Journey to the West: Black Six Ears

001.6-eared macaque

Flower and Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wake up."

Sun Qiong felt a sudden noise in her ears, and a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her wildly.

All my sweet dreams were swept away by this shaking.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?!"

Sun Qiong opened her eyes impatiently and was immediately startled.

Before me was a face with a pointed snout and monkey-like cheeks, covered with tiny yellow hairs.

Upon seeing Sun Qiong wake up, the owner of this face came closer, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws.

"Ouch!"

Enraged, Sun Qiong threw a punch, slamming it into the old man's face with a loud thud.

With a few punches, the monster in front of him was beaten and howled in pain.

"Hey! What the hell is that?"

After catching his breath, Sun Qiong sat back down on the stone chair, pointed at the yellow-haired monster on the ground, and shouted.

"Your Majesty, it's me! I am the Red-Bottomed Macaque!"

What is that?

Sun Qiong looked closely and realized that the one he had given a good beating was a monkey.

This monkey's bottom is as red as fire, just like its name.

"You're a red-bottomed macaque? Then who am I?"

Sun Qiong was puzzled.

Shouldn't he be working overtime in the office? How did he end up here after waking up?

A group of monkeys stood in front of him, scratching their ears and cheeks, looking at him with fear on their faces.

Damn, shouldn't I be the one who's scared now?

"You are the manifestation of the King's inner demon, the Six-Eared Macaque!"

A burly, long-armed ape stepped forward from the side, stepping on a rock, and responded loudly.

Six-eared macaque?

Sun Qiong subconsciously touched her ear, only then realizing what the Six-Eared Macaque was.

That's not Chapter 57 of Journey to the West, where the imposter, disguised as Sun Wukong, knocks out Tang Sanzang, steals his luggage, and causes a ruckus with Sun Wukong in front of all the gods and Buddhas. In this battle of the true and false Monkey Kings, the Six-Eared Macaque ultimately gets a good ending by being beaten to death with a single blow.

Wait, is he going to kill me with one blow?

I am now the Six-Eared Macaque. If the Six-Eared Macaque is killed with a single blow, doesn't that mean...?

I'm outta here. I can't stay here. If these monkeys fool me, I'll go to the Tang Dynasty in the East and pretend to be the eldest disciple of the Holy Monk. Maybe I can even get a government job.

Touching the monkey fur on her body, Sun Qiong quickly found a depression and stared at the reflection of her reflection, then turned pale with fright.

This hairy ghost... it's me?

"The Bodhisattva Lingji has decreed that Your Majesty should go to the dangerous mountains and treacherous waters and wait for the four pilgrims to arrive. He will use his magic to obstruct them. If you succeed, you will be made a ghost messenger in the underworld. If you are stubborn and unyielding, your soul will be scattered and you will never be able to be reborn."

After saying that, the red-bottomed macaque pulled out a headband from behind its back.

That gold band is so shiny and glaring.

Could this be... the golden headband of the Tightening Curse?

Sun Qiong's heart tightened as she saw the red-bottomed macaque kneel down, offering the golden hoop to the ground with both hands.

The meaning is quite clear: hurry up, don't waste time.

"Oh no, it seems I can't escape!"

Sun Qiong felt a wave of despair.

If the golden headband is put on, it can only follow the original plot line, and the ending will be clear as day.

However, the red-bottomed macaque has already made it clear that the Bodhisattva Lingji himself said that the World-Honored One Tathagata is standing behind him. If he doesn't wear the golden headband, then he is going against all the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

With Sun Qiong's small frame, she wouldn't even be enough to fill Buddha's teeth.

He was merely Sun Wukong's inner demon, yet no one protected him as he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Furthermore, he doesn't have Wukong's abilities. Let alone the Seventy-Two Transformations, he doesn't even know the Great Celestial Immortal Technique for laying the foundation.

Logically speaking, even inner demons should have some abilities, so how come the Six-Eared Macaque's original abilities are reduced to just this body that shares the same origin as Wukong?

Sun Qiong now, apart from her physical body, is nothing but a blank slate.

Alas, this is a dead end!

Before I could even utter a sigh of despair, the system arrived.

[Black Six-Ear System]

[You were a beautiful woman, why did you have to become a monkey?]

[Introduction: The Great Tribulation of Journey to the West has begun. In this chaotic world, a little demon transformed into the Six-Eared Macaque must find a way to survive.]

[Mission: Infiltrate the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, experiencing eighty-one tribulations. The deeper you delve into each tribulation, the greater the destructive power and the richer the rewards.]

[New Player Gift Pack: Astral Projection]

Black Six Ears, arrived!

Sun Qiong's eyes lit up immediately.

With the Buddha before him, he could not escape this great calamity of the Journey to the West. Given his circumstances, his death and the dissipation of his spiritual essence were already destined.

Even if he honestly joined the journey to the West as Lingji Bodhisattva said, would he be able to get a good result?

That Great Sage will not show any mercy to his inner demon.

Since Buddhism had given Sun Qiong a dead end, Sun Qiong had no choice but to seek survival amidst death.

"Let's set a small goal: to take down Mount Ling."

Sun Qiong murmured to herself, but her hands did not slow down.

Sun Qiong quietly accepted the golden headband, and under the intense gazes of the monkeys, she raised it and silently put it on her head.

The next instant, golden light filled the air.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, a layer of golden gauze was draped.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

As the golden light faded, two red-bottomed macaques and two long-armed apes led their monkey offspring to tumble to the ground, praising the light endlessly.

Sun Qiong simply watched the monkeys with a cold eye.

Only then did he remember that back then, Wukong was also pushed along by these four guys.

It's likely that from the very beginning, these four monkeys were raised here by Mount Ling specifically to guide Wukong.

"Can my strength truly compare to that of the Great Sage?"

Sun Qiong knew very well what his current fighting strength was. If he really went west, he would probably be turned into mincemeat by the monkey in one move.

The four monkeys exchanged glances, as if they had anticipated Sun Qiong's question:

"Your Majesty is the embodiment of a demon. You can naturally imitate the Great Sage's strength to a great extent. Moreover, the Bodhisattva has also sent you these things."

After saying that, the four monkeys took the stone plate from the little monkey next to them and handed it to Sun Qiong.

Sun Qiong looked closely and saw that what was placed on the stone plate was a cloud of mist.

"This is?"

He couldn't tell what it was, but since it came from Buddhism, Sun Qiong immediately became extremely vigilant.

The four monkeys chuckled and gently clapped their hands on the mist.

The mist dissipated, revealing what had been hidden inside.

It was a small, exquisite purple jade bottle engraved with gold leaf patterns, and a pot of imperial wine.

"This is an elixir of immortality; a mortal who takes one can become an immortal. This is imperial wine, which can temper bones and strengthen the body, but it has a different use for the Great King, who is a demon in his heart."

The gibbon handed over the small bottle.

Sun Qiong took it and immediately felt refreshed and comfortable all over.

"Is there another clever use for it?"

Good heavens, if Sun Qiong hadn't worn the golden headband, these four monkeys probably wouldn't have taken out this elixir.

Without any real strength, he might just be crushed to death here by these monkeys and their offspring.

Judging from the appearance of these four monkeys, they probably haven't realized that he is a demon without the memories of Sun Wukong.

In other words, he cannot use the moves of Sun Wukong.

Thinking of this, Sun Qiong grabbed the food from the plate.

Even with his memories, there is still an insurmountable gap between him and the real Goku.

Those bronze head and iron arms, fiery eyes and golden pupils, and the three life-saving hairs are things that Sun Qiong could not obtain in his current state.

Not to mention, there's also the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which can grow big or small and weighs 13,500 jin (approximately 6,250 kg).

"Although we don't have the Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic staff), the Bodhisattva said that the Dragon King of the East Sea has prepared some things for you."

The red-bottomed macaque shook its arm, and three monkeys stepped forward and handed over the clothes.

Sun Qiong glanced over and was immediately stunned.

He recognized the clothes too.

"Is this the Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown, the Chainmail Golden Armor, and the Lotus Silk Cloud-Walking Boots?"

Isn't this the Monkey King set?

Why is it served so soon?

"Your Majesty, please put on this armor and proceed to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea."

The four monkeys stepped forward respectfully.

"Isn't this... the Great Sage's clothes?"

Sun Qiong paused for a moment, then pointed to the clothes and asked a question.

"Aren't you the Great Sage?"

The four monkeys didn't even raise their heads; they were simply obedient.

Sun Qiong sighed softly, stood up, and let the monkey put on its armor.

Once she was dressed in the precious robe, Sun Qiong, amidst the monkeys' praises of "how magnificent!", stepped out of the Water Curtain Cave without hesitation.

To change his fate, he can only place all his hopes on the system.

Amidst the towering mountains, the continuous cries of four monkeys echoed behind us:

"Your Majesty, please proceed. This journey will surely fulfill your desires."