Immortal Supreme: Sovereign of the Grand Dao-Chapter 302: Sun Wukong’s Thoughts

"Are they assumptions?" Arthur asked. "Or observations?"

Sun Wukong laughed suddenly. But it wasn’t a happy sound. It was bitter and sharp. "You’re either very wise or very foolish, Your Highness. I haven’t decided which yet."

"The two are not mutually exclusive," Arthur replied with a slight smile.

They stared at each other. The tension in the courtyard had grown thick enough to cut. But neither showed any sign of backing down.

"The vow I made to you," Sun Wukong said finally. "Back in the Heavenly Sword Sect. When I pledged to follow you if you proved stronger."

"I remember," Arthur said.

"I’ve been reconsidering it," Sun Wukong admitted. His voice was frank now. Direct. "Wondering if I made that promise too hastily. Before I fully understood... certain things."

"Understood what things?" Arthur asked.

"Who I am," Sun Wukong replied. "What I was. What I might become again."

Arthur’s expression remained calm. "And have these reconsiderations changed your intentions?"

Sun Wukong was quiet. His eyes searched Arthur’s face as if looking for something specific. Some sign or indication that would help him make a decision.

"That depends," he said finally.

"On what?" Arthur asked.

"On whether you’re what I think you are," Sun Wukong replied cryptically.

Arthur tilted his head slightly. "And what do you think I am?"

Sun Wukong’s smile returned. But this time it was different. More genuine. More dangerous. "Someone who also carries weight. Someone who also remembers. Someone who also... awakened."

The words were careful. Testing. Probing for reaction.

Arthur’s expression didn’t change. "Interesting theory."

"Is it just a theory?" Sun Wukong pressed.

"Does it matter?" Arthur countered.

They were both playing the same game now. Both circling the truth without directly stating it. Both testing to see how much the other knew without revealing their own cards.

Sun Wukong laughed again. This time it sounded more amused. "You’re good at this. Better than most people I’ve... met."

"I’ve had practice," Arthur said simply.

"I’m sure you have," Sun Wukong replied. His eyes glittered with something that might have been respect. Or recognition. Or both.

The silence stretched between them. Heavy with unspoken understanding.

Finally, Sun Wukong’s expression shifted. Became more serious. More focused. "The secret realm. When we enter. Things might happen that reveal... truths. About various people."

"I would expect nothing less," Arthur said calmly.

"And if those truths prove surprising?" Sun Wukong asked.

"Then I will deal with them accordingly," Arthur replied.

Sun Wukong nodded slowly. "Fair enough."

He turned away slightly. Looked up at the sky. "You know more than you let on, Your Highness. Far more. I can sense it. Feel it. Like recognizes like, after all."

Arthur said nothing. Just watched and waited.

Sun Wukong looked back at him. His expression was complex. Respect mixed with wariness mixed with something almost like kinship. "It seems we both have our secrets. Our... complicated backgrounds, as you so eloquently put it."

"Everyone has secrets," Arthur said mildly.

"True," Sun Wukong agreed. "But some secrets are more significant than others. Some secrets could shake the heavens themselves if revealed."

The words carried weight. Implication. Meaning that went far beyond their surface.

Arthur met Sun Wukong’s gaze steadily. "Then perhaps it’s wise to keep such secrets until the proper time."

"Perhaps," Sun Wukong said. "Or perhaps the proper time is closer than we think."

He smiled slightly. "The secret realm will be interesting. I look forward to seeing what truths emerge in its depths."

"As do I," Arthur replied.

They stood there for a moment longer. Two beings who understood each other on a level that transcended normal communication. Two people who recognized the weight the other carried even without explicit confirmation.

Sun Wukong looked at him deeply.

"It seems you know more than you let on, Your Highness," he said quietly. His eyes gleamed with understanding and challenge both. "Far more than anyone suspects."

Arthur’s expression remained calm. But his eyes held their own gleam. Their own acknowledgment.

"Maybe," Arthur replied simply.

Secretly he had been using the soul gem to exert influence from the beginning before the conversation even began.

Not total control, buy subtle influence that tilted the flow of the conversation the direction he needed.

And now....the results are about to show.

Sun Wukong’s smile widened. He took a step closer. The casual pretense dropped completely now.

What remained was raw honesty. Direct communication between two beings who had moved beyond the need for elaborate games. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Let me speak plainly then," Sun Wukong said. His voice was low but clear. "After our battle in the Heavenly Sword Sect, when you defeated me, I went on a journey. I told people it was to prepare for the Grand Tournament. That was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth."

Arthur remained silent. Listening. His posture relaxed but his attention completely focused.

"During my travels," Sun Wukong continued, "something happened. Something I didn’t anticipate. As I pushed my cultivation harder, as I tested my limits and broke through barriers, fragments began surfacing. Memories. Not from this life, but from before."

He paused. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. "At first they were just flashes. Brief images that made no sense. A mountain that touched the clouds. A peach garden that glowed with immortal light. Battles that shook the heavens. Beings of such power that mortals couldn’t even perceive them properly."

"I thought I was going mad," Sun Wukong admitted. His voice carried a hint of the fear he must have felt. "That the strain of cultivation was causing delusions. But the memories kept coming. Growing clearer. More detailed. More... real."

Sun Wukong felt sure that Arthur is a reincarnated monster like him.

But he wonders if he is friend or foe. But he trusted his instincts. Right now he is taking a gamble.

That this person is not an enemy of his.

The returning of his past life memories didn’t just make him stronger or more prideful...it made him see what most or no one on the southern continent was seeing.

The insane monstrosity that Arthur words and he wants to confirm it once and for all.