This was precisely the kind of cowardly behavior Yuan Shi Tianzun expected from Sun Kong!
After all, no sage wished to see someone below their level unafraid, unawed, and daring to treat them as equals.
Previously, Sun Kong had spoken to him with such an attitude, which made Yuan Shi Tianzun both admire and fear him.
For a long time, he had been wary of him.
But fortunately, after the fright from the Primordial Treasure Box, coupled with Yuan Shi Tianzun’s seemingly accurate counter-attack, using the Jade Emperor’s rumors to pressure Sun Kong into revealing the “truth.”
Sun Kong seemed to have truly reverted to his persona as a little monkey that couldn’t escape the grasp of a sage, nor Yuan Shi Tianzun’s various schemes.
Seeing this, Yuan Shi Tianzun burst into laughter!
Within his laughter,
Half was genuine fondness.
The other half stemmed from the inherent superiority complex of every sage!
“It’s fine, it’s fine, Little Friend Sun, no need to panic. My box is indeed a bit terrifying… However, this time it’s to help you and me, not harm you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Sage Yuqing, you are one of the six great sages, you can’t lie to me. Although I’m just a monkey demon, if I’m lied to, I’ll complain to my mother, Nuwa!”
Seeing Yuan Shi Tianzun laughing so happily, Sun Kong naturally saw no reason to provoke him further, nor to let him believe he wasn't afraid of him. Instead, he employed his first advanced tactic of self-destruction.
Acting.
Pretending to cry, pretending to be weak, and feigning fake obedience, he had all these high-and-mighty sages and quasi-sages utterly deceived by his acting skills.
And in turn, they revealed more of their true intentions!
As expected.
After Sun Kong once again put on the guise of a weak little monkey, Yuan Shi Tianzun’s mood improved even further. Without further ado, he pointed a finger at the Primordial Treasure Box.
Then.
The Primordial Treasure Box itself opened a seam. Without waiting for Sun Kong to fully comprehend, Yuan Shi Tianzun manifested his primordial spirit and pulled him inside!
“Oh, damn it, was I tricked by this old second Yuan Shi? Son of a bitch, this box can instantly kill three thousand Arhats! How did he fool me into coming in?”
“But logically, it shouldn’t be like this. Could it be that he’s testing me, or are there things that cannot be told to outsiders, and must be shielded from heavenly secrets using this box?”
“Could it be that it’s not just me slacking off under the Heavenly Dao, but even this Yuan Shi Tianzun, and other sages…”
Sun Kong’s mind had to work fast.
Otherwise, any other person, any other transmigration, faced with such a situation would definitely be scared to death, surrender, or fight back with all their might.
The result would be a wasted opportunity, either being disdained by Yuan Shi Tianzun as a coward and deemed unworthy of cooperation, or being instantly killed.
But he, Sun Kong, was different!
Showing no panic like others, while secretly thinking something was amiss, he also desperately tried to calm himself down. Before he could offend Yuan Shi Tianzun, he noticed something unusual about the box’s interior.
That’s right.
This Primordial Treasure Box, after the Journey to the West tribulation and several other tribulations, would one day usher in an immeasurable tribulation and become a powerful weapon for destroying Buddhism.
However, before that, it did not harm Sun Kong, nor did it restrict him. Instead, as he entered, he felt a warm innate energy gradually nourishing him.
Not only that.
Here, a natural shield was formed, not only blocking the calculations of those below the sage level but also blocking the calculations of sages. It even seemed to block the calculations of the Heavenly Dao and Patriarch Hongjun.
Could it be blocked?
“So, this old second Yuan Shi isn’t completely loyal to Patriarch Hongjun either! He actually forged such a peculiar spiritual treasure. They’re all double-dealers, aren’t they, eager to escape Patriarch Hongjun’s control as soon as possible.”
“No wonder so many Honghuang-themed novels from the Blue Star mentioned people secretly betraying Patriarch Hongjun. It turns out it’s because of this.”
Soon, Sun Kong reached this conclusion. Of course, he couldn’t say it out loud. After a quick look around, he seized the opportunity to point out the box’s remarkable qualities.
And thus, he managed to make Yuan Shi Tianzun admire him even more!
“Sage Yuqing brought me in. Could it be that you want to test my eyesight?”
“Oh, how did you see that? Since you already know, why don’t you take a look for me? How does my spiritual treasure compare to that one you have that shoots strange bullets?”
“Spiritual treasure that shoots strange bullets? Heh, so Sage Yuqing is curious about my Journey to the West Gatling gun. Fair enough, fair enough.”
“This thing was forged for me by my mother and the two sages of the Western Teachings.”
“I’m not bragging, but at full power, no one at my level is my opponent. And against those stronger than me, I can still find opportunities to kill them across levels.”
Sun Kong heard Yuan Shi Tianzun beat around the bush, and finally mention his Journey to the West Gatling gun. Clearly, this was his true intention.
Regarding this, Sun Kong wasn’t surprised or worried about it being snatched.
Firstly, although Yuan Shi Tianzun was a sage, he couldn’t directly snatch the Journey to the West Gatling gun, which was close to a primordial innate treasure.
This thing was bound to Sun Kong for life and death, and no one could take it away. Even Patriarch Hongjun probably couldn’t.
Secondly, Sun Kong wasn’t surprised that Yuan Shi Tianzun knew about the Journey to the West Gatling gun. After all, every time he used it before, it was impossible to escape the surveillance of the sages.
But he wasn’t worried about any repercussions.
Because Sun Kong knew very well that the sages who knew about it would consider it his fortuitous encounter, making him stronger, and thus more beneficial for cooperation and sharing merit during the Journey to the West tribulation.
They would never covet such a spiritual treasure that couldn’t be taken away.
As for those who didn’t know about it, they either feared Sun Kong’s background, or they couldn’t defeat him and had to obediently go back to cultivate.
They would never have imagined that without becoming sages, or without obtaining sage-level spiritual treasures, they could never agree to Sun Kong’s terms.
Moreover, Yuan Shi Tianzun, standing before him, although asking about the Journey to the West Gatling gun, his gaze was more focused on various parts of the box’s interior.
To say he coveted the spiritual treasure?
It would be more accurate to say that this fellow was truly testing Sun Kong, seeing how much foundation he had, and then re-evaluating the level of cooperation with him!
“So, he’s afraid my strength isn’t enough, my foundation is too shallow, and I might not last against that bunch led by the Jade Emperor. He should have just said so! If he had, this handsome guy would have pointed out several flaws in your box and made you look at me with new eyes.”
Having understood the situation, Sun Kong didn’t hesitate. He followed Yuan Shi Tianzun’s gaze and feigned offering a few suggestions for improvement.
This instantly shocked Yuan Shi Tianzun for the third time!
[Ding! The host’s small, small shock has caused Yuan Shi Tianzun to be completely convinced and willing to ask the host to help perfect the Primordial Treasure Box.]
[In view of this, Yuan Shi Tianzun sincerely regards the host as his strongest partner, no exceptions.]
[Reward: Yuan Shi Tianzun’s Awe Level 0.0004!]