Legend has it that the Golden Cudgel, weighing a staggering 13,500 pounds, was used by Yu the Great to measure the depth of the sea during his flood control efforts.
Now, this very weapon, brimming with destructive force, was hurtling towards Phoenix and her companions.
Phoenix showed no fear as the Golden Cudgel crashed down upon them. Instead, she clenched her fist, eager to test the strength of this Heretic Sun Wukong's legendary weapon.
If this had been the real Sun Wukong, Phoenix would have fled as far as possible. But this was merely a Heretic God of this world, and not even a match for Luo Hao.
Just as Phoenix braced for the impact, Higokumaru, standing beside her, suddenly transformed into a massive fox, roughly twenty meters tall. Her five tails lashed out at the Golden Cudgel with blinding speed.
What followed stunned both Sun Wukong and Luo Hao: the fox's tails had actually blocked the Golden Cudgel!
"Sister Phoenix... I never imagined the little girl at your side possessed such immense power... and she's neither a Campione nor a Heretic God." Luo Hao couldn't hide her surprise as she observed Higokumaru. This child, who usually trailed behind Phoenix like a shadow, was far stronger than anyone had anticipated.
"She's alright," Phoenix replied nonchalantly.
Phoenix withdrew her fist, answering nonchalantly. "This Higokumaru..."
"A fox? What kind of yokai are you? How dare you block my Ruyi Golden Cudgel!" Sun Wukong glared at the colossal Higokumaru before him. Where had this yokai come from, and why was she so strong? During his Journey to the West to Obtain the Scriptures, countless demons had fallen before his Ruyi Golden Cudgel. Not a single one had ever blocked it with their tail.
"Ugly monkey, are you blind or just plain stupid? You know I'm a fox, so why ask what kind of yokai I am? Are you brain-dead?" Higokumaru retorted mockingly. The sheer absurdity of Sun Wukong's question left her speechless. She immediately spoke in perfect human tongue, ridiculing the simian deity before her.
"How dare you insult this old Sun like that! You've enraged me beyond measure! Yokai, prepare to die!" Incensed by Higokumaru's taunts, the volatile Heretic Sun Wukong couldn't contain his fury. Gripping his Golden Cudgel tightly, he swung it at Higokumaru with renewed ferocity.
This time, Sun Wukong unleashed one hundred and twenty percent of his power.
The strike conjured swirling winds, shifting clouds, and darkening skies—a blow that shook the very foundations of heaven and earth!
Facing Sun Wukong's devastating assault, Higokumaru dared not underestimate him. Though she had blocked the previous strike, her tail still throbbed with pain. She had misjudged the power of this Heretic God.
As Sun Wukong's Golden Cudgel crashed down, Higokumaru burst into raging flames. The Honkai energy from her Herrscher Core surged through her entire body, instantly causing the temperature to skyrocket by dozens of degrees.
Just as Sun Wukong brought his full power to bear on Higokumaru, something strange occurred.
In Sun Wukong's eyes, the Fox God vanished, replaced by a colossal, red-and-silver giant hundreds of zhang tall.
Any modern child who saw this would have shouted, "Ultraman Taro!"
Indeed, Ultraman Taro now stood before Sun Wukong. The towering figure effortlessly caught the Golden Cudgel with one arm.
This only infuriated Sun Wukong further!
"Where did this monster come from? Think you're the only one who can grow big? Let me show you what true Heaven-and-Earth Transformation looks like!"
With a burst of Spirit Speech, Sun Wukong activated his Heaven-and-Earth Transformation Authority.
In an instant, Sun Wukong's body swelled to ten thousand zhang tall. His head became like Mount Tai, his waist like a towering mountain range, his eyes flashed like lightning, and his mouth gaped like a blood-red abyss filled with sword-like teeth. The Ruyi Golden Cudgel in his hand stretched from the Thirty-Three Heavens above to the Eighteen Layers of Hell below.
With a mighty roar, Sun Wukong clashed with the colossal Ultraman.
From Higokumaru and Luo Hao's perspective, Sun Wukong was acting strangely. The staff he was about to bring crashing down on Higokumaru suddenly halted mid-swing, and then... he activated the Heaven-and-Earth Transformation.
"What's wrong with him?" Higokumaru stared dumbly at the giant monkey before her.
"Stupid fox! Transform back! Stop trying to tank everything!" Phoenix shouted.
The Fenghuang Down feathers in Phoenix's crimson hair shimmered softly as a single feather floated above Higokumaru's head.
That's right—Phoenix was directly manipulating Sun Wukong's mind using Fenghuang Down.
Although using Fenghuang Down would normally have lingering side effects, the all-knowing Ai-chan had already solved that problem for Phoenix, albeit at the cost of a significant amount of Crystals to neutralize the aftereffects. Still, it was well worth it.
However, the longer she used the power, the more Crystals it consumed. Phoenix, who valued Crystals above all else, couldn't afford to use it carelessly.
"Luo Hao, Sun Wukong is under the influence of my illusion. Now's your chance—beat him mercilessly, but don't kill him outright," Phoenix urged Luo Hao urgently. "Wait until he summons his two subordinate gods before finishing him off."
"No problem!" Luo Hao nodded decisively, but she increasingly sensed the unfathomable depths of Phoenix's power. Sun Wukong was considered one of the most powerful Heretic Gods, possessing the Fiery Golden Eyes that could pierce through all illusions. Yet Phoenix could still influence him with illusions. Luo Hao could only marvel at her capabilities.
What Luo Hao didn't realize was that Phoenix's Fenghuang Down wasn't a traditional illusion meant to deceive the eyes. Instead, it directly manipulated and controlled the enemy's brain. Since it bypassed vision entirely, even the Fiery Golden Eyes were rendered useless against it.
"The Way of Heaven is clear and bright, the Way of Earth is peaceful and secure, the Way of Humanity is serene and empty!"
"Glorious and radiant, blazing like lightning! Spirits of Heaven and Earth, Supreme Lord Lao, heed my command!"
As Luo Hao chanted the Spirit Speech, she expelled ultrasonic winds from her mouth and breath, creating shockwaves that slammed into Sun Wukong. The longer the incantation, the greater its destructive force, hence its poetic form. Even a brief recitation could unleash a demonic gale capable of scattering colossal Divine Beasts.
The towering hundred-meter-tall Sun Wukong was sent flying into the air by Luo Hao's sonic blast. Higokumaru immediately leaped onto his back, her claws slashing wildly at his flesh. Phoenix wasted no time either, stepping swiftly to position herself atop Sun Wukong's head.
"Immortal Art: Blackbird Dispersion! Immortal Technique: Phoenix Soaring Kick! Cuckoo's Cry!"
"Reversed Feather Strike!"
Clad in the Grips of Tai Xuan gauntlets, Phoenix relentlessly pummeled Sun Wukong's head with alternating punches and kicks. The searing pain instantly jolted him awake. The Ultraman figure had vanished, leaving only Phoenix's relentless assault. Each blow, despite Sun Wukong's iron-clad body, sent agonizing tremors through his frame.
Sun Wukong felt a pain worse than being struck by the Five Thunderbolts.
"Empty the mind, free of thought, beyond heart and mind. Reject the six worldly desires and all phenomena, for nothing can destroy it. Thus, this nature is indestructible, as unyielding as vajra!"
Overwhelmed by unbearable pain, Sun Wukong hastily chanted the Spirit Speech, fully activating his Vajra Body.
This Vajra Body had been forged from countless stolen Immortal Peaches and various Immortal Pills. Swords, axes, lightning, fire, poison, and immersion in alcohol—none had ever left a scratch.