Great Demon Sun Wukong

Has it really been ten years? "Are you saying that this Beiju Luzhou is a separate small world?"

The voice continued to answer, "Yes, actually, this starts from the Ancient Era. In fact, I'm also a member of the Demon Clan, and even one of the few leaders that existed in Ancient Times. However, a civil war broke out within the Demon Clan later on, and the Immortal Clan and Taoist Sect took advantage of our internal strife.

Thus, the entire Immortal Clan came out in full force and waged a grand war against the Demon Clan of that time. Beiju Luzhou was shattered during that time, but later on, I used my Great Magical Power to barely piece Beiju Luzhou back together. Since then, Beiju Luzhou has become a separate small world."

After hearing this, Six-Eared Macaque fell into surprise once more. A grand war? One that could even shatter an entire continent? "The Demon Clan from Ancient Times, were they very powerful?" "Hmph, to say they were powerful is an understatement. The Demon Clan of that era was the sole ruler of the entire Three Realms!

Demon Master Kunpeng, Demon Emperor Di Jun, and others like Zhu Long, Ying Long, and many other Great Demons—if it weren't for that incident, how could the Heaven of today be under the control of the Taoist Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Six-Eared Macaque's heart once again surged with excitement. And then, another thought took root, one that could not be extinguished! "I must restore the Demon Clan, no, the entire Monkey Tribe, to its former glory of Ancient Times. These Three Realms were originally ours, the Demon Clan's!"

"Haha, good, that's the spirit. It's not in vain that I personally took action to send your Primordial Spirit back to Flower Fruit Mountain. So, Six-Eared Macaque, would you take me as your master?"

"Ah? Take a master?"

"Yes, taking a master. I wish to take you as my disciple and pass on my mantle to you. In a thousand years, the Demon Clan will face a great calamity, and at that time, your power will be needed!"

Six-Eared Macaque agreed after only a brief moment of contemplation. After all, his lifelong wish had been for the Monkey Tribe to transcend beyond the Three Realms and be free from the constraints of the Five Elements. Now that Ling Ming Stone Monkey had made this dream a reality, and with the strength of Ling Ming Stone Monkey, protecting the entire Monkey Tribe would be effortless.

He could use this opportunity to learn some abilities himself, and whether or not the Demon Clan would face a calamity in the future, as long as he had power, he could contribute to the protection of the Monkey Tribe. This reason was sufficient.

Just as Six-Eared Macaque was about to kneel and perform the ritual of taking a master, he was suddenly held back by a force. Lifting his head and looking around in confusion, the voice spoke again.

"You monkey, you haven't even seen me and you're performing the ritual?" As the voice finished, Six-Eared Macaque felt the space around him fluctuate, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in Beiju Luzhou.

Popping up with a neat somersault, Six-Eared Macaque saw the young man before him. Without saying a word, he took several quick steps and knelt heavily on both knees on the ground, then proceeded to knock his head on the ground nine times in succession. This time, the young man did not obstruct him, but instead nodded his head with a smile of satisfaction, clearly pleased with his disciple.

In ancient times, knocking the head three times when taking a master represented learning some skills from someone. Though one would be considered a disciple, the master was not expected to share all his knowledge. In this case, the term used was 'master.'

Kneeling and knocking the head six times represented a desire to learn truly significant skills from someone; at this point, the master would take a great interest in the disciple.

But knocking nine times indicated that the person was regarded as an elder, akin to a parent, and the term used then was 'father-master.' The father-master would impart all his life's knowledge to his disciple, which is what is meant by passing on the mantle.

Clearly, Six-Eared Macaque and the mysterious man had formed the latter kind of relationship.

After the ninth bow, Six-Eared Macaque wanted to continue, but was gently lifted by a soft force. "Nine bows are more than enough; no need to bow any further."

Six-Eared Macaque hurriedly stood up and respectfully acknowledged with a 'yes.' However, after that, Six-Eared Macaque looked at the mysterious man with a face full of longing and said, "Master, your disciple still doesn't have a name. Even that Ling Ming Stone Monkey has a name, I…"

"Hehe, that's easy to solve. I will give you a name. But I don't know what kind of name you would want?"

"Hmm. This disciple does not know, any name Master chooses is fine."

"Is that so, well then... let's call you Demon Emperor. It is a tribute to this year's teacher and the former leader of the Demon Clan."

"Haha, haha, Demon Emperor, I finally have a name, from now on I am the Demon Emperor!"

After this, the Six-Eared Macaque followed the mysterious young man and retreated to the far north of Beiju Luzhou to diligently study his abilities. The Six-Eared Macaque was a spiritual being born of heaven and earth, and with a master who was no ordinary person, he learned both spells and physical skills at an extraordinarily fast pace.

However, without the sun or the moon in the mountains, even the Six-Eared Macaque with its miraculous abilities, took a full two hundred years to learn most of the mysterious man's skills. The remaining part was not because the mysterious man was stingy, but because cultivation was ultimately about one's journey and enlightenment.

Regardless of one's prodigious talent, achievement in the path of cultivation requires time to settle.

Two hundred years passed, and the Six-Eared Macaque had learned everything that could be taught, leaving only enlightenment. And in Beiju Luzhou, the two hundred years here amounted to a whole four hundred years in the outside world. However, because Sun Wukong had once tampered with the Book of Life and Death, the monkey tribe's friends and family should have had no major issues.

For the eternally living monkey tribe, time had already lost its meaning.

One day, the mysterious man called the Six-Eared Macaque to his side. He scrutinized the Six-Eared Macaque carefully, his eyes filled with unstoppable laughter. In just two hundred and ten years, it had grown from a newly-born monkey into its current state, where its cultivation had likely reached the peak of a Daluo Golden Immortal.

With a bit more enlightenment, it could instantly ascend to an Emperor Level powerhouse. At the Emperor Level, one could sit at the same level as the Jade Emperor.

Such a growth rate was probably beyond even that of the Ling Ming Stone Monkey, one of the four great divine monkeys. "Six-Eared, two hundred years have passed. It's time for you to leave. But before you do, there is one last thing I must do for you. Bring out your Dragon Blood Staff."

"Master, after all these years, why do you still like to call me Six-Eared?" Despite murmuring complaints, the Six-Eared Macaque, now the Demon Emperor, still brought out the Dragon Blood Staff and handed it over to the mysterious man. The staff, already quite spiritual, had been nurtured by the Six-Eared Macaque with years of devotion, and had become its life-bound weapon.

The mysterious man took the Dragon Blood Staff and examined it closely, unable to hide a flicker of surprise. The Six-Eared Macaque was indeed extraordinary, having managed to cultivate a tree's core into a powerful magic treasure with its own mental nurturance and making it a weapon that was very responsive and likely to develop an Artifact Spirit.

"Six-Eared, I will take your Dragon Blood Staff and refine it further. In this time, you should go and wander Beiju Luzhou on your own. Remember, you must not carry any obsessions on this journey, merely wander at will. Wherever you go, and whenever you return, it should be by your heart's desire. Do not cling to delusions. Now, you may go."

Having spoken, the mysterious man, holding the Dragon Blood Staff, turned into a wisp of blue smoke and disappeared.

But the Six-Eared Macaque did not leave right away; it simply lay down on the ground. Gazing at the white clouds in the sky above, the Six-Eared Macaque fell asleep. It was a deep and comfortable sleep.

In the dream, the Six-Eared Macaque dreamt of when it had first become a disciple. On that day, its Master had taken it to ride the clouds. Thinking back to its excitement during its first cloud-riding experience, the Six-Eared Macaque found it amusing.

Then it kept flying until it finally reached above the Nine Heavens. At that point, the Six-Eared Macaque was truly astounded. Above the Nine Heavens, a colossal palace floated, enshrouded in mysterious and majestic divine music and swirling colorful clouds.

But then the Master revealed that the palace was merely a world within his life-bound magic treasure, materialized by his great magical power.