The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 34 - 0 Monkey King Judges Life and Death in the
Chapter 34: Chapter 034: Monkey King Judges Life and Death in the Underworld
Chapter 34 -034: Monkey King Judges Life and Death in the Underworld
Wukong was feasting and drinking merrily with brothers Ox Demon King and Jiao Demon King within the Water Curtain Cave. Every day after drinking, they would spar, benefiting greatly from the practice over time.
One day, having had his fill of liquor, Wukong sat down cross-legged and began meditating, cultivating the “Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations”. Meanwhile, the Primordial Spirit that Yuan Hong had bestowed upon him was also growing gradually. This Primordial Spirit was still too fragile to practice cultivation techniques, so he breathed out Congenital True Qi onto it from his own Primordial Spirit, quickening its growth with each breath.
Suddenly, Wukong saw two figures, one black and one white, approaching him with a writ in hand, bearing the characters “Sun Wukong”.
Wukong instantly became alert, realizing that these emissaries of Black and White Impermanence had arrived to seize his soul. Without further ado, they produced a chain and bound Wukong’s soul.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
“How dare you! I have achieved the status of Taiyi Golden Immortal, transcended the Five Elements, and escaped the cycle of reincarnation. Do you still dare to take my soul?” Wukong roared angrily.
“Sun Wukong, your time in the mortal world has ended today. We, Black and White Impermanence, have been ordered by King Yan with an official decree to escort your soul to the Underworld!” declared Black Impermanence.
Without waiting for Wukong to speak further, they, being Yin Gods of the Underworld with special divine powers, grabbed his shoulders. With a shake, everything around them fell into darkness. The scenery rapidly receded, and in an instant, Wukong found himself in the Underworld. In the mortal world, there were not a few powerful beings, such as Overlord of Chu, Xiang Yu, who after losing to Liu Bang, was also seized in this manner by Black and White Impermanence, taken by surprise and thrown into the Underworld. Once there, Xiang Yu’s anger shook the heavens, mustering his eight hundred Chu soldiers and causing a tremendous uproar in the Underworld. Eventually, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had to intervene to subdue and take Xiang Yu away.
Engraved with the characters “Netherworld” suspended above the city walls, Wukong found himself captured by the two Yin Gods and taken to the Underworld.
Upon arriving in the Underworld, Wukong sneered to himself, thinking that since they’d dared to capture Old Sun, it was inevitable to make a big commotion in the Underworld! Thinking so, he shook his body and employed one of the “Size-Manipulating Magic” of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations, expanding to eighteen zhang tall, nearly as high as the towering city gates. He stretched his arms, and with a crack, snapped the chains that had bound him.
Black and White Impermanence’s souls trembled with fear. Before their departure, King Yan had cautioned that the person they were to seize was of high cultivation, and they must be very careful. Apparently, they had encountered another figure like Overlord Chu. But before they could even think to flee, Wukong had already drawn the Jingu Bang from his ear, striking each over their heads and turning them into a pile of mush.
With a cold snort, Wukong thought, “The Underworld is under the jurisdiction of Ksitigarbha King. When I made a scene in the Underworld before, he did not intervene, surely not because he feared me. More likely, he’s involved in schemes with various eminent beings, and it would suit him fine if I cause an uproar in the Underworld to provoke the Jade Emperor, so he can continue his machinations. Now that I possess three mighty Primordial Spirits, with one of them capable of taking on human form through Fetal Transformation and Easy Shape-Shifting… why not use this body to play a game with the old Tathagata? How about that?”
His heart swelled with boldness: knowing that there were tigers in the mountain, he intentionally headed towards Tiger Mountain. Taking up the Jingu Bang, he kicked down the gate-keeping Yin Soldiers and smashed the city gates to splinters, charging inside.
Some guards rushed into the city, crying out, “Great King, terrible news! A hairy-faced Thunder God has broken through!”
The Ten Kings of Hell were greatly startled, not expecting such ferocity from Sun Wukong. Black and White Impermanence had captured him, but now within the Underworld, he demonstrated such bravery and strength. The Underworld itself imposes restrictions on all who enter, reducing their powers and making it difficult to exercise their abilities. However, Wukong was born from a crystal stone bestowed by Goddess Nu Wa, which had previously repaired the heavens and thus shared the same origin as the Heavenly Dao. That’s precisely why Wukong was able to transcend the Heavenly Dao, something even Saints cannot do. How then could the Underworld contain him? Meanwhile, Overlord Chu, Xiang Yu, possessed extraordinary martial power and Soul Power, having slain countless foes, looked with double pupils, and was remotely related by blood to ancient Emperor Ku, eluding the Underworld’s control.
In haste, the Ten Kings of Hell arranged their ranks, only to see Wukong making his way into the palace, where he left soldiers and Yin Gods thrown about in disarray from his onslaught.
“Hiss… Isn’t that the Sea-Calming Needle of the Dragon King? Who would have thought it would end up in his hands!” King Yan gasped in shock.
“Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva surely won’t intervene. It’s best to treat him well and let the monkey leave as he came,” King Qin Guang urgently advised.
“Great Immortal, please wait, Great Immortal, please wait!” King Yan called out, stepping forward to stop Wukong from further violence.
Wukong glanced at the Ten Kings of Hell and asked, “Are you King Yan? I, Grandfather Sun, have long cultivated into a Taiyi Golden Immortal, emerged from within the Three Realms, and no longer belong to the Five Elements, destined to live forever. Why then did you send your men to capture me to the Underworld?”
King Yan inwardly groaned; he didn’t want to provoke such a formidable figure at all. If not for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s command, he would never have dared to distress someone so powerful.
“I dare not, I dare not! It must be those two darned Black and White Impermanence who’ve made a mistake. With your divine powers and infinite lifespan, Great Immortal, how could you be brought into my Underworld?” King Yan hurriedly replied.
The Ten Kings of Hell were not particularly powerful in mana themselves, relying on their positions to enforce order in the Underworld. But with Wukong now immune to their restrictions and behaving so fiercely, they did not dare to confront him. They could only plead for mercy, insisting the mess was caused by the minions’ mistake, which led to Wukong’s wrongful summoning to the Underworld.
“Bring me the Book of Life and Death!” demanded Wukong.
The Book of Life and Death, known as the “Book of Humans”, stands alongside the “Book of Heaven”—the Investiture of the Gods—and “Book of Earth” held by Zhen Yuanzi, overseeing the life and death of all beings within the Three Realms. It records lifespans, and once a person’s time is up, the Ten Kings of Hell proceed to seize the soul to bring it into the Underworld. There, one is reflected in the Mirror of Sin, their life’s transgressions revealed, after which judgement is passed by the clerks before King Yan’s decree. Subsequently, souls are sent through trials like the Mountain of Knives and the Sea of Fire, and finally delivered to the Bridge of Helplessness. There, they drink a bowl of Meng Po’s soup, erasing memories of their past lives, before being sent off to reincarnation. However, Great Mystics who wish to be reborn can bypass the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and some even manage to retain their memories, with their means being extremely formidable.
In haste, the Ten Kings of Hell led Wukong to a table and laid the Book of Life and Death before him.
Wukong flicked his finger, and the Book of Life and Death began to flip through its pages by itself. He grabbed the brush on the table and started to draw haphazardly.
His Primordial Spirit suddenly trembled, realizing that the brush was somewhat unusual, not like an ordinary brush at all. He asked, “What is the origin of this brush? Can it really make decisions for this book?”
King Qin Guang quickly said, “Great Immortal, this is merely an ordinary brush.”
Wukong replied, “Oh! I had thought it was the Samsara Pen.”
Equality King said, “Great Immortal, what you do not know is that this Underworld came into being naturally in the Ancient Times, along with this Book of Life and Death, and the Samsara Pen. The Underworld is a matter of great importance. Since the Ancient Times, there have been the Heaven-opening Cataclysm, the Dragon-Phoenix Cataclysm, the Witches-Goblins Cataclysm, the Human Emperor Cataclysm, and the Investiture of the Gods Cataclysm. Ever since the Witches-Goblins Cataclysm, the Samsara Pen has disappeared without a trace…” Yet, inwardly, he couldn’t help thinking, “If only I had the Samsara Pen, I could just hook your name onto it, and ensure that you suffer a death from which there is no coming back. How could I then allow you, a demon, to run amok?”
However, such words should never be said out loud. Observing that Wukong’s mana was powerful and that he seemed to not know the rules, what they feared most was someone with great power who knew no rules. One who does not know the rules naturally has no fear, and when they strike, they do so without any hesitation.
Wukong just felt that the brush was extraordinary, perhaps because he could transcend the Heavenly Dao, which made him sensitive to it. Nevertheless, since they did not appreciate its value, he would take it for himself.
After tinkering with the Book of Life and Death, Wukong removed the names of all his fellow Macaca from Flower-Fruit Mountain, leaving the Ten Kings of Hell with furrowed brows and distressed faces. With this mischievous doodling, the Underworld would inevitably face a period of chaos and busyness.
Ignorance is really the scariest thing of all. The Underworld has Ksitigarbha King overseeing it, and not even Ming River, the Sect Hierarch of the Asura Path, dared to cause trouble. But since Ksitigarbha King refused to show himself, the Ten Kings of Hell had no choice but to let Wukong do as he pleased, who haphazardly messed with the Book of Life and Death before stopping.
Wukong then said, “It’s said that a thief never leaves empty-handed, and although I am not a thief, I can’t just let you take me on a trip to the Underworld for nothing.”
The Ten Kings of Hell said in unison, “Yes, yes…”
Wukong held the brush in his hand, saying, “Although this brush isn’t a treasure, I’ve just snatched a treasure from the Dragon King, so it wouldn’t be right to take more from you in the Underworld. I’ll be taking this brush as a memento.”
The Ten Kings of Hell again said, “Yes, yes…”
At this moment, they were only too eager to send this calamity away. With Ksitigarbha King unwilling to intervene and themselves no match for Wukong, the Yin Soldiers and Yin Gods would just be easy targets. For every one that came forward, Wukong knocked over with his staff. On his way into the city, who knows how many Yin Gods and Yin Soldiers he had injured.
Wukong said, “Don’t just keep saying one word, lest you annoy me and I give you a beating.”
The Ten Kings of Hell again said, “Yes, yes…”
Wukong couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He shook the ink from his brush, secured it in his pouch, and took a moment to store it carefully, thinking, “This trip has been worthwhile. The origins of this brush are unknown to these blind people, and it is just perfect for Old Sun to take.”
The Ten Kings of Hell, coming back to their senses, said in unison, “No, no…”
Wukong was just teasing them. Finding their monotonous speech boring and somewhat amusing but ultimately futile, he said, “Alright, you’ve got the wrong person this time, and I shall not pursue the matter further. I hope you won’t mistakenly take me, the King, for a guest in the Underworld again. Next time I might not be so merciful.”
The Ten Kings of Hell said in unison, “Yes, yes…”
Wukong chuckled heartily and somersaulted off the desk, making his way towards the city gates.
Before he left the city, a pervasive blood Qi spread across the sky. Under its cover, countless souls captured by the Yin Soldiers immediately flew up, blending into the blood Qi and screeching in agony, which was a painful sight to behold.
“Netherworld Blood Qi!!!” The Ten Kings of Hell’s faces drastically changed as they used Escape Technique and disappeared without a trace.
As for what fortune or calamity awaited, please listen to the tale in the next installment.
