Chaos Spirit Field

The torrential downpour had lasted for a full month, transforming the once boundless land into a vast expanse of water. Zhao Shanhe watched the vulnerable creatures struggling in the floodwaters, his fury rising uncontrollably. He turned to Yuan Hong and said firmly, "Wukong, strike down the immortal who's causing the rain!"

Upon hearing this command, Yuan Hong unhesitatingly raised his golden cudgel and smashed it toward the sky. Meanwhile, the Rain God, admiring his own masterpiece, had completely failed to anticipate the attack and fell defenselessly from the sky. With difficulty, he emerged from the floodwaters, his face filled with rage as he demanded, "Xuanzang, how dare you allow your disciple to commit such a crime? I will not rest until I've dealt with you!"

Zhao Shanhe replied gloomily, "Rain God, you have killed so many lives in order to stop me from traveling west. Wukong, kill him."

When the Rain God heard this, he immediately panicked and said, "Xuanzang, I am sending rain on the orders of the Emperor of Heaven. I have not violated the laws of Heaven. You cannot kill me!"

Zhao Shanhe said coldly, "The rise of Buddhism is ordained by Heaven. To obstruct this humble monk's journey westward is to violate Heaven's will. Wukong, what are you still standing there for? Have your words no longer had any effect on you?"

Yuan Hong was shocked. He had thought his master was just saying it casually to scare him, but he hadn't expected him to be serious. As the saying goes, "I'd rather die than let my friend die." He immediately swung his golden cudgel at the Rain God, killing him with a single blow.

The death of the Rain God naturally could not be hidden from Taibai Jinxing, who was in charge of the Heavenly Book. He quickly reported to the Emperor of Heaven: "Your Majesty, the Rain God was killed by Xuanzang's eldest disciple Yuan Hong. Your Majesty, please make a decision!"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor flew into a rage. He slammed the table and stood up, shouting, "Xuanzang allowed his followers to commit murder and arbitrarily killed a priest. His crime is unforgivable! Which of you is willing to capture him?"

However, the Lingxiao Palace was completely silent. All the immortals remained silent, and no one volunteered. Even the normally fawning and flattering immortals chose to remain silent. Even Li Jing, the normally attention-seeking Heavenly King, ignored the Emperor's gaze and bowed his head in feigned contemplation.

The Emperor of Heaven was displeased by this scene, his expression darkening as he felt his authority was being challenged. Taibai Jinxing, realizing the situation was dire, quickly stepped forward to defend the Emperor, saying respectfully, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Xuanzang was wrong to allow his followers to commit such atrocities, but he was, after all, a sage appointed to seek the scriptures. It would be better to first clarify the entire matter before condemning him."

"Well, my dear Lord Taibai, what you said is absolutely right. I'll leave this matter to you." The Emperor of Heaven nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to your mission!" Taibai Jinxing replied respectfully.

The Emperor then turned to Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and said, "Lord Li, this incident concerns the reputation of the Heavenly Court. I order you to lead 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals to assist Taibai Jinxing in investigating this matter."

"As ordered!"

Zhao Shanhe was praying for the souls of those who died in the flood when Taibai Jinxing and Li Jing arrived with their heavenly soldiers and generals. Yuan Hong and Zhu Bajie simultaneously drew their weapons, seemingly preparing for a bloody massacre.

Seeing this, Taibai Jinxing hurriedly said, "Saint Monk Xuanzang, I am Taibai Jinxing. I have come here by the order of the Emperor of Heaven to investigate the death of the Rain God. Please give me some favors."

As the saying goes, don't strike a smiling face. Zhao Shanhe stopped chanting, clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, I have met the immortal official. I was the one who ordered my disciple to eliminate that bastard immortal who was causing rain and trying to hinder the prosperity of Buddhism."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King couldn't help but interrupt and said, "Xuanzang, even if the Rain God has violated the Heavenly Law, the Heavenly Court will deal with it. How can you kill him without permission?"

Zhao Shanhe's expression changed, and he shouted, "The elders are talking, why should the younger interrupt? When I get to the Great Leiyin Temple, I will definitely ask Senior Brother Ran Deng how he raised his disciples. They don't know the rules at all. The rise of Buddhism is the will of Heaven, and the Rain God has intervened. He deserves this calamity. Please ask the Immortal Official Taibai to report this to the Emperor of Heaven, so that the gods in Heaven will take this as a warning."

Taibai Jinxing said, "Xuanzang, you admit that you allowed your followers to commit murder."

Zhao Shanhe said calmly, "Why do you say that, Immortal Official? The Rain God died under divine punishment. What does this have to do with me? Even if you bring the case to the Saint, I will have a clear conscience. Amitabha."

Li Jing said, "Xuanzang, don't try to quibble. Yuan Hong killed the Rain God. It's useless to deny it."

Zhao Shanhe said, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, the Rain God was killed by the Golden Cudgel. Originally known as the Dinghai Divine Needle, it was lent by the Saint Laozi to Sun Wukong to protect me, the pilgrim. If the Heavenly Court insists on investigating, they should go to the Saint Laozi, as it was he who allowed it. The journey to the West is a major event for Buddhism, and you, a Buddhist disciple, have repeatedly obstructed it. What are you up to? If you dare say another word, I will report this to my master, the Buddha Mother Cundi, and have you expelled from the Buddhist sect. Without the pagoda, what should the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King be called?"

Li Jing caught a glimpse of Nezha's unfriendly eyes and broke out in a cold sweat. If the pagoda was taken away, this rebellious son would definitely shit on his head. What was wrong with him? He knew that he couldn't afford to offend Xuanzang, so why did he meddle in other people's business?

Taibai Jinxing secretly groaned inwardly, sighing, "This monk is truly shameless, shifting the blame onto the Saint while making it difficult for others to find fault. It seems like I've run into a tough nut today."

Although feeling annoyed, Taibai Jinxing still feigned composure and said to Zhao Shanhe, "Master Xuanzang, could you please return the Rain God's spirit to me? That way I can return and report back."

Zhao Shanhe replied innocently, "Alas, Immortal Taibai, the Rain God's spirit has long since entered the underworld. As for which level of Hell he's imprisoned in, I'm not entirely sure. However, I do have some connections with the Queen Mother of the Underworld. If you need help, I can inquire about it for you. How about we go and ask together?"

Hearing this, Taibai Jinxing was stunned and asked suspiciously, "Where are you going?"

Zhao Shanhe clasped his hands together and explained with a smile, "Of course, it's to the underworld. I'm just a mortal, how could I possibly bring the Rain God's spirit back from the underworld? I can only rely on you to personally journey to the Eighteen Levels of Hell."

Seeing Zhao Shanhe's malicious smile, Taibai Jinxing's expression darkened. He thought to himself, "If I really go to the underworld, I'm afraid I'll be in great danger." So, he waved his hands repeatedly, declining, "Don't bother. Since the Rain God has received the punishment he deserves, I will return to report to the Emperor of Heaven."