Great Demon Sun Wukong

However, before proceeding, the two needed a good rest. After several months of frenzied killing, both had become somewhat numb. Yet all this was worthwhile. In Xi Zhao’s words, the increase in strength over the past few months exceeded his years of effort. It was three years ago that Xi Zhao arrived in the Netherworld Realm.

At that time, he was a One Pattern Samurai, living a life of concealment and caution for three years to finally advance to the Three Patterns realm. But after meeting Sun Wukong, he ascended three patterns in just a few months, reaching the current Six Patterns Martial Saint.

And now, he was about to challenge a Seven Patterns Supreme! Seven Patterns, that was the level of the top warriors of this world.

Just as Sun Wukong was also marveling at how easily one’s strength could be enhanced in this world, Xi Zhao suddenly said to Sun Wukong with a serious face, "Monkey, we have become known companions now, so there is something I must tell you."

Seeing Xi Zhao’s sudden serious expression, Sun Wukong put away his playful demeanor as well. "Okay, go ahead, I’m listening."

After pausing for a moment, Xi Zhao took a deep breath and changed the subject, "The stele you have been using, is it called the World Suppressing Stele?"

Sun Wukong did not expect Xi Zhao to bring up this question first and was also quite surprised. He had thought that only people from the Pangu Realm would recognize the World Suppressing Stele, so he had used it without any worries after coming here. But today, Xi Zhao recognized the stele as well, suggesting that the origin of this stele was far from simple.

With a gesture, the World Suppressing Stele appeared, but now, without the need to combat enemies, the stele was only about one meter tall. Placing the World Suppressing Stele in front of him, Xi Zhao took another careful look and said, "Indeed, this is the World Suppressing Stele. And this one of yours should be number three, right?"

Sun Wukong nodded. When he first saw the stele, Sun Wukong noticed the front inscribed with: World Suppressing Stele, Wasteland Soil number three. The backside featured the Demon Clan’s Great Formation of the Stars. However, Sun Wukong had never had the time to comprehend this formation. Otherwise, his strength would definitely be greater than it is now.

After receiving Sun Wukong’s confirmation, Xi Zhao suddenly sighed softly. In that sigh, Sun Wukong could feel a boundless sense of desolation and nostalgia.

"Xi Zhao? What’s with the stele? I only know that in my original world, many were fighting over this stele. But besides being powerful, I don’t see anything special about it."

"Monkey, you possess a Supreme Treasure without realizing it. If you don’t think the stele is much now, it’s because your strength is still too weak to unleash its full might. Once you reach the level above Supreme, you will realize just how terrifying the World Suppressing Stele truly is."

"Above Supreme? There’s something more powerful above a Nine Patterns Supreme? Right, how do you know about this stele?"

"Heh, Nine Patterns Supreme is not the limit. As to why I know about this stele, it is because I once possessed one myself. Moreover, mine was the first of the Broken series! Nobody knows how the World Suppressing Steles came into being. It is only known that ever since the birth of the universe, these steles have stood within the Nine Great Divine Kingdoms.

Of course, there are only nine steles in existence."

"Nine Great Divine Kingdoms? Didn’t you say there were only Six Great Divine Nations before?"

"That’s because the other three Divine Kingdoms have already vanished. Nine Great Divine Kingdoms and nine World Suppressing Steles; if a stele ever leaves its Divine Kingdom, that kingdom will face a catastrophe of obliteration. It could be a world-ending disaster, or an assault by another Divine Kingdom. In any case, as long as the Heavenly Stele stands, the world exists."

"So according to you, there’s one in this Netherworld World too? What about yours?"

"Yes, there is one in this world; if I’m not mistaken, it should be the Soul Suppressing number five. Among the current Six Great Divine Nations, the one in the Pantheon is the second of the Birth series. As for my stele, it was taken by someone else, and that’s actually how I died."

"Are you suggesting that I should use the World Suppressing Stele as little as possible in the future?"

"Yes, that’s right. Right now we’re in this forest, so it’s no big deal, but once we go outside and encounter others, you must not use the stele anymore. Otherwise, if recognized by the wrong person, you and I might end up dead with nowhere to bury us.

In fact, I’ve been wanting to tell you this, but since we entered this forest where there are no outsiders and we really needed your stele to hunt Soul Beasts, I didn’t mention it. However, after we leave, you must be careful. Unless you’re in an absolutely safe environment or confident you can completely wipe out your opponent, never take it out."

Hearing Xi Zhao’s words, Sun Wukong also realized he had been careless. How could something capable of instantly killing anyone below Three Patterns not be extraordinary? Besides, in the Pangu Realm, even the incarnation of Heavenly Dao, Chang’er, schemed for eons to obtain this stele. How could such an object be ordinary?

It seems that things not obtained through hard effort are still not treasured enough.

He quietly committed Xi Zhao’s remarks to memory. Yet at the same time, Sun Wukong became exceedingly curious about Xi Zhao’s identity. Someone who could own a World Suppressing Stele in their lifetime was surely no ordinary person.

And this stele, which could suppress a whole world, probably could not be owned by anyone without immense power and authority, except perhaps for himself, who somehow got lucky enough to acquire one.

Destruction Number One, Divine Birth Number Two, Wasteland Soil Number Three, Soul Suppressing Number Five. What about the others? What are their names and what do they do? Which Divine Kingdom is suppressed by the one I have? Why did it end up in such a small world as the Pangu Realm? Moreover, how did it eventually fall into my hands?

Is it all a coincidence, or was it someone’s deliberate plan?

Wukong had previously asked Xi Zhao these questions, but even Xi Zhao was not very clear about these matters.

The two of them rested again, restoring their condition to peak form.

After all, the prey they were going to hunt was a Seven Patterns Soul Beast. There’s a fundamental difference between Seven Patterns and Six Patterns. Even though Xi Zhao had now advanced to the mid-stage of Six Patterns, beyond his original four laws of ice, frost, concealment, and explosion, he had also comprehended the Law of Sealing and the Law of Prestige.

The Law of Sealing could temporarily immobilize an opponent’s movements, but its effectiveness varied with the relative strength difference. The Law of Prestige was a law that enhanced one’s own might. As long as the opponent’s strength was not overwhelmingly greater, they would be deterred by the Law of Prestige, thus affecting their ability to exert their full strength.

Wukong, having lost a law during his One Pattern stage, comprehended the Law of Momentum at Two Patterns, the Law of Speed at Three Patterns, the Law of Strength at Four Patterns, and the Law of Defense at Five Patterns.

Speed and strength were self-explanatory, and defense was just that—defense. The laws a person comprehends are related to that person’s abilities or particular characteristics.

Because Wukong possessed the Somersault Cloud and the ability to transform into the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, he correspondingly obtained the laws of speed and strength, while the Law of Defense was entirely due to the Zhen Yuan Bodhi Treasure Tree.

Although Wukong hardly used this treasure tree anymore due to its level, he still acquired the Law of Defense because of this magic treasure.

Moreover, having gone through subsequent battles, both individuals had also gained some comprehension and application of their laws. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

However, all of this was still not enough in the face of a Seven Patterns Soul Beast. Yet neither person shied away. In this world, reaching the very top definitely requires paying a price.

Thus, after double-checking everything, they boldly stepped into the second circular blank area. As the stele marking "Central Zone, No Entry Below Nine Patterns Supreme" grew more distant, Wukong suddenly had an uneasy feeling.

But it was too late for uncertainty; they had to move forward. Otherwise, this preemptive fear of the enemy could create a flaw in their minds for future advancement. Moreover, the Law of Momentum Wukong comprehended at Two Patterns was all about momentum, an invincible momentum, a relentless till-death-do-us-part momentum!

So they entered this domain reserved for supreme powerhouses with caution. Once inside, although they dared not venture too deep, they still covered considerable distance without encountering a single Soul Beast. This left them puzzled. Could it be that there were no Soul Beasts in this central region, or were there just too few?

As they moved deeper with their doubts, darkness had completely fallen, yet they still hadn’t encountered anything. Underneath an ancient tree, the two of them stopped. This situation was certainly not ordinary, but since it was already night, it was best not to wander around aimlessly in this absolute darkness.

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Even though Wukong had fiery golden eyes, he was not certain that they could prevent an ambush by a Soul Beast.

Hence, they climbed the tree, ready to spend the night. But just as they had settled down, the earth suddenly shook as if there were an earthquake. The trembling grew more intense, and they could barely maintain their position in the tree. They then decided to jump down. But the moment they landed, they felt something was off.

Wukong’s fiery golden eyes flared up as he suddenly looked down, and then both of them shouted at the same time and leaped away to escape.

For under the light of Wukong’s fiery golden eyes, they had discovered that their feet were not on the ground but on the body of one, no, two giant pythons. And what made them simultaneously decide to flee was that on the heads of these two pythons were eight gleaming Dao Patterns.

These two pythons were Eight Patterns Soul Beasts! Soul Beasts above Three Patterns would display Dao Patterns of their level on a certain part of their body. That’s why people could recognize the level of a Soul Beast at a glance.

Realizing they were facing two Eight Patterns Large Pythons, Wukong and Xi Zhao turned tail and ran. It was a joke to fight two Eight Patterns Soul Beasts. Should they stay and become a late-night snack for their predators? No way!

Due to the sheer panic and darkness, Wukong and Xi Zhao eventually got separated as they fled!

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