Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 444: Battle on Yingzhou Island

Seeing the formidable presence in the Heavenly Court, the Nine Elders were extremely anxious. Since returning from there, they had been debating how much treasure to offer to satisfy the Jade Emperor and Queen without feeling too much pain themselves. Yet, while there is no desire to flatter the vulgar, people naturally seek profit—a innate trait. After much deliberation, they still reached no conclusion. Now, seeing two of the Six Imperial Aids arrive in the Heavenly Court, followed by the Lord of the Ten Continents and Three Islands, the Eastern Emperor Donghua, how could they not fear?

Had the Jade Emperor seen through their stinginess and sent them personally to Yingzhou Island to demand payment? The Nine Elders hurriedly went forward to greet them. Emperor Gouchen returned the greeting and asked, “Has Goddess Guanyin been to Yingzhou Island?”

Noticing Emperor Gouchen’s suspicious expression, though not directed at himself, the Nine Elders felt slightly relieved and replied, “It’s been many days since we last saw Goddess Guanyin. If Your Majesty wishes to find her, why not go to Mount Luojia?”

Emperor Gouchen did not answer. Instead, he turned to Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole and said, “Since she hasn’t come yet, she will surely arrive.” Emperor Qinghua nodded but before he could respond, the waves surged, and a giant turtle carrying Goddess Guanyin in black robes appeared, with Monkey King Muzha standing behind her, looking mighty.

“She’s here!” Emperor Gouchen took out his twin whips and turned to the 108 Thunder Generals, saying, “Show no mercy!” Having received orders from the Jade Emperor to kill anyone who tried to disrupt the Ten Continents and Three Islands, he felt confident—backed by the Jade Emperor in case of trouble.

Seeing everyone on Yingzhou Island prepared for battle, Guanyin said to Wukong, “I find it hard to be ruthless.” Wukong replied, “That’s only natural. The Heavenly Court is different from the Western Heaven. Though their methods are somewhat domineering, they’re not cruel.”

Guanyin smiled and said, “You just don’t see it, so you don’t know.”

“Oh?” Sensing something hidden in her words, Wukong asked, “What’s the secret? Tell me.”

Guanyin replied, “You’ll know sooner or later.”

With that, they reached the shore. Guanyin and Wukong stepped ashore. Wukong saw that all 108 Thunder Generals from the Nine Heavens’ Response Hall were present. It was they who had trapped him in a formation back then, before Buddha pressed him under the Five Elements Mountain.

The Heavenly Lord Taiyi, having come out, must have recovered from his injuries. Behind Emperor Donghua stood many high-level immortals from the various immortal islands. Wukong glanced around and laughed—what fools! They had come too?

Among the crowd of immortals was Zhu Bajie, carrying a golden rake with long ears—wasn’t that him?

Emperor Gouchen said, “Guanyin, you’re being too harsh!”

Guanyin replied, “If I were too harsh, would you still be standing here talking?”

“Why exactly, if Mount Luojia lacks elixirs or magical treasures, you just need to say so.”
Guanyin sneered, “I lack nothing. The Buddha’s orders must be obeyed! What else isn’t clear to you?”
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun cleared his throat and said, “More talk is pointless. I’m curious to see what makes the Black-Clothed Bodhisattva different.”
Wukong glanced at Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun. The injuries he had suffered had greatly enhanced his cultivation, pushing him to the peak of Hunyuan Jinxian. He was on the verge of attaining saintly status—no wonder he dared speak so arrogantly.
Guanyin stepped forward a few steps, almost surrounded, then turned to Wukong and said, “Muzha, go and fetch the treasures on the island.” Wukong smiled inwardly—was Guanyin about to start a massacre? He replied loudly, “As you command, master!”
The immortals in the heavenly court, angered by Guanyin’s disregard for them, formed a formation to encircle her. Guanyin produced a willow branch, twirled it around herself. The emerald-green branches swayed like ripples, pushing everyone back several feet.
Seeing Guanyin’s extraordinary skills, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun channeled his power. A golden glow appeared on his body, and two Bagua patterns appeared on his chest, surrounding him. He held a silver-threaded dust brush in his hand; the silver threads, like needles, shot toward Guanyin.
Gouchen the Great joined his two whips together, unleashing a lightning bolt over a foot thick. Donghua the Emperor leaped into the air, pulled out a giant bow from his bosom with his left hand, and struggled to draw the string with his right, slowly aiming it at Guanyin.
Guanyin flicked her willow branch, causing the silver threads of the dust brush to droop. She then inverted the branch and tapped the Pure Bottle, sending out a drop of water that struck Gouchen’s lightning. The lightning sealed the tiny droplet, causing it to vanish into thin air.
Gouchen suddenly said, “Weak water repels lightning?”
Guanyin naturally ignored him and turned to Donghua the Emperor, murmuring, “Is it the Xuanyuan Bow?”
As the Xuanyuan Bow was drawn, Gouchen the Great and Taiyi Tianzun stepped aside, fearing the arrow’s impact. Once drawn, the bow could no longer be controlled by its user. Donghua poured all his magical power into it. The arrow, imbued with his entire cultivation, was so powerful that even a saint would have to take cover.
Guanyin put away her willow branch, threw the Pure Bottle into the air, and reached into her bosom, pulling out a bamboo basket. As the arrow approached, she calmly untied the basket strand by strand. The basket had been made from a single bamboo stalk in the Purple Bamboo Forest. Having practiced there for years, Guanyin’s weaving skills were flawless. With swift movements of her fingers, she transformed the basket back into a single green bamboo stalk!

At that moment, the Eastern Emperor let out a deep roar, drawing his bow to full tension and releasing an invisible arrow that shot toward Guanyin from a distance of barely a hundred zhang! Guanyin focused her gaze; though the arrow was invisible, there were ripples in the air, which naturally couldn’t deceive her. She watched intently as the arrow approached, then raised her green bamboo staff. The arrow struck right at the top of the bamboo. The bamboo, though hard and brittle, instantly cracked under the unstoppable force of the arrow—just as expected. Guanyin exclaimed, “Though I am pure and empty, I still have my limits!” She channeled all her magical power into the bamboo, weakening the arrow’s force slightly as it passed through each joint. Countless joints were pierced before it reached the end of the bamboo, by which point its force had waned to nothing. With a gentle release from Guanyin’s delicate hands, the once-intact bamboo turned to dust—yet all of the Eastern Emperor’s magical power had been neutralized in the process. Guanyin sighed and said, “If this had happened earlier, I truly would have had no way to block this arrow.” It was unclear whether this was praise or mockery, but to the Eastern Emperor’s ears, it sounded rather harsh. He fell limp from the sky, only to be caught by other immortals. Another figure leaped into the air to catch the Xuanyuan Bow—it was Zhu Bajie. Wukong, instructed by the Bodhisattva to search the island for treasures, had taken just two steps before being surrounded by the Nine Elders of Yingzhou. These elders, though very old, were extremely stingy. Seeing Guanyin surrounded by many skilled warriors from the Heavenly Court, they realized the Heavenly Court had the upper hand. They assessed the situation and decided that if they allowed Mu Zha to empty Yingzhou Island of its treasures, they would lose both the treasures and their dignity. Although Mu Zha was known for his bravery, with nine against one and the help of many immortals on Yingzhou Island, it would not be difficult to capture him. If they succeeded, the Jade Emperor might be so pleased as to exempt Yingzhou Island from paying tributes. Seeing the Nine Elders blocking his path, Wukong laughed and said, “Dare you defy my master’s orders?” The Nine Elders exchanged glances and replied, “The Bodhisattva can’t even protect herself—why not surrender?” Wukong chuckled and said, “You sure know how to adapt to the situation. My iron staff won’t show mercy. Can your old bones withstand it?” Wukong really wanted to crush these old men into pieces, but after thinking it over, he realized they hadn’t done anything evil—protecting their own possessions was only natural. Wukong leaped into the air and glanced into the distance, where he saw a solitary white jade pillar glowing like ivory. He immediately knew this must be the island’s treasure—Thousand-Zhang Jade.

He swung his iron rod, creating a whirlwind that forced the Nine Elders back dozens of feet. The tip of the rod struck the Thousand-Foot Jade Root, causing it to collapse instantly. Before it hit the ground, Wukong used a spell to put this treasure into the small cauldron given to him by Zhenwu.

The Nine Elders were shocked—Mu Zha was actually this valiant. On Yingzhou Island, no one could match him. They stood frozen, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. Wukong didn’t care what they did. The magical pills weren’t very useful to him, but since they were treasures after all, it wouldn’t hurt to give them to King Yu of Fengtong—there was no harm in that.

He moved swiftly around the island, plundering everything he could find. It was incredibly satisfying. Yingzhou Island had been well-managed for many years and was the foremost among the ten islands, far surpassing places like Jukuzhou and Changzhou, though slightly inferior to Penglai Fairy Island.

Thinking of Penglai Fairy Island, Wukong felt resentful. While he had been there searching for immortal herbs, he had forgotten those three Thousand-Foot Jades. He would have to go back there later—losing them was a real pity.

With his swift movements and no one to stop him, in just a short while, Yingzhou Island was almost empty. Wukong returned to the battlefield and happened to see Guanyin use a thin bamboo rod to break the Xuanyuan Bow of Emperor Donghua. He was filled with admiration.

If it were him, he might have tried to counterattack head-on and hold his ground, but Guanyin understood the wonders of bamboo, turning softness into strength, achieving such power. It seemed true that great reputations weren’t unfounded. Guanyin Bodhisattva had cultivated her skills for many years and had a deep understanding of all things—this ability was one he needed to remember.

He then saw Zhu Bajie soar into the air and seize the Xuanyuan Bow. Wukong couldn’t help but laugh. Even Emperor Donghua couldn’t do anything to Guanyin Bodhisattva, so Bajie surely wouldn’t succeed either. What was the difference between that and a mantis trying to stop a chariot?

Bajie picked up the Xuanyuan Bow but didn’t draw an arrow. Instead, he put it away respectfully and presented it to Guanyin, saying naively, “Bodhisattva, out of mercy, I, this old pig, was deceived and forced. I angered my master back then, but I’ve always longed to return to Buddhism. Please, with your great compassion, accept me!”

Wukong found this strange. What was this fool trying to do? Turn against his side in battle or act foolish? Guanyin glanced at Bajie and smiled, saying, “Buddhism is everywhere. This is just a narrow path. Go find a wider one.”

Before Bajie could say anything else, Wukong, knowing Guanyin disliked this fool, leaped forward, took the Xuanyuan Bow, and said with a smile, “Let’s first perform a ritual of submission. Whether I accept you or not is another matter!”

Seeing Wukong seize Emperor Donghua’s precious treasure, the Heavenly Venerable Taiyi shook his dust staff and swung it toward Wukong’s waist, shouting, “How dare you, fool!”