Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 125: Secrets Not Revealed

That day, the Six-Eared Monkey left his cave early. When he stood across from Wukong, Wukong sensed that today was different from usual. The Six-Eared Monkey’s aura was no longer as aggressive as before; instead, it gave off a sense of solemnity, like a mountain.

Indeed, as soon as they fought, the Six-Eared Monkey became extremely cautious. Out of ten moves, eight were feints, and even the two real attacks stopped at just enough to deter, without any rush to attack further.

Wukong had his own matters on his mind and naturally didn’t want to engage in prolonged battles, so his attacks were swift and fierce. Over the past few days, they had fought dozens of times, knowing each other’s tactics well. The Six-Eared Monkey focused on defense rather than offense but still managed to cope.

Wukong knew the Six-Eared Monkey had changed his fighting style, likely waiting for him to make a mistake. He didn’t care and abandoned many of the strange tactics he had been practicing, using only the standard techniques of the Qi Tian Staff. Even so, the Six-Eared Monkey couldn’t do much about it.

After fighting for a long time, Wukong jumped out of the combat circle and said, “I have matters to attend to today. We’ll fight another day!” The Six-Eared Monkey laughed mockingly, “Delusions! Only when I get that staff back will I let you go.”

Wukong was speechless. The Six-Eared Monkey was so petty—still remembering the staff attack from days ago. Wukong sneered, “If I wanted to leave, could you stop me?”

With that, he used his Cloud Jumping Technique, soaring to Evil Land Continent. Once he landed, thinking about how to find the Dao Sect, he heard the Six-Eared Monkey’s voice in the distance, “What an impressive cloud-jumping technique! It’s almost on par with mine!” Wukong was shocked—his Cloud Jumping Technique hadn’t shaken off the Six-Eared Monkey! And what was his technique called? “Cloud Jumping”? Good heavens, could this Lingbao Tianzun be none other than Master Subhuti?

Wukong tried to make sense of it. It wasn’t impossible—Lingbao Tianzun had taught him to establish a sect on earth, then instructed him to get along with the Bull Demon King, a disciple of his junior brother, the Supreme Lord Laozi. Given the Bull Demon King’s personality, it would be strange if he didn’t cause trouble and anger the Heavenly Court. All the blame would then fall on Wukong, after all, the Bull Demon King lived on Flower-Fruit Mountain, and Wukong was its master.

But what was Lingbao Tianzun’s goal? Was it to create chaos in the world? There was still one thing unclear: the disciples in the Sloping Moon Three-Star Cave didn’t seem like Daoists but rather followed Buddhist practices. After pondering, Wukong still couldn’t figure it out.

Seeing that the Six-Eared Monkey was relentless, Wukong said, “I really do have matters today. If you still want to fight, I’ll definitely meet you after I’ve dealt with matters in Evil Land Continent.”

Seeing that Wukong spoke with sincere intent, the Six-Eared Monkey said, “Good! You take care of your own affairs; I’ll just follow you.” Wukong smiled bitterly and asked, “Why would you follow me?” The Six-Eared Monkey replied, “Humans are the most unreliable. The moment I turn around, you’ll surely hide, and where will I find you then?” Wukong rolled his eyes at it and, without saying a word, went to the southwest of Evil Land Island to search for the Daoist sect.

At that time, great chaos arose on the Daoist Peak. After Yan Zheng and Zhang Hui were taken behind the pearl curtain, the curtain vanished suddenly from the platform. All the sects below knew this was a trick of the immortals and found it no surprise. Yet after more than half an hour, the two still hadn’t appeared, and the disciples of the Daoist sect gave no updates.

Others weren’t anxious; they just wanted to see the excitement and find out who would win the precious daughter of the Daoist sect. But it was the city lord of Zhongxuan City and Huo Qing who were worried. They had been tasked by Wukong to bring Zhang Hui here. If they failed to win, it might not matter much, as Wukong had said there was no need to force it. But if they lost him, things would get complicated. Who knew what kind of relationship existed between this unremarkable third-rank immortal and that astonishingly skilled white-robed scholar!

A disciple from the Daoist sect came to serve tea and water. Duan Tiande seized the opportunity to ask twice, but the disciple only shook his head, saying he didn’t know.

After a while, another disciple from the Daoist sect came out and said, “Everyone, listen carefully. Today’s marriage match sees Brother Zhang Hui from Zhongxuan City offering his congratulations first.”

There was some murmuring among the crowd, naturally from the Zhang family. This insignificant young man from the Zhang family had suddenly become extremely lucky, as if he had reached the heavens in one step.

The disciple was merely delivering a message as ordered, having been instructed by Yun Juanshu. He thought there was nothing wrong with his words. Since Yan Zheng claimed to be from the Fire Cloud Sect but came alone, he assumed no one would care about his whereabouts. If anyone asked, he would say the man had become disheartened after failing and left through the back mountain.

But suddenly, a change occurred. An elder from the Zhang family said, “Zhang Hui is clearly a member of our Zhang family. How could he become someone from Zhongxuan City? Your sect must have made a mistake.”

The disciple from the Daoist sect didn’t know where Zhang Hui came from. He had only seen him come with Zhongxuan City, so he said that. Then Duan Tiande, the city lord of Zhongxuan City, said, “This elder from the Zhang family is joking. Zhang Hui clearly came with us from Zhongxuan City, so he is naturally one of us.” He had no intention of opposing the Zhang family, but since Zhang Hui had powerful backers, he was overjoyed to hear that Zhang Hui would win. Now that the Zhang family wanted to compete for him, he certainly wouldn’t back down.

Elder Zhang smiled and said, “Oh, it’s Lord Duan. This isn’t difficult at all. All the Zhang family members here know Zhang Hui. We’ve been together day and night for over thirty years—how could there be any deception?”
Duan Tiande also smiled and said, “What a coincidence. Everyone here from Zhongxuan City also knows Zhang Hui. We’ve spent over thirty years together—how could he not be real?” He imitated Elder Zhang’s tone, but it seemed he didn’t take the Zhang family seriously.
Elder Zhang felt slightly angered. The Zhang family dominated Evil Land Continent. Aside from the Dao Seeking Sect, they had never regarded others as equals. Although Zhongxuan City had some influence, only Lord Duan Tiande had reached the seventh rank of Heavenly Immortal, while the Zhang family had two such figures.
But since the Zhang family’s patriarch was not present, fighting would surely disadvantage them. So the elder said, “This is very simple. Just call Zhang Hui out and ask him—then we’ll know the truth.”
Duan Tiande replied, “Good! Then let’s go ask!”
He then shouted at the disciple on the platform, “Now that the husband has been chosen, don’t hide him. Bring Master Zhang out quickly so we can congratulate him together!”
The disciple said, “Lord Duan, Master Zhang said to have you all go back first. He’s still talking with the sect leader in the back hall and won’t be able to come out for a while.”
Duan Tiande laughed heartily and said, “It seems like we’re being turned away. Well, since Master Zhang has spoken, I’ll leave.” Then he said to Elder Zhang, “Master Zhang told me to go back first. He didn’t mention anything to your Zhang family, did he? Haha!”
Just as Duan Tiande was about to leave, a red cloud descended from the sky and landed on the platform. It was a man in red. He was extremely handsome, with a fierce murderous intent in his eyes. He quickly captured the Dao Seeking Sect disciple on the platform and demanded, “Where is Yan Zheng?”
That Dao Seeking Sect disciple, capable of handling such situations, was at the sixth rank of Earthly Immortal. Yet now he had no resistance at all. He felt the palm of the man in red to be extremely hot, as if he were in a copper furnace, suffering greatly.
Though part of the Dao Seeking Sect, the disciple refused to back down. “How bold you are! Daring to act recklessly in our sect—ah!” The man in red released magical power from his palm, and a red flame shot through him. By then, the Dao Seeking Sect disciple had turned into blackened charcoal.
Everyone present was shocked. Who was this man who dared to kill a disciple in the territory of the Dao Seeking Sect? This incident was becoming increasingly serious. While shocked, Duan Tiande suddenly realized that since today, aside from the two who had passed the third stage, no one else had left. The “Yan Zheng” mentioned by this man was almost certainly the man with the “Red Fire” constitution. And if Yan Zheng encountered an accident, Zhang Hui…

At this moment, a figure descended from the eleventh floor of the Dao Inquiry Sect—it was Yun Juanshu. Standing suspended in midair, he was utterly shocked. The red-clothed man’s cultivation level was unfathomably high, and he couldn’t discern his true strength. Yet, with thousands of eyes watching below, he couldn’t let the reputation of the Dao Inquiry Sect suffer, so he declared loudly, “Why did you kill someone, fellow cultivator?”

The red-clothed man didn’t even glance at Yun Juanshu. “Stop talking nonsense. Hand over my disciple Yan Zheng, and you might avoid death,” he said. Yun Juanshu smiled and replied, “What does Yan Zheng have to do with my Dao Inquiry Sect? You’re quite angry, and your tone is even more aggressive—”

Before he could finish, the red-clothed man lunged forward, reaching out at Yun Juanshu in exactly the same manner he had used to capture his disciple, attempting to repeat his trick. Yun Juanshu was no ordinary person. He raised his dust fan to block, only to see a burst of flames shoot from the man’s hand, burning through every strand of the fan’s fibers. Yun Juanshu quickly retreated several steps to avoid the lingering flames, filled with horror. He hadn’t fought anyone in years, and over time, he had grown complacent, thinking that though he might not be invincible, it would be hard to find a rival. Yet, in just one exchange, he had been pushed back—something that had never happened since he began his cultivation.

The red-clothed man said coldly, “One last time—hand over Yan Zheng, or I’ll destroy your Dao Inquiry Sect!” Fear took hold of Yun Juanshu, and he no longer dared to fight. He merely said, “How dare you!” The red-clothed man was clearly enraged. He stepped forward a few times in midair and arrived before Yun Juanshu. Waving his right sleeve, layers of blue flames emerged from it, forming a wide blue blade that slashed toward Yun Juanshu. Yun Juanshu pulled out a small fan from his sleeve. When it was unfolded, it became several feet wide. This fan was a magical artifact bestowed upon him by the ancestor of the Yun family, offering strong protection. He had only used it once in all his years in the Wutu Continent.

As soon as the large fan came into contact with the blue flames, it shattered like paper, falling to the ground like colored glass—clearly no ordinary object. Seeing that even his most precious artifact couldn’t withstand a single strike from this man, Yun Juanshu was terrified and turned to flee. But the blue flames followed him like a shadow, ready to strike.

“Show mercy!” Before the sound reached his ears, a flying sword descended from the eleventh floor of the Dao Inquiry Peak, aiming straight at the red-clothed man’s vital points. “A sneak attack?” Disdain flashed in the red-clothed man’s eyes, but he managed to dodge. The timing and accuracy of the sword were perfect; if he had focused on killing Yun Juanshu, he would surely have been struck.

A middle-aged scholar leaped down from the peak, retracted his flying sword, and bowed to the red-clothed man first, saying, “The situation is urgent. Please forgive me, fellow cultivator.”

The man in red glanced indifferently at the scholar and said coldly, “Hand over Yan Zheng.”
The middle-aged scholar replied, “My fellow cultivator, please don’t misunderstand. Yan Zheng is exceptionally talented. Though he lost the marriage trial through martial arts, our sect’s founder has taken a liking to him and made him his final disciple. His future achievements—”
The man in red interrupted, “That’s absolutely impossible. Just now, Yan Zheng sent a signal. I knew he was in danger, so I came to save him. Since you deceived me, very well!”
With a swift turn, the man moved like a red top at incredible speed, spinning into the grand buildings of the Dao Asking Sect. In moments, flames erupted from every house on the eighth floor of the Dao Asking Peak—flames so fierce that even pouring water on them was useless. A short while later, the ninth floor became just as chaotic, with many celestial-grade disciples rushing out in confusion.
The middle-aged scholar was Qin Wuxian, the sect leader of the Dao Asking Sect. Seeing the man set two floors on fire in an instant, he realized the man would soon head to the tenth floor, a sacred area of the sect containing precious artifacts, medicinal pills, and ancient texts. He hurriedly chased after him with his sword, only to see a figure flash by on the eleventh floor before disappearing. Moments later, loud noises came from the tenth floor as a fight broke out. “The founder has intervened!” Qin Wuxian was overjoyed and rushed up to the tenth floor as well.
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Wukong flew low over the southwest of Evil Land Continent and soon found the Dao Asking Sect, as it was the only prominent peak in that area. He flew over and saw a fierce battle at the peak’s summit. One of the fighters wore red clothes—Wukong found him somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall where he had seen him before. The other fighter was an old man in green robes, with an extremely ugly face whose skin clung tightly to his bones. His tactics were vicious and strange, and he fought evenly against the man in red.
Looking further down, on the eighth floor, Duan Tiande and Huo Qing were looking upward. Wukong flew over, and when Duan Tiande and the others from Zhongxuan City saw him, they immediately knelt down in panic, startling many cultivators on the eighth floor. Duan Tiande, the leader of Zhongxuan City, was a seventh-grade celestial being. Why did he act as if he had met his master upon seeing this white-robed scholar? Who was this man?
Wukong didn’t care and waved his hand to tell them to get up. He asked, “Where is Zhang Hui?” Duan Tiande dared not hide anything and recounted everything that had happened. After hearing this, Wukong realized there was something very strange about it—how could a woman in a marriage trial keep both men?

He heard Duan Tiande say that Yun Juanshu was the second sect leader of this sect, so he rushed over and captured her. Today, Yun Juanshu truly had bad luck—she was a top figure in Evil Land Continent, yet in front of these people, she was like a child. Wukong didn’t follow the red-clothed man’s example of forcing answers; instead, he just laughed and said, “If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you and ask someone else.”

Yun Juanshu was already terrified, her courage completely gone after being scared by the red-clothed man. How could she dare to hide anything? So she spilled everything like beans falling from a bamboo tube. She only knew that the sect’s founder wanted to gather five pure yang men, but she didn’t know why. Wukong threw Yun Juanshu to the ground and leaped up to the eleventh floor of the Daoist Sect.

There was only a small building on the eleventh floor. As soon as Wukong stepped on it, the sect’s founder, who was fighting fiercely with the red-clothed man on the tenth floor, seemed to sense something and rushed up to the eleventh floor.

Wukong moved calmly. The sect’s founder, anxious, arrived just in time ahead of Wukong and blocked his way, shouting, “How dare you enter my forbidden area!” The red-clothed man followed closely behind. Upon seeing Wukong, he shuddered—was it him again?

At that moment, a voice from the sky laughed, “You’re late, late! Don’t blame me, younger brother.” Upon hearing this, Wukong realized it was the Nine-Headed Worm.