Chapter 23: The Curtain Rises

Upon seeing Princess Iron Fan burst into tears, Sun Wukong became anxious. There were so many servants in the Plantain Cave; if any indiscreet maid saw this, they might think he was bullying their mistress! Well, he did realize he was indeed bullying her.

Hastily, he said, "Big Sister-in-law, please don't cry anymore. Since the deed is done, we can't change it. It's better to forget about it, pretend like nothing happened, isn't that good?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Iron Fan slammed her palm onto a nearby table, shattering it. With red eyes, she exclaimed, "You monkey! You actually want me to pretend like nothing happened! This is truly too much!"

Sun Wukong nervously said, "I...I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was..." As he spoke, he didn't know what else to say and sighed, "Ah, forget it, think whatever you want, as long as you don't cry."

After a while, Princess Iron Fan asked in a calm tone, "What do you plan to do about this matter?"

Sun Wukong was taken aback, spread his arms, and said, "What else can I do? I can only keep it a secret!"

Princess Iron Fan squinted her phoenix eyes and said, "You mean you want to just let this matter go?"

Sun Wukong said, "Otherwise, what do you suggest? I can't be held responsible for this."

Princess Iron Fan spat and scolded, "You're thinking quite beautifully!"

After a moment of silence, she continued, "Monkey, while the old bull is out for an appointment, you should leave quickly. Otherwise, sooner or later, he'll discover something."

Sun Wukong nodded; with the awkwardness between them, it was indeed better to leave for now. He said, "At this point, we shouldn't meet again to avoid any complications. In that case, I'll take my leave."

After saying that, Sun Wukong leaped out of the Plantain Cave, riding his somersault cloud towards Flower Fruit Mountain.

Watching the direction Sun Wukong departed, Princess Iron Fan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With him gone, the Bull Demon King would not find out what happened last night.

However, for some reason, her mind suddenly recalled the passionate scenes with Sun Wukong from the previous night. The more urgently she tried to erase it from her mind, the clearer the images became. A sense of embarrassment surged within her.

...

Meanwhile, since leaving Cuiyun Mountain and the Plantain Cave, Sun Wukong had been diligently cultivating on Flower Fruit Mountain day after day. In the blink of an eye, three hundred years had passed. His cultivation had progressed from the fourth stage of Earth Immortal to the first stage of Celestial Immortal, achieving the Dao fruit of Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Celestial Immortal is also known as Golden Immortal. The first stage to the third stage is referred to as Great Luo Golden Immortal; the fourth stage to the sixth stage is known as Taiyi Golden Immortal; and the seventh stage to the ninth stage is the Great Enlightenment Golden Immortal.

At this level, each advancement in stage brings about a tremendous change in magical power. A Taiyi Golden Immortal can easily defeat dozens of Great Luo Golden Immortals. The gap in magical abilities is an insurmountable chasm.

However, as a reincarnated individual, Sun Wukong wasn't foolish enough to reveal his true strength. On the contrary, he understood the importance of concealing his abilities. Therefore, his aura always maintained around the seventh stage of Earth Immortal.

This approach had two advantages: first, it allowed him to play possum and surprise his opponents; second, it kept those scheming against him in the dark about his true strength.

One day, Sun Wukong hosted a banquet in the Water Curtain Cave, inviting various demon kings for a feast. While enjoying wine, they also appreciated the dances and songs performed by the female demons, creating a joyous atmosphere.

As night fell, everyone got thoroughly drunk. After seeing off the demon kings, Sun Wukong leaned back in his throne and gradually drifted into a dream.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, causing the slightly intoxicated Sun Wukong to wake up. Through half-closed eyes, he vaguely saw two underworld messengers walking in. One had a hat that read "You're also here," while the other had a hat that read "Currently catching you."

The two approached Sun Wukong without saying a word and immediately attempted to ensnare him with their Soul Hook.

Sun Wukong immediately understood. It was time for him to stir up trouble in the underworld, to modify the Book of Life and Death. The prelude to his uproar in the heavens was finally starting to unfold. However, the current Sun Wukong was not the same as the previous one. He was no longer a pawn manipulated by others. Would he truly allow those hidden behind the scenes to have their way?

Sun Wukong didn't resist and allowed Black and White Impermanence to hook out his soul.

Following Black and White Impermanence, he entered the Ghost Gate, walked the Yellow Springs Road, and arrived next to a city.

There was an iron plaque on the city, with three large characters written on it: "Underworld."

Upon reaching the destination, Sun Wukong stopped pretending to sleep. With one foot each, he kicked Black and White Impermanence to the ground and shouted, "You two have quite the audacity to hook my soul into the Underworld!"

Black and White Impermanence lay on the ground, looking up at Sun Wukong in fear. They said, "Your life has come to an end, and we were ordered to come and hook you."

Feigning anger, Sun Wukong said, "I have long obtained the method of eternal life, transcending the three realms and not within the five elements. I am not under the jurisdiction of King Yama. How dare you hook me!"

With that, he broke free from the Soul Hook and swung the Golden Cudgel towards the location of King Yama.

Along the way, the ghosts encountered by Sun Wukong were all terrified by his fierce aura. The Bull-Headed Ghost dodged to the east, the Horse-Faced Ghost hid to the west, and the rest of the ghosts rushed to the Yama Hall, shouting in panic, "Great King! Trouble! Trouble! There's a ferocious Thunder God attacking from outside!"

The ten Yama Kings exchanged glances, all nodding slightly, expressing myriad thoughts without saying a word.

In the next moment, Sun Wukong had entered the Yama Hall. The ten Yama Kings immediately feigned panic, loudly exclaiming, "May we ask, esteemed immortal, which divine being are you, and why do you come with such imposing momentum?"