"The evil corpse of the Great Pure Sage Laozi?"
"The founder of Taoism in the mortal realm, Li Er?"
"Good heavens, this Laozi is quite swift. Just yesterday, he cast out the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave and Grand Master Xuandu, claiming they made mistakes. Internally, he must have been trying to appease me."
"I never expected they would even deploy a Sage's avatar now?"
"What exactly is this Laozi plotting?"
Upon hearing that Li Er was here to pay his respects, Sun Kong narrowed his eyes, pondering much but reaching no clear conclusion. In the end, he forced a smile that revealed nothing of his thoughts and went to greet him.
In his view, it didn't matter if the visitor was the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave, Grand Master Xuandu, or the Eight Immortals of Chan Sect, or disciples of the third generation of Chan Sect, and so on.
He could not underestimate any of them.
Regardless of how many apologies or reparations these individuals offered, they all stemmed from one core concern:
Their continued interest in the merit and fortune of the Journey to the West calamity.
Since that was the case, Sun Kong saw no need to rack his brains figuring out who was sincere and who was feigning. He would treat them all as having requests of him.
He agreed verbally quickly.
But how it would unfold would depend on their cooperation and performance once the Journey to the West calamity officially began!
"This strategy is to respond to all changes with constancy. Even if ten thousand Sages came, I would remain unyielding, never revealing my true intentions!"
With this thought, Sun Kong went out to meet Li Er without making him wait too long.
He had thought that as long as he held firm to this belief, he wouldn't be deceived by these individuals.
However, unexpectedly.
Compared to Sun Kong's thoughts, Li Er was even more surprising. Upon meeting, he appeared exceedingly enthusiastic. Besides apologizing for the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave and Grand Master Xuandu wrongly accusing Sun Kong,
Before Sun Kong could even put on an act, Li Er presented a gift that Sun Kong could not refuse.
It was none other than the Eight Trigrams Furnace, which, in the original storyline, was meant to refine Sun Kong after he, as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace!
While this item wasn't an ultimate innate spiritual treasure, merely a furnace for refining pills by the Supreme Elder Lord, it was a crucial juncture before the Journey to the West calamity began.
Because only by entering it could Sun Kong forge his Fiery Golden Eyes and become the standard Sun Wukong.
Initially, Sun Kong believed that since he had refused the position of the Keeper of Horses, this matter would be dropped.
He never expected Li Er to carry out the task on behalf of the Supreme Elder Lord.
And even to offer it willingly.
This move...
What trickery was hidden within?
"May I ask, Daoist Li, what is the meaning behind this furnace? Could it be that you want me to refine myself? Even if this is a way to atone, I, Sun, do not possess the Six Ding Divine Fire..."
For the first time, Sun Kong couldn't fathom an outsider's actions and probed tentatively. He had just mentioned his lack of Six Ding Divine Fire, which was the source of fire the Old Lord specifically used for his Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Unexpectedly.
Li Er on the other side smiled faintly. He then produced a ball of Six Ding Divine Fire and respectfully handed it to Sun Kong, while offering a brief explanation.
"With the Six Ding Divine Fire and the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and my true body wishing to cooperate with the Great Sage Sun, abandoning the previous adversarial stance, perhaps it can be achieved?"
"Great Sage Sun, this furnace and fire source are temporarily lent to you. You need not worry about any schemes or tricks from us. My true body sent me here simply to conform to the new heavenly mandate."
"Perhaps others cannot comprehend it, but my true body, as the foremost figure below the Dao Ancestor, sees clearly that no matter how the Journey to the West calamity changes, it all stems from the same root."
"Our Taiqing lineage desires nothing else but for the Great Sage Sun to make good use of these two treasures to forge your Fiery Golden Eyes and solidify your Indestructible Golden Body."
"As for how the Great Sage Sun will reciprocate in the future when the Journey to the West calamity begins, we do not demand anything. I trust that with the Great Sage Sun's unparalleled wisdom, you will understand."
"Oh, and besides this matter, I must also convey something else to the Great Sage Sun regarding the Great Tang Empire five hundred years from now in the Immortal Realm."
"I believe a peerless genius like the Great Sage Sun can also deduce that the future Tang Emperor will undoubtedly be a descendant of my true body. I kindly ask the Great Sage Sun to look after him a little. In doing so, it will be our fortune and the luck of the Journey to the West."
After saying this, Li Er, without giving Sun Kong any time to ponder or question, left behind the Eight Trigrams Furnace and the Six Ding Divine Fire and gracefully departed.
As sudden as he arrived.
As elegant as he left.
Not to mention the various bewildered and confused monkeys and grandsons on the New Flower-Fruit Mountain, even Sun Kong himself was somewhat surprised by the Old Lord's actions.
For a moment, he couldn't fathom the intention behind this, and could only wait and see.
It was still much better than being forcefully thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace!
Over the next day and night,
Sun Kong examined the Eight Trigrams Furnace and the ball of Six Ding Divine Fire, finding no potential harm.
In fact, the Old Lord, going the extra mile, had even instructed the Supreme Elder Lord to repair the part of the furnace that might have caused him to choke on smoke in the original timeline, specifically the Xun Palace section.
It was truly like a pie falling from the sky!
"Good heavens, this Old Lord is being too kind to me?"
"But is it because he saw my extraordinary nature and wishes to cease entanglement, wanting only to claim merit from the Journey to the West early, or is there another plan?"
"No matter, since there's no danger, why should I, old Sun, be afraid?"
Ultimately, Sun Kong hesitated no longer.
He leaped into the furnace himself.
Subsequently,
Another three days and three nights passed.
When the Six Ding Divine Fire had completed its task, the Eight Trigrams Furnace opened on its own. Sun Kong stretched comfortably as he walked out, his Indestructible Golden Body even more robust.
His Fiery Golden Eyes, without any flaws, were truly completed. With a glance, they could see for ten thousand miles.
And then,
Any demon, ghost, monster, or divine Buddha below the Sage realm could hardly escape his sight.
It was truly a divine ability even more potent than the original Fiery Golden Eyes!
"The gift from the Great Pure Sage, Sun, is immensely grateful. I have now used it. Please take it back. In the future, on the Journey to the West, Sun will surely repay your kindness!"
Having received the benefit, Sun Kong was not stingy and displayed the proper etiquette, bowing to Laozi.
As he said this,
Indeed, a faint laughter echoed from the sky. The Eight Trigrams Furnace and the Six Ding Divine Fire then floated back to the Eight Sceneries Palace in Xuan Du Heaven!
With this matter settled,
Sun Kong had no further words and continued to deduce the whereabouts of Sha Wujing and the White Dragon, hoping to secure more favorable candidates before the official start of the Journey to the West calamity.
This deduction spanned many years!
...
Meanwhile,
In Xuan Du Heaven.
Within the Eight Sceneries Palace.
Li Er had just arrived and saw the Supreme Elder Lord already present, listening to a lecture. Their common true body, Laozi, was smiling, stroking the Eight Trigrams Furnace and the Six Ding Divine Fire.
Upon seeing them both arrive,
Laozi, without any preamble, got straight to the point!
Just as Sun Kong had predicted.
The three of them, being one entity, gathered there, clearly with a greater plan!