Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told Chapter 151: No King in the Netherworld

Time flew by, and before long, another hundred years had passed. On this day, Wukong was practicing with Rushou in the Shuojin Valley. By now, Wukong was no longer the weak fighter he had been a hundred years ago; he could now fight evenly with Rushou.

The essence of the divine art of controlling metal allowed one to command all metals in the world at will. Even an opponent’s weapons, as long as they were made of metal, could be controlled according to one’s desires.

That day, Wukong still wielded his iron rod, while Rushou switched to a pair of meteor hammers. Wukong used various metal-related divine techniques he had mastered, and Rushou countered them accordingly. Suddenly, Wukong had an idea and cast a fire-based spell called “Braving Fire and Water.” Rushou’s expression changed, and he dared not confront it head-on, instead stepping aside.

Wukong teased, “How’s that move?” Before Rushou could answer, a clear voice like a nightingale’s song rang out from the sky, “It’s wonderful!” The two looked up and saw Zhu Rong and Dayu flying over, smiling happily.

Seeing Wukong, Zhu Rong said cheerfully, “I’ve refined that Ruyi Jingu Bang for you.” He didn’t mention Dayu’s contribution at all. Naturally, Dayu didn’t mind. He took out a dark iron rod about two inches long from his sleeve and handed it to Wukong.

Wukong reached out to take it, but to his surprise, the rod was heavier than Mount Tai. It slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, creating a deep pit in the iron-hard surface of the Shuojin Valley. Wukong exclaimed, “This—”

Dayu said, “You forgot that each Ruyi Jingu Bang weighs forty thousand five hundred pounds. How could you lift it with such weak strength?”

By then, Rushou had already bent down to pick up the rod, stroking it lovingly in his hands. Seeing Rushou’s expression, Zhu Rong glared at him fiercely and said, “Give it back to Wukong!” Afraid of Zhu Rong, Rushou handed the rod to Wukong without saying a word and said, “Have you wasted your time learning the art of controlling metal?”

Wukong regained his composure. This time, he was more cautious as he took the rod, but he still handled it as if it were light. The rod swayed in the wind and grew to shoulder-length. Wukong said happily, “Let’s fight again.”

Rushou replied, “Fine. Since your weapon is convenient for you, I want to see what I can do.” Dayu and Zhu Rong, wanting to see what was special about this rod, stood at a distance to watch the fight.

Wukong closed his eyes and meditated, integrating everything he had learned over the past hundred years into his rod techniques. Combining it with the transformations of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he created many new moves. Confident that he would have the upper hand in this battle, he swung the rod and said, “Be careful!” Then he used a move called “Immortal’s Guidance,” pointing the tip of the rod at Rushou’s chest. Although “Immortal’s Guidance” was originally a sword technique, Rushou, having absorbed the strengths of various weapons, had already broken through its limitations and incorporated many moves into his rod techniques to teach Wukong.

Ru Shou saw the iron rod coming with terrifying force and hurriedly drew two short axes from behind, using their blades to meet the tip of the rod. Yet with his current level of cultivation, he couldn’t withstand it at all—a powerful force pushed him back two steps.
Ru Shou exclaimed, “What a great rod!” but it wasn’t an compliment to Wukong.
Wukong employed his Qi Tian Gun techniques, each move powerful and forceful, occasionally mixed with strange tactics, leaving Ru Shou unable to counter. Yet his pair of short axes were truly precious; striking the iron rod with their sharp edges caused no damage at all.
Ru Shou retreated over ten zhang, hearing Zhu Rong cheering for Wukong in the distance. Filled with resentment, he used a supernatural ability to merge the two axes into one massive double-headed axe, which swung at him like a whirlwind.
Wukong wasn’t afraid either; he carefully countered each move. Whenever he used the iron rod’s flexible changes in length, Ru Shou would become slightly flustered. As Wukong grew more enthusiastic, launching fierce attacks, Ru Shou—who had been bullied by him for a hundred years without ever winning a single fight—decided to regain his honor now that he had this divine weapon.
But the Golden God Ru Shou wasn’t someone easy to deal with. Seeing Wukong’s relentless assault, he praised him inwardly while also secretly changing his tactics, using his golden divine power. The blade of his axe glowed with dazzling gold light as he shouted, “Be careful!” Ignoring all of Wukong’s tricks, he swung the axe around his body, appearing from afar like a golden ball rolling toward Wukong.
This battle stirred up dust and sand, changing the colors of heaven and earth, yet no winner was determined.
Fearful of any accidents, Dayu shouted, “Stop now!”
The two put down their weapons, still showing signs of dissatisfaction. Dayu said, “Wukong, you’ve fought the Golden God for over a thousand rounds without losing. In terms of techniques and strength, it’s hard to find anyone who can match you in the world.”
Wukong replied, “Partly because the Golden God spared me, and partly because of this rod. But I still need to keep practicing.” At this moment, Zhu Rong observed Wukong more closely and found him very different from before—still in white clothes, but the sense of closeness from before had faded greatly.
She naturally didn’t know that the pure cyan-purple essence within Wukong had now mixed with much green wood energy and white gold energy; he was no longer the Sun Wukong who had first encountered the five elements beneath the volcano.
Zhu Rong’s face showed confusion, as if she had lost something.
Dayu said, “Wukong now possesses three of the five elements; only water and earth are still missing.”
Wukong replied, “Zhi Zhi Qi once taught me the art of controlling water, but I never delved deeply into it—only learned the basics.” Dayu’s eyes lit up. “Good! With Zhi Zhi Qi around, we don’t have to worry about controlling water. As for controlling earth…” Dayu fell into thought.
Ru Shou said, “The art of controlling earth is unmatched by the Earthly Mother Goddess—of course, we should go learn from her.”

“Who is the Goddess of Earth?” Wukong asked.
Dayu replied, “The Goddess of Earth is also known as the Earthly Mother. She was once a close friend of ours, but during the battle to eliminate the Seven Divine Apes, she disagreed with us and went to live in the Netherworld forever.”
Hearing the name of the Earthly Mother, Wukong remembered the Bull Demon King once saying… The Jade Emperor, who rules over all heavens, is naturally the most revered; the Earthly Mother, who rules over all lands, ranks just below the Jade Emperor. These two deities are also called the Heavenly Emperor and the Earthly Queen, the rulers of heaven and earth, irreplaceable by anyone else…
“So the Goddess of Earth is the Earthly Mother,” Wukong murmured.
“Do you know her?” Dayu asked. Wukong shook his head and asked instead, “Have you heard of the Jade Emperor?” Dayu replied, “Of course! When we entered the belly of the Kunpeng, the Three Pure Ones along with other Taoist immortals had already established the Heavenly Court. At that time, the Jade Emperor was merely a Taiyi Golden Immortal. For some reason, he managed to rise to that position.”
Wukong exclaimed in surprise, “You also know the Three Pure Ones?”
Rushou smiled and said, “What’s so strange about that? If we’re to talk about it, the Three Pure Ones are actually our juniors. But these three practice unique cultivation methods and possess considerable power.”
Wukong nodded and asked further, “Did they participate in the battle to eliminate the Divine Apes?” Dayu said, “At the beginning of the war, they did participate, but later, for some reason, they withdrew from the battle. Taoism hadn’t yet risen at that time, and their meager strength wasn’t even considered significant by us. Aside from the Queen Mother of the West and the Three Pure Ones, the rest were insignificant figures. That’s why we paid no attention. We haven’t explored the reasons either.”
Wukong quickly asked, “Were there any Taoists among those who personally killed the Seven Divine Apes?”
Dayu laughed and said, “That’s ridiculous. With their strength, how could they possibly kill the Seven Divine Apes?”
Wukong’s expression remained calm, but his mind was in turmoil. At that moment, he couldn’t help but recall the dream he had in the belly of the volcano.
Taoism also participated in the battle to eliminate the Divine Apes, but it never saw it through to the end.
The Heavenly Court, the Queen Mother of the West, the Peach Trees…
Could all these pieces fit together to suggest that someone in Taoism knew the consequences of destroying creation, which is why they only took the peach tree and then retreated?
The peach I ate must have been extraordinary. It is said that there are 3,600 peach trees in the Queen Mother’s peach garden. Could this be related to the peach tree they took?

The peaches of immortality can prolong life, and with such an abundance, possessing this garden and using it wisely could indeed bring all the immortals under one’s control. It is said that after an imperial examination, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, stood on the Wu Men gate tower and watched the newly appointed scholars enter the court one after another. Overjoyed, he said to those around him, “All the heroes in the world are now in my grasp.” I wonder if the Queen Mother of the West also felt the same way after obtaining the peach trees.

From Dayu’s implied words, it seems that the Three Pure Ones and the Queen Mother did not yet enjoy the lofty status they have today; they were merely ordinary immortals. Could they have had such far-reaching plans and considerations back then?

No! Even ancient deities like Dayu likely did not know the secrets of the peaches of immortality. As later generations, how could they possibly know them on their own? Surely someone must have been guiding them from behind! And that person also knew that those who defy fate will be abandoned by fate!

This person is no ordinary individual.

Seeing Wukong deep in thought, Dayu asked, “Are you thinking about going back?”

Wukong shook his head and said, “I’ve thought of some old friends. That’s why I’m silent. Going back… isn’t urgent either. I have a vague feeling that there are still matters unfinished here.”

Dayu said, “You must know that I didn’t let you leave earlier because the God of Metal, the God of Fire, and the God of Wood had been cultivating the arts of the five elements here for many years, each providing excellent places for you to practice. Now that you’ve achieved success in your studies, it’s time for you to leave.”

Zhu Rong snapped out of her thoughts. She had an open-minded nature, and her straightforward and bold personality could never change. She asked directly, “What else is there?”

Wukong said, “Before coming here, one of my brothers mentioned a mythical beast called the qilin, with whom he had a close connection. I heard from Chi Songzi that the qilin is here, so I wanted to meet it.”

Upon hearing the word “qilin,” Zhu Rong’s expression changed. She said, “If it’s not important, why see it?”

Wukong asked, “What, can the qilin eat people?”

Zhu Rong replied resentfully, “Of course not. Ever since that qilin arrived here, it’s fought countless battles with us. I… I really don’t want to see it.” It seemed she hadn’t gained any advantage from it.

Dayu laughed and said, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. It’s because she saw that the qilin’s control over fire far surpassed hers, so she kept challenging it over and over again, only to return defeated each time.”

Wukong asked, “Is the qilin that powerful?”

All three nodded and said, “When it comes to one-on-one combat, aside from the phoenix, no one in the world can match the qilin.”

Wukong asked, “I’ve heard that the qilin is the king of all beasts. What’s so special about it?”

Dayu said, “When heaven and earth unite, five categories of beings are born: the scaled, the scaled with fins, the furred, the feathered, and the insectoid. The scaled refer to aquatic creatures, the furred to land animals, the feathered to birds, and the insectoid to insects. Each of these five categories has its own king—the king of aquatic creatures is the Dragon King, the king of land animals is the Qilin, the king of birds is the Phoenix, and the king of insects is called Xiangliu.”
“What about the king of the scaled creatures?” Wukong asked.
Dayu looked at Wukong and smiled bitterly. “In the past, the Seven Divine Apes were naturally the kings of the scaled creatures. But later on, alas, among humans, no one would submit to another, so thus, the scaled creatures had no king.”