Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 87: Ascending to the Heavenly Court

Gou Chen was capable of serving as the Nine Heavens’ Thunder God and the Universal Transcendent Lord, thanks to his integrity, fairness, and impartiality. Yet when the Purple Micro Emperor stopped him, he had no choice but to show some respect and laid down his weapons, saying, “If I don’t go, I’m afraid no one else can hold him back.”

The Purple Micro Emperor replied, “Though this Lion-Man King is a demon, he knows when to back off. It’s truly remarkable that he only tried to save his own descendants and didn’t harm a single heavenly general.”

Gou Chen, of course, saw this clearly as well and said, “That’s true. But unless we defeat this demon, our heavenly troops’ morale will plummet, leaving them on the verge of collapse. How can we fight again?”

The Southern Pole Immortal came over with a smile and said, “Gou Chen Emperor, your dedication to Taoism is truly admirable. But today isn’t the right time to take action.”

Gou Chen asked, “Why do you say that, Eternal Life Emperor?”

The Southern Pole Immortal replied, “Not to mention the arrogant flames of this demon, which could ruin our reputation if we’re not careful. Just look at those four bodhisattvas standing by idly—why should we bear the brunt of the fight?”

Gou Chen countered, “This is a matter of our heavenly court. Those four bodhisattvas are guests—how can they be held accountable?”

The Southern Pole Immortal chuckled and said, “Brother Gou Chen, that’s all I have to say. Think about it carefully.”

Though honest, Gou Chen wasn’t foolish. After some thought, he began to grasp the meaning behind the Southern Pole Immortal’s words. The Purple Micro Emperor, of course, understood perfectly. In the first three attempts to besiege Flower-Fruit Mountain, the heavenly court was unaware of the true situation at first. By the second and third attempts, although they claimed to have sent a hundred thousand heavenly troops, none of the elite fought. Those immortals also stopped after just a few attacks—few were willing to fight to the death.

Knowing they were bound to lose, they still forced themselves to hold on. How could the Jade Emperor hide such intentions from others, let alone figures like the Supreme Lord Laozi and the Purple Micro Emperor?

This fourth siege was merely a show for the bodhisattvas to see that the heavenly court had truly been defeated—not a pretense. Only then could they invite the Buddha of the West to lend his aid. And those four great bodhisattvas were extremely intelligent; they certainly wouldn’t serve the heavenly court wholeheartedly. Their presence alone was enough to count as merit. Even if they lost, it would only bring shame to the heavenly court—what did it matter if we helped them?

Suddenly, the battle below changed dramatically. What had been an attack now turned into the demons of Flower-Fruit Mountain chasing after the heavenly troops. Frustrated, the Purple Micro Emperor closed his eyes and rested on the clouds. When he opened them again, the battlefield was in chaos—there wasn’t a single heavenly soldier left, all having fled in disarray back to their base.

The Purple Micro Emperor saw the heavenly soldiers all looking down in despair, seemingly unable to understand how such a massive force and momentum could still be defeated by these demons. The Purple Micro Emperor sighed and said, “With this siege failing, we’d better report back to the Jade Emperor.” At his command, the heavenly soldiers returned to heaven in an orderly manner, in groups.

On the ground, the demon soldiers of Flower-Fruit Mountain cheered loudly. The lesser demons, naive as they were, thought that their leader was invincible and that, with such a powerful backing, they would surely live longer without worry.

Seeing the heavenly troops retreat, the Golden-Winged Roc had an idea and shouted, “Brothers, since heaven keeps losing battles, they must have no more troops to send. Why not pursue them and attack heaven itself? We can even sit in that golden palace for a few years!”

Fuhai Jiao was the first to respond, “Well said! Our morale is high now—this is the perfect opportunity!”

The Bull Demon King only chuckled silently. Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng acted calmly but with a worried look in his eyes, fixing his gaze on Wukong. Wu Zhiqi, Tong Feng, and Wang Yu also looked at Wukong, their determined expressions clear—ready to accompany him through even the most perilous situations.

But Wukong didn’t have time to expose the Golden-Winged Roc’s schemes. Though he was also a sworn brother, the Roc’s background wasn’t entirely clean. His desire to attack heaven was clearly for his own gain. Wukong ignored what the Roc said, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons of attacking heaven.

While sitting on the Jade Emperor’s throne sounded tempting, as the Golden-Winged Roc suggested, it was nothing but delusion. Among the Eight Great Saints, no one knew better than Wukong just how powerful heaven really was. His earlier rebellion in heaven was actually just a farce concocted by others. Wukong happened to be there at the right time and accidentally became the protagonist—a clownish performance that probably drew many laughs. After all the glory, he was still trapped by a golden hoop and eventually became a devoted Buddhist disciple. Such an ending was certainly something he didn’t want!

Although the Eight Great Saints seemed each to possess extraordinary abilities, one person causing chaos in heaven was no different from eight people doing so. Wukong could reach the Celestial Palace alone; the same would be true for the eight saints. Though Wukong appeared alone and vulnerable, if heaven really went all out, capturing eight saints would be no different from capturing just one.

There are only two possible outcomes for attacking the Heavenly Court: being captured or escaping. In either case, it ends badly. Among those who can escape, the Golden-Winged Roc is undoubtedly the first—few can stop him if he decides to leave. I, Sun Wukong, am the second; the Nine-Spirit Sage is extremely powerful, and I’ve never seen him resort to extreme measures, so he counts as well. The others—Tong Feng and Wang Yu—might escape, but Wu Zhi, the Bull Demon King, and the Sea-Submerging Dragon, though powerful, tend to lose control in the heat of battle and are likely to be captured.

If captured, according to the plot of Journey to the West, I would naturally be trapped under the Five Elements Mountain until Tang Sanzang comes to rescue me, returning to the familiar melodramatic storyline. If the others are captured, they probably won’t die but are likely to be taken as mounts or pets.

Fighting only here instead of attacking the Heavenly Court isn’t a sustainable strategy—the Heavenly Court can’t keep losing forever. In other words, their losses are merely to make way for a victory, and that victory would be catastrophic for Flower Fruit Mountain. The Heavenly Court has lost four times yet remains unscathed, while Flower Fruit Mountain would likely be crushed after just one defeat. How can the two be compared?

Wukong looked at the corpses everywhere and resolved to act boldly, shouting, “Attack the Heavenly Court!” The others were inspired, though their expressions varied—some were shocked, some overjoyed, some seemed inscrutable—but none showed any reluctance to fight. Wukong said nothing more but began walking slowly under their gazes, examining every flower and tree on Flower Fruit Mountain. He knew it was uncertain whether he’d return from this battle—Flower Fruit Mountain was his birthplace and his only home in this world of Journey to the West; how could he forget it?

Wukong said slowly, “This offensive is a hundred times more dangerous than staying at home. Though the Heavenly Court has lost, they’ve spent years building up strategies that haven’t been used yet. Therefore, we must arrange everything properly before ascending to heaven.”

“I have three plans. If the seven brothers agree, we’ll act immediately. If even one disagrees, we’ll drop this idea and never mention it again!” Wukong spoke sternly, knowing this matter was extremely serious.

“First, if we ascend to heaven and Flower Fruit Mountain is unguarded, to protect our homeland and people, we should temporarily relocate our elite troops elsewhere. When we return, we’ll gather here again.”

“Second, attacking the Heavenly Court with eight people is too risky—if one is captured, we’ll be hesitant to act. After much thought, I believe three people are enough to attack the Heavenly Court!”

Hearing that only three needed to go, the Sea-Submerging Dragon immediately declared, “Of course, I’m one of them!”

Wukong smiled faintly and said, “Fourth Brother, is the Heavenly Court really that easy to manipulate? In my opinion, you should lead the aquatic tribes back to the North Sea to hide there, cultivate relationships with the river dragon clans over time, and strengthen your forces for future use—that would be the best strategy.”
Fuhai Jiao’s eyebrows raised in anger as he was about to explode. Wukong shouted, “Don’t be reckless! Losing one life is minor, but if you sever your clan’s lineage, you’ll become a sinner through the ages!” Hearing this, Fuhai Jiao immediately calmed down and stood aside, filled with resentment.
Wukong continued, “Elder Brother, take some lions and tigers back to Yuhua Continent to take shelter for now. Teach them diligently—those yellow lion-tigers and White Ze Snow Lions are highly intelligent and will surely achieve great things in the future.” Upon hearing that he didn’t need to go to heaven, Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng’s eyes flashed with surprise before dimming. He said, “Though I’ve been foolish for so many years, I know nothing about military strategy. But… how can I ever repay you for saving my life?” His words were filled with guilt.
Wukong replied, “Elder Brother, don’t say such disheartening words now. There will surely be a day when we meet again!” Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng sighed and bowed deeply. “Very well, I trust you!”