Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

With a flicker of the Asura Sword, wisps of blood aura began to emerge from the longsword, twining upwards and striking directly towards the Ruyi Silver-Hooped Rod with a slash.

"Clang!"

The Ruyi Silver-Hooped Rod and the Asura Sword collided, emitting a crisp clanging sound like metal striking metal. The next moment, Sun Wukong and Sovereign Mara Papiyas each pulled back, standing two zhang apart, and a hint of surprise flashed in both of their eyes simultaneously.

"This Asura Demon King is so powerful!"

Although they had only exchanged one blow, Sun Wukong vividly felt the formidableness of Sovereign Mara Papiyas. That strike seemed to end in a draw with neither gaining an advantage, but in reality, in terms of pure strength, he was still inferior to Sovereign Mara Papiyas.

Sun Wukong could see the trajectory of the Primordial Force running through Sovereign Mara Papiyas's body and the distribution of Strength injected into the Asura Sword. In that strike just now, his Ruyi Silver-Hooped Rod had accurately hit the weakest spot on the Asura Sword. It was essentially using his own strength to strike the enemy's weakness.

Although neither party used Spells or Martial Skills, in the contest of mere strength, he had actually fallen behind.

Sovereign Mara Papiyas was even more astonished. He was of the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, which was two whole Great Realms higher than Sun Wukong's Taiyi Scattered Immortal. The fact that their strengths were evenly matched was simply unbelievable!

Da Luo Golden Immortal was different from the previous Realms. Prior to becoming a Da Luo Golden Immortal, a Cultivation Realm simply represented the depth of one's Mana. Those with higher Cultivation generally had stronger Mana and physical bodies and could unleash more powerful Spells. However, this wasn't an absolute rule. It wasn't rare for gifted individuals to challenge those above their level.

But once one reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, it was different. With Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Qi converging, one's entire Essence Qi and Divine Soul would be condensed to the extreme, allowing one to exert their Strength to the fullest.

They would even begin to comprehend the Heavenly Dao Laws, willing the weather to change with just a gesture and Finding Moving Mountains and Filling Seas effortless!

It could be said that although Da Luo Golden Immortal was only one Realm higher than Taiyi Golden Immortal, the difference between them was like the vast expanse between the resplendent moon in the sky and the tiny fireflies on the ground. It was an insurmountable gulf.

For a Taiyi Golden Immortal to challenge a Da Luo Golden Immortal using sheer force was unheard of in all history, let alone that Sun Wukong had not even reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm; he was just a Taiyi Scattered Immortal!

"Having such Combat Power in the Tyaii Scattered Immortal Realm, it's not an overstatement to call you the number one throughout the ages. No wonder you dare to call yourself 'Equal to Heaven'; you certainly have the capital to be arrogant!"

Sovereign Mara Papiyas nodded towards Sun Wukong, acknowledging his worth. This was the first time he had given someone such high praise and was also the first time since the beginning that he genuinely regarded Sun Wukong as a strong opponent on the same level, "However, you've only reached the Taiyi Scattered Immortal Realm after all.

The horror of a Da Luo Golden Immortal powerhouse is something you cannot comprehend! Today, this sovereign will let you see the true extent of the gap between us!"

Before his words could finish, Sovereign Mara Papiyas's figure slowly levitated off the ground, and a myriad of blood lights burst forth from the Asura Sword, converging at the tip. A vast oppressive force spread from Sovereign Mara Papiyas, different from the aura Sun Wukong usually unleashed.

This oppressive force had already taken substantial form, visibly rippling through the air and pressing towards Sun Wukong, suddenly making the air around him feel heavy and as if he had been trapped in a boundless quagmire.

The heavy pressure acting on Sun Wukong from all directions caused his figure to tremble and shake slightly. Had he not cultivated the Vajra Indestructible Body, his flesh would have likely ruptured under this Mana pressure!

"Incredible! Is this the true Strength of a Da Luo Golden Immortal?"

Sun Wukong inwardly marveled. He had once faced a Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm's Mosquito Daoist in combat in the Northern Continent of Cattle-grazing and had lost despite going all out. However, at that time, he did not feel that the Da Luo Golden Immortals were particularly formidable; he only thought it was the Mosquito Daoist's talent for absorption that was powerful.

Now, it seemed that the Mosquito Daoist had not unleashed all his Strength back then. If the Mosquito Daoist had released Mana pressure like this Asura Demon King Sovereign Mara Papiyas, with his Cultivation Strength at the time, he most likely would have been defeated without even the chance to fight back!n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Sun Wukong, you are a genius that appears once in ten thousand years, and you've made this sovereign use all of his Strength to deal with you. You should be proud of yourself! However, a genius will always be just a genius. Before they fully mature, they can be easily crushed by a single hand of a true powerhouse.

If there's anyone to blame, it's because you've touched a member of my Asura Tribe and caused yourself trouble you cannot handle!"

"Meet your demise, Royal Slaying Sword, Immortal-Slaying!"

As Sovereign Mara Papiyas let out a fierce cry, his Asura Sword slashed through the air towards Sun Wukong. A blood-colored longsword formed from the convergence of ten thousand rays of blood light at the tip of the sword, it chopped down from the sky towards Sun Wukong with a thunderous roar.

Even before the sword physically reached him, Sun Wukong felt a piercing pain on his cheeks as if his muscles were about to split. Given the strength of his Vajra Indestructible Body at the present, he was alarmed to feel this way, signaling that the destructive power of this sword surely exceeded imagination.

Had he been struck, even Sun Wukong wasn't sure whether his Vajra Indestructible Body could withstand the hit—probably, the best outcome would be sustaining severe injuries!

"Void-Breaking Divine Eye, shatter for your old Sun!"

Golden light blazed in his eyes as Sun Wukong pushed his Void-Breaking Divine Eye to the limit. Invisible mana pressurized into countless fine, thread-like Dao Patterns manifesting in his vision. Inside him, the Eight-Nine Profound Skill revolved at high speed, and mana, driven by the Chaos Primordial Force, surged out from his entire body, striking those fine Dao Patterns and breaking them apart.

Sun Wukong's body suddenly felt lighter, regaining the ability to move. Without the luxury of further thought, he concentrated the Chaos Primordial Force into the Ruyi Silver-Hooped Rod and, with a thunderous cry, struck towards the blood-colored longsword.

"Heaven-Breaking Thirty-Six Sticks!"

The sky filled with repeated impacts of the rod on the blood-colored longsword, spreading intense shockwaves and blinding light. The next moment, a massive mushroom cloud surged from the Bottomless Abyss into the sky. Violent winds swirled outwards carrying awe-inspiring destructive power; within several miles, mountains, stones, and vegetation were obliterated into nothingness.

Even the ground itself was scraped away several dozen feet, leaving the entire land crisscrossed with fractures and crevices.

As the dust settled, Sovereign Mara Papiyas descended from midair. Upon landing, he staggered slightly, his face paled, and his eyes filled with shock. A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, which he quickly wiped away with his hand.

"What a terrifying demon monkey! To think he could break free from this king's mana prison and unleash such a horrifying strike! Could this really be an attack from a Taiyi Scattered Immortal?"

Sovereign Mara Papiyas' gaze shifted towards the depths of the Endless Abyss. Although Sun Wukong had broken free of his mana prison and unleashed a mighty blow that even he found shocking, he still had been hit by the Slaying Sword, sending him tumbling into the Endless Abyss.

Even a Da Luo Golden Immortal upon being hit would lose the Three Flowers atop their head and the Five Qi in their chest, much less Sun Wukong who was just a Taiyi Scattered Immortal. Maras couldn't possibly believe he could withstand it.

"So be it, below is the Six Paths of Reincarnation Realms. Let this king send you on your way to reincarnation! In our next life, I hope you have the strength to rival this king!"

The majority of the Slaying Sword's force had been neutralized by Sun Wukong's ultimate move, and the remaining force wasn't enough to scatter his soul. Such a powerful being would retain some of his past life's strength upon reincarnation. Since Sun Wukong had fallen directly into the Six Paths of Reincarnation Realms, his memories would be preserved too.

Nearly certain, Maras foresaw the birth of an unprecedented genius within the Three Realms; he only wondered which of the paths Sun Wukong would ultimately fall into, where in the Three Realms his next life would begin!

After using the Asura Tribe's Cultivation Technique to control his injuries for a moment, Sovereign Mara Papiyas soared into the air, flying towards the source of the River of Oblivion, and quickly vanished into the horizon.

Within the Six Paths of Reincarnation Realms, specifically the Heavenly Dao Realm, Sun Wukong was enshrouded in a grey light, floating in suspension. His eyes were tightly shut, breathing weak, he had fallen into a deep coma.

The power of a Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm Asura Demon King was indeed terrifying; Sun Wukong had just managed to break free from the mana's oppression and unleashed his strongest ultimate move, Heaven-Breaking Thirty-Six Sticks. Still, he was unable to completely resist the fearsome might of the Slaying Sword.

After the staff force neutralized most of the destructive power, the remaining sword light had sliced into Sun Wukong, sending him falling into the Endless Abyss and into this path of the Six Paths Reincarnation within the Heavenly Dao Realm.

The Vajra Indestructible Body was not truly invulnerable. Under the onslaught of the Slaying Sword's light, Sun Wukong suffered heavy injuries and fell unconscious, no longer able to drive the Chaos Primordial Force to protect himself. Were it not for where he was, his injuries would have naturally recovered over time, waking him from unconsciousness.

But this place was not any ordinary place; this was inside the Heavenly Dao Realm of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, filled with the Power of Reincarnation that even Da Luo Golden Immortals must exert all their mana to create a Protective Shield to prevent erosion.

Sun Wukong lay unconscious, his innately operating Eight-Nine Profound Skill insufficient to erect a Protective Shield around him. As he was about to be eroded by the Power of Reincarnation, just as Maras had speculated, his Physical Body would disintegrate, his Primordial Spirit and soul entering the cycle of Reincarnation.

Suddenly, a grey light emerged from his Dantian and swiftly expanded into a sphere, enveloping him within.

The Power of Reincarnation struck against the grey light barrier but to no avail; instead, it was directly absorbed into the shield. Far from eroding Sun Wukong's Body, it circulated around the shield a few times before gradually integrating into Sun Wukong's Body.