Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

"Should we climb the mountain from halfway, or fly directly to the summit?"

The headquarters of the Zhentian Gang was located at the summit of the main peak of Mount Cloud-Rubbing, and Sun Wukong and Mosquito Daoist were presented with two paths: either descend before the halfway point amidst the thunderclouds and climb up along the mountain path, which would mean avoiding the strikes of Yin Thunder within the clouds but undoubtedly encountering many checkpoints, or directly endure the assault of Yin Thunder and pierce through the cloud layer to reach the summit.

"Directly fly up!"

Without any hesitation, Sun Wukong immediately answered and charged straight into the thunderclouds. A hint of a smile appeared on Mosquito Daoist's face as he, too, rushed in. With his current cultivation strength, he had no fear of these Yin Thunders. His question was simply out of concern that Sun Wukong might not withstand them. However, it now seemed his concern was unnecessary.

Within the clouds, streaks of Yin Thunder blasted towards Sun Wukong, but they felt like a tickle upon his body. Sun Wukong showed no reaction at all. The power of these Yin Thunders was utterly trivial compared to the Heavenly Thunder of the Doomsday Thunder Disaster, and they couldn't even harm his skin.

Mosquito Daoist seemed even more nonchalant. The Yin Thunders didn't even come within three feet of him; they all veered away as if avoiding him, and not a single spark touched his body. Becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal, one would have gained a substantial understanding of the Heavenly Dao Laws, and such natural formations of Yin Thunder simply couldn't penetrate him.

Having passed through the thundercloud layer, the two descended onto the platform at the summit of Mount Cloud-Rubbing.

"Who goes there, daring to trespass onto the Zhentian Gang?"

The patrolling members of the Zhentian Gang were alarmed to see Sun Wukong and Mosquito Daoist descend from the thunderclouds and shouted their question. Their answer came in the form of a pair of massive fists and a sharp Blood-Colored Longsword.

Without another word, Sun Wukong and Mosquito Daoist attacked as if they had agreed upon the action, showing no mercy with their blows. The ensuing gust of fists and flurry of sword shadows reduced the Zhentian Gang's patrolling members to mere blood and flesh on the ground, their essence blood swiftly absorbed by Mosquito Daoist's Blood-Colored Longsword, leaving only residue that crumbled into nothingness at the slightest wind.

A strange light flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes. Mosquito Daoist's weapon, the Blood-Colored Longsword, cultivated through sacrifice, was no common sword. It could absorb the essence blood of those slain at any moment, which was akin to having an endless supply for consumption. Staying at peak condition during battle would enable him to continue fighting indefinitely. If someone intended to wear Mosquito Daoist down, they would likely exhaust themselves to death first.

After swiftly dispatching the Zhentian Gang's patrol, Sun Wukong exchanged a glance with Mosquito Daoist and strode toward the great gates of the Zhentian Gang. Sun Wukong was now dearly missing the days when he wielded the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod; if he had it with him, he would surely enlarge it and smash the towering structure of the Zhentian Gang with a single swing!

"Dare to come here and commit violence, kill them!"

Sun Wukong's punch immediately reduced the great gate to rubble, and members of the Zhentian Gang rushed out from the tower and surrounding courtyard buildings. With a furious roar, they charged at the two, various weapons in their hands glowing with different lights, transforming into a myriad of spells that bombarded Sun Wukong and Mosquito Daoist.

The multitude of spells mixed together seemed to enhance each other through fusion. Mosquito Daoist was surrounded by three radiant lights that blocked all spells from reaching him. Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, a unity of essence, energy, spirit, and Great Dao Laws formed at the top of the body, could hardly be perturbed by any ordinary spell.

Sun Wukong lacked Mosquito Daoist's cultivation; he was only at the Heavenly Immortal Realm and still far from condensing the Three Flowers Atop and the Five Qi Within. However, he had his own advantages. His body shifted, transforming into a wisp of cloud and weaving through the assault, occasionally taking on the forms of flowing water, flame, shield, and various other shapes, perfectly countering every spell thrown at him.

"Wukong my brother, what splendid skill!"

Mosquito Daoist couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Though most cultivators would know some transformation skills, to perform them with an innate grace and spontaneity like Sun Wukong, as elusive as an antelope leaving no trace, was indeed a rarity. In the art of transformation, Sun Wukong had surpassed the vast majority of cultivators, even Mosquito Daoist who had once stepped into the Quasi-Saint level of Daluo Golden Immortals, by a considerable margin!

A smile played on Sun Wukong's lips. Receiving such praise from Mosquito Daoist, a Daluo Golden Immortal himself, was truly a cause for joy. Caught up in the excitement, Sun Wukong casually plucked a hair from behind his head, crushed it, uttered a Dharma Decree, and blew it out, which instantly created dozens of clones.

These clones were indistinguishable from Sun Wukong, with each possessing a fifth of his combat power. Previously, the clones produced by his Clone Technique were mere minor monkeys, hugely inferior in fighting strength compared to him. However, after fully mastering the Way of Transformation, the number and potency of the clones enhanced; within a hundred clones, each possessed one-fifth of his combat power, and if there were fewer than ten clones, each could wield half of his combat power.

With the addition of these clones, the members of the Zhentian Gang were quickly overwhelmed and began to retreat in disarray. Even with only a fifth of Sun Wukong's combat power, the clones were not something regular followers could contend with. Mosquito Daoist had no chance to showcase his abilities and could only stand beside Sun Wukong, watching his clones tear apart the Zhentian Gang, reducing it to shambles. With a thunderous crash, the tower within the Zhentian Gang's courtyard fell, collapsing over half of the gang's headquarters.

"Where did these mongrels come from, daring to run wild in our Zhentian Gang!"

Suddenly, a furious bellow erupted from within the headquarters. A figure broke through the rooftop and soared into the air, flying towards the fallen tower. Before touching down, a torrent of golden light, like a dense rain shower, poured down upon the ground below. Sun Wukong instantly recognized that the golden lights were numerous Golden Swords, all forged from Gold Elemental Energy, extremely sharp.

Sun Wukong's clones, each having a fifth of his fighting strength, couldn't withstand such a dense barrage of flying blades with their comparatively weaker physical bodies. With a single thought, all the clones employed the Transformation Skill to dodge the assault. Although some were too slow and got pierced and dissipated, about half of the clones survived.

"You, take care of the rest of the Zhentian Gang! Remember, not a single one is to be let go!"

Sun Wukong had already seen that these members of the Zhentian Gang were vicious and ruthless, none of them good men or faithful women. The warlike and cruel nature of the Barbarian Race was fully exhibited in them, no wonder they could commit acts devoid of humanity like slaughtering a village. Naturally, he would show no mercy to such fellows.

To weed out the roots, to eradicate evil completely!

"Who are you? Why are you opposing my Zhentian Gang? You've got some nerve!"

The newcomer was none other than the leader of the Zhentian Gang, Dou Zhentian, who, in the realm of Taiyi Scattered Immortals, had expected his sword rain attack to kill all of Sun Wukong's clones. However, much to his surprise, Sun Wukong's strength was beyond his expectation; half of the clones had dodged the attack while many of the Zhentian Gang disciples had been shot dead instead. Dou Zhentian's face grew dark as he stared at Sun Wukong and demanded.

"Are you stupid?"

Sun Wukong glanced sideways at Dou Zhentian, "If I dared to come here, of course I've got the guts. Do I need you to remind me of that?"

"You..."

"What about me? I am your grandfather Sun! I'm here to take revenge and wipe out your Zhentian Gang! Less nonsense, if you've got skills, hurry up and use them. After I'm done with you, I'm still busy getting back to the sect!"

Dou Zhentian was just about to shout when Sun Wukong verbally lashed him, leaving him with a face so green with rage, "Fine, fine, fine! You who know nothing about life and death, if I don't chop you into seventeen or eighteen pieces today, I'll no longer be a Dou!"

"Whether you're a Dou or not, what's that to me? Take this!"

With a cold chuckle from Sun Wukong, before his words even fell, his whole body shot toward Dou Zhentian like lightning, his right fist wrapped in swirling True Solar Fire, and he hammered it fiercely onto Dou Zhentian's chest.

"Courting death!"

Dou Zhentian, fuming with rage, swung his long saber at Sun Wukong's fist. As blade and fist met, a metallic symphony erupted from the collision. A powerful force sent Dou Zhentian staggering back, a shock in his heart. Such great strength, such a hard fist Sun Wukong had!

"Heh, again!"

From the first exchange, Sun Wukong had gauged Dou Zhentian's strength. The guy was average in close combat prowess. Even though he was a level above in cultivation, as long as Sun did not let him take advantage of it, all would be well. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, and, with a stomp on the ground, he continued to close in, throwing another punch.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out incessantly, and in just a few breaths' time, they had collided more than a dozen times. With each strike, Dou Zhentian grew more astonished; Sun Wukong's physical form was far more formidable than he expected. In terms of cultivation, he was a full level higher than Sun Wukong, yet as they fought, it was he who was pushed back step by step, utterly humiliating!

I must not engage this monkey in close combat!

Dou Zhentian's long saber vibrated violently, sending out a tidal wave-like force from it that enveloped Sun Wukong's body. Sun was startled. True Solar Fire instantly spread all over his body, ready to withstand the water's force. To his surprise, the water's flow just pushed his body back without causing much damage.

"No good, this bastard wants to distance himself to fight!"

Realizing suddenly, Sun Wukong summoned the Immortal Primordial Force to fiercely shake off the water entwining him and attempted to rush forward. However, Dou Zhentian swung his long saber, sending whirlwinds from all around toward Sun, each concealing sharp Wind Blades. They hit Sun Wukong, making a grating sound like a file scraping steel, blocking his advance completely and preventing him from moving a step.

"Wukong, brother, I'm here to help you!"

Mosquito Daoist immediately called out upon sensing something amiss, ready to join the fray, but Sun Wukong stopped him.

"No need, I can handle it! Brother Luo, you just watch from the side, and see how I teach this darned grandson a lesson!"