Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 74: Recommending Yang Jian

After handling all matters, the Purple Micro Emperor showed a rare sign of fatigue on his face. He waved his hand to ask everyone to leave and sat alone in his chair, lost in thought. The empty hall was filled only with him, making it seem especially desolate.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor sat motionless in the center, his eyes lifeless, looking utterly defeated. The various immortal generals, officials, and ministers below remained silent as if struck dumb, not daring to breathe.

After a long while, the Jade Emperor raised his eyes to gaze at his subordinates and said weakly, “With the demon monkeys on Flower-Fruit Mountain becoming so rampant, does my Heavenly Court really have no one left?”

Li Jing, feeling extreme shame, stepped forward with clasped fists and said, “I returned defeated, bringing disgrace to the authority of heaven. I am guilty—please punish me, Your Majesty!” The Jade Emperor waved his hand and said, “It is not the King of Heaven’s fault. Our heavenly troops have always been invincible wherever they go. This defeat was due partly to underestimating the enemy and partly because these demons are truly powerful. The King of Heaven is innocent—truly innocent.”

Although the Jade Emperor’s tone seemed comforting, it actually contained sarcasm. Li Jing felt bitter and had no choice but to retreat in frustration.

At that moment, a man stepped forward from below. Dressed in brown clothes and wearing straw sandals, he waved his fan and bowed to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor recognized him as Zhang Boduan, the True Man of Ziyang, and asked, “Does the True Man of Ziyang have any clever plan to capture these demons?”

Zhang Boduan replied, “I am not here to offer plans, but to recommend a few people to capture them.” The Jade Emperor was pleased and asked, “Who do you recommend?”

Zhang Boduan said, “The Ao brothers rule over the four seas, an area even larger than the land. Surely there must be capable people there. Why not order the Dragon Kings of the four seas to lead their troops in capturing these demons?”

The Jade Emperor hummed thoughtfully and began to ponder. After waiting for a while with no response, Zhang Boduan quietly stepped back. The reason the Jade Emperor delayed answering was that he had glanced at Nezha. Back in the day, Nezha, still a child, had already caused chaos in the Dragon Palace and come to the Heavenly Court for help. If there were truly capable people there, why would they have remained subordinate for so many years? Although the Dragon Kings of the four seas were well-known, their actual abilities were insignificant. By not responding, the Jade Emperor was essentially refusing the suggestion.

At that moment, the King of Knowledge stepped forward, joining his hands together. Seeing him, the Jade Emperor sat up straight and said, “The King of Knowledge, please speak.” The King of Knowledge replied, “If the four great bodhisattvas—Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Lingji—could be brought here, eliminating the demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain would be as easy as turning over one’s hand. Why not send someone to invite them?”

The Jade Emperor’s heart sank, and he fell into deep thought once again. He was well aware of the immense powers of these four great bodhisattvas. But since they were bodhisattvas, they belonged to Buddhism. If he invited them now, wouldn’t that mean showing weakness and inviting scorn from them? As the supreme Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Palace, was he supposed to appear inferior to them?

The King of Heaven, seeing that the Jade Emperor did not respond, sighed inwardly and immediately understood what the Jade Emperor was thinking. He himself was also a Buddhist, but it was not appropriate for him to persuade further on this matter.

These days, ordinary people everywhere knew that the Taoist court in heaven was the supreme among all religions, and households worshipped statues and paintings of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Pure One, and the Great Emperor. Yet in reality, Buddhism had grown rapidly in recent years. The lands of Western Ox and Joy Continent had expanded eastward for thousands of years, and now, instead of the Jade Emperor’s statues, there were various Buddha and bodhisattva images. Moreover, the heavenly court was vast, with countless sects and branches, most of which focused only on taking care of their own affairs without caring about others. Even the Three Pure Ones remained reclusive, practicing in seclusion unless disaster struck—no one knew what they truly intended. As for the Jade Emperor, everyone knew he was ambitious and highly concerned about his reputation. Yet now, the demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain had posed a difficult problem for him.

The heavenly court wanted to suppress the demons but had no one to do it. Although there were strong reinforcements outside, it would hurt his pride. After thinking for a while, the King of Heaven stepped back and said nothing more.

At that moment, Tai Bai Jin Xing stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, these demons are now defying orders, killing our heavenly soldiers, and desecrating heaven’s authority. It seems they can no longer be pacified.” He paused briefly, glancing at the Jade Emperor to see if he still intended to pacify them. Seeing the Jade Emperor’s distracted expression, as if lost in thought, he continued, “If we must suppress them, I can recommend someone. With his supernatural powers, I believe he can easily defeat all the demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain.”

Upon hearing the last sentence, the Jade Emperor showed a skeptical look and asked, “Is there really such a heroic figure in the world? Tell me about him.” Tai Bai Jin Xing smiled and said, “Your Majesty has been busy all day and temporarily forgotten him. This person is Your Majesty’s nephew, the Second Lord Xian Sheng Erlang Zhenjun. He currently resides at Guanjiangkou in Guanzhou, enjoying the offerings from the people below. In the past, he once defeated the Six Monsters, along with the Mei Mountain Brothers and the 1,200 Grass Head Gods—true opponents of those on Flower-Fruit Mountain.”

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor’s eyes lit up, but he said, “Though he is my nephew, we haven’t seen each other for many years…” Tai Bai Jin Xing knew full well that there was a rift between Erlang Shen and the Jade Emperor, so he replied, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. As the saying goes, distance does not weaken kinship. Moreover, I heard recently that Erlang Zhenjun has formed a brotherhood with the Six Brothers of Meishan. If Your Majesty can find a way out for those six, Erlang Zhenjun will surely be grateful. Why worry that he won’t come?”

Hearing Tai Bai Jin Xing’s words, several people below murmured in approval. What a clever Li Changgeng—he had spoken flawlessly. Even better, Erlang Zhenjun indeed possessed great powers, unmatched even in the Heavenly Court. Only Li Jing sat silently with his head bowed, inwardly resentful. Why did that old man recommend someone else but instead choose that brat Yang Jian? With his abilities, he would surely steal the spotlight from me. It seems my position as the Great Marshal Against Demons is in danger.

In front of the Water Curtain Cave on Flower Fruit Mountain, nine people sat around a stone table. The extra person was the earth dragon who claimed to have lived for ten thousand years.

Wukong picked up his wine cup. The demon pouring the wine had cast a spell, causing the wine to ripple and form several layers, making one cup equivalent to two ordinary cups. Wukong said, “In today’s battle, all of you brothers showed great prowess, earning immense merits. It’s a pity that although Flower Fruit Mountain is a blessed land, there’s nothing here that could satisfy you. I offer this wine as a token of my gratitude—not for myself, but to protect all the inhabitants of this mountain.” With that, he drank it all in one gulp.

Jiuling Yuansheng, who valued family the most, raised his cup and drank it, saying, “Well said!” The Bull Demon King said, “What a glorious day! We’ve scared the Heavenly Court to death!” The Golden-Winged Roc said, “The Heavenly Court will surely have countermeasures. We must be cautious.”

Wukong smiled and said, “I didn’t know much about the Heavenly Court before, but now I have someone who knows everything.” He turned to the earth dragon and asked, “Brother, you claim to have lived in the Heavenly Court for ten thousand years. Is that true?”

The earth dragon, already at the level of an earth immortal, saw that the eight people seated there had unfathomable powers and felt somewhat nervous. When Wukong spoke to him, he stood up respectfully and said, “I dare not speak rashly in front of the king.”

The Bull Demon King laughed and scolded, “Nonsense! With your level of cultivation, how could you possibly live for ten thousand years?” Startled by the Bull Demon King’s outburst, the earth dragon trembled. Wukong patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t be afraid. My brother just has a loud voice. Sit down, drink, and talk. Once you’re on Flower Fruit Mountain, you’re one of us—no need for formalities.”

Flattered, the earth dragon indeed raised his cup and drank it all, gaining some courage. He then said, “To be honest, I was able to live for ten thousand years because of my good fortune—I found a Pan Tao peach.”

Wukong opened his mouth wide but couldn’t speak for a long time—such bad luck was simply beyond belief. Then the Bull Demon King said, “Nonsense! Everyone in the Heavenly Court regards the Peach of Immortality as more precious than their own lives. Who would throw it away for you to pick up?” The Earth Dragon’s face turned red as he said with a wry smile, “It really was picked up… How can I explain this?”
Seeing the Earth Dragon’s flustered expression, Wukong laughed and said, “Then tell me where you picked it up.”
The Earth Dragon remembered clearly and recounted the whole story: “Not long after I first arrived in the Heavenly Court that year, I heard that a Peach of Immortality feast was to be held. But the demon soldiers had the lowest status in the Heavenly Court—they couldn’t even get close to the Peach, let alone enter the Brightness Hall. The Brightness Hall is located in the Great Luo Heaven, and only the Great Luo immortals are qualified to enter.”
Wukong interjected, “What are Great Luo immortals? Are they immortals with high cultivation levels?”
The Earth Dragon replied, “No. Great Luo immortals are more like positions in the Heavenly Court. Some soldiers, even if they only have the cultivation level of ordinary immortals, can earn the title of Great Luo immortal through their merits.” Wukong suddenly understood—in his memory, Zhu Banneng had once claimed to be a Great Luo immortal.
The Earth Dragon continued, “It’s interesting. Although the demon soldiers have low status, they all long to see the Peach of Immortality. During those days, the only topic of conversation day and night was the Peach; they even dreamed of holding it and taking a few bites. Since ascending to heaven, who wouldn’t desire immortality?”