Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 101: Grateful to the Master, No Regrets in Death

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Grateful to the Master, No Regrets in Death

But Kuafu kept chasing the sun recklessly, running after it into the chaos at the end of the sky and continuing the pursuit within the chaos.

After about half an hour, he finally arrived in Yu Valley.

This Yu Valley was a natural formation, an array of the Great Dao created when heaven and earth were split open. It was the place where the sun set, but within it was a boundless marsh. General had been arranging it for 120,000 years, intending to pull the sun into this endless swamp so that it could never emerge again, and from then on, the world would be without sunlight.

Once the sun fell into the boundless swamp, Di Jun would undoubtedly die. He was already torn apart, so how could he not perish without the sun? Moreover, without the sun, the star force from the heavenly bodies would be greatly diminished, and the grass and trees on earth would struggle to grow, with spiritual energy becoming scarce. Such a blow to the Three Realms was utterly terrifying.

Kuafu chased into Yu Valley and saw that the sun was already setting, about to fall into the boundless swamp.

"Ye heavenly stars, heed my command!" and with that, Kuafu raised the talisman in his hand, instantly causing star force to sprinkle down from all over the sky.

These forces of the stars each had a different purpose, some for conquest, some for slaughter, some for brutality... When these various star forces converged, their power seemed boundless, almost as if Pangu were splitting heaven and earth, striking the formation mightily with loud explosions, melting many lingering spirits into the star force.

Kuafu, relying solely on a single talisman to mobilize the stars, stunned the Ziwei Great Emperor of the Central Extreme Palace. Without any orders given to assemble the star force, why did the power of the heavenly stars gather in the chaotic western border of the sky? Little did he know, the talisman in Kuafu’s hand was no ordinary item.

Kuafu caught up to the sun, which was immensely huge; in front of it, Kuafu was like a tiny ant.

But the Taoist Sect had a spell called "Reverting Sky and Sun," and those with high cultivation could make the sun reappear momentarily.

Of course, with the great formation pulling at that moment, even if the Three Pure Ones joined hands to use this spell, it would have no effect.

Kuafu raised the Talisman in his hand, slapped it towards the center of the sun, and instantly, purple qi surged. The formation, upon contact with the purple qi, turned as soft as tofu. Kuafu cast his spell with a strike, shattering it at once! Yet the sun continued to plummet due to the inertia of the formation’s pull.

Kuafu had no choice but to run to the surface of the swamp in two steps, raise his hands to the heavens, and with his body swelling to a height of nine thousand nine hundred zhang, he roared in anger and actually managed to hold back the falling sun!

But the sun’s heaviness was something Kuafu could not uphold. The True Sunfire enveloped it, scorching Kuafu’s arms till plumes of black smoke arose. Fortunately, he was fused from the bones and essence of several hundred Grand Witches; otherwise, he would have turned to ashes long ago.

"Reverting Sky and Sun! Taoist Patriarch Hong Jun, let it be swift as the decree!" With a soft shout, Kuafu’s body ignited with purple qi, the purple Talisman affixed to his body, and he instantly transformed into a massive Golden Crow, grabbing the sun with one hand and flying towards the sky.

Grand Witch Kuafu, with the aid of the Talisman, transformed into a Golden Crow, gripping the sun and flying, finally drawing it away from the boundless swamp.

The sun was slowly lifted from Yu Valley by Kuafu, the two billion wicked spirits and the formation all destroyed to ash by the talisman. Now, peace returned to heaven and earth, and seeing the sun rise again from the west, all Four Domains erupted, with everyone cheering wildly.

"Amitabha!"

"Immeasurable Heavenly Lord!"

...

Everyone prayed fervently, devoutly avoiding a great catastrophe this time.

The purple Golden Crow in the sky crowed loudly, flapping its mighty wings as the sun was gradually lifted. All that was needed was to return the sun to its orbit, and then it would rise in the east and set in the west as normal.

Wukong looked up and saw the Purple Golden Crow in the sky, with purple qi surging all around, pulling the sun. He felt a slight movement of Qi within himself and, looking inward, found it was Hongmeng Purple Qi. That Golden Crow above had merged a thread of Hongmeng Purple Qi, which explained its ability to drag the sun and shatter the two billion spirits and the formation.

"This is actually Hongmeng Purple Qi... No wonder, no wonder!" Wukong thought to himself.

"It must have been Taoist Patriarch Hong Jun intervening; even Saints couldn’t deal with the formation just now," said Yuan Hong.

"Then why didn’t Taoist Patriarch Hong Jun directly eliminate General?" asked Wukong.

Yuan Hong pondered for a moment and thought to himself, "That day he took back the Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map, perhaps he aimed to seal the Chaos Realm? Otherwise, he wouldn’t act like this, and once something is given away, there’s no reason to ask for it back—it’s like slapping one’s own face! I fear there might be a breach in the Chaos Realm and Earth Immortal Realm..." Then he said to Wukong, "Perhaps the Taoist Patriarch is preoccupied with some matters."

"The Taoist Patriarch’s power penetrates the heavens and the earth; as the teacher of Saints, what could possibly hold him back?" Wukong asked.

"Wukong, do not forget about the Chaos Heaven Demon the Chaos Realm mentioned," Yuan Hong replied.

Wukong was startled and looked at Yuan Hong. Seeing his calm expression, he thought, "The Chaos Realm must be restless again. The Taoist Faction always says that 129,600 years make an eon, and with each eon comes its calamity. This disaster may befall the Chaos Realm that the Chaos Heaven Demon mentioned!"

Wukong calculated carefully and discovered it had been 121,600 years exactly, with only 8,000 years left to the eon’s calamity.

Ordinary beings, even if they cultivated with all their might for 8,000 years, could possibly only reach Taiyi Golden Immortal, and those lacking talent or resources might not even achieve Superior Immortal status. In cultivation, there is no sense of passing days or months, and most Daluo Golden Immortals were figures from the Investiture of the Gods Period in the Middle Ages, where not so many outstanding individuals emerged. Now, even the recent ancient times had passed 1,600 years, and the heyday of Earth Immortal Realm had long since ended, the prodigies having turned to dust.

Laozi, witnessing the surging purple qi in the sky, could not help but exclaim joyfully, "The teacher has made a move!"

Lord of Primordial Beginning also stroked his beard and laughed, saying, "Only the teacher can manipulate Hongmeng Purple Qi so effortlessly as if directing his arm; we received three threads back in the day, and to this day, we have not been able to use them as freely as this."

Tong Tian Sect Master sneered, "That’s because you didn’t have the resolve to cut through the Three Thousand Great Paths."

But Lord of Primordial Beginning retorted, "Different paths do not seek each other’s company. Foolish talk from a brash youth!"

Tong Tian Sect Master said, "I wonder who it was that bet with me and lost the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi. Perhaps they wish to take it back?"

Waving the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi in his hand, Tong Tian Sect Master was exceptionally pleased—as the victor of the bet, he had disgraced Lord of Primordial Beginning.

Setting aside the verbal sparring between Tong Tian Sect Master and Lord of Primordial Beginning for a moment, let us see that Kuafu, having turned into a Golden Crow, strained to pull the sun back into orbit. It took him a full day, twelve hours, before he finally managed to set the sun back on its course.

Once the Golden Crow, transformed by Kuafu, released a cry, it let go of the sun and then transformed back into Kuafu’s figure, standing in the void above.

Kuafu bowed toward the heavens and said, "Honored master above, I have no way to repay this act of recreation. Kuafu has fulfilled the mission entrusted by his teacher."

Having said this, Kuafu dissipated into specks of light rain falling down, his body turning into landscapes, and his limbs into rivers, while the staff in his hand became a peach forest.

All within the Earth Immortal Realm joined their hands in salute, saying, "We thank the Grand Witch Kuafu for averting the calamity of the Three Realms!"

Kuafu’s final words were, "Kuafu dies without regrets today!"

"Amitabha Buddha!"

"Immeasurable Heavenly Lord!"

...

Seated on Mount Sumeru, Zhun Ti Taoist chuckled and said, "As expected, it was the Taoist Patriarch who made a move."

After pondering for a moment, Amitabha said, "Since the end of the Ancient era, the Taoist Patriarch saved the Three Pure Ones, gave sermons on the dais, and placed the Magical Treasures on the Treasure-Dividing Cliff; his whereabouts have been unknown. Everyone says the Taoist Patriarch suffers from a great Dao injury, but now with the calamities of Heaven and Earth, the Taoist Patriarch has acted once more. Yet, his form is still unseen; where could he be?"

Zhun Ti Taoist said, "The Taoist Patriarch’s Divine Skills are vast and boundless; even a great Dao injury is likely no match for him."

Just then, Subhuti slowly ascended Mount Sumeru, with palms pressed together, softly reciting a scroll of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra.

Zhun Ti Taoist said, "Here comes Buddha Ancestor Subhuti."

Subhuti approached and said, "Both of you Buddha Ancestors, do not forget, the Calamity of Meeting Yuan is impending after one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years. The Taoist Patriarch is probably occupied with this matter. It’s still too early to be complacent!"

Zhun Ti Taoist and Amitabha both knew that Subhuti was born at the dawn of Heaven and Earth, yet his achievement of the Dao came much later, not until after the Investiture of the Gods Period did he completely sever the Three Corpses and prove his Dao to become a Saint.

But Amitabha Buddha said, "The Calamity of Meeting Yuan is but a rumor, I don’t believe in it. As long as the Buddhist heart endures, there will be no such calamity!"

Subhuti then said, "I did not come to persuade you to end the dispute between Buddhism and Daoism. This struggle is unavoidable, and it is key to becoming a Great Dao Sage! Recently, that fellow Tathagata was humiliated, trying to capture my disciple, but instead brought back a Green Snake. Truly laughable."

Zhun Ti Taoist laughed and said, "Your disciple is becoming more and more powerful, and clever! I fear that in a few days, he won’t be so easy to deal with!"

Dressed in flowing robes, Subhuti with palms joined and a faint smile said, "No matter how powerful, what can it amount to? Can he become a Saint within these few thousand years? Although Amitabha does not believe in the Calamity of Meeting Yuan, do you also not believe it, Brother Zhun Ti?"

Zhun Ti Taoist said, "Of course, it is not something to be disbelieved. Amitabha firmly believes that as long as one’s heart contains the Buddha, one is immortal and indestructible, having entered the highest realm of Mahayana Buddhism, no longer capable of being swayed by external forces. But what I cultivate is not the Buddhist Law. After all, I am originally from the authentic Xuanmen, and although I am a leader of the Buddhist Sect, I do not cultivate Buddhism."

Subhuti smiled and said, "It’s also time for me to intervene, to shake my disciple’s Dao heart a bit."

Amitabha Buddha said, "He is transformed from the Five-Colored Stone left by Goddess Nuwa when she mended the sky; he has an extraordinary destiny. You want to damage his Dao heart? It won’t be easy, not easy at all!"

Mentioning the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, Subhuti said, "Don’t forget that that scroll has already taken root in his mind."

Amitabha Buddha countered, "Then let us make a bet on this!"

Subhuti replied with a laugh, "Fine! What would you like to wager, Amitabha?"

Amitabha Buddha said, "In that case, I will bet this Buddha Bead I have cultivated over the last thirty thousand years. I bet you cannot break his Dao heart."

Subhuti said, "Good! Then I shall raise the stakes too. I will bet a Chaos Bead that I’ve brewed with Innate Chaos Qi!"

Looking on with amusement, Zhun Ti Taoist said, "Very well, I will join in the fun and bear witness."

After this, both Amitabha Buddha and Subhuti handed their Buddha Bead and Chaos Bead to Zhun Ti, who took them and played them over in his hands, saying with a laugh, "These are indeed fine Magical Treasures!"

Subhuti declared, "Then I shall go now!"

Amitabha Buddha cautioned, "Be wary of the Three Pure Ones seeking you out."

Subhuti replied, "I won’t take action, just unsettle that monkey’s Dao heart. If that monkey succumbs to demonic possession, it can hardly be blamed on me! Even the Three Pure Ones would have nothing to say."

As for Wukong’s fate, please listen to the next installment for the resolution.