Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

"Now that you've come into my hands, I'll help you break free from these shackles."

He raised his hand and flicked his finger lightly at the curiously peering stone monkey.

A golden light, extremely condensed and containing supreme enlightenment and the power to dispel illusion, instantly entered the stone monkey's brow!

The stone monkey's body trembled violently, and the golden light in its eyes instantly receded, replaced by a blank and dazed expression.

Countless fragmented yet interconnected images, like a flood bursting its banks, breached the barrier of memory and surged into the depths of his consciousness—

After climbing over the waterfall, they discovered the Water Curtain Cave and were hailed as the Monkey King by the monkeys, displaying their high spirits.

In their quest for immortality, they built wooden rafts, crossed oceans, and endured countless hardships in their persistent search for immortals and the Dao.

In the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Patriarch Bodhi taught him the Seventy-Two Transformations and the Somersault Cloud, but then inexplicably expelled him from the sect, leaving him confused and reluctant.

He returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, proclaimed himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, raised the banner of rebellion, disrupted the Peach Banquet, and acted arrogantly by beating up the Lingxiao Palace with his stick.

Suppressed by the Buddha under the Five Elements Mountain, he endured five hundred years of hardship and loneliness, drinking molten copper and swallowing iron pellets.

Wearing a golden headband, he escorted the pedantic Tang Monk on his journey to the West, vanquishing demons and monsters along the way, but was repeatedly misunderstood and felt frustrated and helpless.

He finally succeeded and was bestowed the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha. He sat on a lotus throne, but felt no emptiness of joy.

Until Wutian descended and the Three Realms were overthrown, he transformed into a boneless relic, and in the midst of annihilation, he finally comprehended the origin and truly attained the Great Luo Dao Fruit...

Scene after scene, event after event, felt just like I was there!

The resentment of being schemed against! The suppressed anger! The intense resentment at the injustice of fate! All these emotions accumulated in his chest like a volcano and then erupted!

Ultimately, all the intense emotions slowly subsided, transforming into a long, melancholic sigh that contained endless vicissitudes, liberation, and enlightenment:

"I, Old Sun... am finally... back..."

As the sigh subsided, the innocent, bewildered look on his face completely vanished.

Instead, they became those fiery eyes burning with an indomitable flame!

It is that unparalleled spirit of fighting against heaven and earth, being invincible, and looking down upon the three realms!

He suddenly looked up at the endless sky, his eyes no longer filled with confusion, but with the unwavering arrogance and determination that had characterized him throughout, and let out a thunderous roar that resounded through the heavens and earth:

"Come here, stick—!!"

The voice, like a decree, pierced through the void!

Deep within the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, Ao Guang, who was discussing matters with his son Ao Bing, suddenly felt something.

Suddenly, the iron needle that Qin Chuan had left in the Dragon Palace burst forth with a dazzling golden light, vibrating and humming. Then, with a "boom," it crashed through the Dragon Palace dome, transforming into a golden stream of light that tore through the seawater, instantly traversing an endless distance and landing in the hands of the stone monkey on Flower Fruit Mountain!

The golden light receded, transforming into a Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff) with golden hoops at both ends and black iron in the middle!

The stone monkey, perhaps now best called Sun Wukong, gripped his golden cudgel, casually twirling it, feeling the deep connection he shared with his bloodline, and roared to the heavens once more:

"Jia Lai—!!"

From the Dragon Palaces of the West Sea, South Sea, and North Sea, a streak of light flew out—a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, a chainmail golden armor, and lotus-silk cloud-walking boots! These three divine objects flew in on their own, as if they possessed sentience, and instantly donned the robes of Sun Wukong!

Wearing a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, clad in golden chainmail, with lotus-silk cloud-walking boots on his feet, and wielding a Ruyi Jingu Bang (golden cudgel)!

In an instant, rays of light shone everywhere, and a thousand auspicious colors appeared!

The image of the mighty and invincible Monkey King, who shook the three realms, was fully formed at this moment, standing proudly atop Flower Fruit Mountain!

Looking at the familiar yet vibrant figure before him, Qin Chuan smiled lightly and sighed softly:

"On this day, the Great Sage returns!"

Having broken free from the shackles of his predetermined fate and come to understand his own origins, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, has officially descended into this world!

The trajectory of the future has completely deviated, heading towards an unknown and vast distance.

Chapter 22 When Wutian and the Monkey Join Forces

The golden light was restrained, and the armor was clearly visible. However, Sun Wukong, who had just regained his heroic appearance as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, was not as spirited and domineering as one might have imagined.

He casually tossed the divine weapon he had just recovered to the ground with a clang, as if it were not the mighty iron pillar that stabilizes the three realms, but merely an ordinary fire poker.

He sat down on the ground without a care in the world, even scratching his hairy cheeks rather roughly, his posture lazy and listless.

His fiery eyes were half-open, half-closed, showing neither the unruly arrogance of his time when he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, nor the solemnity of his Buddhahood; only a kind of indifferent and detached detachment, as if he had seen through everything, remained.

"As for me, Old Sun, I'm just an uneducated mountain monkey, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, and I don't understand any manners or rules. If I have offended anyone, please forgive me, Your Majesty, and don't take offense."

Although he had never met Qin Chuan, the two earth-shattering events of "early birth" and "awakening of memories" had happened to him one after another. If he still couldn't guess the realm of the person in front of him, then his status as a Great Luo Immortal would be in vain.

However, precisely because he knew the other party was a saint, his vigilance became even more heightened.

His life was a rollercoaster of experiences: from being born from a cracked spirit stone, to learning martial arts from a master, borrowing treasures from the Dragon Palace, settling accounts in the underworld, being appointed an official in the Heavenly Court, forging his fiery eyes in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, enduring years of hardship under the Five Elements Mountain, subduing demons on his journey to the West, and finally uncovering the origin of all things and attaining the Great Luo...

Which step isn't living within a script already written by those lofty saints?

The Journey to the West Calamity was a pre-arranged drama. The seemingly magnificent Calamity of No Heaven was also another carefully crafted game of chess!

Even though he eventually attained enlightenment, saw the true nature of reality, and achieved the Great Luo Freedom, he was horrified to discover that he was still dancing on a larger, more invisible chessboard. He seemed to have transcended the long river of fate, but in reality, he was still under the control of the sage's Five Finger Mountain that encompassed all the heavens.

Time and again, they fought and struggled, only to be effortlessly pulled back onto the so-called right track by that invisible hand.

Endless cycles of reincarnation and scheming have worn down that once unruly and stubborn heart, smoothing out its rough edges and making it weary. It has simply given up completely, using this lazy state as its final, silent act of resistance.

He instinctively felt that Qin Chuan's seemingly helpful actions must have some ulterior motive!

Looking at his stubborn and defiant attitude, Qin Chuan's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, and he softly recited:

"The golden monkey wields his mighty cudgel, clearing the jade sky of dust for ten thousand miles. Today we cheer for the Great Sage Sun, for the demonic fog has returned once more..."

After reciting the poem, he looked sharply at Wukong and pressed for an answer:

"Are you now the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who defied heaven and earth, the Victorious Fighting Buddha sitting on a lotus throne, or the Great Sage Relic King Buddha who attained enlightenment in Nirvana? A perfectly good monkey, your spirit has been worn down to this extent, it is truly disappointing."

"Disappointment? In the eyes of you saints who can turn your hands to make clouds and rain, what difference is there between these three titles?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile. He crossed his legs even higher, and his lotus-silk cloud-walking shoes even swayed leisurely.

"They're just different costumes in your long scripts. Today you wear the 'Great Sage's' armor, tomorrow the 'Buddha's' robe, and the day after tomorrow you might don the 'King's' image... Which costume you wear, which stage you step on, which play you sing—isn't it all up to you writers? I, Old Sun, am just an actor."

"You're right," Qin Chuan didn't deny it. "I'm helping you for a reason. There's something I need you to do."

Wukong, with an "I knew it" expression, waved his hand dismissively: "Although I, Old Sun, am muddle-headed, I still know that I must repay kindness. Just tell me, what do you need me for?"

"Making havoc in the Heavenly Palace." Qin Chuan uttered four words.

"What?!" Wukong sat bolt upright, his lazy expression instantly replaced by astonishment. He bared his teeth, his fiery eyes flashing with disbelief mixed with extreme excitement. "Now?!"

He might hesitate, shirk responsibility, or feign compliance for anything else, but the four words "Havoc in Heaven" represent his most unrestrained, glorious, unwilling, and unsettling obsession and inner demon in this life!

Even though reason told him that this was most likely another scheme by the sage, his long-dormant passion still surged and boiled uncontrollably, making his blood boil and his hair stand on end!

"No rush." ​​Qin Chuan's tone remained calm. "We still need to wait for a teammate."

"Teammate? Who?"

"Wu Tian?!" Upon hearing this name, Wu Kong was struck as if by a thunderbolt, and he sprang up from the ground. The nonchalant look on his face vanished, replaced by an extremely complex expression that mixed shock, nostalgia, and a trace of pain.

Wutian! He was the most unforgettable and most respected opponent in his long life!

He clearly remembered that Wutian was originally the Kinnara Bodhisattva of the Western Sect. He was talented and compassionate, but because he held fast to a true love that was not tolerated by worldly customs and doctrines, he was ruthlessly schemed against and abandoned by the two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, and was eventually forced to rebel against Buddhism and become a demon!

According to the script written by the sages, Wutian was supposed to "suddenly awaken" at the very end, return to Buddhism, and use this merit to attain the Great Luo.

But Heaven is unyielding!

He would rather give up the easy opportunity to attain enlightenment than be manipulated again. Instead, at the last moment, he gave up the opportunity to break through and rebuild, thus fulfilling his dream of becoming Sun Wukong!

The phrase "Success and failure both stem from Wukong," filled with endless感慨 and relief, still echoes in his ears to this day, as heavy as a thousand pounds!

"He...he shouldn't be..."

Wukong's voice was a little hoarse.

Wutian was born several hundred years after Journey to the West.

"If you can be born earlier, why can't he?"

Qin Chuan interrupted his thoughts, then drew a line with his fingers, and the void cracked open again, revealing the passage leading to the endless darkness and the abyss of demonic energy.

"Let's go see your 'old friend'."

The aura emanating from the other end of the passage made even Wukong, a Great Luo Immortal, feel slightly uncomfortable. It was a pure demonic realm capable of eroding the Dao Fruit of a Golden Immortal and disrupting the spiritual platform of a Great Luo Immortal.

But who exactly is Sun Wukong?

Back then, he dared to break into the boundless Tushita Palace of Laozi alone and steal the golden pills as easily as chewing candy. So why should he fear a demonic abyss?

His inherently fearless and reckless nature was completely unleashed at this moment!

Without a word, he bent down, picked up the golden cudgel from the ground, casually slung it over his shoulder, grinned at Qin Chuan, revealing his gleaming white teeth:

"Interesting! Let's go! I, Old Sun, want to see what kind of creature this prematurely born Demon is!"

Having said that, he strode forward and stepped into the daunting passage, his figure instantly swallowed by the thick darkness.

Stepping inside felt like entering another universe.

All around was an endless, deep darkness, thick demonic energy churning, from which countless cold, cruel, and malicious eyes were hidden, staring intently at the intruder.

Figures in black robes appeared and disappeared amidst the demonic energy, radiating a powerful demonic aura.

Wukong paused, his muscles tensed instantly, and he instinctively gripped the golden cudgel in his hand.

He knew these demonic figures all too well! In that final, devastating cataclysm, he had killed them one by one!

Black-robed protector, giant scorpion, Ying Yao...

They are all core demon generals under Wutian's command!

The only thing missing was the Black Lotus Saint Envoy, the Six-Eared Macaque, who was skilled in wielding the Iron Staff at will and whose appearance and abilities were identical to his.

Wukong's mind raced, realizing that the Journey to the West had not yet begun, and that the Six-Eared Macaque had not yet been found and subdued by Wutian.

Just as tensions were rising, in the center of the darkness, a figure slowly rose atop the twelve-petaled black lotus that bore the power to destroy the world.

He was still dressed in a black robe, his black hair was loose, and his face was handsome but carried an unyielding gloom and coldness.

However, the first thing he did after getting up made Wukong's pupils shrink and his heart tremble!

Wu Tian bowed slightly in Qin Chuan's direction and gave a salute!