Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed Chapter 481: The Demon Ascends to Heaven

Yang Jian continued, “At that time, my mother and my father, Yang Tianyou, were deeply in love. After that incident, they were separated by heaven and earth. How could they not miss each other? Later, my mother descended to the mortal world many times to meet my father in secret. When the Jade Emperor found out, he was furious and then…”

Wukong no longer listened to what Yang Jian was saying. Instead, he remembered what the peacock had said, “…That scripture was actually a poison, implanting an illusory dream in my heart…”

Thinking again about what the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother had done, which seemed like efforts to protect themselves, he realized it was actually all part of Buddha’s plan. Could it be that the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, like the Boundless Bodhisattva, also had an illusory dream implanted in their hearts by Buddha?

The Jade Emperor said Yang Jian’s mother resembled his sister. So, in his heart, he actually had a sister—only one who existed only in memory and fantasy. Cloudflower Fairy’s appearance happened to be similar to the Jade Emperor’s sister, and it was precisely for this reason that her fate changed completely.

The Jade Emperor was indeed a man attached to the past. Because Chang’e resembled Xuan Nu, he doted on her greatly. Now he created a fake sister. Alas, though he held supreme power over the world, wasn’t he also a victim?

Only now did Wukong finally understand everything. Yang Jian’s attitude toward the heavenly court was extremely complex—he wanted to avenge his father but couldn’t defeat them. Since the Jade Emperor recognized Cloudflower as his sister, he naturally wouldn’t treat her poorly. Over time, Yang Jian didn’t know what to do. In the Jade Emperor’s eyes, even if Yang Jian was the Second Lord Zhenjun or a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he was still just a little boy with a temper.

Wukong said, “Enough, enough. Everything is like smoke and clouds. Now that your mother is safe and your family is reunited, isn’t that the best outcome?”

Yang Jian nodded and smiled, “Indeed. The day I heard about the battle on Kunlun Island, fearing it might affect the heavenly court, I went up to heaven to bring my mother down to the mortal world. But I never expected the heavenly court to collapse so suddenly.”

Wukong said, “The death of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother wasn’t my doing. It was the result of Buddha’s cunning plan.”

Yang Jian didn’t understand the details and didn’t ask further. He knew that with his current cultivation level, he couldn’t achieve anything great in this world. But spending time with his mother and having fun with his brothers every day was already a great joy in the mortal world.

Wukong drank a few more cups with Yang Jian, and casually brought up the matter of Dayu planning to build the “Hall of the Earth Goddess” and the “Hall of the Rain God” on earth. Dayu had said that the people of the four great continents would be able to find these two halls within a thousand miles. But given the vastness of the four continents, even if separated by a thousand miles, thousands upon thousands of halls would likely be needed, so the more hands to help, the better.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian was deeply moved. He was originally a kind-hearted person, but due to his limited abilities and various constraints, he had only been able to take care of the people near Guanjiangkou all these years. Now that there was such a good opportunity, he naturally wanted to contribute his efforts.

So Yang Jian said, “There are also tens of thousands of demon tribes in these mountains, and at least a thousand or eight hundred celestial beings who are efficient at handling tasks. If needed, I can just take people there directly.”

Wukong replied, “That would be perfect. I thank Brother Yang on behalf of all the people in the world.”

Yang Jian sighed, “The greatest suffering in the world is the hardships of people’s lives. But I’ll do my part.” Wukong was deeply moved. Before they knew it, the two had drunk more than a dozen jars of wine before reluctantly parting.

After leaving Guanjiangkou, Wukong was completely sober, having lost any trace of drunkenness. He grasped a cloud and sat high in the sky, his mind filled with thoughts. He had been in this world for many years, and his personality had changed greatly. Strictly speaking, he seemed to be a combination of two people: one was the time-traveler who uncovered the mysteries of the world, which was himself; the other was the pure-hearted Divine Ape of Creation—Lingming Divine Ape.

As he had progressed step by step to where he was now, Wukong often forgot that he came from another world. If this could be considered a performance, he would have fully immersed himself in it.

But after talking with Yang Jian just now, Wukong couldn’t help but wonder—was the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother merely two people living in a dream? And what about himself? Was he truly real? At that moment, Wukong was extremely calm. He had to remind himself that he didn’t belong to this world, and everything he encountered was just a play staged by others.

To his relief, the humanity shown by these mythological figures warmed his heart. The same was true for Ksitigarbha, Dayu, and Yang Jian. With their high levels of cultivation, what did the lives and deaths of ordinary people matter to them? Yet this compassion and care were the greatest forces in the world.

Wukong sat on the cloud, casually looking down at the earth. Suddenly, he rose abruptly and flew westward. It turned out that, during his casual glance, he was shocked to find that the Wuzhuang Temple of the Great Immortal Zhenyuan in Xiniuhexiu had disappeared!

Wuzhuang Temple remained an immortal mountain and blessed land as before, just like Penglai and Langyuan. Yet the huge mansion on the mountain had turned into a pile of ruins. Wukong searched everywhere but saw no living soul. Most importantly, the Ginseng Fruit Tree was also gone without a trace.

Wukong went to where the Ginseng Fruit Tree used to be planted. The ground was flat, with no signs of digging, and the soil was soft, no longer as hard as iron as it used to be.

Where had it gone? Wukong first thought of Buddha. Zhenyuanzi was chosen by Buddha to guard the Ginseng Fruit Tree. If anything happened to Zhenyuanzi, who else but Buddha could be responsible?

After all, Zhenyuanzi was a Hunyuan Golden Immortal. There were but a few people in the world who could affect him. More importantly, Wukong knew that Wuzhuang Temple was located where Pangu’s heart used to be, making it an immortal land just like Flower-Fruit Mountain. Without external interference, how could Zhenyuanzi easily move the Ginseng Fruit Tree?

Zhenyuanzi’s name had its origin. “Yuanzi” actually referred to the Ginseng Fruit. It was unknown whether the “yuan” in “Yuanzi” was related to the “yuan” in “Huiyuan”.

Wukong couldn’t think of any solutions and, after looking around at the debris, left in frustration. He continued upward for thirty-six days.

There were countless treasures in the Heavenly Court. Although Wukong had carefully instructed the Qilin, he still felt uneasy.

The demons in Qitian Ridge always abided by rules strictly. Without imperial orders, they would never dare to hoard or steal. But that wasn’t what Wukong was worried about. He feared that the Qilin, the Great Peng, and others might take their anger out on others because they couldn’t get a place in the Heavenly Court. If they started killing indiscriminately, it would go against the instructions of Lingbao Daojun.

Upon reaching the thirty-sixth day, Wukong saw the demons of Qitian Ridge gathered in over a hundred groups, each group consisting of no less than a thousand celestial and earthly immortals, each led by a Taiyi Golden Immortal. They were listening to the words of the Bull Demon King at the South Heavenly Gate. The Qilin and Jiuling Yuansheng stood behind the Bull Demon King, looking solemn, scanning the faces of those Taiyi Golden Immortals one by one. The Great Peng flapped its wings, hovering in the air, drifting from side to side, occasionally letting out a clear cry, seemingly anxious.

Then the Bull Demon King said, “That old Jade Emperor has left, leaving behind quite a lot of treasures. Well… since they’re just lying idle, let’s bring them all back to Qitian Ridge for our brothers to enjoy.”

The demons were extremely excited. When they were still demons, how many of them hadn’t been oppressed by the Heavenly Court? Although they didn’t have the chance to avenge themselves, being able to break into the Heavenly Court and destroy this grand palace that dominated others was a great joy for them.

The Bull Demon King took out a piece of silk from his bosom and said, “The Heavenly Court has thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls. Each group is responsible for one palace or hall. Do not kill or oppress anyone. But if anyone dares to resist with force, kill them without hesitation!”

The demons cheered again upon hearing this. The Bull Demon King continued, “The first team, led by Tai Feng, goes to the Cloud Palace! The second team, led by Taotie, goes to the Five Brightness Palace! The third team, led by Shang Yang, goes to the Marvelous Purity Palace…” After the Bull Demon King finished speaking, Tai Feng and the others looked down at the maps in their hands. It turned out the Bull Demon King was well-versed in the Heavenly Court and had already marked the locations of the thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls. Once they found their positions, they led their teams off with great momentum. The Great Peng shouted from the sky, “The Tushita Palace, the Bull Fighting Palace, the Purple Micro Palace, the Miro Palace, the Jade Pureness Palace, the Purple Sky Palace, the Guanghan Palace, the Peach Garden, the Jade Pool Immortal Island, the Tongming Hall, and the Lingxiao Hall—none of these may be entered!” Wukong nodded silently; these places were all crucial. The Jade Pureness Palace, Miro Palace, and Tushita Palace were the palaces of the Three Pure Ones, so they certainly couldn’t be disturbed. The Purple Micro Palace and Bull Fighting Palace were under the control of the Purple Micro Being, so there was no need for Qi Tianling to worry about them. The Purple Sky Palace was where Zhenwu resided, and Hou Yi had already gone to the Guanghan Palace. As for the Peach Garden, Jade Pool, Lingxiao Hall, and Tongming Hall, they contained many precious treasures. If those little demons mishandled them and damaged the treasures, wouldn’t that be a pity? It took the Bull Demon King a long time to assign all thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls, after which the demons cheered joyfully. The Great Peng said, “I’ll go around to supervise to prevent any demons from breaking the rules.” The Bull Demon King complained, “Go on. I, an old ox, haven’t spoken so much in my life—my mouth’s already dry.” The Qilin said, “My son Yuan Sheng and I will go explore the Jade Pool. Ox, how about you guard the Tongming Hall and Lingxiao Hall?” The Bull Demon King was stunned and said, “But the Peach Garden has no one to guard it.” The Qilin snorted and said, “Your master, the Supreme Lord Laozi, has already gone there.” The Bull Demon King grinned, thinking that Laozi would surely bring back many treasures and might even share some good elixirs with him later. As he pondered this, a mournful cry came from afar: “Heavens! Truly, only women and villains are hard to deal with!” That voice belonged to the Supreme Lord Laozi. Everyone looked at each other in confusion—why was Laozi so devastated while picking peaches? They saw Laozi and Xuan Nu flying towards them, one after the other. Their expressions were vastly different. Laozi was filled with anger and sorrow, while Xuan Nu, unlike her usual calm demeanor, seemed content and even trying to hold back a smile. Upon seeing everyone, Laozi sighed heavily. Wukong could roughly guess the reason, so he landed and asked, “Laozi, why are you like this?” Laozi shook his head and stammered a few words but couldn’t speak clearly. Wukong glanced at Xuan Nu, who stepped forward and said, “Hmph, it was you who came up with the bet. Now you refuse to admit defeat. How can you still be considered one of the Three Pure Ones of Taoism?”

Laojun said anxiously, “You said we’d pick peaches together, but you— you—”
Xuannu replied, “What about me? I didn’t say I couldn’t use the immobilization technique.”