Chapter 3: The Earth-Shattering Secret in Journey to the West

  Backed into a corner, Sun Tuo had only one thought in his mind - he wanted to bite this scoundrel to death, bite this son of a bitch who often bullied him. But he had forgotten that before his cultivation was ruined, how he used to bully these outer sect disciples relying on being an inner sect elite disciple.

  Wang Hu's physique was robust, his build majestic, with bulging muscles and a prominent chest that proved he was an incredibly powerful warrior, not some scholar. His eyebrows were furrowed, eyes wide with anger, his neck strained in pain, his unremarkable face twisted into a grotesque grimace. Was this really the same good-for-nothing who couldn't even cultivate? He's going to kill him! "Madness, utter madness! This world has truly gone mad! A useless, cultivation-less waste like him dares to challenge a Qi Refining stage cultivator like me?"

  …………

  Huaxia Country, Jingdong City.

  At ten o'clock at night, the entire city of Beijing was suddenly filled with wind and clouds, dark clouds covering the sky, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. The rain poured down from the sky like big peas. It's raining! The bustling streets were suddenly empty, not a single person in sight, only the speeding cars still shuttling back and forth through the rainy night. The rain grew heavier and heavier, pounding against the ground, almost merging into one line with the earth. The asphalt road, covered in dust, was washed clean, splashing up a layer of misty fog. The streetlights, shining brightly like stars, were wrapped in a layer of fog, emitting a slightly dim light.

  It's raining, the whole sky only has the "patter" sound of rain and the horn, occasionally a silver human-shaped lightning cuts through the sky, emitting a deafening roar. The buildings on the street lit up with lanterns, emitting a soft glow, like a dark earth shining with dim stars. The rain is getting heavier and heavier, showing no signs of stopping.

  "Haha... I've found it, I've found it! This 'Journey to the West' really contains earth-shattering secrets. There are indeed immortals in this world, and Wu Cheng'en is a reincarnation of an immortal."

  Jingdong City, Shizong Fudaxiaozhucun, 18th floor, this is the residence of Sun Tao's parents, a three-bedroom apartment. After months of research and exploration, Sun Tao finally found a clue in this yellowed "Journey to the West" manuscript, which can be said to be a treasure book containing Wu Cheng'en's constructed world. In recent days, Sun Tao has been studying this "Journey to the West" manuscript, initially treating it as a treasure, but later becoming disappointed, using fire and water to try and restore it, but to no avail. On this rainy night, Sun Tao discovered the shocking secret hidden in "Journey to the West", and burst out laughing with joy.

  "A thought blooms into a flower, a grain of sand becomes a world. Foolish child, you've realized it, you've realized it! What a pity, what a pity that this isn't the same world as before, truly a pity!"

  A figure emerged from the original manuscript of "Journey to the West", and through various inquiries, this suddenly appearing figure turned out to be a portrait of Wu Cheng'en.

  "Little one, your luck isn't bad, you've obtained my biography, we can be considered to have a connection, but this connection has come too late, it's really too late! If it were a hundred years ago, you might still be able to cultivate the wonderful method of longevity and immortality from 'Journey to the West', living as long as heaven itself, undying and indestructible. But now it's all too late, this is the sorrow of being born in the era of decline of the Dharma. Little one, may you seek your own blessings!"

  "Senior, senior..."

  "Immortal, immortal, what are you talking about? Why is it that I'm hearing a bunch of nonsense?"

  The sound of the heavenly music echoed in Sun Tao's small study, and it was a sigh of regret. Sun Tao was shocked, his mouth agape, staring at the almost illusory figure in disbelief, until the figure dissipated into smoke and disappeared. Only then did he shout out in surprise towards the empty room.

  "He's gone, Wu Cheng'en is gone, and the chance for eternal life has slipped away from me like that!" The illusory figure vanished into thin air, Sun Tao crouched on the ground with a somewhat dejected expression, muttering to himself in a daze.

  Rumble...

  Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled incessantly, like a silver dragon, the electric arc tore through the dark night sky, illuminating the entire horizon with a transparent glow.

  "Journey to the West", "Journey to the West", this "Journey to the West" contains the secret of eternal youth, I must get it."

  As Wu Cheng'en's specter spoke, Sun Tao suddenly burst forth from the ground and charged towards the original manuscript of "Journey to the West" on the desk. But just then, a strange phenomenon occurred, and a loud crackling sound was heard as a human-shaped lightning bolt tore through the sky, striking Sun Tao's small Western-style building with an aura of endless destruction that made one's soul tremble. Sun Tao had barely grasped the original manuscript in his hands when the silver lightning bolt struck it directly. Sun Tao didn't even have time to react before he was reduced to nothingness by the silver lightning bolt.

  The original manuscript of "Journey to the West" that could not be burned by fire or soaked by water also disappeared. What's eerie is that Sun Tao was struck by lightning, and all the equipment in his study remained intact, except for Sun Tao and the original manuscript of "Journey to the West". It seemed as if Sun Tao had vanished into thin air.

  "I was struck by lightning, I was struck by lightning, how is this possible, I'm fine, how could I be struck by lightning!" The electric current entered his body, and Sun Tao's mind only had this thought, then the whole person fell into darkness.

  Sun Tao fell into endless darkness, he didn't know if he was dead or not. Just as he had uncovered the shocking secrets of "Journey to the West", he was struck by lightning. Sun Tao couldn't believe that he had done something evil and was being punished by thunder. Was it because he had touched some forbidden existence? These questions were impossible for Sun Tao to guess. If Sun Tao were awake at this moment, he would see that the yellowed original manuscript of "Journey to the West" was not destroyed by the silver electric arc, but just as it was about to be destroyed, a golden light flashed and the manuscript transformed into a golden stream of light entering his consciousness at the most critical moment.

  The rain continued to patter against the ground and walls, producing a crisp striking sound. No one knew that in Sun Tao's study, a strange incident had occurred, because he had touched something forbidden, and from this world disappeared without a trace. Even his parents living next door did not notice their son's strange disappearance, leaving no hint of what had happened.