According to Sun Kong's memories from his previous life, the Chan Master of Wuchao was no ordinary Buddhist disciple, but a powerful Buddha equal to Tathagata and Dipankara.
His original name was Daoist Lu Ya.
During the Investiture of the Gods calamity, he arrogantly boasted, "The first immortal of Grandmaster Hongjun, disciple Pangu opened the sky. First came Hongjun, then the heavens, Lu Ya Daolord came even before that."
It's hard to say how much truth there was to these words.
However, Sun Kong knew another identity of his.
It was none other than the legendary tenth son of the ancient demon emperor Jun, the only one of the nine Golden Crows shot down by the great witch Hou Yi of the ancient Witch tribe who managed to escape.
His impression on later generations, besides those four self-aggrandizing verses, was two supreme treasures that astounded the three realms of the Primordial World.
One was called the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, a magical flying dagger hidden in a peculiar gourd. Though it had no rank, it was incredibly overbearing.
It was said to cut the physical body, then the primordial spirit, and finally sever karma and true spirit.
During the Investiture of the Gods, it played a significant role in killing Bai Litian, the lord of the "Blazing Flame Array," astonishing everyone.
Rumor had it that this Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, true to its name, could only be matched by a saint and resisted by a supreme treasure!
The other was called the Nail-Headed Seven Arrows Book, a combination of a bizarre demon charm and seven specially made nails. Those with insufficient cultivation needed seven days to offer sacrifices, while the powerful could see immediate effect.
It was the ancestor of all the "cursing techniques" found in the palace intrigue dramas of the Blue Star era, causing gods to die and immortals to perish with a mere prayer.
It transcended distance and remained unnoticed by others.
It was truly the best weapon for sneak attacks!
The above were all legends from "Investiture of the Gods," "Journey to the West," and other stories.
As for the specific details,
Since this matter was not Sun Kong's personal karma, he was unsure.
He could only take it one step at a time!
"Is it reliable to let a Daoist Lu Ya, who abandoned the demon race and defected to Buddhism, become the master of this life of the Golden Cicada?"
"Such a grand scheme cannot be decided by Tathagata or Dipankara alone. It must be the idea of the two saints of the Western Teachings."
"Never mind. It's already my best effort to manage this far. The rest will depend on destiny and the fate of you, little Jin Jin."
With this thought, Sun Kong stopped worrying too much about the subsequent events. He returned to reality from his memories and uttered a few words to appease the maidservant of Empress Nuwa.
"Sister Huang'er, you should go back soon. The Empress misses you. Serve her well for me."
"As for the matter of the Golden Cicada, you are mother and son, yet strangers. The second tribulation has already severed this karma. Your sister Feng'er was swallowed by the Rose Dragon King for him, so that should suffice."
"Don't think about it anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Before Sun Kong could even swing his Ruyi Jingu Bang to get rid of the current physical body of Huang'er Yin Wenjiao, allowing her to return to Wa Huang Palace, the Rose Dragon King appeared again.
This time, the Rose Dragon King was not here to contend with Sun Kong, but to spit out Feng'er Chen Guangrui, whom he had swallowed. After his painstaking healing.
He had finally managed to remove Chen Guangrui's physical body and healed Feng'er's primordial spirit, allowing her to return happily to Wa Huang Palace with Huang'er!
"Thank you, Great Sage Sun!"
"Thank you, Rose Dragon King!"
"We shall take our leave now. Farewell!"
Feng'er and Huang'er, these two sisters, were so pure and kind. Besides thanking Sun Kong, they even thanked the Rose Dragon King.
The two women ascended.
But Sun Kong, who remained on the spot, let out a cold laugh, looking at the flustered and very uneasy Rose Dragon King opposite him!
Even without him saying it, both parties were well aware of the details and conflicts during the second tribulation.
After a few seconds.
Seeing Sun Kong still laughing coldly but not punishing him or giving him a specific penalty, the Rose Dragon King could no longer bear it.
He could only kneel down, apologize to Sun Kong, and repeatedly stated that he was willing to lose his life for this, but hoped that Sun Kong would not hold the many aquatic creatures of the Rose River accountable!
"Great Sage Sun, this old dragon dares not hope for your forgiveness. After all, New Flower Fruit Mountain and the Heavenly Court have long been enemies, and we each serve our masters."
"But this old dragon is not afraid of death, only that Great Sage Sun might break his word. Therefore, I am willing to offer my old life to be disposed of as you wish, only begging you not to implicate the innocent."
"Otherwise, even if this old dragon dies, he will not let you and your master and disciples off in the underworld. We are both intelligent people. The remaining seventy-nine tribulations will not be easier than today."
As he said this, the Rose Dragon King, who had willingly been used by the Jade Emperor and willingly punished by Sun Kong, struck the top of his own head, shattering his physical body.
He extracted his dragon tendons, dragon skin, and dragon bones, handing them to Sun Kong as gifts of apology.
With one hand, he did not even spare his primordial spirit, three souls, or seven spirits, nor his true spirit, intending to self-detonate and erase all traces of his existence from the three realms of the Primordial World!
But unexpectedly.
Just then, Sun Kong's brow suddenly furrowed, and he intervened to stop him.
As the Rose Dragon King looked on in astonishment.
Sun Kong chuckled.
He splashed a bowl of holy water soup, instantly restoring the Rose Dragon King's physical body. Furthermore, after the Rose Dragon King "recovered," he faintly sensed a breakthrough in his cultivation.
He was utterly stunned!
[Ding! Host healed the Rose Dragon King with a bowl of holy water soup, making him feel a complex mix of hatred and respect towards the host.]
[Reward: A piece of hatred from the Rose Dragon King, plus a piece of respect. Once the hatred is gone, he can become another subordinate of the host!]
Sun Kong did not treat the Rose Dragon King well because of this reward.
On the contrary.
While the Rose Dragon King was still in shock and confusion, he said calmly.
"This is not a reward, nor forgiveness, but a warning."
"Your physical body is worthless to this old grandpa."
"However, you can go and tell that Jade Emperor that it's fine if he colludes with Patriarch Ming He, but if he doesn't know his place next time and insists on seeking death, this old grandpa won't mind causing a real chaos in the Heavenly Palace."
"If the Journey to the West calamity can be brought forward, why can't the three realms change masters?"
After saying this.
Sun Kong ignored the Rose Dragon King's various surprises and returned to New Flower Fruit Mountain, resuming his retired old man's life of the past five hundred years.
As soon as he landed.
Before he could find his second brother Wu Zhiqi and third brother Zhou Wuxian to discuss the subsequent tribulations.
He received a system fusion notification!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully fusing all the shock rewards from the second tribulation. The fusion result is a white dragon egg that knows nothing.]
[Name: Unknown.]
[Bloodline: Unknown.]
[Origin: Unknown.]
[Future Potential: To become a little white dragon who can possibly replace the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon!]
This white dragon egg truly knew nothing.
But when Sun Kong looked at it closely, his eyes widened instantly, as if he saw...