He wasn't laughing at anything else.
It was precisely because his luck was still quite good.
It seemed that although Zhen Yuanzi had lost one disciple, Qing Feng, his opinion of Sun Kong had not changed significantly.
He still held no small amount of expectation for him.
This also meant.
Sun Kong's trip was the right one!
"Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi, this old grandson has intruded upon you for a bit. I hope this time you won't mind if this old grandson talks too much and chats with you for three days and three nights."
Seeing that Zhen Yuanzi had sent his good corpse, the Earth Book Daoist, to greet him, how could Sun Kong not know that this Ancestor of Earth Immortals was as eager for cooperation as he was?
With that, he strode in, greeting as he walked.
Putting on an air of humble negotiation.
Soon, he was warmly welcomed by Zhen Yuanzi.
Although the two had a friction during the second tribulation, after more than ten years had passed since the incident, their relationship was finally restored and developing towards the direction of becoming sworn brothers in the original plot.
This was the happiest thing for Sun Kong in recent days.
Bar none.
Of course, Sun Kong was not foolishly agreeing to everything during the following days of communication with Zhen Yuanzi. He had his own considerations.
He knew which conditions could be exchanged and agreed upon.
And which conditions could not.
To put it simply.
Under the current situation of the Three Realms of the Great Desolation, one must either join the Heavenly Way or the Demonic Way; neutrality is almost impossible.
Those who dared to remain neutral now were either the Sage Taiqing, Laozi, or the two Saints of the Western Teachings. These were top-tier figures at the Saint realm.
Their existence was something even the Heavenly Way and the Demonic Way dared not underestimate.
No one else dared to do so.
Of course, there was one sole exception.
And that was Zhen Yuanzi, whom Sun Kong was visiting this time!
Even before coming, Sun Kong had inquired extensively about Zhen Yuanzi's situation. Coupled with his understanding from his previous life, he knew very well that this person was not as simple as he appeared.
But one of the truly deeply-rooted great powers.
There were two reasons.
Firstly, Zhen Yuanzi was indeed one of the beings from the same era as the Three Sages, the two Saints of the Western Teachings, Empress Nuwa, and the ancient beings of the Lich races.
They were all considered among the first batch of beings after Pangu the Great God opened the heavens and the earth, hence possessing infinite potential.
Even though Zhen Yuanzi had not yet attained sainthood and seemed weak now.
However, from another perspective, even the Twelve Ancestral Witches and many great figures of the Demon Race had perished, yet Zhen Yuanzi alone had survived to this day.
This itself was a miracle.
Moreover, in the current Three Realms of the Great Desolation, very few could break through to the Quasi-Saint realm, with only a mere nine of them, including the Demon Saint.
Zhen Yuanzi must not be underestimated!
Secondly, it was related to the Earth Book in Zhen Yuanzi's possession.
According to Sun Kong's memory, Zhen Yuanzi did not have this book at the beginning. Although he cultivated alongside the various Saints and listened to the Great Dao of Patriarch Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.
At that time, he was merely an ordinary Hunyuan Golden Immortal Grand Unity.
His only spiritual treasure was the Ginseng Fruit Tree, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots.
It was said that after Patriarch Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, first preached and distributed seven Hongmeng Purple Qi, and the weakest among them, Patriarch Hongyun, obtained one.
Zhen Yuanzi only began to rise slowly.
Afterward.
No one knew how Zhen Yuanzi rapidly improved his strength, but the only thing known was that Patriarch Hongyun, being too naive and unguarded back then, was conspired against by Ancestor Kunpeng and Patriarch Styx.
After that battle, Patriarch Hongyun perished, and the whereabouts of the Hongmeng Purple Qi he possessed became unknown.
From then on, it became one of the top unsolved mysteries in the Three Realms of the Great Desolation.
Later.
Zhen Yuanzi, through the Lich Tribulation that shattered the ancient Great Desolation continent, and the subsequent division of the ancient continent into three, which are the current Three Realms.
He became the first to set foot in the Earth Immortal Realm, thus earning the title of Ancestor of Earth Immortals.
Perhaps others would not connect the dots.
But who was Sun Kong?
He was a netizen from Blue Star who had read countless versions of "Journey to the West," "Investiture of the Gods," and numerous novels about the Great Desolation and Journey to the West.
Naturally, he could find a hint or two from this.
It was possible that Zhen Yuanzi obtaining the Earth Book and severing a corpse was indeed related to Patriarch Hongyun and the missing Hongmeng Purple Qi!
Of course.
As Sun Kong, who possessed high emotional intelligence, he desperately needed Zhen Yuanzi as an ally at this time. Even if he didn't help him openly, it would be good if he helped him secretly.
Therefore, he would absolutely not use those unsubstantiated rumors to ruin the relationship he had finally established with Zhen Yuanzi.
Instead, he treated this Ancestor of Earth Immortals with extreme courtesy, so much so that one might think he was a fake Sun Kong!
For the next three days and three nights.
Sun Kong and Zhen Yuanzi had a very pleasant conversation, feeling like old friends. Besides the fated fraternal karma between them in the Journey to the West tribulation, it was more due to Sun Kong and Zhen Yuanzi's similar outlooks.
Simply put.
Although their factions might be different, one representing the New Flower Fruit Mountain and the other half-Buddha and half-Dao.
However, their shared disdain for the Heavenly Way's manipulation of people and the Demonic Way's threat to all living beings was surprisingly the same.
It's just that at present, both of them were still pawns in the Journey to the West tribulation and the conflict between Dao and Demon, making it difficult for them to jump out of the chessboard like various Saints.
Thus, they could only start from small matters.
In major aspects, they still dared not withstand the supreme pressure of the Heavenly Way and the Demonic Way!
Because of this.
After a few days of discussion.
They reached a preliminary agreement.
It was nothing else.
It was to decisively intervene and cruelly disrupt the second round of the Journey to the West in the human world initiated by the new Six-Eared Macaque and others. Not acting felt wrong, and not causing trouble felt unpleasant!
In Sun Kong's own words.
This was called reciprocity.
Why should only the new Six-Eared Macaque disrupt their affairs?
And they could not retaliate?
"Great Sage Sun's calculations are indeed divine. His divination techniques are rarely seen within the Three Realms of the Great Desolation. Such a method is quite good."
"However, this humble one believes that it is an overreaction to mobilize Great Sage Sun's forces for a mere new Six-Eared Macaque."
"How about this, since Great Sage Sun has already divined that similar subsequent karma to the Great Tang Empire in the Earth Immortal Realm will occur in the human world, as well as figures like Wu Zetian, Di Renjie, and Li Taibai."
"This humble one, though untalented, can also provide a trustworthy candidate."
"This might be considered a coincidence. Ever since Qing Feng sought his own death, the fortune of our Wuzhuang Temple lineage has not decreased but increased. It is likely that the person Great Sage Sun has designated has found a destination."
"That person is none other than."
"One of my two personal disciples, Ming Yue. This young man has excellent comprehension and extraordinary talent. Perhaps sending him down to the mortal world would be most appropriate."
As Zhen Yuanzi said this, Sun Kong, who had originally planned to find someone himself to go to the Tang Dynasty in the human world, was enlightened after meeting Ming Yue.
He saw.
After more than ten years of continued cultivation, this Ming Yue was much more mature and steady than Qing Feng back then. Between his brows, there was clearly the demeanor of a Sword Immortal!