Journey to the West: Life Simulation of Sun Wukong

Carp made of water circled Ao Yun, their scales becoming ever clearer, as if they had come to life, gleefully leaping about.

"It's as if they have come to life..."

Ao Yun muttered, but she wasn't surprised that the Bodhisattva Guanyin could achieve such a feat.

If she couldn't, that would have been strange.

The Bodhisattva Guanyin asked, "Second King, do you know why the dragon kind must transform into the form of carp to roam the rivers and lakes of the mortal world?"

"Heaven forbids the dragon kind from walking the mortal world in their true form?" Ao Yun tentatively said, "Also, Bodhisattva, you can simply call me Ao Yun in the future, no need to call me Second King."

"Very well, Ao Yun."

Ao Yun was resigned.

She stopped saying "Second King" but started saying "fairy." Being addressed as such by the Bodhisattva, she indeed felt a bit flattered.

The previous title "Second King" was generally a form of address among demon kings of the mountains and wilds, something the gods and immortals would merely laugh off, while the title of "fairy" was more formal and would at least require being a heavenly fairy.

Mortal women, seen as heavenly fairies, being addressed this way didn't matter much.

And though she was a dragon maiden, she had never ascended to heaven and hence did not deserve the title "fairy."

"Dare I ask the Bodhisattva to enlighten me?"

Ao Yun realized then that although the Bodhisattva appeared all compassionate and merciful, she was also somewhat playful inside, liking to joke, so Ao Yun didn't dwell further on the topic.

Instead, she took the initiative and asked such a question.

"Why do dragons choose only to transform into carps when roaming the rivers, lakes, and seas of the mortal world? Heaven merely decrees that dragons may not reveal their true forms at will in the mortal realm."

The Bodhisattva Guanyin's face remained calm, and she didn't keep Ao Yun in suspense, explaining the reason to her.

"In ancient times, there were many kinds of dragons existing in the world, including Responding Dragon, Candle Dragon, Horned Dragons, and others. Nowadays, most of the dragon kind is descended from the Responding Dragon and have no blood relation with other kinds."

"Among them, the Responding Dragon had a son called Dragon Carp."

"This Dragon Carp was not a stage of transforming carp into dragons, but a true different kind, not weaker than the Responding Dragon itself."

Ao Yun raised her hand, and the Dragon Carp formed from droplets of water landed gently in her palm, leisurely swimming about.

"Is this what the Dragon Carp looks like?"

"Yes."

The Bodhisattva Guanyin nodded, "The ordinary transforming carps mostly have singular horns, like deer horns, and their faces are often strange, some with elephant trunks, tiger heads, or dragon faces, their scales radiant, patterning brilliant and variegated, flicking their manes and splashing saliva as they soar."

"The ancient Dragon Carp had the body of a carp, horns of dual dragons, scales like the stars in the heavens, dual fins gathering the forces of Yin and Yang, and a broad tail fin like a skirt or fan blades, a mere flutter of which could stir the waters of the three realms."

"Rivers, lakes, and seas, none were beyond its controls."

"However, later on, the Dragon Carp stirred up storms and sought to cover the three realms with water so that they belonged only to the aquatic lineage."

The following events were guessed by Ao Yun.

Nothing more than it failed, and the existence of the Dragon Carp was erased to prevent the dragon kind from shame.

After all, the Dragon Carp was the son of the Responding Dragon, and most of today's dragon kind are of Responding Dragon's bloodline. If the beings of the three realms knew there was such a foolish figure in the dragon kind, countless troubles would ensue.

"That Dragon Carp possessed a Divine Skill called Dragon Carp Sky. Once mastered, the waters of the three realms could be controlled, and one could even roam the void."

The Bodhisattva said, "However, this method can only be practiced by the Dragon Carp. Other races, even if they acquire the method, cannot access it. I give this method to you; it may serve to protect you."

Ao Yun was puzzled, "If it is as the Bodhisattva says, then the Dragon Carp indeed has a significant connection with my dragon kind, though dragons have nine offspring, each one different."

"My father had many sons, some with dragon heads and snake bodies, some with deer horns and tiger faces, some with dragon horns and cow hooves."

"Different appearances, different skills."

"Given this Divine Skill to me, I might not be able to practice it either."

The Bodhisattva Guanyin smiled and said, "It can be cultivated, it can be refined. Inside my Creation Dew, there is a true form of the Dragon Carp, discovered while I was relieving the suffering of the world after achieving the fruit of Bodhisattva."

"You only need to refine it, and then you can practice Dragon Carp Sky."

"This true form can only be refined by those of the Responding Dragon's bloodline; other races, if they forcibly refine it, will be destroyed both in form and spirit."

"Thus, this true form is not very precious to me, so I will give it to you. It is both to repay me for enlightening you and to provide you with an additional lifeline, a win-win situation."

Ao Yun was quite tempted, seeing that the Bodhisattva Guanyin genuinely was uninterested in the true form of the Dragon Carp, so she accepted it respectfully.

The true form of the Dragon Carp, as if sensing Ao Yun's intentions, along with the Creation Dew, entered Ao Yun's brow.

She closed her eyes.

A quarter of an hour later.

She opened her eyes.

Inside Ao Yun's Primordial Spirit, there appeared a Divine Skill for cultivation named Dragon Carp Sky.

But for some reason, Ao Yun felt that this Dragon Carp Sky had many similarities with the Heavenly Dragon Body passed down by her older brother, and even the differences seemed like puzzle pieces that could be perfectly merged with each other.

How could this be?

Ao Yun did not understand her confusion.

Heavenly Dragon Body was a spell deduced by her brother for her, and this Dragon Carp Sky was a Divine Skill contained within the true form of the Dragon Carp, a Divine Skill that existed since ancient times.

Though unrelated, they could be combined with each other.

"Could my elder brother have foreseen such a day coming?"

Truly, he is deserving of being the elder brother!

Ao Yun gave thanks to the Bodhisattva Guanyin, yet her mind drifted off elsewhere. Finding an excuse, she left the Bodhisattva to explore the myriad books of the library on her own, while Ao Yun went to find Sun Wukong...

...

And Sun Wukong?

At this moment, he was at the peak of Huaguo Mountain with Yuyan and Iron Fan, accompanied by Zhen Yuanzi, right where the Immortal Stone that birthed Sun Wukong was located, overlooking the entirety of Huaguo Mountain.

Climbing high to gaze far, commanding a view over all the mountains.

Zhen Yuanzi stood at the place where all rivers meet the Pillar of Heaven, atop the Immovable Root of the Great Earth, yet he neither looked at the exotic grasses and marvelous flowers nor admired the unusual cliffs and strange rocks or the sharp mountain peaks; he paid no attention to the Twin Phoenixes Cry in Color or the galloping Qilin.

His eyes, twinkling like stars, focused solely on a massive rock at the summit of Huaguo Mountain.

This giant rock was 36 feet 5 inches high with a circumference of 24 feet 4 inches.

36 feet 5 inches high, representing the 365 degrees of the celestial sphere; 24 feet 4 inches round, representing the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

It had nine orifices and eight voids, aligning with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.

Its four sides had no trees for shade, but on its left and right, orchids provided companionship.

"Younger brother, this is where you were born, isn't it?" Zhen Yuanzi caressed the Immortal Stone that was split by a fissure in the middle. "This shape, it almost resembles an Alchemy Furnace naturally formed."

"Indeed,"

Sun Wukong nodded, "Ever since this Immortal Stone was opened, only by embracing the true essence of earth and the refinement of sunlight and moonlight was I, Old Sun, born. Now because it has cracked and birthed this stone egg, adding one more fissure, its height and width no longer align with the celestial arrangement, and the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams have shifted.

It can no longer condense spiritual energy, having lost that essence of earth and heaven."

Even so, this Immortal Stone remains a marvelous treasure.

At least, it is exceedingly hard.

Sun Wukong had once quietly tested it against his real parents, using the Jingu Bang with seventy percent of his strength, he then felt it could be shattered.

Considering his current strength, when seventy percent of his force could shake the entire Three Realms, P%lease! r%ea-d t$his c%h@ap!t#er on its origi-n^a!l p$l&atf!o!rm!—-M+|V+|&L1-E%M@PYR.%

to only be able to shatter this stone that birthed him,

only highlighted its extraordinary hardness – indeed a treasure.

Originally, Sun Wukong wanted to refine it into a magical artifact as he could sense a connection with this Alchemy Furnace-like Immortal Stone.

However, the Immortal Stone was connected to the ancestral veins of Huaguo Mountain, and forcibly severing it might cause the spiritual energy of Huaguo Mountain to leak away.

With this Immortal Stone in place, it was somewhat better.

But what was most critical was that this Immortal Stone was involved in the most crucial matter during his last simulation, which is the passage of the myriad worlds of the heavens, still undergoing upgrades in the simulator of the Heavenly Dao and life.

Myriad worlds of the heavens, vast without bounds.

Huaguo Mountain, the ancestral vein of the ten continents and the origin of the three islands, itself is the root of heaven and earth. The Immortal Stone that birthed him, possibly one of the closest keystones to his realm, could not be impossible.

Why 'one of'? Because the 'Heavenly Demons' from beyond the territory, who claimed themselves as players in the previous simulation, definitely did not emerge from this location. Within the Three Realms, there are certainly other passages.

Where exactly? Sun Wukong didn't know, but he had several suspects.

The Grand Pure One, Tathagata...

Only a few within the Three Realms had that capability.

But this place was still in a state of incubation, not yet having become the transit hub of the myriad worlds as in the Heaven's Dao and life simulator, and perhaps the fissure that had opened would lead to a longer gestation period.

"Younger brother, such a natural Eight Trigrams furnace, it would be a pity if you didn't make use of it," said Zhen Yuanzi, unaware of any transit station and only thought this damaged "Eight Trigrams Furnace" could be repaired and utilized.

"Oh? Elder brother Zhen Yuan, do you have a way to repair this Immortal Stone?" Sun Wukong asked excitedly.

"Of course."

Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily, "Although you have attained the rank of a Heavenly Immortal, as an ancestor of Earth Immortals, I naturally have a deeper understanding of earth's veins. I only need to cast a spell, and I can repair this Immortal Stone."

"Then please, elder brother, assist me," Sun Wukong pleaded earnestly.

"You and I are brothers, why such formality?" Zhen Yuanzi responded, "As they say, saving a life is more meritorious than creating a seven-tiered pagoda; and these are your parents after all."

"You and I are brothers; your parents are my parents too, naturally, I should help,"

Seeing Zhen Yuanzi's smile, which was not quite a smile, Sun Wukong knew that Zhen Yuan was teasing him.

Though he had burst forth from this Immortal stone.

This Immortal Stone was also considered his birth parents, but within Huaguo Mountain, those without spirits and intelligence are not of the same kind.

With that said, this Immortal Stone wasn't truly his birth parents.

"Elder brother, don't jest. This Immortal Stone is of utmost importance to Old Sun. If there is a way, no matter what conditions elder brother may have, I will fulfill them all,"

Sun Wukong gripped Zhen Yuanzi's hand, his expression sincere.

Zhen Yuanzi chuckled and said, "Alright, but in the future when I perform alchemy, I'll need to borrow this [Alchemy Furnace] from you."

Sun Wukong slapped his chest and laughed, "Naturally, no problem! We are brothers, why bother over such trifles?"

"Elder brother!"