Chapter 107: Slumber

At this moment, Sun Wukong was sweeping through the six-thousand-year-old peaches, and Yuan Wuji faintly heard him say: “Six-thousand-year peaches taste better than the three-thousand-year ones.”

Hearing this, Sun Wukong fell silent for a long while. It seemed that what attracted him was the peaches themselves, not the benefits they granted.

After collecting thirty six-thousand-year-old peaches, Yuan Wuji closely followed Sun Wukong. To avoid detection, he filled one of the peaches with a potent wine nectar.

This nectar was made from fruit grown on a certain star, distilled into immortal wine with an incomparable fragrance. No matter how advanced the cultivator, even a sip would induce intoxication.

Moreover, Yuan Wuji filled an entire peach with this nectar. After Sun Wukong ate it, even his primordial spirit grew dizzy, making him oblivious to Yuan Wuji’s presence.

Since Sun Wukong would eventually steal the jade wine anyway, it was better to get drunk now and conceal himself properly.

As Sun Wukong bit into the wine-filled peach, Yuan Wuji nervously watched him, fearing he might sense something amiss.

“Six-thousand-year peaches with a hint of wine… truly fitting of the Heavenly Court,” Sun Wukong muttered softly, chewing thoughtfully. His expression revealed satisfaction with the wine-tinged fruit.

Relieved by Sun Wukong’s murmurs, Yuan Wuji felt at ease—no mishaps, at least for now.

After finishing the wine-infused peach, confusion gradually replaced the gleam in Sun Wukong’s eyes. His consumption of the peaches became disorderly.

Yet, as if drawn by an invisible bond, Sun Wukong moved toward the nine-thousand-year peaches. The three-thousand-year peaches were nearly depleted under his onslaught, and though the six-thousand-year peaches fared better thanks to Yuan Wuji’s intervention, they still suffered greatly.

Upon entering the nine-thousand-year peach grove, even in his confused state, Sun Wukong was captivated by the sight before him.

Like a puppet, he stepped forward to the last three nine-thousand-year peaches, picked one up, and chewed it steadily.

With that bite, Sun Wukong’s aura surged dramatically.

It was of the life attribute.

Wood element—twenty percent.

No, wood element… sixty percent.

Previously, Sun Wukong had devoured almost all the three-thousand-year peaches and a great many six-thousand-year peaches. Yuan Wuji had wondered why his wood elemental cultivation hadn’t improved despite this.

Now, it seemed that upon consuming the nine-thousand-year peaches, all the earlier peaches were somehow linked, and under the influence of life elemental cultivation, his power surged wildly.

Sun Wukong continued eating the next peach—wood element at seventy percent. The third peach—eighty percent.

In what seemed like an instant, Sun Wukong, who had not yet developed wood element cultivation, suddenly reached an eighty-percent level.

His wood element cultivation had surpassed his original metal element cultivation.

The ascent was so rapid that Sun Wukong could not help but fall asleep atop the peach tree. In deep slumber, he slowly transformed into a giant peach, bearing a striking resemblance to the ones he had consumed before.

As Sun Wukong slept, drowsiness also overcame Yuan Wuji, who involuntarily fell asleep among the peaches. Like Sun Wukong, he too transformed into the form of a nine-thousand-year peach.

This unforeseen turn of events startled Yuan Wuji. At the level of a Taiyi scattered immortal, it was impossible to feel drowsy; even centuries without sleep would not evoke such desire.

Yet, today, something unusual had occurred, likely connected to their cultivation of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches transformation.

The nine-thousand-year peaches were beyond the capacity of ordinary Taiyi scattered immortals; they could hardly benefit from them. But Sun Wukong and Yuan Wuji were different.

Their bodies could fully withstand the effects of the nine-thousand-year peaches, but crucially, their cultivation of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches transformation caused their bodies to undergo peculiar changes under special conditions.

The nine-thousand-year peaches bestowed upon them the strongest life attribute within the wood element. Under normal circumstances, such an anomaly would never occur—only in the peach orchard.

The nine-thousand-year peach tree was a spiritual root of heaven and earth, producing supreme spiritual treasures in the form of nine-thousand-year peaches. If other beings could not cultivate life attributes from eating these peaches, no special occurrences would happen in the orchard, even with assistance from elders.

But both Sun Wukong and Yuan Wuji developed life attributes from consuming the peaches, aligning with the characteristics of the nine-thousand-year peach tree. Thus, special phenomena were expected.

What set them apart was their cultivation of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches transformation, which amplified the benefits of this special situation. If the nine-thousand-year peach tree was the mother, then the nine-thousand-year peaches were its offspring. The best way to fully absorb the tree’s benefits was to transform into a thousand-year peach.

Of course, it was not a simple transformation.

The reason the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches transformation was not accessible to ordinary beings was not only due to the formidable body it required but also the powerful primordial spirit.

Ordinary shape-shifting techniques merely altered appearances, but the hallmark of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches transformation was the profound change of the primordial spirit, achieving an indistinguishable illusion.

No matter what form one transformed into, they truly became that being. Without special means, no one could tell the difference.

Therefore, Sun Wukong and Yuan Wuji were genuinely nine-thousand-year peaches at this moment. Accordingly, the life attributes within their bodies were continuously consolidated under the influence of the nine-thousand-year peaches.

The life attribute enhancement gained by devouring the nine-thousand-year peaches alone was unstable, but nourished by the peach tree, the foundation of their wood element cultivation grew exceptionally firm.

Especially for Sun Wukong, whose previously erratic wood element cultivation was now steadily solidifying, reaching a stable eighty percent.

Yuan Wuji’s wood element cultivation was not as flamboyant but similarly became stable under the peaches’ nurturing, rising to forty percent.

While the two enormous “peaches” slumbered, a strange light flashed upon the ground outside the orchard and swiftly entered it. A blurred figure cast a peculiar gaze at Yuan Wuji’s peach form.

But soon, its attention shifted elsewhere, greedily fixed on the nine-thousand-year peach tree. The shadowy figure swung a massive sleeve toward the tree, and the nine-thousand-year peach tree vanished as if it had never existed.

Yet, the keen-eyed would notice one less peach tree here. The figure fled the orchard swiftly, heading toward the mortal realm.

Unaware of the happenings outside, the sleeping Yuan Wuji and Sun Wukong remained in their peach forms.