Volume 2: The Way That Can Be Told – Chapter 127: The Wind Spirit Array

Humans are not plants or trees; how could they be devoid of emotions? Among all emotions in the world, family affection, friendship, and love are the most indispensable. In ancient times, Cao E sacrificed herself for her father, Meng Jiang for her husband, and Boya for his friend. Such people can truly be called those of utmost sincerity and deep emotion! As for the merits and demerits of these emotions, I, an ordinary person, am unable to judge them, let alone speak rashly.

Although these three types of emotions are profound, when examined objectively, they are still driven by selfish desires—whether due to blood relations, ethics, or personal preferences. In this world, there should be another kind of emotion: the great compassion for all living beings. This compassion is not non-existent nor empty; it is a living, flesh-and-blood spirit of universal love. If even this is abandoned, people may lose their true nature.

Wukong wandered in thought for a while, only to find that the cosmic energy within him began to move again. This time, it rotated not three times but seven times, giving rise to even more pure and authentic energy, filling his body with a sense of abundance. Wukong rejoiced, realizing that random thoughts could also be part of the Way. It seemed that such cosmic energy could be obtained without force—once the right opportunity came, nothing could stop it.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew in the sky. The Nine-Headed Worm, holding the founder of the Dao Seeking Sect, descended from the heavens with arrogance. Seeing that the five people had been released, one of them spoke in front of the man in red, while another hid behind Wukong, overcome with sorrow. The Nine-Headed Worm frowned and asked, “Young brother, what does this mean?”

Wukong replied, “These people aren’t guilty of anything serious. I felt pity for them, so I released them.” The Nine-Headed Worm said, “Ah, I was careless. I didn’t explain earlier that these people are extremely useful to both of us. Without them, we might truly be trapped here.” Wukong immediately became serious. By “here,” the Nine-Headed Worm must have meant this realm. Could these five people really help them escape?

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The Dao Seeking Sect had existed for thousands of years, but it had never been so lively as it was today—yet this liveliness had little to do with most of its disciples. Many disciples at the divine or earthly immortal levels didn’t even know what was happening. The higher-ranking earthly immortal disciples above the eighth level and the celestial immortal disciples only knew that several powerful enemies had arrived. Even the sect leader couldn’t match them, so they all hid like turtles retreating into their shells. Some more astute ones, fearing being dragged down, had already left quietly.

Most of those outsiders at the eighth level who had come to watch the chaos had also left, leaving only those celestial immortal cultivators who thought their cultivation was strong enough to protect themselves. This is the nature of cultivation—amidst chaos, there are both disasters and blessings. One might encounter an opportunity worth more than decades of hard work.

At this moment, two red clouds appeared above the Dao Ascent Peak. Everyone on the peak could sense them. Though far apart, they emitted an intense heat that was hard to bear, causing most of the already few cultivators to scatter. The red clouds slowly descended to the eleventh layer of the peak. When Wukong saw them take human form, he immediately remembered the identity of the man in red. One of the red clouds transformed into Hong Haier, while the other became a stunningly beautiful woman in red. As soon as Hong Haier landed, he shouted, “Xiao Hong, Xiao Hong! Who bullied you? Let me beat them first!” The man in red said, “Zheng was captured just now, but he’s fine now.” Jiu Tou Chong sneered, “You say he’s fine? Wait until I capture him too.” Knowing that speed was key, he turned one of his arms into a swarm of wings and attacked Yan Zheng. Hong Haier snapped, “This guy has such thick skin! Says he’ll fight and just does it!” He somehow produced a fire spear and thrust it at the wings. Jiu Tou Chong realized that despite the child’s young age, his cultivation was quite high. The spear moved at incredible speed, appearing like a streak of fire. He quickly retracted his wings. At that moment, Xiao Hong and Hong Haier attacked together, using fire-based spells. In just a few moves, the small building caught fire. Wukong protected Zhang Hui and the others. Jiu Tou Chong shouted, “Young brother, protect that person with the red flame body well—don’t hurt him!” Wukong pulled Yan Zheng over, thinking, “I’m protecting these people to save them; it has nothing to do with you.” Seeing that Wukong was on Jiu Tou Chong’s side, Hong Haier lost his confidence. The three of them couldn’t even defeat Wukong alone, let alone a shameless winged monster that was as strong as the scholar in white. He cried out, “Go call our master!” Da Hong snapped, “Our lord never gets involved in worldly affairs! Have you forgotten?” Hong Haier pouted, looking like he wanted to cry, but he continued to use the spear techniques taught to him by the Spirit Treasure Daoist, one after another. Jiu Tou Chong exclaimed, “Good spear skills!” and fought back with all his might. Though Hong Haier and his companions had extraordinary powers, Jiu Tou Chong wasn’t afraid of fire-based magic. Soon, they were at a disadvantage. As the battle continued, a strange smile flashed across Jiu Tou Chong’s face. Wukong guessed he was about to use his tenth strange tactic—something none of the three could escape. As he hesitated whether to warn them, someone in the air shouted, “Be careful!”

The sound was extremely loud, carrying strange magical powers that scared the Nine-Headed Worm so much that he failed to launch his attack. Suddenly, an iron rod came crashing down from the sky. He cursed angrily, “You damned monkey! Why not come earlier or later? You’ve ruined my plans!”
The Six-Eared Monkey had followed Wukong for a long time, hiding his true form. He had come for Wukong and had no intention of getting involved in other matters. When he saw Honghui and the others fighting against the Nine-Headed Worm, he didn’t pay much attention at first. But later, Honghui’s spear techniques were exactly the same as those taught by his master. The Six-Eared Monkey immediately realized that this little boy must be closely related to his master—possibly even his junior brother. How could he stand by while his own sect was in trouble? Having fought the Nine-Headed Worm many times, he used a spell to counter its attempt to summon its tenth head.
Honghui saw a monkey descending from the sky, one he didn’t recognize. This monkey was extremely powerful, repelling the multi-faced monster with just a few moves. Haha, it was truly satisfying.
After fighting Wukong for several days, the Six-Eared Monkey’s spear skills improved greatly, putting the Nine-Headed Worm at a disadvantage and making it hard for him to turn the tide. He shouted, “Brother, come help me!”
At that moment, Wukong was torn. He didn’t want to help the Nine-Headed Worm, but he also wanted to learn the secret of the Five Elements Pure Yang from him. If he helped the Nine-Headed Worm and took those five people away, he might be aiding the villain and harming them.
After much deliberation, he still stepped forward with his staff, blocking the Six-Eared Monkey’s iron rod. “Using numbers to overwhelm the few isn’t the way of a true hero. Let me fight you!” Honghui wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. He wrapped up Yan Zheng and soared into the sky.
The Nine-Headed Worm, now free, spread his wings to chase after them, but was blocked by Honghui and Dahong, leading to another fight. Though those two weren’t his match, they could keep him occupied for a while, preventing him from escaping. He cried out in frustration.
Honghui guessed that Honghong had returned to the Fire Cloud Palace and said, “Thanks to that monkey! Let’s go!” The Six-Eared Monkey and Wukong, who had been fighting fiercely, wanted to ask about the origin of Honghui’s spear techniques, so they stopped fighting. “I have matters to attend to today. I’ll find you another day!” Wukong, who was glad the Six-Eared Monkey had stopped, said, “I’m not afraid of you!”
With the Six-Eared Monkey joining forces with Honghui and Dahong, the Nine-Headed Worm gave up the idea of chasing after them. Dejected, he returned to the ground, drew his sword, and used its blade to strike repeatedly, leaving the ancestor of the Daoist sect covered in wounds. He cursed, “You stupid fool who seeks death! You have no sense of humanity, ignoring hierarchy—just ruining my plans!” Fueled by anger, he finally pierced the ancestor’s heart with his sword, sending him back to reincarnation.

Wukong was very puzzled but first tried to calm him down, saying, “Don’t get angry yet. If you want to find someone with pure Yang energy of the five elements, you might not fail to find them in the future. There’s no need to rush.”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “You have no idea how difficult this is. I’ve been searching for over a thousand years just to gather twenty-five people. Just as success seemed within reach, one with a body of pure fire was taken away from us.”
Wukong exclaimed, “Twenty-five people! What kind of five elements are these?”
The Nine-Headed Worm said, “It doesn’t hurt to tell you. This is called the Great Five Elements Spirit Blood Formation, also known as the Wind Spirit Formation. It’s a formation that can yield endless benefits. If used properly, it might even allow one to escape this realm.”