togophonebook Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chen Fan gripped the pen, feeling as if he could control this world.
He strode toward the calligraphy scroll, ignoring its blinding golden light.
He raised the Emperor's Brush, using heaven and earth as paper and his magical power as ink.
In the void, a single word was written.
"Imperial Edict!"
After the character was written, the Emperor's Brush turned into light fragments and disappeared into the air.
The golden light on the six-syllable mantra scroll dimmed instantly, turning it into an ordinary piece of yellow paper, which floated down from the boulder.
"Boom!"
The entire Wuzhi Mountain shook violently, rocks crumbled, and the ground trembled.
At the foot of the mountain, Sun Wukong felt the restraints loosen and let out a deafening roar.
"Hey, Old Sun, I'm out here!"
The mountains collapsed and the earth cracked.
The calligraphy scroll transformed into an ordinary object, and the Five Finger Mountain that had suppressed Sun Wukong for five hundred years finally collapsed.
"Crack... Boom!"
The massive mountain split open in the middle, and countless rocks tumbled down.
A golden light shot into the sky, stirring up the clouds.
A figure shot into the sky from the collapsed mountainside, somersaulted in mid-air, and landed steadily.
He was covered in golden hair and had a small build, yet he possessed earth-shattering power.
With his sharp eyes scanning this familiar yet unfamiliar land, his gaze held a mixture of madness and joy that had been suppressed for five hundred years.
"Five hundred years! I, Old Sun, have finally emerged!"
Sun Wukong roared to the sky, his voice booming and carrying for miles.
The birds and beasts in the mountains all lay on the ground, trembling.
Not far away, the mountain god and the earth god were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they collapsed to the ground.
That mischievous monkey has really shown up!
Chen Fan came down from the mountaintop and looked at Sun Wukong, who had regained his freedom, with a smile on his face.
Sun Wukong also saw him, and with a somersault, he was in front of him.
"Good lad, you certainly didn't disappoint me, Old Sun!"
He patted Chen Fan's shoulder hard, so hard that Chen Fan felt like his bones were about to fall apart.
"From now on, you're my brother, Old Sun!"
"Under the heavens, who dares to lay a finger on you? They'll have to ask the stick in my hand first!"
Sun Wukong spoke with great bravado.
[Ding! Main quest, Part 1: Help Sun Wukong escape his predicament, is complete.]
[Mission Evaluation: Perfect. The host, with a mortal body, defied the heavens and completed the mission independently without relying on Sun Wukong's power in the slightest.]
[Task Rewards: 1000 Journey to the West Points, Fragment of the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts" (Earth Immortal Scroll), Iron Ruyi Needle (Imitation)]
[Main Quest Part 2 Unlocked: Renowned Throughout the Three Realms.]
[Mission Description: Sun Wukong's premature escape has disrupted the Buddhist sect's plans, which will inevitably cause a massive upheaval. The host needs to ensure that the name "Chen Fan" becomes known to the powerful beings of the Three Realms for the first time during this event.]
[Task Reward: ???]
[Punishment for mission failure: Annihilation by either Buddhism or Heaven.]
The generous reward made Chen Fan's heart flutter, but the next task made his scalp tingle.
Famous throughout the Three Realms?
Isn't this like putting yourself in a very dangerous situation?
He's just a newly ascended Earth Immortal cultivator; any celestial soldier or general could easily crush him.
"Hey bro, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing that he was in a daze again, Sun Wukong waved his hand in front of his eyes.
Chen Fan came to his senses:
"Great Sage, now that you've come out, what are your plans?"
"Intend?"
Sun Wukong scratched his cheek. "I, Old Sun, have been imprisoned for five hundred years. I have to settle this score with that old man, Buddha!"
As he spoke, he prepared to ride his somersault cloud straight to the Western Paradise.
"Great Sage, wait!"
Chen Fan quickly grabbed him.
"Going to find Buddha now is just suicide, isn't it?"
Sun Wukong frowned:
"What, you look down on me, Old Sun?"
"I don't look down on you."
Chen Fan shook his head. "Great Sage, you have been suppressed for five hundred years, which has greatly depleted your magical power. Your physical body has also been inactive for a long time. Your strength is probably less than 30% of what it was back then."
"But the Buddha, over the past five hundred years, the Dharma has become increasingly profound. If you go now, what difference will it make compared to five hundred years ago? Won't you just be suppressed by him for another five hundred years?"
Sun Wukong stopped moving.
He remained silent; what Chen Fan said was indeed true.
He could feel that although the demonic power within him was still vast, it was somewhat weak and far less solid than when he was at his peak.
"Then tell me, what should we do?"
Sun Wukong asked.
He himself didn't realize that he had started listening to the opinions of this mortal brother.
Chen Fan smiled. He knew that the "defection" plan was already halfway to success.
Sun Wukong was no longer the reckless man who only knew how to fight and kill; he started to use his brain.
"Great Sage, revenge is not something to be rushed. What we need to do now is not to go to Mount Ling to die, but to accumulate strength and plan our next move slowly."
"Our first step should be to return to Flower Fruit Mountain."
"Flower and Fruit Mountain?"
Sun Wukong's eyes darkened slightly. "That place... has already been burned."
"Burn it down, rebuild it."
Chen Fan said, "You are the King of Ten Thousand Demons, and Flower Fruit Mountain is your root. Only by returning there, regrouping, and gathering your old troops will you have the capital to challenge the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect."
"Besides, your monkey offspring are still living a miserable life, waiting for you to save them."
"Rescue the monkeys and their offspring..." Sun Wukong murmured to himself, his eyes burning with renewed fire.
Yes, he is not alone.
He is the Monkey King, the master of Flower Fruit Mountain.
"Alright! We'll do as you say and go back to Flower Fruit Mountain!"
Sun Wukong made up his mind.
"But before I leave, there are a few small things I need to take care of."
He turned his head and looked with his sharp eyes at the mountain god and the earth god lying softly on the ground not far away.
The two little deities were so frightened they almost lost their souls and scrambled over to their knees.
"Great Sage, spare me! Great Sage, spare me!"
"We were just following orders; we had no choice!"
Sun Wukong sneered:
"Acting under orders? I've been imprisoned here for five hundred years, and you two have certainly cut back on my food quite a bit, haven't you?"
"Also, there's some kind of Black Wind Monster living within a hundred miles of this place. He often comes here to bully and oppress people. You two local bullies, do you even know that?"
The mountain god and the earth god were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly, like they were pounding garlic.
"Great Sage, you are wise! That Black Wind Monster is the demon king of Black Wind Cave in Black Wind Mountain. He is incredibly powerful, and we...we are no match for him!"
The Earth God had a mournful face.
"Oh? So you're admitting it?"
A murderous glint flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes.
"Great Sage, I'm innocent!"
The mountain god hurriedly defended himself, "Although we are no match for him, we have never colluded with that demon king! We are utterly loyal to you, Great Sage!"
"Yes, yes, we were even thinking of helping this young immortal tear up the decree!"
The local earth god echoed this sentiment.
Chen Fan listened from the side, sneering inwardly.
These two old foxes are masters of opportunism.
Sun Wukong wasn't so easily fooled. Just as he was about to make a move, Chen Fan stopped him.
"Great Sage, these two minor deities are useless to kill; we might as well keep them."
"Keep it?"
Sun Wukong was puzzled.
"After we leave, the Buddhist sect and the Heavenly Court will definitely send people to investigate."
Chen Fan explained, "Keeping them around allows us to spread false information and muddy the waters."
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up:
"That's interesting. What do you plan to do?"
Chen Fan walked up to the two minor deities, squatted down, and said with a smile:
"Two immortals, do you want to live?"
"Yes! Yes!"
The two nodded like chicks pecking at rice.
"It's very simple."
Chen Fan said, "From today onwards, you shall tell the world that Sun Wukong was rescued by a mysterious master who happened to be passing by. That master possessed extraordinary strength, breaking the Buddha's decree with a single finger and taking Sun Wukong away, his whereabouts unknown."
"As for me, just say that I was just a mortal who happened to be passing by and was caught in the crossfire of the battle, and that I have been reduced to ashes."