Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

In the Heavenly Court, when they saw Sun Wukong overturn the table and descend to the mortal realm, the officials, clerks, heavenly soldiers, and warriors looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Finally, the eunuch realized what was happening and hurriedly went to report to his superior.

The next day, when the Jade Emperor held court, Zhang Tianshi, accompanied by the supervising official, arrived at the Lingxiao Palace and reported, "Your Majesty, the newly appointed Bi Ma Wen (弼马温) Sun Wukong has rebelled and left the Heavenly Palace because he finds his official rank too low."

Among the Four Heavenly Kings, the King of the Nation, who was also among the civil and military officials, upon hearing Zhang Tianshi say that Sun Wukong had rebelled, he thought to himself, "No wonder that demon monkey was in such a panic yesterday, rushing down to the mortal realm. It turns out he was dissatisfied with his lowly position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses and rebelled. If I had known that the demon monkey was going to rebel yesterday, I should have chased him down to the mortal realm and killed him."

The reason the four Heavenly Kings attacked Sun Wukong yesterday was because of a conflict between them. They were unaware that Sun Wukong had rebelled because his position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses was too lowly.

The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt.

Chapter 463 Slaying the Demon Monkey

The Jade Emperor said, "My beloved ministers, Sun Wukong, the Keeper of the Imperial Stables, has rebelled against Heaven because he thinks his position is too low. What do you think we should do?"

Zhang Tianshi said, "Your Majesty, this monkey is ungrateful. It is already an honor for him to be promoted to the position of Bi Ma Wen, yet he complains that the rank is too low. Your Majesty can order two groups of generals to go to Huaguo Mountain to capture that monkey as a punishment. Otherwise, I'm afraid the cultivators of the Three Realms will laugh at my Heavenly Palace."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly and said, "What Zhang Tianshi says is true." Then, looking at the civil and military officials in the Lingxiao Palace, he asked, "I wonder which two generals are willing to lead troops down to the mortal realm to subdue the demon monkey?"

"I heard that the demon monkey once wreaked havoc in the East Sea, and even the Dragon King of the East Sea couldn't do anything about him."

"Not only that, that demon monkey also broke into the Netherworld and injured countless Yin spirits."

"This demon monkey is exceptionally powerful; ordinary heavenly soldiers and generals probably cannot defeat him."

Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's decree to capture Sun Wukong, a cacophony of voices erupted in the hall, like the buzzing of countless flies. Many were discussing it, but few were willing to step forward and accept the decree.

"Which of my esteemed ministers is willing to descend to the mortal realm to capture the demon monkey?" The Jade Emperor's voice already contained a hint of anger.

The Lingxiao Palace suddenly became quiet; you could hear a pin drop. All the civil and military officials kept their eyes down, their mouths closed, and not one of them spoke.

Although those civil and military officials looked down on Sun Wukong in the past, they also knew that Sun Wukong was not weak and dared not provoke him.

Although they were subjects and the Jade Emperor was the monarch, almost every one of them had a powerful background and was backed by a sage.

Some of them were even disciples of sages. They had no need to fear the Jade Emperor.

"What a bunch of scoundrels!" the Jade Emperor cursed inwardly. "Don't think that just because you have a sage backing you up, I'm afraid of you. Sooner or later, I'll make you all go to the Execution Platform!"

His face remained expressionless, still indifferent, as he inquired again, "I wonder which of my esteemed ministers is willing to descend to the mortal realm to capture the demon monkey?"

After speaking, he looked towards Li Jing in the main hall. He wasn't without trusted confidants in this Heavenly Palace.

Noticing the Jade Emperor's gaze, Li Jing quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to lead troops down to the mortal realm to subdue the demon monkey."

The Jade Emperor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "With the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King taking action, the demon monkey will surely be captured easily. However, it is not appropriate for the Heavenly King to act alone; we are still missing one person."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King said, "Your Majesty, may my son Nezha accompany you."

The Jade Emperor nodded and said, "Based on the words of the Heavenly King of the Pagoda, I will send Nezha with you."

Nezha stood aside, intending to decline, but the Jade Emperor had given the decree, leaving him with no choice. When he turned to look at Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, his eyes held a hint of hatred.

Back in Chen Tang Pass, Nezha had severed his father-son relationship with Li Jing by cutting off his own bones and flesh to return to his parents, and there was even a trace of hatred between them. However, because Li Jing possessed the Linglong Pagoda, which was specially given to Li Jing by the Ancient Buddha Dipankara to subdue him, Nezha, having suffered several losses, dared not lay a hand on Li Jing.

Otherwise, Li Jing would probably have already been stabbed in the back and back by Nezha's Fire-Tipped Spear.

Li Jing deliberately dragged him down to the mortal realm to deal with Sun Wukong. Although Nezha was furious, he didn't dare to actually make a move.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, the Jade Emperor immediately appointed Li Jing as the Grand Marshal for Subduing Demons and Nezha as the Vanguard Commander, leading 80,000 heavenly soldiers and generals to descend to the mortal realm to capture Sun Wukong.

Li Jing and Nezha kowtowed to express their gratitude. After arriving at the military camp, they mustered 80,000 heavenly soldiers and generals and flew towards the location of Flower Fruit Mountain in the lower realm.

In a short while, they arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain. Li Jing pressed down on the cloud and looked towards Flower Fruit Mountain. He saw that Flower Fruit Mountain was more than two hundred miles long and wide, with undulating mountain ranges that rose and fell, like a dragon lying on the ground, baring its fangs and claws, with a fierce and imposing aura.

The mountain was covered with towering ancient pines and cypresses, a lush green expanse that looked as if the entire mountain peak was draped in a green carpet.

Among those many mountain peaks, there is a waterfall with a rapid and wide flow, like a silver ribbon. Many monkeys leaped into the waterfall and disappeared.

"I've heard that there's a Water Curtain Cave in Flower Fruit Mountain. That mountain peak must be the location of that Water Curtain Cave," thought the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King said, "Next is Flower Fruit Mountain. I wonder if any of you are willing to go down and capture the monkey demon?"

Behind Li Jing, besides Nezha, followed many divine generals and heavenly soldiers. The auspicious clouds beneath their feet formed a dense, continuous expanse, completely obscuring the sky.

The auras of numerous divine generals and heavenly soldiers coalesced into a massive pillar of energy that shot straight into the sky, a sight that was utterly awe-inspiring.

Almost every one of those divine generals and heavenly soldiers was dressed in silver-white armor, wielding swords, spears, and halberds. They were tall, imposing, and incredibly powerful.

Upon hearing Li Jing's question, the Giant Spirit God stepped out from the side and said, "Marshal, I am willing to go down and capture that demon monkey and bring it to justice."

Li Jing said, "Giant Spirit God, please be careful. That demon monkey is quite powerful."

The Giant Spirit said, "Marshal, please rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission."

After saying this, the Giant Spirit God rode the cloud and flew down towards Flower Fruit Mountain. When it was still thirty or forty feet away from Flower Fruit Mountain, the Giant Spirit God suddenly jumped down from the auspicious cloud.

With a thud, the giant spirit landed on the ground, creating a huge crater. Countless dust and stone chips flew out, and a cloud of dust and mist spread out.

The loud bang was enormous, a sudden explosion like a muffled thunderclap. The entire Flower Fruit Mountain shook as if an earthquake had occurred, and head-sized boulders rolled down the hillside.

Chapter 464 Giant Spirit General

"what happened?"

In the Flower Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong was drinking and making merry with a group of monkeys when a shockwave struck. Sun Wukong stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but fortunately he reacted in time and did not fall.

The monkeys and their offspring in front of him, however, were not as capable as him. They rolled around on the ground like gourds, tumbling about with the tremor.

Above the Water Curtain Cave, the colorful stalactites, radiating dazzling light, fell like raindrops, hitting the monkeys inside the cave, causing them to scream in pain once again.

Fortunately, the tremor didn't last long before it stopped, and the monkeys didn't suffer many attacks or major casualties.

The tremors had barely subsided when Sun Wukong, about to go out to investigate, was confronted by an old monkey, over four feet tall, covered in black fur, clad in red armor, and wielding a red-tasseled spear. He came running and tumbling in a disheveled state, shouting, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! A huge horde of heavenly soldiers and generals has descended from the sky, densely covering the entire heavens like a vast dark cloud! A divine general, over ten feet tall, suddenly leaped down from the sky, causing the entire Flower Fruit Mountain to tremble! Your Majesty, you must go out and see!"

"Heavenly soldiers and generals? I never expected that they would dare to cause trouble for me when I didn't even bother them. I'll teach them a lesson today!" Sun Wukong was furious.

In the ensuing tremor, countless monkeys and their followers on Flower Fruit Mountain were injured. These were monkeys whom Sun Wukong usually cherished dearly; how could he not be furious that they had been harmed?

With a leap, he transformed into a streak of white light and flew away.

As soon as he emerged from the Water Curtain Cave, a colossal figure came into view. The figure was over ten zhang tall, standing there like a small mountain, exuding an imposing aura. While the heavenly generals were all tall, few could match this height.

The giant wore emerald green armor with a gleaming breastplate and carried a massive, three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) long, ornate axe. His face was as black as lacquer, his eyes were like lanterns, his nose was like a cave, and his brow bones resembled two small mountain ridges—he was truly terrifying.

"Who are you, you hairy god, daring to cause trouble in my Flower Fruit Mountain? Hurry up and tell me your name!"

Sun Wukong rode a cloud and flew to the figure, asking in a stern voice.

"You wicked monkey, how dare you underestimate me! I am the Giant Spirit General, a subordinate of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. I have come down here on the Jade Emperor's orders to capture you, you wicked monkey. If you surrender now and submit to my command, I might spare your life. But if you dare utter a single word of dissent and anger me, I will chop you into dust on the spot!" the Giant Spirit General roared.

How could he not be furious that a dignified heavenly general was being called a hairy god?

Sun Wukong was furious. He said, "You hairy god, how dare you boast like this, wanting to chop me, Old Sun, into dust! I, Old Sun, originally intended to kill you with one blow, but I feared no one would believe me. You should quickly return to Heaven and report to the Jade Emperor, asking him why he doesn't employ worthy men? I, Old Sun, possess boundless abilities, why am I made to tend his horses? Look up at the banners of my Flower Fruit Mountain. If you are promoted according to this banner, I will not use force, and the world will naturally be at peace; if you do not, I will storm the Lingxiao Palace and make sure he doesn't sit on his dragon throne!"

Upon hearing this, the Giant Spirit God immediately looked up towards the summit of Flower Fruit Mountain. There, at the very top of the mountain, stood a green bamboo pole, seven or eight zhang tall, with a banner hanging on it bearing the four large characters "Great Sage Equal to Heaven".

The banners, crimson and yellow, fluttered in the wind, and the four large characters were written in a bold and elegant style, exuding an air of dominance.

The Giant Spirit God sneered, "You demon monkey, you're courting death! How much skill do you think you have, daring to think you're on par with the heavens and proclaim yourself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! Quickly, take this axe blow!"

The giant axe in his hand flashed with a cold light as it swung towards Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong was prepared and dodged it on his auspicious cloud. When that failed, the giant spirit struck again, but Sun Wukong's cloud-riding speed was incredible, and no matter what the giant spirit did, it couldn't hit him.

Furthermore, the giant spirit god was enormous, while Sun Wukong was extremely small. When the two were placed together, it was like a human facing a dragonfly.

It is extremely difficult for humans to attack dragonflies.

After missing his target two or three times, the Giant Spirit mocked, "You demon monkey, I thought you were quite capable, but it turns out you're nothing special. All you've learned is how to run away! You're truly laughable! Laughable!"

Sun Wukong said, "If you want to fight, then fight. Do you think I, Old Sun, am afraid of you?"

Having said that, Sun Wukong pulled the golden cudgel out of his ear, swung it around, and it grew to the thickness of a bowl and more than two zhang long, its entire body gleaming with golden light.

Then he chanted the incantation again, and used the Dharma of Heaven and Earth to become as tall as the giant spirit god, standing upright in front of the giant spirit god like an iron tower.

Sun Wukong said, "Giant Spirit God, how do you see me now?"

The Giant Spirit said, "It's nothing but a silver spear with a wax head, all show and no substance!"

Enraged, Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel down at the Giant Spirit God. The Giant Spirit God, not daring to be careless, quickly raised his Xuanhua axe to meet the blow.

With a clang, Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang struck the giant axe of the Giant Spirit God, sending sparks flying everywhere, crackling and popping like firecrackers.

With a single blow, the giant spirit staggered back three or four steps, nearly losing his balance and falling to the ground.

"That monkey is incredibly strong!" the Giant Spirit thought to himself, shaking his numb right hand.

The force of Sun Wukong's blow just now was so great that it felt like his tiger's mouth was about to break.

What he didn't know was that Sun Wukong cultivated the Buddhist first body-refining technique, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, which naturally gave him immense strength.

........

Chapter 465 Nezha Goes to Battle

As the Giant Spirit God, among the many heavenly soldiers and generals, although his strength may not be the greatest, it is still among the top.

However, compared to Sun Wukong, who had cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, there was still a slight gap.

"Giant Spirit God, take another hit from my club!"

With a roar, Sun Wukong's golden cudgel streaked across the sky like a golden ribbon, hundreds of feet long, carrying an unparalleled momentum as it struck the Giant Spirit God once more.

A clicking sound rang out.

The void before them could not withstand Sun Wukong's blow, and visible cracks appeared.

Sun Wukong's staff actually shattered the entire void.