Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 73: The Creation Furnace

“A ghost immortal?” Wukong was puzzled.
The Bull Demon King said, “Think about it—everywhere in the world, there is one thing that is omnipresent. What is it?”
Wukong thought for a moment, then slapped his head and laughed. “Of course, it’s the Earth God.”
The Bull Demon King replied, “That’s right. Wherever there is land, there is the Earth God. Though he is a ghost immortal, he has ghost officials to assist him. Ghost immortals are under the control of the netherworld, which is closely connected to the heavenly court. No matter how big or small an issue is, if the heavenly court wants to know about it, isn’t it as easy as reaching into a bag?”
Wukong shuddered at these words. No wonder the heavenly court attacked Flower-Fruit Mountain much earlier than he had predicted—someone close to him knew their secrets without even realizing it.
At that moment, the Nine Spirit Sage chuckled and said, “I see. When I first became a human immortal, I could sense things ten feet underground. I saw a few little ghosts lingering around, so I sent them away. Afraid that I would eat them, they never showed up again.”
Wukong asked the Bull Demon King, “Where is the Earth God of Flower-Fruit Mountain now? How can I find him?” The Bull Demon King, now in human form, knelt on the ground and tapped it before saying, “He was here a few days ago, but now he’s gone.”
Wukong sighed. “If I had known this earlier, I would have driven him away long ago.”
The Bull Demon King laughed. “A few little ghosts—what’s the point of worrying about them?”
Wukong nodded. Since things had come to this, it was useless to argue further. He would just have to be careful from now on.
As they exchanged questions and answers, the demons of the heavenly court, seeing that Wukong didn’t seem like a fierce opponent, relaxed considerably. Wukong then asked the rat demon, “What’s the difference between life in the heavenly court and on earth?”
The rat demon replied, “The heavenly court is filled with abundant spiritual energy. Practicing there for one day is better than a hundred days on earth. But since we are of low rank and subject to many rules, it’s extremely difficult to move forward.”
Wukong asked further, “How many times have you gone to the mortal world before?”
The rat demon said, “Only twice, both to suppress demons. Once the task was completed, we had to return, otherwise we would face severe punishment.”
Wukong, thinking aloud among the demons, called out, “That one with more experience, come out and answer a few questions.” Slowly, a earth dragon emerged from the ground. It was huge and transformed into human form, speaking in a slow pace. “I, the little dragon, have lived for ten thousand years. I should be able to answer your questions, great king.”
As the earth dragon stood up, a wave of snickers spread among the demons of the heavenly court.
Its appearance was quite strange—sharp head, hunched back. It certainly didn’t resemble any heavenly demon general; it was even uglier than the demons on earth. The demons of the heavenly court seemed quite familiar with it, and they burst into laughter when it appeared.

Seeing that the demons in the Heavenly Court no longer feared them, Wukong said, “Let’s wait a moment. If we work together, we can clean up the battlefield first, leaving behind beautiful mountains and waters. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy wine and have a lively conversation?” Upon hearing this, the demons showed expressions of disbelief. Having been defeated and captured, instead of being whipped or beaten, they were even offered wine—a truly unusual thing, whether in the Heavenly Court or on earth. The Golden-Winged Roc asked, “What are you waiting for? Don’t you want to fight?” Only then did the demons realize Wukong wasn’t joking and immediately started cleaning up. Although the demons in the Heavenly Court were companions, they lacked deep affection. They felt no sorrow when seeing their comrades’ corpses. Those with magic gathered the corpses together, sprayed them with fire, and turned them to ashes. In contrast, the demons from Flower Fruit Mountain showed grief whenever they saw their comrades’ bodies. They handled them gently, unwilling to tear or damage them. Wukong observed this and kept it in mind. Though the demons from Flower Fruit Mountain had gathered late and were disorganized, they had developed bonds because of Wukong’s efforts to bring them together. By comparison, the demons in the Heavenly Court spent their days practicing cultivation and had little interaction with each other. Even when battles occurred, they were usually assigned separately, rarely fighting side by side. Half an hour later, the entire hillside had turned into scorched earth. Wukong ordered that the Sea Dragon be summoned to sprinkle some divine rainwater, cleaning the mountain and replanting mulberry, willow, locust, and elm trees, restoring it to its original appearance without any signs of destruction. The Heavenly Court had sent a total of 100,000 soldiers. Three to four thousand were killed by the Golden-Winged Roc and the Nine Sacred Spirits, another six thousand were lost in the sea battle, 20,000 died in the chaos, and after Wukong and his three companions fought, another four to five thousand were slain. Excluding those who escaped quickly, upon careful counting, nearly 30,000 soldiers remained. The four great marshals stored the demons’ armor and weapons. Wukong then ordered that the ancient earth dragon be taken care of, and they held a celebration feast on that hillside with all the demons. Seeing that the army of Flower Fruit Mountain was large and powerful enough to defeat the Heavenly Court utterly, over 10,000 demons wanted to join them. The rest decided to seek other places to practice cultivation and live as free demons. Wukong didn’t stop them and let them go. In the past, Wukong would have kept these 10,000 demons. After all, most demons ate humans, and without restraint on Flower Fruit Mountain, countless lives would have been lost to them. But after this battle, Wukong realized how treacherous the people in the Heavenly Court were, using demons merely as pawns. Since he was destined to be a demon in this life, there was no point in pretending to be kind and doing such a thankless task.

As the saying goes, “Heaven and Earth show no mercy, treating all things as mere straw dogs; the sages show no mercy, treating the common people as mere straw dogs.”
This feast was enjoyed to the fullest, almost exhausting all the wine on Flower-Fruit Mountain. During the previous battles, each side fought for its own master, so the demons held no grudges. As they drank and got carried away, they hugged one another as if they were old friends separated for years.
After defeating the Heavenly Court, Wukong no longer wanted to submit to their call for service. In his free time, he thought about how the Seven Great Saints in “Journey to the West” had sworn brotherhood—how could they part without a serious reason? Yet later, when they fell apart, the Golden Winged Roc, the Nine Spirit Sage, and the Bull Demon King showed no trace of their past friendship when they met Wukong again—likely because Wukong had betrayed them. Considering everything, apart from the Heavenly Court’s call for service, he couldn’t think of any greater conflict.
Submission to the Heavenly Court was like an invincible sword for bandits—neither Song Jiang nor the Monkey King could escape it. Hehe, now that I can foresee the future, let’s see what tricks the Heavenly Court has in store.
In the Heavenly Realm, within the Purple Micro Palace, the Purple Micro Emperor sat on his throne, his expression stern and his presence awe-inspiring. The Left Assistant and Right Assistant Emperors sat beside him, with the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper and the Twenty-Eight Constellations below.
The Purple Micro Emperor said, “The demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain are so rampant—it’s a sight unseen in ten thousand years. The recent military campaign failed, so extraordinary measures must be taken. None of you may leave the palace for now; wait for the Jade Emperor’s orders!”
“The six vacant constellations positions shall be filled by the Right Assistant Emperor from among the heavenly generals. Once selected, present the list to me, and I will decide what to do.”
“Though we were defeated in fighting these bandits today, my Purple Micro Palace remains intact. You all handled the situation well by adapting on the spot. Remember well—should you encounter the demons from Flower-Fruit Mountain again, avoid battle at all costs. Don’t be like those six reckless fools who lost their lives and ruined years of cultivation.”
Everyone agreed in unison.
The Purple Micro Emperor added, “Now that external matters are settled, it’s time to address internal affairs.”
At these words, the Left Assistant Emperor trembled inwardly.
The Purple Micro Emperor said coldly, “Left Assistant, while I was away, I heard you held a grand birthday banquet. Was that in accordance with the rules?”
The Left Assistant Emperor quickly stood up and replied, “Your Majesty, the banquet was held strictly in accordance with the rules; not a single violation occurred.”
The Purple Micro Emperor pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, “Good, good. That’s best.”
The Left Assistant Emperor was greatly shaken. With his wisdom, he naturally knew the Purple Micro Emperor must have noticed something, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked such a question.
The Purple Micro Emperor slowly stood up and said, “Left Assistant, Left Assistant… I’ve trusted and nurtured you for so many years in vain. Fangxin Rabbit and the others committed grave crimes and deserve death. Don’t you even know that the ‘Creation Furnace’ is a forbidden item of the Heavenly Court, not to be imitated?”

Upon hearing the term “Creation Furnace,” the Left Auxiliary Emperor turned pale with fear. He thought this matter was kept strictly secret—no one would know about it after the deaths of Fang Xintu and the others. Yet the Purple Micro Emperor seemed to see everything clearly.

The people below exchanged glances, clearly having no idea what the “Creation Furnace” was.

The Purple Micro Emperor sighed and said, “Enough. Hand over the Creation Furnace, and I’ll go apologize to the Jade Emperor on your behalf. It’s my fault for failing to supervise properly, but you also committed the crime of concealment. As punishment, you shall guard the star souls in the Purple Micro Palace—no leaving allowed for half a year!”

The Left Auxiliary Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. The punishment was neither too light nor too severe. A day in the heavenly realm was extremely long, and guarding the star souls meant no moment of rest. But it was clear the Purple Micro Emperor was being lenient. If he were sent to the Jade Emperor, the offense would be much more serious. Now that Fang Xintu and the others were dead, the blame could easily be shifted onto them.