32.1 Beef Pan-fried, Side of Lemon Lime

Preface: Enter Sun Duza

1. Sun Ritsu

2. Anari

3. Bodhi

4. Ham Song

5. As Luck Would Have It

6.1 A Handsome Monkey King

6.2 A Handsome Monkey King

7. A Baneful Monkey

8.1 A Shy Spider

8.2 A Shy Spider

9.1 Pork Buns

9.2 Pork Buns

10. A Predator's Vacation

11.1 The Peach Festival

11.2 The Peach Festival

12.1 The Peach Festival

12.2 The Peach Festival

13.1 The Peach Festival

13.2 The Peach Festival

14.1 The Peach Festival

14.2 The Peach Festival

14.3 The Peach Festival

15.1 The Jade Pool

15.2 The Jade Pool

16.1 The Jade Pool

16.2 The Jade Pool

17.1 The Garden of Immortal Peaches

17.2 The Garden of Immortal Peaches

18.1 Walking Crane, Barbecued Duck

18.2 Walking Crane, Barbecued Duck

19.1 Ripe Peach Mountain

19.2 Ripe Peach Mountain

19.3 Ripe Peach Mountain

20.1 Ripe Peach Mountain

20.2 Ripe Peach Mountain

21.1 The Heavenly River

21.2 The Heavenly River

22.1 The Heavenly River

22.2 The Heavenly River

23.1 The Heavenly River

23.2 The Heavenly River

24. Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

25.1 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

25.2 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

26.1 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

26.2 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

27.1 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

27.2 Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

28. The Hall of Perfect Light

29.1 The Hall of Perfect Light

29.2 The Hall of Perfect Light

30.1 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

30.2 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

31.1 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

31.2 The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance

32.2 Beef-Pan Fried, Side of Lemon Lime

33.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

33.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

34.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

34.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

35.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

35.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

36.1 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

36.2 Like Scooping the Moon from the Water

37.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

37.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

38.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

38.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

39.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

39.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

40.1 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

40.2 The Divine Cave of Three Stars

41.1 The Drums of Heaven

41.2 The Drums of Heaven

41.3 The Drums of Heaven

42. A Diamond Body

43. A Diamond Body

44.1 A Diamond Body

44.2 A Diamond Body

44.3 A Diamond Body

45.1 A Diamond Body

45.2 A Diamond Body

46.1 A Diamond Body

46.2 A Diamond Body

47.1 Wondrous and True

47.2 Wondrous and True

48.1 Wondrous and True

48.2 Wondrous and True

49.1 Wondrous and True

49.2 Wondrous and True

&#x3C;p&#x3E;I bet the last you heard, Sun Ritsu was semi-dressed in his Radiant State, balancing on the peak of a rollercoaster with the Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance at his command. I think Duza might have said something to the effect of, &#x3C;em&#x3E;the staff was the width of a bus&#x3C;/em&#x3E;. No disrespect to my fellow bard, however this, Dear Traveler, is a common exaggeration of the monkey king&#x2019;s staff.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;While it is technically true that the width of the Compliant Rod is legendary, the staff generally prefers to be measured in terms of &#x3C;em&#x3E;rice bowls&#x3C;/em&#x3E;. Don&#x2019;t ask me why this is. I&#x2019;m just a messenger.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;So anyway, back to the story.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;We have Sun Ritsu, charged with the immortal-laced peach soft drink and balancing atop the zenith of a rollercoaster. With one hand behind his back, he gripped the Compliant Rod, which in its true black and gold form, carried the weight of around three full grown pandas and the thickness of four large rice bowls. As far as its length goes, my good comrade Duza did not exaggerate. The staff easily overshot the height of the theme park rides.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Could you imagine, Dear Traveler, what this looked like from afar? In any event, you &#x3C;em&#x3E;must&#x3C;/em&#x3E; because there was somebody &#x2013; another spirit &#x2013; who was watching in the distance. In fact, he was a scout. One that had been on duty in a watchtower hidden in the hills surrounding Kawaii Village for the better half of fifty seasons.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;This scout had been put there, Dear Traveler, by a very powerful spirit. You might have heard of him before.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;Sun Bai.&#x3C;/em&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Yes, &#x3C;em&#x3E;that&#x3C;/em&#x3E; Sun Bai. Anari&#x2019;s employer and head of Next Dimension, Inc. An organization that we know very little about. All we do know at this point is that Next Dimension hosted the feast in the Garden of Immortal Peaches and they backed the same construction project behind the collapsed bridge at the docks near the Heavenly River.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It would also appear that Anari, the Spider, was not privy to the knowledge of either of these connections. Not at first. You see, this is rather disorientating for Anari, who has a long and complicated relationship with Sun Bai, but ultimately does not see him as a shady business owner.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Strange stuff, Dear Traveler. Strange stuff.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Anyway, the moment this scout saw the revival of a legendary artifact fabled in the lore of the Heavenly River, he contacted Sun Bai immediately&#x2026;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The pepper spirit thought he was imagining things when he heard the air crack with a soft explosion of spirit energy somewhere off in the distance. He wouldn&#x2019;t have looked up from his dirty magazine had it not been for the faint smell of peach soda pop. The pepper licked his lips and blinked at the strange fizzy taste crackling in waves over his tongue.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Finally, he looked up and peered out through the panoramic window of the watchtower. A thick cloud of orange smoke cuddled the peaks of the rides in the rundown theme park northwest of downtown Kawaii Village.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;When the smoke cleared, the pepper spirit swore under his breath and scrambled for the telephone.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x201C;Put me through to Bai,&#x201D; the scout demanded as soon as someone answered the line. &#x201C;He&#x2019;s going to want to see this.&#x201D;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

&#x3C;p&#x3E;The Ninth Heaven is home to many absurdities, including unchecked greed, acts of injustice, and senseless overcompetition. On this vast spiritual plane, four spirits come together to recover something precious that was lost. Among them is Ham Song - a pig who occasionally vomits immortal peaches. Anari - a spidery assassin. Bodhi - a drunk, wayward monk.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;And lastly, there is Sun Ritsu. He&#x27;s a typical monkey spirit with genes identical to that of the legendary Great Sage, Sun Wukong. Sun clones like Ritsu are known for their cleverness, unpredictability, and relentless tenacity. Yet oddly enough, the three spirits in Ritsu&#x27;s company find that he doesn&#x27;t always fit this model. Outside of his Immortal State, Ritsu isn&#x27;t particularly clever or especially motivated to increase his rank. He is simply... kind.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;In a realm where greed and social competition shape the way of life, the notion of acting out of kindness is, quite frankly, absurd.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

The Rising Sun Saga