Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 223: Chaos Emerges

Jin Xing watched the slightly tipsy Jade Emperor and felt a strange sensation. With the Heavenly Court having just suffered a defeat at Qi Tian Ling, it was a time of instability and peril. Why did the Jade Emperor still sit calmly in the Tongming Hall, unwilling to stabilize people’s hearts? His seemingly fearless attitude suggested he still had many hidden cards.
Jin Xing thought for a moment before answering, “Although the immortal herbs in the Ten Continents can prolong life, they are mostly used by celestial immortals. In my opinion, there are two possibilities.”
The Jade Emperor, eager to hear more, said, “Go on.”
Jin Xing said, “The first possibility is that this mysterious person is taking the immortal herbs not for himself but to prepare for his subordinates. Judging from the quantity he has taken, this unknown force cannot be underestimated.”
The Jade Emperor nodded and said, “That’s easy to think of. What about the second possibility?”
Jin Xing replied, “The second possibility is that he is taking them for himself.”
The Jade Emperor asked, “Since his cultivation has already reached the level of Taiyi Golden Immortal, ensuring eternal life, why would he still take these immortal herbs?”
Jin Xing said, “Although this possibility is small, it does exist. If there’s a problem with his cultivation method or if something drastic happens during his practice, he might resort to desperate measures.”
The Jade Emperor asked, “And then what?”
Jin Xing said, “If the first guess is correct, then the Ten Continents will likely suffer a great loss and be unable to find this person again. If he knows the Ten Continents are on guard, he surely won’t come back.”
“What if it’s the second possibility… there might be clues,” Jin Xing said after thinking. “Though there are many immortal pills and elixirs in the world, the well-known ones are those from the Ten Continents and Three Islands, the Heavenly Court’s Peach Fruits, Laojun’s Immortal Pills, the Purple Mansion of the Southern Pole Immortal, and so on. Although this person has visited the Ten Continents, he skipped Changzhou, probably fearing he wouldn’t be strong enough to defeat the Eternal Life Emperor. If that’s the case, he certainly wouldn’t dare go to the others. The Three Islands are full of experts, and the Heavenly Court and Douluo Palace are impregnable. So, if he wants eternal life, his next destination must be there.”
The Jade Emperor suddenly understood and said, “That makes sense. You’re referring to the Wuzhuang Temple in the mortal world, of course.”
Jin Xing bowed and said, “Your Majesty is wise. Although the Great Immortal Zhenyuan of Wuzhuang Temple has some skills, he alone can’t do much. After all calculations, taking the Ginseng Fruits there carries the lowest risk.”
The Jade Emperor, impressed by Jin Xing’s thorough analysis, picked up his cup and drank it in one gulp. “It’s better to be prepared for everything. Jin Xing, I’ll assign this task to you!”
Jin Xing said with a pained expression, “Your Majesty, my abilities are insufficient. I’m afraid I won’t be able to catch this person.”

The Jade Emperor said, “How could I ever teach you to capture him? Take the All-Seeing One to the God of Gou Chen and ask them to stay at the Wuzhuang Temple for a few days. Since this man has covered his face, he must be afraid of being recognized. Just have the All-Seeing One remember his true appearance—how could we fail to catch him?”
Jin Xing immediately accepted the order and said, “To go to the God of Gou Chen, please issue an imperial decree, Your Majesty, so that your humble servant may dare to go.”
The Jade Emperor replied, “That’s natural.” He picked up a pen, wrote a few words, and handed them to Jin Xing. Then he casually asked, “How is the injury of the Eastern Extreme Qinghua Great Emperor?”
Jin Xing replied, “He likely won’t be able to fight again for a hundred years.” The Jade Emperor gave a silent “Hmm” and waved his hand, sending Jin Xing away.
※　※　※
At the Wuzhuang Temple on Mount Wanshou, the pine slopes were desolate, and the bamboo paths were serene. White cranes flew among the clouds above, while monkeys darted about below, carrying fruit plates. It was truly a rare place of tranquility in the world.
As the Taoists say, “When there are few worldly affairs, the heart turns to the Tao.” That day, Zhenyuan the Immortal sat cross-legged on his cushion, observing the heavens and earth, and once again discovered an extraordinary divine skill, filling him with joy. He walked over to the Ginseng Fruit Tree, admiring the beautifully colored, radiant fruits hanging on it. He wanted to pick one more to eat but couldn’t bring himself to do so.
Since the garden was established, he had only eaten two fruits. He would count the remaining twenty-eight fruits several times each day before feeling at ease.
As he was gazing at them, his expression suddenly changed, and he shouted, “Who’s there?”
A cold laugh came from the clouds, “Such delicious fruits—no wonder you cherish them so much.” The voice was icy cold, and it was impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
Zhenyuan looked up and saw a person wearing a conical hat standing in the clouds, slowly drifting toward the Ginseng Fruit Garden. Knowing full well that this person had no good intentions, he swept his sleeve outward and shouted, “Retreat!”
Zhenyuan believed his skill of controlling his sleeve was unmatched in the world. Yet the man in the hat seemed unaffected, only slowing slightly as he moved forward. Frightened that a fight might damage the Ginseng Fruit Tree, Zhenyuan leaped into the air and waved his sleeves repeatedly.
The man in the hat smiled faintly and said, “Is that all you can do? How can you protect the sacred roots of the world?” Without engaging in a fight, he whipped out a soft whip, which wrapped around Zhenyuan.
Zhenyuan’s sleeves became entangled with the whip, and though he tried his best to break free, when he looked at the man in the hat again, that person had already transformed and appeared on the Ginseng Fruit Tree. With a swipe of his sleeve, three Ginseng Fruits fell into his sleeve.
Zhenyuan was both shocked and angry. Such a way of picking fruits would surely deplete the entire tree. But that soft whip was truly detestable—seemingly inanimate, yet as hard to escape as a serpent.

The conical-hat man picked three more and put them in his bosom. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he hurriedly leaped down from the tree, packed up his whip, and vanished.
Zhenyuanzi feared it might be a trick and did not dare chase after him. He also knew that even if he did chase, it would be useless—the man was truly too powerful. Frustrated, he returned to the Ginseng Fruit Tree. This time, he suffered a heavy loss; six Grass-Transformed Elixirs had instantly become the other man’s property.
Zhenyuanzi made up his mind, climbed the tree, picked one fruit, and swallowed it in a few bites. He thought to himself, “If they try to steal again, I’ll destroy all the fruits on this tree!”
In the Tongming Hall, God Gouchen looked extremely worried as he led the Thousand-Mile Eye inside in a hurry.
The Jade Emperor, seeing God Gouchen’s expression, knew there must have been some discovery, so he dismissed everyone in the hall. God Gouchen stepped forward and whispered in the Jade Emperor’s ear. After hearing this, the Jade Emperor’s expression changed drastically, and he asked the Thousand-Mile Eye, “Did you see clearly?”
The Thousand-Mile Eye fell to the ground and said, “It’s absolutely true; I wouldn’t dare be the least bit careless.”
The Jade Emperor sighed and said, “Everything’s in chaos. Truly in chaos.”
God Gouchen asked, “What should we do now?”
The Jade Emperor thought for a while and said, “Let me think further. Thank you, God Gouchen.”
God Gouchen bid farewell to the Jade Emperor, who then said to the Thousand-Mile Eye, “This matter is of great importance; do not mention it to anyone else.” The Thousand-Mile Eye naturally swore an oath. The Jade Emperor added, “Inform the Lingguan Youyi and have him go to the Buddha and Laozi in the Western Heaven.”
The Thousand-Mile Eye left as ordered. The Jade Emperor sat alone in the vast Tongming Hall. As he pondered, a faint smile appeared on his face as he murmured, “It’s good that things are in chaos.”
※　※　※
Tang Seng and his disciples left the Yellow Wind Ridge and continued their journey westward.
Wukong’s absence left Lingji Bodhisattva even more uneasy. At first, he thought the quest to the Western Heaven was certain to succeed, but now it seemed fraught with obstacles. The death of the Yellow Wind Monster might seem trivial, but it sent a signal—that Sun Wukong was very strong. Those with ulterior motives would naturally be more cautious if they wanted to hinder the quest.
After overcoming this difficulty, the journey became much smoother. West of the Yellow Wind Ridge was a flat expanse. After passing through summer and autumn, they encountered a large river blocking their path one day.
Wukong jumped into the air to look around and then reported to Tang Seng, “Master, this is difficult. The river is at least eight hundred li wide, and there are no boatmen. How can we cross?”
Tang Seng was even more at a loss. Sitting on his horse, he rubbed his hands and said, “There aren’t even many tall trees nearby. Even if we cut wood to make boats, we wouldn’t have enough material.”
Zigui chuckled and said, “I, the old pig, can cross it. I just need to stomp my foot.”
Wukong gave him a disdainful look and said, “What use would it be if you crossed?”

Bajie arrived by the river and called out, “There’s a stone tablet here. So this river is called the ‘Flowing Sand River’!” As soon as he shouted, huge white waves rose in the water, and a monster emerged.
The monster was over twenty feet tall, with curly red hair. Its face was covered in patches of black and green, and its eyes were as big as lanterns. Even more terrifying was the fact that nine human skull skeletons hung from below its neck.
Seeing this monster, Bajie turned around and ran toward Wukong. Wukong scolded him, “You lazy pig, why are you coming back?”
Bajie replied, “I was too busy looking at the tablet and left my weapon here.”
Wukong paid him no attention. He knew this man was Sha Wujing, the General Who Rolls Up the Curtain, so he picked up his iron staff ready to kill him!
Wukong knew that Sha Seng was also chosen by the Bodhisattva to join the pilgrimage, but this General Who Rolls Up the Curtain had a rather mysterious background. His abilities were average, and he had offended the Jade Emperor. For some reason, he was recommended to join the pilgrimage team. Sha Seng seemed honest and friendly, avoiding offending anyone, but Wukong knew that there was no such thing as an honest person in the heavenly court. If Sha Seng wasn’t a spy for the heavenly court, he must be an agent for the Western Heaven. No matter which side he was on, he was of no use to Wukong.
Another reason was that even if Sha Seng remained loyal throughout the journey without causing any major problems, this pilgrimage was very different from what was described in “Journey to the West.” If Wukong had to fight alone, he might not be strong enough. He had already planned to insert a powerful demon from Qitianling to help him. Thus, Wukong had long decided he must find an opportunity to kill Sha Seng.
As he was thinking this, he saw Sha Seng approaching and reaching out with his big hand to grab Tang Seng.
Just then, a fireball fell from the sky, followed by a child’s voice shouting, “Dareful demon! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!”
Hearing this, Wukong was overjoyed, feeling as if his plans were finally coming true. Who was this person? It was Hong Haier, the son of the Bull Demon King!
Sha Seng was fully focused on Wukong and Bajie and didn’t expect anyone above. The fireball hit him on the back, knocking him out of the air.
At that moment, Bajie had picked up his rake. How could a hero miss such an opportunity? He swung his precious Golden Rake fiercely. Attacked from both front and back, Sha Seng could only raise his demon-subduing staff to defend himself. He was no match for Bajie, and since Bajie was excellent at taking advantage of favorable situations, he knocked Sha Seng off balance again.
Hong Haier landed from the sky, drawing his fire spear and targeting Sha Seng’s vital points with every strike.
Wukong watched from the side, feeling both delighted and puzzled. Why was Hong Haier not playing in Qitianling but here?

Sha Seng was fighting two opponents at once; not only could he not withstand their attacks, but he couldn’t even escape. Zhu Bajie’s rake was decent, though only powerful in strength. That little boy’s fire spear was truly formidable. With burns on his back as well, the pain was unbearable, leaving him with only about five or six percent of his usual strength. Seeing himself in grave danger, Sha Seng shouted, “Stop! Stop! I am—” But as soon as he spoke, Hong Haier intensified his attacks, cutting him off mid-sentence. After just a dozen exchanges, Sha Seng’s staff techniques became chaotic. Hong Haier pierced his thigh with his spear, forcing him to kneel on one knee. Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Bajie struck Sha Seng’s head with his rake, creating nine neat holes—how could he possibly survive?