches were gone, even if the Primordial Heavenly Venerate had abandoned him and fled, he did not want to die. No matter how dire the situation, Tongtian did not want to die.
Therefore, after the Destructive Divine Thunder struck Sun Wukong, instead Master Tongtian sat down right where he was, absorbing the Destructive Will and Heavenly Dao Laws radiated by the Destructive Divine Thunder.
Although Tongtian did not understand why, one moment, Sun Wukong was communicating with the Heavenly Dao, yet in the next, a Destructive Divine Thunder descended upon him, this did not hinder Tongtian from absorbing the released Destructive Energy. Since he couldn’t escape, Tongtian faced his fate with equanimity and simply began cultivating where he sat.
Moreover, because he had fallen into demonhood, absorbing that Destructive Will seemed particularly effortless.
But Sun Wukong wasn’t so lucky. Since the Destructive Divine Thunder targeted him specifically, it appeared to cover a radius of almost ten meters—thunder that huge. However, by the time it reached just above Wukong’s head, it had narrowed to the thickness of an arm. Nevertheless, though it had shrunk in size, its power had actually increased by a third.
After striking Wukong, it displayed the terrifying destructive power of the Destructive Divine Thunder.
After Sun Wukong absorbed the four Divine Stones, his physical strength had already surpassed the Buddhist Sect’s Six-Zhang Golden Body. If he could further merge the Wood Attribute, Wukong would become the unprecedented Five Elements Chaotic Body. Yet, due to an unexpected incident with the last Five-Colored Divine Stone, Wukong did not absorb and merge with it, only managing to utilize its power.
This led to Wukong’s body not reaching the zenith of its potential, but even so, it was far superior to the Buddhist Golden Body. If there were to be a comparison, only Xing Tian, among the Ancestral Witches with the mightiest physical form, could match him.
One must know that among the Twelve Ancestral Witches from Ancient Times, those with the most formidable physical bodies were paramount. Gonggong was able to break Mount Buzhou with his strength alone!
Mount Buzhou was the Heavenly Pillar, the backbone of this world, yet Gonggong shattered it with a headbutt, which signifies the extent of the Ancestral Witches’ physical might, especially the top-level Ancestral Witch Xing Tian.
Yet, even so, under the wrath of the Heavenly Dao’s Destructive Divine Thunder, Sun Wukong’s body was still disintegrating, eroding bit by bit. Although the rate of deterioration was slow, it was undeniably happening. All of this Wukong could feel, but he was utterly unable to stop.
Neither the power of the Five-Colored Divine Stone nor his own Primordial Divine Power could stop that force of destruction. Sun Wukong was truly afraid.
Whether it was being suppressed under Five Elements Mountain, later failing the attack on Heaven, or even Tang Sanzang’s demise, Wukong had never felt fear; no matter the failure nor the enemy’s strength, he could see hope, could fight for that slim chance in despair. "The Great Dao has fifty, but Heaven yields forty-nine," and that one that slips away represents that slim chance of survival.
But this time, Sun Wukong could not see that thread of hope. No matter how he looked, he saw only death and destruction. When the Heavenly Dao is outraged and vows destruction, how could there be a chance of survival left?
And yet, it seemed as if this was still not enough for the Heavenly Dao! It could not stand the excruciatingly slow erosion; it sought utter and complete destruction!
So while Sun Wukong was still trying to fend off the Destructive Divine Thunder, from above the Nine Heavens, a pink thunderbolt, thin as a thread, struck down once again.
Although the Destructive Divine Thunder was terrifying, Sun Wukong kept resisting firmly. This couldn’t stop the destruction, but it could buy some time. But when that pink thread of lightning struck down, Wukong’s eyes suddenly became vacant, and then he lost even his last bit of resistance.
The Destructive Divine Thunder, like a fish in the water, destroyed Wukong’s physical body at an alarming rate.
Once Sun Wukong’s physical body was completely destroyed, his Divine Soul would be exposed, and then any thunderbolt from the Heavenly Dao could completely annihilate Sun Wukong.
Since ancient times, those who achieved immortality did not necessarily die with the decay of their physical body. Most could immediately project their Divine Soul out of their body, undergoing Soul Possession to rebirth or focusing on cultivating their Spiritual Body.
However, if one is undergoing Tribulation or is being punished by the Heavenly Dao for committing great evil, then death means both soul and body are extinguished, never to exist again, not even Saints are exceptions!
So, when Sun Wukong’s physical body was destroyed and his Divine Soul dissipated, that was the moment when Sun Wukong would truly and completely die.
So what exactly happened to Sun Wukong? Why did his Divine Sense suddenly scatter and he gave up resisting? What exactly was that pink thunderbolt?
The first thunderbolt was the Heavenly Dao’s Destructive Divine Thunder, created to destroy the physical body, and even the mighty Ancestral Witches were no exception.
The second thunderbolt, however, was the Heavenly Dao’s Heart-Mirroring Illusory Thunder, capable of reflecting the innermost world of one’s heart and unconsciously replicating one’s memories, altering them into the form one most hopes for.
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If this Divine Thunder were to strike in normal circumstances or be used alone, it would at most trap a person in an Illusory Realm, but it could be easily disrupted and the illusion broken by an external force. However, if used during a Heavenly Tribulation, it would be horrifying.
No matter who it was, if they were struggling on the edge of life and death and were suddenly hit by such a thing, plunging them instantaneously into a world crafted from memories by the Divine Thunder, there would only be one outcome, and that would be complete annihilation without even remains left.
At the moment, Sun Wukong found himself in just such a situation. When struck by the pink Mirror Heart Illusory Thunder, Sun Wukong felt a spell of dizziness and shook his head. After that, Sun Wukong noticed a bald head appearing in front of him.
"Brother Monkey, what are you dazing off for? Did Hong Hai’er fry your brain?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Sun Wukong turned around all of a sudden, only to find that it was Zhu Bajie speaking. "Idiot, you’re not mad at me anymore?" His head, still somewhat dizzy, cleared up in an instant at the sight of Zhu Bajie, so he hurriedly asked this question.
"Why would I be mad at you? Brother Monkey, could it really be that your brain is fried?"
"I, I killed Master, and old Sandy, and even White Dragon is gone."
"What nonsense are you talking about, Brother Monkey? I thought your brain was damaged, but it turns out you’ve had a huge nightmare, haha. Master, Master, this monkey is being preposterous, even going as far as to say that you, old man, are dead."
After hearing Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong was suddenly stunned because he remembered the familiar bald head he saw the moment he had opened his eyes! Upon turning around again, indeed, he saw Tang Sanzang’s smiling, familiar face.
"Master, Master, so you’re not dead, that’s so good, so good. I thought I’d never see you again." Upon seeing Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong immediately lunged forward and hugged him, bawling his eyes out. In his crying, there was remorse and reluctance, and also the relief of a burden lifted.
"Wukong, your master hasn’t died, and your brother Sandy isn’t dead either; White Dragon is still here. You must have been injured earlier, so you had a nightmare while sleeping." But Sun Wukong kept crying, crying so hard that everyone could feel his joyous sorrow.
"Big brother, stop crying, we’re all here. It was just a dream, don’t take it as real." This was said by Sandy. After listening to Sandy’s persuasion, Sun Wukong finally stood up, wiping his tears while looking at everyone. His demeanor was as if to meticulously recognize everyone all over again.
"Brother Monkey, I, old pig, am not that pretty. What’s there to look at? If you’re going to look, you should be looking at Master, so handsome."
"You idiot, daring to make fun of Master, see if I don’t hit you."
"Master, Master, the monkey is starting to hit people again."
Through Zhu Bajie’s teasing and jesting, Sun Wukong finally came back to his senses. After all, dreams are just dreams—once awakened, they no longer exist.
However, Sun Wukong vaguely felt that he had forgotten something!
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