Chapter 123: The Executioner's Blade

"There."

Xiao Yu had not placed any barrier around the primordial spiritual treasure bestowed upon Yuan Wuji by the Jade Emperor. Relying on his telepathic senses, Yuan Wuji easily pinpointed its location. Perhaps it was because the aura of a primordial spiritual treasure stood in such stark contrast to that of other artifacts that he was able to detect it instantly.

In Yuan Wuji’s room, a jade box had appeared. The aura of the treasure emanated from within. He gently stroked the surface of the box, anticipating what kind of primordial treasure lay inside.

"Open."

Yuan Wuji lifted the lid, revealing a large blade. The hilt was three feet and two inches long, with a blade as wide as a palm and matching the length of the hilt.

"Executioner's Blade."

The moment Yuan Wuji made contact with the blade, a surge of information flooded his mind. It was a low-grade primordial spiritual treasure, possessing the power to split mountains and shatter rocks. True to its nature, the primordial treasure possessed an innate supernatural ability beyond that of any acquired artifact. This "Mountain-Shattering" ability allowed the blade to bypass a portion of an enemy's defenses, achieving significantly more devastating results.

"A fine blade."

Yuan Wuji held the weapon, admiring it with an indescribable sense of excitement. This was the first primordial treasure that truly belonged to him. As for the Nine-Dragon Fire Cover he had snatched from Nezha, he had no idea what kind of tampering the Great Sage Taiyi had performed on it; Yuan Wuji found it impossible to control. Beyond devouring the dragon souls to bolster his own cultivation, it served no other purpose for him.

Only now, having obtained the Executioner's Blade, did Yuan Wuji realize how powerful the Nine-Dragon Fire Cover truly was. Judging by how Nezha had wielded it, despite both being low-grade primordial spiritual treasures, the Fire Cover was clearly far superior to the Executioner's Blade. However, Yuan Wuji did not mind; in his hands, the Fire Cover was of little use, making the blade a more practical choice.

In the Divine Ape Mansion, Yuan Wuji felt awkward seeking out Xiao Yu, so he decided to go for a stroll. With Sun Wukong suppressed by the Buddha under the Five Elements Mountain, the prehistoric world would enjoy a period of relative peace, which he could use to further his own cultivation.

Perhaps he could head down to the mortal realm and visit Sun Wukong at the Five Elements Mountain.

The mountain was guarded by the Four Duty Gods and the Five Directional Guardians. If he were to intrude recklessly, he would certainly be discovered. However, Yuan Wuji’s strength had improved; his Tiangang Golden Core had reached the third revolution, and with his mastery of the Thirty-Six Transformations of Tiangang, he was absolutely confident he would not be detected. He would only attempt the visit because the deities assigned to guard Sun Wukong were of mediocre power.

***

Having achieved the third revolution of the Tiangang Golden Core, all the supernatural abilities associated with the Thirty-Six Transformations had improved, most notably the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming arts.

Now, when he employed the "Golden Light Ground-Traversal" technique, he moved much faster than before. Within a few breaths, he arrived before the Five Elements Mountain. To enter, he needed to change his form.

*Whoosh.*

With a turn, Yuan Wuji transformed into an old man, leaning on a cane and limping toward the mountain.

"Brother, why is there an old man here?"
"That shouldn't be! The Five Elements Mountain has only just appeared, and Sun Wukong’s roars echo day and night. Aside from birds and beasts, no mortal would dare come within a step of this place. Why would an old man show up today?"

The old man, disguised as Yuan Wuji, caught the attention of the deities guarding Sun Wukong from the sky.

"Keep a close watch on Sun Wukong. It's just an old man. As long as no demons enter the mountain, it is none of our concern," a majestic, middle-aged man said, frowning. Though he felt the old man’s sudden appearance was strange, he could detect nothing amiss and decided to let it be.

"True enough, just a mortal old man. It seems we’ve become too on edge from Sun Wukong’s roaring, to the point where even a mortal makes us anxious."

The deities in the sky could not see through Yuan Wuji’s transformation, but through his heightened telepathic senses, Yuan Wuji was acutely aware of their every move. After completing the three revolutions of his golden cores, his senses had been vastly enhanced. The moment he entered the mountain, he had activated them, and the sheer scale of the improvement surprised even him. That a group of Taiyi loose immortals could not detect him at all was enough to excite him.

Yuan Wuji continued his slow, limping pace toward the heart of the mountain. The faint, intermittent roars were becoming clearer.

"Since when has Sun Wukong been so vocal? This doesn't seem like him."

Yuan Wuji was puzzled by the cries coming from deep within the mountain. It was not like Sun Wukong to behave this way. Even when suppressed, there were no other demons here; only Sun Wukong was imprisoned. He couldn't quite make sense of it. Had he been addled by the fires of Taishang Laojun's Eight-Trigram Furnace? But if he were insane, how would he ever go on the journey to retrieve the scriptures? It didn't make sense.

As Yuan Wuji drew closer, the roars suddenly ceased.

"Perhaps he has discovered me."

Yuan Wuji continued his slow approach until he finally saw a monkey’s head. Its blood-red eyes were a sign of terror, seemingly warning the approaching old man to stay back.

"Who goes there?" Sun Wukong roared.

"An acquaintance."

Yuan Wuji did not speak aloud, choosing instead to communicate through divine thought.

"Oh?"

Sun Wukong’s blood-red pupils contracted sharply, and then he realized.

"Are you the Divine Ape King?" Sun Wukong replied, also using divine thought.

"Your Fiery Eyes of Truth see through me, then." Yuan Wuji could think of no other way the monkey could have identified him.

"I can only see a vague outline, not the whole truth. It was mostly a guess."

Seeing that it was Yuan Wuji, Sun Wukong’s expression calmed significantly. Though his eyes remained blood-red, Yuan Wuji could see the spark of reason returning to them.

"Why have you taken this form? It doesn't suit you."

"It is all because of the Jade Emperor. He actually had my monkey subjects at the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit..." Sun Wukong told him everything he knew.

Imprisoned under the mountain, Sun Wukong had lost touch with his kin in the heavenly dungeons. Every time he speculated on their fate—fearing the worst for his subjects—he would lose control, resulting in the frantic state Yuan Wuji had witnessed upon his arrival.

"So that is it."

It was as Yuan Wuji had expected. Sun Wukong had humiliated the Jade Emperor and nearly harmed the little fairy. Even with the backing of the Buddhist school, the Jade Emperor could not touch Sun Wukong himself, so he made the monkeys on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit suffer in his stead.