Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told – Chapter 122: Fighting the Six-Eared One

The Cloud Jumping Technique was deployed, and in just an instant, Wukong arrived at Yuhuo Continent. Indeed, the five elements were arranged in perfect order here. The entire land was dominated by a deep red hue; even the stones on the mountains were red. Without the green trees to add contrast, one might think that some celestial being had spilled countless drops of blood on this continent.

Upon entering Yuhuo Continent, Wukong encountered several troubles. Several groups of immortals and demons, relying on their cultivation levels, resorted to robbing travelers. Naturally, Wukong wouldn’t spare such villains; he dealt with each of them swiftly with his staff, acting as a guardian for the people.

Yet after walking for a long time, he still had no idea where to find that monkey. He couldn’t just stop a passerby and ask, “Have you seen a monkey?”

Meanwhile, Lingbao Daozun resided in the Fire Cloud Palace in the heavens. After meditating for a long time, he still couldn’t figure out why Wukong had disappeared from his spiritual perception, so he had no choice but to give up.

At that time, Honghai’er was playing with Dahong and Xiaohong in the fire pool. Seeing the happy scene of the three of them, Lingbao Daozun couldn’t help but sigh. He left the palace and scanned the realm to see if anything significant had happened. As his spiritual perception swept around, he spotted Wukong searching everywhere in southern Yuhuo Continent.

“Hm? What brings the Wise Divine Ape here?” Lingbao Daozun thought to himself, a faint smile appearing on his face. He wondered which of his disciple and Wukong’s disciple was more powerful.

With a decision made, he disappeared from the Fire Cloud Palace and entered a highly hidden cave deep in the vast mountains of Yuhuo Continent.

Inside the cave, a monkey was sitting in meditation. When it saw Lingbao Daozun enter, it bowed deeply and said joyfully, “Your disciple welcomes you, Master.”

Lingbao Daozun replied, “Monkey, you’ve made great progress over these three hundred years. I’ll give you a magical artifact.”

The monkey said, “Just seeing you, Master, already makes me very happy. I dare not accept a treasure.”

Ignoring his words, Lingbao took out a small iron needle from his bosom and said, “This is called the Ruyi Golden Cudgel. It was originally used by Dayu to measure the depth of rivers and seas during his flood control efforts. I’ve taught you weapons with long handles so far; I’m sure you can also use this cudgel.”

The monkey took the Golden Cudgel and was overjoyed. Thanks to his quick wits, he simply called out “Big” twice, and the cudgel became usable, fitting his hands perfectly as he swung it.

Lingbao Daozun added, “I’ve also found you an opponent to test the power of this cudgel.”

The monkey smiled and said, “Master, I already know. A scholar in white has arrived in Yuhuo Continent today. His cultivation is quite impressive. It must be him.”

Lingbao Daozun chuckled and said, “As expected, you’re sharp-eyed. It is him. Go then.”

The monkey scratched his head and said hesitantly, “It’s just… I’m afraid I might lose control and kill him.”

Lingbao Daozun snapped, “Stop boasting. If you can defeat him, I still have treasures for you.” The monkey jumped for joy and shouted, “I’m off!” He already knew where Wukong was, so he used a quick movement to head straight for him. Wukong was pondering ways to find the monkey among the clouds when suddenly he saw a monkey approaching from afar. He was both surprised and delighted—delighted because after searching everywhere without success, the monkey had come to him on its own; surprised because such a coincidence seemed too good to be true—how could he be searching for him when he appeared right away? Could it be that he was being tricked again? The monkey leaped in front of Wukong and shouted, “My master sent me to test your weapons. Go ahead!” Hearing this from afar, Lingbao Daozun cursed inwardly—this fool just blurted out whatever came to mind! Wukong saw that the monkey across from him looked very similar to himself, and when he saw the monkey draw a weapon, his mind buzzed—Good heavens, is it really him? Wukong immediately recognized that the stick in the monkey’s hand was no different from his own Ruyi Jingu Bang. Looking at the monkey’s appearance, he concluded that it must be the Six-Eared Monkey! What did he say—“My master sent me to test your weapons”? From this, it seemed the Six-Eared Monkey had a master, and moreover, that master was in this world. Apart from Lingbao Daozun, could there be other powerful beings in this world who could produce such a formidable disciple? Even if the Six-Eared Monkey’s master wasn’t Lingbao Daozun, there must still be intricate connections. Lingbao, how many more secrets do you hide? In his past life, when reading Journey to the West, Wukong had thought that even if the Six-Eared Monkey was as skilled as him, how could his Iron Rod compare to the Ruyi Jingu Bang? Now, seeing it firsthand, he realized that the Iron Rod was actually the Ruyi Jingu Bang—there was more than one such divine staff! Wukong still remembered Wu Zhiqi saying, “…The fourth is called the Clever Divine Monkey, skilled in seeing from afar and hearing from afar, capable of understanding principles, knowing what’s ahead and behind, and seeing everything clearly…” The Clever Divine Monkey had powers very similar to those of the Six-Eared Monkey; perhaps they were the same person. Seeing that the Six-Eared Monkey showed no unusual reaction upon seeing him, Wukong knew he, like himself, had not yet awakened. Otherwise, once the Divine Monkey awakened, it would sense something upon seeing its kind. The Six-Eared Monkey, seeing Wukong staring at him without attacking, snapped, “Can you hear me? Show your weapon quickly!” Wukong smiled and said, “This is our first meeting—why fight right away?” The Six-Eared Monkey replied, “Stop talking nonsense. My master sent me to fight, so I’ll fight you. No need for excuses!” With that, he swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang at Wukong.

Wukong naturally knew the power of the Sea-Stabilizing Rod, so he quickly drew out his Golden Cudgel and met it head-on. As these two divine weapons of the same origin collided, Wukong was shocked—this Six-Eared Monkey truly possessed great strength. He rallied his spirits, deploying every skill at his disposal to fight back.

Although the Six-Eared Monkey had considerable strength and swift movements, he was still unaccustomed to using this rod. Wukong’s Golden Cudgel techniques were highly varied, and after just thirty or forty rounds, the Six-Eared Monkey could only defend himself, unable to counterattack.

Wukong had thought it would take no more than twenty rounds to defeat the Six-Eared Monkey, but unexpectedly, the latter gradually turned the tide. Seeing the Monkey’s techniques becoming more proficient, even incorporating elements of Wukong’s own style, Wukong was greatly astonished. The Six-Eared Monkey’s aptitude was truly rare—he could even grasp the essence of Wukong’s combat techniques while fighting.

Faced with the Monkey’s relentless attacks, Wukong became competitive as well. He abandoned his usual techniques and fought freely, using sudden and unpredictable moves that caught the Six-Eared Monkey off guard, putting him back in trouble. Yet even so, it was still difficult to defeat him.

Anxious, Wukong used his clone technique, turning himself into three, surrounding the Six-Eared Monkey. Four identical Golden Cudgels spun like wheels; from afar, only streaks of golden light could be seen, with no figures visible.

The Six-Eared Monkey had never seen such supernatural powers and was terrified. Unable to defend himself, he was struck by a cudgel on his leg. Realizing he couldn’t defeat Wukong, he created a path to escape by sweeping aside obstacles and fled.

Wukong, having finally tracked down the Six-Eared Monkey, refused to let him go and pursued him relentlessly.

They reached a region filled with towering mountains, where the Six-Eared Monkey vanished in an instant. Wukong searched thoroughly but found no trace of him. Since he was unharmed, he simply sat down casually.

The Six-Eared Monkey returned to his cave, painfully calling out “Master” twice, but there was no sign of Lingbao Daozun. He sat quietly to heal, when he heard Lingbao Daozun’s voice say, “That man is waiting outside for you. Once you defeat him, you will be completed as a disciple.” Hearing the words “completed as a disciple,” the Six-Eared Monkey felt a profound sense of emptiness and sadness. After staying in shock for a while, he silently sat down to heal.

Wukong waited outside, still pondering the strange combat techniques used by the Six-Eared Monkey.

The “Golden Cudgel Techniques” state: “When using the cudgel for pounding or chopping, apply force throughout the body.” It also says, “The cudgel should not be longer than the eyebrows; movements must be synchronized, with the palms facing each other, allowing it to fly up and down freely.” Adhering to these principles, although Wukong’s Golden Cudgel could change shape at will, it was most effective when its length matched that of his eyebrows.

The Six-Eared Monkey used his staff, showing subtle variations beyond Wukong’s technique. Clearly, though the sophistication of his staff skills was slightly inferior to those of the Qi Tian Staff, he had also received guidance from a master. In his hands, the Iron Rod Soldiers could sometimes reach over ten feet in length or be less than two feet short. Techniques such as blocking, thrusting, spinning, and entangling were all executed with unparalleled skill—outperforming Wukong in this regard. Recalling the earlier battle, Wukong unconsciously raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang and demonstrated each move. He thought to himself that if he could make the staff change length as he wished during combat, he could catch his opponent off guard. Relying solely on established staff techniques was clearly too restrictive. As he practiced in midair, Wukong developed many more ways to use the staff, including moving swiftly, switching hands while holding the staff, rolling and kneeling, hooking and clinging, and maneuvering around his opponent.

At that moment, the Six-Eared Monkey rushed out of the mountain, shouting, “Fight again!” Wukong didn’t respond but stepped forward with his staff. From their previous clash, the Six-Eared Monkey had gained some experience in the cave and was full of confidence, believing he would surely defeat Wukong this time. Yet Wukong’s staff techniques were even more unpredictable than before—the Ruyi Jingu Bang would suddenly lengthen or shorten, truly living up to its name of “Ruyi.” Within fifty rounds, the Six-Eared Monkey’s techniques became disorganized, and he was defeated once again. He retreated to the cave to study further. Wukong didn’t pursue him but continued to learn the essence of the Six-Eared Monkey’s staff skills.

Three hours later, the Six-Eared Monkey emerged again, and this time the battle lasted longer—over a hundred rounds before he began to fall behind. Seeing the Six-Eared Monkey’s extraordinary talent, which had improved greatly after just two battles, Wukong realized he couldn’t win without going all out. So he employed several unusual tactics to force the Six-Eared Monkey to retreat.

The two seemed to have an unspoken understanding—they fought silently in the vast mountains, using only their staff skills, without resorting to any other powers. Before they knew it, five days had passed, and they had fought forty to fifty rounds. The Six-Eared Monkey had only been struck once by Wukong at the beginning; after that, he retreated in disarray after falling slightly behind each time.

Over time, Wukong understood that the Six-Eared Monkey was extremely stubborn, determined to surpass him in staff skills before giving up. But he thought that if he lost, the Six-Eared Monkey might refuse to fight him again. Having devoted these days to mastering staff techniques, Wukong’s own martial skills had also improved significantly, and he really didn’t want to part with such a good opponent.

After fighting another day, while Wukong sat in meditation to regain his strength, he suddenly remembered that he still needed to make a trip to Evil Land Island. Although Zhang Hui’s cultivation was mediocre, since they had met by fate, he had to resolve this matter to ensure proper karma. If he ignored it because it seemed trivial, it might not affect the overall situation, but it would hinder his spiritual pursuit. Tomorrow was the day at the Daoist Sect for Yun Zhao Ying to choose a spouse. With the Six-Eared Monkey now barely able to match him in battle, defeating him would require considerable effort; perhaps he would have to feign defeat tomorrow.