Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 146

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Broken Ranker

Devours Myths

 

Chapter 146

Bull Demon King (2)

 

 

 

「What? Getting scared now that you think he might not actually come?」

Son Wukong threw out that joke while still running.

But he didn’t show his expression.

His voice didn’t carry much playfulness either.

“…….”

Tightly pressed lips.

Lee Hyeon didn’t answer for a moment.

Snicker.

Son Wukong laughed.

「Are you worried that our brothers who just started gathering might get hurt?」

Lee Hyeon finally sighed and answered.

“Getting hurt myself is something that inevitably happens while carrying out missions. I’m not particularly afraid of that.”

Lee Hyeon had always lived with the threat of injury and death. There were even colleagues who were buried in the National Cemetery at a young age.

“But the thought that Great Sage and the brothers who are just starting to run might get hurt,”

「That’s a pointless worry.」

Son Wukong cut off Lee Hyeon’s words midway.

「Who’s worrying about whom? No matter how broken I’ve become, kid, you’re my disciple now.」

Lee Hyeon’s eyes wavered.

「Do you think this Great Sage Equal to Heaven Son Wukong would show a pathetic side in front of his disciple?」

“……That’s not it, but.”

「Then put aside such worries.」

“…….”

「It was bound to happen eventually anyway. It would have been nice if we were discovered after recovering more dignity, but it doesn’t matter. I have no regrets.」

No regrets.

Lee Hyeon recalled the answer he always gave to colleagues who asked if he wasn’t afraid when he started wielding the axe again.

In the end, both he and Son Wukong felt the same way.

「We’ll steadily push forward with long-term plans, and change short-term plans according to variables that arise each time.」

Lee Hyeon felt himself being drawn into every single word Son Wukong said.

「If the Heavenly Realm seems like it will move, we just need to find our brothers much faster than that. We’ll recover our dignity just as quickly too.」

Son Wukong threw something.

Lee Hyeon caught it.

It was a note.

Wondering what it was, he opened it and was startled.

“Great Sage, this is.”

「A gift left by that guy called Feng Jinghao. That’s him, right? The one who used to bicker with you often.」

“……!”

 

―Pingtian Great Sage Bull Demon King: Cannot confirm. Multiple organizations tracked his movements but failed to capture him alive. Currently understood to be building strength somewhere. There are theories that he has joined the demon faction…….

―Fuhai Great Sage Jiao Demon King: Sealed in the Challenger Trench near Guam. Currently, multiple villain organizations that have joined the axis of evil are secretly involved. However, management is not easy and they are experiencing setbacks. Recent earthquakes centered around the Ring of Fire also…….

―Yishan Great Sage: Sealed in the desert near Palmyra, Syria. Palmyra was the center of ancient civilization, but now it’s ruins of relics. Based on the myths surrounding this place, it’s currently a battleground for the Middle East Front…….

―Zhengdan Lion Zhu Oneng: First observed in the Antarctic region, and afterwards…….

 

The contents written on the note contained extremely important information.

The locations of all the Seven Great Sages and the four brothers were written down.

It even kindly described where they were discovered and how they had moved during that time.

The authenticity was…… true.

“Yes. That’s right. That person.”

「That guy was quite brazen.」

Lee Hyeon thought Son Wukong’s tone was very cold.

「After telling me that he was actually the mastermind who led the brothers to end up in that state, he gave me this and demanded my Dou Zhan technique in return.」

“Did you give it to him?”

Lee Hyeon unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

Son Wukong’s eyes curved into crescents.

「What do you think I would have done?」

“……I think you would have given it to him.”

Lee Hyeon smiled bitterly.

「Why do you think that?」

“Because I would have done the same.”

「Huh?」

“The safety of my comrades is more important to me than the achievements or legacies I’ve built up. I would have gotten revenge somehow later, but…….”

「Because securing current comrades would be more important for now?」

“Yes.”

Son Wukong slightly twisted his lips.

Before they knew it, the pavilion where Bull Demon King was located was getting closer. The waterfall was a beautiful scenic view.

「What if I said I gave it to him? Wouldn’t you resent me?」

“Yes. I don’t resent you.”

Son Wukong’s Golden Eyes of Truth rippled.

The authenticity was, as expected, true.

「Why? You learned it with great difficulty, didn’t you? You had to humor me a lot to get it.」

“It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed, but the Dou Zhan technique originally belonged to Great Sage, didn’t it?”

Son Wukong looked at Lee Hyeon with a strange smile.

“I think it’s Great Sage’s decision whether to give it to someone or use it as compensation for negotiations. And,”

Lee Hyeon smiled lightly.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’d lose just because others learn it. Learning the demon’s senses isn’t easy to begin with, and I won’t just stay still either.”

「It’s been a while since you’ve only given answers I like.」

Son Wukong continued with a smile.

「To cut to the conclusion, that guy took the Dou Zhan technique, but couldn’t read it.」

「Kekekek! Even if he wanted to read it, how could he when I plucked out all his eyeballs? Anyway, elder brother’s taste is quite vicious! Kekekekek!」

Sha Wujing laughed heartily from the side. His laughter and words seemed truly demonic rather than human, at least for this moment.

Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Is that true?”

「Yes. But you’ll need to stay alert. There’s definitely something much bigger behind that guy, something incomparable to him.」

Feng Jinghao actually has other masterminds behind him?

Words he never expected to hear.

But Son Wukong also seemed lost in thought, as if he didn’t know exactly about that part either.

「And Tripitaka was with that guy.」

“……!”

「If you’re going to have endless troubles ahead, I suspect it might be because of that guy. You’d better be careful.」

Lee Hyeon nodded his head.

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. Actually, I was already looking for his location since I have many scores to settle with Chairman Peng separately.”

「Right. That filthy bastard will do even filthier things. It’s better to kill him as quickly as possible before things get more troublesome.」

Lee Hyeon quickly operated his mobile phone and contacted two places.

Lee Gun-san and Michael Shepherd respectively.

A message asking them to find information related to the fallen Feng Jinghao.

Soon replies saying ‘OK’ came from both places.

Click.

Lee Hyeon checked the replies and shoved his mobile phone back into his back pocket.

“Then the Great Sage will focus on finding your brothers for the time being. Before the Jade Emperor makes any moves.”

Son Wukong nodded his head.

「That’s what I’ll have to do for now. But fortunately, he consumed a massive amount of causality from this incident, so it’ll be difficult for him to intervene in the Lower Realm together with for a while.」

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the pavilion.

As the door opened wide, a long corridor appeared.

「And originally, that bastard Jade Emperor is someone with many schemes, so he won’t even try to appear until he prepares something proper.」

Son Wukong stopped at the end of the corridor.

「Yet despite that, he’s greedy, so he won’t inform the surrounding society about us and will monopolize the information by himself. He’ll keep his subordinates’ mouths shut too.」

Lee Hyeon put strength into opening the door of the end room.

The scent of mugwort wafted out.

「There’s also quite a significant time difference between the Lower Realm and Heavenly Realm. If we use that well, we’ll have enough time to prepare too.」

While the door was opening, Son Wukong’s gaze had become equal to Lee Hyeon’s, or rather, slightly higher.

A white-haired handsome man, not a baby monkey, smiled brightly with his hands clasped behind his back.

“It’ll continue to be hard work, but I still hope you’ll help me.”

The more karma Lee Hyeon gathered, or the stronger he became, the faster Son Wukong’s status recovered.

The same went for reclaiming his brothers.

Since they were already bound by the name Seven Great Sages, the faster they reclaimed the remaining brothers, the faster Son Wukong and they could grow together.

Just by reclaiming the Flood Demon King this time, reclaiming the second name was proof of that.

“I’ll have to hurry and find the Somersault Cloud. The same goes for the remaining armaments.”

“That would be even better.”

Lee Hyeon stared intently at the golden key sleeping in his inventory.

Even if Son Wukong hadn’t asked, he was planning to go look for the Somersault Cloud right away.

One of the four great Sacred Relics symbolizing Son Wukong, along with the Golden Headband, Fiery Eyes, and Ruyi Jingu Bang.

He was already excited to see what form it would take.

 

* * *

 

“You’re here?”

“How is sixth brother?”

“As you can see. His energy isn’t returning at all.”

On the wide bed, a man with a withered frame was sleeping soundly.

He was so gaunt that one might wonder if he was a mummy.

The countless large and small acupuncture needles and moxa covering him looked precarious.

The Peng Demon King let out a long sigh.

Before being a demon king, she was from the Gandharva clan and was also an excellent physician.

But even in her view, the Flood Demon King’s condition was quite serious.

“I’m trying to somehow help sister-in-law’s treatment with curse incantations… but it seems the complete collapse of his status was the most fatal blow.”

Sha Wujing also lowered the glasses he was wearing and scratched the back of his head vigorously.

“What about that essence of immortality or whatever that the kid brought? Won’t that work?”

Sha Wujing shook his head back and forth.

“If it had been before, I think we could have done something, but since it’s already been damaged once, it won’t heal automatically just by attaching it.”

“It’s like how once porcelain breaks, no matter how good the adhesive you use to stick it back together, it won’t be restored to its original state. If you want to repair it…”

“You’d have to completely shatter the porcelain, grind it to powder, then remake it.”

The Peng Demon King sighed at Son Wukong’s answer.

“That’s right. That’s it.”

“But we can’t completely shatter this fellow and remake him… what do we do?”

Deep furrows appeared in Son Wukong’s brow as he crossed his arms.

The case was completely different from the Peng Demon King’s.

She had faced the danger of extinction, but her ‘framework’ was maintained enough for her consciousness and ego to remain.

So just by absorbing the Three-legged Crow’s fire essence, revival could be sufficiently achieved.

But the Flood Demon King’s ‘framework’ had been completely shattered.

That was why a bigger solution was needed.

“……”

Lee Hyeon sat in front of the bed and quietly looked at the Flood Demon King.

Though he was definitely meeting this face for the first time, somehow he felt psychologically close to him.

Maybe it was because he had met his spirit in ,

but especially seeing the Peng Demon King’s sadness made him want to help somehow.

Wasn’t there some way?

He fell into thought.

 

* * *

 

「As you can see, sixth brother is in that state for now. It’s not exactly what you’d call good.」

Lee Hyeon came out from the subspace to reality together with Son Wukong.

「Among the arts I’ve learned, there are no healing ones, so I haven’t been much help. So for the time being, I’ll look for a method… but what have you been pondering so much since earlier?」

Son Wukong, who had returned to being a baby monkey, hung from the top of Lee Hyeon’s head and tilted his head curiously.

“Great Sage, by any chance, are there any remaining Sacred Relics that the Flood Demon King used to use?”

「Well, there is one… don’t tell me you can’t wait and want to become sixth brother’s apostle too?」

Son Wukong’s face turned red like a bottom.

「No matter how greedy you are, that’s avarice! Besides, if you become an apostle of a divine status that’s barely maintaining its form, there’s a risk that the apostle will collapse too… huh?」

Son Wukong stopped getting angry and tilted his head.

Lee Hyeon was looking at him and smiling brightly.

“Yes. That’s it.”

「…You want to try gathering sixth brother’s scattered myths too?」

“If possible. As my status rises, Sha Wujing and the Peng Demon King’s status are recovering too, aren’t they? I thought the Flood Demon King might be the same.”

「…….」

“Then, as the Great Sage said, if we also reclaim the Flood Demon King’s myths, recovery might be faster. Or some other good method might emerge.”

「Do you know how dangerous what you just said is?」

Son Wukong looked at Lee Hyeon with a sunken expression.

「As I said, becoming an apostle of a collapsed divine status means there’s a high risk of that apostle’s soul collapsing too. You’re already connected to me, Sha Wujing, and the Peng Demon King, building a more solid status than anyone else.」

Lee Hyeon was still smiling.

「Compared to people of similar level to you, there’s probably no one as solid and broad as you. You’re even more solid than I was in my youth. It’s a tower built with care.」

Son Wukong’s face turned red again.

It was a different meaning from before.

「In such a situation, if you connect with sixth brother, it’s nothing but creating cracks in your carefully built tower yourself! Will you still do it?」

“If I can build it, it’ll become a broader and more solid tower than before. Should I build a temple along with it this time?”

「…!」

Son Wukong’s pupils shook.

“I’m doing this for my own benefit too. The more Sacred Relics I have, the stronger I’ll become.”

「…….」

Son Wukong smiled bitterly.

He couldn’t not know that this was an excuse Lee Hyeon was making to tell him not to worry too much.

Even without taking such risks, Lee Hyeon’s growth was already gaining momentum.

Moreover,

‘If he shares in the collapsed divinity, it means his soul and status will also share in that much overload. So the pain would be tremendous, and yet……’

There was no way Lee Hyeon didn’t know that fact.

His thoughtfulness was so grateful.

「Understood. The apostle contract…… no, the sworn brother contract, I’ll arrange it for you.」

Therefore, Son Wukong decided not to refuse Lee Hyeon’s consideration any longer.

That would rather be disrespecting Lee Hyeon’s feelings.

“Thank you.”

Those are words I should be saying, Inseok……

But Son Wukong didn’t bother saying such things.

If it was a path for both his disciple and sworn brother, he just needed to truly help Lee Hyeon build a temple instead of a tower.

「Take this. It’s something called the God-Driving Plaque that Sixth Brother used to carry.」

Son Wukong handed Lee Hyeon a jade plaque engraved with wind patterns. As if symbolizing the broken divinity, its surface was slightly cracked.

Instantly, Lee Hyeon’s Golden Eyes of Truth flickered.

「Sixth Brother’s nickname ‘God-Driver’ means one who drives away gods. Before meeting Big Brother and becoming a sage, he was also the demon king who had devoured the most immortals and Buddhas in the world.」

“……!!”

Such an intense history that just hearing it made his skin crawl.

He had seemed like someone who would only be frail and slow in appearance……

But beneath the surface, he indeed harbored a myth with a different face.

As expected of the Seven Great Sages, perhaps?

「That’s why Yu Rong Wang’s power is extremely violent. When it came to fighting alone, he was once comparable even to me.」

For the prideful Son Wukong to say such things.

「Because of that, obtaining the power of collapsed status won’t be easy. So,」

Son Wukong looked at Lee Hyeon with deeply sunken eyes.

「Swallow that Sacred Relic. So the power can completely fuse with you.」

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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