Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 361: A Shocking Case in Heaven

Qinyuan Mountains.

The candlelight flickered in the secret room of Silizhai. The dim light and shadows danced on the walls, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

Beside the desk, Xiao Chen and Princess Wansheng sat opposite each other.

Xiao Chen was staring at Princess Wansheng and asking her about the participants in her "stealing treasures from heaven" operation.

"King Jinjiao, this matter is too dangerous. I dare not trust others easily."

"You and the Bull Demon King are both close friends of my father."

"In this Northern Continent, the only people I can trust are you, King Jinjiao, and Uncle Bull Demon King."

"I don't trust anyone else, and I won't talk to them."

Princess Halloween shook her head firmly and spoke.

She looked at Xiao Chen, with an unyielding light in her eyes.

She would never accept her fate and would not be bound by destiny.

She had to go into the Heavenly Palace to investigate and steal the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum to secure a chance of survival for herself.

If the Golden Horned King doesn't help her, she will go to Uncle Bull Demon King.

"You plan to ask me and Bull Demon King for help..."

"The Bull Demon King and I..."

When Xiao Chen heard this, his heart suddenly moved, as if some clues flashed through his mind.

He narrowed his eyes and began to carefully recall the various theft cases in Journey to the West.

There are many thefts in the original plot of Journey to the West.

Such as the "Lingshan Glass Lamp Oil Theft Case", "Tathagata Buddha's Incense, Flowers and Precious Candles Theft Case", "Heavenly Peaches Theft Case", "Heavenly Immortal Grass Theft Case", "Heavenly Immortal Pill Theft Case", "Wuzhuang Temple Ginseng Fruit Theft Case", "Guanyin Temple Robe Theft Case" and so on.

Many theft cases are confusing and difficult to explain.

But if you look closely, you will find that every theft case is not that simple.

Behind every theft case, there seems to be the shadow of a certain force hidden, or it seems to be the result of a game between various parties.

In particular, this case of "theft of the immortal grass from heaven" is an unsolved mystery in the original plot.

Princess Halloween is just a princess of the Dragon King of the Lower Realm, with average cultivation and background.

Princess Halloween's mission of stealing the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum from the heavily guarded Heavenly Palace, the Lingxiao Palace, is definitely not something she can accomplish alone!
There must be someone helping Wan Sheng Gong steal the treasure from the Heavenly Palace, and it is even possible that it was committed by a gang.

At this moment, Xiao Chen heard Princess Halloween talking about the Bull Demon King.

"I see……"

"It's my big brother, Bull Demon King, who has to take action..."

A glimmer of enlightenment flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes, as if a flash of inspiration illuminated the fog in his heart.

In this Journey to the West world, at this moment, everything seems to become clearer.

He seemed to have penetrated the fog of time and space and saw the confusing scenes in the original plot.

He suddenly realized that Bull Demon King, the great demon king with a great reputation in the world of Journey to the West, might be the key figure in Princess Halloween's theft of the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

All those details that once puzzled him now seemed to be connected together to form a clear clue.

He might already know how Princess Halloween stole the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum in the original plot.

The old Dragon King Wansheng actually has a very low status in the Heavenly Palace. He is just a Pond Dragon King, which is only slightly higher than the Well Dragon King.

Above the Halloween Dragon King are the Four Seas Dragon Kings, the River Dragon King, the River Dragon King, the Lake Dragon King...

Such as the Dragon King of the Yangtze River, the Dragon King of the Yellow River, the Dragon King of the Jing River, the Dragon King of the Huai River, the Dragon King of Dongting Lake, the Dragon King of Taihu Lake... a lot of them.

Among the dragon clan, only the four sea dragon kings are qualified to enter the heaven to meet the emperor.

Moreover, even the Four Dragon Kings cannot go to Heaven whenever they want.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas have to report something to the Jade Emperor and receive an imperial decree before they can go.

After all, the Four Dragon Kings are local officials, not central officials, so how can they run to the central government every day?

As for marginal dragon kings like the Wansheng Old Dragon King, they have even less power in Heaven, and their status may not be much different from that of mountain gods and land gods.

A position like the old Halloween Dragon King is of little help to Princess Halloween in her plan to steal the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

However, in addition to Princess Halloween, there is also a most crucial character in this case - the Bull Demon King!

It was the help of Bull Demon King.

This made it possible for Princess Halloween to steal the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

"Bull Demon King..."

Xiao Chen whispered softly, and when he thought of this, he already had a plan in his mind.

Xiao Chen knew very well that the relationship between Bull Demon King and Wansheng Old Dragon King was extraordinary. They were close buddies, and their relationship could be considered a life-and-death friendship.

To a certain extent, the relationship between Bull Demon King and Wansheng Old Dragon King is even better than that between him and Sun Wukong.

This kind of friendship was fully demonstrated in the battle of Jilei Mountain.

At that time, Sun Wukong and Bull Demon King were fighting to a standstill.

Not only did Sun Wukong beat Red Boy, the son of Bull Demon King, but he also disturbed his wife Princess Iron Fan and frightened his concubine Jade-faced Fox.

At this time, the Bull Demon King's hatred for Sun Wukong was hard to get rid of.

However, when the old Halloween Dragon King called the Bull Demon King to a banquet, the Bull Demon King, who was in battle, left Sun Wukong behind and went to the palace of the old Halloween Dragon King for the banquet without saying a word.

For the Bull Demon King, the friendship with the Wansheng Old Dragon King is more important than the grudge with Sun Wukong.

This friendship is evident from this.

"Thousands of years later..."

Xiao Chen's thoughts drifted back to the original plot. He remembered the time when Princess Halloween went to steal the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum, which was nearly a thousand years later.

That is when the journey west is about to begin.

At that time, the heavenly palace had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Marshal Tianpeng had been beaten with two thousand hammers for making mistakes, deprived of his immortal fetus, banished to the mortal world, reborn as a pig, and became a pig spirit.

General Juanlian was not spared either. He was beaten with eight hundred hammers, deprived of his immortal fetus, and banished to the mortal world. He suffered the pain of being pierced through the heart by flying swords more than a hundred times every seven days, and turned into a spirit of quicksand.

The most critical point is.

The Bull Demon King, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng all knew each other and had made friends with each other.

The Bull Demon King once thought to himself:

"I heard that Tang Monk is waiting on the road. His second disciple is the Pig Spirit, and his third disciple is the Sand Spirit. I met him when I was a demon."

"Humph, that Sun Wukong thinks he's so great, I'll transform myself into a pig demon and trick him. I think this monkey will be happy with his success and won't be on guard."

These words are exactly Bull Demon King's recollection of his friendship with Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng.

He remembered that time clearly in his heart, and even wanted to use this past event to his advantage. He planned to transform himself into Zhu Bajie and trick Sun Wukong.

Relying on the iron-clad friendship between Bull Demon King and All Saints Old Dragon King.

If Princess Halloween asks for help, Bull Demon King will certainly help her without hesitation.

However, there are many palaces in heaven, the paths are complicated, and the security is strict. It is not easy for Princess Halloween to go to the Lingxiao Palace in heaven to steal the nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum.

For such actions, an insider is indispensable!
There must be help from within!

However, Zhu Bajie was once the Marshal of Heaven and an important official in the Lingxiao Palace.

Sha Seng is the Jade Emperor's curtain-lifting general, and can be regarded as the Jade Emperor's close attendant.
Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian, these two gods know the layout of the heavenly palace and the location of the nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum very well.

Especially Zhu Bajie.

The Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum of the Queen Mother. In the original plot, there were actually two people who had direct contact with the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum of the Queen Mother.

One is Princess Halloween and the other is Zhu Bajie.

Princess Halloween stole the nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum.

Zhu Bajie also once secretly ate the "Ganoderma lucidum" of the Queen Mother. He had direct contact with the Queen Mother's nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum.

In the original novel, the matter of "Queen Mother's Ganoderma Lucidum" was hinted through the mouth of Zhu Bajie.

Zhu Bajie once said:

"He was drunk and flirted with a palace maid, and then he sold out his hero. He knocked down the Bullfighting Palace with one mouthful, and ate the 'Queen Mother's Lingzhi Vegetable'."

"The Jade Emperor personally struck me with 2,000 hammers and banished me to the Three Heavens."

It can be seen that Zhu Bajie actually committed three crimes, and was punished for these three crimes and demoted to the mortal world.

The first crime: molesting palace maids and women after drinking.

The second crime: toppling the Douniu Palace, destroying the heavenly buildings and damaging the heavenly property.

The third crime: eating "Queen Mother's Ganoderma Lucidum Vegetable", which means stealing the Queen Mother's treasure.

The severity of the crime must be progressive.

The greater the sin, the later it is.

The most serious offense Zhu Bajie committed was actually stealing the Queen Mother's Lingzhi vegetable. Flirting with palace maids, strictly speaking, might not be considered a serious crime in the laws of heaven.

After all, the word "teasing" mostly refers to frivolous acts, such as Marshal Tianpeng holding hands with palace maids and saying flirtatious words after drinking, which did not cause any substantial harm or consequences.

In comparison, the behavior of Kuimulang, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, is much more serious.

Not only did Kuimulang desire to descend to the mortal world, he also had an affair with Baihuaxiu in Baoxiang Kingdom. They were married for thirteen years and had several children.

Kuimulang's children have all been born.

However, Kuimulang was only punished to keep fire for Taishang Laojun, but he was restored to his original position soon after, as if nothing had happened.

The most important thing is that Kuimulang can "receive salary while serving his duties and be reinstated if he has made meritorious contributions."

This punishment is almost the same as no punishment.

You know, Baihuaxiu is the jade maiden who serves incense in the Pixiang Palace, and she is also a fairy in heaven. However, Kuimulang not only slept with the fairy in heaven, but also had a baby with her.

In comparison, it can be seen that Marshal Tianpeng's molestation of palace maids was not a serious crime.

Zhu Bajie had indeed eaten the Queen Mother's Ganoderma Lucidum, but what he ate should have been the Ganoderma Lucidum cultivated by the Queen Mother, not the precious Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

Zhu Bajie had eaten Ganoderma lucidum before, and Monk Sha was on duty in the Lingxiao Palace. Not only did they know the layout of the Heavenly Palace very well, they also knew the exact location of the "Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum".

The monster Bull Demon King is a careless and careful person, and is very good at socializing.

He took the initiative to make friends with Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian who were demoted to the mortal world.

Marshal Tianpeng was reincarnated as a pig, and General Juanlian suffered the pain of being pierced through the heart by hundreds of swords every seven days. Do they have any resentment towards the Heavenly Court in their hearts?
Maybe, maybe not, I don’t know.

But in the midst of toasting and exchanging cups.

After drinking, Bull Demon King tricked them into talking and found out the map of Heaven and the exact location of the "Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum Grass".

For Bull Demon King, this is not a difficult task. His excellent communication skills are enough to allow him to complete this task easily.

In this way, the matter of Princess Halloween stealing the immortal grass is actually quite clear.

The Bull Demon King helps Princess Halloween, makes friends with Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian who were demoted to the mortal world, and tricks them into talking, thus finding out the map of heaven and the exact location of the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

With the help of Bull Demon King, Princess Halloween was able to sneak into the Heavenly Palace and arrived at the Lingxiao Palace with ease.

With the help of the inside information provided by Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian, she successfully stole the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

This theft of the celestial herb was like a carefully choreographed drama, with every detail being just right.

To a certain extent, Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian were the accomplices in this theft.

They may not have been directly involved in the theft, but the information they provided was crucial to the success of the theft.

Thousands of years later, the truth behind the theft of the Heavenly Palace Immortal Grass may be as follows:

The Thief: Princess Halloween.

The mastermind behind the scenes: Bull Demon King.

The person who provided the information, the insider: Marshal Tianpeng who turned into a pig spirit when he was demoted to the mortal world, and General Juanlian who was being tortured.

In this case, how could Princess Wansheng, a weak woman, steal the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum from the Lingxiao Palace in Heaven?
It becomes reasonable.

With the cooperation of these people, Princess Halloween does have a chance to steal the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum from Heaven.

"But... at this point in time."

"Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian are still serving as officials in heaven and have not been demoted to the mortal world."

"This means that perhaps there should have been an insider a thousand years later..."

"At this point in time, it does not exist!"

Xiao Chen's eyes fell on Princess Wansheng, with a complicated expression:
"Princess Wan Sheng's foundation was damaged early because I destroyed her Lingzhi herb."

“Originally, perhaps Princess Wansheng encountered this problem in her practice nearly a thousand years later.”

“But now everything is ahead of schedule.”

"She needs the 'Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum' right now."

Xiao Chen already understood in his mind.

He realized that all these changes were due to his unintentional actions back then.

Although he stole the Ganoderma Lucidum on impulse, it triggered a series of chain reactions.

It's like the "butterfly effect", where a butterfly flapping its wings in South America may result in a tornado in Texas, USA.

In a dynamic system, a slight change in the initial conditions may trigger a long-term and huge chain reaction in the entire system.

In this world of Journey to the West, Xiao Chen's appearance and actions are like a butterfly flapping its wings, and are an important variable in this world of Journey to the West.

As time went on, the events he influenced had now erupted.

Regarding the matter of Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum.

He changed the original timeline, causing Princess Halloween to encounter a bottleneck in her practice earlier and need to obtain the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum in advance.

Perhaps, since he came to this world, this place is no longer exactly the world of Journey to the West described by Wu Cheng'en.

Everything has changed.

Everything seems to have gone off the original track.

Many events.

It's already too much in advance.

at this time.

Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian have not yet come down to earth.

But Princess Halloween has already embarked on the dangerous journey of stealing the magical herbs from heaven.

Where is the accomplice?

Who is the accomplice behind Princess Halloween’s theft of the magical herb?
Xiao Chen didn’t know. He didn’t know what Princess Halloween’s intentions and plans were for this trip.

Therefore, he asked Princess Halloween directly:
"Ao Yao, do you have any accomplices on this trip?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Halloween shook her head slightly, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

She said softly, with a hint of bitterness in her voice:
"I don't know any gods in heaven, and I don't have any insiders."

After hearing this, Xiao Chen frowned even more tightly.

Princess Halloween’s words made Xiao Chen realize.

This point in time is not a thousand years later.

If there is no insider in this mission to steal the treasure from Heaven, then wouldn't Princess Halloween's journey be like a blind man touching an elephant, full of dangers?
Can she still get the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma?
He couldn't help but ask again:
"Ao Yao, do you have any plans for this trip?"

"We can't just act rashly like this, can we?"

"plan?"

Princess Halloween was silent for a while, as if thinking about how to answer Xiao Chen's question.

Finally, after hesitating for a long time, Princess Halloween slowly said:

"My plan..."

Having said this, Princess Halloween paused for a moment, sorted out her thoughts, and continued:

"I have not yet mastered such a profound spell as the Art of Transformation."

"The gods in heaven are all very powerful. I don't think they can even defeat ordinary heavenly generals."

"If you want to act under their noses, you have to be extremely careful."

There was a hint of worry and determination in her voice.

After saying that, Princess Wansheng looked up at Xiao Chen, with a hint of expectation in her eyes:
"So, I want to see if you, King Jinjiao, have any magic weapon that can hide your aura and change your body shape."

"It would be best if it was a magic weapon that could deceive those powerful gods in heaven."

"Clap clap clap..."

Xiao Chen's hands tapped lightly on the round table, making a rhythmic sound.

There was a glimmer of anticipation and curiosity in his eyes, and he asked:
"Then, after you get the magic weapon, what are you going to do, Ao Yao?"

"Heaven is not a place to joke around. If you are not careful, you may end up in an irretrievable situation."

"How are you going to get in and out?"

Princess Wansheng was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then spread her hands and said helplessly:

"As for the rest, I'll just take it as it comes."

“The situation in heaven is complex and ever-changing. I have never been there and I don’t know what it looks like.

"I can only adapt to the situation and do my best."

She looked up at Xiao Chen, with some helplessness in her tone:
"Should I go to Heaven to look for it first?"

"First, let's see if the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma is in the Heavenly Palace?"

"If the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum is in Heaven."

"I'll see if there's any way to get closer to the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma."

(End of this chapter)