Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 281: The Strategy of Driving the Tiger Away

As soon as the Jade Emperor spoke, everyone in the hall was shocked. To refuse to be the ruler of all heavens? Could such words be spoken casually?
Laojun then said, “Good! Since Your Majesty dares to say so, I must ask you—do you want the foundations of the heavenly court to be gradually eroded by the Western Heavens, or do you truly wish to rule all heavens, so that wherever there is rain and nourishment, all beings will praise the name of the Jade Emperor?”
The Jade Emperor was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Hahaha! Laojun, your question is excellent!” At that moment, the Jade Emperor exuded an imposing presence, like a sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and decisive. “Even if you ask ten thousand times, I will still choose the latter!”
Laojun gave the Jade Emperor a deep look and slowly said, “Since Your Majesty has made his intentions clear, there is no need to worry!” With that, he sat down again.
The Queen Mother said, “Your Majesty once made a grand vow to bring peace to the heavens and happiness to the earth. Yet even as the ruler of all heavens, with countless affairs to handle, it’s inevitable that he may fall short. The Eastern and Western Heavens are in conflict, demons roam the earth, and there are also various trivial matters like controlling weather and bringing fortune or disaster. Your Majesty tries to oversee everything in detail, alas…” Her implication was that the Jade Emperor was inherently kind-hearted but lacked capable assistants to help him realize his ambitions. Most importantly, figures like Ziwei and Zhenwu remained distant from the heavenly court, acting like scattered sand.
Ziwei stood up and said, “This is a time of critical survival. There’s no need for empty words. I declare here today that there can be only one ruler in the heavens. If Your Majesty is determined to revive Taoism and unify everything, we will wholeheartedly support you and revere you above all else—without any other thoughts!”
Hearing Ziwei’s words, the Jade Emperor was overjoyed beyond description. To be honest, he had longed for these words for many years. Ziwei and Zhenwu had always seemed like a thorn in his side, neither submissive nor fully obedient. Today, they truly gave him a great surprise.
Yet the Jade Emperor’s face remained calm. He raised his cup and said to Ziwei, “The Great Emperor of the Northern Heavens fills me with immense comfort.”
Zhenwu also raised his cup and said, “The rise and fall of Taoism depends on Your Majesty alone. I hope you will make a decision soon! With just one order, not a single coward will remain within the Northern Heaven Gate!”
Gouchen the Supreme God, who had always been loyal to the heavenly court, also said, “The generals of the Thunder Department in the Nine Heavens’ Yuanfu Palace are ready to face any danger for the prosperity of our Taoism!”
Seeing the three’s commitments, the Jade Emperor drank from his cup and fell silent, seemingly making an extremely important decision.

The Queen Mother could hardly hold back anymore and also raised her cup to drink with Zi Wei and the others, praising, “It is in times of crisis that true character is revealed. I am deeply grateful for all of you’s dedication to protecting the teachings.” She used careful wording, referring not to protecting the Heavenly Court but to protecting the teachings, thereby closely linking the Heavenly Court with Taoism, so as to move forward and backward together with the Three Pure Ones.

Laojun chuckled and said, “I need say no more. If my teachings decline, the Three Pure Ones will have no face to reappear in the world. But when it comes to matters related to our teachings, those under the Three Pure Ones will surely spare no effort.”

Hearing Laojun’s words, the Jade Emperor took a deep breath and said slowly, word by word, “Starting from today, preparations for the western expansion of Eastern Victory Continent shall begin, stopping at Qitian Ridge for now! The decree of unifying the heavens is revoked!”

Since becoming the ruler of the Heavenly Court, it was the first time the Jade Emperor had retracted his order. His command carried true power, causing the palaces in the Jade Pool to vibrate with continuous echoes.

The Eastern Emperor turned red with excitement and said, “Your Majesty is wise. With the assistance of the Moral Supreme Lord and other supreme deities, restoring the heavenly authority is just around the corner!”

Zhenwu thought to himself that the Jade Emperor must already have made up his mind; otherwise, how could he make such a decision so quickly? He also ordered that the expansion stop at Qitian Ridge, which served as an excellent buffer between the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven. What a clever idea!

Zi Wei said, “Now that the plan for western expansion is set, why not take advantage of the momentum and establish detailed rules so it can be carried out right away?”

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, “The Northern Great Emperor is also impatient. Actually, I thought the same way. Since the plan to unify the heavens is revoked, western expansion is urgent. But as for how to implement it, I’m not qualified to interfere.”

Upon reflection, everyone agreed—it was true. In religious conflicts, it was always a matter of life and death. Western expansion might sound simple, but with the Jade Emperor’s order, countless temples in the mortal world would be set ablaze, and many monks and nuns would be forced to cut their hair and return to secular life. It wouldn’t be strange if devout believers lost their lives as a result. The Jade Emperor could only issue orders; he couldn’t handle such trivial matters personally.

The Queen Mother smiled and said, “Your Majesty has important matters to attend to. In my opinion, this task should be entrusted to Venus to coordinate with the celestial officials and generals. Each hundred miles on earth can be considered one region. Those who complete more tasks will receive generous rewards, and surely many will be eager to take on the work.”

Seeing that the Queen Mother had come up with such an idea, the Jade Emperor praised, “Good idea! Then let’s do it that way.”

Seeing that the major decision had been made, Laojun and the others stood up to take their leave. The Jade Emperor raised his cup and said, “Since each of you has your own tasks, I can’t keep you any longer. But I ask you all not to forget today’s words.”

Zi Wei replied solemnly, “We certainly won’t!”

Zhenwu, rarely showing a smile, said, “Your Majesty, don’t underestimate people. I, Zhenwu, have been alive for so long yet have never broken a promise.”

The Jade Emperor was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. The three of them drank from the same cup, while the Queen Mother beside them laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.

Leaving the Jade Pool, the Eastern Emperor took his leave first. Zi Wei said to Laojun, “The Supreme Deity of Morality truly knows how to judge people well. I admire that!” Laojun replied with a smile, “I’m just acting out of self-interest while handling official matters. Please don’t take it personally.”

Zi Wei quickly replied, “Of course not.”

Laojun strode back to the Douluo Palace. Zhenwu said, “Laojun’s prediction was correct. The Jade Emperor was indeed using the pretext of ‘unifying heaven’ to test us.” Zi Wei nodded and said, “We both underestimated the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. If it weren’t for Laojun arriving in time, we might have made a grave mistake.”

Zhenwu added, “Although we obeyed the Jade Emperor today, it wasn’t a bad thing. Right now, Buddhism and Taoism are in conflict, and it’s unclear who will end up as the victim and who as the benefactor.” Zi Wei said, “We must not be careless this time. It’s best to observe the situation. As for our mastery of Taoist arts, we’re still far from perfect.”

It turned out that although Laojun, Zi Wei, and Zhenwu’s words seemed intended only to intimidate them, Zi Wei and Zhenwu naturally understood the underlying message. The Jade Emperor’s plan to “unify heaven” was merely a feint. Such a major move would surely draw someone to defend it. Moreover, the drawbacks of “unifying heaven” were well-known. After weighing everything, both Zhenwu and Zi Wei, along with Gou Chen, would naturally choose to reclaim control over the world from Buddhism. It was like in everyday life—if you lend out all your wealth but can’t even afford food, you have to demand repayment.

Yet Zi Wei also had his own plans. The Jade Emperor had many trump cards, and if he were to take action with Zhenwu now, he wasn’t sure of success. Not to mention the eight or nine Golden Immortals, even just overcoming the Three Pure Ones would be a challenge. If Laojun didn’t express his support, how could Zi Wei and Zhenwu act rashly? In today’s discussion at the Jade Pool, although Zi Wei and Zhenwu appeared to obey the Jade Emperor, with the conflict between the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven, they also had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

The expansion of the Heavenly Court, put simply, meant that the gods in heaven would show miracles to incite and intimidate the rulers of the human world into destroying temples, burning scriptures, and destroying statues.

Why could they create such wonders? People worshipped Buddha statues, recited scriptures, and prayed daily, thereby generating a force of faith. Those scriptures contained mysterious powers—once recited, they would bring about wonders, all of which ultimately converged toward the Great Thunder Sound Temple in the Western Heaven.

The Heavenly Court operates in the same way: destroying Buddha statues and temples, rebuilding Taoist temples, and reshaping the deities of the Heavenly Court. Those who worship the Jade Emperor must recite the “Highly Exalted Jade Emperor’s Original Practices Sutra”; those who worship the Three Pure Ones must recite the “Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s Salvation Sutra,” the “Shang Qing High Saint Supreme Taoist Deity’s Unfinished Deeds Sutra,” and the “Supreme Laojun’s Sutra on Constant Tranquility”; those who worship the Queen Mother must recite the “Queen Mother Sutra” and the “Queen Mother of the West’s Sutra for Saving from Calamity,” and so on. When these sutras are recited, fate naturally takes its course, and no matter what level of cultivation a deity has, their efforts are inevitably diminished. Some of the excess fate spills out and disperses across the thirty-six heavens, where it is then utilized through ingenious formations to sustain those heavens. Zi Wei Zhen Wu exchanged a few more words before they all returned to their palaces. Later, Tai Bai Jin Xing would need to spread messages everywhere, so they naturally had to go back and arrange their forces in the mortal world. After all, they had made a commitment in front of the Jade Emperor; they couldn’t just talk without taking action. In the Jade Pool, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother continued to drink heartily. The Jade Emperor said, “Your strategy is truly ingenious; you even deceived me before.” Hearing the Jade Emperor’s praise, the Queen Mother showed no joy at all and said solemnly, “If not for this, the Heavenly Court would truly fall apart.” The Jade Emperor replied, “This tactic of driving tigers to devour wolves is masterful. If the western expansion succeeds, fate will greatly increase, and the effort to refine the heavens will yield twice the result with half the effort. If the Tathagata can’t hold back his patience, hehe, since Zi Wei Zhen Wu has already spoken out, it would be improper for him to stand by idly.” The Queen Mother said, “Though this plan works, there’s still something amiss. Your alliance with the Buddha and Laojun…” The Jade Emperor laughed and said, “The western expansion is merely the doing of Zi Wei, Zhen Wu, and many other heavenly generals. What does it have to do with me?” The Queen Mother snapped, “How can you, the great Jade Emperor, act so shamelessly?” The Jade Emperor replied, “It’s mutual. Just as I never interfere in the eastern expansion of Xiu Niu He Zhou, I also won’t interfere here. I simply don’t believe the Tathagata will bring this up.” The Queen Mother said, “You were quite calm back then.” The Jade Emperor said, “How could I not be calm? The foundation of the Heavenly Court lies beyond the thirty-six heavens; what am I to fear?” The Queen Mother nodded, then shook her head and said, “That’s true, yet also not true.” The Jade Emperor asked, “Why?” The Queen Mother replied, “There’s always a strange feeling—that though we deceived Zhen Wu and Zi Wei this time, there’s one person we couldn’t deceive.” The Jade Emperor asked, “Are you referring to Laojun?” “Exactly!” the Queen Mother said. “Although Laojun acts to protect Taoist interests, which is understandable, I always feel that everything is under his control. Even Zi Wei Zhen Wu might very well be his puppet.”

The Jade Emperor laughed and said, “How could that be possible? Who is Ziwei Zhenwu? He’s always been reclusive, proud, and self-righteous. It was indeed the matter of unifying the heavens that made those two submit, forcing them to serve as pioneers in the conflict between the two religions. You’re being too suspicious.”
The Queen Mother murmured, “I hope so.”
The Jade Emperor continued, “By the way, there’s one more thing. Don’t you think Sun Wukong is a bit strange?”
The Queen Mother replied, “Why do you think of him again? Did you believe Tian Peng’s words?”
The Jade Emperor said, “I suddenly remembered that when Sun Wukong caused a ruckus in the Hall of Brightness, the Bull Demon King was almost captured by Guanyin. It was Sun Wukong who risked his life to save him. How could I easily forget such loyalty? And the time they met on Pingding Mountain last time—no words exchanged at all. Isn’t that strange? This monkey is no ordinary person!”
The Queen Mother pondered, “I wasn’t there when he caused chaos in the Hall of Brightness. If you put it that way, he does seem strange. I wonder where the pilgrims are now… It wouldn’t hurt to test him a bit.”