Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 299 – Seizing the Dragon

Qitianling was no longer as noisy as before; troops were fighting separately, and at least one-third of the demon soldiers were taken away. Wukong didn’t even say goodbye to King Yu of Wind and left quietly.

He flew eastward, hovering above the clouds. Below, Chi Songzi and Ju Mang led a large army of Qitianling’s soldiers marching eastward. Wukong hid in the clouds, silently returning to his original appearance before flying straight to the Tongtian River. There, white waves surged high, and more than a dozen giant dragons were fighting fiercely.

It turned out that Fuhai Jiao was the most impatient. He had returned to the Northern Sea to gather thousands of dragons and aquatic creatures from the Northern Sea and arrived early at the Tongtian River to claim territory. As soon as he arrived, five giant dragons showed up.

These dragons couldn’t defeat Wukong and were filled with anger. Seeing that Fuhai Jiao was also a dragon, they spoke to him in a condescending tone, thinking that dragons should show respect to other dragons, especially since they five were part of the Heavenly Palace dragon clan and close to the Great Emperor Zhenwu. But Fuhai Jiao was even more defiant. After a few words of disagreement, they started fighting.

If those five dragons had been stronger, they might have been able to compete with Fuhai Jiao, but dragon fights always involved one-on-one battles. None of the five could match Fuhai Jiao. This time, Fuhai Jiao had his fun, beating the five dragons badly.

Wukong watched for a while before quietly returning to Chen’s village. Inside, Tang Seng was chatting casually with the old man Chen, while Wu Ping and Wu Hui did nothing. Wukong said, “You two are really calm. There’s a huge fight in the Tongtian River—things are even more troublesome now.”

Wu Ping replied, “We heard the fighting from afar. We had to protect the Holy Monk here, so we only took a distant look. We didn’t get close to see who was fighting.”

Wukong said, “The river is full of dragons fighting—it’s hard to tell who’s fighting whom.”

Hearing this, Tang Seng grew worried again. “Wukong, when can we cross the river?”

Wukong replied, “Master, I’ve been exploring for a long time. The Tongtian River flows thousands of miles upstream before reaching its source. If we want to go around, it will take at least a year or two.”

Tang Seng asked, “You claim to have great powers. Why haven’t you killed all the demons in the river?”

Wukong said, “Master, there were only a few giant dragons causing trouble before. Now there are thousands of aquatic creatures—how can I kill them all?”

Hearing this, Tang Seng became even more anxious. “We’ve faced difficulties before, but never as helpless as now.”

Wukong said, “Master, you’re too anxious. As the saying goes, it’s better to avoid trouble. There are people fighting in the river now. If we rush to cross, won’t we just invite trouble?”

Tang Seng said, “Enough, enough. I won’t ask about crossing the river anymore. Just call me when it’s time to go.”
Wukong laughed and said, “Old Chen, please don’t think we’re troubling you. That would already be fortunate.”
Old Chen replied, “How could I dare?”
Wukong said, “I’ll go and scout the situation again. It would be best if both sides were weakened so we can cross the river in peace.”
Fighting continued in the Tongtian River. Unnoticed by Wukong, the Five Dragons had arrived to help. The Turtle and Snake generals of the Northern Heaven Gate, along with thirty-six heavenly generals, had arrived and were fighting against the Flood Dragon and his allies. The Five Dragons had hidden behind the battle lines.
It turned out these Five Dragons were under Zhenwu’s command. Indeed, Laojun was right—Taoism was now taking a stance against the Western Heaven, with even Zhenwu stepping forward.
The Flood Dragon glanced at the Turtle and Snake generals with a strange expression. He recognized them from long ago—how could he attack them? The Turtle and Snake generals also had a similar expression upon seeing the Flood Dragon. Wasn’t this the little dragon whom the Ancestral Dragon had trained? How could it end up fighting alongside the Five Dragons after the flood destroyed the Dragon King’s temple?
Wukong didn’t understand what was going on and wondered why these two groups had met without fighting.
It was the Flood Dragon who broke the deadlock, saying, “What bring you to Qitian Ridge?” Wukong almost laughed at hearing this. Qitian Ridge was thousands of miles away, yet the Flood Dragon claimed it with just one sentence.
The Turtle general said, “All lands under heaven belong to the king. How does Qitian Ridge deserve to occupy this place?”
The Flood Dragon replied, “It already does. What can you do about it?” Holding his Flood Whip, he stood on the Tongtian River, rising and falling with the waves, exuding an aura of invincibility.
The Turtle and Snake generals knew well of the Flood Dragon’s fame. Back then, he had single-handedly defeated hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers at the bottom of the Northern Sea, shaking the world. How could they dare fight him in the water? So they exchanged glances and said fiercely, “Don’t be arrogant. I’ll report this to the Jade Emperor, and someone will come to subdue you!”
Seeing the Turtle and Snake generals rise into the clouds with their troops, the Flood Dragon paid them no attention and ordered the aquatic creatures to build a water palace at the bottom of the river—seemingly intending to settle there permanently.
※　※　※
The Turtle and Snake generals returned to the heavenly court and first went to the Zixiao Palace at the Northern Heaven Gate to report the matter to Emperor Zhenwu. Zhenwu said, “The evil forces in Qitian Ridge are unstable—this is a serious issue.”
So Zhenwu went straight to the Lingxiao Palace and reported the Flood Dragon’s occupation of the Tongtian River to the Jade Emperor.
Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor remained calm and asked, “My lords, the evil forces in Qitian Ridge are stirring up trouble. What are their intentions?”

Zhang Daoling said, “Your Majesty, the Sea-Submerging Dragon and the demons of Qitian Ridge are still closely connected. In short, they are the same kind of creatures. Our Heavenly Court’s expansion to the west will surely throw them into panic, prompting them to hastily summon the Sea-Submerging Dragon to control the waterways, preventing the gods in the Heavenly Palace from reaching Qitian Ridge. This is also a self-preservation strategy, so there’s no need for much concern.”

Taibai Jinxing said, “Master Zhang is right. The demons of Qitian Ridge have remained inactive for a hundred years, hiding in a corner to live in peace. Only now, with our Heavenly Court taking action, have they reacted by trying to claim territory. It seems these demons are short-sighted and not worth worrying about.”

Huode Xingjun said, “Putting everything else aside, just the act of them demarcating territory, no matter how small, is an act of separatism. How can we tolerate such behavior?”

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly. This behavior indeed touched his limits. Over tens of thousands of years since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, only the Western Heaven could somewhat rival it. If another force emerged, it would create chaos. Yet, the demonic forces of Qitian Ridge were indeed formidable, and to be fair, they did have the ability to carve out their own territories. He now felt somewhat conflicted.

At that moment, Zhenwu stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, do you remember one thing?”

The Jade Emperor replied, “Please speak, Lord Xuantian.”

Zhenwu said, “The evil dragon of the Northern Sea destroyed tens of thousands of our Heavenly Court’s elite soldiers back then. That hatred is etched deep in my heart. And during the last battle at Qitian Ridge, the Great Marshal Li Jing died in battle. You personally conferred upon me the title of Great Marshal Against Demons. Surely you won’t deny this?”

The Jade Emperor was stunned. He had indeed appointed Zhenwu as the Great Marshal Against Demons, but at that time, he was simply looking for someone with high cultivation and extensive experience to keep the other gods and officials in check. If Zhenwu hadn’t brought it up, he might have forgotten about it entirely.

The Jade Emperor said, “Of course I remember. Great Marshal Against Demons, do you intend to challenge them?”

Zhenwu replied, “Exactly. Our Heavenly Court’s expansion to the west is still in its early stages. If blocked by demons, it will surely dampen morale. As the saying goes, one must strike while the iron is hot. Today, I will go capture that Sea-Submerging Dragon and see who else dares to hinder the Heavenly Court’s actions!”

The Jade Emperor was overjoyed and praised, “Only Lord Xuantian can capture such a vile demon! I grant you fifty thousand elite soldiers—”

Zhenwu said, “Your Majesty, it’s not that I’m boasting, but I will lead only the troops from the Northern Heaven Gate. I don’t need many people.”

The Jade Emperor said, “Very well! I’ll prepare a celebration feast for your return, awaiting Lord Xuantian’s triumphant return!”

Zhenwu strode out of the Lingxiao Palace. Everyone in the palace marveled at him, recognizing that the Jade Emperor was truly wise, able to unite all the gods in their efforts.

As soon as Zhenwu left the palace, the Thousand-Eye God sent a messenger to report. The messenger came before the Jade Emperor and declared loudly, “I report to Your Majesty: Qitian Ridge is quite restless today. They have deployed another group of demonic soldiers at Jinmao Mountain to the east of the ridge.”

The Jade Emperor snorted and said, “How audacious! I’ll deal with them all together once I’ve dealt with Xuan Tian Shangdi!”
After that envoy left, someone else came to report, “Your Majesty, in Qitianling, Dayu is leading troops on a western expedition. The demon eagles and demon bulls are accompanying them, along with tens of thousands of demon soldiers, all marching westward!”
“Ah!” The Jade Emperor was shocked and stood up. After a brief pause, he showed a pleased expression and said, “Have these demons gone mad?”
Everyone was astonished—why would Qitianling take such actions?
Tai Bai Jin Xing said, “Qitianling is using offense as a form of defense. They fear that the Heavenly Court’s expansion to the west will threaten their existence, so they feign strength to appear invincible, but in reality, they’re weak inside.”
Zhang Daoling said, “Your Majesty, since Qitianling dares to divide its forces, why not recall Xuan Tian Shangdi? Let’s see how the Western Heaven reacts before making a decision.”
The Jade Emperor replied, “There’s no need for that. If you think so, the Western Heaven likely thinks the same. Xuan Tian Shangdi will never return empty-handed. Once the Western Heaven sees us take action, it certainly won’t allow Qitianling’s demons to become too aggressive. How could we miss such an opportunity to unite heaven and earth to fight against demons?”
Everyone agreed that the Jade Emperor made sense. The world was now in a near tripartite balance. If the Heavenly Court remained passive, the Western Heaven would likely do the same. If the Heavenly Court took action, the Western Heaven would follow, leaving Qitianling at a disadvantage—a delicate situation indeed.
The Jade Emperor ordered the heavenly general, “Tell Thousand-Mile Eye not to leave his post. Report immediately if anything unusual happens in the Western Heaven!”
※　※　※
Wukong concealed himself by the Tongtian River, waiting to see who the Heavenly Court would send. After a while, auspicious clouds from the Eastern Heaven rolled in and appeared before him. Standing there was none other than Xuan Tian Shangdi.
The Ancestral Dragon? He actually came. It seemed that the Heavenly Court’s expansion to the west truly met everyone’s wishes; otherwise, how could Zhen Wu obey the Jade Emperor?
Zhen Wu came alone, accompanied only by the five dragons of turtles and snakes and thirty-six heavenly generals, clearly very confident in himself. He ordered the two generals of turtles and snakes to challenge them. As soon as they reached the riverbank, the Sea-Covering Dragon emerged from the water. Seeing Zhen Wu, it was shocked but forced itself to stay calm and asked, “Who are you?”
Zhen Wu flew forward on his cloud and said with a smile, “I am the Demon-Subduing Lord of the Northern Heavenly Gate. Why don’t you surrender?”
The Sea-Covering Dragon roared, “Delusional!”
Zhen Wu said, “Then I’ll see just how powerful you really are!”
He rushed forward and grabbed at the Sea-Covering Dragon. Since the dragon had once been trained by Zhen Wu, it felt fear. But it had been ordered to defend the Tongtian River—how could it retreat without fighting? With a thought, it dived back into the water.
Zhen Wu laughed, “Do you think you can escape by diving into the water?” and jumped into the Tongtian River after it.

Fuhai Jiao raised the silver whip in his hand and swung it at Zhenwu. Zhenwu reached out and grabbed the end of the whip. After all, this Fuhai Whip had been given to him by Zhenwu himself—how could it harm him? Zhenwu pulled hard, while Fuhai Jiao fought desperately to reclaim it, and the two struggled in the water. Zhenwu was slightly surprised; he had thought he could take it in one pull, but Fuhai Jiao’s cultivation had greatly improved, and his mastery of water was now at an extraordinary level—far from the Fuhai Jiao he remembered. Zhenwu said, “One should look at a person differently after three days apart,” and prepared to use his great powers to subdue Fuhai Jiao. At that moment, a furious roar came from the sky: “Zhenwu, come out and talk!”