ATPnovel Chapter 64 The Dark Realm of Sumeru, The Ape King's Cage
Chapter 64 The Dark Realm of Sumeru, The Ape King's Cage
On the west side of Lingshan Mountain, at the foot of the mountain.
A crack slanted into the stone wall, narrow enough for one person to pass sideways. Several strings of Buddhist prayer beads hung outside, covered in dust, making it look like an abandoned cave entrance. But as soon as Chen Fan approached, the demon-revealing mirror in his sleeve began to heat up.
"A fake facade."
Chen Fan lowered his voice.
"This place still relies on incense offerings."
Sun Wukong raised his hand and flicked his fingertips on the Buddhist prayer beads.
Snapped.
One of the beads exploded, revealing no wood core inside, only a wisp of black smoke emerging, trying to wrap around his hand.
Sun Wukong didn't even lift his eyelids; he blew a breath over, and the wisp of black energy dissipated on the spot.
"Playing tricks."
The Demon King of the Flood Dragon stood at the back, frowning as he stared at the cave entrance.
"I've been to the outskirts of Ling Mountain before, but I've never seen a secret door like this."
"You never even dared to touch this place before?"
Sun Wukong glanced back at him.
The Demon King's face darkened, and he almost retorted, but after thinking about it, he held back.
Chen Fan ignored that question and instead flipped through the yellow-robed boy's half-finished ledger again. The last page had a tattered mark, similar to the aura emanating from the Buddhist beads at the cave entrance. This indicated that he hadn't gone to the wrong place.
"Go in."
The three of them crawled into the crevice one after the other.
After taking only a dozen or so steps, the crack in the stone behind me closed up on its own.
The surroundings suddenly darkened.
It's not the usual kind of black.
It felt like there was a layer of oil coating in front of his eyes. The firelight didn't illuminate far, and the sounds were muffled. The Demon King cursed under his breath, and as soon as he raised the water spear, a layer of ash formed on the tip.
"This godforsaken place is suppressing magical power."
Chen Fan glanced at the system panel.
[Detection of the Sumeru Dark Realm]
[Regional Characteristics: Buddhist Seal Obscures Recognition, Authenticity and Falsehood are Confused, Supernatural Powers are Weakened]
[Note: This place was once used to detain victims of old cases who were "neither allowed to die nor allowed to be released."]
Chen Fan's eyes darkened.
"Be careful, everyone. This isn't a dungeon; it's a place for doing dirty work."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's expression turned even colder.
The three of them walked down the stone path.
The further you walk, the more scratches appear on the wall.
Some marks were very fresh, the stone dust kicked up from fingernails. Others had long since turned black, as if scratched for many years. Occasionally, fragments of fur, grayish-yellow in color, could be seen on the ground. The Flood Dragon Demon King bent down, picked up a tuft, smelled it, and his expression changed.
"Monkey hair."
Sun Wukong paused, his feet sinking.
"How many years has it been, and they're still locking up my old brother?"
No one spoke.
At the end of the stone path was a spacious grotto.
Two large iron cages stood in the middle.
One left and one right.
The cage was wrapped with black Buddhist ropes, from which hung small copper bells. The bells didn't ring, but each one seemed to be staring at people. Even more disgusting was that prayer flags were pressed under the iron cages, soaked in blood, stuck to the ground, and the original words were no longer legible.
In the cage on the left, squatted a tall, thin monkey demon.
His fur was yellowish, and he had three old scars on his face. His tail was curled up beside his legs. When he saw Sun Wukong, his eyes lit up, and he rushed to the iron bars, his voice hoarse.
"Big brother!"
"I'm the fifth one!"
"Monkey King! Don't you recognize me?"
In the cage on the right, there was also a monkey demon sitting.
He was quieter than the one on the left, with grayish fur, long, thin ears, but sharp eyes. Hearing this, he slowly stood up, brushed the grass clippings off his body, and gave a cold laugh.
"fart."
"He's a fake."
"I am the Monkey King."
"That thing was used by Lingshan as a cover-up."
The Demon King's eyelids twitched, and he immediately cursed.
"Damn it, this whole 'real and fake Monkey King' thing has gotten this far?"
Sun Wukong stood still, staring at the two cages, without saying a word.
The one in the left cage got anxious and started shaking the iron bars violently.
"Seventh Brother! Look at me!"
"Back when we swore brotherhood at Flower Fruit Mountain, wasn't it you who stole the wine first, causing us all to get scolded by Brother Niu?"
The Demon King was taken aback.
The one in the right cage sneered.
"Is this even considered evidence?"
"You can find out about this by asking around."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Sun Wukong, his voice remarkably steady.
"Seventh Brother, if you really remember us brothers, do you remember what question I asked you the night you came back from your apprenticeship?"
Sun Wukong's pupils contracted.
Not many people know about this.
Zuo Long's face stiffened for a moment, then he immediately spoke up.
Ask him if immortality is worth it.
The one in the right cage is shaking its head.
"Wrong."
"What I'm asking is, should we kneel down to exchange for immortality, or stand up and snatch it?"
The cave was quiet for a moment.
The Flood Dragon King gasped and turned to look at Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong's lips tightened, and he slowly turned the golden cudgel in his hand.
This sentence.
Really.
Back then, when the Seven Sages were drinking heavily, all the other demons were boasting about their skills, but only the Monkey King, half-drunk and half-awake, uttered these words. There were already few people present that night, and later some dispersed, and some died.
Seeing that things were not going well, Zuo Longna suddenly screamed.
He stole your memories!
"Seventh Brother, don't believe him!"
"Six Ears is the best at this! His skill lies in listening and imitating; he can learn anything!"
This made the atmosphere even more explosive.
The Demon King of the Flood Dragon suddenly looked towards the right cage.
"Are you the Six-Eared Macaque?"
The one in the right cage didn't deny it; instead, it raised its chin.
"The title 'Six Ears' is not an insult."
"Unfortunately, Lingshan has used this name to bury too many dirty secrets."
The one in the left cage immediately started cursing.
"Did you hear that? He admitted it himself! He is Liu Er!"
"Seventh Brother! What are you standing there for? Kill him with one blow!"
Sun Wukong took two steps forward.
Both monkey demons stared intently at him.
One of them was so anxious that his face was covered in sweat.
One stood ramrod straight, but a hint of coldness lurked in his eyes.
Chen Fan didn't move.
He observes things more meticulously than anyone else.
The one on the left shouted fiercely, his eyes glancing at Sun Wukong's staff with each word. It was as if he were afraid, or perhaps waiting. The one on the right was stubborn, but when he mentioned Mount Ling, his ear twitched slightly. It wasn't an act; he seemed genuinely used to beatings.
Chen Fan raised his hand to stop Sun Wukong.
"Don't open the cage yet."
"This place can't just have two live animals; we have to choose for ourselves."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bell rang out from above the cave.
Ding, ding, ding.
It's not the bell on the iron cage.
It's at a higher place.
It's like someone standing in the dark, slowly swaying a string of bells.
The Demon King's face darkened, and he raised his water fork horizontally.
"You have connections in higher-ups."
The next moment, the entire grotto lit up with dark gold Buddhist patterns.
Both iron cages tightened by half an inch at the same time.
The one in the left cage screamed in pain, its arm bleeding from being pinched by the iron bars.
The one in the right cage let out a muffled groan, gritted its teeth and endured it, the veins on the back of its hand bulging out.
A hoarse voice pressed down from all directions.
"Trespasser".
"Choose one and take it with you."
"The other one, stay and feed Zhong."
The Demon King felt a chill run down his spine.
"Feeding Zhong?"
Chen Fan looked up and saw a large black bell hanging from the ceiling of the cave. The bell was facing downwards, and its inner walls were covered with dried hair and bone fragments. It wasn't just for decoration; it had actually eaten live animals.
Sun Wukong's eyes instantly turned icy cold.
"I'll feed your ancestors."
He took a step forward and swung the stick to smash it.
boom!
The grotto shook violently, a corner of the Buddha image on the ceiling was smashed open by the blow, and the black bell also wobbled, emitting a muffled thud. The sound came down like someone was stabbing a needle into the forehead. The Flood Dragon King groaned and half-knelt down. The one in the left cage immediately clutched its head and screamed in agony. The one in the right cage also staggered a step, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth.
Chen Fan gritted his teeth, flipped the demon-revealing mirror over fiercely, and its light swept straight across the top floor.
A dark shadow flashed by.
not human.
Like a thin figure draped in a monk's robe, but with his face covered by a black cloth.
"I'm not even pretending anymore."
Chen Fan sneered.
"Lingshan's underhanded methods are truly inherited from the same lineage."
The shadowy figure didn't respond, but spoke softly.
"Choose one of the two."
"Choosing the wrong path leads to your own doom."
Sun Wukong raised his staff to strike again, but Chen Fan suddenly shouted at him to stop.
"Old Sun, stop for a second."
Sun Wukong turned around, his eyes filled with fire.
"Stop what?!"
"I'll smash that bald guy up there first!"
"You might be able to smash through this layer, but that doesn't guarantee you'll be able to get started."
Chen Fan stared at the two cages, speaking very quickly.
"They just want to make you anxious."
"When you get anxious, you end up making choices for them."
The one in the left cage immediately cried out, "Big brother! Don't listen to him! Save me first! I can't hold on any longer!"
The one in the right cage wiped its mouth and stared at Chen Fan.
"You don't belong to this world."
As soon as he said that, even Sun Wukong turned his head and glanced at him.
The Demon King's expression changed drastically.
The one in the left cage was also stunned.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
"You know quite a lot."
The one in the right cage twitched the corner of its mouth.
"I also know that you investigated Lion Camel Ridge, the old curtained account book, and the Sutra Listening Platform."
"You think the Dark Realm of Mount Sumeru is a prison."
"Wrong."
"This is a sieve."
"Who will survive the screening, and who should take the blame for Lingshan?"
The one in the left cage immediately roared, "Nonsense! He's stalling for time! Seventh Brother! He's Six-Eared Macaque! Have you forgotten the time with the real and fake Monkey King? It was this bastard who almost got you killed!"
Sun Wukong tightened his grip on the staff.
That battle was a thorn in his side.
The one in the right cage looked at him, its voice lowered.
"Did you really think I could have orchestrated that whole scheme by myself, the one involving the real and fake Monkey Kings?"
"When you caused trouble in the Heavenly Palace, how many people in Heaven were waiting for you to go crazy?"
"When you went on your pilgrimage, how many people on Mount Ling were waiting for you to kneel before them?"
"They want an obedient monkey."
"If you really don't listen, then make a fake one."
These words were like knives, piercing Sun Wukong's heart.
The string of bells on the top of the grotto rang again.
Even more urgent.
The shadowy figure clearly didn't want him to continue.
Seeing that things were going badly, Zuo Longna suddenly roared at Chen Fan.
"Aren't you the best at calculating?"
"You do the math!"
"His six ears can hear everything in the three realms; if he were alive, he would sell you all out sooner or later!"
"I'm different! I've been to Flower Fruit Mountain, and I've been to Jilei Mountain! I'm one of us!"
Chen Fan ignored him.
His mind works incredibly fast.
One claimed to be the Monkey King, while the other admitted to being the Six-Eared Macaque.
Both sides happen to have something to offer.
This is not a family reunion event.
This is a trap deliberately set by Lingshan.
If you save the wrong person, you'll be in trouble later.
Saving the right one can directly open the Sumeru Dark Realm.
Chen Fan slowly raised his hand and took out the fragment of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
As soon as the fragment was unearthed, the temperature in the grotto immediately rose.
The two monkey demons reacted differently.
The one in the left cage shrank back slightly, a hint of fear flashing in its eyes.
The one in the right cage stared at the fragment, its Adam's apple bobbing as if it recognized something.
"This is... something from the Tushita Palace?"
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat.
The one in the right cage continued, "No wonder. You've already reached for the sky."
The one in the left cage quickly chimed in, "I recognize it too! It's a fragment of the Eight Trigrams Furnace! It belongs to Laozi!"
"Knowing a name is worthless."
Chen Fan suddenly spoke.
"I'll ask about something else."
He stared at the two cages and said, word by word, "What is the deepest secret of Mount Ling?"
Without hesitation, the one in the left cage barked loudly.
"The remains of the former pilgrims are pressed beneath the platform where the scriptures were heard!"
The one in the right cage shook its head.
That's just the surface.
He looked at Chen Fan, then at Sun Wukong, and uttered an even harsher remark.
"The deepest secret of Ling Mountain lies not beneath the stage."
"In the mountains."
"The base of Mount Sumeru was never originally a mountain."
"That's a body that's not quite dead yet..."
He hadn't even uttered the last two words.
A sonic boom suddenly crashed down from the black bell atop the grotto.
puff!
The right cage's chest exploded, a pool of blood erupting from it, and the creature slammed violently against the iron bars.
Sun Wukong's eyes turned red instantly, and he swung his staff, soaring into the sky.
"Get down here!"
This blow was even harder than the last one.
The top layer of the Buddha pattern shattered in large sections.
The dark figure finally lost its balance and fell out of the cracked dark layer, crashing to the ground with a thud.
He was a gaunt monk.
Half of his face was rotten to the bone, and a string of human teeth prayer beads hung around his neck.
The Demon King was furious when he saw it.
"Damn it, turning living people into ritual implements?"
The withered monk looked up and grinned at the group.
"Since we're already here..."
"We have to keep one."
As he spoke, he suddenly made a hand seal.
Both iron cages simultaneously glowed with a bloody light.
A system notification suddenly rang in Chen Fan's ears.
[Warning! Target identification triggered]
[Currently in the cage: One person is available for recruitment and assistance]
[One person is a high-risk imposter]
[If mistakenly released, it will trigger a chain reaction that could destroy the entire system.]
[Please make your selection immediately, host.]
Chen Fan's pupils contracted.
Just then, the one in the left cage suddenly cried out, "Big brother, save me!"
The one in the right cage, its mouth full of blood, stared intently at Chen Fan and whispered a sentence:
"Kill the one on the left first."
Sun Wukong stood between the two cages, holding his staff, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Chen Fan".
"you say."
"I'll listen to you."
The monkey demon on the left suddenly curled its lips up very slightly at that moment.