✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 23

Distant Memories
Part 3

”𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅"
— 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒘𝒊𝒏

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Sun Wukong stood on the opposite cliff, his expression betraying a hint of amusement as he observed the man who once was Lian Xiu, now reborn as Cheng Xiu, glaring back at him.

A century had passed since their endless cycle of pursuit and evasion had begun, and over time, they had developed a begrudging understanding of each other's predicament. Cheng Xiu now existed as nothing more than a servant to his fate of reincarnation, his sole purpose in life to reunite with his blades time and time again, each time driven by the burning desire to exact vengeance upon the simian who awaited his return with unwavering anticipation.

Though their encounter had come sooner than expected this time, with Cheng Xiu barely eighteen years of age, the knowledge of his past lives served as a guiding light, helping him carve a purposeful path in this new existence. Determined to rebuild his clan and restore its mission of demon eradication, Cheng Xiu set his sights on a singular goal: to reclaim his rightful place and ensure that Sun Wukong remained at the top of his kill list.

"How does it feel to have something dangling between your legs?" Wukong hollered, his laughter echoing across the canyon, his mockery fueling Cheng Xiu's fury.

"If you must know, then it's of no concern to me! But would you like to experience the absence of it between yours, foolish ape?!" Cheng Xiu retorted, his anger boiling over at Wukong's taunts.

Wukong's laughter only intensified, his mockery further stoking Cheng Xiu's desire for vengeance. Once again, the blades surrounding Cheng Xiu crackled with a hungered aura, urging him into combat with the simian.

Yet, despite Cheng Xiu's ferocity, Wukong found himself yawning in boredom. "Is this really all you can muster? Swinging your sword around like a child? Go home, little kid, and cease this foolishness." His words cut through the air like a whip, their sting adding insult to injury for the reincarnated soul.

"Not after all you've done, Sun Wukong!" Cheng Xiu declared, deflecting Wukong's attacks with precision before stepping back and unleashing a powerful slash through the air, sending crescent air blades hurtling towards his foe.

"Woah!" Wukong exclaimed, narrowly dodging the onslaught as the air blades sliced through the boulders behind him, sending them tumbling down. "That's new..."

But Cheng Xiu didn't relent. He fought with a newfound intensity and strength, pushing himself beyond his previous limits. Their battle raged on for two days, a feat that even Wukong couldn't help but applaud.

"Stay still, you insufferable ape!" Cheng Xiu growled, frustration evident in his voice as he lunged forward once more.

"Why? So you can kill me?" he retorted, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Not a chance." With a swift dodge, he propelled himself into the air, summoning his somersault cloud and hovering above the battlefield, effectively halting the demon hunter's onslaught. "Well, it's been fun, but I've got more important matters to attend to right now."