Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

At this moment, the six brothers from Meishan, brandishing their weapons, also surrounded Sun Wukong and joined forces with Yang Jian and the other seven to attack him.

Sun Wukong's Eight-Nine Arcane Arts were indeed powerful. Even when Yang Jian and his Meishan brothers attacked together, they could not subdue him. They could only suppress him and gain a slight advantage.

"This demon monkey is incredibly powerful. It seems Yang Jian will have some difficulty capturing him!"

Standing before the South Heavenly Gate, Li Jing frowned and sighed.

Laozi, standing to the side, laughed and said, "Marshal, do not worry. Watch as this humble Taoist helps Yang Jian subdue this demon monkey."

"What ideas does Laozi have?" Li Jing asked.

Laozi reached into his sleeve and pulled out a round, gleaming white steel ring, saying, "This weapon is forged from Kun steel. I refined it with the Elixir of Immortality, imbuing it with spiritual energy. It is capable of transformation, impervious to water and fire, and can trap all things; it is called the 'Diamond Ring' or 'Diamond Sleeve.' Back when we crossed the Hangu Pass and converted the barbarians to Buddhism, we relied heavily on it. It is most useful for self-defense. Let me throw it down and hit it. It will surely help Yang Jian capture that demon monkey."

Li Jing exclaimed with delight, "Laojun has such a treasure, use it quickly!"

Laozi held the diamond ring, about the size of a bowl, in his right hand and tossed it downwards. Instantly, the diamond ring transformed into a streak of white light and stumbled downwards.

With a crisp clang, the Diamond Bracelet struck Sun Wukong on the head. Sun Wukong was focused on fighting Yang Jian and the six brothers of Meishan and was not prepared for a sneak attack. He was hit by the Diamond Bracelet, felt dizzy and unsteady, and fell down.

Just as he was about to get up, Yang Jian's Howling Celestial Dog rushed up and bit his leg, causing him to fall down.

Sun Wukong was furious and cursed, "You beast, how dare you! Don't you know who I am? How dare you lay a hand on me? You've messed with me, I'll teach you a lesson!"

The golden cudgel, accompanied by a whooshing sound, slammed down towards the Celestial Hound.

At that moment, Yang Jian rushed over, used his three-pointed double-edged sword to remove the golden cudgel and save Xiaotian Dog. The six brothers of Meishan rushed forward and pinned him to the ground.

The 1,200 grass-headed gods nearby took out iron chains and bound him. They then used iron hooks to pierce Sun Wukong's collarbone, temporarily preventing him from transforming.

After Laozi accepted the Vajra Bracelet, Li Jing and Li Xiuyuan praised it, saying, "Laozi's Vajra Bracelet is truly a treasure. If it weren't for Laozi's Vajra Bracelet, we don't know how long it would have taken to capture this demon monkey."

Laozi laughed and said, "Bodhisattva Marshal, you flatter me. Although my treasure is powerful, the most important thing is still Yang Jian and the six brothers of Meishan."

"Laojun, there's no need to be modest," Li Jing said. "Yang Jian has already captured this demon monkey. Why don't you and the Bodhisattva come with me to see the Jade Emperor and see how he will deal with this demon monkey?"

Li Xiuyuan shook his head and said, "This humble monk has important matters to attend to, so I will not go. Marshal and Laozi, please go."

With that, Li Xiuyuan rode on auspicious clouds and flew down to the lower realm.

Li Jing, Laozi, Yang Jian, and the six brothers of Meishan escorted Sun Wukong toward Yaochi.

Li Xiuyuan landed on Flower Fruit Mountain on a cloud. After the grand display just now, Flower Fruit Mountain was a scene of devastation. Trees as thick as several people could hug were broken in the middle, and one large pit after another appeared on the ground, with turbid groundwater gurgling out.

The stones on the mountain were shattered, rolling down to the foot of the mountain, while wisps of black smoke rose in the distance. The mournful cries of weeping wandered aimlessly, starting as a single sound. Gradually, the weeping grew louder, rising from all directions and enveloping Li Xiuyuan.

The whole world was dark, without a ray of sunlight, and a feeling of grief and oppression overwhelmed me.

Those cries were from the monkeys who remained on Flower Fruit Mountain after the great battle. In the battle just now, the six brothers of Meishan led 1,200 grass-headed gods to attack them, and although they resisted, how could they possibly be a match for the six brothers of Meishan and the 1,200 grass-headed gods?

The enemy was too powerful; they attacked them as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, and there was no way for them to escape.

Now, after the great battle, seeing the corpses of their comrades, the monkeys could not suppress their grief and wept.

"I want the king! Where are you, king? Show yourself now!" A monkey with golden fur and over four feet tall stood on a black rock, shouting hysterically.

All around him were cries, but not a single monkey answered him.

Their king had long been captured by heavenly soldiers and generals. Countless monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain witnessed this scene, and this monkey also saw it, but he was unwilling to believe it.

After the angry shout, the monkey began to wail and cry again.

Li Xiuyuan said, "Don't worry, your king will be fine. He will be back soon."

"Really?" Upon hearing Li Xiuyuan's answer, the ape was stunned and somewhat incredulous.

"Who are you?" the ape asked in confusion.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "I am the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva."

Li Xiuyuan was radiating a golden light, like a shining light bulb. He had a fair complexion, delicate features, willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes. He wore a yellow monk's robe and stood on a golden lotus flower. He looked dignified and imposing as he slowly flew over.

"Are you a Bodhisattva?" the monkey asked incredulously. Then the monkey grinned and asked, "Bodhisattva, have you come to save us?"

Li Xiuyuan nodded and said, "Yes."

The monkey said, "My arm was injured by a heavenly soldier. Can you heal me? If you don't heal me, it will hurt a lot."

Chapter 487 Rescue Wukong

Li Xiuyuan looked at the ape's arm. The ape's entire right arm was hanging up, swinging loosely. It was clearly broken, and bright red blood was flowing out, which was quite terrifying.

Li Xiuyuan said softly, "Put your arm out here."

The monkey, half-believing and half-doubting, stretched out its arm in front of Li Xiuyuan. Li Xiuyuan used his magic power, and a golden light appeared on his hand. The golden light circled around the severed arm and merged into it. When he looked again, the wound on the arm had clearly healed, without a single gap appearing.

Feeling that the pain in its arm had subsided, the monkey tentatively waved its arm. Seeing that it was truly healed, it beamed with joy, repeatedly kowtowing and saying, "Thank you, Bodhisattva! Thank you, Bodhisattva!"

Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly but did not say anything.

The monkey kowtowed for a long time until its forehead was bleeding. Then it stopped, stood up, and stood on a large rock, shouting loudly to the monkeys all over the mountain: "Hey! There's a Bodhisattva here who can heal injuries! Everyone come quickly!"

If it were a human, out of selfishness or fear, they would never be as simple-minded and righteous as this ape, calling their companions to come over.

The shouts, like feathers carried by the wind, echoed throughout Flower Fruit Mountain. Monkeys from all over the mountain rushed over, creating a spectacular scene.

Where is the Bodhisattva?

"Can Bodhisattvas really heal people? My eyes were blinded by a heavenly general. Will the Bodhisattva heal me?"

"Are Bodhisattvas really that powerful?"

The monkeys gathered together, discussing and debating amongst themselves. Their voices merged, becoming enormous, a loud buzzing sound.

Li Xiuyuan, standing on golden lotuses, rose slowly and floated atop Flower Fruit Mountain, becoming incredibly conspicuous. Under his gaze, Li Xiuyuan saw that besides the monkeys, there were also other monsters on the entire Flower Fruit Mountain.

Sheep demons, bull demons, dog demons... they were all crammed together.

All the monsters bore injuries to varying degrees, and their gazes toward Li Xiuyuan held a hint of anticipation.

These monsters all rushed over upon hearing the shouts, hoping that Li Xiuyuan could help them heal their wounds.

Li Xiuyuan circulated his internal magic power, and the golden light on his body became even brighter and more dazzling. The golden light turned into particle-like objects and flew into the bodies of those monsters.

With the help of the golden light, the injuries on the monsters were all healed. The monsters were all very weak, which is why Li Xiuyuan was able to do this. If the monsters were stronger, it would have been impossible for Li Xiuyuan to do so.

The reason Li Xiuyuan didn't intervene when Yang Jian, the six Meishan brothers, and the 1,200 grass-headed gods attacked the monkeys was because, at that time, Li Xiuyuan had absolutely no reason to speak up.

After all, Sun Wukong hadn't been captured yet, and these monkeys were Sun Wukong's loyal followers. It would be completely unreasonable for Li Xiuyuan to offer help; it would raise suspicions of aiding Sun Wukong. Although Sun Wukong was his disciple, he hadn't yet revealed his true identity.

But now, with Sun Wukong captured by Yang Jian, these monkeys, being too weak to attract attention, were let go by the six brothers of Meishan.

Li Xiuyuan's intervention at this time can be attributed to his compassion, which is perfectly understandable. Even if someone knew, they would praise Li Xiuyuan for his kind heart, worthy of being a Buddhist bodhisattva, rather than criticize him.

Just then, in the Jade Pool of Heaven.

Pagoda Heavenly King Li, Laozi, Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Nine Luminaries, and the Twenty-Four Constellations escorted Sun Wukong to Yaochi to pay homage to the Jade Emperor.

Because of his discord with the Jade Emperor, Yang Jian simply handed Sun Wukong over to Li Jing and then returned to his home in Guanjiang Estuary with the six brothers of Meishan and the 1,200 grass-root spirits.

However, somehow, during the escort, Sun Wukong managed to break free of his chains, and even pulled out the iron hook from his collarbone. He swayed slightly, then channeled his magic power, and all his injuries instantly healed.

All of this was accomplished by Sun Wukong in the blink of an eye, before Li Jing and the others could even react.

Pulling out the Ruyi Jingu Bang from his ear, Sun Wukong pointed at Li Jing, Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Nine Luminaries, laughing and sneer, "You bunch of idiots, you actually think you can capture your Grandpa Sun? What a fool's dream! Just wait and see if your Grandpa Sun won't smash this Heavenly Palace to pieces today!"

Li Jing exclaimed in astonishment, "Demon monkey, you...you...how did you break free of your chains?"

Sun Wukong sneered, "I, Old Sun, possess boundless strength and great supernatural powers. Not to mention just one chain, even a hundred or ten thousand chains cannot restrain me!"

"Li Jing, prepare to die!" Sun Wukong brandished his golden cudgel, creating a golden glow as he charged towards Li Jing.

Without a second thought, Li Jing instantly retreated. At the same time, he felt a pang of regret. Had he known this would happen, he should have forced Yang Jian to come with him to meet the Jade Emperor.

Now that Yang Jian has returned to Guanjiang Estuary, there is probably no one in the Heavenly Court who can deal with this demon monkey.

The Heavenly Court may face a calamity today.

Upon seeing Sun Wukong escape, Nezha and the Four Heavenly Kings immediately jumped out and stood firmly in front of him, blocking his path. Then, the Nine Luminaries, the Twenty-Four Constellations, and all the heavenly generals reacted and surrounded Sun Wukong.

The entire battle was about to erupt.

Sun Wukong remained silent, ignoring the sheer number and power of Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Nine Luminaries. He simply took his golden cudgel and charged into the Jade Pool with overwhelming momentum, showing no fear whatsoever.

Chapter 488 Suppressing the Demon Monkey

Along the way, he was unstoppable, killing gods and Buddhas alike. Nezha and his companions were no match for him, and were sent flying by a single blow from his staff. However, Nezha was surrounded by the Four Heavenly Kings, the Nine Luminaries, the Twenty-Four Constellations, and various heavenly generals, making him quite numerous and able to hold them back.

The moment Sun Wukong broke free of his chains and jumped out, Li Jing rushed into the Jade Pool and arrived before the Jade Emperor in a panic, saying, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The demon monkey Sun Wukong has broken free of his chains and is now attacking the Jade Pool!"

The Jade Emperor, dressed in an ochre-yellow robe, frowned and asked, "How did that demon monkey manage to break free of its chains?"

Li Jing lowered his head and stammered, "This... this humble subject does not know either."

The Jade Emperor angrily cursed, "You're a piece of trash! What use are you? You're a complete idiot!"

Li Jing knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, and dared not reply.

After finishing his tirade, the Jade Emperor remained silent, sitting in his chair in deep thought. For a moment, the entire Jade Pool was utterly silent.

After a long pause, the Jade Emperor asked, "Which heavenly general is currently outside fighting that demon monkey?"

Li Jing hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, my son Nezha, along with the Four Heavenly Kings, the Nine Luminaries, and the Twenty-Four Constellations, are now joining forces to deal with that demon monkey."

The Jade Emperor asked, "Even with so many people joining forces, they are still no match for that demon monkey?"

Li Jing said in a low voice, "No."

After cursing him as useless once more, the Jade Emperor asked, "Where is Venus?"