Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 37: A Conversation

“A Fei?” Wukong called out to him.
A Fei was both surprised and delighted; he jumped up happily, wrapped his limbs around the tree, and shouted, “Your Majesty still remembers my name! You remember me!”
Wukong was amused by A Fei’s reaction. He climbed down from the tree and said, “Why such a reaction? I’ve seen you before, so of course I remember you.”
Seeing Wukong leap down from a peach tree dozens of feet high with ease, A Fei couldn’t hide his admiration. He murmured, “When can I also master such skills?”
Wukong, who had sharp ears, naturally heard this. An intriguing idea struck him—what were the aptitudes of these mountain spirits and wild beasts? If there was a universal method to help them cultivate and refine their energy, it would not only enhance their combat strength but also provide them with more ways to survive in future battles. With this thought, he ignored A Fei, spun around, and went to look for the Bull Demon King.
The Bull Demon King was idling in his cave. When he saw Wukong arrive, he knew something was up. Wukong quickly explained his purpose. The Bull Demon King widened his eyes as if hearing something extraordinary.
After Wukong finished speaking, seeing the Bull Demon King silent and staring at him in shock, Wukong asked, “What? Did I say something wrong?”
The Bull Demon King replied, “You monkey are truly strange. Others practice cultivation out of fear of falling behind, yet you still have the leisure to care about others.”
Wukong asked, “Then isn’t this for the sake of the foundation of Flower-Fruit Mountain? What’s wrong with that?”
The Bull Demon King was stunned. “Foundation?” His gaze was uncertain, as if lost in thought.
Wukong said seriously, “Exactly! Flower-Fruit Mountain is already at odds with the Heavenly Court. We fear the heavenly troops will attack us within this year. What I said was for the sake of all our brothers—more skills mean more hope of survival.”
The Bull Demon King’s expression became even more strange. After hesitating for a long time, he said, “I’ve never heard such words from a brother before. You should know that all demons in the world usually practice cultivation alone. Unless they are father and son or brothers, there’s no reason to pass on cultivation methods to others. To live and die on one’s own is the way of heaven. Besides…”
Seeing the Bull Demon King hesitating, Wukong wondered why. The Bull Demon King wasn’t usually this reserved. So he said, “If it’s difficult for you, brother, it’s okay not to say it.”
The Bull Demon King, who was used to yielding to softness rather than force, couldn’t bear to hide the truth since Wukong was so open-hearted. He said, “I also heard this by chance in the Heavenly Court. From what I can tell, it’s at least 80% true.”
Wukong remained silent, smiling as he waited for the Bull Demon King to continue. The Bull Demon King sighed and said, “Do you still remember the World-Rending Demon King?”

Wukong was quite puzzled. Why bring up that World-Subverting Demon King now? He carefully recalled the events of that day—the World-Subverting Demon King had arrived at Flower-Fruit Mountain with arrogance, knowing full well of the dangers there yet refusing to retreat at all costs, instead appearing ready to face death. He had already suspected something back then, but had no way to ask, and gradually forgotten about it. Now that the Ox Demon King brought it up again, Wukong connected the dots and exclaimed, “Could it be that the World-Subverting Demon King came to seek death?”
The Ox Demon King was also greatly surprised. “How… how did you know?”
Wukong chuckled. “I just guessed. Otherwise, why would Brother bring him up?”
The Ox Demon King was half-believing, half-doubting. He glanced at Wukong several times and muttered, “If you weren’t guessing, I’d have to be wary of you, you clever monkey.”
Wukong pretended to be shocked. “What? Really did he come to seek death? Where in the world is there such a fool?”
The Ox Demon King replied, “Indeed. Even if it’s seeking death, it must be willingly.” He smiled at Wukong and added, “If you’re smart, guess why.”
Wukong racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out. He laughed and said, “Brother, are you trying to drive me mad?”
The Ox Demon King said, “Not at all. This matter is truly strange. Even I didn’t believe it when I heard about it. It was only after seeing the World-Subverting Demon King that I believed it to some extent.”
“Do you know about Fate?” the Ox Demon King asked Wukong.
Wukong replied, “Of course.”
The Ox Demon King continued, “As cultivators, if we’re separated from Fate, our cultivation progress will stop. How great do you think Fate’s influence is?” Wukong nodded; he naturally understood these principles.
“Fate exists in the universe and within all things. Anything that can change contains Fate within it.”
Hearing this, Wukong immediately had doubts. Fengtong had once said that anything with a life force contains Fate. But the Ox Demon King said that anything that can change has Fate—there’s a huge difference between the two. Who is right?
Life force exists only in plants and animals; nothing else does. But “anything that can change” covers a much broader range—like clouds and waves, or rocks shaped by drops of water. These are inanimate things. Could they really contain Fate? He decided to keep this in mind and consult Fengtong later.
Then the Ox Demon King said, “Since Fate exists in all things, it naturally varies in level and quality. Let’s not discuss that for now. Today, we’ll only talk about the Fate that exists in human bodies and demons’ bodies.”
At the mention of human bodies, Wukong thought of the more than two thousand innocent people who died in battle. Their Fate existed within them, yet they were unaware of it and lost their lives because of it. What a foolish death.

The Bull Demon King asked Wukong, “Have you heard of accumulating fate?”
Wukong replied, “What is accumulating fate?”
The Bull Demon King explained, “To absorb the fate within a human or demon’s body and use it for oneself—that is accumulating fate.”
Wukong said, “If one loses their fate, surely their life will be lost as well.”
The Bull Demon King nodded. “Exactly. Not only will their life be lost, but when they reincarnate, they can only become beasts or reptiles, unable to return as humans.”
“Isn’t such an act against the will of heaven?” Wukong exclaimed in anger. He had heard of this before, but his outrage was now evident, and he could hardly hold back his emotions.
The Bull Demon King said, “There are countless ways to absorb fate. Do we really have to kill people with our own hands?” Wukong was stunned. That day, thousands of ordinary people must have fallen victim to some terrible evil spell, killing each other—so it wasn’t really anyone else’s fault at first glance.
After thinking for a while, Wukong said, “This heaven is truly foolish.”
Hearing Wukong complain about heaven, the Bull Demon King grew uneasy. Though he was bold and unrestrained, he wouldn’t dare curse or slander heaven like this. So he said, “Brother, stop. Let’s discuss fate only, not heaven.”
Wukong smiled disdainfully and said, “Why not? If heaven has a kind heart, it will naturally be able to distinguish right from wrong.”
The Bull Demon King also smiled and said, “How much do you really know about heaven? What rule says heaven must have a kind heart?”
Wukong was stunned by these words. Though the Bull Demon King had spoken casually, it was true—he had no right to decide what heaven should be like. Realizing this, he smiled calmly and said, “I was being presumptuous. Please continue, elder brother.”
The Bull Demon King said, “Accumulating fate isn’t the topic for today. There’s another method called nurturing fate. Have you heard of it?”
Wukong shook his head. Clearly, the gods in heaven placed great importance on fate; otherwise, why would they devise so many cunning ways to seize it by any means necessary?
The Bull Demon King continued, “The mysteries of fate are so profound that even those who reach the highest levels of cultivation may not fully understand them. Nurturing fate involves planting the seeds of fate into a human or demon’s body and cultivating them slowly. Once the seeds mature, they can be harvested, just like growing crops.”
Wukong was greatly astonished. This was something he had never heard of before. Fate had no tangible form, and aside from the Seven Divine Apes, no one could see it. How could there be seeds of fate?
The Bull Demon King said, “I guess that Day of Chaos was simply a field used by others to nurture those seeds of fate.”
Wukong couldn’t help but ask, “If the fate is harvested, where will that Day of Chaos go?”

The Bull Demon King said, “This is quite different from cultivating fate. Those who cultivate fate plant seeds from outside their own bodies into the bodies of demons, without affecting their own fate at all. That’s why even when the World-Subverting Demon King perished, it was merely the fruit of the fate seeds that was harvested, allowing him to be reborn as a demon. Yet it seems the World-Subverting Demon King was aware of his fate; though he was filled with sorrow and helplessness on that day, he still faced death bravely.”

Wukong was shocked and asked, “What if he is reborn again?”

The Bull Demon King replied, “It’s not easy to find a suitable place to cultivate fate. Whenever the World-Subverting Demon King is reborn, whether as a human or a demon, he remains a target for others to plant seeds in, repeating this cycle over and over again.”

Wukong remained silent for a long time before saying angrily, “How utterly detestable! If I could capture him, I would skin him and pull out his tendons, ensuring he never finds peace again.”

The Bull Demon King said, “Don’t be angry. The World-Subverting Demon King knew that if he didn’t surrender his fate, ten times worse punishment would await him. So it can be considered a wise choice.”

Wukong asked, “Unable to control one’s own life and death, unable to live in peace even for a moment—how can one endure such suffering?”

The Bull Demon King replied, “Brother, don’t act rashly. This art of cultivating fate isn’t something ordinary immortals can master. To reap good results, one needs at least the cultivation level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, along with great effort to understand its secrets and finding numerous suitable places to practice it. Besides, he cultivates his own fate—what does it have to do with you?”

Wukong said, “Whenever I see injustice, I feel compelled to intervene. That’s what true heroism is all about.”

The Bull Demon King gave a thumbs-up and said, “Your boldness is truly rare in the world. But the immortals in the Heavenly Court have deep roots and numerous connections. Fighting one might provoke many others. Don’t be easily tricked by them.”

Wukong laughed and said, “It’s already happened. It’s too late to regret now.” The Bull Demon King replied, “Killing a few stars doesn’t mean much to the Heavenly Court. The stars are managed by their own star lords. In a few days, someone will fill those six vacancies.”

Wukong was shocked once again. His conversation with the Bull Demon King today had been extremely enlightening. He had always thought the Twenty-Eight Stars were unique beings, but it turned out they were just ordinary generals in the Heavenly Court, with replacements available easily. There must be some deeper secrets behind this.

The Bull Demon King knew so much. It was unclear how long he had lived in the Heavenly Court to uncover such secrets. If asked now, he surely wouldn’t reveal them easily. Wukong decided to wait for the right moment to probe further.

Seeing Wukong silent, not knowing what he was thinking, the Bull Demon King warned, “What was said today must not be shared with others. Brother, remember that well.”