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The hierarchy of the inner world is roughly divided based on factors such as energy concentration and world area, from lowest to highest as follows: Blessed Land, Grotto-Heaven, Small World, Small Thousand World, Middle Thousand World, Great Thousand World…
In the beginning, the world was just a tiny egg. It only became a blessed land when it expanded to a radius of over a hundred miles; a grotto-heaven when it expanded to a radius of a thousand miles; and a small world when it expanded to a radius of ten thousand miles.
Subsequently, for levels of Lesser Thousand Worlds and above, there are requirements not only for the area of the world, but also for the concentration of energy, the level of vitality, the composition of the world, and so on.
In short, what we have now is merely the inner world at the level of a blessed land, just the first step in a long journey, and there is still a long way to go.
"Hmm, not bad! The essence of a True Immortal has such a great effect. Should I go find a few True Immortals to kill and use to strengthen my small world?"
Xiao Ning, who has access to the entire small world, can feel that the small world is now amplifying his strength by a much larger percentage, almost increasing his combat power by 10%.
"Forget it! I won't offend others unless they offend me! If I do that, how am I any different from those who follow the demonic path? This method is absolutely unacceptable!"
After much deliberation, he finally abandoned his absurd yet incredibly tempting idea.
Standing by the window, Xiao Ning stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant horizon, lost in thought.
"Wait, something's not right... I think I forgot something..."
After standing there for a long time, Xiao Ning frowned slightly, then blinked and his frown relaxed.
"Sun Wukong, how could I have forgotten you?"
More than 600 years have passed, and Xiao Ning almost forgot about Sun Wukong. Fortunately, he remembered that he was now in the world of Journey to the West, and the monkey was the main character!
Thinking of this, Xiao Ning no longer hesitated. With a thought, he broke through space and went straight to where Sun Wukong was imprisoned.
…………
Jianxing Prefecture and Lingchuan County.
A majestic and precipitous mountain stands twenty miles east of the county, reaching into the sky. It is steep and rugged, with dense forests, ancient trees, and the roar of wild beasts.
On the shady side of the mountain lies a cliff, with jagged rocks and no sign of human habitation.
In mid-air, the pure blue space seemed to be torn open like a canvas, and a figure emerged from it.
The surrounding area is rarely visited; otherwise, if someone were to witness this scene, they would surely be dumbfounded, prostrate themselves in awe, and be filled with admiration.
Stepping out of Chang'an City, Xiao Ning arrived a thousand miles away, above the Five Elements Mountain.
More than 600 years have passed, and this place has changed dramatically. What used to be just a smooth, rocky mountain has now become a towering, verdant mountain range.
Time truly is the most magical weapon in the world.
Slowly descending, Xiao Ning arrived at the bottom of the cliff on the back of Five Elements Mountain.
The monkey's head, with its pointed snout and shriveled cheeks, was covered in moss, and green ivy grew in its ears. It was covered in dirt and mud between its eyebrows and in its nose, looking quite disheveled. Its fingers were thick and its palms were covered in grime.
Only his eyes could move, his mouth could speak, but his body was immobile; he was none other than Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who had wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago.
"Monkey, judging from your appearance, you're living a pretty good life!"
Xiao Ning squatted down about ten feet away from the monkey and chuckled jokingly.
Hearing someone speaking, the monkey quickly turned its head, opened its mud-covered monkey eyes, and stared straight at Xiao Ning.
"You...are...that...human...from...back...years?"
After a long pause, it opened its mouth with difficulty and uttered a few words from its throat.
Perhaps because no one had spoken to it for many years and no one had taken care of it, this monkey, forgotten by all the gods and immortals, had almost forgotten its physical instinct to speak.
In truth, the arrival of Xiao Ning and Wang Mang did change the fate of many people.
At the very least, because the Xin Dynasty established by Wang Mang has continued to this day, there have been few wars in the past six hundred years, so no people have gone into hiding in the deep mountains.
As a result, the shepherd boy who lived in seclusion on the Five Elements Mountain in the original story, bringing fruit to Sun Wukong and talking to him, is no longer there.
Furthermore, because Guanyin was dead and Tathagata was seriously injured, Sun Wukong, who should have been released after serving his sentence, was abandoned and no one cared for him anymore.
"You remember me? You have a good memory!"
Xiao Ning was quite surprised.
"Ahem, I never imagined that after being imprisoned for over six hundred years, the first person to come to see me would be you. What I never expected even more is that after all these years, you have actually become an immortal."
Sun Wukong coughed up a mouthful of phlegm, cleared his throat, and finally resumed speaking normally.
"For over six hundred years, Monkey, you were sent to the foot of the Five Elements Mountain, your cultivation was half-crippled, and you are no longer the spirited Great Sage Equal to Heaven you once were!"
Xiao Ning nodded and said, "But things are in turmoil outside. Some time ago, I killed a Bodhisattva from Buddhism and gave Tathagata a good beating. Now he's hiding away to heal his wounds. Have you forgotten about him, Monkey King?"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Therefore, I'm thinking about whether I should release you from under the Five Elements Mountain and give you your freedom!"
"Kid, no, big brother, let me out! I want to get out! I want to get out!"
Sun Wukong, whose head had been drooping, suddenly raised his head after hearing Xiao Ning's words. His eyes widened and he shouted loudly, his tone rapid and urgent, his expression very excited.
"..."
So this is what you're like, you monkey, with absolutely no integrity.
Xiao Ning raised an eyebrow, somewhat speechless.
"Letting you out is of course not a problem, but after all, we had a little grudge back then. I remember... my little brother Wang Mang had his men piss on your face. You won't seek revenge on him after you get out, will you?"