"This fellow, not a quasi-saint, yet comparable to one. How shall we capture him this time?"
"All of you, quickly think of a solution! Don't play dumb."
"We can't just run away now, can we?"
The Jade Emperor and his four companions were utterly stunned.
This unexpected turn of events also caused the Jade Emperor to lose his temper for the first time, furiously scolding the four men beside him.
This left the Burning Lamp Buddha and the three old ancestors feeling extremely dejected!
But before the five could devise a strategy.
Sun Kong's new wave of attacks arrived!
Behind Sun Kong, his intrinsic demonic ape, though not a quasi-saint, exuded a pressure comparable to a quasi-saint's might. It was not only immune to any immobilization spells or control techniques.
Even more astonishingly.
It actually took advantage of the moment the Jade Emperor and his companions were stunned, opened its maw, and unleashed a heaven-devouring force. In mere moments, it firmly seized the Jade Emperor's Haotian Mirror, the Burning Lamp Buddha's Spirit Lamp and Qiankun Ruler.
These three innate spirit treasures were firmly held!
Following that.
The intrinsic demonic ape, just like Sun Kong, possessed the 'Fa Tian Xiang Di' technique, the art of invisibility, the seventy-two transformations of Earthly Fiends, and so on.
Before the Jade Emperor and his four companions could react, this creature, even more agile than Sun Kong, unleashed a barrage of attacks. It transformed into 108 monkey hair clones, showering down upon the five opponents.
Although they couldn't penetrate the defenses temporarily.
Yet, due to the demonic ape's peculiar attributes, the Jade Emperor and his four companions found themselves struggling to cope!
On another front, it combined the art of invisibility with the seventy-two transformations. It would momentarily transform into the Burning Lamp Buddha to ambush the Jade Emperor, or impersonate the Jade Emperor to attack the three old ancestors.
It was exceptionally cunning.
And ruthlessly effective.
Even though the Jade Emperor and his companions had previously believed that this battle, with five quasi-saints facing Zhen Yuanzi, a mid-grade quasi-saint, and Sun Kong, at best a low-grade quasi-saint, would be easy.
They never expected.
Their arrogance from the previous moment was completely shattered by this intrinsic demonic ape that Sun Kong inexplicably possessed. It had consumed a significant portion of their strength and served as a harsh slap in the face.
Leaving the five of them thoroughly embarrassed!
"Fellow daoists, we absolutely cannot let Sun Wukong and his clones continue their assault. If the five of us cannot even capture a mere Sun Wukong, how can we possibly maintain our standing in the future?"
"If you ask me, we should unleash our strongest attacks before Sun Wukong's main body makes a move, and ensure we capture him."
"As for Zhen Yuanzi... forget it. For the sake of the greater good, we'll give him a chance to redeem himself. As long as he remains neutral, the merit he deserves will be given in full!"
Seeing his companions so disgraced, the Jade Emperor could no longer maintain his composure. He immediately shouted to the Patriarch Styx, the Patriarch of the Yellow Springs, the Patriarch of the Underworld, and the Burning Lamp Buddha.
Simultaneously, he himself dispatched his good-clone, True Man Ling Xiao, who flickered and appeared before Zhen Yuanzi, extending an offer of peace.
Upon hearing these words.
Even though Zhen Yuanzi had been doing his utmost to aid Sun Kong, seeing the increasingly complicated situation, he couldn't help but feel conflicted!
At this moment.
Sun Kong, hovering high above the Wuzhuang Temple, noticed Zhen Yuanzi's dilemma and the advantage he had painstakingly waited for, before Zhen Yuanzi could give a definitive answer.
Although he felt a pang of displeasure, disliking Zhen Yuanzi's somewhat soft-hearted nature.
He also understood that it was already remarkable for Zhen Yuanzi to accompany him to this point. There was no need to be overly critical.
Rather than pushing Zhen Yuanzi, his only ally, to the opposing side.
It would be better to stir up some trouble before Zhen Yuanzi made up his mind, to intimidate the enemies and win Zhen Yuanzi over.
This was the superior strategy!
"I don't know how this intrinsic demonic ape manifested on its own."
"Moreover, every time it appears, it brings about new changes for me. I recall the Tathagata Buddha once warning me that this demonic ape is a result of my special cultivation technique, and is extremely powerful. However, frequent use might also hinder my future path to enlightenment."
"But in the current situation, relying solely on myself is still challenging. I have no choice but to risk using it. I hope it will cooperate with my attack."
Sun Kong swiftly processed several thoughts in his mind and quickly settled on a plan.
Then.
Just as the Jade Emperor and his four companions were still attempting to persuade Zhen Yuanzi, and Zhen Yuanzi remained somewhat hesitant, Sun Kong let out a whistle, commanding the intrinsic demonic ape.
Subsequently.
The intrinsic demonic ape unleashed its full power, temporarily gaining control over the Jade Emperor and his four companions.
Meanwhile, Sun Kong seized this golden opportunity. He raised his left hand, grabbed a pot of holy water soup, and drank it down heartily, rapidly replenishing his depleted spiritual energy.
With his right hand, he combined his Pangu bloodline, his innate divine demon origins, and his Innate Chaos Arts. Then, he retrieved a drop of incredibly precious Pangu essence blood.
And immediately consumed it.
In an instant.
This composite power, a blend of multiple strengths, was entirely injected by Sun Kong into the 'Journey to the West Gatling' in his right hand. This weapon, already a half-step Innate Supreme Treasure, instantly became even more terrifying, radiating an even more resplendent glow!
It even triggered a system warning!
[Warning! Warning! Severe Warning!]
[Host is facing immense difficulty fighting five opponents simultaneously. Now, in pursuit of a swift victory, you have unnecessarily overused Pangu bloodline, innate divine demon origins, Innate Chaos Arts, and consumed a drop of Pangu essence blood.]
[Although within an hour, your cultivation can temporarily break through to the mid-grade quasi-saint level, such intense activation will inevitably lead to irreversible side effects.]
[There are at least three side effects. Please, Host...]
The system was genuinely considering Sun Kong's future.
But unfortunately, Sun Kong himself had not anticipated that mere two ordinary tribulations, which should have ended long ago, would lead to an encirclement by five quasi-saints.
He couldn't even resolve the immediate problems.
Let alone think about the future?
Even if this rash action resulted in three side effects, or even prevented him from ever breaking through to quasi-saint.
Sun Kong accepted it.
After all, he enjoyed courting danger, but the more he enjoyed it, the more he understood one truth.
That is, life is everything.
Without life, even the most powerful system could not save him!
"All of you, shut up."
"What's the point of mentioning side effects at this moment? Help me channel all my strength into the Journey to the West Gatling. This time, even if I can't kill a quasi-saint, I will make these five pay a price."
"As I said before, without courting danger, I feel uneasy. Without madness, how can one become a saint, a Buddha, or a demon?"
Sun Kong silenced the system with a single sentence, instead asking it to help him unleash more potential.
The next second.
The Journey to the West Gatling truly erupted with an unprecedented brilliance.
It transformed from its original golden light to purple light.
From ordinary purple light to deep purple.
And finally.
It even seemed to manifest a purplish-red hue akin to the power of the Heavenly Dao!
...
"Eh? This spiritual treasure of Sun Wukong is truly peculiar. It can actually unleash one hundred-millionth of the Heavenly Dao's power? How did he achieve that?"
Deep within the chaotic void, the Heavenly Dao and the Ancestor Hongjun were simultaneously astonished.
For the first time, they felt that Sun Kong's Journey to the West Gatling was not so simple.
...
Here at the Wuzhuang Temple.
Sun Kong, the "quasi-saint" who wasn't a quasi-saint, was indeed confronting the Jade Emperor and his four companions head-on!