Chapter 106: Opening the Gate of Return

Silence—deathly silence...

After Zhao Shuo, the master of the Bloodshadow Sect, threw the beast core into the Demon-Hunting Gate, the slowly turning gate did not undergo the transformation that had happened in Linqing Prefecture. The spinning ring of light continued its slow rotation, showing not the slightest sign of change.

“It’s useless, it’s useless! Little monk, you still have to take out the spiritual treasure in your hand to stabilize the Demon-Hunting Gate!” cried Wen Zong, master of the Wanglu Sect, upon seeing Zhao Shuo’s failed attempt. At his words, a stir ran through the assembled cultivators.

Zhao Shuo turned back and helplessly spread his hands toward the young monk Wukong, indicating that he had already thrown in enough beast cores; the gate’s lack of response was not his fault. The little monk couldn’t shirk his share of the enlightenment reward.

“Amitabha.” Wukong lifted the spiritual treasure in his hand. Immediately, a gentle blue light spread from the Celestial Azure Hookwood. As he raised it, the light on its surface flared brightly, and a faint Buddhist chant drifted forth, its peaceful resonance soothing the crowd’s agitation.

“This is a spiritual treasure bestowed by my senior uncle,” Wukong explained, “Its function is to connect with the three thousand monks of my humble temple in Linqing Prefecture. By borrowing their collective strength, it stabilizes the passage between this Demon-Hunting Gate and the one from which we entered this battlefield. But if we use it to seal this gate here, the passage behind it could collapse at any moment…”

“I understand everyone’s eagerness to return to Linqing Prefecture,” he continued, “But to go back, we must remove the Celestial Azure Hookwood from within Langya Heaven and secure this Demon-Hunting Gate. Only then can we return home.”

At his words, the hall fell silent. If the passage behind the Demon-Hunting Gate collapsed, what use was there in sealing it? With the passage gone, no one could return to Linqing Prefecture. This threat clearly unsettled the assembled cultivators.

“Don’t try to fool everyone, little monk. Even if the Demon-Hunting Gate doesn’t collapse, we’re almost out of time—the gate will vanish soon,” a mocking voice called suddenly from the south.

Jiang Yan’s heart leapt. He grabbed Tang Wan and retreated into the grove of Azure Wood. The voice was all too familiar—it was Lu Tiannan, head of the Tianshan Sect. Evidently, they had made it here through the man-eating flower plateau after all.

All eyes turned as two disciples of the Golden Flame Sect, clad in yellow and each bearing a massive golden sword on their backs, dashed forward. Beside them strode Lu Tiannan in white, but to Jiang Yan’s surprise, there was no sign of Senior Brother Bai. Instead, two golden swords hung at the back of the Golden Flame disciple surnamed Song. It seemed that Senior Brother Bai had perished beneath the blossom of the man-eating flower king.

“Hand over your spiritual treasure at once, little monk! The Demon-Hunting Gate is about to disappear—whoever escapes now is one more saved,” demanded the disciple surnamed Song as he strode directly to Wukong, his voice heavy with impatience.

Song’s journey in the Demon-Hunting Battlefield had been nothing but misfortune. First, Elder Xie died to the attack of the second-rank Blood-Brown Bear King; then Senior Brothers Huang and Liu met mysterious deaths beneath the man-eating flowers; finally, while pursuing a young sect leader from Huashan, he had unwittingly led to the death of Elder Bai’s son, Senior Brother Bai, at the hands of the flower king.

Impatience and anger colored Song’s tone as he addressed Wukong. “Hand over the spiritual treasure, little monk, or don’t blame me for forgetting the ties between the Golden Flame Sect and your Huasheng Temple. You’re nothing but a band of battered remnants—no match for the three of us. Hand it over, now.”

Lu Tiannan stepped forward to confront the monks. “Wukong, your Huasheng Temple may be powerful, but if you can’t return to Linqing Prefecture, that power is worthless. Surrender the treasure, or don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

The Yang disciple of the Golden Flame Sect also moved forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with the others, his gaze coldly fixed on Wukong.

“Hand over the spiritual treasure!” cried Weng Putian of the Xishan Sect, stepping forward in righteous fury to confront the little monk.

Sect after sect—Bloodshadow, Xishan, Wanglu, Crescent Moon—large and small, all closed in, surrounding the group of monks. Old grudges—between Xishan and Golden Flame, Bloodshadow and Xishan—were put aside in the face of life and death. Now, all joined forces to pressure Huasheng Temple.

…

“Senior brother, what should we do?” Tang Wan asked anxiously, watching several Azure Wood Beasts hop about nearby. Less than the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn remained before the Demon-Hunting Gate would vanish. If they waited any longer, they truly would be unable to return to Linqing Prefecture.

The thought of never seeing Huashan or Ying’er again brought a pang to Tang Wan’s heart. But when she looked up at Jiang Yan, a rush of sweetness surged in her chest. As long as she had her senior brother, any hardship could be overcome. If only she could stay with him forever…

Buzzing with the mounting pressure and with the twelve-hour limit nearly up, the young acolyte finally acted, tossing the Celestial Azure Hookwood toward the Demon-Hunting Gate overhead.

A brilliant blue radiance burst forth in midair, casting a pale glow that washed over the faces of all present.

The Celestial Azure Hookwood drifted gently to hover above the gate. With a slight press of Wukong’s finger, the wood suddenly transformed, growing to match the size of the Demon-Hunting Gate. Countless roots sprang from its base, plunging directly into the top of the gate.

In the blink of an eye, the surface of the ring was densely covered in azure roots. As the roots thickened, the topmost branches of the Hookwood suddenly bent downward, forming a graceful hook—the image from which the tree took its name.

A crisp crack, like ice breaking, echoed through the hall, shattering the silence.

“Not good!” Jiang Yan cried out. This Hookwood was not as large as the one in his sect leader’s ring; it might not be enough to stabilize the Demon-Hunting Gate. Hesitating, he wondered whether he should bring out his own Hookwood.

At his cry, the crowd’s attention shifted to Jiang Yan and his junior sister, hidden among the Azure Wood trees. Lu Tiannan’s gaze flickered as he spotted them. He sidled closer to Song of the Golden Flame Sect; the two whispered together in low voices.

“Amitabha,” intoned Wukong, striding quickly over to Jiang Yan and extending a hand. “Layman, have you obtained the Celestial Azure Hookwood?”

Jiang Yan glanced at the nearly shattering ring of light, then flipped his wrist, producing both the Hookwood and the square block it grew from.

With a heavy thud, block and wood dropped to the ground. The weight was so great that Jiang Yan’s palm nearly buckled, forcing him to let go.

Without ceremony, Wukong flipped his remaining hand, palmed the Hookwood, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, sent it flying toward the cracking ring.

As soon as the Hookwood landed upon the ring, its roots thickened instantly.

Another sharp crack, like the breaking of ice, rang out in the sky—this time, not the shattering of the ring, but its spinning beginning to slow.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. The Demon-Hunting Gate was finally about to open; the road home was appearing before their very eyes.

PS: The company's electrician did a great job—everything is back up so quickly. Writing is still a struggle today; two chapters are a bit much, so I beg your pardon. Still, I must ask for recommendation votes—let’s not let the numbers get too weird…