Chapter 4: Sending Troops

  The Heavenly Palace of Lingxiao Treasure Hall

  "Report to the Jade Emperor, news has come from the Western Heaven that the Great Peng King under the Buddha's seat and the Qingmao Lion and Huangya Elephant under the seats of Samantabhadra and Manjusri have rebelled against the Western Heaven. They have now joined forces with the Yellow Wind Monster and escaped to who-knows-where. Additionally, Sun Wukong, the son of the Buddha, for some unknown reason had a big fight with the Buddha but was unable to gain the upper hand and also escaped from Ling Shan. The messengers from the altar, Zhu Bajie, Jin Shen Luohan and Sha Wujing have also fled together. It is expected that they will return to Huaguo Mountain."

  "Haha, this is great! That guy has finally clashed with the Tathagata. It seems that even the Tathagata's place isn't peaceful either. All of you, say, will that monkey also make a big fuss on Mount Ling?"

  "I memorialize the Jade Emperor, I think this matter is somewhat suspicious. That Sun Wukong has been in the Western Heaven for several hundred years, how can he suddenly dispute with the Tathagata? This matter is probably not auspicious!"

  "Tai Bai Jin Xing, that monkey's nature you're not unaware of, even without cause he'll stir up trouble. These past few hundred years the monkey must have endured enough. Heh heh, beloved concubine don't worry excessively, this century in Heaven's Court wasn't spent idly. If that monkey dares to come and cause more trouble, I'll make sure he won't return. Alright, do any of you still have matters to report?"

  "I memorialize the Jade Emperor, recently there has been a trend of some evil creatures stirring and wanting to make a move. There have been many secret connections between the major demon kings. Additionally, one of the seven saints from back then, the Macaque King, has appeared in Beijuzhou, unknown what his intentions are. I think, should we dispatch troops..."

  "It's just a single gibbon, no need to worry about it, don't bother with it. Alright, since there's nothing else, let's adjourn the court."

  Eastern Victory Divine Continent Proudly Come Country Flower Fruit Mountain Water Curtain Cave

  "Monkey King, this time you've gone a bit too far. If we lose, I'll never see Chang'e again." Pigsy said while eating.

  "Silly boy, if you're afraid, you can choose not to participate. I didn't force you after all."

  "That's not it. I, the old pig, have endured for hundreds of years already. At first, in order to return to Heaven, I endured a lot, but in the end? It was still this pig body. I've long since given up hope for Heaven. If we win this time, I'll go into hiding with Chang'e and work hard to cultivate and escape this pig body. If we lose, that's not scary either, at most I'll just return to the six paths of reincarnation."

  "Sha Monk, how about you?"

  "Whatever Master Brother decides is what Old Sha decides. Win or lose, as long as I can be with my fellow disciples, Old Sha is willing."

  "Haha, indeed worthy of being the junior brother of Sun Wukong. Unfortunately, Master is not here, otherwise the five masters and disciples would be reunited. Tomorrow, everything will depend on tomorrow."

  "Senior brother, where did Master actually go? In Ling Shan for several hundred years, I haven't even seen Master once."

  "Old Monk, do you still remember the Country of Women we passed through on our way to fetch scriptures?"

  "Hey, old pig, I remember that the girls in our middle school were all as beautiful as flowers."

  "You must remember, if it weren't for Big Brother taking the abortion spring water, you'd have a whole litter of piglets and grand-piglets by now, haha!"

  "Go away, it's still that stinky monkey intentionally teasing me. It got me, old pig, to lose face so badly, I don't even know how to face Chang'e in the future."

  "Since you remember the Daughter Country, have you ever remembered the King of the Daughter Country?"

  "Is it about being tied together with Master in a marital relationship?"

  "Yes, nowadays, it is the tenth generation of the princess who became the king. Master, this entanglement has been resolved."

  "I told you, old pig. Master has always been infatuated with Princess Guo Guo, and you guys still don't believe me. You all don't understand what true love is."

  "Alright, let's not say more, go rest now, tomorrow will be a big battle."

  "Monkey brother, old pig has a question and doesn't know whether he should ask it or not, afraid that brother will get angry if he asks."

  "Is there anything else you're too embarrassed to ask? Don't worry about it, go ahead and ask."

  "Monkey King, all the demon soldiers and generals in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits add up to just over a million, and apart from us three, there's no one else who can fight. Can we win with just the three of us?"

  "Foolish child, so you were worried about this? Don't worry, don't worry. When has old Sun ever done something without being sure of it? There will be demonic soldiers, and there will be demonic generals. And perhaps, there will even be unexpected surprises."

  "It's so mysterious, Monkey King, you're not being fair, but never mind, who cares? After I eat my fill tomorrow, I, the old pig, will go on a big killing spree. Let them know what kind of prestige the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng had back then."

  It was a night-flowering fruit mountain, a monkey sat quietly on the top of the mountain, staring at the starry sky, wondering what to think about. After a long time, the monkey reached out and touched its head, then pulled out a strand of monkey hair and transformed it into a golden hoop, which it wore on its head.

  "Hehe, still looks pretty cool."

  The next day, Ling Xiao Bao Dian

  "Report, report, report, something big has gone wrong."

  "Your Highness, who is it? Why so flustered, what's going on?"

  "Jade Emperor, something terrible has happened."

  "Jiǔ líng shén, zěn kě rúcǐ wú lǐ."

  Translation: "Giant Spirit, how can you be so rude?"

  "Jade Emperor, it's not that the little general is being rude, but Sun Wukong has fought his way up to Heaven again! He's already reached the South Heavenly Gate and the Four Heavenly Kings are in fierce battle. The little general has come specifically to inform the Jade Emperor."

  "Ah, that monkey is causing trouble again? How is it possible, didn't he have a falling out with the Tathagata? How can he still have time to cause chaos in Heaven? Where is Mahabrahma, where is Mahabrahma?"

  Your Highness, there is no one to answer you.

  "Where is Tottemo King? Has anyone seen Tottemo King?"

  "I humbly report to the Jade Emperor, before early morning court, I saw the Heavenly King and the Third Prince flying together towards the East Heaven Gate. However, I do not know their specific destination."

  "At this time Li Jing actually went to the East Heavenly Gate? Wu Qu Xing, where is Wu Qu Xing?"

  "The little general is here."

  "We now appoint you as the Great Marshal of the Heavenly Army, to lead all heavenly soldiers to the South Heaven Gate to capture the demon monkey Sun Wukong. You must stop him outside the South Heaven Gate."

  "Yes, I will obey."

  "Where is Grand Preceptor He?"

  "The old minister is here."

  "I command you to lead the Thunder Department's Zheng Shen, the Nine Sky Kings, and the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations, as well as the Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning officials, to proceed to the East Heaven Gate, and pursue the Tuo Ta Tian Wang Li Jing. If Li Jing makes any unusual moves, capture him on the spot."

  "Yes, your humble servant obeys."

  "Tai Bai Jin Xing, immediately notify Zi Wei Da Di, Gou Chen Da Di, Hou Tu Huang Di to come to Ling Xiao Bao Dian."

  "Yes, your humble servant obeys."

  "Thousand Mile Eyes."

  "The little general is here."

  "Proceed at once to the Star Du Grand Hall and inform the Southern and Northern Dipper Star Lords to come and assist in battle."

  "Yes, young general."

  "Wind in the ears."

  "The young general is here."

  "Set out immediately for Guanjiangkou and summon Erlang Shen to come and assist. Also, have him bring the Meishan brothers and 1,200 Straw-headed gods."

  "Yes, young general."

  "Star of Martial Virtue."

  "Belonging to the lower class."

  "Go to Mount Ling immediately and report to the Buddha that the mischievous monkey Sun Wukong has come to cause trouble again."

  "Yes. Understood."

  A series of orders were dispatched, and the Jade Emperor finally let out a slight sigh of relief.

  However, the Jade Emperor did not know that at this time, the Heavenly Court had already been surrounded layer by layer.

  "Monkey King, where is the help you promised? The South Heaven Gate is about to be broken through. If they don't arrive soon, we'll have to fight our way up to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall."

  "Slow down, don't rush. Once the South Heaven Gate is open, you'll immediately lead a portion of the demon soldiers to the Heavenly River. Break through the riverbed and there will be help arriving."

  "You stinky monkey, you only know how to order me around. The Tianhe River is at the bottom of the sky, it's amazing you thought of this. If a group of demonic soldiers were to emerge from here, the Jade Emperor would be in trouble. Haha, I'm out of here."

  "Report, report, South Heaven Gate is in urgent need of reinforcement. General, the South Heaven Gate cannot hold on any longer, that monkey is terribly fierce."

  "Don't rush, go inform Jiuyao Star Lord and the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations, activate the Grand Heavenly Star Constellation Array. Use the power of the star constellations to seal off the Southern Heaven Gate."

  "Yes, I will obey."

  At this time, Ling Xiao Bao Dian was also in a state of complete chaos.

  "Jade Emperor, what's going on here? That monkey has gone mad this time. The Eastern Heaven Gate has fallen, and unexpectedly, the Heavenly King Li Jing of the Pagoda is colluding with those demons. What a wolfish ambition!"

  "Taibai, how is the situation at the South Heaven Gate?"

  "I report to the Jade Emperor, the Marshal of Wukong Xingyuan has opened the Star Mansion Great Array, and for now, there is no hindrance. However, I am worried that the North Heavenly Gate and West Heavenly Gate will also be in danger."

  Not waiting for Bai Jingxing to finish, someone else came to report.

  "Report, inform the Jade Emperor, both the Western Heaven Gate and the Northern Heaven Gate have appeared with demonic enemy troops. The Western Heaven Gate is being fiercely attacked by the Ox Demon King leading his demonic soldiers, while outside the Northern Heaven Gate, two large Peng birds are using their whirlwind to destroy the defensive array of the gate. Moreover, countless demonic troops are lurking outside the Northern Heaven Gate, waiting for an opportunity to strike, and if the gate is breached, the demonic enemy troops will surely..."

  "Two giant Peng birds? Could it be the Peng Demon King? Who is that other person? I'll investigate and report back."

  "Yes."

  "What's going on with the Eight Immortals?"

  "Belonging to the lower class."

  "You and others quickly go to the Heavenly River, form the Eight Immortals formation to seal off the Heavenly River."

  "Yes."

  "Your Majesty, this is the time to deploy troops. Why don't you let the Eight Immortals go and guard the South Heavenly Gate? If the South Heavenly Gate is broken through, it will be all over."

  "Alas, I know. But I still feel that it's not right, this time that monkey has exhausted the power of the demon clan to fight a decisive battle, and we must be prepared."

  The Eight Immortals had just left when someone came to report.

  "The report says that the Heavenly River has been breached. The original Heavenly Commander-in-Chief led the demon soldiers to break through the bottom of the Heavenly River, and the Demon King of the Crocodile Clan led 200,000 water soldiers to emerge from the river bottom. The 80,000-strong Heavenly River garrison was defeated. Now, the Crocodile Demon King has taken his troops along the Heavenly River towards the North Heavenly Gate."

  "Heavens, heavenly canopy? He, how did he appear in the Heavenly River? Impossible, could it be..."

  "Report, the South Heavenly Gate has fallen. The Twenty-Eighth Star of the Big Dipper suddenly rose up and injured the Ninth Radiant Star Lord while setting up the Big Dipper Formation, and defected to the demon camp. Sun Wukong is now leading his troops to attack the Ninth Heaven."

  The Jade Emperor was dismayed, thinking of the grand heavenly court, yet it had been breached by a group of demons in such a short period of time, and there were so many gods who had rebelled.

  "Hurry, hurry and go to the Thirty-Third Heaven to ask the Great Superior Old Lord to lend a hand."