Chapter 3: Preparing for Battle

  The night is deep and quiet, but I know many people haven't slept. The Buddha isn't here, the Jade Emperor isn't here, my master isn't here, and neither am I. Maybe only Zhu Bajie is sleeping soundly - this fool, he's actually quite carefree. Ever since that year when we met at Gao Laozhuang and I burned down his Cloud Cave with a single torch, he's been following me to this day, which adds up to several hundred years now.

  It's hard to say whether it was right or wrong, but if I hadn't been there, Master would still be a monk who has been reincarnated for hundreds of years just to retrieve scriptures, Zhu Bajie would still be a pig demon wholeheartedly heading to the Moon Palace, Sha Wujing would still be in the River of Flowing Sand searching for his broken crystal bowl, and the Little White Dragon would still be acting as the Water Dragon King. But if it had always been "what ifs", then the beginning wouldn't have been like that, and the outcome wouldn't have been like this either. Now the only thing to do is to cultivate one's spirit and wait for the opportunity to prepare for the great battle.

  Ling Shan, Da Lei Yin Temple.

  "Kasyapa, how is the Buddha's preparation going?"

  "Amitabha Buddha, the Ancestor of Buddhism has already beheaded two corpses, but hasn't formally achieved enlightenment yet. Perhaps it's because he fears alerting the Jade Emperor."

  "Well, that's good. You should also get ready. We can't stay out of this matter at Ling Shan either. Inform the Three Buddhas of the Horizontal and Vertical Worlds, the Four Great Diamond Kings, the Five Directional Buddhas, the Eight Bodhisattvas, the Ten Great Disciples, the Eighteen Arhats, the Eighteen Mahakasyapa, and the Twenty Heavenly Deities to come to my place. I have something to say. Amitabha Buddha, go!"

  "Yes, Buddha."

  Wanshou Mountain, Wuzhuang Temple.

  Yuanshu Town, with sleeves fluttering, murmured to the ginseng fruit tree: "Years ago, Sun Wukong's rod excavated your roots. Although Guanyin treated you, it still takes time to nourish. Never mind, it's also a karmic connection. This time, I'll help that monkey with one arm, after all, we were once sworn brothers eight times. Amitabha Buddha, I wonder if this is right or wrong."

  A long sigh seemed to shake the heavens and earth, but only the ginseng fruit tree responded.

  Cuīyún Shān Bājiǎo Dòng

  "Husband, have you really thought this through? Are you really going to congratulate that monkey?"

  "My dear wife, I know you still hold a grudge against the Monkey King, but he was also helpless back then. Besides, it's been so many years now, and Hong'er is fine, isn't she? Although she was taken in by Guanyin to the South Sea, fortunately, her life wasn't in danger. Moreover, I and the Monkey King are sworn brothers, how can I not help him? Even if we put all this aside, even if it's just for revenge for Hong'er's sake, I must go and stir up some trouble. Let all the gods and Buddhas know that I, Niu Mo Wang, am not one to shy away from a fight."

  "Alas, I know I won't be able to persuade you, but I'm worried about your safety. This time is different from the past; if you lose, there will be no second chance."

  "What's the big deal? I'm not afraid of those guys. My seven brothers and I made a pact to live freely, but unfortunately, the Heavenly Palace has been too oppressive, causing us brothers to scatter and hide for over a thousand years without seeing each other. And now they're stirring up trouble between me and the Monkey King, this anger must be vented! Madam, after I leave, take good care of our cave, don't let other demons take advantage of our absence."

  "Husband, I understand."

  After that, the Bull Demon King went out of the cave and saw a dense crowd of various monsters blocking the sky and covering the sun, but there was no one making a noise.

  "Little ones!"

  "Agreed!"

  A thunderous roar shook the heavens and echoed throughout the land.

  "Alright, this time we'll help the Flower Fruit Mountain attack the Heavenly Palace and let everyone know that our demon tribe isn't to be trifled with. However, someone might die, are you guys afraid?"

  "I'm not afraid."

  "What if there are too many enemies?"

  "Even if I am left alone, I will fight to the end!"

  "Haha, you little ones, tell me, which region's monsters are you, and whose monster soldiers?"

  "Flat Peak Mountain, Demon Cloud Cave, Ox Demon King. Battle, battle, battle."

  "Hahaha, monkey, I'm old cow coming."

  Beihai Temple of Heavenly Mother

  "Report to His Majesty, 500,000 naval soldiers are ready and the cave is about to be closed, we can set out with Your Majesty at any time."

  "Alright, let everyone know that we will set out early tomorrow morning, our destination is Mount Huaguo."

  The monkey is not afraid of death, but the heavenly palace is too powerful, and I am hard to shake. So I ran to the north sea coast to cultivate my spirit and wait for the right moment. Now, I can finally be useful.

  The Great Sage of the Overturned Sea, the Dragon Demon King, is finally going to be born. Monkey, you must wait for me.

  Western Quercus Wolf Star

  "Kui Mu Lang, have you thought it through?"

  "Jiaolong, I've made up my mind. This time, we must go and help the Great Sage. Firstly, although we are among the Twenty-Eight Constellations in Heaven, our true nature is still that of a demon tribe. Since we ascended to Heaven, which heavenly deity has ever looked at us with respect? This is an opportunity; I would rather fail and be reincarnated for ten thousand lifetimes than continue being an ignorant and numb deity in Heaven."

  "Wolf brother, I know what you're thinking of secondly, it's all for your Hundred Flowers, hehe."

  Kui Mu's face turned red as he said to Xin Yue Hu, "You've never been in love, how would you know the bitterness of longing?"

  "Alright, we twenty-eight star mansions have always been united in honor and dishonor. Anyway, we've already been gods for thousands of years, so what's the difference if we continue? Since this is an opportunity, let's follow the Great Sage and stir up some trouble together. Even if we fail in the end, at least people will know that the twenty-eight star mansions also have flesh and blood, emotions and righteousness."

  "Good."

  South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest

  "Muzha, go and call over the Black Bear Spirit."

  "Yes."

  A moment later

  "Bodhisattva, Black Bear Spirit has arrived."

  "Black bear, how long have you been here?"

  "Return to Bodhisattva, it has been over a thousand years."

  "Have you ever thought of leaving?"

  "This..."

  "I'll give you credit for being honest. I know you've been away for a long time and have grown tired of this place. This time, I will order Mu Le to take you to the Heavenly Palace to meet with Marshal Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and follow his orders."

  "Yes, I humbly obey the Bodhisattva's instructions."

  "Mu Zha, you all go."

  "Yes, Bodhisattva."

  Tian Gong Tuo Ta Tian Wang Fu

  "Dad, is what you said true?"

  "Hmm, when did Father ever tell a lie?"

  "But aren't we people of Heaven's Palace? Why... why should we go and help that demon Sun Wukong, although I don't have any ill feelings towards him."

  "Nezha, do you know why, as the third son of the Heavenly King and a god, you don't have any ill feelings towards a demon, but instead seem to have a good impression of it?"

  "Father King, I have no good feelings towards him. He is a demon, we are gods, and gods and demons cannot coexist."

  "Haha, I knew it, you're really not my son Nezha. If you were Nezha, you would definitely admit it."

  "What? Father King, what are you saying? I am Nezha, your third son Nezha. Don't you recognize me, Father King? Or have I done something wrong?"

  Having said that, Nezha hastily knelt down, his severe panic completely genuine.

  "Get up, although you are not Nezha from wherever, but you are this Nezha."

  "Father King, I don't understand what you're saying."

  "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, let me tell you a story. In the old days, the Fire God Zhu Rong and the Water God Gong Gong had a great battle. Gong Gong was no match for him, and in a fit of rage, he crashed into Mount Buzhou, causing the heavenly pillar to collapse and creating a huge hole in the sky. The ancestor of the demon clan, Nüwa, refined the five-colored divine stone to repair the sky, but during the repair process, due to strong winds and heavy rains, Nüwa accidentally dropped a small piece of the five-colored divine stone from the turtle shell that was holding up the sky. Because the five-colored divine stone had been smelted in the nine-flavored true fire, it was extremely hot, and even a small piece could have caused another catastrophe for all living things on earth. So Nüwa swallowed the scorching hot five-colored stone into her mouth, thus avoiding another disaster."

  As he spoke, Li Jing raised his head to gaze into the distance, lost in thought for a moment before continuing: "After Nüwa repaired the sky, there was still a small piece of divine stone left in the turtle shell. Nüwa placed the divine stone at the summit of Mount Huaguo, hoping to use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to suppress the fire of the divine stone. After tens of millions of years, this piece of divine stone gave birth to the present-day Qitian Dasheng, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong."

  "Then what about the piece of flesh in Nüwa's mouth? Where is it?"

  "That piece, Nüwa placed it at the later Chentang Pass. Hoped to borrow the water energy of the four seas to extinguish its divine fire."

  "What? Your Majesty, that divine stone, no, no..."

  "Yes, that divine stone is you. Because at the time it received the spiritual essence of Nüwa, so it was born earlier than that monkey and entered your mother's womb to transform into a human form."

  "Father, Your Majesty, how did you know?"

  "When you were born, the Goddess Nuwa descended upon Chentang Pass and told me these things. The Goddess also said that you are a rebellious spirit by nature, and your existence is meant to destroy heaven and earth. However, you will face many hardships in the future; if you overcome them, you will become a divine being of heaven and earth, but if you fail, you will vanish into nothingness."

  This is Nezha, who has been standing still on the spot. But Li Jing seemed to ignore him and continued: "After you were born, the Heavenly Palace immediately knew of your existence, they were afraid, they were afraid that all this would come true, afraid that you would really destroy the sky and earth. So, the Jade Emperor persuaded the Dragon King of the East Sea to design a trap for you, leading you to kill the Dragon King's son in a fit of rage. This way, there was enough reason, and everything that followed was designed by the Jade Emperor long ago, eventually forcing you onto a dead end path, where you cut your throat on the city wall."

  Here is the translation:

  By this point, Li Jing's face was already filled with tears of regret, but he didn't stop and continued to speak: "How hateful that I was as timid as a mouse back then, clearly knowing it was a conspiracy yet powerless to do anything, only able to watch you die before my eyes. Afterwards, your corpse was taken away by Taiyi Zhenren, who used the lotus root to create a new body and revive you. But, but father knows, that wasn't really you, that was just one of your three souls plus a puppet body."

  "Father King, why are they forcing me? Why don't they just send a god to kill me directly?"

  "In this world, except for yourself, no one can take your life. Fortunately, the ancient Buddha of the lamp bestowed upon me the Linglong Pagoda, and at that time you only had one soul and three spirits, but after being nourished by the pagoda for thousands of years, now you have gathered three souls and seven spirits, it's just that many memories are missing."

  "Father King, is there any way for me to regain my memories? I want to return to who I originally was, not the puppet I am now."

  "There is only one way, that is to let Sun Wukong transform into the Five-Colored Divine Stone, and then input the Five-Colored Divine Stone's spiritual rhythm for you. This way, you will return to your original self. Therefore, this time we need to help Sun Wukong, help him win this war. By the way, your brother will also come back, and assist us together with the Flower Fruit Mountain."

  "Yes, Father King, I will prepare and set out for Mount Huaguo tomorrow."

  That night, Nezha had a dream. In his dream, he and a monkey were together, laughing proudly at the sky and wandering freely.

  Eight Hundred Miles Lion Camel Ridge Lion Camel Cave

  "Big brother, it's been hundreds of years since we last came back, thinking about the past when we were kings of the mountain, how carefree and happy we were! Unfortunately, alas!"

  "Third brother, you're still doing well, listening to the Buddha's teachings every day by his side and cultivating your conduct. But my second brother and I are miserable, having been used as mounts by Manjusri and Samantabhadra for several hundred years. Every day we can only eat grass, and I've even forgotten what meat tastes like."

  "Big brother, let's wait for that raccoon dog to arrive and we'll have a big feast at the foot of the mountain in all four districts. Anyway, this time I came out, I didn't plan on going back. I'd rather die in battle than become a mount again. Third brother, second brother, I've missed you two so much over the years."

  "Second brother said that I don't want to go back to the Western Heaven anymore, this time we three brothers will thoroughly establish ourselves as kings and make a move with that monkey."

  The three demon kings were speaking when a gust of yellow wind blew by from afar, and a figure descended.

  "Brother Lion, Brother Elephant, and Brother Roc, little brother is late, don't blame me."

  "Haha, you little oil thief, why are you so late?"

  "Heh heh, no stealing oil to eat, where did today's cultivation and moral integrity come from? To be honest, this time I don't plan to return to Ling Shan again, so that nest of mice and mouse sons need to be settled properly."

  "Ha! So you think so too, Hua Xiong. My two brothers and I have been thinking the same way. That Ling Shan is really unwilling to go back again. Well, this time we four will go to Huaguo Mountain and stir up some trouble with that monkey. Let the world know the prestige of our demon clan! Da Peng, you fly fast, take Fourth Brother, let's go."