Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"You wish to visit the Polar Realm of Heaven to comfort the Heavenly Army?"

In the Jade Pool, within the bedchamber of the Queen Mother, she looked at Zi Lan Fairy, who stood before her with a sincere face tinged with urgency, and a hint of surprise flashed across the Queen Mother's eyes. Zi Lan Fairy's temperament had always been gentle, and she rarely took the initiative to ask for anything.

To see her so eager to undertake a mission was a first in the Queen Mother's memory.

"The Polar Realm of Heaven is quite desolate and boring, Zi Lan, do you truly wish to go?"

A spark of cunning light flickered in the Queen Mother's eyes as if she had thought of something interesting, and she suddenly chuckled mischievously, "Could it be, you have taken a fancy to that boy Nezha?"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing's son, Nezha the Third Prince, was highly skilled and famously handsome and dashing, well-liked throughout the Heavenly Court. The Queen Mother was very clear about this, but there were rules in the Heavenly Court, immortals were not to marry mortals, and even love between immortals was not to be taken lightly.

Even if they wished to become divine spouses, they must be granted permission by the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, who would then bestow a marriage decree.

"Your Majesty, Zi Lan has never had improper thoughts about the Crown Prince!"

Zi Lan Fairy was startled, and she knelt down with genuine alarm and fear.

"All right, I wasn't accusing you of anything, there's no need to be so formal!"

The Queen Mother waved her hand, indicating for Zi Lan Fairy to rise, "You've always been desireless and ask for nothing, and I've been considering finding a suitable match for you. That boy Nezha indeed isn't bad, and since you wish to see him, then go ahead. If he meets with your heart's approval, feel free to come to me for a marriage decree. There's no need to be shy!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

If there were outsiders present, hearing these words from the Queen Mother would surely shock them to the point of their jaws dropping. Was this still the same figure known for her strict adherence to rules and imposing motherly dignity – the Western Queen Mother?

"Your Majesty, I really have no interest in the Crown Prince..."

"Enough, enough, do you still need to hide and hedge in front of me? Zi Lan, I treat you as my own child, and you should be clear on this."

"The Queen Mother's kindness is as heavy as a mountain, and Zi Lan will always remember it in my heart!"

Zi Lan Fairy was about to kneel to show her gratitude again but was stopped by the Queen Mother, "Child, why do you get so formal again as we talk? Now, you shall represent me and select a few people to prepare some drinks and food for a trip to the Polar Realm of Heaven, lest the Emperor continues to ramble in my ear!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Zi Lan takes her leave!"

Zi Lan Fairy felt a secret joy in her heart. She gave the Queen Mother a slight bow and backed out two steps before turning and leaving the bedchamber.

...

The Polar Realm of Heaven is the boundary of the entire East of the Three Realms. Legend has it that it was the site of the ancient primeval battle between the Fire God Zhu Rong and the Water God Gonggong, and the location of Mount Buzhou, the Heavenly Pillar.

Although Nuwa Mends the Heavens had repaired the celestial leak here, the space was far less stable than in other parts of the Three Realms, becoming a joint point for all realms. Should Sun Wukong truly break through from the joints between the Netherworld and the World of the Living, he was certain to appear in this Polar Realm of Heaven.

It was precisely because of this that the Jade Emperor had dispatched Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing to lead the great army to garrison the Polar Realm of Heaven, intending to lie in wait leisurely for the rabbit, to capture Sun Wukong alive and bring him back.

However, it had been several years since the thirty thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals had set off for the Polar Realm of Heaven. The consumption of men and horses was significant, yet they had not seen even a shadow of Sun Wukong. Forget about the demon monkey; they had not spotted a single monkey hair.

At first, the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were eager to earn their merits, but as time passed, their initial enthusiasm had utterly dissipated. They gathered to drink, play finger-guessing games, and lost all semblance of the valiant warriors of Heavenly Court, instead resembling a troop of slothful bears!

"Father! Could the message from the Underworld Yama Lord be mistaken? We have been stationed here for three years now, and we haven't even caught a glimpse of the demon monkey Sun Wukong. Could he have already perished within the Six Paths of Reincarnation Realms?"

The Polar Realm of Heaven was incredibly desolate, and the spiritual energy exceedingly mixed, which was not conducive to cultivation. With little to do besides drinking, eating meat, playing finger-guessing games, and chatting, Nezha the Third Prince watched this situation continue day after day and found it utterly disagreeable.

Finally, unable to hold back, he burst into Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing's tent, bowed, and began to complain.

"Nezha, be patient, and don't be hasty!"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing looked up at Nezha and said indifferently, "The Netherworld has not sent news of that demon monkey's demise, so we can only continue to wait here. Besides, His Majesty has not decreed a return of the troops, so let us remain stationed here with peace of mind."

"But..."

"No buts! This is a military order! Until His Majesty's decree arrives, we cannot retreat! Dismissed!"

"...Yes, Father King!"

Nezha the Third Prince, filled with frustration, left the grand tent. He had not wanted to take on this task in the first place. In this wretched Polar Realm of Heaven, nature's spiritual energy was so chaotic that it was impossible to refine and absorb.

Even a Da Luo Golden Immortal who was said to be able to live on wind and dew would have to obediently consume Spiritual Valley to replenish their energy here, let alone him, who was only at the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm now.

"So many people idling around here every day, it's just a waste of time! This old fool relies on the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, restricts me at every turn, and forced me to come to this godforsaken place. He also says we will not retreat without His Majesty's decree. He's clearly using this as an opportunity to keep me here. Despicable!"

The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. Nezha the Third Prince walked out of the Heavenly Army's encampment to an open space and, unable to hold back, drew his Fire-tipped Spear and began to swing wildly, hoping to vent all the resentment in his heart.

The father-son relationship between Nezha the Third Prince and Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing had always been turbulent. Back when Nezha caused havoc in the sea and pulled out the sea dragon's sinews, it led the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to seek revenge. Nezha sliced off his own flesh to return to his mother and chiseled out his bones to return to his father, turning against Li Jing.

After Nezha was reborn through the lotus incarnation, he sought revenge against Li Jing but was thwarted by the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng, who was then the Daoist Ran Deng. Ran Deng granted Li Jing the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, which could restrain Nezha, forcing him to abandon his quest for vengeance.

After the Divine Enthronement War, the Human Heavenly Court rose to power. Nezha attained Physical Body Sanctification, and Li Jing also achieved True Fruition and joined the ranks of the immortals, becoming the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

He sent his eldest son, Jin Zha, to Spiritual Mountain before Tathagata Buddha to serve as a protector, and his second son, Mu Zha, followed Guanyin Bodhisattva in cultivation. Only Nezha was bound by his father's side, ostensibly because Li Jing couldn't bear to part with his youngest son, claiming the need to keep him effective under his command.

However, Nezha knew very well that Li Jing did this because he feared that once Nezha reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and Five Qi Toward Yuan, he would no longer be restrained by the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda. That's why Li Jing deliberately kept him close and restricted him at every turn!

Over the years, Nezha's cultivation progress had been extremely slow, because Li Jing would occasionally activate the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda to capture him within, claiming it was to temper him.

Yet each time, it disrupted the Essence Qi that he had painstakingly accumulated, preventing him from breaking through to the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and Five Qi Toward Yuan.

Compared with Nezha, Erlang God Yang Jian, who had achieved Physical Body Sanctification around the same time, had already made a breakthrough not long ago, leaving Nezha feeling incredibly stifled!

Take this time, for example, Nezha had once again sensed the opportunity for a breakthrough, intending to find a chance to slip out of the Heavenly Court to seclude himself for the breakthrough without Li Jing knowing; however, he was brought to this desolate Polar Realm of Heaven instead.

If he stays here for a few more years, not to mention breaking through, the strength he had accumulated for the breakthrough would probably be completely depleted.

"Despicable, despicable, despicable! Ah~!"

After thrusting hundreds of times with his spear, venting all his dissatisfaction, the red in Nezha's eyes gradually subsided, but the resentment in his heart did not disappear. Instead, it was buried deep down once again. He rose and headed towards the Heavenly Army's encampment.

You old immortal, just you wait. The day I can break free from your control, I'll make sure to repay all the humiliation of these years, with interest!

...

In the Netherworld, beside the Naihe Bridge, floating ten-odd zhang above the ground was a blood-red cocoon, within which was Sun Wukong.

It had been ten years since Sun Wukong had received the nine drops of Ancestral Witch's Essence Blood from Houtu. During these ten years, Wukong had been floating in mid-air, concentrating his entire being on activating his Mysterious Power to absorb the Essence Blood. Gradually, he grew accustomed to the agony of merging with the Essence Blood.

Little by little, blood qi emerged from his body, circulating around him and eventually forming the blood-red cocoon.

The Ancestral Witch's Essence Blood, originating from Great God Pangu, was a transformation of Pangu's own blood and contained terrifyingly powerful Strength and Great Dao Laws. It was not simple to fully absorb it.

Although Wukong's body had adapted to the integration with the Essence Blood, of the nine drops, he had absorbed less than two, and the remaining seven were concealed throughout his body, unable to be fully absorbed for the time being.

With Wukong's current Cultivation Realm, absorbing two drops of Ancestral Witch's Essence Blood was already his limit. The rest could only remain hidden in his body, waiting for his Cultivation Realm to reach higher levels in the future before he could slowly absorb them.

"Woosh~!"

The sound of the wind appeared out of nowhere as the huge blood cocoon began to dissolve, turning into wisps of blood qi that Wukong reabsorbed into his body. The violent fluctuations of Qi-Blood spread out in all directions as Wukong suddenly opened his eyes, a beam of golden light shot from his gaze, piercing the bottom of the Yellow Springs river, then quickly receded.

"The Ancestral Witch's Essence Blood is really formidable! My current Physical Body and Divine Soul are probably not weaker than my peak after swallowing the Golden Core from the Ancestral Celestial in my previous life!"

Wukong slowly descended to the ground, moving his limbs and feeling the immense power with every move. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He shook his head and smiled wryly, thinking that when he first heard Houtu's words, he truly believed that he would instantly evolve into a Chaotic Divine Body after absorbing the Ancestral Witch's Essence Blood. It seems now, it isn't that simple.

Unless he completely integrates and absorbs the remaining seven drops of Ancestral Witch's Essence Blood, it's nowhere close!