Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told – Chapter 134: Birds in the Sea

The cultivators naturally held great respect for Wukong and his two companions—not only due to the gap in their cultivation levels. You see, those who pursue immortality are often heartless; whether human or demon, once they embark on this path, they must abandon wives and children and walk alone. The relatives and friends you know, the landscapes of your hometown that you’re accustomed to—all of these will gradually drift away from you.

This path is extremely dangerous and full of twists and turns, with life and death at every turn. From naivety in youth to cunning in maturity, from hardship and cruelty to boundless glory—behind the glory seen by ordinary people lies a reality only they can understand. As for the conflicts over interests and the bloodshed, how could one possibly share such things with others?

Some seek immortality to live as long as the heavens, some seek power to control everything, and some seek the authority to decide life and death… You may think I’m selfish, heartless, and cold-blooded, but you don’t realize that in the face of fate’s cruelty, one must be even more cruel. It is precisely because of this determination to break free from fate’s control that I move so resolutely!

On the path to immortality, there are deception, concealment, competition, schemes, self-destruction, and rebellion… The only thing that’s scarce is warmth. Yet today, these three monkeys have allowed many cultivators to experience a warmth they haven’t felt in thousands of years. Because of Wukong and his companions’ extraordinary cultivation, they mistook this warmth for care and pity from those above. It felt strange, yet so warm—something unforgettable. On this long path that could drive one to despair, someone once offered me a hand…

No cultivator present could fathom the true level of Wukong and his companions’ cultivation; even celestial beings could hardly compare. So even if someone wanted to express gratitude, they knew these three divine monkeys wouldn’t care. Their help likely stemmed merely from a sense of duty.

Now that the chaos in the city had been resolved, Wukong told everyone to go back to their own tasks. This was a great city inhabited by cultivators, with immense spiritual energy. Those ruined houses would be restored to their original state within a few days, and Wenxin City would once again thrive.

As for these cultivators, Wukong had considered bringing them over, but upon reflection, he realized he was still a demon at the moment. Even if those human cultivators didn’t say anything outright, they might not be able to accept him in their hearts. It was something he couldn’t force. So he decided to wait until his prestige grew enough that he could call upon them all at once.

He found King Yu of Wind beneath the Dragon Suppressing Tower, and the three of them set out to leave the city. For some reason, Wukong seemed pensive at that moment. He turned to look at the three characters “Dragon Suppressing Tower,” just as the old turtle he had saved saw it.

The old turtle raised its head and called out, “My savior, please wait.”

Wukong heard the old turtle calling him, so he released the cloud he had gathered and sent it back into the sky. He approached the old turtle and asked, “Did you call me for some reason?”
The old turtle replied, “I noticed that you seem quite interested in this Dragon Suppressing Tower. Is that true?”
Wukong smiled and said, “You’re observant. That’s correct. I’m just puzzled—since I haven’t seen any dragons in this realm, why is there a Dragon Suppressing Tower?”
The old turtle glanced around and whispered, “We need to find a quiet place to discuss this.”
Tongfeng sneered, “Trying to create mystery.”
Wukong stopped Tongfeng and said with a smile, “I’ve heard that turtles live very long lives. Maybe there really is some truth to it.”
He picked up the old turtle and flew out of the city on the cloud. Following the old turtle’s guidance, the four of them headed west. West of Wenxin City lay the only wasteland in their realm, called Yianian Plain.
Yianian Plain was vast and endless, many times larger than Wenxin City. The old turtle simply told them to keep going west until they reached the edge of the plain. Wukong looked down and understood why the old turtle had brought him here.
When they landed, they saw a very tall white tower in front of them, identical in design to the tower in Wenxin City, with the same three characters inscribed on it: “Dragon Suppressing Tower.”
Tongfeng was astonished and said, “So there’s actually a tower here!”
The old turtle replied, “It is said that there are five Dragon Suppressing Towers in this world.”
Wukong asked, “Why is it just a rumor? How many are there? It should be obvious at a glance.”
The old turtle shook his head and said, “You don’t know. Some towers are invisible.”
Confused, Wukong asked further, and the old turtle continued, “There is a mountain in the south, a sea in the east, an island in the north, a plain in the west, and a city in the center. Four of these Dragon Suppressing Towers can be seen, but the one underwater cannot.”
“Why was this tower built underwater? And who built it?”
The old turtle said, “Although my cultivation level isn’t high, I have dedicated myself to the art of longevity. After years of practice, I am now over 11,000 years old. As for the stories of this world, surely no one knows them better than me. If you don’t mind my rambling, I’ll tell you.”
Wukong said, “There’s nothing else to do, so go ahead and speak.”
Tongfeng said, “That’s impossible! This world is only over 10,000 years old, yet you’ve lived for 11,000 years!”
The old turtle replied, “Please be patient, sir. I’m not lying. Just listen as I explain slowly.”
Wukong stopped Tongfeng and told him to be calm and listen to the old turtle’s story.
The old turtle continued, “When this world first came into existence, there were only mountains, rocks, flowers, trees, land, and sea—no living creatures at all. I was practicing elsewhere at that time, just at the beginning of my journey, when I was captured and brought here.”

Wukong thought to himself that many people here were not born here but were captured instead. Clearly, the Three Pure Ones, who created this world, did not have the ability to create humans or beasts and could only bring them from their own realm in the West.

“When I first arrived, this world was utterly empty, with only a few thousand cultivators and beasts, all ignorant of where they came from. Back then, everyone worked together, striving to find a way back,” said the old turtle with a sigh. “Those days of mutual trust will never return.”

“Later, more and more cultivators and beasts came to this world. At first, none of them were willing to be trapped here, but over time, just like us when we first arrived, they gradually lost patience and perseverance and stopped searching for a way back.”

“At that time, the sky was covered in dark clouds all day long. Eight or nine hours out of twenty-four were shrouded in dark mist and sandstorms, with only about one hour of sunlight. Not only the sky was like this, but the earth was also unstable—earthquakes and landslides were common, and sometimes flames would burst from the ground, with fire rain falling from the sky that could burn flesh upon contact. At first, we thought this was just how the world was, and we got used to it over time. Only later did we realize that it was because everything was unstable at the beginning of creation.”

“And that wasn’t all. About a hundred or two hundred years after I arrived, five giant dragons appeared from somewhere. These dragons caused chaos, disrupting peace in this world. But they were extremely powerful, while our cultivation was still weak—how could we possibly defeat them? We could only endure their tyranny in fear, too afraid to speak out.”

“Another two or three hundred years passed, and a divine bird flew out of the eastern sea. It was enormous—its wings were so vast that they seemed endless. I still clearly remember that day as a rare fine day, with the sun brighter and more dazzling than ever. I was lying on the ground basking in the sun, feeling very comfortable.”

“Suddenly, a dark cloud drifted in from afar. It was huge—gods, it was as big as the sky itself. The cloud came silently, without a hint of wind, and soon covered the sun.”

“I remember cursing at it. Then, I saw two eyes, half-open, in the dark cloud. Those eyes seemed to be staring at me intently, so I quickly pulled my head back into my shell in fear. I thought to myself, what kind of monster is hiding in those dark clouds?”

“After a long while, seeing still no movement, I poked my head out to take a look. By then, the sun had come out again, and the dark clouds had just passed. The sunlight shone on those clouds, and only then could I see clearly that they were not clouds at all but wings—bird wings!”
“Not only I saw it, but all the cultivators on the ground saw it too. Some said it was the sky changing, turning black.”
“And right after that day, the sky immediately became clear and bright, as blue as it had been before this place existed. Indeed, the sky had changed, but it became a blue sky.”
“Strangely, after that, those five evil dragons were never seen again. Four Dragon Suppressing Towers appeared on the ground, but the fifth could not be found anywhere. Thus, everyone believed it was beneath the sea. Once the towers were erected, the land stopped shaking, and peace reigned throughout the world. With ample sunlight, all things thrived, and the spiritual energy gradually grew stronger. Our cultivation also progressed much faster than before.”
“The people in this world regard this great bird that changed the heavens and earth as the supreme being. Yet no one saw clearly what this great bird looked like that day. Some said it resembled a divine eagle, while others said it was like a roc. But from its eyes, it seemed more like an owl.”
“Since then, no one has seen this divine bird again. As time passed, fewer and fewer people remembered this incident, and eventually, later generations no longer believed it. When it was mentioned, people would laugh it off as nonsense.”
After hearing this, Wukong and the others believed it to about eighty or ninety percent. The old turtle volunteered to tell them these stories, so there was likely no malice. Besides, they owed him their lives, so there was no reason for him to deceive them.
Tongfeng asked, “So you really have lived for over ten thousand years?”
The old turtle replied, “Not a bit of it.”
Tongfeng said, “That’s quite fortunate for you. If not for being here, who knows how many would have perished from those three calamities. But in this world, someone protected you.”
Wukong was shocked. If even the Primordial Heavenly Lord could protect others from those calamities, then immortals could live long lives without worrying about life and death, focusing solely on cultivation. No wonder there were so many immortals here. After ten thousand years of hard cultivation, it wasn’t unusual for those with excellent aptitudes to reach the ninth rank of immortals.
Wukong said, “Thank you, Fellow Turtle, for telling me this and resolving a doubt in my mind.”
The old turtle hurriedly replied, “How dare I! I can’t accept such thanks from you, my benefactor. I, the old turtle, only know this much. If there’s nothing else here, I’ll return to Wenxin City.”
Wukong asked, “Do you want me to send you back?”

The old turtle said, “I dare not trouble Lord En. Though my cultivation is not high, I can still protect myself. Besides, there are few people in this area—mostly recluses who avoid the world’s affairs. Lord En need not worry.” Then the old turtle slowly flew away on the clouds.
Wukong glanced at Fengtong and asked, “Have you been to this realm before? Have you heard of this giant bird?” Fengtong laughed and said, “I’ve always been solitary, wandering around. Not to mention any giant birds, I haven’t even remembered these towers.”
At that moment, Wang Yu said, “It’s strange. If it’s a bird, how could it fly out of the sea?”