Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"Hmph!"

The man let out a cold snort, and a sharp Sword Qi suddenly emanated from his entire body, fiercely stabbing towards Sun Wukong's fingertips.

"Eh?"

Wukong was startled and instinctively launched an attack. His Primordial Qi transformed into True Solar Fire, which burst forth from his fingertips, confronting the Sword Qi head-on.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, Wukong's fingertips throbbed with pain, and he couldn't help but retreat two steps, looking at the man somewhat astonished, "Sword Immortal?"

The man's cultivation was at the realm of the Taiyi Scattered Immortal, but the destructive power of his Sword Qi was extremely strong. Wukong had seen Sword Immortals within the Heavenly Court in his past life, but none had Sword Qi as destructive as his.

"He's not injured?"

The man was also surprised. His Sword Qi had always been indestructible, and he didn't expect to be evenly matched with Wukong. That wisp of Great Sun True Flame, like an unwavering disease to the bone, shot towards his body. Fortunately, the Sword Qi, which could destroy all things, managed to dispel it, otherwise it would have been difficult to remove.

This is a formidable opponent!

Both of them almost simultaneously came to this conclusion in their hearts. Wukong and the man's gazes towards each other became more solemn, and in the next moment, Wukong made the first move. His fists wrapped in surging Great Sun True Fire struck the man with frenzied ferocity.

"Frenzied Monkey Frenzied Demon Fist!"

The Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod was still absorbing the Chaos Mist formed by the stem of the thirty-sixth-grade Purifying World Green Lotus within his Dantian. A hundred years had passed and only a small half had been absorbed, with the trend becoming slower. It would likely take two to three hundred years to complete the grade promotion. Wukong could now only fight with his bare hands, fortunately, he hadn't idled away this past century. Based on his own situation and the Heavenly Dao Laws he had comprehended, he had created a set of Fist Techniques and Palm Techniques, which were temporarily sufficient.

"Brother, hold on, let's talk..."

"No more nonsense, we'll talk after we fight!"

The man, named Luo Bai, was a Sword Immortal who, aside from his sword, most enjoyed two things in life—wine and poetry. Before each battle, he would recite a poem and drink three cups of wine. Never had he been like now, directly forced into fighting. Feeling extremely annoyed, a surge of rage ignited within him. His body suddenly erupted with astonishing Sword Qi, and a Frost Snow Longsword flew out from between his eyebrows, stabbing towards Wukong.

"The wind rises, the clouds soar, wandering the world alone with a laugh of madness. Man is mad, uncaring of extremes, with wind as the song and the sword lifted high!"

The chanting accompanied the stabbing longsword, as if matching a certain rhythm, and suddenly wisps of wind-like Sword Qi danced on the Frost Snow Longsword. Moving like a spirit snake, it dodged Wukong's fire-laden fists, stabbing ferociously at his entire body.

Clang clang clang!

A series of dense metallic sounds rang out as Wukong was hit with countless swords in an instant, causing him so much pain that he grimaced.

His Eight-Nine Profound Skill was nearly complete, but even though these wind spirit Sword Qi couldn't injure him, the pain was inevitable.

"Ouch, it's killing me, Old Sun! Bastard, Old Sun won't let you off!"

Ever since Wukong was reborn against the flow of time, apart from being unable to defeat Mosquito Daoist, he had never been bested by anyone. His heart flared with ferocity, and with a fierce glint on his face, he manifested Cloning Divine Powers. Clones burst forth from his body, and simultaneously, he deployed the Divine Power Dharma Aspect Heaven and Earth, transforming into a towering giant. The clones then morphed into a massive iron rod, grasped in his hands, which he swung fiercely down upon Luo Bai.

"Ha! Take this rod from Old Sun!"

The massive rod, like a Heavenly Pillar, descended with the force of thunder, targeting Luo Bai with an unrivaled momentum that firmly locked him in place, leaving no space for evasion. He had no choice but to take the hit head-on!

"Damn it! How can this monkey be so freakish?"

Luo Bai's face turned green. In an instant, Wukong had used three great Divine Skills in succession, turning the tide of their battle in a flash. Cursing under his breath, he could only muster all his strength to revolve his Sword Primordial. The sword glow on the Frost Snow Longsword became almost translucent, with strands of Sword Qi solidifying into substance. Supported by the longsword, they enveloped him, forming a huge green Sword Lotus.

"Green Lotus Sword Chant!"

Boom!

The massive iron rod struck the green Sword Lotus, causing the ground to shake violently. An expanding shockwave mixed with dust burst out in all directions, creating a deep pit several meters deep and spanning miles wide.

"Huff, huff!"

Wukong's Divine Power Dharma Aspect Heaven and Earth dissipated, and the clones returned to his body as wisps of Essence Qi. He knelt by the pit, gasping for breath. Having used three major Divine Skills in succession and unleashed his full strength in an attack, his exhaustion was immense. Considering the great gravity of this Secret Treasure Land, it was impressive he hadn't simply collapsed.

"How's that guy? Is he dead?"

After catching his breath for a while, Wukong looked into the pit. The dust was still thick, but it couldn't thwart him. A flash of golden light in his eyes, he activated the Void-Breaking Divine Eye, instantly piercing through the layers of dust to see the situation at the bottom of the pit. The scene that met his eyes caused Wukong's pupils to suddenly shrink.

The huge green Sword Lotus had enveloped Luo Bai within, badly damaged and full of cracks, but Luo Bai, at its center, only had blood at the corner of his mouth and appeared not to have suffered any serious injuries.

"This fellow is formidable—he actually took the hit from the old Monkey King's strike just now!"

Sun Wukong's eyes lit up with excitement, and a battle spirit surged in his chest once more. A towering aura erupted from his being as he leaped into the huge pit. Covered in True Solar Fire, he charged toward the cyan Sword Lotus, delivering a fierce punch.

"Crack!"

"Splash!"

Under this punch, the already cracked cyan Sword Lotus shattered completely, dissipating into slivers of Sword Qi like broken glass. Wukong's fist continued toward Luo Bai, who was at the core, but just as it was about to hit Luo Bai's face, Wukong gave a strange yelp, withdrew his fist, and dodged to the side.

"Damn it, you're so sneaky, resorting to such dirty tricks!"

Sun Wukong glared furiously at Luo Bai, observing the Frost Snow Longsword extended from his waist. If he had not pulled back, that bastard's sword would have stabbed at his lower body. Although it probably wouldn't have hurt him, Wukong didn't want to take that risk.

A Sword Immortal stooping to such lowly and despicable tactics, so damn shameless!

"What do you mean 'sneaky'? I didn't ask you to run into it yourself!"

Luo Bai rolled his eyes with annoyance, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Although he had managed to block Sun Wukong's earth-shattering strike, the impact had caused significant internal damage, with some of his meridians being ruptured, leaving him powerless to fight again anytime soon. Resorting to a lowly move like the ambush had been necessary; otherwise, he might have lost his life, so what did shame matter in that scenario?

"Yo-ho, you think you're in the right now! Today, if the old Monkey King doesn't give you a peach blossom face, you'll never understand why flowers are so red!"

Sun Wukong's eyes widened, and a flash of ferocity crossed his face, about to erupt, but Luo Bai hastily gestured for peace with a wave of his hand, "Stop, stop, stop! Let's not fight! Brother, we have no grudges between us, and meeting here in this godforsaken place is some sort of fate. Why do you go all-out at first sight, isn't that a bit too harsh?"

"Well, it seems we really don't have any grudges..."

Sun Wukong scratched his head, admitting that the brawl was indeed somewhat unjustified; after all, it seemed more like he was just excited by the chase. Alright then, time to hold off action for now.

"Talk, who are you, and why are you in this Secret Treasure Land of the Three Realms?"

Sun Wukong's True Solar Fire receded, as he eyed Luo Bai with a look of suspicion.

"Why else would I be here if not for treasure hunting? You think I came to go shopping?"

Luo Bai rolled his eyes, clearly irritated, "Imagine, I, Wine Sword Immortal Luo Bai, am handsome, dashing, and irresistible; beloved by all, dazzling wherever I go, my swordsmanship unmatched, captivating thousands..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Sun Wukong grimaced, "Can you have some shame? Who praises themselves like that?"

"I'm just speaking the truth. Honesty is a poet's greatest virtue..."

"..."

Damnit! I can't take this anymore, where on earth did this narcissist pop up from!

"Enough, Old Monkey King says focus on the important stuff!"

Sun Wukong shouted, and Luo Bai pursed his lips, "Interrupting a poet expressing his feelings is impolite... My name is Luo Bai, self-styled Green Lotus Sword Immortal, expert in reciting poetry and drinking wine. I came to this barren land for treasure hunting, wanting to find a treasured sword that suits my status. Instead, I found myself trapped in this accursed place for a full five hundred years."

Seeing Sun Wukong's unfriendly gaze, Luo Bai quickly adjusted his tone and answered earnestly.

"Five hundred years? You're saying you've been trapped here for five hundred years?"

Something clunked in Sun Wukong's heart. Hadn't Puti Patriarch said that one would be teleported out after a hundred years regardless of whether they found any treasure or not? How could Luo Bai have been trapped here for five hundred years?

"Automatically teleported out after a hundred years? Impossible!"

Luo Bai didn't even have to think before shaking his head in response to Sun Wukong's words, "Your master was probably just comforting you. This place is a classic deathtrap. Easy to enter, but no way out, unless you can find a treasure that resonates with you, using its power to break the barrier and escape. Otherwise, being stuck here for a few thousand years isn't strange at all."

"You seem to know a lot about this place! Spill everything you know, and the old Monkey King will help you figure something out. Two heads are better than one, we will surely find a way."

Luo Bai was indeed very familiar with the Secret Treasure Land of the Three Realms, having been trapped here for five hundred years. Anyone would come to know a place well after spending that amount of time there; through Luo Bai's narrative, Sun Wukong at least had a general understanding of this Secret Treasure Land of the Three Realms.

Puti Patriarch called this the Secret Treasure Land of the Three Realms, but it was actually the borderlands of the Three Realms. Ever since Pangu's heaven-opening act and the birth of the Ancient Primeval, this borderland had always existed on the edge of the Three Realms. After the Witch-Demon Wars and the Divine Enthronement Wars, when the Ancient Primeval perished, Hong Jun Daoist Ancestor used his Supreme Magical Power to restart the heavens and earth, also relying on the power of this borderland.