The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 49 - 0 Monkey Kings Wisdom Surpasses Zhang

Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian approached the residence of the Piaoqi General. Liu Cang was the brother of Liu Zhuang and had no small influence in the court. However, he also could not reverse Liu Zhuang’s intentions. Emperor Ming of Han considered Buddhism to be a sect that would bring auspiciousness to the Great Han, and thereafter, he dreamt of the Golden Man several times. He believed it to be a divine reward. Although “the divine right of kings” was an idea proposed by royal families to consolidate power, many emperors took it literally, believing that their thrones were indeed bestowed by heaven.

To give an example, during the contention for the Central Plains between Chu and Han, Overlord of Chu Xiang Yu was a man of immense destiny, overpowering Liu Bang. He had the bloodline of ancient Emperor Ku; in theory, he should have been the emperor of the human world. However, Xiang Yu was stubborn and arrogant, overly shortsighted, which allowed Liu Bang to seize the empire. Both Overlord of Chu and Liu Bang had destiny on their sides. The key was how they dealt with each other, how to seize the other’s destiny. With destiny on their side, they could naturally ascend to the Dragon Throne.

All people have their destinies, but not many have great destiny. Those with great destiny still rely on a series of means to reach the top; otherwise, they would just turn to dust.

Daoist Equal to Heaven sighed, “Being an immortal does have its advantages, such as enjoying the power of incense and wishes.”

Yang Jian laughed, “Indeed! That’s the only good thing. But if the divine position isn’t well arranged, then it’s all for naught, like the Twenty-Eight Constellations, which receive very little incense power and wishes. For Star Lords like Wenqu and Martial Mansion, they receive much more.”

Daoist Equal to Heaven said, “Nevertheless, the Twenty-Eight Constellations were after all followers of the Sect of Interception. When Jiang Shang was conferring gods, he was somewhat partial.”

Although Yang Jian was from the same sect as Jiang Shang, he agreed that this was true. There were many from the Sect of Interception, and many were assigned to insignificant positions where birds wouldn’t even poop. How could those positions attract incense? After all, the Sect of Interception suffered a terrible defeat during the Divine Enthronement War and was against the Heavenly Dao, so naturally, they did not get much benefit.

Daoist Equal to Heaven remarked, “Returning to Luoyang from West Cow He State probably takes quite a long time!”

Yang Jian then said, “Indeed, the pace of mortals is ultimately lacking in many ways, no wonder they all dream of being able to fly.”

Cai Yin and his group, when they set out, went at full speed, but on returning, having completed their mission, naturally were not in a hurry and took their time traveling back.

On this side, Yang Jian and Daoist Equal to Heaven in the capital Luoyang of the Eastern Han, waiting for the arrival of Cai Yin and his company, let’s put aside for now and turn to the events unfolding at Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Ever since Wukong and his six brothers defeated the six stars of the West, the other six medicine kings have been on edge every day, for the deep-rooted awe for Heavenly Court runs through the hearts of those in the demon race. Only Wukong was unafraid, knowing full well that the old Jade Emperor would not make a move against him.

The Ox Demon King thought to himself, “This younger brother really has some nerve. Although I, Old Bull, am also not afraid of the Heavenly Court, I still have some misgivings, afraid of being ambushed by an expert from the Heavenly Court these past few days. But he continues to eat, drink, and be merry without missing a beat. Is it because he does not know how formidable the Heavenly Court is, or is it truly a case of his daring spirit reaching the sky?”

Anyway, Wukong’s attitude won great admiration from his six brothers. They thought he was exceptionally talented and brave, not taking the Heavenly Court into consideration at all. A few times, when the Jiao Demon King asked him about it, he said, “Big brother, you can relax. Now that we’ve killed those six Western Asterisms, is there any room left to turn back? All we can do is wait for the Jade Emperor’s move. When the soldiers come, we’ll block them, and when the flood arrives, we’ll build a dam—that’s all there is to it.”

The Jiao Demon King wondered what the brother was relying on, and couldn’t help laughing and crying. He shared this with the other brothers, and they all just shook their heads, inwardly marveling at Wukong’s courage but also resolved to unite and confront the Heavenly Court together. They were all Demon Kings, commanding countless demon soldiers, who had been oppressed by the Heavenly Court and forced to swallow their anger. Now that the Seven Great Demon Kings had come together, why would there be any reason to retreat?

After waiting several days without any movement from the Heavenly Court, even Wukong began to doubt whether he had gone too far this time. After all, to wipe out six constellations at once was a considerable slap in the face to the Heavenly Court. Perhaps they were brewing something and preparing to send troops. But he wasn’t afraid in his heart because he understood the entire conspiracy of Journey to the West. The Jade Emperor didn’t scare him, for there were the Three Pure Ones who could crush him entirely.

The Jiao Demon King expressed his worries: “The Heavenly Court has been quiet for a while now. Could they be brewing some conspiracy?”

Wukong laughed and said, “Second brother, don’t worry. The Heavenly Court doesn’t have many troops to use. Look, the North Pole True Martial Demon-Conquering Emperor is from Wudang and highly respects the Three Pure Ones. He definitely won’t obey the Jade Emperor’s orders. Then there’s the Great Emperor Gouchen of the West Pole, a descendant of dragons and phoenixes from the demon race. He’s already marginalized within the Heavenly Court, and since we are also great demons, he naturally won’t give us trouble. Then there’s the South Pole Immortal Emperor, a disciple of the Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch. During the Ancient Era of Deification, the Jade Emperor dared to use the calamities to challenge the Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch and to force the twelve celestial chiefs to submit. This Longevity Star Elder naturally disobeys the Jade Emperor’s orders in secret. And then there’s the Central Extreme Purple Micro Emperor. He is calm by nature, dislikes slaughtering and killing, and spends his days playing chess and the zither within his palace, certainly not bothering with these affairs.”

The Peng Demon King asked, “What about the Great Emperor Qinghua of the East Pole and the Taiyi Salvation Heavenly Venerable?”

Wukong smirked and said, “That Salvation Heavenly Venerable is all lovey-dovey with the Western Buddhism, even spreading the ‘Pure Land’ teachings in his own religious line. It’ll probably be difficult for the Jade Emperor to get him to act. Besides, even if the Salvation Heavenly Venerable does come, can’t the seven of us together defeat him?”

The Ox Demon King couldn’t help but say, “You’re so well-informed about the situation in the Heavenly Court. How long have you been on the path? You’re not fooling us, are you?”

Wukong chuckled and said, “I mustn’t say, I mustn’t say!”

After hearing Wukong’s analysis, all the brothers felt quite reassured. With things this way, what was there to fear? The combat-capable forces of the Heavenly Court were largely controlled by several Great Emperors. The Jade Emperor’s foundations were simply too shallow; he was nothing but a child of the Hongjun Daoist, without his own disciples. Most of these Great Emperors had their own lineages and disciples, and had the support of the Three Pure Ones to undermine part of the Jade Emperor’s authority. If the Jade Emperor wanted to attack Flower-Fruit Mountain, it really would be like a dog biting a hedgehog—nowhere to begin.

The Demon Kings weren’t all that clear about the situation in the Heavenly Court, but Wukong, knowing his past and present lives, naturally had a well-organized analysis.

The Yu Rong King cursed, “You tricky monkey! No wonder you’ve been so carefree these days; turns out you knew the Jade Emperor was a soft persimmon all along!”

Wukong replied, “To say he’s a soft persimmon isn’t exactly right. No matter how you slice it, he still has troops that can fight. It’s just that without the help of these Great Emperors, he can’t achieve much. With us Seven Great Demon Kings uniting our subordinates, and the Seventy-Two Caves’ Minor Demon Kings, as well as the demon kings from all over Dongsheng Immortal State coming in succession, as long as we manage things well, we won’t fear him. And, the Great Emperor Gouchen of the West Pole would just love for us to grow stronger, to better contain the Jade Emperor, giving him a reason to intervene.”

The Peng Demon King exclaimed, “You really are our Zi Fang!”

The Lion Camel King asked, “Who’s Zi Fang?”

The Macaque King explained, “Big brother, you really are uninformed. Zi Fang, also known as Zhang Liang, was the Prime Minister of the Founding Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Human Emperor. He was a man of brilliant talent and extraordinary strategy, who aided the Human Emperor to defeat the Destiny-Equalling Emperor Ku’s descendant, the Overlord of Chu Xiang Yu, and seize the realm to contend for the Central Plains.”

The Lion Camel King slapped his head and said, “Ah, I see! But I have always lived in Dongsheng Immortal State, so how could I care to familiarize myself with the affairs of the Southern Toad Continent? That Southern Toad Continent is too chaotic, changing dynasties every few hundred years, and since humans hunt demon beasts, it really isn’t a good place for our kind.”

The Macaque King’s greatest characteristic was his broad knowledge and remarkable intelligence. His ears could hear all of heaven and earth, which made him even more formidable than the Ears that Reach Around the Corners in the Heavenly Court by a hundred times.

Most cultivators do not concern themselves with worldly affairs, and only the Macaque King was interested in studying them.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the next episode.