NOVPUBAlthough only a ghastly white skeleton of the tortoise remained, its enormous shell was still intact. Moreover, having once consumed half of the Saint Armor Turtle’s inner core, Sun Wukong was quite familiar with the Saint Armor Turtle. Hesitantly, Wukong also stood on the back of the Saint Armor Turtle’s skeleton, feeling a familiar sensation from the turtle that slightly settled his heart. It seemed the little monkey had the ability to control the bones of the dead here, turning them into skeletal beings. With that in mind, the little monkey’s claim to be the boss here might indeed be true.
After Wukong stood on the back of the Saint Armor Turtle, the great tortoise began to swim slowly. Despite being reduced to a skeleton, its swimming speed was not slow, and soon Sun Wukong could no longer see the shore they had left behind. Gazing at the vast, endless Blood Sea, Wukong suddenly felt a chill. It was a most uncomfortable sensation; for the first time in a long while, he experienced a hint of fear. This Blood Sea was probably formed from the blood of the powerful beings who had died in an ancient war. How many had perished in that war to create such a vast Blood Sea?
Moreover, as Wukong watched the billowing waves of blood in the sea, he suddenly remembered Si Ye’s death in the great battle of the Patrolling Celestial World. Wukong wasn’t very familiar with Si Ye, but after all, they had fought side by side. Reflecting on the dreadful state of Si Ye’s death, Wukong could not help but feel sorrowful. Who in this world can escape the clutches of death? Though death is inevitable, dying for someone else’s dreams and ideals somehow seems especially tragic. If a person dies for their own beliefs, they die without regrets. However, Si Ye died for the purposes of others. How could that not cause Wukong to feel pensive?
Perhaps there is no such thing as true eternity in this world. As for the eternity that people fervently seek, it seems to be nothing more than self-hypnosis due to their unwillingness to accept death. Lost in thought, Wukong was only jolted back to reality when someone tapped his shoulder. As it turned out, they had arrived. The skeleton of the Saint Armor Turtle had carried Sun Wukong and the little monkey to a blood-red island teeming with countless blood-red trees. "What were you thinking about just now? You weren’t thinking of how to harm me, were you?" the little monkey patted the turtle’s head, signaling it to leave, and then turned to Sun Wukong.
Wukong smiled and said, "I was wondering if there truly is such a thing as eternity in this world, a real escape from death, eternal life." Wukong’s statement was made in passing, but the expression of the little monkey suddenly grew serious. A serious look on the face of a monkey seemed quite odd. "Seeing as you’ve been relatively well-behaved on this journey, I’ll reluctantly tell you that there indeed exists true eternity in this world, the kind of eternal life that disregards the cycles of time and life and death. And that eternity is right here. Of course, not on this island, but in this world!" After speaking, the little monkey stared at Sun Wukong, his gaze unblinking and intense.
Wukong hadn’t expected the little monkey to say such things; he was taken aback for a moment, but then he laughed it off and said, "No wonder so many people are drawn to this Fallen Tomb, to the point of madness. It turns out to be true." Having said that, Wukong began to survey the red island. The little monkey, somewhat annoyed, scratched his head and asked, "What’s with you? Shouldn’t you be excitedly asking me where that eternity is? Don’t you want to gain that eternity?" Wukong turned and replied, "Eternity? Heh, what use do I have for that eternity? If there’s only one, and I obtain it, then I’d live forever. But all my relatives, brothers, and friends would gradually die off, leaving just me. What would be the purpose of living then? If there are many eternities, allowing many people to live forever, then in the end, only a few of us would remain. Wouldn’t that be even more boring? Life in this world, if only focused on eternal life, would be truly pitiful!"
The little monkey looked at Sun Wukong with astonishment. It was the first time he’d heard such words. He had encountered many people who entered the Fallen Tomb; even if he hadn’t revealed himself, he understood them well. They were all here in search of that eternity, willing to kill without hesitation for even the slightest clue, and when it was time to leave, they frantically gathered things from here, a group of greedy people. He had never heard words like Wukong’s before.
Not wanting to let it go, the little monkey added, "I know a clue about that eternity, do you want to know?" Wukong remained as indifferent as the monkey had imagined, casually replying, "That eternity, is it something that many people can attain?" The little monkey scratched his head and said, "One person, only one person can attain it." Wukong chuckled and said, "Then I, old Sun, am not interested. Eternity for just one person is meaningless. I’d rather grow old with my brothers or die in some battle. I haven’t come here in search of eternity. Now, tell me, what’s so special about this island?"
The little monkey seemed unable to respond immediately, staring at Wukong, not knowing what to say. It felt very much like a child holding a toy, convinced it was the most precious treasure in the world and showing off to an adult who, however, responded with a nonchalant attitude. For a moment, the child couldn’t understand why the adults appeared indifferent to their treasure. Hearing Wukong’s question, the little monkey shook his head, gave Wukong an inexplicable glance, and muttered in a low voice, "Truly a mortal vision, hmph!" Then he took a few steps to stand before Sun Wukong and pointed to a vast expanse of blood-red forest, saying, "This place is called the Bloodwood Forest. Once you enter, you can’t come out, well, except for me. It took a lot of effort even for me to leave. This is the first strange place. Up to now, I still haven’t figured out why it’s like this."
Having finished speaking, the little monkey sat on the ground, hugging the Jade Vase and eating the elixirs inside. Now the little monkey could fully digest an elixir in a quarter of an hour, so Wukong noticed that the tattered bag on the little monkey’s back had disappeared, leaving, it seemed, only a bottle of elixirs. To eat elixirs like candy beans was something Wukong had only seen Bajie do before, and not anyone else. Without further interruption from the little monkey, Wukong activated his Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes and began to examine the small island in detail. It didn’t take long for Wukong to detect some clues; this island originally should not have looked like this. The reason for its current appearance was likely due to the invasion of the Blood Sea. Over time, the power of the Blood Fiend from the Blood Sea seeped into the island, turning it blood-red. The vegetation on the island absorbed the soil imbued with the power of the Blood Fiend, ultimately resulting in its current condition.
Aside from that, Wukong couldn’t find anything else. Wukong was increasingly feeling that the Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes were not as powerful as they had been initially. When the Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes were first born, Wukong could see far more than he could now using them. Could it be that the power of the Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes was gradually weakening? Originally focusing on observing the island, Wukong found himself instead pondering over the capabilities of his Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes. However, when he concentrated all his attention on his eyes, Wukong indeed discovered something.
Wukong found that there were some strange runes in his eyes that he hadn’t noticed before. Every time Wukong tried to use the power of the Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes, these runes would emit an extremely weak force that reduced the might of the Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes. Moreover, these runes were slowly rotating, and with their rotation, they would exude a force imbued with the power to seal, although it was very faint and usually imperceptible.
Wukong realized that his eyes had been secretly sealed by someone. The seal was subtle, gradually diminishing the power of his Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes, which were now at least half as weak as when they were first born. Back then, Wukong could use the Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes to see through Xi Zhao’s true nature and even use them to peer into future prophecies, but now, he couldn’t even detect the island’s trickery.
Had it not been for a sudden suspicion in Wukong’s crystalline body, he might have never realized his Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes had been sealed until they were completely locked. Now that the seal in his eyes was discovered, it was much easier to handle. Moreover, Wukong thought that if the adversary had enough power, they could have used a stronger seal to completely lock his Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes. But they didn’t; the person had chosen a more subtle method. This meant they either didn’t want to completely erase Wukong’s Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes but merely seal some of their capabilities, or Wukong’s Heaven and Earth Fire Eyes were so formidable that the person couldn’t directly seal them and had to resort to this gentle and hidden method.
Taking a deep breath, Wukong sat down cross-legged on the ground and began to study the runes in his eyes. He was no stranger to seals, as he had already cultivated the Seal Heavenly Stamp from the Genesis Divine Nation to the highest realm, so Wukong was not in a hurry. He began to study the runes bit by bit, comparing them with the Seal Heavenly Stamp while also covertly utilizing the Nine Decisive Methods, one of which contained the power of a seal. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Of course, Wukong also started to recall when exactly he had been sealed and by whom. He had no specific memories, which meant that someone must have put the seal on his eyes without him noticing, becoming effective with each use.
But after much thought, he couldn’t pinpoint when the seal was applied.
However, the study of those runes finally yielded some results! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly passes at Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
