After finishing the elixir, Sun Wukong sobered up. Upon waking, he recalled what he had done and instantly realized he had caused a great disaster. So, he simply slipped back to Flower Fruit Mountain before the matter was exposed. Of course, before leaving, he did not forget the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain. He not only packed up a lot of immortal fruits and peaches, but also took a lot of elixir. Thus, while the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of Heaven were furious, Flower Fruit Mountain was immersed in a sea of joy.
Just like in the original story, the Jade Emperor was furious when he discovered that Sun Wukong was the one causing trouble. He ordered the immortals and gods to descend to earth and capture the monkey demon. However, none of the immortals and gods were willing to go, since even the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and Nezha had failed to capture Sun Wukong before. Finally, on Guanyin's recommendation, the Jade Emperor sent Erlang Shen to capture Sun Wukong.
P.S.: Oops, I forgot to post it after I finished writing it. I only realized it when I was about to post the second chapter.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 474 Erlang Shen
Erlang Shen Yang Jian, also known as Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun, was a major figure during the Investiture of the Gods period. He practiced the body-refining divine skill "Xuan Gong," created by sages who observed the mysteries of Pangu and the Wu tribe's physical bodies. He possessed immense strength and, having mastered the Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends, had unpredictable abilities, similar to Sun Wukong. His weapon was a three-pointed, double-edged spear transformed from the ancient mythical beast, the Three-Headed Dragon, which was extremely powerful. He also had the divine beast Xiaotian Dog as his mount, and his third divine eye on his forehead had the ability to see through illusions and directly perceive the source of existence. He was arguably the best candidate to defeat Sun Wukong.
Erlang Shen's strength is beyond doubt. Like Nezha, he is also a disciple of a sage, a disciple of Yu Ding Zhenren under Yuanshi Tianzun of Yuxu Palace. He is a leading figure among the third generation of disciples. In the era of the Investiture of the Gods, he and Nezha and others once fought for a great reputation. However, unlike in the Investiture of the Gods, here, Yang Jian did not participate in the Investiture of the Gods as a mortal. Instead, he already possessed high cultivation at the beginning of the Investiture of the Gods. His participation in the Investiture of the Gods was merely to take on the tribulation on behalf of his master.
As for the Investiture of the Gods, the reason for its initiation is actually quite simple. After the great calamity of the Lich King, the original Heavenly Court of the Demon Race, led by Emperor Jun, was defeated and perished. The Demon Race withdrew from the stage of history, and the new Heavenly Court inherited the foundation of the old Heavenly Court and stepped onto the stage of history as the organization that manages the immortals and gods of the Three Realms. The head of the male immortals of the Three Realms is the Jade Emperor, and the head of the female immortals is the Queen Mother of the West, who has already retired.
However, in the early days of the Heavenly Court, the vast Heavenly Court had only a handful of people besides the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West. They were not capable of managing the male and female immortals and gods of the world, and even those with a little power ignored them. Moreover, the positions of the main gods in the Heavenly Court were not yet full. In desperation, the Jade Emperor had no choice but to ask the Dao Ancestor for help. The Dao Ancestor then ordered the two sages from the three religions and the West to send some of their disciples to serve in the Heavenly Court. However, neither the three religions nor the two sages from the West were willing to send their disciples to the list, because once they were sent, they would be bound to the Heavenly Court.
Moreover, if one becomes a god through physical means, it's fine; one can still cultivate, though one will lose some freedom. But if one's true spirit is listed, and there's no one to replace them and remove them from the Investiture of the Gods list to re-form a physical body, then they will no longer be able to cultivate. To improve their strength, they can only rely on the incense offerings and prayers of the mortal world. However, the downside of doing so is that once the incense offerings dissipate, their cultivation level will slowly decline, eventually returning them to their original state. Therefore, these immortals with promising futures under the sages naturally do not want to go to the Heavenly Court to be listed as gods. As a result, after one round, there are only a few names on the Investiture of the Gods list.
Finally, the Jade Emperor had no choice but to appeal to the Dao Ancestor, who had merged with the Dao with his body. The Dao Ancestor seemed to have lost patience. He no longer allowed the three religions to allocate the quotas themselves, but instead withdrew the Investiture of the Gods. At this time, King Zhou of the mortal realm was tyrannical, which aroused great resentment among the people. As a result, the Western Zhou took advantage of the situation and rose to power. Just then, the Dao Ancestor suddenly ordered the three religions to join the war between the two sides. The true spirits of the dead would be listed, and the physical bodies of the victors would be listed. Thus, the War of Investiture of the Gods began.
At first, things were alright, with only some fourth- or third-generation disciples getting involved. However, as time went on, more and more people were implicated, and their status within the three religions rose higher and higher. In addition, the two Western Saints stirred things up, eventually leading to the Saints themselves getting involved. The result of the Saints' involvement was that the entire prehistoric continent was almost shattered. In the end, it was only through the intervention of Hongjun that the great war came to an end, and the Heavenly Court was officially full. However, since these immortals and gods were basically disciples of the three religions, although they were bound to the Heavenly Court, they mostly outwardly complied but inwardly defied it. Therefore, after consulting with Hongjun, the Jade Emperor formulated numerous Heavenly Rules to manage them.
However, as time went on, more and more immortals and gods ascended from the mortal realm, and the number of them became more and more abundant. The Heavenly Laws became weaker and weaker in binding the earliest batch of immortals and gods, and many immortals and gods had already been replaced. What remained were powerful figures from the three religions, and there were not enough people to replace them for the time being. This is why there seemed to be no powerful figures in the Heavenly Court. Powerful immortals and gods had no effect on the Jade Emperor's orders. Nezha and Erlang Shen, on the other hand, often appeared in the Heavenly Court because of their family ties.
Now, a powerful individual is needed to fight Sun Wukong, especially one who has stolen numerous peaches of immortality and elixirs. While there are certainly individuals in Heaven with such strength, they are likely few and far between. As mentioned above, most of these individuals are not in Heaven. Therefore, Erlang Shen becomes the best, and almost the only, choice. After all, Sun Wukong is a born stone monkey with astonishing potential, and now, having consumed so many elixirs and peaches, who knows if he might suddenly unleash a powerful attack and kill a deity who was previously on par with him with a single blow? Furthermore, the Journey to the West is a major undertaking for Buddhism, and mistakes are unacceptable. Therefore, Erlang Shen becomes the best candidate.
Upon receiving the order, Erlang Shen immediately led his celestial hound and heavenly soldiers to Flower Fruit Mountain without hesitation. However, when Mo Mo, Guanyin, the Jade Emperor, and other immortals arrived at the South Heavenly Gate to watch the battle, Erlang Shen had already single-handedly stormed into Flower Fruit Mountain.
Sun Wukong truly lived up to his reputation as a spirit monkey born from heaven and earth; his talent was indeed astonishing. In the fierce battle with Erlang Shen, the power of the peaches of immortality and the elixir within his body was rapidly refined and absorbed, causing his strength to soar. Initially, he was only at the early stage of the Golden Immortal realm, but as the battle progressed, he broke through to the middle stage of the Golden Immortal realm. If Erlang Shen hadn't been so powerful, possessing the strength of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, he probably would have been in a rather sorry state. After all, Sun Wukong, at the middle stage of the Golden Immortal realm, was capable of fighting against, or even defeating, late-stage Golden Immortals.
However, after reaching the mid-stage of the Golden Immortal realm, Sun Wukong's cultivation level stopped improving, but his combat skills were rapidly increasing, and he was quickly mastering the supernatural powers he had learned. The battles became increasingly intense, with rocks flying everywhere they went, rivers flowing backward, and even the clouds in the sky being scattered by the aftershocks of their battle. As a result, many of the monkeys in Flower Fruit Mountain were also accidentally injured.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong quickly used the Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiends to escape. Erlang Shen, not to be outdone, also used the Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiends to pursue him closely. After leaving Flower Fruit Mountain, the two fought again in the air. However, although Sun Wukong had used all his skills, the battle between the two was still evenly matched.
Just then, the celestial hound, which had been hiding in the shadows watching the battle, suddenly rushed out and bit Sun Wukong's ankle with a snap. After being bitten, Sun Wukong immediately sensed something was wrong. "Before I was injured, the two of us could fight evenly, but now that I'm injured, how can I possibly defeat him?" So, after getting rid of the celestial hound, Sun Wukong immediately somersaulted away from the battlefield. Then, he used his seventy-two transformations to become a small bird and hid in the forest. He thought that once his foot injury healed, he would fight Erlang Shen for three hundred rounds.
However, ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel. The injury on his foot exposed him, and Erlang Shen, seeing that Sun Wukong was using the Seventy-Two Transformations, was overjoyed and directly transformed into a large eagle to pounce on the small bird that Sun Wukong had transformed into.
(End of this chapter)
2017/11/20 23:20:26|45907188
Chapter 475 The Battle Among the Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends
Big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp, and the same applies to birds; big birds eat little birds. Although the little bird and the eagle were transformed by Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen, and there was no mutual restraint, once they were caught, it meant losing the initiative. Moreover, out of pride, Sun Wukong did not want to be outdone by Erlang Shen in the Seventy-Two Transformations. So, after spreading his wings and flying away for a distance, he turned into a fish and fell into the river, leisurely playing in the water.
Erlang Shen chased after Sun Wukong to this place and found that the bird that Sun Wukong had transformed into had disappeared. He immediately realized that Sun Wukong must have transformed into something else. After carefully observing his surroundings, he noticed that an inconspicuous little fish in the river had lively eyes and was actually staring at him. He quickly realized what was going on, so he transformed into an old fisherman wearing a straw hat and turned his three-pointed double-edged spear into a fishing net, which he then threw at the little fish that Sun Wukong had transformed into.
Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong was alarmed. If he were caught in the net, he would be shaken into a fish swimming in it. So he instantly transformed back into his original form, holding his golden cudgel and striking at Erlang Shen. But Erlang Shen calmly shook the fishing net, which instantly transformed back into a three-pointed, double-edged spear, blocking Sun Wukong's golden cudgel.
The two fought fiercely in the forest, sending sand and stones flying and rocks scattering everywhere they went. In the end, they fought from the ground into the sky. After they left, the forest was devastated, as if it had been plowed by artillery shells, or even worse. While artillery shells at most shatter the trees and rocks hit by the aftershocks of their battle, they were turned into powder. Moreover, the ground was covered with long, narrow cracks, which, like spider webs, covered large areas of the forest.
In the blink of an eye, the two returned to the ground from the sky. Although Sun Wukong still showed no signs of defeat, it was clear that he was getting impatient. He was eager to ask Erlang Shen for help, but Erlang Shen was not so easy to get rid of. So he used the same trick again, landing in the forest and turning into a big tree, while his tail turned into a vine that clung to the tree.
Sun Wukong's transformation this time was so exquisite that it revealed not a single flaw. Therefore, even Erlang Shen could not see through it for a while. However, nothing in the world is absolute. Although Sun Wukong's transformation this time reached the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing, a fake is still a fake. And as long as it is fake, there will always be something that can make it appear real. The divine eye between Erlang Shen's forehead has the ability to see through illusions and also has powerful attack power. It is one of Erlang Shen's trump cards.
As the magic was activated, Erlang Shen's divine eye between his brows emitted a few points of light, and then Sun Wukong, who had transformed into a tree, revealed his true form through his eyes. At this moment, Sun Wukong was unaware that Erlang Shen had seen through his transformation technique, and he remained motionless, playing the role of the beautiful tree.
Erlang Shen's eyes flickered slightly upon seeing this. He pretended to be annoyed and left. Then, behind a rock not far away, he transformed into a woodcutter carrying firewood. He slowly walked to the big tree that Sun Wukong had transformed into, looked at the slender vine, and muttered to himself, "This vine is really good. I can cut it down and weave it into a basket." With that, he picked up his axe and began to chop at the vine.
Sun Wukong was terrified. He instantly transformed back into his original form and dashed away. When he looked back, he realized that it wasn't a woodcutter at all, but the three-eyed monster he had been fighting for so long! At that moment, Sun Wukong finally understood that he couldn't defeat the three-eyed monster on his own. So he used his somersault cloud to try to escape, but before he could even take off, a bright bracelet fell from the sky and struck him on the head with a clang. Then everything went black, and he lost consciousness.
The gleaming bracelet was none other than Laozi's Vajra Bracelet. As an incarnation of a sage, how could this Vajra Bracelet be an ordinary object? It had knocked Sun Wukong unconscious with a single blow, demonstrating its extraordinary nature. And this was only because Laozi had held back; otherwise, the Monkey King would have had to find someone else. As Laozi retrieved the Vajra Bracelet, Mo Mo casually collected a thumb-sized transparent crystal. Laozi, curious, asked, "Fellow Daoist, what is this?"
Mo Mo smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's just a little gadget with no real function. It can only record some past scenes for later viewing. If Lao Jun likes it, I'll tell you how to make it."
Lao Jun immediately lost interest upon hearing that it was just a small gadget for taking pictures. There was no other reason than that he had many other ways to take pictures, and his cultivation level had long been able to call upon some of the rules of heaven and earth. If he really wanted to know what had happened before, he could simply call upon the laws of time to rewind to the scene at that time. He didn't need Mo Mo's little thing at all. Guanyin, on the other hand, glanced at him a little more.
Soon, Sun Wukong was bound and taken back to the Heavenly Court and sent to the Lingxiao Palace. Under the indignation of the court officials, the Jade Emperor finally sentenced Sun Wukong to death. Even after being captured and taken to the Lingxiao Palace, Sun Wukong still refused to behave and struggled fiercely, repeatedly saying that he was not convinced. In the end, Sun Wukong struggled and was taken to the Execution Platform by the heavenly soldiers.
The Demon-Slaying Platform is a place of malevolence, and therefore it does not belong to the same realm as the Lingxiao Palace. Instead, it is located at the lowest level. Perhaps because of the existence of the Demon-Slaying Platform, this realm is somewhat gloomy, and the area around the Demon-Slaying Platform is filled with malevolent energy, even dyeing the nearby clouds gray and black. The dozen or so huge bronze pillars that stand around the Demon-Slaying Platform are connected by huge iron chains. Lightning strikes the bronze pillars from time to time. These bronze pillars are actually a huge formation, and the main purpose of this formation is to suppress the demon race.
Sun Wukong was initially indifferent when he was being escorted here, and even had the mind to chat with the heavenly soldiers escorting him. However, his expression changed the moment he saw the bronze pillar. Although he followed the path of physical cultivation, he still knew a bit about the methods of magical cultivation. Naturally, he had also been exposed to this formation. Therefore, even before getting close, he could tell that this formation was extraordinary. Moreover, this was the Demon-Slaying Platform, so its purpose was self-evident.
To his surprise, when he was forced onto the Demon-Slaying Platform, apart from feeling a slight sense of oppression, he didn't notice anything amiss. Even the magical power within his body was still flowing freely. "Could it be that this seemingly incredibly powerful formation is broken?" Sun Wukong found it somewhat amusing, but upon reflection, he realized it was impossible. After all, this was a crucial area of the Heavenly Court; how could they not know that the formation was broken? "It must be because of some reason that it's not working on me," Sun Wukong thought to himself.
In fact, Sun Wukong's thoughts were very close to the truth. The formation was indeed ineffective against him, and the reason it didn't work was quite simple: he wasn't a demon at all. What is a demon? All things in heaven and earth absorb the essence of the sun and moon to gain sentience, take form, and begin their own cultivation—these are demons. But Sun Wukong wasn't born from absorbing the essence of the sun and moon; he was directly conceived from a divine stone. However, he wasn't a divine stone, and he cultivated the orthodox Taoist techniques passed down from the primordial era—**Mysterious Skills**—cultivating pure magical power, not demonic power. This demon-locking formation targets demonic power, so naturally, it had no effect on him.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 476 The Eight Trigrams Furnace Opens, the Great Sage Emerges
After discovering that the Demon-Locking Formation had no effect on him, Sun Wukong's anxiety subsided, and he began to observe his surroundings with great interest. His composure stemmed from the fact that the methods on the Demon-Slaying Platform were limited to a few: sword chopping, axe slashing, lightning strikes, and fire. These were the things he feared least, because he cultivated the **Mysterious Art**, considered the strongest body-refining technique. Although he was only at the minor completion stage, the weapons wielded by those heavenly soldiers probably couldn't even cut a hair off him. As for lightning strikes and fire, he had experienced their body-tempering effects countless times while cultivating this technique, so he didn't take them seriously at all.
As he had predicted, the heavenly soldiers forced him to the guillotine, and he obediently extended his head. When the massive guillotine slammed down, it not only failed to sever his head but also bounced back with a deafening clang, shattering the entire frame. Sun Wukong laughed heartily, saying, "Come on, keep going! This thing of yours is too flimsy. Hurry up and get a sturdier one."
The heavenly soldiers carrying out the execution changed their expressions drastically upon seeing this. No sooner had Sun Wukong finished speaking than a majestic voice rang out from the heavens: "Chop with swords and axes!" This voice was naturally not that of the Jade Emperor, but rather that of the heavenly general overseeing the execution. The Jade Emperor, of course, was watching from the Lingxiao Palace with the other immortals through the Taihao Mirror. Mo Mo and Guanyin, however, remained uninvolved, as they were not members of the Heavenly Court. They were hiding not far from the execution platform, watching the spectacle. Of course, Guanyin wasn't there to watch the spectacle, but to prevent any accidents from happening to Sun Wukong. If the Heavenly Court were to kill Sun Wukong, their Buddhist sect would be devastated. After all, beings with Sun Wukong's talent were few and far between throughout the Three Realms; they couldn't afford such a loss.
As expected, swords and axes could not harm Sun Wukong. Finally, they tried lightning and fire. Although the lightning and fire were not ordinary, they only shattered and charred Sun Wukong's armor, but could not hurt him in the slightest. The Jade Emperor was "greatly alarmed" and hurriedly asked the immortals for advice. However, the immortals were also helpless. Just when the immortals were in a state of panic, Laozi finally spoke up.
“Jade Emperor, that mischievous monkey has stolen and eaten many immortal peaches and my elixir, and has already cultivated a body of copper and iron, impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire. Ordinary methods are probably no match for him. However, the fire in my Eight Trigrams Furnace is called the Samadhi True Fire, which is a rare fire of heaven and earth. If we just throw that mischievous monkey into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he will surely be burned to ashes in forty-nine days.”
Upon hearing this, all the immortals in the Lingxiao Palace praised the idea. Finally, Laozi took Sun Wukong back to the Tushita Palace and threw him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace was divided according to the Eight Trigrams, consisting of eight regions: Qian, Zhen, Kan, Gen, Kun, Xun, Li, and Dui. In terms of Yin and Yang, Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun are the four Yin trigrams, while Zhen, Li, Dui, and Qian are the four Yang trigrams. In terms of the Five Elements, Qian and Dui represent metal, Kun and Gen represent earth, Zhen and Xun represent wood, Kan represents water, and Li represents fire. In terms of the myriad things in heaven and earth, Qian represents heaven, Kun represents earth, Zhen represents thunder, Xun represents wind, Kan represents water, Li represents fire, Gen represents mountain, and Dui represents lake.
After Laozi brought Sun Wukong back to the Tushita Palace, he untied the demon-binding rope on Sun Wukong's body, removed the iron chains that bound his collarbone, and then pushed him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, ordering the Taoist priest in charge of the furnace and the boy who tended the fire to fan the flames and refine him.
As mentioned earlier, Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace is divided according to the Eight Trigrams. When he pushed Sun Wukong into the furnace, he didn't just push him randomly. Instead, he pushed him to the "Xun Palace" position, which represents wind. This means that this is the vent of the furnace, equivalent to the chimney. So, there's not much fire, but as for smoke, there's as much as you want.
Although thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Sun Wukong did not submit. Instead, he continued to shout and curse inside, even challenging Laozi, saying that it was very cool inside. The two attendants, hearing this, felt that this was a slap in the face to their claim that the fire wasn't big enough. So, without saying a word, they added firewood, adding it vigorously and fanning themselves with their palm-leaf fans. As a result, too much firewood blocked the airflow, leading to insufficient oxygen. Without enough oxygen, the fire naturally wouldn't burn, resulting in a large amount of thick smoke. Thus, Sun Wukong inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace could no longer shout, because he was already choking on the thick smoke.
In the end, Sun Wukong's eyes were still blinded by the smoke. However, although he was blinded, he survived. Although this place was a windy spot, it was the Eight Trigrams Furnace, which was different from an ordinary stove. So the Samadhi Fire was still burning fiercely. As time went by, he gradually could not hold on any longer. So he stopped shouting, sat down cross-legged, and used his profound internal energy to resist the burning of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Time passed slowly, and Sun Wukong was in a mysterious state of neither joy nor sorrow. In this state, the immense power from the elixir and peaches he had devoured was rapidly refined and absorbed by him under the tempering of the Samadhi Fire, and his cultivation level was also rising rapidly. However, strangely, not all of this power was absorbed by him, but a considerable portion was absorbed by his eyes, and his eyes were slowly recovering after absorbing this power.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the forty-nine days have passed. Laozi returned to the alchemy room just in time. He asked the boy if there was anything unusual, and after receiving no answer, he ordered the boy to extinguish the fire and open the furnace. Sun Wukong, who was inside the furnace, naturally heard the sounds outside. So he held his breath, prepared himself, and waited for the furnace lid to open so he could rush out and turn the Heavenly Court upside down.
With a loud crash, Sun Wukong saw a burst of light overhead. Without thinking, he roared and charged out, knocking the still-unopened furnace lid away, and then stood on the alchemy furnace.
Laozi and his two attendants were startled by the sudden turn of events. When they looked up and saw Sun Wukong, still engulfed in flames and with golden light in his eyes, they were even more horrified. They immediately shouted and tried to throw Sun Wukong back into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. But how could Sun Wukong let them have their way? So he kicked over the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and the overturned furnace spilled out raging flames, instantly setting the alchemy room ablaze. Laozi's eyes widened in fury at the sight, and he roared as he was about to rush over to fight Sun Wukong to the death, but he was held back by the two attendants. At this moment, the Six Ding and Six Jia outside the door heard the commotion and ran in.
But how could they be a match for Sun Wukong? They were easily defeated by him. After being captured by the Six Ding and Six Jia, Sun Wukong did not linger. In the blink of an eye, he flew out of the Tushita Palace and headed straight for the Lingxiao Palace. He wanted to fight his way up to Lingxiao and wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
(End of this chapter)
2017/11/21 23:49:34|45978782
Chapter 477 Shattering the Heavens
Mo Mo, far away on Mount Luojia, watched Sun Wukong's eyes gleam with golden light through the Water Mirror Technique and sighed softly. Sun Wukong was a stone monkey born with two beams of light shooting from his eyes, reaching straight to the Heavenly Court. Although they disappeared soon after, it proved the power of his eyes. However, when he emerged from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the golden light emanating from his eyes was only as thick as a finger, incomparable to this. But due to the distance, he couldn't tell if this was premature activation or if his eyes had only been repaired to this extent. If it was premature activation, that would be fine; if it was only repaired to this extent, it would be a great pity.
Anyone who has read Journey to the West would hardly dislike Sun Wukong. He is naturally clever and lively, and although he acts impulsively, he is strong-willed, keeps his promises, and hates evil. He dares to speak out against injustice. Mo Mo naturally likes him very much. When he was a child, he also fantasized about what it would be like if he had the earth-shattering power of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong. When he saw that Sun Wukong would ask for help whenever he encountered a monster, he was a little strange. Did Sun Wukong become weaker?
Later, as he grew up, he understood the helplessness behind it all. Sun Wukong didn't become weaker; rather, he figured things out. He understood the intricacies of the situation, which meant he had grown up. Therefore, Mo Mo didn't intend to interfere, at least not now, because Sun Wukong did indeed need such tempering. Too much rigidity leads to breakage, and Sun Wukong's temperament was somewhat impetuous. Tempering his temperament would also benefit his future cultivation.
In fact, how similar is Sun Wukong's growth story to that of a person? Before his havoc in the Heavenly Palace, Sun Wukong was like a teenage boy, naive, impulsive, fearless in the face of everything before him, daring to venture and fight. In the early part of Journey to the West, he was like a young adult who had passed through adolescence, more rational and less impulsive, but still full of drive. And Sun Wukong during the time of the True and False Monkey King was like a young person who had entered society. They began to understand that they were not indispensable, that the world did not revolve around them, and that the world would remain peaceful without them. So they learned to compromise, to think, and no longer thought of solving everything with their fists.
The so-called Peach Banquet, the havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and the subsequent suppression under the Five Elements Mountain were all merely attempts to temper Sun Wukong. After all, the newly born Sun Wukong was like a newborn calf, showing no reverence for the gods and Buddhas. The Journey to the West was a paramount event for Buddhism, allowing no room for error. Without tempering, Sun Wukong would never compromise with them. His continued arrogance after emerging from the Five Elements Mountain, requiring Tang Sanzang to rely on the golden headband given to him by Guanyin to control him, reveals his inherent pride.
However, he eventually compromised. Faced with a life-threatening situation, he finally realized the truth, and the subsequent journey to the West went smoothly, even with a sense of ease. Apart from Tang Sanzang being frequently captured, did Sun Wukong suffer any losses later on? As for Zhu Bajie's laziness, it's likely that he had already seen through the true nature of the journey to the West. After all, to be able to hold the position of Marshal Tianpeng, who commands 100,000 Heavenly River naval troops in the vast Heavenly Court, calling him stupid is truly foolish.
At this moment, Sun Wukong was like an enraged brat, wielding his golden cudgel and charging towards the Lingxiao Palace. He had only one thought in his mind: "I will storm the Lingxiao Palace and turn the Heavenly Court upside down!" As a result, all the buildings along the way from the Tushita Palace to the Lingxiao Palace suffered greatly. Anything that stood in his way, whether it was a palace or a floating island, was smashed to pieces by his cudgel. The ordinary heavenly soldiers and generals, seeing the red-eyed Sun Wukong, dared not even approach him, let alone rush to resist. Thus, Sun Wukong made his way to the Lingxiao Palace without any hindrance.
However, if Sun Wukong were to fight his way all the way to the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor would lose too much face. Therefore, he sent the Four Heavenly Kings and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and his son to fight. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Four Heavenly Kings returned, supporting each other in a disheveled state. The Southern Heavenly King, Mo Liqing, now only had half of his Qingfeng sword left; the Western Heavenly King, Mo Lihong, held his jade pipa, its strings broken and cracked; and the Northern Heavenly King, Mo Lihai, held the Chaos Pearl... The umbrella had a large hole in it, the result of Sun Wukong being trapped inside. The Eastern Heavenly King, Mo Lishou, was in the worst shape; both of his long whips were broken into pieces, and his prized Purple-Gold Flower Fox was lying dying in his arms. Mo Lishou himself was bruised and battered. Who told him to release the Purple-Gold Flower Fox to ambush Sun Wukong? Sun Wukong had previously been defeated by Erlang Shen because he was bitten by the Howling Celestial Dog, so Mo Lishou had essentially run into trouble.
Meanwhile, outside the Lingxiao Palace, while Nezha was holding off Sun Wukong, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King threw his pagoda, instantly trapping Sun Wukong inside. The Heavenly Palace fell silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers. However, their joy lasted less than two seconds. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's shrinking pagoda suddenly expanded rapidly, then shrank again. This rapid expansion and contraction made the watching celestial beings extremely tense, given the precedent set by the Northern Heavenly King Mo Lihai's Chaos Pearl Umbrella. However, when they saw the pagoda gradually stabilize and slowly return to its former size in the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's hands, they breathed a sigh of relief. But then, with a deafening roar, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's pagoda shattered into pieces, fragments flying everywhere, injuring many nearby celestial soldiers and generals. Seeing this, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and his entourage dared not linger and instantly fled back to the Lingxiao Palace.
Without the obstruction of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and his companions, Sun Wukong's speed increased even further. No sooner had Nezha and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King returned to the Lingxiao Palace than Sun Wukong arrived. Upon arriving, Sun Wukong showed no mercy, swinging his golden cudgel and smashing the plaque bearing the words "Lingxiao Palace" to pieces. The Jade Emperor, seeing this, had a flash of cold light in his eyes on his panicked face, but it vanished in an instant.
When Sun Wukong came to attack, the gods and immortals below hurriedly protected the Jade Emperor and left. However, what is intriguing is that Erlang Shen, who had fought Sun Wukong to a standstill, Taishang Laojun, who knocked him unconscious with a single blow, and the Barefoot Immortal, among other famous immortals, were not in the Lingxiao Palace. In fact, they had hardly appeared since the beginning of his havoc in the Heavenly Palace. However, Sun Wukong, who was blinded by anger at the moment, did not notice this.
After the immortals escorted the Jade Emperor away, the immortals and gods who stayed behind to cover the retreat crashed through the palace walls of the Lingxiao Palace and flew away. Then, the once magnificent, sacred, and solemn Lingxiao Palace collapsed with a roar, leaving only ruins. With a loud bang, a majestic monkey wearing purple-gold armor, wielding a golden cudgel, and riding on auspicious seven-colored clouds soared into the sky, then turned in the air and flew towards them.
"Quickly go to the West and invite the Buddha!"
(End of this chapter)
2017/11/22 17:02:35|46044072
Chapter 478 Suppression
"Quickly go to the West and invite the Buddha!"
The Jade Emperor's loud shout relieved all the immortals and gods present, whether they knew the truth or not. Those in the know breathed a sigh of relief because their role was over, and they could simply watch the show. Those who didn't know believed that as long as the Buddha was invited, the demon monkey would surely be suppressed, and they would be safe. However, as the Jade Emperor shouted these words, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Although the orders of a sage could not be disobeyed, he was still the Heavenly Emperor. Although there had been an exchange of benefits beforehand, he would rather not have those things, because some things cannot be measured by price, such as face and dignity. Now, the Buddhist sect was using this slap in his face to highlight their power, which he could not tolerate under any circumstances. But he had to endure it, because in this world where strength reigns supreme, his fist was no match for others.
After the Jade Emperor uttered those words, the entire world fell silent. The fierce winds stirred up by the battle gradually subsided, and the clouds that had been scattered by the wind gathered again. The immortals and gods also disappeared without a trace, as if only Sun Wukong remained in the entire Heavenly Court.
"No, it's not just me left." Sun Wukong looked at the kind-faced monk in the clouds above the Lingxiao Palace with a sense of vigilance. Although he couldn't see through the monk's true nature, he felt a strong threat from him. This sense of threat proved that the other party's strength was at least comparable to his own.
Sun Wukong gripped his golden cudgel tightly with both hands, and asked the kind-looking monk with a wary expression, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you here to subdue me, Old Sun, too?"
Upon hearing this, Buddha smiled and said, "You impudent monkey, why did you first disrupt the Peach Banquet and then wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace?"
Sun Wukong saw that the bald man had a kind face and didn't seem to intend to attack, so he lowered his guard considerably. In addition, he had vented most of his anger and regained his senses. So he smiled and said, "You must be the Tathagata that the Jade Emperor just called. But I'm not afraid to tell you, I was doing just fine on Flower Fruit Mountain, but that old Jade Emperor tricked me into coming to Heaven, saying he would give me a high-ranking position. I came here happily, but he made me go and tend horses."
"I figured since he didn't like me, I might as well go back to Flower Fruit Mountain and continue being my king. But he actually sent heavenly soldiers to attack my Flower Fruit Mountain, and they were humiliated and sent back. In the end, he said he would let me go to heaven and become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Heh heh, I didn't expect that in the end I would still be just a nobody with an empty title. He was still fooling me. He didn't even invite me to the Peach Banquet. What does the Jade Emperor take me for? A beast to be ordered around? So when I got angry, I picked all the peaches in that Peach Garden and returned to Flower Fruit Mountain. I'm quite carefree now."
"But what about them? They actually sent troops to attack my Flower Fruit Mountain again, and then they even plotted against me, Old Sun, and threw me into that furnace to refine pills. Since that old Jade Emperor has gone back on his word and broken his promise, what can I do if I rebel against him? As the saying goes, fortune turns, and next year it will be my turn. That old Jade Emperor has been on this throne long enough; it's time for someone else to sit on it."
"You impudent monkey, do you know that the positions of the gods in the Heavenly Court are predetermined and cannot be easily changed? Moreover, that righteous god is not a virtuous immortal who protects a region. The Jade Emperor went through countless tribulations before he achieved enlightenment. And what merit have you, Sun Wukong, made in the Three Realms?" After hearing Sun Wukong's words, Buddha was not angry at all and calmly explained to Sun Wukong.
"Heh heh, so what? The Jade Emperor is unjust, so naturally I'll rebel against him. Anyway, I've already fought him, and today I'm determined to be the Jade Emperor." Sun Wukong brandished his golden cudgel, clearly ready to start a fight at the slightest provocation.
Seeing this, Buddha shook his head and laughed, saying, "You impudent monkey, it seems I can't reason with you. In that case, would you like to make a bet with me?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately became interested. "Oh? A bet? How does it work? What are the stakes?"
When Buddha saw that Sun Wukong had agreed, he chuckled and stretched out his enormous palm, saying, "Don't you boast of your great abilities? Then I'll bet you can't escape my palm. As for the stakes, if you can't escape my palm, you'll be at my mercy. If you can escape, then my Western Buddhist sect will be the first to support you as the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court."