The Praying Mantis Rejects the Ape
“Last time it was that guy too, and these days the demons are something else. Huh? They don’t know how scary land gods are. Tsk, tsk. When I was young…”
“Last time that guy?”
Sun Wukong’s eyes lowered slightly.
It was a pleasant feeling for a moment.
It had already been brought up twice.
The last time a demon had appeared as well.
Sun Wukong hadn’t been startled by the demon’s appearance when it showed itself. Rather, he was taken aback by the fact that it had appeared again.
“Now, let’s stop with these meaningless greetings, Dangrang.”
“This fake Sun Wukong brat dares to…”
“Ah, even if it’s not fake.”
“Are you ignoring me because I’m old? I’ve never heard of a Buddha turning into a demon again in my lifetime!”
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“You dare to step into a demon’s territory on a land god’s domain. The one from last time got away, but you won’t escape.”
Ssssss!
The atmosphere around them shifted instantly.
“What kind of mantis cart is this. No, it should be called the mantis rejecting the ape.”
It would be more likely to face a mantis against a carriage.
Facing a mantis against Sun Wukong.
It couldn’t be taken lightly.
Dangrang’s abilities were truly remarkable.
The branches of the giant trees intertwined like hands holding each other.
It looked as if it were trapping Sun Wukong.
A strange phenomenon made Sun Wukong’s lips curl up slightly.
His eyes, however, sank calmly.
“As expected, where did your skills go? Dangrang.”
“Let’s see how long you can keep your mouth open so leisurely.”
Swaeek!
The trees twitched as if alive, and branches stabbed out from all sides.
“W-well, it’s been a while since we’ve met, friend. The greeting has been downgraded.”
Sun Wukong swung his iron rod.
Kwaang!
With a rough resonance, the tree that collided exploded like split bamboo.
At that moment, Dangrang, perched on the top of the tree, lightly spun his body and leaped upward.
Dangrang, who had leaped from the branch, landed on Sun Wukong’s iron rod.
Kwaaang!
“Eh?”
A hollow laugh escaped Sun Wukong’s mouth.
For a moment, his shoulders felt heavy as if carrying a boulder.
The dull weight was so immense that it nearly made him drop the iron rod, pressing down on Sun Wukong.
Thud, thud, thud!
The booming sounds stabbed into Sun Wukong’s ears repeatedly.
Dangrang’s body was at most smaller than Sun Wukong’s palm.
Yet, unlike his physique, it seemed to weigh a great deal.
Dangrang rushed forward relentlessly from the very end of the iron rod.
Every time he lifted his foot, the iron rod swayed as if about to collapse.
The steps carrying the full weight of gravity.
The straight iron rod began to slowly droop downward.
The weight that pressed down like a mountain. Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
“As expected, the land god has to use such skills to protect his domain.”
The moment Dangrang finally reached Sun Wukong’s hand.
His sharp forearms swung as if slicing Sun Wukong’s wrist.
Kkagak!
“……!”
Sparks of red flew, and Dangrang’s eyes widened in shock.
“What kind of…”
It’s a blade.
Dangrang’s forearms that cut through even steel were a blade sharper than anything in the world.
However, that blade couldn’t even cut through the skin.
It was a moment of surprise. Unfortunately, there was no time to be astonished.
Seeing the approaching shadow, he twisted his body hurriedly.
“Where!”
Sun Wukong was one step faster.
A fierce grip caught Dangrang, who was twisting to evade.
“Ku!”
Dangrang spat out a rough groan.
A powerful pressure squeezed his body.
He raised his forearms and swung them as if severing the fingers gripping his body.
Kkang, kkagak!
“What kind of…! What is your skin made of?!”
“It’s a stone monkey!”
“Ugh, still imitating Sun Wukong!”
“Even if it’s not imitation.”
“After all, if it’s a demon who has survived until now, it must have some skill. Your skin being harder than diamond is probably for that reason!”
“Ha, you old man with a tight mind.”
Sun Wukong felt his insides boiling like sweet potatoes.
“Dangrang, look into my eyes.”
“……!”
Dangrang, who had been fiercely resisting as if not to follow Sun Wukong’s words, trembled slightly.
The moment their eyes met, Dangrang felt his vision widen.
Golden pupils shining brighter than stars in red eyes.
“……This, what is this?”
How could he forget.
The eyes that had been shining brilliantly with golden light while scattering red light like lava.
The moment he saw the Fiery Golden Eyes.
Dangrang’s sharp forearms, which had been roughly resisting, slowly fell.
Dangrang tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.
“Teacher Sun…?”
“Now you believe it?”
“But, but…”
His face was confused.
He continued muttering as if what he said was nonsense, then suddenly remembered something and looked directly at Sun Wukong.
“If you’re the real Teacher Sun, you wouldn’t react to this.”
“What?”
“This Filmaon brat!”
“…….”
Sun Wukong’s face became expressionless.
***
“Teacher Sun has truly descended to the human world. The fate of all things in the world is truly unknowable.”
Dangrang’s voice was solemn.
Low and calm, deeply resonant.
It was a demeanor one could see from an old man facing the imminent end.
As long as one of his arms wasn’t dangling.
“Is that sticking well?”
Sun Wukong said with a slightly apologetic face.
The moment he heard the Filmaon sound, he involuntarily tightened his grip.
A blade that couldn’t be cut even by a knife, Dangrang.
However, he couldn’t withstand Sun Wukong’s grip strength.
One arm dangled loosely.
Dangrang laughed heartily.
“When I was young, I could stick it right away, but even now, there’s no problem. After sleeping and waking up, it will stick.”
“Hmm. Then it’s good. Old people, if one breaks, it doesn’t heal well.”
“Kuhem. Teacher Sun is still as good as ever.”
When he showed a strong reaction to the Filmaon word, Dangrang honestly admitted it.
To a power that he couldn’t handle, even the Fiery Golden Eyes. How could it not be Sun Wukong.
Moreover, he had heard the detailed circumstances from Sun Wukong.
“To find Sanzang, I became a demon again and came down. After all… the world has become one where the gods of heaven can’t descend.”
“Do you know anything?”
“I don’t know. I first heard that Sanzang’s soul and spirit disappeared.”
“The news is short.”
“That is because many land gods have disappeared in this world.”
“In the past, there were many neighbors, so news spread quickly?”
“Yes.”
Dangrang said with longing.
When there were land gods on every mountain, the stories of the world circulated quickly.
By talking to neighbors, communication could be made from the far southern sea to the northern sea.
“So, what was that demon?”
“The demon?”
“Before I came, one had appeared too.”
“Ah… yes. It was a demon. Definitely. It was a demon. But it wasn’t disguised as a human.”
“Even though it’s in a human body?”
“Not disguise, but like…”
“A human who awakened the memory of being a demon in a previous life?”
Dangrang’s eyes widened suddenly.
“How do you know that?”
Sun Wukong smiled bitterly.
“What did it look like?”
“I didn’t see the face. It was like a shadow buried in darkness.”
Dangrang’s eyes narrowed as he searched for a memory.
“There are many Daoists from the Wudang Sect here. I met some of them.”
“Daoists?”
Sun Wukong’s eyebrows twitched.
“Yes. At first, I thought they were just outsiders, but as you know, land gods must inevitably react to demons who have invaded their territory.”
“So that guy was a demon?”
“He was emitting demonic energy.”
“A human emitting demonic energy. Not a human.”
“Yes, it was a demon. But not disguised as a human, just a demon whose demonic soul is contained in human flesh and thinks of itself as a demon.”
“Did you let it go, or did you miss it?”
“I let it go. When I revealed my appearance, at first it seemed like it would fight, but…”
“What then?”
“After colliding a few times, it seemed to realize it couldn’t do it to me and fled.”
“So you just sent it away?”
Sun Wukong tilted his head.
The level Dangrang showed now was real.
This Mt. Wudang was his complete domain.
Land gods can draw all their power from their domain.
Moreover, if it’s a land god as old as Dangrang…
If Sun Wukong’s grip didn’t catch the body and it escaped.
The long fight with Dangrang, which would be boringly long, Sun Wukong wouldn’t have been able to avoid.
He had suppressed it quickly by using all his strength in a surprise attack.
If Dangrang had set his mind, he wouldn’t have let go of the demon in front of him.
“Were you complacent?”
“I can’t say I did nothing. But when the flames he raised from his hand made me lose my mind…”
“Flames?”
For a moment, Sun Wukong felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
The shadow-like movement, and the flames handled by his hands.
“Samadhi True Fire?”
“……Samadhi True Fire? No, not the Samadhi True Fire that martial artists talk about, but the real one?”
Sun Wukong later learned that there was a study called Samadhi True Fire in Murim.
He had been astonished by the words of the five precepts that experts could handle Samadhi True Fire or so.
However, that was just the martial artists’ skill of making flames bloom from the fingertips.
It was just drawing yang energy to make flames.
It couldn’t burn the world.
There are martial artists who don’t use Samadhi True Fire in combat, right?
Dangrang’s pupils trembled slightly.
Because he understood the meaning of Sun Wukong’s words.
Vague past.
Cursed skill.
“Samadhi True Fire… oh. Now that I think about it, it was like that.”
“That guy.”
Dangrang’s face hardened fearfully.
There is only one demon who handles Samadhi True Fire.
“Honghaea…”
“He burned Myodu-eung and appeared here too.”
Sun Wukong thought deeply.
‘Hubei Province would be Baekgwiwang’s domain.’
Honghaea is the son of Umawang.
Just looking at his innate power, he is already a great demon reaching the level of one of the Seven Great Sages.
He wouldn’t follow his orders from under Baekgwiwang.
‘Moreover, the one who took Sanzang’s soul and spirit is also that guy.’
Sun Wukong’s mind raced.
‘Honghaea is moving separately. Regardless of their organization’s territory.’
Probably.
‘Following Umawang’s direct orders.’
Sun Wukong’s mind spun. A clue appeared in an unexpected place.
There was no need to track Baekgwiwang’s traces.
‘Honghaea is enough to catch.’
In the past, Umawang had done that.
When Sun Wukong fought Honghaea, Umawang had no choice but to pick up a weapon. It might be parental affection among demons.
Sun Wukong recalled the story Dangrang had been rambling about.
“Honghaea had come to meet the Wudang Sect Daoists, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since this is your domain, you’ll have heard a lot.”
“Well… but I don’t interfere in worldly affairs.”
Dangrang said with some hesitation.
Sun Wukong shrugged his shoulders.
“Just tell me everything you’ve heard and seen. What’s happening at the Wudang Sect right now.”
“Hmm. The story will get long…”
When Sun Wukong heard Dangrang’s words, he shrugged his shoulders again.
“You seem to have lived alone and quietly.”
“Well, that’s also true, Teacher Sun.”
“Ah, if the story is going to get long, first I have one question, so answer that first.”
“Question?”
Sun Wukong recalled his original purpose of coming to find the land god.
The matter at the Wudang Sect was secondary.
The first thing Sun Wukong wanted and searched for was Sanzang.
Second was…
“The Ruyi Jingu Bang, do you know where it is?”
Sun Wukong’s eyes sparkled.