Chapter 145: Chapter 145: I am a Stone, Not Wukong Chapter 145: Chapter 145: I am a Stone, Not Wukong Water Curtain Cave at the Flower Fruit Mountain.

A monkey popped out from a stubborn rock, this monkey had neither father nor mother. If one must say who its mother was, perhaps only the Supreme Lady Nuwa could be named. He was born from a Five-Colored Sky-mending Stone, receiving the essence of heaven and earth, blending the spirit of all things, and accumulating the merit of repairing the heavens, one could say he was uniquely blessed.

Next to the stone bloomed a Ziwei flower, which had kept him company for countless years, and still appeared fragile today.

Looking at this flower, he suddenly felt a sourness in his heart, yet he could not explain it, he was even so naive that he did not know what this feeling was.

A group of monkeys began to gather around him, chattering and asking for his name.

He thought for a while, not knowing how long he had thought, before he told the monkeys, “My name is Stone!”

A monkey jumped up and said, “Stone? What an ugly name!”

Stone then said, “You may find it ugly, but I think it’s very nice!”

As days went by, Stone occasionally climbed back to the place of his birth to keep the Ziwei flower company.

Day by day, year by year.

The monkeys around him had died, only he remained young and agile.

He suddenly thought, “I hear that there are deities in this world who can live forever. Why not learn the art of eternal life? To come back and allow my companions to live forever with me, to roam the mortal world freely and at ease!”

So, Stone began his journey to seek the Immortal and to learn the art of immortality.

He crossed the seas and was blown by a great wind to Mount Sumeru, to the Cave of the Three Stars.

A woodcutter told him there was an old deity on the mountain.

Thus, Stone became a disciple of the old deity.

This old deity was named Subhuti, who at first taught him nothing, merely allowing Stone to attend lectures, listening for many years. Unable to hold back any longer, Subhuti began to impart the Cultivation Methods.

The ancient master asked, “I have the Heavenly Constellation Thirty-six Transformation and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Transformations, which one would you like to learn?”

Stone happily said, “I want to learn the Heavenly Constellation Thirty-six, heaven is larger than earth, it must be more powerful!”

Subhuti said, “The Heavenly Constellation Thirty-six Transformation consists of Manipulating Creation, Invert Yin Yang, Shift Stars and Exchange Constellations, Reverting Sky and Sun, Summoning Wind and Rain, Shaking Mountains and Earth, Riding Fog and Ascending Clouds, Transforming Rivers into Land, Soaring Earth Golden Light, Stirring Rivers and Seas, Pointing Earth into Steel, Five Elements Great Escape, Six Jia Mysticism, Anticipating the Future, Whipping Mountains and Moving Stones, Raising the Dead to Life, Flying and Leaving Trails, Calming Breath and Restoring Qi, Drawing out Original Yang, Subduing the Dragon and Tiger, Fixing the Heavens and Bathing in the Sun, Pushing Mountains and Filling Seas, Pointing at Stones to Turn them into Gold, Standing Right without a Shadow, Transforming the Embryo and Changing Forms, Small and Big at Will, Blossoming in an Instant, Roaming Spirit Controlling Qi, Watching through Walls, Reversing Wind and Fire, Commanding the Five Thunders, Concealing in the Abyss and Shrinking Land, Walking Sand and Moving Stones, Carrying Mountains and Crossing Seas, Spreading Beans into Soldiers, Seven Starred Nail. Listen well now, for I shall pass this Dharma Gate onto you.”

Stone said, “Thank you, Master, thank you, Master!”

Subhuti then said, “Do you know the different kinds of deities in this world?”

Stone puzzledly said, “Different kinds of deities? Aren’t all deities the same!”

Subhuti stroked his beard and laughed, “Not so, not so. The lowest level of deity is the Earth Immortal, followed by the Supreme Immortal… and above the Ninefold Realm, is the Taiyi Golden Immortal. Achieving Taiyi Golden Immortal status means you are a master among deities and can truly live forever.”

Stone asked, “What comes after Taiyi Golden Immortal?”

Subhuti said, “After the Taiyi Golden Immortal is the Daluo Golden Immortal, this Daluo Golden Immortal must form a Golden Core, able to comprehend the laws of the void, perform Void Distortion in order to advance.” Without waiting for Stone to ask more, he continued, “After the Daluo Golden Immortal comes the Primordial Golden Immortal. These Primordial Golden Immortals are the masters among masters, the founders of sects. They understand the Primordial Dao Fruit, penetrate the energies of Yin and Yang, their methods are profound and pierce through heaven and earth.”

“After the Primordial Golden Immortal, there’s the Primordial Limitless Daluo Golden Immortal, also known as the Heavenly Dao Saint, who controls the principles of the Heavenly Dao, peerless against all. And then there’s the Great Dao Sage, who dominates the Great Dao Principles, not even the Heavenly Dao Saint can stand against them.” Subhuti spoke freely, clarifying the realms of cultivation.

Stone listened to Subhuti’s teachings day and night, and now having received the Heavenly Constellation Thirty-six Transformation, he had an epiphany, his cultivation level soaring close to Taiyi Golden Immortal, and asked, “Master, Master! At what realm am I now?”

Subhuti said, “You are now a Superior Immortal.”

Hearing that there were so many cultivation levels, and he was only a Superior Immortal, Stone couldn’t help feeling troubled.

Subhuti said, “A Superior Immortal is already an incredible cultivation level, you can go anywhere unchallenged, I will teach you another skill, the Somersault Cloud. Now that you have capabilities, you may leave on your own!”

Stone asked, “Master, do you think I will one day be able to cleave the heavens, to shatter the earth?”

Subhuti laughed, “You will be able to…”

After saying this, Subhuti waved his horsetail whisk, sending Stone flying out. Stone, dizzy and disoriented, woke to find that the Mount Sumeru, the Cave of the Three Stars was nowhere to be seen; he was lying on the beach.

Stone did not know how many years he had learned his skills, and upon inquiry, he found that a whole hundred years had passed.

He mounted his Somersault Cloud and returned to the Flower Fruit Mountain.

Suddenly, he discovered that the Ziwei flower was gone without a trace, his heart twinged with pain. The flower that had accompanied him for tens of thousands of years, was it just gone like that? Which pesky monkey picked it? He must teach them a lesson!

Stone, having learned the art of immortality, roamed freely and at ease in the Flower Fruit Mountain, becoming their king.

Yet one day, a beautiful woman wearing a purple dress descended gracefully from the clouds.

This woman was delicately pretty, but not stunning, her eyebrows like crescent moons, with a dainty nose and lips. While she wasn’t beautiful, she possessed an ineffable grace of a humble, jade-like quality, warm and gentle. Even her walk carried a tender charm, and from her lips came forth a sweet, congenial aura.

“Great King, Great King, an Immortal Fairy has descended from the heavens!” a monkey cried out.

With a gentle smile that was honey-sweet, she soaked one’s heart and spleen with a sense of moist tenderness.

Stone gazed up at the sky, spellbound.

The woman chuckled lightly. “You monkey, how impolite, staring at someone like that!”

Stone, having seen little of the world, blushed and said, “The fairy is pretty, I couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.”

The Immortal Fairy laughed, “Have you not glanced enough throughout these tens of thousands of years?”

Perplexed, Stone asked, “Who are you?”

Her laughter grew more vibrant, displacing her earlier composed gentleness. Now she bore a whimsical air. Teasingly, with her melodious voice, she said, “Your head truly is made of stone! Think carefully, who else could have been by your side for tens of thousands of years?”

Stone nearly leapt from the ground, exclaiming, “Oh! Are you that Ziwei flower?”

The Immortal Fairy replied, “My name is Zixia.”

Stone murmured her name twice, finding it strangely familiar, and then said, “Zixia is a lovely name! A purple afternoon glow?”

But Zixia responded, “You silly stone, I am born from the Ziwei flower, and I adore watching the colorful clouds; that’s why I’m called Zixia! You fool, you’ve been with me for tens of thousands of years and still don’t know what I like?”

Stone curiously asked, “How do you know my name is Stone?”

Zixia was taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter, laughing so hard she doubled over, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.

Stone, unable to suppress his anger, said, “What’s so funny!”

Zixia finally stopped laughing and said, “So, you are really called Stone!”

Stone said, “Anyway, I think the name is nice. Laugh all you want, if you please!”

Zixia replied, “What’s there to laugh about? I used to call you Stone as well; I just never thought that was really your name!”

Stone nodded, “Yes! My name is Stone!”

A smile played at the corners of Zixia’s mouth. “It’s a very nice name.”

Stone said happily, “I’m glad you like it!”

Zixia then asked, “So, do you think I should be called Ziwei or Zixia?”

Stone said with a smile, “Since you prefer Zixia, let’s go with Zixia. I also think it sounds nicer.”

Zixia nodded, “Good, I won’t change my name then!”

So, Zixia stayed at the Water Curtain Cave, and every day the two of them roamed the mountains and waters, free from sorrow and burden, like two innocent children frolicking amidst nature.

One day, as Zixia and Stone were enjoying freshly picked peaches inside Water Curtain Cave, thunder boomed from the heavens.

Zixia’s face suddenly changed as she cried out, “Not good! I’ve lost track of time because of you, and I haven’t even completed the task from Her Majesty! She must have sent someone to hold me accountable by now.”

Stone inquired, “Which Majesty?”

Zixia exclaimed, “It’s the Queen Mother! After I entered the Immortal Dao, I was brought up to the Heavenly Court and assigned to Jade Pool to serve the Queen Mother. Her Majesty sent me to the mortal world to retrieve an Immortal Herb from the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. But meeting you made me forget! It’s over now, the Queen Mother is going to punish me!”

Stone, furious upon hearing this, said, “I want to see who dares to punish you!”

Zixia cautioned, “Don’t be rash, there are countless Heavenly Soldiers above us, and no amount of prowess will help you against them.”

Seeing Zixia’s disbelief in his capabilities further fueled Stone’s anger. He declared, “Fine, today I shall see who dares to take you away!”

Suddenly, Zixia said, “I must leave. Stone, I’ll be waiting for you, for the day you come for me in your armor, stepping on the seven-colored clouds…”

Her expression somber, she said no more and used her Escape Technique to leave. Stone couldn’t even manage to stop her.

She ascended to the sky because she didn’t wish to implicate him.

That was it.

To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the coming chapter.