Great Demon Sun Wukong-Chapter 717 - 652: Soul Devouring Insect
Sun Wukong had been watching the Soul Devouring Monk's expression closely, and he immediately noticed it change. It seemed that the Soul Devouring Insect and the Soul Devouring Monk definitely had some connection. Sun Wukong was actually quite relieved in his heart, for regardless of how much the Soul Devouring Monk knew, it was still much better than having no leads at all. Right now, to Sun Wokung, any clue might be crucial. Watching the Soul Devouring Monk's face undergo continuous changes, Sun Wukong was in no hurry and waited for half a Chinese hour before the Soul Devouring Monk seemed to come back to his senses.
However, his first reaction was to immediately turn his head to look around and after discovering that there was no one nearby, he hurriedly pulled Sun Wukong into his Barrier space and whispered into his ear, "Quick, put it away. You must not let anyone see it, and don't take it out again!" The Soul Devouring Monk's tone was very serious, and although Sun Wukong didn't think that the two living puppets were dangerous, he still put them away inside the World Within the Artifact.
He was pulled by the Soul Devouring Monk to a very concealed underground room, and only when all the barriers of the entire space were activated did the Soul Devouring Monk's complexion finally ease up. "Great Saint, your items, how did you come by them?" Yet at that moment, Sun Wukong couldn't help but find it somewhat funny. The Soul Devouring Monk had been so frightened just by seeing two people with lost spirits, what would his reaction be if he knew there was an entire world full of such people?
The Soul Devouring Monk seemed to sense the amusement in Sun Wukong's tone and with a hint of urgency in his voice he said, "Great Saint, this matter is extraordinary. There are many things involved here, and since we have a good relationship and I have also received care from Daozun, I must ask clearly now. If we are not careful, disaster could befall us!" Seeing the Soul Devouring Monk's expression and tone becoming increasingly serious, Sun Wukong finally stopped finding it funny and roughly told the Soul Devouring Monk about all his experiences in Buddha's Pure Land Realm.
Of course, Sun Wukong naturally didn't mention some things, but he did speak of his master's affairs. After listening, the Soul Devouring Monk's complexion turned even paler, almost entirely void of color. Such an expression only appeared when someone was plunged into deep despair after hearing something, but Sun Wukong didn't think what he had said would be such a shock to the Soul Devouring Monk. After Sun Wukong finished speaking, it took a long while before the Soul Devouring Monk deeply sighed and said, "I thought I would need more time, but I never expected it to come so soon. Alas, my Ancient Primordial World has only just become a Divine Kingdom."
A thought struck Sun Wukong, this was a development. It seemed the Soul Devouring Monk knew quite a lot of things, and this visit was the right choice. Regarding the Soul Devouring Monk, Sun Wukong wasn't worried that he couldn't get answers to his questions, because the Soul Devouring Monk was not the type to scheme, so Sun Wukong believed that as long as he asked and the Soul Devouring Monk knew, he would tell him. Indeed, Sun Wukong's judgment of character proved accurate. In the following two plus Chinese hours, the Soul Devouring Monk laid everything he knew bare, and by the time the Soul Devouring Monk had finished talking about everything, Sun Wukong was somewhat spaced out, shocked that there was so much secrecy involved.
When Sun Wukong inquired about what was going on, the Soul Devouring Monk didn't answer immediately but instead turned around and removed a large bead necklace from his neck. Sun Wukong immediately saw that on the back of the Soul Devouring Monk's neck, there was a tattoo resembling some kind of insect. Sun Wukong was a bit unclear about what he was seeing until he heard the Soul Devouring Monk's voice, which made him realize why the Soul Devouring Monk had been so nervous before.
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"You, your neck, how… how could you also have this? Don't tell me, you too…" The Soul Devouring Monk gave a wry smile and said, "Not just me, but everyone in the Ancient Primordial World has this on their neck. Great Saint, do you understand what this means? All of us are without spirit, we have soul and energy, but no spirit. Do you know why I am called the Soul Devourer, Sky Swallowing Buddha? That's because I am the only one in the whole Ancient Primordial World who accidentally fused with a Soul Devouring Insect while it was devouring my spirit. You could say I am a human-shaped Soul Devouring Insect." It was later, precisely because the Soul Devouring Monk had fused with a Soul Devouring Insect, that he was able to successfully devour that evil ghost, eventually leading to him gaining his current abilities. In fact, the Soul Devouring Monk's Devouring Ability is fundamentally different from that of Bajie's.
Bajie's Devouring Ability would refine whatever was devoured, using the power of his Red Lotus Fire Body to turn it into pure energy. Whereas the Soul Devouring Monk, through devouring, would inherit the abilities of whatever he devoured. Like during his time in the Patrolling Celestial World, after the Soul Devouring Monk devoured metal, he underwent a transformation, almost becoming a Metal Man. In Bajie's case, however, all metals would be refined into Metal Attribute Spiritual Power. These two types of Devouring Abilities cannot be simply labeled as better or worse, it's just that Bajie's is more suitable for cultivation, while the Soul Devouring Monk's is better suited for combat!
Afterwards, the Soul Devouring Monk continued, "A long time ago, the Ancient Primordial World was already in name only, and not only the Ancient Primordial World but several other High-Level Worlds were in the same state as us, with almost everyone in those entire worlds being infested by the Soul Devouring Insect. At first, everyone was in a panic, after all, being infested by such a mysterious insect was not a pleasant matter, but later no anomalies or discomforts were detected, so everyone gradually came to accept it, and now most people have completely forgotten about the existence of this tattoo."
"But only a few people at the very top of these high-level worlds know what this insect tattoo truly means, and I happen to be one of those privy to the truth. After these Soul Devouring Insects swept through the entire Ancient Primordial World at a terrifying pace, our Domain Lord, Lord Xuan Qianzi, received a message. The messenger was an incredibly powerful individual. With Lord Xuan Qianzi's Domain Lord Level cultivation, he couldn't withstand ten rounds against this person."
"In the end, that person told Lord Xuan Qianzi that our Ancient Primordial World had been chosen by him, and in the not-too-distant future, we would be doing a task for him. If we were successful, he would grant us eternal life! This task was not only a disgrace for our Ancient Primordial World, but also a warning. So, afterwards, we tried every possible method to find out information about this person and how to get rid of the Soul Devouring Insects, but almost all efforts were in vain. During my trial in the Patrolling Celestial World, after seeing the individuals from the Underworld God Army, I realized the 'eternal life' that person spoke of might just be the state of the Underworld God Army—far from actual eternal life; it was a fate worse than death!"
"Moreover, there's something I've only just realized; that person once said we would help him with a task, and now, it seems it's time to undertake this task. You mentioned your master has a Transcendence Bloom capable of instantly transcending all those who have lost their spirit. I fear this too was arranged by that person. But when he needs us to perform the task, he will likely have your master unleash the Transcendence Bloom's power to transform us all into living puppet figures. In this way, we and the other high-level worlds could almost form an enormous Puppet Army!"
The words of the Soul Devouring Monk were not very clear, but Sun Wukong still understood the implied meaning—according to his understanding, in that formidable person's grand scheme, not only did he use Sun Wukong and his disciples as mere tools, but he also used the Soul Devouring Insects to turn many people from high-level worlds into a spiritless state. At the same time, Sun Wukong also realized why his master's will had appeared in the Ancient Primordial World during the time of his death. It was designed to make his master aware of this world, thus generating the desire to come here, and indeed, upon waking, his master had developed the thought of traveling to the Ancient Primordial World.
Looking at it now, even this seemed to have been orchestrated. If it weren't for bringing his master here himself, his master would probably have used the Transcendence Bloom's power to quickly advance his cultivation and eventually come to the Ancient Primordial World, using the Transcendence Bloom's power to transform all the people here into living puppets. Had that person calculated even this?
Sun Wukong suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Just how many more schemes was he unaware of?
"Do you know what the Soul Devouring Insect really is?" asked the Soul Devouring Monk, shaking his head. "I don't know. Although it's said to be an insect, no one has ever seen what it really looks like. Everyone is clueless about how they merged with the Soul Devouring Insect, only to discover the insect tattoo on the back of their necks out of the blue. We even doubted at one time that it might be a prank, but later tests confirmed that we had indeed all lost our spirit; it wasn't an exaggeration by that person."
Sun Wukong nodded. Although the vast majority of people couldn't see the existence of spirit, there would always be one or two individuals with such a special ability in such a large world. Now, it was clear. The person behind the scenes surely needed a vast army with numerous strong soldiers, so he used the Soul Devouring Insect and the Transcendence Bloom to control several high-level worlds. Should that person wish, he could instantly command an enormous army composed entirely of individuals from those high-level worlds, all undying living puppet soldiers. This force would undoubtedly be very powerful in the current universe, at least not something any Divine Kingdom could contend with on its own.
And Sun Wukong and his four disciples must have a different role in this grand plan.
The fact that all the people of the Ancient Primordial World had no spirit was actually highly confidential, known only by a few from the Ancient Primordial World, which is why the Soul Devouring Monk was so anxious. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
