Volume 1: Unsayable Chapter 72: The Fall of the Heavenly Court

Hearing the sound of the heavenly soldiers’ trumpets, Wukong secretly let out a long sigh. He remained highly focused when engaging in battle, but watching such carnage from a distance was unbearable for him.
Many of the heavenly soldiers were actually in beast forms. Without their armor, it was hard to tell which were demons from Flower Fruit Mountain and which were from the Heavenly Court. Seeing countless piles of demon corpses, Wukong felt indescribable sorrow. By then, the Bull Demon King and the Golden-Winged Roc had returned to their camp. The Golden-Winged Roc looked furious, and the Bull Demon King also had no trace of joy on his face.
Seeing Wukong’s solemn expression as well, they assumed he already knew the truth. The Bull Demon King said, “All this killing is just mutual destruction.” The Golden-Winged Roc added, “The Heavenly Court is extremely cunning. Among these soldiers sent to attack Flower Fruit Mountain, all are from our demon race. Aside from those leaders, which one is a true heavenly soldier?”
Wukong was shocked, sensing that this campaign might be part of a conspiracy. He summoned the four marshals—Ma Liubeng, Ban Ba—and instructed them to clean up the battlefield after the heavenly soldiers retreated, burying both heavenly soldiers and his own troops equally.
When Li Jing heard Nezha say, “We cannot withdraw,” he frowned and asked, “Hm? Why not?” Nezha replied, “The battle has just begun, and there has only been one clash. If we withdraw now, how can we attack again?”
“Well…” Li Jing originally intended to return to the Heavenly Court. The shock from this battle was too great, and he knew it would be extremely difficult to win. But after Nezha’s question, he found it hard to answer.
Nezha continued, “After withdrawing, we can either regroup and fight again or return to the Heavenly Court. The elite troops of the Heavenly Army have worked hard to break through the defenses and reach the heart of Flower Fruit Mountain. If we retreat now, it may take more effort to advance again. If we return to the Heavenly Court… I’m afraid the Jade Emperor will be unforgiving. With only over twenty thousand soldiers lost and all our commanders intact, wouldn’t Father fear slanderous accusations of failing to carry out the attack?”
Seeing Nezha’s strange expression, Li Jing immediately understood and said, “But I’ve already ordered a retreat. What should we do now?” Nezha replied, “It doesn’t matter. Just tell the troops to rest in place and fight again later! Even if it means fighting down to the last soldier, we must defend our heavenly authority!”
Seeing a cold glint in Nezha’s eyes, Li Jing instantly understood his intentions.
On Flower Fruit Mountain, the four marshals gathered the demon kings from various caves and selected five thousand agile warriors, ready to clean up the battlefield once the heavenly soldiers retreated. Unexpectedly, the heavenly soldiers only retreated fifty zhang before setting up camp to rest.
“What does this mean?” Wukong asked those around him.

The Golden-Winged Roc sneered, “Since you won’t retreat, does that mean another battle is inevitable?”
Wukong thought to himself, “If the Heavenly Court weren’t idiots, they’d already know we’re no match for Huaguo Mountain. Why fight to the death when defeat is certain? Moreover, since all those sent by the Heavenly Court are demons, I’m furious. I don’t even want to think about the reasons behind this.” Filled with rage, he shouted, “Does the Heavenly Court think Huaguo Mountain has no fighting strength at all? Brothers, can two of you stay behind to guard the mountain, while the other four follow me into battle? Who’s willing?”
The first to step forward was the long silent Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage, followed closely by the Bull Demon King and the Golden-Winged Roc. The four of them charged forward together. Wukong took on a towering ten-zhang form, the Roc spread its wind-and-thunder wings, the Bull Demon King revealed his true white bull form, and the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage showed all nine of his heads.
This time, the four fought without restraint, charging straight into the enemy ranks. No matter whether they were immortal officials, star gods, marshals, or princes, none could withstand these four ferocious warriors.
The more capable gods and heavenly generals, seeing the four charging at them, pretended to resist for a while before fleeing in panic. Even Li Jing and Prince Nezha the Third had already had the heavenly troops create a gap in the heavenly net and fled back to the Heavenly Court, leaving only weak heavenly soldiers to be slaughtered. The heavenly soldiers on the ground, seeing their commander had fled, lost all fighting spirit. They wanted to escape, but with no way out, they were trapped.
At first, Wukong was furious and fought fiercely. When he saw the Eight Bright Stars, the Heavenly Master Vajra, and Prince Nezha the Heavenly King all vanish without a trace, he suddenly regained his senses. Using his magic, he shouted, “No matter rank, those who surrender will not be killed!”
The Bull Demon King, who was trampling on the weak heavenly soldiers with his hooves, heard Wukong’s call. He lifted one hoof and kicked a heavenly soldier high into the air, asking, “We’re having so much fun fighting—why stop killing now?”
Wukong replied, “It’s the fault of war, not the soldiers’ fault!”
Hearing they might be spared, the heavenly soldiers dropped their weapons in a clatter. Wukong ordered the Golden-Winged Roc and the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage to stop. The four great marshals and the demon kings of various caves, seeing the battle had ceased, gathered their elite troops and surrounded the heavenly army.
Just as the Golden-Winged Roc was getting excited, Wukong called him back. Feeling resentful, he saw tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers still assembling the heavenly net in the sky. With a shrill cry, he charged forward. His wind-and-thunder wings, like the gates of the Southern Heaven, swept through the air, causing another wave of bloodshed as he drove all the heavenly soldiers away before slowly descending.
Seeing that his own troops still harbored hostility and many heavenly soldiers’ fates were unknown, Wukong ordered, “Take off your armor!” Afraid of being slow, in no time, tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers stood there completely naked.

Wukong said again, “Look closely. Though you are heavenly soldiers, what’s the difference between you and the boys in my mountain?” Among these heavenly soldiers was an rhinoceros standing right next to the White Rhinoceros King of Flower-Fruit Mountain. Out of fear, he glanced over and saw that the White Rhinoceros already possessed the cultivation level of an earth immortal, while he himself had only just begun his journey toward immortality. He immediately avoided the White Rhinoceros King’s gaze and stared fixedly at the ground.

Wukong said, “You are also demons. Why do you harm your own kind? Don’t you realize that the Heavenly Court treats you like straw?” A bold rat demon dared to ask, “O, Great King, may I ask if you will stop killing us?”

The White Rhinoceros King roared, “How dare you! Isn’t it easy for me to kill you?” Wukong waved his hand, telling the White Rhinoceros King to step back, then said to the rat demon, “You gathered a hundred thousand troops, turning my beautiful Flower-Fruit Mountain into a hellish place, and injured thousands of my people. How can I let go of my hatred if I don’t kill you?”

The tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers heard this clearly and felt a chill in their hearts. Then Wukong continued, “However, heaven has the virtue of sparing life. Besides, whether they are immortals or mortals, everyone regards us demons as inferior. If I kill you, how can I bear it in my heart? There’s only one thing I don’t understand. If you can explain it to me, I’ll give you a chance to live. How about that?”

The rat demon trembled and said, “Since the Great King already possesses such great powers, what else could there be to not understand?”

Wukong asked, “How did you ascend to heaven? How did you become a heavenly soldier? What’s your status in heaven? Explain these, and I’ll free you.” The rat demon was overjoyed—this question was extremely simple. So, using his eloquent tongue, he detailed every aspect of his cultivation journey.

This rat demon had reached the fifth rank among immortals. Whether it was demons or humans, once they passed the ninth rank of human immortals, they could gather the three flowers at the top of their heads. When they reached the first rank of immortals, the five energies would converge, allowing them to ascend from the land and become immortals.

According to the rat demon, when he reached this level, a being would appear one day to take him to the Heavenly Court, and he would unknowingly become an ordinary heavenly soldier.

Hearing this, Wukong grew suspicious. If all demons in the world were like this, how many people would the Heavenly Court need to keep up? So he turned to the White Rhinoceros King and asked, “When you reached the first rank of immortals, did any heavenly generals appear?” The White Rhinoceros King replied, “Of course. But I found those generals arrogant, so I ignored them. They didn’t insist either. Since then, I’ve continued my cultivation in the mortal world, and no heavenly generals have come looking for me again.”

Wukong asked a few more cave masters, and their answers were roughly the same as what the White Rhinoceros King had said. He murmured in thought—reaching the first rank of immortals indeed granted the right to enter the Heavenly Court. Yet, with the world being so vast, who could possess such great powers to keep track of every cultivator and mortal everywhere at all times? Seeing that the Golden-winged Roc and the Nine Spirits Sage were both listening with great interest, Wukong asked, “Have you two ever had such experiences?” The Golden-winged Roc smirked and said, “Which celestial being would dare to come after me?” The Nine Spirits Sage shook his head and replied, “I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Wukong then asked the Bull Demon King, who laughed and said, “I’m different from others; I can’t be generalized.” Wukong said, “The Heavenly Court truly has capable people—perhaps they can hear everything in the world just by sitting in their chambers. Otherwise, how could they have such accurate information?” The Bull Demon King was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. Pointing at Wukong, he said, “Brother, you’ve really hit a wall. This isn’t the work of immortals—it’s clearly the power of ghosts and demons.”