Chapter 42 - 37: Water System Divine Stone
"Great Saint, do you know what that golden light that pierced the heavens was when you flew up here?"
Wukong shook his head. Shui Xuwu smiled faintly and continued, "That golden light was no ordinary thing. Great Saint, have you heard of the name Kong Xuan?"
Wukong pondered for a moment and said, "Is it the direct descendant of Yuan Feng, the leader of the Phoenix Clan, the very first phoenix that transformed into the Five Elements Peacock, Kong Xuan?"
"It seems the Great Saint is well informed. Then, do you know about Kong Xuan’s famous unique skill, the Five-Colored Divine Light?"
Wukong nodded.
"Hehe, that golden light you saw was one of the beams from Kong Xuan’s Five-Colored Divine Light. It’s said to sweep through everything under heaven and earth, truly invincible."
"So it was Kong Xuan’s Five-Colored Divine Light? No wonder, no wonder, when I was flying against the light, I felt this golden light repeatedly purifying the impurities inside my body. I thought it was just my imagination."
"That’s correct, it wasn’t your imagination. After the ancient great powers of our Demon Clan died, they extracted the golden light from Kong Xuan’s Five-Colored Divine Light and merged it with the five-colored aurora that appeared by chance in the Extreme Northern Ice Field—ultimately, creating this divine light that can purify a person’s body. We named it Primordial Cleansing Light.
However, as the Five-Colored Divine Light is ultimately no ordinary force, even when merged with the aurora, its power was still too fierce. Those below the status of a Saint could only endure inside for at most twenty breaths; otherwise, their flesh would get damaged and the cure would be worse than the disease.
The limit for a lower Saint is forty breaths, a mid-level Saint, sixty breaths, and an upper-level Saint, seventy breaths. Even a peak Saint can only endure eighty-eight breaths of time. Since the emergence of this Primordial Cleansing Light, many talented individuals from our Demon Clan have tried, but none could surpass ninety breaths."
Wukong was taken aback, then he couldn’t help asking, "Old man, may I know how long I lasted inside?"
Shui Xuwu’s gaze was intense as he looked at Wukong; after a long pause, he spoke with the utmost gravity, "Great Saint, you endured inside the Primordial Cleansing Light for a full hundred breaths. In the history of our Demon Clan, no one has ever achieved this. The potential of the Great Saint in the future is immeasurable."
"That long?" Although he felt he had endured for a significant time, he had not realized it was as much as a hundred breaths. The pressure from the golden light increased as time passed, and Wukong did not doubt for a second that even his Jingu Bang would have been crushed into a pile of scrap metal if put inside.
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If he hadn’t activated his giant ape form at the end, he probably wouldn’t have lasted that long.
"Great Saint, I have said all that needed to be said. With the remaining time, you should continue your cultivation here, solidify your strength, and then begin to merge with the Water System Divine Stone," Shui Xuwu said. After finishing his words, he transformed into a mist of water and disappeared into thin air.
Wukong was left alone, seated in meditation inside the cave, quietly contemplating his future path. Half a day passed, and he remained in the same position, motionless.
Three days later, Wukong, who had been sitting in meditation, suddenly stood up, his eyes bursting with a sharp light, devoid of any confusion. He then walked over to the cold jade ice bed, sat down cross-legged, and began his cultivation. Although he had successfully merged with the Metal System Divine Stone, it did not mean Wukong had already mastered the Metal System Divine Power.
There was an extremely lengthy process of enlightenment ahead of him. Only by truly comprehending could he harness the power of metal, the most solid and sharp force in the world, and make it a part of himself.
Metal, what is it? Is it invincible? Is it as solid as a golden soup? Is it the courage that forges ahead inexorably, or the persistence that guards its ground?
Engrossed in such grueling contemplation, what is the true power of metal? At this moment, the Jingu Bang, hidden inside Sun Wukong’s ear, suddenly began to pulsate like a beating heart. With each pulsation, the metal attribute spiritual energy and strength within Sun Wukong’s body surged in response.
Gradually, the Jingu Bang burrowed from Sun Wukong’s ear into the Baihui acupoint on top of his head.
By the time Sun Wukong realized what was happening, he was scared out of his wits. What place is the Baihui acupoint? It’s where a person’s divine sense sea resides, and for Sun Wukong, it was even more critical, as it was the locus of his own Spiritual Charm.
The reason why the Five-Colored Divine Stone is so mystical is that each stone contains a wisp of Spiritual Charm from the beginning of heaven and earth. This Spiritual Charm is nothing other than the Chaos Qi that existed in the universe during the primordial times, which is exceedingly precious. Obtaining a single thread of it has a tremendous effect on one’s cultivation and spiritual progress.
Not to mention the Five-Colored Spiritual Charm condensed from Chaos Qi. Even if the Five-Colored Spiritual Charm split into five, the vast cosmic rules and great Tao contained within are still sought after by the world. It is said that apart from a few rare celestial and earth treasures in the world, nothing else comes infused with the laws of the Heavenly Dao at birth.
Regrettably, the Earth System Five-Colored Divine Stone that constitutes Sun Wukong’s true form had been almost entirely sealed within his divine sense sea, due to contamination by the mortal world’s mundane Qi and too many reincarnations. Sun Wukong could clearly sense the rules of the Heavenly Dao contained in his divine sense sea.
If he could acquire and comprehend them, he would effectively master the Great Dao of Earth. Alas, over the years, he had only absorbed a ten thousandth of that Spiritual Charm. Moreover, most of it had been absorbed by the Tightening Spell placed on him by Tathagata.
Later on, during the recent great battle, he was trapped by Tathagata, which resulted in the absorption of about one percent of Spiritual Charm. However, even so, a staggering ninety-nine percent remained.
Yet, crippled by inability, Sun Wukong could only guard this treasure mountain without able to seize it. The agony and torment this caused was beyond what an ordinary person could endure.
Unexpectedly, the Jingu Bang, which had been his constant companion for thousands of years, suddenly began to act on its own. As he was grasping the Great Dao of Metal, it intruded into his divine sense sea without permission, and upon entering, he lost control over the Jingu Bang.
Thus, even though Sun Wukong knew that if it continued like this he might end up with a completely destroyed divine sense sea and become a cripple, he found himself powerless and could only monitor the Jingu Bang with his divine sense, daring not to move an inch, for fear of inadvertently provoking the Jingu Bang and inviting disaster.
Thankfully, after entering the divine sense sea, the Jingu Bang did not rashly act. It simply revolved around the Spiritual Charm a few times. Seeing that the Spiritual Charm was as indifferent as a rock to its presence, the Jingu Bang seemed somewhat angered. In his state of high tension, something even more despairing for Sun Wukong occurred.
The Jingu Bang first drew back at a distance and just when Sun Wukong thought it would come out, it suddenly hurled itself ferociously at the Spiritual Charm.
Immediately, Sun Wukong was struck a heavy blow, feeling as if he had been ruthlessly hammered, and the piercing pain emanating from his divine sense sea far exceeded that of the Tightening Spell.
The Tightening Spell did not simply constrict with a chant; instead, it stimulated Sun Wukong’s Spiritual Charm in his divine sense sea through a special method when reciting the spell. As the Spiritual Charm was stimulated and released a wisp of its essence, the spell would absorb this gaseous essence. This was the prime reason Tathagata deceived Sun Wukong into wearing the Golden Hoop.
However, this time it wasn’t just stimulation by the Tightening Spell; the Jingu Bang had truly and forcefully struck the Spiritual Charm. The immense pain was unbearable even for Sun Wukong, who quickly fainted. Fortunately, fainting spared him from even greater suffering.
After Sun Wukong lost consciousness, the Jingu Bang suddenly exited the divine sense sea and threaded its way into the Dantian through the meridians.
Once inside the Dantian, the Jingu Bang began to emit a hazy golden light that was initially very faint. However, soon, sparks of golden light emerged from Sun Wukong’s meridians, bones, and flesh, attracted to the murky light emitted by the Jingu Bang. Each time one of those light sparks merged with the Jingu Bang’s light, the glow of the Jingu Bang became imperceptibly brighter.
And so, the Jingu Bang began to ’devour’ akin to a whale consuming copious amounts of water.
Meanwhile, as Sun Wukong lay unconscious, a bald monk riding a fire ox had already stepped into the Extreme Northern Ice Field.