Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 113: Meeting the Golden Crow

In Zhongxuan City, within the city lord’s residence, Wukong sat upright in the center of the hall, with Zhang Hui standing behind him. His face no longer showed fear or timidity but was instead full of confidence and vigor.
Below, City Lord Duan Tiande led many celestial beings from the city to stand on the steps. Zhongxuan City, once so large, had quietly changed hands.
After glancing at everyone, Wukong thought to himself that since he had just arrived, it would be best to use Zhongxuan City as a base. With this foundation, he could at least establish a foothold before seeking opportunities to uncover the secrets of this realm.
Seeing the people standing respectfully below, holding their breath and waiting for his words, Wukong, though not one to speak in a stern manner, pretended to be fierce and said, “Duan Tiande and Huo Qing, stay back. Everyone else, leave. What are you standing here for?”
How could they dare disobey? They quietly left the city lord’s hall.
Wukong said, “You two need not fear either. Since I have spared you, I will let bygones be bygones. Though Zhongxuan City is large, I don’t take it seriously. When I leave, you can continue to be your city lord—nothing will change between us.”
He then brought Zhang Hui forward and said, “This young man is named Zhang Hui. He is from a branch of the Zhang family in the northwest and is also my friend.” He asked Zhang Hui to explain the marriage proposal planned in ten days by Yun Zhaoying. Such an important event in Evil Land Continent, how could Duan Tiande and Huo Qing not know about it? In Zhongxuan City, there were also many young heroes who had long admired Yun Zhaoying and were eager to win her hand. Upon hearing that Zhang Hui would be involved in this proposal, the two exchanged glances, thinking that with this demon supporting him, not only Yun Zhaoying and the Dao Seeking Sect but even entire Evil Land Continent would have to submit.
Duan Tiande asked cautiously, “Does the immortal expect us to… assist Brother Zhang Hui in winning her heart?”
Wukong nodded then shook his head, saying, “Just give him some fine pills and magical treasures. Whether it succeeds or not depends on him.”
Wukong said to Zhang Hui, “Stay here for now. If you have any needs, just ask the city lord. I will return in ten days.”
Seeing Wukong about to leave, Zhang Hui felt uneasy. Wukong assumed that Duan Tiande and the others would not neglect Zhang Hui, so he didn’t need to explain further and disappeared instantly.
Only after Wukong left did Duan Tiande dare to stand up straight and speak. He sighed, “Indeed, there are heavens beyond heavens. I’ve practiced for a thousand years in vain, failing to recognize the immortal’s cultivation level.”
Huo Qing asked, “City Lord, now…”

Duan Tiande glared at Huo Qing and said, “Master of Qianyi Pavilion! As the immortal just explained, why not bring over all the best magical treasures and pills from your Qianyi Pavilion for Young Master Zhang to choose from?” He was still annoyed that Huo Qing had dragged him into this matter, but since nothing bad had happened, his anger had subsided greatly.

Huo Qing agreed repeatedly, cursing inwardly: Why can’t I just kill you with a stick! Then I can take control of Zhongxuan City myself. Yet he forgot that he too had escaped death by a narrow margin.

Duan Tiande immediately arranged the finest residences and servants to serve Zhang Hui with utmost care. Naturally, Huo Qing didn’t dare slack off either and almost brought out the most precious treasures hidden in Qianyi Pavilion. Zhang Hui, who had gone from being a stray to a distinguished guest in Zhongxuan City, was utterly bewildered.

Meanwhile, Wukong left Zhongxuan City and used his cloud-riding technique to wander around this realm at will.

This realm was vast, even larger than Laojun’s Wuwo Realm. Its mountains and rivers were no different from those in the Land of Journey to the West. The five continents within were neatly distributed, just as Zhang Hui had described. From a high vantage point, one could clearly see the five continents in distinct colors—green, red, white, black, and yellow. Mortals living on the ground could tell which continent they were on by looking down at the land beneath their feet.

Wukong focused his gaze, his vision stretching for thousands of miles. He saw that each continent was supported by three or four powerful families or sects, which wasn’t surprising. What was strange was that on each continent, there was also a faction of demons quietly opposing these human forces.

This opposition wasn’t in the form of conflict or overt hostility, but rather a struggle for influence. Taking Evil Soil Continent as an example, looking at the terrain, the Zhang family lived in the northwest, the Daowang Sect was in the southwest, and Zhongxuan City was in the center of Evil Soil Continent. Radiating out from these three places were the territories of the immortals. In the east, south, and north, towering mountains surrounded the vast plain to the west.

Although Wukong didn’t understand feng shui or geography, he was still amazed. If it were mere coincidence, why were all five continents so similar? It seemed that the ruler of this realm might be biased in favor of the demon factions.

As he traveled, he saw even more violence here. Aside from slight calmness around the large cities, battles and fights were common. Yet neither humans nor demons had very high cultivation levels. To Wukong, it was like watching children fight—utterly uninteresting.

At this moment, he thought of the three Great Immortals—Huli, etc. With their limited powers, it would indeed be difficult for them to survive here. It seemed wise of them to go to Laojun’s Wuwo Realm in search of safety.

Wukong traveled all day, but it was merely a cursory glance. The Realm of Killing was many times larger than the Realm of Good and Evil. Beyond the five continents, there were still other wonderful lands in the far west and far east. In the far west lay a vast desert, empty and uninhabited even during the day; in the far east was an endless ocean, boundless and sweeping.

That night, Wukong found a place to sit in meditation. As he recited the Tao Te Ching, his spiritual cultivation did not grow as rapidly as in the Realm of Good and Evil, but he found no reason to be surprised. Through a night of spiritual cultivation, at the first light of dawn, Wukong watched as the red sun rose slowly from the distant mountains, breaking through the sea of clouds with brilliant light. A sense of pride surged in his heart. He opened his arms wide, let out a long howl toward the sky, and the clear cry soared high into the heavens, startling countless birds and beasts in the forests.

The howl shook the mountains and lasted for a long time. At that moment, a figure in the far east grew larger and rushed toward him swiftly, as if flying out from the red sun itself.

Wukong stood on the mountain top, shielding his eyes as he looked. The figure arrived before him in an instant. Upon closer inspection, it was a delicately beautiful little child, seemingly only three or four years old, extremely adorable.

The child wore a bright red underdress, had her hands on her hips, and said in a childish voice, “Did you shout? It disturbed my sleep.” Wukong was slightly surprised—such a young child already possessed the cultivation of an immortal. He wondered whose child could have such extraordinary natural talent. When the child saw Wukong not answering her question, she leaped up to attack, shouting, “Da Hong, Xiao Hong, come help me!”

Wukong dodged quickly and said, “Young one, don’t fight!” At that moment, two more crimson figures flew in from the east, one large and one small, arriving in no time.

Wukong glanced sideways and saw that the larger one was a Fire Phoenix, while the smaller one had three legs, resembling the legendary Three-Legged Golden Crow. Both the Fire Phoenix and the Golden Crow emitted flames—red and yellow in the body and purple and blue at the tips—setting the air alight with crackling sounds.

Wukong stepped aside and laughed, “More helpers?” The little child’s eyes widened as she said, “You woke me from sleep, so of course I have to fight. Da Hong, Xiao Hong, go!”

The Fire Phoenix and the Golden Crow said nothing either; they opened their mouths and spat out a torrent of flames together. The two streams of fire merged into a greenish-red flame pillar that shot toward Wukong. Wukong frowned. He had thought it was just a playful spar earlier, but now it was a deadly spell. If he were weak, he would surely die on the spot.

“You wretched beasts, how dare you!” Wukong didn’t recognize this fierce flame and wouldn’t dare confront it head-on. After dodging, he drew his Golden Cudgel and swung it at the two strange birds. Though the Fire Phoenix and Golden Crow had wings, they were still slower than Wukong in maneuvering through the air. In just a few moves, they were in a sorry state. Wukong came up with one bizarre tactic after another; he didn’t know which of the birds’ fiery feathers had fallen to the ground, but it set even the green soil on fire, showing just how extremely hot it was. Wukong thought to himself: Could these three really have come flying from the sun?