Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

"Ah!?"

Jiang Liu's words had stunned Zhu Bajie, who widened his eyes in astonishment as he looked at him.

Clearly, what Jiang Liu had just said had stunned Zhu Bajie, even leaving him unable to regain his composure for a moment.

Though the merits of the Journey to the West were of little interest to Zhu Bajie, it was because he understood that no matter how well he behaved, he would only receive a small portion of the merits, while the primary portion of the merits would still be awarded to Jiang Liu, the core figure of the Journey to the West for Scriptures.

With his merits, becoming a Buddha after completing the Journey was a certain affair, and the Journey to the West was currently the most significant event for the Buddhist Sect.

But what? What did Master just say? He had just said he might not truly be aligned with the Buddhist Sect!?

How could such a statement not be shocking or even unbelievable?

"What? Does that seem strange to you? You were manipulated by the Buddhist Sect, so you want to leave and even oppose them. My situation is similar to yours, and I might make a similar choice. Does that surprise you?" Seeing the astonished look on Zhu Bajie's face, Jiang Liu retorted.

"No, not strange…" Hearing Jiang Liu speak, Zhu Bajie shook his head.

Indeed, that was the logic, but as the core figure of the Journey to the West for Scriptures, to oppose the Buddhist Sect? If this were mentioned, probably no one would believe him, right?

"Then, Master, if you want to do the same as Old Pig, why are you helping the Buddhist Sect to seek scriptures?" Zhu Bajie, not very clever to begin with, felt even more like his brain was muddled at this moment, and he spoke somewhat incoherently.

It just felt that the actions of these clever individuals were indeed hard to understand; if Master was really against the Buddhist Sect, why help them in their Journey to the West for Scriptures?

"Your Zhuzhu died, and that was the end of it, but my Gaoyang was left with the Buddhist Sect, held like a hostage. Did I have another choice?" In response to Zhu Bajie's question, Jiang Liu gave him a dismissive look and said.

"Eh, Master, you make sense, you… you were even more cunningly trapped than Old Pig!" Hearing Jiang Liu's explanation, Zhu Bajie scratched his head, suddenly feeling some sympathy for Jiang Liu.

"So, Bajie, are you willing to accompany your master on the Journey to the West to overthrow all the heavenly deities and Buddhas?"

Setting his expression straight, Jiang Liu's gaze fell on Zhu Bajie as he formally asked this question, a question he had once posed to Sun Wukong.

Overthrow all the heavenly deities and Buddhas!?

How audacious was this statement? According to Zhu Bajie's past temperament, he would have definitely declined.

Yet today, with hatred not subsiding in his heart, and having already resolved to leave the Journey to the West team, the words of Jiang Liu hit right in Zhu Bajie's heart!

"Master, I am willing!" After a brief silence, Zhu Bajie nodded earnestly and answered resolutely.

"Very well, from now on, we are in this together!" Zhu Bajie's response made Jiang Liu nod; his answer was anticipated by Jiang Liu.

"But, Master, just with us two grasshoppers, do you think it's possible to overthrow all the heavenly deities and Buddhas? Do you have any clever plan to do it without shedding blood?" Although he had agreed, not long after, Zhu Bajie sheepishly asked Jiang Liu.

The question turned Jiang Liu's expression darker: "What do you think all the heavenly deities and Buddhas are? Paper tigers? Can they be dealt with just by stratagem? Wake up, you're dreaming already without even sleeping?"

"Heh heh heh, isn't this just because I trust you, Master? I think your wisdom is even greater than all the heavenly deities and Buddhas! Others might not be able to do it, but if Master you can, Old Pig still believes!" Zhu Bajie chuckled, flattering Jiang Liu.

"No! At least not now, there's absolutely no way. All we can do now is to strive to enhance our own strength! That's all!" Waving his hand, Jiang Liu cut off Zhu Bajie's flattery.

However, just at this moment, Jiang Liu paused briefly before adding: "Also, you seem to have misunderstood something. We are not just two grasshoppers; we are three!"

"Three!? Is it Xiaobai?" Zhu Bajie paused, then asked. Explore stories at empire

"No, it's Wukong!" Jiang Liu corrected him.

"So, Monkey Brother was already on the same rope with you, Master! No wonder, I thought how could that stubborn Monkey suddenly resign himself to the Journey to the West; so the real truth was this!" Hearing Jiang Liu's correction, Zhu Bajie, startled, also felt enlightened.

Although he had been part of the crew of the Journey to the West for Scriptures for some time now, Zhu Bajie had just realized that the real truth behind the entire team was like this; he had not noticed until now.

"Well, as things have reached this point, there's no need to say more. Dig out Zhuzhu's corpse, and I will help you resurrect her!"

Having said all there was to say, and at this point, with no need for further words, Jiang Liu spoke.

"Ah! Resurrection!?"

Jiang Liu's words stunned Zhu Bajie, who widened his eyes in disbelief and looked at Jiang Liu, saying, "Master, to bring the dead back to life, generally it requires the decree of the Jade Emperor to make King Yama agree to send lost souls back for revival. Of course, if it's the Buddha's decree, the ten courts of Yama would also grant this favor. But, Master, you…"

"I have my own methods, entirely independent of both the Buddha and the Jade Emperor!" Jiang Liu said to Zhu Bajie, not offering much of an explanation.

There is only one Resurrection Scroll, and naturally, it is precious. However, using the Resurrection Scroll to completely win back Zhu Bajie's loyalty seemed very worthwhile to Jiang Liu.

Otherwise, if he hesitated to use it today and decided to use it for someone else later, what would Zhu Bajie think upon seeing it?

Even more, once he leveled up in the future and learned the skill of resurrection himself, what would Zhu Bajie think upon seeing that he could resurrect the dead at will?

By then, no matter how much he explained, this matter would always become a barrier between him and Zhu Bajie, wouldn't it?

So, after much deliberation, Jiang Liu felt that using the Resurrection Scroll to bring Zhuzhu back was a very necessary deed.

Moreover, however precious the Resurrection Scroll might be, who knows? Perhaps he might be able to obtain another by defeating monsters or opening a Treasure Chest?

Although he did not know what other method his master could possibly have, Zhu Bajie now placed his blind trust in Jiang Liu, so he did not continue to ask questions, but nodded and dug out Zhuzhu's body from the grave.

Being the body of the Demon King, even in death, it had not decayed after just a few days; Zhuzhu's body looked no different than when it had first been buried.

"Master, Zhuzhu has been dug up. What should we do next?" After digging up the body, Zhu Bajie gazed at Jiang Liu with a look of anticipation and anxiety.

"You don't need to do anything!" Jiang Liu said, shaking his head in response to Zhu Bajie's words.

While speaking, he gestured for Zhu Bajie to step aside. Then, Jiang Liu took a couple of steps forward, arrived in front of Zhuzhu's body, and silently invoked his storage space. After opening it, he took out his only Resurrection Scroll!

"Master, is this the precious item that can resurrect people? It looks extraordinary!" Zhu Bajie's eyes lit up as he looked at the Resurrection Scroll in Jiang Liu's hand that radiated a resplendent light.

Immediately he rolled his eyes and pleaded, "Right, the Healing Potion you gave me earlier was used up on the first day when I saw Zhuzhu, to heal her wounds. Could you give me another potion? And since this treasure can resurrect people, can you give me ten or eight for protection?"

"Scram!" Jiang Liu merely glanced at Zhu Bajie sideways and spat out a word in irritation.

However, although he irritably told Zhu Bajie to scram, Jiang Liu still took a Healing Potion from his storage space and threw it toward Zhu Bajie.

"I can give you the Healing Potion, but this Resurrection Scroll is my only one. I'm using it now to save her, so if you die later, don't blame me for having no means to resurrect you!"

Watching the potion come his way, Zhu Bajie quickly stretched out his hands and caught the Healing Potion, clutching it like a treasured possession.

A potion that could restore part of one's health in a blink of an eye was, in Zhu Bajie's view, a life-saving treasure at a critical time.

"Master, you really do love me, Old Pig!" Zhu Bajie said with emotion as he stowed away the Healing Potion, after hearing that the Resurrection Scroll was uniquely available.

"Enough, no more cheesy talk. Save that for the Female Demon!" Jiang Liu waved his hand, not letting Zhu Bajie ramble. In front of Zhuzhu, he tore open the Resurrection Scroll.

As the scroll tore open, countless points of starlight imbued with the essence of life slowly drifted down onto Zhuzhu's body, merging into it.

The body of Zhuzhu, once lifeless and merely a corpse, stirred slightly as a few spider legs twitched a little, then the movements grew larger.

"She's alive, truly alive, Master, you really have such power!"

Watching Zhuzhu's body revive with the breath of life, Zhu Bajie shouted ecstatically, joyful like a child.

...

Meanwhile, after the mosquito form of Sun Wukong left the scene, his Primordial Spirit returned to his own body.

With his eyes closed as if feigning sleep, Sun Wukong slowly opened his eyes, his lips curling into a slight smile that he could not suppress.

The longer he stayed in contact with his master, the more secrets he seemed to uncover about him…