Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told Chapter 163: The Divine Weapon Completed

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Before long, a hundred years had passed.

In front of the Heaven-Storing Cave in the Realm of the Self, the Bull Demon King stepped out of the cave full of vigor. With one leap, he reached the summit and saw the rising sun shining brilliantly.

He had sequestered himself for a full hundred years, and his cultivation had advanced greatly. His muscles and bones had become as strong as those of a vajra-being. Realizing that his own life magic weapon was now highly refined, he felt overjoyed. Suddenly, he felt an urge to test his skills against someone else.

At that moment, he saw four figures flying in the sky from due north, heading straight for the Heaven-Storing Cave. Upon closer inspection, they were Jun Mang, Ru Shou, Feng Tong, and Wang Yu. The Bull Demon King was overjoyed. Ru Shou had defeated him a hundred years ago; today was the perfect chance to avenge himself.

He raised his iron rod and stepped forward to block their path. Feng Tong, recognizing the Bull Demon King, said with a smile, “Where are you off to, Second Brother Niu?” The Bull Demon King said to Ru Shou, “Come on, let’s fight again.”

Wang Yu stepped forward and said, “Me?”

“You’re no match for me. Send over the one with the axe,” said the Bull Demon King.

With a thought, Ru Shou sent two short axes flying, which landed in Wang Yu’s hands. Wang Yu crossed the axes in a cross shape. The sunlight reflected off the axe blades and shone on the Bull Demon King’s face, reminding him of his past defeat. Filled with rage, he swung his iron rod at Wang Yu, who raised his axes to block it.

The Bull Demon King was surprised that Wang Yu dared to withstand his attack, as it was very different from their usual battles. With a sharp crack, his iron rod was sent flying back.

“The strength is remarkable!” he exclaimed. Unaware that Wang Yu was using the “Shock” technique from the Divine Golden Art, not brute force, the two continued fighting. Wang Yu held his own and even used ingenious tactics, preventing the Bull Demon King from using his strength effectively. After a while, Wang Yu launched his Divine Slicing Circle. The Bull Demon King, anticipating this move, threw his iron rod, which was deflected by Wang Yu’s axes and captured by the Divine Slicing Circle.

The Bull Demon King chanted a spell, and a giant golden bull appeared before him, its entire body as hard as steel. Wang Yu glanced at it and sighed, not knowing how to attack.

He was well aware of the power of Ru Shou’s two short axes. If the fight continued, even the Bull Demon King’s iron-strong body might suffer injuries. Therefore, he didn’t want to fight any longer.

At that moment, Feng Tong leaped forward and shouted, “Wang Yu, step back!”

The Great White Ox shook its head and tail, charging straight at Fengtong. Fengtong dodged aside with his agile movements, drawing hisMiao knife knife and slashing down at the ox’s back. The Great White Ox tried to avoid it by turning sideways, but its massive size meant the blade still grazed its side, producing a grinding sound as it left a shallow scar on its right rib.

Seeing how tough the ox’s body was, Jumang and Rushou were also impressed.

Fengtong realized that hisMiao knife knife was sharp, yet the Ox Demon King was incredibly strong. A head-on fight would likely result in mutual damage, so he retracted his knife. As he chanted an incantation, strands of green energy emerged like vines from his palms, wrapping around the ox’s four hooves.

The ox made a slight movement, and the green energy dispersed, gathering back into a mass in the air. After mastering the wood control technique, Fengtong effortlessly cast the earth-level spell “Vine Art.” More and more green energy appeared, and in just a moment, it covered the entire ox. The ox’s movements slowed down, its steps becoming sluggish.

Unfazed, the Great White Ox charged at Fengtong, still surrounded by green energy. Fengtong, with his extreme agility, avoided being touched by the ox, constantly dodging while casting spells. After a while, the green energy began to solidify. Fengtong changed his hand gestures, causing the energy to transform into tangible green vines that tightly wrapped around the ox. The vines intertwined, forming numerous knots as if a giant net covered the ox’s body. This spell, known as “Thousand Knots,” evolved from Vine Art and was already a heaven-level wood spell.

Only then did the Great White Ox realize something was wrong, but it was too late to confront the power of the green energy. Trapped by Thousand Knots, the ox struggled to take even a step. Lacking sharp claws, it couldn’t tear the vines apart. But the Ox Demon King was far from helpless—he suddenly grew towering, making the vines as thin as spider silk, yet they never broke.

These vines were made of pure wood energy, not real plants, so they couldn’t break. But with this spell, it became a battle of magical power between the two—one trying to tighten the net, the other to escape. It was hard to tell who was stronger at first.

Seeing that neither side could gain the upper hand, Wang Yu drew his demon-slaying sword, leaped onto the Great White Ox, and with a light lift, severed several vines. With that, all the restraints collapsed, and the ox was freed instantly.

Fengtong laughed heartily. He had turned the tide from a disadvantageous position, trapping the Ox Demon King, whose physical strength far surpassed his own. It was a surprise to him—wood spells, used properly, were no less effective than other offensive spells.

At this moment, the Bull Demon King also reverted to his human form, still panting heavily. He said, “Such a stubborn thing. Did that thin man with the green face teach you this?”
Fengtong, hearing his disrespect toward Jiumang, replied, “If he used this technique, even after a hundred years you wouldn’t be able to escape.”
The Bull Demon King thought for a while. If it weren’t for Wang Yu’s help earlier, he could only hold his own against Fengtong. If that thin man took action himself, it might indeed be true. Wukong must have found so many strange people from some unknown place, each more formidable than the last.
Fengtong asked, “Is Wukong in the cave?”
The Bull Demon King replied, “I’ve been in seclusion for a hundred years; how could I know?”
Fengtong said, “He must be in seclusion too. Let’s return to the cave for now.” And so the five of them flew back to the Cuntian Cave—no further mention of it.
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Deep underground, in the thousand-foot-high fire cave, the process of refining the golden essence iron rod had reached its final stage. Wukong had been awakened early by Dayu and couldn’t intervene, so he watched intently from the side.
Seeing that the golden essence liquid in the Xirang furnace had fully merged into one, Dayu took out the Ruyi Lock Demon Rod from his arms and threw it into the furnace, aiming to perfect the golden essence. Then, Dayu concentrated and held his breath, drawing out all his own essence and blood from the furnace to achieve utmost purity. By then, only pure golden essence remained in the furnace.
Dayu sent a message to Wukong, “Quickly pour your essence and blood into the furnace.”
Wukong stretched out his hand from afar and pointed; a blood arrow shot straight into the furnace.
Zhu Rong’s three kinds of true fire changed unpredictably, with flames of various colors dancing at his fingertips. Clumps of these flames were thrown into the furnace, enveloping the golden essence. Clad in red, her face resembled a full moon under the flames, and her solemn expression added to her extraordinary beauty.
Wukong’s essence and blood merged with the golden essence without any hindrance in an instant. A smile gradually appeared on Dayu’s face as he transformed the shape of the Xirang furnace, and Zhu Rong gradually reduced the intensity of her flames.
Although Wukong had been meditating and cultivating his energy for a hundred years, he had always devoted some of his focus to watching the two refine the artifact. Now that it was nearing completion, he suddenly realized that the process of crafting an artifact also embodied the principles of the Great Dao.
From the initial slow heating to the subsequent intense burning, through countless repetitions—observing both the internal and external aspects, combined with the influence of the external environment and nourishment from internal essence and blood—only then could something be created. If a person were compared to this furnace, how similar was this process to the path of cultivation? As the Taoists say: Nourish the innate, utilize the natural true fire within the furnace, strip away all subsequent yin qualities, and when yin is gone, yang remains pure, enduring forever.
Thus, the purer the true fire, the more impurities are removed from the furnace, resulting in an artifact of even greater value. His iron rod, aided by the fire god Zhu Rong and refined in the world’s unique Xirang furnace, was naturally rare on earth and hard to find in heaven.

After a while, the task was completed. Dayu and Zhurong both breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for the iron rod to cool on its own. During the lull, Dayu said, “It’s quite strange. This golden essence was awakened by Laojun and then united through his efforts, thus completing its karmic cycle.” Wukong asked, “How did it become awakened by Laojun?” Dayu replied, “When the golden essence was first discovered, Zhurong wasn’t around. I didn’t have enough heat to melt it. At that time, the Three Pure Ones happened to pass by and lent me their fire, helping me transform the golden essence. That’s why it’s said to have been awakened by Laojun. Today, it was again Laojun who lent his fire, allowing the golden essence to reach perfection. This iron rod has a deep connection with him.” Wukong was surprised by this story and marveled inwardly. A day later, when Dayu put away the furnace, he saw a dark iron rod standing in its center. The rod was pitch black, having lost its original golden luster and appearing plain and unadorned. Upon seeing it, Wukong was shocked. He quickly reached out and took the rod. As this divine weapon contained the essence of the divine ape, it naturally became Wukong’s life treasure. When first taken out of the fire, the rod was unbearably hot, but Wukong paid it no mind. As soon as he touched it, he felt as though the rod and he were one. With his magical power, he could control it effortlessly. As he swung it, the tip bent slightly, caused by vibrations. Dayu and Zhurong watched for a while and felt a sense of wonder, thinking it was truly miraculous. Wukong was astonished far beyond them—he could never have imagined that the four Ruyi Golden Cudgels, combined with the blood of the divine ape, could forge the “Ruyi Tianji Rod,” ranked second in the “Instrument Canon”! That day, after seeing the “Ruyi Tianji Rod,” Wukong took several more looks and memorized its shape, which was identical to the iron rod in his hands. “Ruyi” referred to its ability to change shape. Although the previous Ruyi Golden Cudgels could also change shape, it was only in terms of size. But this Ruyi Tianji Rod could bend at will; if Wukong wished, he could even use it as a flexible whip, giving him a significant advantage in battle. A flexible whip weighing 54,000 jin was terrifying—few people in the world could withstand it. And even if that were its only use, it probably wouldn’t rank second in the “Instrument Canon.” After the Pangu Axe shattered, it could still transform into ancient artifacts like the Taiji Diagram, Pangu Banner, and the Four Swords to Exterminate Immortals—far surpassing ordinary treasures. The mystery of the Ruyi Tianji Rod likely lay not in “Ruyi” but in “Tianji.” It had only emerged as a golden essence, and today was the first time it saw the light of day. Perhaps no one could understand its secrets, and Wukong would have to explore them on his own. But since the rod had just been created, who had listed it in the “Instrument Canon”?