Volume 1: Unsayable, Chapter 79: Now Called Saint

Wukong didn’t know what Tongfeng was thinking, but since he had stepped back, Wukong had no choice but to explain, “I saw that these two have ordinary cultivation levels and appear cunning. Since it’s the eve of a great battle, I’m afraid of spies infiltrating. Killing them is to prevent information leaks.”
After hearing Wukong’s explanation, the Nine Spirits Sacred Saint chuckled and said, “That does make sense. But since Flower-Fruit Mountain is currently seeking talented people, killing these two is a minor matter. I’m only worried that outsiders might hear about it, lose confidence, and it would be counterproductive.”
Wukong immediately bowed and said, “It’s indeed your brother who thinks things through carefully. I was too rash.” The Nine Spirits Sacred Saint replied, “Oh, no, it’s just a trivial matter. Wukong, you’re overreacting.”
Wukong asked, “Do you two have names?”
The man with the left horn replied, “Your Majesty, we have no names. We were born together and have never separated. Others simply call us the Unicorn Ghost Kings—referring to him as well as me, with no distinction.”
Wukong suddenly understood why Tongfeng wanted to kill these two. Tongfeng had once said that it was because of the slander of those two Unicorn Ghost Kings that the Seven Divine Apes abandoned their great cause and returned to the mountains.
Seeing that Tongfeng’s expression remained unchanged, showing no signs of hatred or annoyance, Wukong felt greatly relieved. It seemed Tongfeng’s grievance had indeed been resolved. Such a calm mindset was highly beneficial for cultivation.
Wukong said calmly, “Good. Since you’ve come to join us at the mere mention of us, I will treat you well. First, you’ll serve under Marshal Ba in my Water Curtain Cave. Once you’ve earned merits, we’ll discuss promotions.”
The Unicorn Ghost Kings thanked Wukong and then took out a golden, yellowish ochre robe from their arms, saying cheerfully, “Your Majesty, we’ve come to this treasure mountain because we’re awed by your ability and courage to stand alone against the Heavenly Court. By chance, we obtained a rare treasure the other day and would like to present it to you. Please accept it graciously.”
Wukong chuckled. Sure enough, it happened just as described in Journey to the West.
Unfurling the ochre robe, he saw it was indeed a precious item. Coincidentally, the robe was four feet long, perfectly fitting Wukong’s stature. Wukong took the robe but didn’t put it on, saying, “You’ve thought of us.”
The Unicorn Ghost Kings added, “With such great powers, why not create a title for yourself so that people all over the world will know of you?”
Wukong could hardly hold back his laughter and said, “Good, good, good!”
The Golden-Winged Roc, however, was quite interested in this matter and asked, “What kind of title would be good?”

The two Unicorn Ghost Kings spoke in unison, pointing at Wukong and saying, “I see that this great king has a glow of clouds and rosy light above his head, and his stature is as majestic as the Five Great Mountains. He truly has the appearance of someone who can rival the heavens—how about calling him the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?”
Hearing these words, Wukong nearly fainted. These two ghost kings seemed despicable, yet their sharp tongues were no less skillful than those of fortune-tellers. To think they could relate his appearance to the heavens—only he could come up with such a notion. If these two little demons hadn’t been instigated, he would never have believed it.
The Golden-Winged Roc immediately clapped in approval, and even the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage smiled and nodded, saying, “Wukong, though these two have the appearance of flatterers, the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven is truly rare. You should accept it.”
At that moment, the Ox Demon King and the Sea-Submerging Dragon also arrived. Hearing the title “Great Sage Equal to Heaven,” the Ox Demon King rejoiced, saying, “What a great name! If that’s the case, how about I call myself the Great Sage Who Levels the Heavens?” Everyone except Wukong and Fengtong cheered in approval.
The Golden-Winged Roc said, “What’s so special about ‘Leveling the Heavens’? I’ll call myself the Great Sage Who Confuses the Heavens, haha!” The Sea-Submerging Dragon said, “I’ll call myself the Great Sage Who Submerges the Seas!” Wang Yu, not wanting to be left behind, declared, “I’ll be the Great Sage Who Expels Gods!” Wu Zhiqi said, “I’ll still call myself the Great Sage Water Ape. Let’s see who dares to capture me!”
Hearing everyone claim their own titles, just like in Journey to the West, Wukong could only smile bitterly. It seemed his fate was sealed, and nothing could stop it. He then asked Fengtong with a smile, “How about you call yourself the Great Sage Who Controls the Wind?” Fengtong and Wukong exchanged smiles and nodded.
Everyone turned their gaze to the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage, who smiled bitterly and said, “I thought only Wukong’s name was good; I never thought about becoming a sage myself.” The Golden-Winged Roc said, “Since our elder brother has divine powers that surpass the world, calling him the Great Sage Who Covers the Heavens wouldn’t be excessive.” The Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “All those titles of ‘heavens’ and ‘seas’ have already been taken by you. ‘Great Sage Who Covers the Heavens’ is too showy and makes me anxious. I’ll just call myself the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains.”
From then on, the titles of the eight great sages were settled. Wukong decided to go all out and ordered all the mountains and palaces to raise great banners. From then on, Flower-Fruit Mountain became even more famous, to the point where it could rival the Heavenly Court.
In the Eastern Victory Continent, inside a high mountain near Guanjiangkou, a hundred or so people were hunting in the mountains. Leading them was a man with a unique appearance and noble looks, carrying a slingshot at his waist. The slingshot’s shaft resembled a long-faced celestial fox but was made of ten-thousand-year-old yellow pear wood, three times harder than cast iron. Needless to say, this man was none other than the True Sage Lord Erlang Shen, Yang Jian. Beside him stood a slender white dog with its eyes slightly narrowed, completely motionless, with only its short fur rippling in the mountain wind.

Behind them, the Six Brothers of Meishan carried eagles and dogs, each wearing a strong bow at their waist and a short blade in hand. Behind them, a group of heroic warriors carried prey such as bears, tigers, roe deer, and antelopes, indicating that this hunt had been highly fruitful once again.

Kang Anyu said to Yang Jian, “Brother, today this bear has a pair of excellent paws—perfect for drinking with.” Yang Jian smiled and nodded, but his gaze slightly lifted to look at the blue sky.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and joy appeared on his face. He leaped forward to greet them.

The Six Brothers of Meishan couldn’t see clearly and only saw Yang Jian meet a powerful ghost king with red face and red hair from mid-air, who introduced him to everyone with a smile.

The powerful ghost king didn’t dare delay and said right away, “I’ve been sent by imperial order to invite the Sacred Lord here, because a demon has arisen on Flower-Fruit Mountain in Aolai Country of Eastern Victory Continent. The Heavenly Court sent a hundred thousand soldiers to suppress it, but they were defeated. Since no one else seems capable of handling it, the Jade Emperor has ordered me to come here, hoping that the Sacred Lord will come and relieve the Heavenly Court of its troubles.”

Upon hearing the name of the Jade Emperor, Erlang Shen pretended to hesitate. The powerful ghost king quickly said, “Lord, before I left, the Jade Emperor gave me something to show to you as proof.” Then he took out an object from his bosom—a crimson swaddling cloth used for infants. The color of the cloth had faded significantly, clearly indicating it was an old item.

Upon seeing it, Erlang Shen quickly reached out to take it. Overwhelmed with mixed emotions, two teardrops the size of beans rolled down from his tiger-like eyes. It turned out that this was the swaddling cloth he had used as a child.

Yang Jian’s birth mother was the sister of the Jade Emperor before he became the emperor. After ascending to heaven, the Jade Emperor appointed her as the head maid of the Douniu Palace, in charge of the celestial maidens, giving her a high status. However, the head maid met the mortal Yang Tianyou by chance and fell in love at first sight, giving birth to Yang Jian.

When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he became furious. To maintain his authority, he sent soldiers to kill Yang Tianyou and trapped the head maid under Peach Mountain, demanding that she say the word “regret” and admit her mistake before being released. But the head maid was deeply in love with Yang Tianyou and would rather die in captivity than admit fault.

Yang Jian found a great teacher who taught him various skills. Using his Heavenly Axe, he broke through Peach Mountain and rescued his mother. But after emerging, the head maid saw that her son had grown up. After giving him a few instructions, she returned to the Heavenly Court. Yang Jian chased her to the Heavenly Court only to find that his mother had returned to live in seclusion in the Douniu Palace.

Moved by his mother’s years of suffering, Yang Jian forced the Jade Emperor to admit his mistake in front of the Lingxiao Hall. But as the emperor of all heavens, how could he agree to such a childish request? Naturally, he refused outright. After causing a stir in the Heavenly Court without achieving much, Yang Jian returned to Guanjiangkou.

Although the Jade Emperor didn’t say it out loud, he also felt remorse in his heart. Every hundred years, he would order his celestial officials to bring some rare treasures from the heavenly court to give to his highly skilled biological nephew. At first, Yang Jian completely ignored them and fought back with punches and kicks. Over time, his heart softened, and he gradually stopped accepting gifts, also agreeing to the Jade Emperor’s condition of obeying orders but not commands. After all, his mother was still in the heavenly court, and being stubborn would bring no benefits. Unbeknownst to him, after he became sworn brothers with the Six Brothers of Meishan, the Jade Emperor became displeased upon learning that his nephew was associating with demons. As a result, he delayed giving him fresh fruits and fine wines that year. By then, Yang Jian had understood his mother’s intentions. As the saying goes, mothers and sons share a bond. Although Head Maid Yunhua didn’t spend every day with Yang Jian, she still knew of his straightforward nature and was worried he might fall out with the heavenly court. So she made up her mind to stay in the heavenly court. As long as she remained there, Yang Jian wouldn’t clash with the court, and the Jade Emperor would have no choice but to tolerate this awkward uncle-nephew relationship. Who knows? It was even possible that Yang Jian might be promoted to the ranks of immortals and become a key official under his own uncle.