Volume 1: Unsayable, Chapter 554: The Nine Spiritual Energies

Seeing that Wukong and his two companions were all at the level of Taiyi Golden Immortals, Taiyi Tianzun did not dare slack off in the slightest. He moved swiftly, dodging left and right while shouting commands nonstop. Yet Wukong and his companions turned a deaf ear, leaving Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun utterly confused about who these three might be.

Enraged, the Bull Demon King threw aside his iron rod and revealed his true form—a giant white ox over a thousand eight hundred feet long, charging at Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun like a mountain. Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun felt that the Nine Spiritual Saints were also struggling hard to break free. If he tried to dodge, he feared he wouldn’t be able to control them. So he drew out his Bagua Mirror and placed it in front of him, waiting for the Bull Demon King to attack it.

Tongfeng shouted, “No!” He reached into his robe and pulled out a small yellow flag, which quickly grew larger, covering the sky and blocking between the Bull Demon King and the Bagua Mirror. The Bull Demon King continued his charge, slamming into the mirror with the yellow flag.

With a crack, the Bagua Mirror was split open. A purple light shot out from the crack, dissipating its magical power. This purple light happened to reach Wukong. With quick thinking, Wukong used some unknown spell to suck up the entire purple light into his mouth, not letting a single bit escape.

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, too worried about the Bagua Mirror, pointed at the small yellow flag, his voice trembling with fear as he asked, “This… this yellow treasure flag, where… where did you get it?”

Tongfeng did not answer. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved the flag. When he faced the Bull Demon King again, although the small yellow flag protected him, he was still dazed. The Bagua Mirror was Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun’s precious defensive artifact—extremely sturdy—and yet it had been shattered by a single strike from the Bull Demon King.

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun calmed down, put away the Bagua Mirror, and shook his fan to release the Nine Spiritual Saints. He frowned deeply, as if making some decision. After a moment, he finally said, “Since you all want to save this lion-man, as for today’s incident… well, just consider me never having been here.” Without waiting for anyone’s reply, he turned and flew away.

Wukong was also very puzzled to see how easily Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun became conciliatory after seeing the small yellow flag.

Tongfeng leaped onto the Bull Demon King’s head, slapping and shouting, “You foolish old ox! If it weren’t for this flag, you’d already be dead!”

The Bull Demon King was still confused, his mind in chaos. He kept muttering, “This glass mirror is actually three times harder than my iron rod.”

Tongfeng found it both amusing and infuriating. How could the Great Heavenly Lord Who Relieves Suffering be such an extraordinary figure, and would his personal protective talismans be of ordinary quality? This old ox didn’t know his limits and just charged headfirst—truly a reckless fighting style.

The Bull Demon King recovered after a while, shook his head, and reverted to his true form. There, the Nine Spirits Sacred Being hovered in the air, having already retracted his nine heads. His once plump body had somehow become shriveled and yellow, looking much older.

The Nine Spirits Sacred Being approached and said, “I’m fortunate to have the help of these three, who saved me from today’s disaster. I will remember this kindness forever.”

As for Wukong, a purple light shot out from the Eight Trigrams Mirror and was swallowed by him, leaving him frozen mid-air. In an instant, the purple light moved downward, uncontrollably, straight into his dantian. Inside the dantian, the several masses of primordial energy, which usually resembled the world at its inception—neither fully active nor still—seemed to change. The purple light circled within the dantian, as affectionate as a child reunited with their parents, and merged into the mass of energy associated with the Tao Te Ching.

Immediately, that mass of energy expanded like a balloon, with faint purple traces appearing in its milky white strands. Since the dantian wasn’t infinite, when the mass expanded to its limit, it came into contact with the mass of energy from “Free and Easy Wandering.” The two masses, one large and one small, lay side by side without any further movement.

Wukong waited for a while. Seeing that the purple light didn’t serve any other purpose and unsure whether it was a blessing or a curse, he stopped paying attention to it.

Tongfeng led the Nine Spirits Sacred Being to Wukong, and after introducing themselves, Wukong was surprised to learn that the Nine Spirits Sacred Being’s name was actually “Yuan Sheng.”

Seeing that the Nine Spirits Sacred Being had expended a great deal of energy in the battle, Wukong said, “Brother Yuan Sheng, don’t rush to talk. It’s better to find a quiet place to recuperate.”

Yuan Sheng nodded and said, “There’s no need to recuperate. It’s just that I’ve arrived at this Leopard Head Mountain for the first time, yet I’ve made these kind saviors stand and talk—my manners are truly inadequate.”

He then led Wukong and the others to the ground. The many small demons there, seeing their ancestor unharmed, cheered loudly. The Yellow Lion and Snow Lion, along with hundreds of their kin, blocked Wukong and his companions, bowed deeply, and when they looked up again, most were crying with joy, their emotions showing openly.

Wukong glanced at the Nine Spirits Sacred Being and said, “That wouldn’t be proper. We’re all demons; everything should be natural. Being too polite would only seem stingy.”

Seeing Wukong’s bold attitude, Yuan Sheng snapped, “Hurry down and arrange some hospitality!” Hearing their ancestor’s order, the demons were overjoyed and rushed off to prepare.

Wukong, seeing the deep affection between these small demons and the Nine Spirits Sacred Being, also thought of the monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain and felt greatly relieved.

The four of them entered the cave and took their seats. All sorts of fine wines, delicacies, and rare treasures were brought out one after another. Seeing that the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage had recovered so much just after traveling this short distance, with his previously listless expression gone and his fur regaining its former luster, Wukong couldn’t help but admire his cultivation level greatly. He said, “Brother Primordial Sage, what cultivation method do you practice? How could you recover so much in just a short while?”

The Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage replied, “To be honest, the fact that I can grow nine heads means I have mastered the Nine-Spirit Mysterious Art to perfection. From the nine heavens down to the netherworld, I can control any spirit or demon without a master, and the same goes for healing!”

Wukong was shocked. Such abilities were truly against the laws of nature. If he were to fight someone, who else could have as many helpers as him? Seeing the shocked expressions on the three others’ faces, the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage explained further, “Though that’s the case, this magic has many limitations. Using it once consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. I wouldn’t use it lightly unless my life is in danger.”

Wukong nodded. Powerful magic was always like this. If it could be used without conditions, that would truly be against the laws of nature. He then asked, “I wonder who that person was just now and how you ended up in conflict with him?”

Speaking of that battle, the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage was filled with grief and anger. He said resentfully, “I don’t know who that Taoist is either. He must have had ulterior motives against me for a long time and attacked at a critical moment during my cultivation. I fought back in haste and suffered heavy losses.”

Wukong thought for a moment before asking tentatively, “Could it be that there’s… some treasure on Brother Primordial Sage’s person?”

The Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage was taken aback, then smiled and said, “In this whole world, I’m probably the poorest demon. Not to mention treasures, I don’t even have a weapon.”

Wukong was surprised and asked, “Then why would that Taoist risk his life like that?”

Tongfeng thought Wukong’s question was too naive and replied on his behalf, “Wukong, are you really ignorant or pretending to be ignorant? Brother Primordial Sage is the most precious treasure in the world.”

Huh? The Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage was actually a treasure? Wukong looked at him, and the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage showed no sign of denial, smiling gently as he waited for Tongfeng to continue.

Tongfeng said, “Just think—Brother Primordial Sage can command the immortals of the nine heavens and the demons of the netherworld. Leaving his combat strength aside, just consider the spiritual energy these immortals and demons bring. If one could possess Brother Primordial Sage, cultivation would be effortless. Is there another such treasure in the whole world?”

Wukong began to understand, but it was still hazy, as if covered by a layer of mist. He would only fully comprehend it once Tongfeng cleared that mist. Seeing Wukong’s confused state, Tongfeng sighed and said, “Wukong, when you’re smart, even I can’t keep up with you. But when you’re dull, you’re beyond my reach too.”

The Bull Demon King could no longer hold back and shouted, “What’s unclear? In this Heavenly Court, from the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors and Bodhisattvas to the Kitchen God, Thunder God, and Earth God—whose cultivation relies on their own efforts? None of them do; they all depend on the power of others. When they take time to visit the mortal world, those ordinary people, fools and simpletons who offer sacrifices on altars, hang images on walls, and worship day and night with incense and gifts—aren’t they all famous immortals? With each worship, each day of offering, their faith grows a little, and their fortune increases day by day. Now do you understand?”
Wukong finally saw the light. No wonder the immortals could live carefree and indulge in pleasure all day long. It turned out that in this mortal world, countless people sacrificed their fortunes for them, so there was no need for them to meditate and endure loneliness.