The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 44 - 0 Fame Spreads Across the Four Seas After
Chapter 44: Chapter 044: Fame Spreads Across the Four Seas After a Battle
Chapter 44 -044: Fame Spreads Across the Four Seas After a Battle
The Aquatic Ape rallied the Western Asterisms to form a great array, but it was broken by the seven Demon Kings of Flower-Fruit Mountain. Besides him, the other six asterisms were killed by the Ox Demon King and his troops, turned to ash. However, suddenly the other three sides’ asterisms, a total of twenty-one people, arrived and rescued the Aquatic Ape from Wukong’s hands.
“What audacity, daring to come to my Flower-Fruit Mountain to seek food!” the Ox Demon King roared, summoning an ancient purple lamp. Lit in midair, it cast down a sea of fire.
The Xuanwu of the North whose mastery was over Gui Water, led by Chief Doumuwei with a howl, and the others, Ox Gold Ox, Female Earth Bat, False Sun Rat, Dangerous Moon Swallow, Chamber Fire Pig, and Water-Avoiding Rabbit, hurriedly summoned their Magical Treasures. A vast force of Gui Water rose up, aiming at the fires, but the flames seemed to thrive like rainwater, similar to the dragon fire of the South Sea. Instead of being quenched, the force of the water only increased its ferocity, rushing back at the seven. The seven asterisms of the Southern Vermilion Bird responded in alarm, raising their Magical Treasures and forming an array to charge. A surge of Samadhi True Fire was spat out, finally opposing fire with fire and dispersing the purple lamp flames. It was only because the Ox Demon King’s mana was weak; had Wusheng been here, he could have blown out the lamp and all would have turned to ash.
Peng Demon King shouted, “Where do you think you’re going!”
His speed incredibly fast, renowned as the Great Sage of Mixing Heaven, his power was formidable. A flash of gold, a surge of wind and thunder, and he was upon them, thrusting his spear towards the Horned Water Jiao Dragon! The Horned Water Jiao Dragon spewed green light, casting thirty-six talismans that scattered their glow, forming a great shield in the sky.
“Bang!”
The seven asterisms of the East also suddenly exerted their force, and Peng Demon King was sent flying back, the collision of their powers too strong to bear. Yet, he was unharmed.
Wukong said in a grave voice, “We have just been through a battle and need to rest for a moment. These asterisms coordinate too seamlessly, making them difficult to defeat!”
Although the twenty-one people had not arrived in a timely manner, they did save Aquatic Ape, coming prepared with a formation. Wukong and his companions failed to gain the upper hand. If they had come one by one, it would have been possible to defeat them individually! After all, they were the Celestial Officials of the Heavenly Court; how could they have come to Flower-Fruit Mountain to rescue someone without some prowess? Well Wood Prisoner had been entrusted by the Aquatic Ape and upon going to rally friends to Flower-Fruit Mountain had learned that it was already besieged by seven Great Demons, which greatly alarmed him. He hurriedly sought out the seven asterisms of the East and the North; otherwise, it would have been a trip of no return indeed.
Lion Camel King asked, “Shall we keep them here?”
Wukong replied, “Just now, we broke the Western Metal White Tiger Formation by dividing and conquering the seven, but now they outnumber us and their formation is as powerful as the White Tiger’s. Forced confrontation would lead to victory, yet at a grievous loss. It’s not worth it. We need to lay low and recuperate to counter the Heavenly Court. A fiery clash over a few asterisms is too unwise.”
Yu Rong King said, “The seventh brother is right; it’s not worth battling to the death over an Aquatic Ape.”
Macaques King said, “But they rescued the Aquatic Ape from our hands; isn’t that a slap in our face? How can we let them leave!”
Wukong laughed and said, “Fifth Brother, don’t be hasty. In this encounter, the Western Asterisms nearly met their end at our hands—their loss of face is far greater! They will seek us out for a rematch one day, and we can kill them then. Today is truly not the day for action.”
Macaques King scratched his head, feeling that Wukong’s words made sense. Among the seven Great Demon Kings, apart from Peng Demon King and Wukong, most were rather blunt-minded. Wukong’s wisdom demonstrated through his teachings had already earned their deep respect. Though the Ox Demon King was the elder, it was Wukong whose words held sway.
Wukong whistled, prompting the Ox Demon King and Peng Demon King to withdraw their Magical Treasures, and they allowed the three parties’ asterisms to take Aquatic Ape and leave.
Horned Water Jiao Dragon declared loudly, “My fellow Daoists, the enmity formed today will be indelibly engraved in our hearts, deeply felt, until the time comes to settle the score!”
The Ox Demon King gave a strange, sinister laugh, “If not for today’s disadvantage of time and place, I would have reduced you to dust, or my name isn’t Ox Demon King written backwards!”
The twenty-one asterisms departed with Aquatic Ape who, seeing his six companions slain, became delirious, like a puppet, dragged and hauled away from Flower-Fruit Mountain by the twenty-one.
Once they were away from Flower-Fruit Mountain, they all exhaled in relief. With the formidable mana of the Demon Kings and Seventy-Two Little Demon Kings forming the ranks, had they truly resolved to capture them, none would have escaped! Thankfully, Wukong had his reservations, otherwise, the entire Twenty-Eight Constellations would have perished at Flower-Fruit Mountain today. The near annihilation of the Western White Tiger Constellations alone was enough to spread Wukong and company’s fame far and wide.
The Twenty-Eight Constellations were almost invincible when they joined in formation, but this time the Western White Tiger Constellations were nearly wiped out at Flower-Fruit Mountain, leaving only the Aquatic Ape alone. It was bound to cause a great stir in the Heavenly Court! Thinking back on the fearlessness of the seven Great Demon Kings filled their hearts with dread.
“We can’t concern ourselves with face this time, Brother Well Wood Prisoner; nearly all the Western Asterisms have perished. We must report to the Jade Emperor and request him to send troops to flatten Flower-Fruit Mountain!” said Doumuwei. “Initially, I thought you were exaggerating the threat, but these seven Demon Kings are indeed fierce! Especially that Minotaur and monkey; their Magical Treasures are incredibly powerful. If I’m not mistaken, is that not the God-Beating Whip?”
Well Wood Prisoner said, “That’s merely a counterfeit. After the battle of Ancient Times made the God-Beating Whip famous, anyone wielding an iron whip or Magical Treasure fashioned it with twenty-one segments, attaching eighty-four talismans to it. The true God-Beating Whip still rests in the Jade Void Palace, and even the Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch would not dare to use it lightly. It is laden with too much karma, and if it appears in the world, it would surely bring down a calamity from the heavens.”
The God-Beating Whip is a Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact, with control over this treasure, one could redefine the structure of the Three Realms and reshuffle the ranks of deities. It was primarily reserved for usage during cataclysmic slayings.
What is a cataclysmic slaying? Those of low cultivation naturally do not understand. A cataclysmic slaying is a calamity sent by the heavens. An ancient saying goes, “When the heavens unleash their killing intent, constellations shift in the sky.” It happens because the Heavenly Dao generates too much cause and effect, and Karmic Force, thereby leading to the descent of cataclysmic slayings. Those involved in these karmic entanglements must resolve them, either through combat, repaying kindness, or mutual assistance. If they fail to resolve these ties, Karmic Force would ensnarl them. Even if they do not perish in Karmic Fire, they would still enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Even saints would not wish to be overly entangled with such cause and effect, for Karmic Force is exceedingly difficult to cleanse. When Siddhartha Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment, he withstood the burning of Karmic Fire for five hundred years before he attained True Fruition, almost perishing in the process—a testament to the severity.
The God-Beating Whip is indeed an artifact that emerges during such calamities and is accessible to the one who commands the mandate of heaven. With this whip, one could determine the Heavenly Dao, assign divine positions, and arrange the feudal lords. During the ancient wars of Divine Enthronement, Jiang Ziya, Duke of Zhou, brandished the God-Beating Whip, making a dazzling impression. His cultivation might have been modest, but with the God-Beating Whip, he slayed numerous formidable opponents. Alas, Jiang Ziya had no fate with the Dao of Immortals and, after enjoying his share of worldly fortune, turned into dust. However, his corpse still carried a great karmic luck, and when placed atop the Great Zhou Dynasty Court, it would quell rebellions by merely pointing the coffin in the direction of the unrest. Nevertheless, later emperors found the coffin an eyesore and removed it. Consequently, the Western Zhou faced rebellions that led to its downfall.
Suddenly, the Aquatic Ape roared out in anguish, “I’ve caused harm to my fellow Daoists, I deserve to die! I deserve to die!”
Unable to hold back, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and immediately lost consciousness. The death of six Daoist companions at Flower-Fruit Mountain weighed heavily on him with guilt. Had it not been for his insistence on seeking revenge on Wukong, he would not have fallen into such straits.
The other twenty-one constellations looked at each other in dismay. The Arrogant Gold Dragon gritted his teeth and said, “Why not return and avenge our six fellow Daoists!”
Doumuwei replied, “My fellow Daoist, that must not be done rashly. The Demon King of Flower-Fruit Mountain is no ordinary foe. We should first seek instructions from the Jade Emperor. If that fails, we seek out the Great Emperor Ziwei. He oversees the cycles of the heavenly stars. With six of us fallen, he won’t sit idly by.”
The Arrogant Gold Dragon retorted, “Those seven demons are despicable, not even leaving whole corpses for them! If I get the chance, I will utterly annihilate them!”
The Horned Water Jiao Dragon said, “That goes without saying. If we don’t avenge this affront, we swear not to be human!”
Finally, they entered the Heavenly Court through the Southern Sky Gate, and each went to draft their petitions to be presented in the Heavenly Court the next day.
Meanwhile, the Ox Demon King saw that some had escaped and was visibly upset, lamenting, “Brother Wukong, leaving the snake alive only spells future trouble!”
Wukong chuckled and replied, “Big brother needn’t be angry! Today truly wasn’t a good day for fighting. They came in a well-coordinated formation, and even with big brother’s skill, capturing them would still invariably result in injuries. Better to wait for another day.”
Reassured by Wukong’s words, the Ox Demon King’s spirits lifted, and slapping Wukong on the shoulder, he said, “Brother, your words are true. Today we spare their heads for another day. When we next encounter them, we’ll make sure they understand the severity of old Bull.”
All of the brothers then burst into hearty laughter, feeling exhilarated after winning the battle.
The little demon kings from the Seventy-Two Caves were beating drums and blowing horns, overjoyed and exclaiming praises for the mighty power and eternal life comparable to heaven itself.
The Ox Demon King, carefree by nature, instantly cheered up upon hearing Wukong’s pleased words and ceased to brood over the escape of the constellations.
The Peng Demon King chuckled inwardly at how simple-minded their eldest brother was, readily consoled by Wukong’s few words that easily lifted his mood.
“Come on, let’s not let those birdbrains dampen our spirits. Let’s continue our drinking!” the Lion Camel King boomed, patting his belly loudly.
With a loud voice that echoed mightily, the Macaques King, standing beside him with sensitive ears, was dizzied by the roar and quickly moved aside, cursing, “Four brother, can you keep it down?”
The Lion Camel King laughed heartily, and the rest of the brothers joined in the laughter, arm in arm as they returned to the Water Curtain Cave.
The Daoist Equal to Heaven smiled and greeted, “Congratulations to all my brothers on your victorious battle!”
The six, who knew that he was Wukong’s transformed secondary form, waved it off nonchalantly and then sat down to drink merrily.
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