Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 145: Peach in the Fire

In the Great Luo Heaven, on the Immortal Island of Western Kunlun, there lies a Peach Garden.
Within this garden, there are 3,600 peach trees: 1,200 in the front, with small flowers and fruits that ripen every three thousand years; those who eat them become immortals, with strong bodies and light weights. 1,200 in the middle, with sweet flowers and fruits that ripen every six thousand years; those who eat them ascend to heaven and live forever. 1,200 at the back, with purple patterns and yellow kernels, ripening every nine thousand years; those who eat them live as long as heaven and earth, sharing the same lifespan as the sun and moon. Everyone in the heavenly courts knows of this.
Yet few know that within the Queen Mother’s palace, “Another World,” there is a hidden garden surrounded by layers of magic arrays and guarded by hundreds of immortals. In this garden, there is another peach tree, a hundred zhang tall, with a trunk and branches made of gold and leaves carved from jade, surrounded by divine energy, exuding boundless creativity.
This peach tree is called the “Peach Ancestor.” Once every ten thousand years, it bears only seven peaches. The 3,600 peach trees in the garden were all grown from the seeds of this tree.
Back then, Laozi captured the Demon King Sun Wukong of Flower-Fruit Mountain with ease, forcing the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother to recognize the true power of the Three Pure Ones. With their status, ordinary peaches were not suitable; only the peaches from the Peach Ancestor could be used.
Now, this peach, rarer even than the Ginseng Fruit, had entered Wukong’s mouth and fell into the sea of fire with him.
The pain of the flames burning his skin snapped Wukong out of his daze. His first thought was: What I touched just now was a peach!
Indeed, it was a peach!
As soon as it entered his mouth, it melted without chewing, turning into a stream of coolness that flowed into his stomach, instantly spreading throughout his body.
At that moment, a deeply familiar feeling struck Wukong’s soul. I’ve definitely eaten this peach before. Yes, it’s the same feeling! Among all who know about peaches, none surpass the divine ape—because this Peach Ancestor tree was created by Pangu from a fragment of his creative energy, meant specifically for those seven little ones. All other peach trees in heaven and earth trace their origin to this one.
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Wukong’s mind: A bright spring day, peace in heaven and earth. Under the sunlight, a spiritual tree grew rootless, its blossoms vibrant. Seven divine apes played among its branches, searching for the fresh peaches hidden among the lush leaves…
How many years ago was that? That one was Fengtong, that one was Wuzhiqi, that one was the King of Yuyin, and there was also the Six-Eared Monkey—yes, him. But the faces of the remaining two were blurred, too unclear to distinguish…

I’ve eaten these peaches before, not just once—this should be the fourth time. Later, the peach tree disappeared, as if taken away by a group of people. I can’t remember who they were. Yes, the peach tree flew upward; we tried to stop it, but many people blocked our path. Then there was fighting… blood flowed like rivers, corpses lay everywhere… The seven of us were determined to retrieve the peach tree, because someone had told us that if we could eat it twelve times, the world would remain eternal. How is that possible? The world perishes in just one cycle—how can there be eternity? The person who said this seemed to be named Pangu… By the time we killed all those people, the peach tree had long vanished. Why did they want to kill us? We had always regarded them as friends, companions, and confidants. What are you fighting over? We can give it to you. What precious thing in this world is worth fighting for with one’s life? If you insist on killing us, then come! Anyway, the seven divine apes will never separate… Magma instantly submerged Wukong, flowing into his seven orifices. The fire refined his spiritual essence while the natural forces protected his body. At that moment, Wukong felt no burning at all, immersed in a wonderful state. In the eyes of ordinary people, the immortal peaches are as precious as ginseng fruits for prolonging life. But Wukong had already taken Laojun’s golden elixir and his true form, so he no longer needed to worry about his lifespan. The immortal peaches, once absorbed, brought about great benefits! A tiny immortal peach could provide immense nourishment to the body. Wukong was still in a dazed state, unaware that a drastic change had taken place in the spiritual essence at his dantian. After the nourishing energy from the peach spread throughout his body, it gathered at his dantian. At the same time, invisible ghost flames from the magma invaded his body and merged with this nourishing energy. When that large pale purple energy sphere came into contact with the ghost flames, it ignited instantly, like kerosene meeting a spark. No, it wasn’t burning—it turned red and orange, symbolizing that Sun Wukong, who had transcended the three realms and was beyond the five elements, had now attained a body of fire, belonging to the element of fire! This red-orange energy sphere continued to function, constantly absorbing the ghost flames from the magma, while the nourishing energy from the peach repaired Wukong’s wounds. In just a short while, even his hair grew back completely. By then, the temperature of the magma around Wukong dropped sharply, no longer able to harm him in the slightest.

More and more ghost flames accumulated within his body. Gradually, the red-orange mass of primordial energy turned white—a white different from the original milky white, for it was a bright white filled with raging flames. In Wukong’s mind, the slaughter continued. Wasn’t the one surrounded by the immortals none other than Wu Zhiqi? “He’s the Divine Ape of Water—attack him with fire spells!” cried one immortal. Thus, fire control techniques and spirit fire talismans were used to trap Wu Zhiqi. Fire, everywhere fire—standing beside Wukong was Feng Tong. The flames reflected in his eyes, filling him with endless rage. “Kill!” That voice belonged to the King of Yuyon. A white disc flew back and forth among the crowd, knocking down an immortal with each rotation. “Stop showing mercy! If humans harbor the hearts of tigers and wolves, only killing can put an end to killing!” Wukong roared. “Divine Water Power!” “Divine Exorcism Art!” “Immortal Confusion Formation!”… One after another, the divine powers of the seven divine apes were unleashed, making them invincible. This wave of immortals was wiped out by the seven of them. Year after year, day after day, countless battles were fought, and countless calamities endured. All that was known was that the seven divine apes would gather and separate, staying together for only a hundred years before the immortals discovered their whereabouts and sent forces to hunt them. The seven divine apes grew weaker with each death. Each time they perished, their primordial energy dispersed, and upon rebirth, they were only slightly stronger than ordinary apes, forcing them to cultivate slowly on their own. The spiritual energy in the world grew scarce, while two sacred lands emerged—the Eastern Heavenly Court and the Western Spirit Mountain. It was said that cultivating there could yield half a year’s progress in just one day, but we dared not go there. Finally, the final slaughter arrived. “Kill that monkey who knows formation magic first!” someone shouted. At that moment, a sea of flames descended from the sky, with various colors of fire sweeping in. These flames were extremely hot, scorching the void with crackling sounds. From afar, human figures appeared faint and illusory within them. Feng Tong, already exhausted after days of battle, was unable to avoid the flames and was instantly engulfed. “Feng Tong!” Wukong cried out heartbreakingly. His gaze swept across, and behind the sea of flames, a beautiful woman in red flew gracefully toward him—she was the one who had killed Feng Tong! I must avenge Feng Tong! Another man in green blocked his path. Though his face showed kindness, his actions were ruthless. His staff was incredibly agile, and in just a few moves, he knocked Wukong to the ground. Lying on the ground, knowing he had no chance this time, Wukong stared at the man and murmured, “Why?” The man in green twitched his lips, turned away without answering, and simply brought his iron staff down heavily.

A single strike, fatal!
“No—” A shrill scream came from the depths of a volcano in the realm of the id, and Wukong woke up.
He opened his eyes to see only a gray haze before him. Scanning with his mental senses, he was greatly astonished to find himself trapped among rocks. Examining his body, he wondered how his dantian had changed into such a state. Yet the magical energy within him was immense, even surpassing what it had been before.
Wukong channeled a bit of his magic, and with a “pop,” he shattered the rocks around him into fragments, then leaped out.
Looking around, he was even more surprised—how had the magma in this cave cooled into rocks? How many years had he been here? That dream just now had seemed so real. Was it real or an illusion? Was he still in a dream?
At that moment, a woman’s voice came from above: “Wukong, I’m here.”
A red-clad figure descended from the cave ceiling—it was undoubtedly the Fire God, Zhu Rong. Seeing the scene inside the cave, Zhu Rong was puzzled. Despite her profound mastery of fire magic, she couldn’t explain what she saw.
When she saw Wukong, she was filled with joy and surprise. She stepped forward and grabbed his arm, saying, “You’ve succeeded! You’ve achieved the Body of Fire Virtue! Good heavens, in just ten years, you’ve actually—”
“Shut up!” WukongShake offed her hand away and stepped back two steps.
“Haha, you’re really angry. I know my limits. I wouldn’t hurt you—”
Zhu Rong spoke cheerfully, but it only made Wukong more irritable. The moment he saw her, he remembered her arrogant manner when she had killed Tong Feng.
“You butcheress! Stop talking to me!” Wukong snapped, then leaped out of the volcano and landed on the ground. This time, there was no obstruction—probably because Zhu Rong’s arrival had already dispelled the barriers.
Zhu Rong followed closely behind. Her earlier enthusiasm had been doused by the cold reception, and even as the Fire God, she could no longer muster it. Seeing Wukong standing alone on the top of the volcano, she felt pity and gently approached him, saying, “You’re really angry.”
Hearing Zhu Rong’s gentle voice, Wukong couldn’t stay angry anymore. He wasn’t sure whether that dream was just a dream or a memory from a past life.
He slowly crouched down, holding his head in his hands, and tears streamed down his face. Each tear fell on the volcanic rocks and disappeared in an instant.
“You’re crying. Stop crying. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have bullied you.” Soft hands touched his head, gently stroking him.
Wukong didn’t respond. He cried silently for a while, feeling much better afterward. Then he asked, “Is this the fate of our divine apes, right?”
“What? What fate?” Zhu Rong asked in return.

Wukong stood up, no tears on his face now, but a smile instead. He looked at Zhurong and said, “From now on, my fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven!”
Zhurong looked at Wukong, who was less than four feet tall, and heard his bold words. Somehow, she found herself believing them.
“I believe you, Wukong,” Zhurong said, crouching down to be at Wukong’s height. “We will help you—” Suddenly, she stepped back in shock, pointing at Wukong and saying, “You…”
Wukong asked anxiously, “What is it?”
Zhurong exclaimed in shock, “Your eyes…” Then she handed him a mirror.
Wukong took the mirror and looked at it. In his left eye, a faint dot could be seen.