novelraw Chapter 60
Chapter 60
60. So, it was you who called me.
The fog was thick.
The deeper he went, the denser it became.
Sun Wukong felt as if something was drawing him in.
‘It’s not trying to keep outsiders away—it’s almost like it’s welcoming me.’
Sun Wukong’s eyes swept sharply around.
He couldn’t see an inch ahead. It was enough to make him feel as if he were walking through clouds.
But limited vision was no obstacle.
There’s a realm where you can see without seeing.
Yet, he couldn’t see.
“This isn’t just ordinary fog.”
It wasn’t the kind of mist that just soaked you with dampness.
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue at the prickling sensation on his skin.
“It’s Spiritual Power.”
His skin felt as if it were burning. Sun Wukong couldn’t help but chuckle.
A familiar power.
Spiritual Power—the force wielded by the gods of the Heavenly Realm.
In the past, even in the Mortal World, a handful of humans could use a faint trace of this power.
The miraculous powers of renowned Buddhist monks, or the mystical arts of Taoists, were examples of this.
The power of the Heavenly Realm, wielded by Buddhas and Immortals—Sun Wukong could use it too.
He was the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and the Supreme Immortal of Primal Chaos in the Heavenly Realm.
“Ugh. Now that I’m down in the Mortal World, not being able to use any of it is really biting me.”
He hadn’t minded before. Even without Spiritual Power, his very existence was supreme.
But now, he felt a twinge of regret.
As the fog seeped in, his body reacted violently, and a bitter laugh escaped him.
“For demons, this power is poison.”
This is why demons rarely messed with Earth Gods.
It’s also why, despite being human, renowned monks and Taoists could exorcise demons—because of this power.
A force fundamentally at odds with demons.
Sun Wukong found the situation almost funny.
“Now I really feel like a demon.”
A lonely smile crossed his lips.
The fog burned his skin with pain.
He remembered shedding his demon nature while journeying with Tang Sanzang and enduring asceticism.
Now, Sun Wukong could feel, quite literally on his skin, that he’d become king of the demons again.
“Well, I’ll just go back once this is all over, so it doesn’t matter.”
Sun Wukong shook off the stray thoughts and emotional residue swirling in his head.
Sentimental nonsense wasn’t important.
A fog made of Spiritual Power—Sun Wukong, now a demon, couldn’t see through it.
Nor could a human.
“Moments like this make me realize Namgung Jin-Baek really does have good instincts.”
Didn’t he say you’d need a renowned Taoist, not just a martial artist?
He was right. Spiritual Power must be met with Spiritual Power.
But there was a bigger problem than not being able to see ahead.
“They’ve turned this place into a maze.”
A loss of sense of direction.
Sun Wukong gave a wry smile and shrugged it off.
There was a subtle wave of Qi in the air. The deep, inaudible noise filled the surroundings.
A sound only certain animals use to communicate—humans can’t hear it, but it has a profound effect.
It rattles the eardrums and numbs your sense of direction.
With vision limited and your sense of direction gone, it’d be tough for most humans.
Of course, if noise was the problem, you could just block your hearing with Internal Qi.
But since it’s inaudible, no one would easily realize the noise is the issue—that’s the key.
“For a human, maybe.”
Sun Wukong stretched his arms.
He could hear it all.
Just block his ears, and that was that. Sun Wukong walked straight ahead without wavering.
Before long, he found the group of late-stage disciples gathered together.
“Looks like… they’re not too panicked yet.”
From a distance, he could see they were surprised, but still keeping their composure.
At the front, Namgung Mu-yeong was calmly reassuring them and carefully searching for the way.
“Good. I’ve got their location. First, let’s deal with whoever’s behind this mess.”
But no matter how far he walked, nothing appeared.
As the fog continued to limit his vision, Sun Wukong started to get annoyed.
Frustration bubbled up inside him.
Sun Wukong was always honest with his feelings, and now he was getting angry.
“Whoever’s behind this nonsense, when I find you, I’m going to beat you to a pulp.”
Grinding his teeth, he kept walking.
He took a deep breath and stopped.
Suddenly, he pulled out the iron staff slung across his back and swung it like a thunderbolt.
Crash! Boom! Crash!
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. Every time Sun Wukong slammed his iron staff down, the earth trembled.
“How long are we going to play this stupid game of hide-and-seek? If you don’t come out right now, I, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, will pound you into the ground with this staff until you’re nothing but mush!”
Sun Wukong bellowed, venting all the frustration that had built up. The irritation and anger from searching for Tang Sanzang and dealing with old grudges all came pouring out.
Maybe it was because he was in a demon’s body.
His old temperament was starting to show.
Not long after he’d finished yelling and pounding the ground, something changed.
The fog began to move, forming a long corridor.
Sun Wukong grumbled and put away his iron staff.
“Honestly, some people only listen after a beating.”
A single path of thinning fog, as if guiding the way.
Sun Wukong walked slowly into the opening.
In the distance, he could faintly see the massive Flying Cave.
He glanced to the side. On his shoulder, the little owl, now limp and lifeless, had lost all its energy.
“Maybe there was another Earth God here besides you.”
To create a path and manipulate Spiritual Power this freely…
‘No way a god from the Heavenly Realm would descend here.’
Sun Wukong strode toward the Flying Cave.
It was vast and wide.
But most of all, it was deep.
The air flowing from within was as cold as the northern sea.
“It’s not just my imagination.”
The flow of Qi was different. The entrance to the Flying Cave felt like a boundary.
Sun Wukong walked slowly, surveying the cave.
Pitch black, not a speck of light—but Sun Wukong could see through utter darkness in an instant.
Everything was clear to him.
“Sword marks?”
Sun Wukong’s hand brushed one side of the wall.
Deep gouges and protrusions.
Traces carved by a sword.
Sword marks.
“So this is where the Namgung Clan’s founder trained.”
Sun Wukong examined the sword marks with interest.
The deeper he went, the more the marks changed.
The early marks were unimpressive. Not deep at all—almost as if the sword had barely grazed the surface.
But further in, the flow changed. The aura grew sharper and more imposing.
He could see the process of gradual development and growth.
From uncertain beginnings to a form that was nearly perfected in the end.
Sword form.
And at the very end…
“Nothing.”
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue in disappointment.
No more marks. The wall was blocked off. Staring at it, Sun Wukong swung his iron staff with all his might.
Crash!
The Flying Cave shook violently. Even with all his strength, the wall didn’t break. Sun Wukong grinned.
“Not bad.”
He kept pounding away. Dust billowed, and finally, the wall that had stood like iron gave way.
Rumble!
Sun Wukong peered through the dust.
A heap of white bones.
Not human remains.
Sun Wukong studied the pile carefully.
“An animal.”
Animal bones. Well, it’s a cave—plenty of animals could have crawled in here and died.
If it weren’t for the powerful barrier, that’s what he would have thought.
“But a bird, six meters long?”
Sun Wukong slowly pieced the bones together. White feathers buried in the dirt.
A bird.
A massive one. Not just any animal.
Sun Wukong’s voice grew heavy.
Unconsciously, he glanced at the Owl Demon on his shoulder.
Owl Demon is always Owl Demon, generation after generation. There’s only one Earth God per region, and when their role is done, they pass it to the next generation and ascend to the heavens.
That’s the fate and flow of life for an Earth God.
There is no death for an Earth God.
Unless someone kills them.
Sun Wukong’s voice turned bitter.
“Owl Demon. Owl Demon. You didn’t ascend—you died, didn’t you?”
This pile of bones.
It was the remains of the previous Owl Demon.
* * *
No wonder.
‘He was so young.’
Sun Wukong looked at the Owl Demon on his shoulder.
An Earth God waits patiently until their successor is fully grown and ready to take on the role.
But the current Owl Demon was far too young. Just seeing him squabble with a cat, his temperament was no different from a fledgling owl.
Sun Wukong had always found that odd.
Now the mystery was solved.
“Did he die suddenly?”
In other words, someone killed the Earth God.
Sun Wukong felt it was inevitable.
‘The day Tang Sanzang’s soul vanished.’
That was when the previous Owl Demon died.
Sun Wukong let out a deep sigh.
“You’ve brought me all the way here, so show yourself. Owl Demon.”
At that moment, the limp Owl Demon on his shoulder spread its wings wide and soared lightly into the air.
“…Owl Demon.”
A solemn voice echoed in his mind.
Sun Wukong smiled wryly and sat down.
It wasn’t the lively voice of the young owl, but a deep, dignified tone.
It sounded like an old man, relaxed and full of dignity.
Sun Wukong gave him a faint smile.
“So, it was you who called me.”
The spirit of the previous Owl Demon had resonated with the current one.
Sun Wukong chuckled.
If he remembered seeing Sun Wukong, he must have been truly ancient.
No wonder, even after his body had rotted to bones, he could still wield Spiritual Power and create this situation.
“How did you know I was coming?”
“So, you got a problem with that?”
“You think I can’t hit you just because you’re in the afterlife?”
Sun Wukong stroked his iron staff. The Owl Demon shuddered.
Old memories resurfaced.
The Owl Demon quickly changed the subject.
“Why would I run away from there to suffer in this Mortal World?”
Sun Wukong let out a deep sigh.
Why am I going through all this trouble?
The Owl Demon pressed, sounding suspicious.
Sun Wukong frowned.
“I came down on Tathagata’s orders. I have to find Tang Sanzang.”
The Owl Demon hopped in place.
He shouted with relief.
“So, what did you want to tell me? You took humans hostage just to get my attention.”
“Tch.”
“What?”
Sun Wukong’s face hardened.
A low, animalistic growl rumbled from his lips.
“Who is it? Who’s that bastard?”
A flash of light glinted in his eyes.