Chapter Seventy-Nine: Return to the Mountain of Blossoms and Fruit

“Ah!”
The old Taoist’s essence was injected by Yuan Wujie into the body of the young woman, whose limbs were feeble. Yuan Wujie tossed her aside without a second thought.
During the process, the young man’s hatred steadily intensified, and at its peak, Yuan Wujie devoured it completely.
The young man’s hatred reached its zenith; though his cultivation was low, it served as a decent replenishment for Yuan Wujie, who cared little for the others. Especially the young woman—her emotions and desires shifted constantly, and toward the end they even transformed into a pink hue.
The pink aura was a sign that, at the final moment, the young woman’s body had betrayed her partner.
“The rest is up to you.”
Yuan Wujie returned control of the body to the old Taoist. With the deterrence already established, the remaining matters were well within the old Taoist’s ability to resolve.
The night rushed by, and when dawn broke, the old Taoist still clutched the precious mirror tightly, clearly shaken by the events of the previous night.
“Uncle Wu, good morning.”
It was the same two disciples as yesterday. Their shift was nearly over, and seeing Uncle Wu before the change was a stroke of luck.
“Good morning to you as well,” the old Taoist replied weakly, his voice drained.
With those words, he hurried away.
“Old Taoist, aren’t you planning to return to your sect?” Yuan Wujie asked knowingly. After what had transpired using the old Taoist’s body, it was impossible for the old Taoist to return, given his pride.
“No, I won’t.”
Aside from last night’s humiliation, he had also seen through the ugliness of his peers, leaving him with no desire to return.
“There’s no need to take it so hard. At least you gained something, didn’t you?”
“This…”
Last night’s events were thanks to Yuan Wujie’s help. Regardless of whether he could see their true faces, Yuan Wujie’s act of saving him was already beyond repayment.
“Thank you, Immortal,” the old Taoist finally said.
“Just hurry on your way.” With that, Yuan Wujie vanished as if into thin air.

The old Taoist now understood what he was thinking, but his pace on the clouds did not slacken for a moment.
The planned journey was shortened considerably; in ten days, the old Taoist arrived at the borders of Ao Lai Kingdom.
“Old Taoist, you may go now!”
At the frontier of Ao Lai, Yuan Wujie exited the old Taoist’s body, returning it fully to him.
The ten-day journey had its share of mishaps, but with Yuan Wujie’s assistance at critical moments, all dangers were overcome.
Moreover, the old Taoist’s aging body had been strengthened by Yuan Wujie, and his elderly appearance was gone—he now looked more like a middle-aged man.
“Well then, Immortal, I shall take my leave,” the old Taoist said, his tone tinged with reluctance.
Though Yuan Wujie had once filled him with fear, over the last ten days he realized Yuan Wujie was genuine—not merely terrifying, but deserving of gratitude.
Unlike those in his sect who wore masks, the old Taoist now preferred Yuan Wujie’s company to the pretense of his peers.
“Immortal…”
He wished to say more, but when he turned, Yuan Wujie was nowhere to be seen. The Immortal had departed, and with the speed of a Primordial Golden Immortal’s soul, he was already thousands of miles away in the blink of an eye.
Yuan Wujie had arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain, standing atop its peak.
If his guess was correct, Sun Wukong had already returned to Flower Fruit Mountain. Before leaving, Yuan Wujie had instructed King Yurong to wait for him there; surely King Yurong would know something about Sun Wukong’s “chaos in the underworld.”
“Big brother, where are you?”
That shout was from King Yurong.
Upon returning to Flower Fruit Mountain, Yuan Wujie sent out a divine thought. If King Yurong was there, he would sense it and hurry over at once.
Yuan Wujie also felt the call of his own body, and returned to it.
“I am here.”
Back in his own flesh, Yuan Wujie appeared before King Yurong in his true form, and his unstable emotions immediately settled.
During his time as a soul, Yuan Wujie’s unstable emotions had affected him greatly, even influencing his subconscious decisions.
Now, restored, Yuan Wujie was truly himself again. It seemed he could not casually leave his body in the future; the consequences were too great. Fortunately, little had gone wrong this time.

“Big brother, you’ve finally returned!” King Yurong ran to Yuan Wujie, excited.
“Second brother, has anything happened today?”
Given Sun Wukong’s personality, he would surely proclaim his deeds upon returning to Flower Fruit Mountain. King Yurong had stayed, so he must know much. Yuan Wujie asked to learn about Sun Wukong’s happenings, and to see whether the “chaos in the underworld” differed from the tales of his previous life.
“I heard Sun Wukong…”
King Yurong recounted everything he knew to Yuan Wujie.
The details matched those of the past almost exactly, with nothing particularly unusual.
Since there was no useful information, it was best to leave this dangerous place. If any hidden immortals or buddhas discovered him, it would bring trouble.
After all, this was a major event for Buddhism, and there was no room for error. Yuan Wujie had chosen this particular mountain and made certain adjustments—immortals and buddhas in the sky could not detect him, which was why he chose this spot to meet King Yurong.
Whether immortals, buddhas, gods, or demons, they would see only King Yurong on this mountain, never Yuan Wujie—unless they were at the Grandmaster realm.
But Yuan Wujie was confident that no immortals or buddhas at Flower Fruit Mountain were of the Grandmaster realm; at most, they were Primordial Golden Immortals.
As for why he was so certain the highest cultivation was Primordial Golden Immortal, after the end of the Investiture of the Gods, the Dao Ancestor Hongjun decreed that before and after Journey to the West, no cultivators above the Primordial realm were permitted in the human world.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun was the enforcer of the Heavenly Dao; his words were as law. At this critical moment for Buddhism, they would not dare defy him, lest the rise of Buddhism become uncertain.
It was a gamble that Buddhism could not afford to take.
“Big brother, after Sun Wukong’s soul was taken away, the Bull Demon King and the others left quickly as well.”
How could they linger? With the Bull Demon King’s background, he was surely aware of Sun Wukong’s situation. Leaving early showed good sense—Sun Wukong was protected by Buddhism and would not perish, but if they were accidentally caught, they would truly be trapped.
“That’s normal. But we should leave as well.”