Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 355 - 331: Wukong Battles the Ancient Heavenly Dragon

Chapter 355: Chapter 331: Wukong Battles the Ancient Heavenly Dragon

Yet Wukong, having slain so many Great Dao Sages, had long since alarmed their sects and those formidable Semi-Supremes.

Eight Semi-Supremes streaked through the endless void like lightning. Distances of endless light-years were but a mere footstep to them, each step spanning the breadth of a light-year. Finally, they entered the Heavenly Punishment Plain.

At this moment, Xuan Ming had just finished killing all the Great Dao Sages. The Great Slaughter Talisman was fully condensed, and the souls of those Sages had been cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, to be reincarnated and punished, their wills and paths refined. In their next life, Wukong intended to convert them into Golden Body Arhats and protectors for the Buddhist Sect, totaling one hundred and eight individuals.

"Hmm? Are you the newly risen Semi-Supreme? You really lack restraint, daring to kill so many people!"

"Hmph! Newcomers truly have no bottom line, such arrogance. To slay so many of our disciples, you truly deserve death!"

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon stepped out from the crowd. As an established Semi-Supreme, he had obtained a Creation Fruit in the distant past and, upon consuming it, reached the level of a Semi-Supreme. His cultivation was terrifyingly profound, the deepest among those present. Standing there, Wukong saw him as if he were a massive black hole, even obstructing his piercing Buddhist sight.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon, his whiskers flying in anger, roared, "Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons, come here and die for me now!"

Yet the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons stood firmly by Wukong’s side, motionless, with hands clasped together, "Ancient Heavenly Dragon benefactor, the Sea of Suffering is boundless; turn back, and the shore is near! You have already fallen into demonic obstruction. Quickly convert to my master, the Fighting Sage, and you may transcend, live eternally, and find the other shore."

These Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons were once the Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s proud subordinates. Now, converted by Wukong, it was undoubtedly a slap in the face, especially in front of the seven other Semi-Supremes, causing the Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s face to alternate between red and white with extreme embarrassment.

"Damn it! Since you eight dare to betray me, your ancestor, then die!" With that, the Ancient Heavenly Dragon let out a thunderous shout and threw a powerful punch.

With one punch, winds swept in from all directions, dispersing the destructive energy of the Heavenly Punishment Plain. A massive fist imprint surged forward, immense and boundless, set to crush the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons immediately. But Wukong would not let his newly subordinated Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons be killed. He pulled the Posa Greater World and the grand Dao Sages, along with Xuan Ming, into it, then thrust out the Creation Heavenly Mechanism Staff, landing it on the fist imprint.

"Bang!"

The fist imprint cracked with a single strike from the staff, and then Wukong swept across with another blow, shattering the imprint completely.

Seeing Wukong rescue the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons and others, the Ancient Heavenly Dragon grew even more furious and shouted, "Vermin, announce your name to your ancestor!"

Wukong cast a cold glance at the Ancient Heavenly Dragon, twirling the Creation Heavenly Mechanism Staff in hand, and declared, "My surname is Sun, given name, a combination of enlightenment and emptiness. My Dharma name is Fighting Sage."

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon cursed, "Good, Fighting Sage! Good, Sun Wukong! Today, your ancestor is going to tear you alive! You have just achieved Semi-Supreme status, truly ignorant of the vast sky and the vast earth."

The other Semi-Supremes were moved in spirit and collectively stepped back to let the Ancient Heavenly Dragon take the lead and test the waters. Although losing such highly skilled Great Dao Sages saddened them, this Sun Wukong was a Semi-Supreme, and if his combat strength was exceptional, he could still be recruited. Those who had reached the Semi-Supreme realm were all exceedingly clever beings; no one would rashly offend a Semi-Supreme. In this way, neither side would have an easy time.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon was highly respected among the Semi-Supremes, an ancient relic existing since primeval times, with a body of an Ancestral Dragon, mana that reached the heavens, and a life spanning countless eons.

"Ancient Heavenly Dragon Supreme, you may engage him in combat, and we shall cover for you," said Chen Qingyun.

"Hmm... This boy has slain the disciples of my Heaven’s Opening Sect. However, as Semi-Supremes, we have our dignity. How can we gang up on a new talent? We will cover for you while you make your move," added Pang Kaitian with a slight nod before speaking.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon was fully aware of the cunning intentions of these people, transparent as they were. But this was an open scheme, laid bare for all to see, and none had the shame to challenge it outright. Moreover, Wukong had openly converted the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons right before their eyes, and everyone knew they were the Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s trusted aides. Such an act was equivalent to slapping the Ancient Heavenly Dragon in the face.

With that, the two of them were locked in a life-and-death struggle.

Nevertheless, Wukong feared not the Ancient Heavenly Dragon. Now the pure essence of creation within the Creation Jade Butterfly flowed endlessly into him, greatly enhancing his mana.

"Ancient Heavenly Dragon, it is clear that your disciples have penetrated the profound mysteries of my Buddhist law and thus converted to my side. Yet you persist in this irrational behavior! Let it not be said that I am heartless and ruthless; I shall capture you as well and make you a Protector Heavenly King for the Buddhist Sect," said Wukong, his palms pressed together as Buddha’s Light surged immensely, with each word spoken blossoming into a Golden Lotus in the air.

"Very well, very good! Sun Wukong, you truly have a sharp tongue. But I shall see just how skillful you are with your hands!" bellowed the Ancient Heavenly Dragon with a long howl. A massive Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon materialized behind him, looming over his figure, laughing arrogantly at heaven and earth, with the Divine Dragon Spitting Pearls and shining upon all beings.

Wukong sneered, "Subdue the Dragon and Tiger! Eighteen Palms to Subdue the Dragon, Subduing Tiger Tathagata Fist!"

This Tathagata is not that Tathagata; Tathagata in the Buddhist Sect also implies the "Buddha Ancestor." This is why Lu Ya’s good corpse was once called the Great Sun Tathagata, and why the Jiao Immortal was known in the Buddhist Sect as the Namaste Unconstrained Tathagata, that is, the Tathagata that has attained Buddhahood... The two characters "Tathagata," in the context of the Buddhist Sect, represent a realm, a spirit.

As the Ancient Heavenly Dragon exhibited the Heavenly Dragon manifestation, Wukong sought to restrain him, employing the Buddhist Sect’s most adamant and strongest martial arts Subdue the Dragon and Tiger, consisting of the Eighteen Palms to Subdue the Dragon, as well as the Subduing Tiger Tathagata Fist. Of course, both these martial arts were conceived by him alone. The dragon and tiger represent a spirit; by subduing both, one may transcend and reach the other shore, thus forming Subdue the Dragon and Tiger.

"Good, good! Subdue the Dragon and Tiger, such audacity you have!" roared the Ancient Heavenly Dragon as he charged forward, leading with a punch.

The Eighteen Palms to Subdue the Dragon was also partly derived from Fuxi’s "The Book of Changes." Fuxi himself had written this book, a marvel that even Great Dao Sages, let alone Semi-Supremes, struggled to pen, showing just how deep Fuxi’s understanding of this Dao was.

"Flying Dragon in the Sky!"

Wukong pressed his palms down and struck fiercely in a circular left and square right motion, his strength domineering beyond compare, and with gusts of wind, a series of dragon chants could be heard.

"Fire Dragon Soars High Stirring Wind and Clouds!" The Ancient Heavenly Dragon roared, his body wrapped in intense flames, a punch thundering down as if heaven-descended wrath had ignited, burning the Creation Laws, and then, mixing with this overwhelming fist strength, exploded.

"Bang Bang Bang!"

The series of loud detonations, like thunder, made Heaven and Earth tremble.

Wukong felt that this Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s fist strength was extremely domineering, so he quickly put away the Heavenly Mechanism Staff and the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact, focusing solely on using the Method of Subduing the Dragon and Tiger to deal with him! This Eighteen Palms to Subdue the Dragon had only executed its first form, and many more moves were to follow, which were inherently designed to counter the Dragon Clan.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s body was like steel tendons and iron flesh, its form had long been tempered to be as solid as a Magical Treasure, capable of freely disassembling and rebirthing, extremely formidable! This was the Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s innate Divine Skill, an unparalleled physical body!

"Divine Dragon Spits Pearls Illuminating All Life!" The Ancient Heavenly Dragon, ferocious and domineering, aimed to kill Wukong with the force of a thunderbolt. Then he threw another punch, transforming into a Divine Dragon, spewing out Dragon Balls, and waves of air attacked in succession, fizzing with explosive sounds within the fist strength.

"See the Dragon in the Field!" Wukong drew a Taiji Circle with his left palm, while his right hand stretched out straight as a spear, thrusting directly at the Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s throat.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s fist strength was all dissolved by Wukong’s Taiji Circle, while on this side, Wukong’s right hand struck like a long spear, its fingertip carrying the aura of Reincarnation, as if to obliterate everything and consign it to Reincarnation.

Not daring to be careless, the Ancient Heavenly Dragon pulled back, his fists thundering out as he yelled, "Dragon Strides Over Thousand Peaks, Subduing All Directions!"

As if standing atop thousands of Mount Tais and Mount Everests, he stood at the peak, controlling the sun, moon, and stars, overlooking the world! This fist strength was not only domineering but also bore an unsurpassable feeling of overlooking all lesser peaks and intending to reach the highest summit, as if Heaven and Earth revolved because of him, and the sun and moon appeared because of him!

"Twin Dragons Draw Water!" Wukong saw how fierce and domineering the Ancient Heavenly Dragon was, and felt a shock in his heart. Unable to retract the punches and spear thrusts he lashed out, he let the Ancient Heavenly Dragon’s punch boom onto them, instantly shattering his finger bones, blood spurting from his fingers, and golden Buddha’s Blood sprayed all over the sky.

He stopped the See the Dragon in the Field in its tracks and threw out the Twin Dragons Draw Water form, left hand embodying Supreme Yin, right hand embodying Supreme Yang, merging yin and yang.

"The greatest good is like water, water benefits all things without contention! Thus, it is near to the Dao!" Wukong uttered softly, and the two punch imprints from the Ancient Heavenly Dragon fell, all absorbed and turned into their origin by Wukong’s yin-yang merging Dharma Gate.

This fist strength was too domineering; even though it was turned into its origin, it still shook Wukong, making his insides tremble, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use!"

Wukong bellowed, releasing a thunderous roar, and pounced towards the Ancient Heavenly Dragon with ferocity.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon steadied himself, his hands forming a spell, and threw a punch, shouting, "Azure Dragon Rends the Earth, Shaking the Universe!"

A massive and unparalleled azure dragon burst from the ground of the Heaven Punishment Plain, looking disdainfully in all directions, intimidating the universe, and striking directly at Wukong.

Wukong’s Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use, also struck down, making contact with the azure dragon with a pop, the azure dragon shattered, and Wukong too was sent flying.

"This fellow’s strength is so powerful, so domineering! However, the more powerful and domineering, the better to hone my Supreme Path!" Wukong understood clearly in his heart, feeling no fear, and charged up once again, his flesh wounds healing in an instant.

"Divine Dragon Tail Swing!" Wukong brought down a palm while the other hand struck in the opposite direction, akin to a Divine Dragon turning its body, swinging its tail to kill the enemy.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon grunted, raised his right hand, and violently tore apart the Creation Laws with his fist, booming down and shouting, "White Dragon Overturns the Sea and Floods the Divine Land!"

The vast Divine Land, with a White Dragon causing the river to overturn and the sea to submerge the Divine Land, how domineering and unrestrained?

"Bang!"

Wukong was sent flying by the immense fist strength, but the Power of Creation flowing from the Creation Jade Butterfly increased even further, instantly repairing his injuries!

"Good, I will hone my Method of Subduing the Dragon and Tiger well! I’ve just been promoted to Semi-Supreme and don’t understand this kind of battle well yet. This Ancient Heavenly Dragon is just the whetstone I need!" Wukong sneered to himself, the Creation Jade Butterfly being a Creation Divine Artifact, the Ancient Heavenly Dragon couldn’t even dream that Wukong was already an invincible existence.

As for the outcome of this battle, please listen to the next part to find out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it with a recommendation or monthly ticket on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)