novelraw Chapter 61
Chapter 61
61. The One I Know
Tripitaka’s ascetic journey was far more perilous than anyone imagined.
It was a path riddled with trials and tribulations.
Every kind of harsh environment blocked the way: vast forests, massive lakes, endless swamps, deserts scorched under a blazing sun, and mountain ranges that seemed to reach the heavens.
Powerful demons clashed with the Earth Gods in each of these places, and some even drove the Earth Gods out to rule like kings.
The demon attacks were relentless—like waves crashing in from the sea.
And it wasn’t just mindless demons that charged at them.
Cunning demons abounded, using every spell technique to deceive and lure Tripitaka.
Whenever Sun Wukong left his side for even a moment, Tripitaka would immediately find himself in danger.
The fact that Tripitaka returned from Tianzhu without a single hair harmed was nothing short of the Buddha’s protection.
“It really was the Buddha’s great blessing.”
“Tripitaka was originally the Buddha’s disciple in a past life, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was already a Buddha. Yet he chose to become human again, to spread his teachings among people. What a stubborn fool.”
He could’ve just lived on as a Buddha.
Because of him, I had to go all the way to Tianzhu.
Sun Wukong grumbled. Owl Demon gave a bitter smile and spoke.
“Even the fair and just Shakyamuni Buddha couldn’t just stand by while his most cherished disciple set out on such a grueling journey in a frail human body.”
“You’re right. Bajie, Wujing, White Dragon, and me—we all had to protect Tripitaka.”
“Not just you. All the gods of the Heavenly Realm were always watching over Tripitaka. Every kind of protection and blessing was directed at him.”
Sun Wukong didn’t reply, simply staring at Owl Demon.
Under that gaze, Owl Demon hesitated before finally continuing.
“Yes, that’s right. I was also tasked with protecting Tripitaka.”
“I thought so...”
“Even after the Bull Demon King was captured and taken to the Heavenly Realm and the demons disappeared, you could never be too careful.”
“So you know who Tripitaka is, don’t you?”
Sun Wukong’s eyes gleamed, but contrary to his expectations, Owl Demon shook his head.
“I don’t.”
“You don’t? Then how did you protect him?”
“I could vaguely sense Tripitaka’s presence. The flow of spiritual power around him would change completely. What I do know for sure is that he was in the area I governed.”
Sun Wukong quietly observed Owl Demon.
Even though he was dead and his soul resided in the underworld, he could still appear in the Mortal World and speak.
That alone proved that the previous Owl Demon was ancient and powerful.
“So Guanyin Bodhisattva didn’t just toss Tripitaka into the cycle of reincarnation without a second thought.”
Sun Wukong twirled his hair.
They’d assigned Sun Wukong and his brothers, plus White Dragon, to Tripitaka. Countless gods bestowed their blessings and protection.
Just as it was then, now too, Shakyamuni Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva were surely watching over Tripitaka.
“Most likely, every time Tripitaka reincarnated, there was a powerful Earth God nearby.”
“Yeah, now it’s starting to make sense.”
“Of course, if Tripitaka was harmed or injured by human conflict, we couldn’t intervene.”
Sun Wukong understood what he meant.
Tripitaka was reincarnated as a human.
He lived a human life. He experienced the full range of human joys and sorrows.
If he died in a fight with another human, that too was fate—a conclusion written in the Book of Life and Death.
There was no avoiding it.
“The Earth Gods protect Tripitaka from things like demon attacks—beings that break the rules of the mortal world.”
“Exactly.”
Owl Demon half-closed his eyes and spoke slowly, as if recalling the past.
“Countless demonic beasts have always thrown the world into chaos and broken its rules. Just like you once did.”
“...”
“We Earth Gods exist to protect against anything that ignores the laws of nature and the rules of the world.”
At that, Sun Wukong suddenly pulled out his iron staff and slammed it into the ground.
Boom!
The Flying Cave shook as if it might collapse. Owl Demon’s face turned pale.
“I’ve heard enough about the Earth Gods’ duties. I’m curious—what exactly are you trying to excuse with all this talk?”
At Sun Wukong’s low, cold voice, Owl Demon faltered for a moment.
He stared at Sun Wukong with trembling eyes.
He took a deep breath.
“The souls of humans can only be handled by the Underworld Messengers. Anything else goes against the natural order and the rules. The disappearance of Tripitaka’s soul... is the same.”
Sun Wukong gripped his iron staff, still embedded in the ground.
Crrrk.
He squeezed so hard that the staff, famed for its unmatched hardness and density, seemed to dent ever so slightly.
Sun Wukong growled in a low voice.
“So you’re saying you didn’t do your job, Owl Demon.”
Your title is Earth God.
Your role is to protect Tripitaka from anything that breaks the rules.
“You didn’t do a thing.”
A subtle anger flickered across Sun Wukong’s face.
Owl Demon, reading his expression, couldn’t say a word.
His mouth clamped shut.
Sun Wukong’s glare left him speechless, his tongue feeling stiff as stone.
The Qi Wave that had been protecting the area with spiritual power changed in an instant.
Owl Demon squeezed his eyes shut without realizing it.
Right now, Sun Wukong was a demon—not a god of the Heavenly Realm, but the Great Demon Sun Wukong.
‘Even here, where I can wield the full power of an Earth God, I can’t affect him at all!’
This was Owl Demon’s nest. His domain, the place where the spiritual power of an Earth God surged most strongly.
It was shocking. Unbelievable.
All his protective barriers shattered one by one, and finally, Owl Demon faced Sun Wukong directly. Realizing that nothing could stop him, Owl Demon’s breath quickened.
Sun Wukong’s gaze, looking down at him, was chillingly cold.
“Owl Demon. Go on, make more excuses.”
Sun Wukong’s voice was different from usual. There was no cheer, no hint of a smile.
It was simply flat and deeply subdued.
Owl Demon’s body trembled.
Even though he was already dead, his soul in the underworld.
‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong...!’
A fear of death pierced his mind.
Yes, he’d heard rumors in the underworld.
King Yama had raged furiously.
He’d ignored the Underworld Messengers, judged two souls himself, and erased them.
King Yama had been ready to send every Underworld Messenger to capture the culprit, but when he learned who it was, his face turned ashen.
‘A Judge who can even erase the souls of the dead.’
The only Judge in the Heavenly Realm who held the authority, power, and all the might of the underworld in his hands.
Owl Demon’s soul trembled with terror in the underworld.
If the Judge decided Owl Demon had failed in his duty and erased his soul, it wouldn’t be impossible.
Who would dare object?
Back in the days when he was a wild stone monkey, no one but Shakyamuni Buddha could stop the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.
Now, he even had the authority guaranteed by Guanyin Bodhisattva and Shakyamuni Buddha.
Trembling in the suffocating fear that his very soul could be erased, Owl Demon finally managed to speak.
“I am already dead.”
His speech shifted from half-formal to the most respectful tone.
It wasn’t flattery.
His mouth just moved on its own.
“I fought to protect him. It wasn’t a human. Though it wore a human’s face, inside, its soul was definitely a demonic beast. A vicious one!”
“...”
“It must have been a reincarnated demon, but it knew about its past life. It attacked me directly, out of nowhere.”
Was it clearing out the surroundings before going after Tripitaka?
Sun Wukong frowned.
Even Owl Demon didn’t know who Tripitaka was—only that he was born and present somewhere nearby.
But this being, aware of its past as a demon, knew exactly who Tripitaka was, and even identified the Earth God and attacked?
Sun Wukong’s thoughts grew more tangled.
He’d had his suspicions, but this fiend was even more incomprehensible than expected.
“I couldn’t win. It was truly powerful. It felt like facing one of the greatest of the Great Demons from the old days.”
Sun Wukong relaxed his grip on the iron staff.
“I couldn’t win. That’s how I died.”
Owl Demon slumped his shoulders, as if he had nothing more to say.
Sun Wukong let out a sigh.
‘So he tried to do his job, but was simply outmatched.’
In other words, he was just too weak.
Sun Wukong glared at Owl Demon for a long moment before speaking.
“Tell me.”
“...Pardon?”
“Everything about him—his face, his scent, his appearance, his build, his habits, his footsteps, every last detail.”
A flash of light passed through Sun Wukong’s eyes.
The burning gaze made Owl Demon’s heart skip a beat.
Owl Demon swallowed dryly.
It was the first time he’d seen Sun Wukong this consumed by rage.
He suddenly felt awe for the heavenly generals like Lord Erlang, who had once stood against such a Sun Wukong.
Owl Demon racked his brain desperately.
The reason he’d brought Sun Wukong here.
It was to tell him everything he’d seen and heard.
“He hid his appearance completely, melted into the shadows, and even used mysterious martial art skills of humans. His movements were like a shadow.”
“A shadow.”
Sun Wukong locked the word “shadow” in his mind.
Owl Demon nodded and continued.
“It was as if he hid everything, making it hard to grasp, but there’s one thing I remember. I, Owl Demon, who have lived for centuries and can soar higher and farther than any phoenix—he burned my body to ashes.”
“Burned?”
A strange light flickered in Sun Wukong’s eyes.
To burn the spirit form of an Earth God.
One word sprang to mind.
Sun Wukong’s lips curled upward, baring his clenched teeth.
A fire that shouldn’t burn, yet does.
There’s only one in the world.
“Samadhi True Fire...”
“It was Samadhi True Fire. The Tribulation Flame that burns everything, even the body of an Earth God.”
Sun Wukong let out a hollow laugh.
Samadhi True Fire.
That terrifying flame had erupted here?
The same Tribulation Flame that nearly burned even Sun Wukong’s golden fur.
Sun Wukong took a deep breath.
His half-closed eyes snapped open, cold light pouring out.
“The one I know.”
“...Most likely.”
Sun Wukong chuckled.
Now he understood why Owl Demon had called him here.
This was a story that could never be buried in the world. Owl Demon had done his duty well enough.
Sun Wukong exhaled deeply.
A subtle anger flickered across his face.
Now he knew who it was.
“That brat actually dared to make trouble for his uncle.”
The spell of Samadhi True Fire had been the greatest obstacle Sun Wukong faced even on the journey to the West.
But instead of anger, Sun Wukong found himself laughing. The young face of that boy floated up in his mind.
“But there’s no way he acted alone.”
Owl Demon’s body trembled at the realization behind Sun Wukong’s words.
It was as if the forgotten, vanished past—the era of demonic beasts—was vividly returning before his eyes.
“If it’s Samadhi True Fire, it must be Hong Hae-ah.”
And then...
“Brother...”
A voice slipped from Sun Wukong’s lips.
“Brother, I hope you’re not the one who took Tripitaka.”
A mournful light shone in Sun Wukong’s eyes.
Hong Hae-ah’s father, the Bull Demon King.
Sun Wukong had finally realized the true nature of his enemy.