Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 60: A Journey to the Netherworld

Upon meeting the two imperial lords, Taibai Jinxing chuckled and said, “I’ve come today with a request.”
The Right Auxiliary Imperial Lord replied with a smile, “Is there anything in this world that Brother Changgeng can’t handle?”
After they sat down, Taibai Jinxing said, “This matter is urgent. I won’t go into details. Recently, I heard that a demon monkey has risen in Dongsheng Divine Continent. It has established its own faction and gathered tens of thousands of demons, including some Taiyi Golden Immortals.”
Upon hearing this, both imperial lords gasped in shock. Taiyi Golden Immortals! If there were just three or five of them, even in the mortal world, they would be a force to be reckoned with, not to mention in the Heavenly Court.
Taibai Jinxing continued, “As you both know, it’s the Heavenly Court’s policy to first try to pacify such powerful demons by sending envoys to the mortal world. This time, the Jade Emperor specifically ordered me, along with the Star Lords of Literature and Martial Arts, to go. Knowing that the Purple Micro Emperor is not in heaven these days, I asked you two for your approval.”
The Left Auxiliary Imperial Lord suddenly remembered something and asked urgently, “I wonder, Brother Changgeng, among those demons in Dongsheng Divine Continent, is there a demon ox with considerable power as well?”
Taibai Jinxing exclaimed, “Oh!” and smiled, “The Left Auxiliary Imperial Lord truly has great wisdom. According to reports from the local deities in the mortal world, there indeed is a demon ox, who is also one of the leaders of those demons.”
The Left Auxiliary Imperial Lord said resentfully, “It seems there’s no doubt about it. These demons must never be pacified.”
Taibai Jinxing was shocked and asked, “But… the Jade Emperor has already given his orders. Why do you say so?”
The Left Auxiliary Imperial Lord replied, “Brother Changgeng was once a star in heaven, so you’re not an outsider. This matter originated from the Purple Micro Palace, and it must not be disclosed to others.”
Taibai Jinxing’s expression turned serious as he asked, “What’s so serious that the imperial lord attaches such importance to it?”
The Left Auxiliary Imperial Lord said, “To be honest, that demon monkey and that demon ox once hindered my Purple Micro Palace from carrying out tasks in the mortal world. Recently, I sent troops to suppress them, but unexpectedly… they were extremely powerful, killing six Star Heavenly Generals in one fell swoop.” “Ah!” Taibai Jinxing was horrified. “How… how could such daring demons dare to kill Heavenly Generals?” The Left Auxiliary Imperial Lord shook his head and said, “It was also my negligence for underestimating them. But now that they’ve committed such grave crimes, how can they still be pacified?”
Taibai Jinxing remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, “Such crimes are unforgivable.”
The Right Auxiliary Imperial Lord sighed and said, “Alas, we’re also stuck in this dilemma. Logically, we should report this to the Heavenly Court, but since the Great Emperor isn’t back, how dare we violate the rules?”
Taibai Jinxing said, “Don’t worry. We must find a foolproof solution.”

The Left Auxiliary Emperor said, “The Great Emperor retires into seclusion for periods ranging from a few months to over a hundred years—how can we possibly find him?”
Taibai Jinxing smiled and said, “The Supreme Emperor of the Purple Micro Palace in the heavens oversees all the stars. He must surely be aware of this matter already. Yet his delay in intervening surely implies some deeper reason.”
The Left Auxiliary Emperor and the Right Auxiliary Emperor exchanged a glance, then stood up together and bowed, saying, “We earnestly request your guidance, Brother Changgeng!”
Taibai Jinxing quickly stood up as well, saying, “How dare I take such credit? I am also a celestial being with deep ties to the Purple Micro Palace. How could I stand by idly? In my opinion, the Great Emperor’s refusal to act shows that he underestimates the seriousness of this matter.”
The Left Auxiliary Emperor looked unconvinced and said, “With six celestial generals involved, this is no trivial matter.”
Taibai Jinxing replied, “At first glance, it seems that the Purple Micro Palace has suffered heavy losses, and those demon monkeys and bulls have defied heaven’s authority—indeed, their crimes are unforgivable. However, the true secret of the celestial bodies lies not in the generals themselves but in their star souls. Since the star souls of all the stars remain safe in the Purple Micro Palace, any losses are minimal. Moreover, those demon monkeys possess considerable strength. If celestial troops are sent to suppress them, both sides might suffer heavy losses—perhaps even sixty or more celestial generals could be lost. The Great Emperor is truly far-sighted, and I, Li Changgeng, admire him greatly!”
The two emperors were captivated by Taibai Jinxing’s words and nodded in agreement.
Taibai Jinxing continued, “On the other hand, if we can bring these two demons under our control and bring them to the heavenly court, if they obey, they will become a great asset to our court. If not, well, given the deep roots of the Purple Micro Palace, it should be easy to deal with these unruly demons.”
Only then did the Left Auxiliary Emperor realize that the truly crucial point lay in what he had just said. He was about to applaud in approval when Taibai Jinxing added, “There’s another possibility: if these two demons refuse to submit, you two can surely imagine the consequences. Those who refuse to submit will be regarded as rebellious demons and executed without mercy! By then, there will be no need for the Purple Micro Palace to intervene—there are plenty of others in the heavenly court eager to earn merits!”
His words left the Left Auxiliary Emperor and the Right Auxiliary Emperor stunned. While they admired him, they also felt a hint of fear. Taibai Jinxing was truly remarkable—no wonder he could walk around the heavenly court with such confidence, earning respect from the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors wherever he went. He was indeed meticulous and eloquent.
The two stood up again, bowed deeply, and said, “Your words are worth more than ten years of study. We are foolish people, and we owe Brother Changgeng a great deal for clearing up our doubts. We will surely offer you generous gifts in the future.”

Taibai Jinxing smiled and said, “There’s no need for formality between brothers like us. By the way, if you two have no objections, may I ask if the Star Lords of Literature and Martial Arts are in the palace? We must not fail the important task entrusted to us by the Jade Emperor.”
Zuo Fu and You Bi were completely convinced by Taibai Jinxing’s words and naturally had no more objections.
A few days later, the seventy-two caves on Flower-Fruit Mountain were reorganized, with each type clearly separated—no more chaotic demons. As a result, the seventy-two caves became thirty-six, each containing over a thousand demons of various sizes.
Wukong inspected each cave one by one and found that there was a strict hierarchy among them, yet they got along harmoniously. Indeed, those of the same kind understood each other well, avoiding many troubles. Marshal Ma Liuyuan had already gone down the mountain to capture a hundred or so scholars to copy the cultivation books, which would soon be distributed for everyone to study.
Jiuling Yuansheng, Golden-Wing Roc, and the others spent their days drinking and chatting, becoming quite familiar with each other. Having all been regional rulers before, they would often start fighting after just a few words—such cultivation methods would surely benefit them all.
One day, Wukong and his brothers got slightly drunk. After leaving Water Curtain Cave, he leaned on a high branch of a fruit tree, eating fresh fruits, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.
In a daze, his spiritual essence drifted away from his body and began walking on its own. Wukong was shocked—since he started cultivating, he had never encountered such a strange thing. Cultivators aimed for unity of body and spirit; if the spiritual essence couldn’t act independently, it was ten times more dangerous than having the physical body destroyed.
Powerless in his dream, he could only let it happen. After walking for a while, he saw two figures appear by the road—one dark gray and the other snow white. The dark gray figure held a document and waved it in front of Wukong, while the snow white figure pulled out an iron chain and put it around Wukong’s neck. In a daze, Wukong thought these must be the Black and White Imperials.
Strange—he remembered that in “Journey to the West,” Sun Wukong only reached the underworld after living for over three hundred years. He had only been here for a few years—how could he have reached this stage so soon?
As he pondered, he saw a large city ahead with the words “Underworld Realm” written on it. As expected, he wasn’t afraid anymore. With his own abilities, how could the Ten Kings of Hell stop him? But why had this happened hundreds of years earlier? He needed to investigate further.
Upon entering the city, Wukong suddenly regained consciousness. He checked his ears and found that his Ruyi Jingu Bang was still there. Waving the staff, he shouted, “Who are you? How dare you capture me?”
The Black and White Imperials didn’t answer. They just kept pulling the chain forward. Wukong tore the chain apart and tried to kill them with his staff. Just as he was about to strike, he suddenly realized how strange this whole situation was.

Sun Wukong went to the Dragon Palace to steal treasures and caused trouble in the netherworld. Afterwards, the Dragon King and Yama reported the incident to the Heavenly Court, which then sent troops to suppress him. But since he had already killed six celestial generals first, the Heavenly Court, in line with its ways, would never tolerate such a violent man—sending troops to eliminate him was the only option.

So, what was the real purpose of his trip to the netherworld? And who was the mastermind behind this?

Sun Wukong’s mind raced. If those behind this didn’t know about his killing of the celestial generals, the situation could be explained. But why was it happening hundreds of years earlier?

Sun Wukong was born of fate, so it made sense he wouldn’t be registered in the netherworld. Someone must have cheated and added his name secretly. With his name added, Yama imprisoned him. Given his nature, he certainly wouldn’t tolerate any oppression, so trouble in the netherworld was inevitable.