Chapter Fifty-eight: Interception

Before long, the soldiers brought an elderly man before the King of Wujin. Though age had etched its marks upon him, Yuan Wujin could never mistake the aura of the Grandmaster of Wujin.
“Your Majesty.”
“General Divine Ape.”
The Grandmaster bowed to the King of Wujin, then paid his respects to Yuan Wujin in the sky. When Yuan Wujin first entered Wujin, he had warned the Grandmaster, so he recognized Yuan Wujin above; otherwise, given his cultivation, he would not have discerned who it was.
“Grandmaster, do you know the one in the heavens?” the King of Wujin asked, puzzled.
“Of course I do,” replied the Grandmaster, his face twisted in a bitter smile.
At first, the Grandmaster believed Yuan Wujin, who claimed to be the Divine Ape General of the Heavenly Court and was seeking the Demon King Bull, intended to destroy the Bull Demon King. The Bull Demon King’s prowess was famous in the mortal realm, so the Grandmaster assumed Yuan Wujin would never return. Still, he kept a careful mind, establishing a small temple in Yuan Wujin’s honor, from which Yuan Wujin later received a meager offering of incense.
Yuan Wujin left and did not return for over two centuries, which convinced the Grandmaster he had perished at the hands of the Bull Demon King. Thus, the Grandmaster ignored Yuan Wujin’s instructions, and, being Wujin a mortal kingdom, news from Fire Cloud Cave could not reach them, leaving him ignorant of the truth. He simply assumed Yuan Wujin had met his end.
“Seems you treated my instructions as a child’s game.”
Yuan Wujin unleashed the pressure of a Taiyi Free Immortal upon the Grandmaster. How could the Grandmaster, with his cultivation, withstand it?
The instant Yuan Wujin’s aura touched him, he collapsed to the ground.
The King of Wujin was deeply shocked; he had known the Grandmaster since birth, and to him, the Grandmaster was nearly omnipotent—never had he seen him so terrified.
Yuan Wujin’s pressure pressed solely upon the Grandmaster, leaving the King unaffected. At first glance, he thought the Grandmaster had simply been frightened into submission.
The Grandmaster had many excuses ready, but before Yuan Wujin’s overwhelming aura, all words seemed pale and powerless. His face contorted in struggle before he closed his eyes, resigned to fate.
The King of Wujin had no idea what was happening, but he could not stand by and watch the Grandmaster die before him.
“Great General, I do not know how the Grandmaster has offended you, but if there is anything you require, I will do my utmost to fulfill it, only I beg you spare the Grandmaster’s life,” the King pleaded to Yuan Wujin in the sky.
“Oh? You believe he has offended me. No, it is your kingdom that has incurred my wrath.”

Upon hearing Yuan Wujin’s words, the King was even more perplexed, about to ask further, but the Grandmaster stopped him.
“Your Majesty, indeed Wujin was at fault two hundred years ago…”
The Grandmaster recounted the events of the past to the King of Wujin. He had thought Yuan Wujin sought only his life, but now it seemed more was at stake. If his death could not appease matters, he might as well lay the truth bare.
“This… this…” The King stammered, unable to speak for a long time.
The events had transpired over two centuries ago; how could debts be settled now? It was all but impossible to clarify.
“Now you understand?”
“I am willing to fulfill the promise our ancestors left incomplete. Whatever you require, I shall rally the nation to serve the General. Only, I beg you spare Wujin.”
Upon learning Yuan Wujin was a general of the Heavenly Court, the King was startled by his ancestors’ lack of discernment. Not only had they offended him, but they had also broken their promise. If Yuan Wujin pressed the issue, how could the entire kingdom repay the debt?
The current King was wise, thinking not only for himself but for the whole nation; he did not wish his ancestors’ broken promise to doom all his people.
“Of course,” Yuan Wujin replied, a smile curving his lips as he withdrew his pressure from the Grandmaster.
Wujin was one of the trials in the Journey to the West; it would not do to provoke a butterfly effect now. Furthermore, the incense offered by the entire nation was no small sum.
“What does the General require…”
“I want half of Wujin’s dragon aura. But rest assured, this aura has no effect upon you; it will not harm you in any way,” Yuan Wujin said, wary that such a demand might frighten the King. Though they did not understand what dragon aura was, losing half of it could be hard to accept, so he offered reassurance.
“Are you certain nothing will happen?” a low-ranking official murmured.

Even with Yuan Wujin’s assurance, who could guarantee such an intangible thing would be harmless?
“I agree.”
Compared to uncertain threats, the King worried more for his people. To offend a general of the Heavenly Court and incur divine punishment would bring suffering to his subjects, something he could not abide.
“Good, straightforward.” Yuan Wujin was impressed by the King’s generosity; it seemed his dragon aura was well deserved.
“How will the General extract the dragon aura?”
“That is simple. Give me the imperial seal; I have a way.”
The imperial seal was the nation’s greatest treasure, where all dragon aura converged. The emperor’s cultivation depended entirely upon it: strong dragon aura, strong cultivation; weak aura, weak cultivation. The strong grow stronger, the weak weaker—there is reason behind it.
“So this is dragon aura—remarkable indeed.” Yuan Wujin examined the seal the King handed to him, its coiling dragon aura of the highest caliber for a mortal realm.
Taking half of Wujin’s dragon aura might be difficult for others, but for Yuan Wujin, it was a trivial matter. He had inherited from the Holy Mother of the Sect of Severance, whose teachings centered on severing: severing fate, severing merit, severing all things between heaven and earth.
Though Yuan Wujin had yet to master the highest secrets of severance, extracting dragon aura from a mortal kingdom posed little challenge.
He traced a sword finger through the air toward the seal, so gently it seemed nothing had happened. Only the King felt a subtle change, as if some part of him was missing, but prepared as he was, he paid it no mind.
Having secured half of Wujin’s dragon aura, Yuan Wujin tossed the seal back to the King, along with a golden monkey hair. Its purpose, he knew, the old Grandmaster would understand.
For now, the priority was to refine the dragon aura. As for Wujin, having paid half its aura, it would not dare to play tricks; otherwise, the price would no longer be so light.