Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 63 - If I Ever Become the Green Emperor
Chapter 63: Chapter 63: If I Ever Become the Green Emperor
Chapter 63 -63: If I Ever Become the Green Emperor
Emperor’s Path Ranking established!
Above the Emperor’s Path Ranking were the names of members from the Demon Tribe. All who reached the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal were listed, and then Emperor Gou Chen himself screened the candidates, removing those who were unwilling to vie for the title of Green Emperor. However, most considered being on the Emperor’s Path Ranking a great honor worth contesting. The Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva also had his name listed, having come from the Dragon Elephant Clan; so too was Emperor Gou Chen Indra of the Golden Crow Clan included; and many other powerful individuals from the Xuan Wu Clan and Vermilion Bird Clan also joined the ranks.
This Emperor’s Path Ranking was arranged in order, from one to thirty. First place went to Emperor Gou Chen Indra, second was the Great Might Heavenly Dragon, third was Ren Tianxing of the Vermilion Bird Clan, fourth was Wu Aotian from the Xuan Wu Clan, and fifth was Bai Yuhu of the White Tiger Clan… and Wukong, he was placed in the thirtieth position, which was most likely Emperor Gou Chen’s deliberate attempt to snub him.
This arrangement, however, did not reflect actual strength but was more arbitrary. After the first battle commenced, the rankings would change. Nonetheless, having the recognized heir of the Heavenly Emperor placed last was somewhat aggravating to many.
“Hehe, to be ranked thirtieth is actually quite amusing!” Wukong couldn’t help but laugh.
“He’s doing this to deliberately insult you, Brother Monkey,” Nezha said indignantly from the side.
“Then I’ll just have to smack that insult back, smack his face until it echoes!” Wukong replied without much concern, slinging his Buddha Beating Staff over his shoulder.
The news that the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, the Monkey King, was not dead but had returned to the Water Curtain Cave and was now known as the Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage, spread across the Four Domains. The Demon Tribe from Southern Ridge Demon Mountain and the Eastern Divine Region flocked to join him, with even some long-oppressed members of the Demon Tribe secretly breaking away from the Buddhist Sect. To escape from beneath the Tathagata’s clutches was an incredible feat, a true slap in the face, and countless members of the Demon Tribe saw him as a symbol of freedom.
He was once unrivaled until suppressed and set on the Journey to the West. Many thought that the defiant Monkey King had turned into an obedient dog. But now, the Monkey King had reappeared, and not only did he slap the Buddhist Sect’s face, he did it with a resounding smack. He had found freedom from his bondage, which was precisely what the people of the Demon Tribe desired, wasn’t it?
After a brief conversation with Nezha, Wukong climbed the newly constructed Dao platform on Water Curtain Cave and sat down cross-legged.
Below him, the throngs of demons bowed in adoration, shouting, “The Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage, glorify our Demon Tribe!”
Wukong smiled lightly, forcefully planted his Buddha Beating Staff into the rock with a “clang,” holding onto it and declared, “Buddha said, ‘All beings are equal.’ But why does Buddha enslave us? They speak of the compassionate Bodhisattva, yet why do they kill us, capture us to be their mounts? They say deities have kind hearts, yet why do they resort to violence when they cannot control us, why do they tarnish our names? There were no demons in this world, but as some unmanageable spirits appeared, those deities began to call them—demons!”
“If one day I become the Green Emperor, I will ensure that every member of the Demon Tribe is free!” Wukong declared loudly, his voice booming like a great bell.
“We were born free, so what right do these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and deities have to lord over us!” someone in the crowd yelled out.
“What right do they have to lord over us!”
Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.
“We want true equality of all beings! No more discrimination between races.”
This could be called a revolution, against whom? Against the rule of the current Supreme Jade Emperor, against the authority of the Tathagata Buddha Ancestor of the Western Heaven! What the Demon Tribe needed was unity; hence, Wukong was binding them together. Fiery slogans and profound contemplations on freedom and equality—these were indispensable.
“Buddha preaches equality, yet they fail to practice it. Real equality requires strength. Today, let us establish this equality! I, Sun Wukong, hereby make a grand vow—may all under heaven be equal, and all things free, free from oppression and discrimination!” he declared as he pointed his staff towards the heavens, proclaiming, “Should the heavens obstruct me, I’ll shatter those heavens; should the earth hinder me, I’ll crush the earth! I am Heaven, Deifying, Rebel, Sage!”
Beneath him, the assembled demons roared “Long Live”, a cry so powerful it shook the vault of the heavens, ascending up to the Ninefold Heavens, even audible outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.
This was a grand vow, and the hundreds of thousands of Demon Cultivators present were staggered by Wukong’s declaration. As they shouted “Long Live” in unison, their thoughts swelled, and their spirit and essence converged. It was an indescribable sensation that made one feel awestruck and unshakeable!
“I am a spy from the Buddhist Sect… Today, having heard the words of the Rebel Sage, it struck me like thunder, with enlightenment pouring in, a revelation dawned!”
“I am a Heavenly Court spy, sent to infiltrate Water Curtain Cave to gather intelligence. Only today, having heard the Rebel Sage’s words, have I truly awakened. Is not the freedom we Demon Tribe seek, one without oppression and exploitation? From this day forward, I willingly pledge my allegiance to Water Curtain Cave, to join the Rebel Sage in opposing the Heavenly Court and Western Heaven!”
In an instant, more than a dozen spies from various factions emerged from among the crowd.
Wukong’s grand vow just now was so impacting, it made them feel ashamed. Sun Wukong was fighting for the whole Demon Tribe, while they had been working against it. Wasn’t this betrayal of their ancestral wish? What a disgrace to their rankings…
“May all under heaven be equal, and all things free!” the gathered demons shouted like a tsunami.
Sitting high atop a mountain, the First Emperor Ying Zheng, surrounded by figures like Shen Gongbao, Xu Fu, Bai Qi, Nezha, Bull Demon King, Wu Kuang, chuckled, “This Sun Wukong is extraordinary indeed; a few words and everyone’s heart is filled with hope and aspiration, bringing all minds into alignment. However, if he cannot fulfill this grand vow, he will likely meet disaster in the future.”
Shen Gongbao nodded gravely. “To utter such words against the heavens, if he does not accomplish this grand vow, calamity will surely befall him.”
A Daluo Golden Immortal could glimpse the workings of karma and predict outcomes. Shen Gongbao’s words were far from empty.
Nezha thought to himself, “Monkey Brother is right, freedom is the most important thing. If there’s no freedom, of what use is wealth and honor?”
Bull Demon King also laughed, “Don’t worry, my brother is very powerful, he can definitely do it.”
It was at the moment Wukong made his great vow that his name suddenly jumped from thirtieth to the first place on the Emperor’s Path Ranking. This ranking, established by the Green Emperor, indeed placed strength as the foremost element, but a sincere heart was also crucial. Wukong’s vow had won the willingness of these tens of thousands of Demon Tribe cultivators to acknowledge him as the Green Emperor. With the surge in destiny, his ranking was thus beyond the control of Emperor Gou Chen, and he shot up to the first place.
Everyone whose name was on the Emperor’s Path Ranking felt it, and Wukong himself sensed it too. With this move, he had truly slapped the face of Emperor Gou Chen.
“Hm? Who would have thought the ranking could rise so dramatically?” Wukong mused to himself.
The thirty individuals on the Emperor’s Path Ranking each bore the destiny of the Demon Tribe. Whenever one was defeated, their destiny would be seized by another and they would subsequently be removed from the ranking. If one intended to avoid combat by hiding, their own destiny would also dissipate, ultimately leading to their own removal from the ranking as well.
Should one wish to contend with the Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court and establish one’s own power, seizing the Emperor’s Path Ranking was essential, and becoming the Green Emperor was a must!
The Demon Tribe had produced two Emperors and one Heavenly Emperor.
In ancient times, while Di Jun was still in seclusion within the sun, perfecting his own Great Way, the Demon Tribe had produced Ling Weiyang, who was honored as the Green Emperor, commanding the Demon Tribe. But afterwards, due to injuries from his Great Way, he retreated and established the Emperor’s Path Ranking to continue his legacy, so that a new Green Emperor could be elected after his demise. The other Emperor was the Heavenly Emperor Di Jun, who ruled over everything within and outside the Three Realms, commanding all clans with a heaven-reaching influence, subduing the world with his might, and even compelling saints to give way; the Emperor was none other than Eastern Emperor Taiyi, who swept across the world with a single strike of the Eastern Emperor’s Bell.
The Green Emperor had given the Green Lotus to Wukong not as recognition, but because of a remark made by Fuxi that instructed him to entrust the Green Lotus to Wukong upon his own demise, for future great use.
The legacy of Di Jun and the recognition of the Green Emperor were two gimmicks already sufficient to justify Wukong’s succession as the Green Emperor. But some couldn’t stand idle, and how could the Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court simply watch a power rise to challenge them on an equal footing? Therefore, they spread rumors within the Demon Tribe to stir up trouble.
Moreover, since the Green Emperor wielded unrivaled power, if one were to assume this role, their power would inevitably soar. Which clan would not wish to be this Green Emperor? Thus, they also took advantage of the situation, making plans within plans, with many climbing onto the Emperor’s Path Ranking to vie for supremacy.
Although Wukong had the people’s hearts, he also needed to display his strength, as the people of the Demon Tribe inherently valued power above all.
Emperor Gou Chen Indra’s face darkened, and he said coldly with a sneer, “Has my face been slapped so quickly? Heh heh… daring to make such a grand vow, truly bold. Aren’t you afraid that you won’t be able to fulfill it one day and end up drawing cakes to allay hunger?”
Great Might Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva sensed it too and, with hands joined together, said, “Amitabha Buddha, this Sun Wukong really deserves to be a piece of the Five-Colored Sky-mending Stone left behind by Goddess Nuwa in ancient times. He possesses great destiny, great determination, to make such a grand vow! Have I… truly made a mistake?” His eyes seemed lost for a moment, then suddenly cleared up, “No! Our Buddha is compassionate, all beings are equal… It’s right to enlighten such demons who are unaware of the Buddha Ancestor’s painstaking efforts. Amitabha Buddha!”
After these words, his divine sense became still, as if all had fallen quiet, sitting cross-legged, he quietly gathered his power.
With the Emperor’s Path Ranking established, the contest for the Green Emperor would commence after nine days.
In the past, the Investiture of the Gods decided the fates of deities, and today this Emperor’s Path Ranking would decide the fate of the Demon Tribe. Although the status of the Green Emperor was still far from that of a saint, the setup of the Emperor’s Path Ranking was ingeniously done, even suggesting that the creation of the Investiture of the Gods might have been influenced by this Emperor’s Path Ranking of the Green Emperor.
During these nine days, Wukong sat atop the daoist platform at Water Curtain Cave, expounding on the Great Way.
Through his cycles of reincarnation, he had gained enlightenment of the supreme scriptures of the Taoist Sect such as the “Sutra for Delivering People” and “Tao Te Ching,” as well as insights into his own true nature, and his heart of great wisdom became even more insightful. His mastery of the Primordial Three Thousand Transformations became ever more profound and seamless, thus, his understanding of the Great Way surpassed others by even more. As a result, he passed on these insights through his teachings.
Down below the masses of demons listened to his lectures, as did the thirty thousand elite soldiers of Qin, and even the two Daluo Golden Immortals, the First Emperor and Shen Gongbao, were nodding and shaking their heads in approval.
“This Macaque will certainly be a Sect Founder-level figure in the future,” thought Shen Gongbao, full of admiration.
As a result, more and more people began to come to listen.
Mountain spirits, wandering ghosts, birds, beasts, they all gathered at Water Curtain Cave to hear the lectures. The sounds of the Great Way thundered like explosive ear-splitting thunder, and numerous wild beasts transformed into human form after listening. Having attained the Way, they consequently became disciples under Water Curtain Cave.
This series of teachings lasted for nine days before ceasing.
The voice of the Green Emperor Ling Weiyang rang out from the sky, “The Emperor’s Path Ranking is established. If one day I become the Green Emperor, I shall celebrate with the blooming of peach blossoms everywhere!”
At that moment, Wukong’s spirit and vitality converged and a thread of destiny burst forth from the top of his head. This destiny showed five colors—green, red, yellow, black, white—forming a Great Seal that hovered three inches above his head.
