I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

In the Peach Garden, the morning mist swirls, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The peach trees are laden with crystal-clear peaches, emitting an enticing fragrance.

Sun Wukong, with his golden fur and golden cudgel in hand, stood under a nine-thousand-year-old peach tree, scratching his cheek, his brow furrowed, muttering to himself, "This is strange, it's really ghostly!"

He reached out and grabbed a ripe peach, about to put it in his mouth, but found that the peach felt light and airy, as if it had no flesh.

He squeezed hard, and the peach "plop".

The ground turned into a clump of lush green moss, emitting a musty smell.

Sun Wukong was stunned. He widened his fiery eyes and looked around. Sure enough, the bright red peaches on the surrounding peach trees had all turned into moss and hung limply on the branches. They no longer looked like the immortal fruits at all.
"Who's so bold as to cause trouble on my old Sun's turf?"

Sun Wukong was so angry he jumped up and down, his hairy face turning bright red. "If the Jade Emperor finds out, he'll blame me for not guarding things properly. Will I still be able to sit on my position as the Great Sage?"

He scratched his head, racking his brains for ideas, when suddenly he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I've got it!"
These peaches are fake, so I'll just imitate them and make some real peaches to fool them!

Just as he was about to pluck the fuzz to turn it into a peach, he suddenly heard a silvery laugh coming from outside the garden.

Sun Wukong's ears twitched, and he quickly put away his golden cudgel, jumping behind a peach tree to hide.

The seven fairies, dressed in colorful clothes and carrying bamboo baskets, gracefully entered the Peach Garden.

The leading fairy in red frowned and muttered, "The Queen Mother is really something, making us come back to pick up the fallen peaches. Where are there so many peaches to fall in this garden?"

Sun Wukong hid behind a tree, secretly lamenting his misfortune.

Yesterday, he found it troublesome and casually threw a bunch of rotten peaches on the ground, but he didn't expect that this would attract the attention of the Seven Fairies.

His eyes darted around, and he said in a low voice, "Forget it, forget it. I, Old Sun, am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. How could such a small matter stump me?"

He secretly cast an invisibility spell, hiding himself even deeper.

The seven fairies scattered and bent down to pick up the items in the garden.

The fairy in green picked up a rotten peach and curled her lips in disgust: "This peach is so rotten, why bother picking it up?"

The Great Sage was far too careless.

The fairy in purple covered her mouth and chuckled: "Shh, sister, be careful what you say. Sun Wukong has sharp ears and eyes, so don't let him hear us talking badly about him."

Sun Wukong heard everything clearly from behind the tree, and was so angry that his teeth itched, but he dared not utter a sound.

Watching the seven fairies finish picking up a basket of rotten peaches and leave laughing and joking, he jumped out from behind the tree, patted his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief: "What a close call! Luckily, I, Old Sun, am quick-witted, otherwise I would have lost face big time."

He looked up at the moss-covered peaches in the garden, scratching his head in frustration, "What am I going to do?"
The Peach Banquet is just around the corner, and the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother absolutely must find out!

Meanwhile, in a secluded cave in a corner of the Peach Garden, Jiang Wang sat cross-legged on a blue stone, with a pile of glittering nine-thousand-year-old peaches in front of him.

He grabbed one, took a big bite, and the juice overflowed, the aroma filling the air. Instantly, it transformed into a warm current that flowed into his limbs and bones, and his cultivation level subtly increased by one point.

He grinned and muttered to himself, "These nine-thousand-year-old peaches are indeed extraordinary. One peach is worth three hundred years of cultivation. Tsk tsk, worth it!"

But just then, a cold voice suddenly rang in his mind: "Mission Twelve completed. Reward halved due to abandoning Mission Eleven."

The original reward of 360,000 peaches has been reduced to 160,000; the Peach Garden Teleportation Pass has been downgraded to a one-way teleportation pass, limited to one use.

Jiang Wang choked on a peach, nearly choking to death.

He stood up abruptly, his face turning green with anger: "What?"
Halved?

160,000?

"System, are you kidding me?!"

He kicked a rock away, gritting his teeth, "Three hundred and sixty thousand peaches!"
Just because I didn't steal Laozi's elixir, this damn system pulled this stunt on me?
And what's with this teleportation certificate? How can it be a one-way teleportation?

This is outrageous!

He paced back and forth, his chest heaving with anger, muttering curses under his breath: "This system clearly doesn't like me!"
"If I'd known, I would have stolen that damn pill. Maybe I could have gotten more benefits by taking a gamble!"

Despite his complaints, he knew the system was impartial and would never change the rewards.

Helpless, Jiang Wang could only sit down with a thud, grab another peach, take a big bite, and mutter as he chewed, "Never mind, 160,000 is not a small number. I'll eat them slowly and eventually break through."

For the next six months, Jiang Wang hardly left the cave, spending his days eating peaches.

A peach that grows nine thousand years old grants an additional three hundred years of cultivation; a peach that grows six thousand years old grants an additional one hundred years of cultivation; and a peach that grows three thousand years old grants an additional thirty years of cultivation.

He was like a starving ghost reincarnated, grabbing a peach and biting into it, juice dripping from the corners of his mouth and soaking his whole body.

The cave was filled with peach pits, emitting a faint aura of immortality, but Jiang Wang paid no attention to it, focusing only on refining them with his eyes closed.

On this day, he swallowed the last nine-thousand-year-old peach in one gulp, and felt the spiritual energy in his body surge like a river, breaking through a barrier with a roar.

Jiang Wang suddenly opened his eyes, and two golden beams shot out from them, heading straight for the top of the cave.

He laughed heartily, stood up, his bones cracking and popping, his aura vast as the sea, he had actually broken through to the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal!
"Great Golden Immortal!"
"The top level of the Three Realms Pyramid, haha, I've finally reached the top!"

Jiang Wang looked up to the sky and roared, his voice echoing through the valley.

With a wave of his hand, the stone wall at the cave entrance exploded open, and sunlight streamed down, making him glow with golden light, like a war god.

He looked down at the empty pile of peach pits, grinned, and said, "160,000 peaches, worth it!"

With this level of cultivation, I can practically walk around doing nothing!

Thirty years later, the Peach Garden had been completely transformed.

The peach trees, which were once laden with ripe peaches, are now completely bare, with not a single green peach left.

Jiang Wang stood in the garden, stroking his chin, and looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction: "Tsk tsk, I've eaten this garden clean. The Jade Emperor must be furious."

His cultivation has increased significantly, and he has vaguely reached the threshold of the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, giving him a strong sense of confidence.

Above the Heavenly Court, in the Jade Pool Wonderland, everything was bustling with activity.

The Peach Banquet is approaching, and the fairy maidens are busy arranging the feast, while golden boys and jade maidens shuttle back and forth carrying celestial fruits and fine wines.

Venus was summoned to the Jade Pool by the Queen Mother of the West. Holding a jade knife, he was carefully slicing a few peaches, with beads of sweat on his forehead.

As he cut the peaches, he muttered to himself, "Why are there so few of these peaches?"
In previous years, the packages were delivered in baskets full, but this year there's only this little bit. Sigh, what a tough job!

The Queen Mother sat upright on her cloud bed, her phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and said calmly, "Taibai, hurry up, the Peach Banquet cannot be without these immortal fruits."

She paused, then frowned and asked, "Where are the Seven Fairies?"
Didn't I send them to the Peach Garden to pick peaches?
Why aren't they back yet?

Venus quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. The Seven Fairy Maidens have already gone and will be back soon."

He wondered to himself, "Strange things have been happening in this Peach Orchard this year. First, rotten peaches were everywhere, and now there's a peach shortage. Could it be that Sun Wukong has caused some trouble again?"

Meanwhile, inside the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor sat high on his dragon throne, his brows furrowed.

Standing beside him was a short earth god, the very earth god of the Peach Garden.

The Jade Emperor said in a deep voice, "Earth God, you said that Sun Wukong is still only in the mid-stage of the Mysterious Immortal realm?"

How can this be?

"He didn't eat a single one of those immortal peaches from the Peach Garden?"

The land deity bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, Sun Wukong is indeed still in the mid-stage of the Mysterious Immortal realm."

I, an old man, have watched over him every day, and I have never seen him steal any peaches.

He paused, then said cautiously, "However... the peaches in the garden seem to be acting strangely lately. The ripe peaches often rot for no reason, and I don't know why."

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor's expression darkened further.

He tapped the dragon table lightly with his fingers and muttered to himself, "Didn't eat the peaches?"
"Hmph, what's this monkey up to? If anything goes wrong in the Peach Garden, I'll make him pay!"

He waved his hand, signaling the local earth god to step back, but a question arose in his mind: "What on earth is Sun Wukong up to?"

In the Peach Garden, the seven fairies stepped into the garden again, but they were all stunned.

The fairy in red stared wide-eyed and exclaimed, "This... how is this possible?"

Where are the peaches?
Where have all the peaches in the garden gone?

The fairy in purple looked around, her face pale: "Could it be that we didn't look carefully last time we came?"
But how come there isn't a single peach left in this orchard?

Sun Wukong hid behind a peach tree in the distance, peeking out and secretly lamenting, "Oh no, oh no, I've really messed up this time!"
That brat Jiang Wang probably stole all the peaches!

"I, Old Sun, am going to have to take the blame this time!"

His eyes darted around, and he secretly plucked a hair from his eye, blew on it, and whispered, "Change!"

In an instant, the hairs transformed into a pile of fake peaches, which rolled to the ground.

Sun Wukong breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "Let's just get through this for now. I, Old Sun, can't let the Jade Emperor find any fault with me!"

But he wondered to himself, "Just who is Jiang Wang?"

"They dared to empty the peach orchard! They're even bolder than me, Old Sun!"

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, golden light shone brightly, and immortal energy swirled. The immortals had different expressions, but their eyes were all focused on Sun Wukong in the very center.

He was clad in golden armor, his fiery eyes gleaming, and a carefree smile played on his lips, as if he didn't care about the doubts around him.

Jiang Wang stood to the side, dressed in a blue robe, with a handsome face, but his eyes held a cunning glint that went unnoticed by anyone.

He stood discreetly at the corner of the hall, his hands behind his back, quietly observing the farce.

"I'll say it again, that guy who stole the peaches and caused trouble at the Jade Pool was definitely not me!"

Sun Wukong stood with his hands on his hips, his voice booming so loud it made the glazed tiles of the hall tremble slightly. "You gods, with your eyes on the top of your heads, can't even tell the difference between truth and falsehood, yet you have the nerve to point fingers here?"

The hall was silent. The immortals looked at each other, some frowning in thought, others whispering among themselves.

The Emperor sat upright on the Nine-Dragon Throne, his face ashen, his gaze sweeping over Sun Wukong before settling on the Curtain-Rolling General beside him.

The curtain-roller lowered his head, trembling with fear, as if he dared not look directly at the Jade Emperor's majesty.

"Roller up, say it again, was what you saw that day truly the work of this monkey?"

The Jade Emperor's voice was deep, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

Juanlian swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly: "Reporting to the Jade Emperor, I personally witnessed that 'Sun Wukong' wreaking havoc in the Jade Pool that day, stealing peaches of immortality and sweeping away all the immortal wine."

He... he even used his hidden power to collect all the celestial fruits from the entire table!

"fart!"

Sun Wukong slapped his thigh and glared angrily. "If I, Old Sun, really did such a thing, I would have already packed up and gone back to Flower Fruit Mountain to have fun. Why would I need to waste my breath arguing with you guys here?"

"That hidden space within a sleeve? Hmph, I don't have that ability!"

Another murmur rippled through the hall, and the immortals' gazes began to wander.

Venus stroked his beard and said in a low voice, "This 'Universe in the Sleeve' is Zhenyuan Daxian's unique supernatural power. How could Sun Wukong possibly use it?"
Could it be..."

"enough!"

The Queen Mother's cold voice interrupted the discussion. She stood up, waved her wide sleeves lightly, and swept her gaze like a knife towards Sun Wukong. "Monkey, you keep saying that you are innocent, but there is no proof."

"Jade Emperor, why not use the Haotian Mirror? A simple check will reveal the truth."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Granted."

He raised his hand, and an ancient bronze mirror appeared from the void, its surface shimmering with light and exuding an inexplicable pressure.

All the immortals held their breath and focused their gazes on the Haotian Mirror.

"Haotian Mirror, manifest!"

The Jade Emperor gave a low shout and pointed his finger at the mirror. A golden light shot out from the mirror, transforming into a huge light screen that floated in the center of the hall.

Within the light screen, the fairyland of Yaochi appeared, with wisps of celestial mist and peach trees laden with fruit.

Suddenly, a figure clad in golden armor appeared—"Sun Wukong" (the Monkey King).

He swaggered in, grabbed a peach and stuffed it into his mouth, his actions rude and undisguised.

"look!

"That's the monkey!"

The curtain-roller pointed at the light screen and said urgently, "That's exactly what it looked like that day!"

Sun Wukong sneered and glanced at the light screen: "Hmph, as expected, it's an imposter!"

I, Old Sun, am not so unrefined when it comes to food.
Look at this guy, his mouth is dripping with juice, he looks like a starving ghost reincarnated!

The light screen continued to shift, displaying "Sun Wukong".

After eating the peaches of immortality, he grabbed a jar of celestial wine, gulped it down, and even let out a burp at the end.

Then, he laughed heartily, waved his sleeve, and a flash of green light swept away the entire table of immortal fruits, along with the golden plates and jade cups on the table.

Upon seeing this, the immortals were in an uproar.

"That's... a hidden world within a sleeve!"

Venus exclaimed in surprise, his voice filled with disbelief, "The divine power of Zhenyuan Daxian!"
"How...how is this possible?"

The Jade Emperor's gaze darkened, his brows furrowing: "Zhen Yuanzi... this man has always been low-key, how could he do such a thing?"

He paused, a hint of doubt in his voice, "But if it wasn't him, who could imitate it so realistically?"

In the light screen, "Sun Wukong"

After collecting the celestial fruits, he leisurely left Yaochi, heading straight for the Tushita Palace.

Laozi's calm expression suddenly changed, and he stood up abruptly, exclaiming, "This is bad!"
That monkey head... no, that fake monkey head went to Tushita Palace!

"My elixir!"

Before Laozi finished speaking, his figure transformed into a golden light and flew towards the Tushita Palace.

Seeing this, the Jade Emperor said in a deep voice, "All immortals, follow me to the Tushita Palace to find out what's going on!"

He rose, waved his wide sleeves, and vanished from the Lingxiao Palace in an instant, along with the Queen Mother and the immortals.

Jiang Wang stood there, a slight smile playing on his lips, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

He muttered to himself, "The show is about to begin. My performance is going to be quite spectacular."

He flashed away and silently followed.

Inside the Tushita Palace, the celestial aura had long been replaced by a scene of utter devastation.

The Eight Trigrams Furnace overturned on the ground, its embers spilling out and emitting a burnt smell. (End of Chapter)