darknovel Chapter 17: The Heavenly Court's Incompetence
Chapter 17: The Heavenly Court's Incompetence
"clang!"
Sparks flew!
The golden cudgel and the fire-tipped spear collided violently, the loud noise causing the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain below to cover their ears.
Sun Wukong felt a familiar yet powerful force coming from him, his arm went slightly numb, and his fighting spirit surged.
"Good boy! You've improved!"
He laughed loudly, and with a flick of his wrist, the golden cudgel swept across the sky with countless shadows, engulfing Nezha like a storm.
Nezha, riding on his Wind and Fire Wheels, moved erratically, his Fire-Tipped Spear flying in a dense, impenetrable manner, deflecting Sun Wukong's attacks one by one.
"Great Sage, your staff techniques are still as domineering as ever!"
"Enough with the nonsense! Take this from Old Sun!"
Sun Wukong was not about to say anything more to him and his attacks became even more fierce.
He had been suppressed for five hundred years, and the ferocity in his bones had long been pent up! Now that he finally had a worthy opponent, he was in high spirits and just wanted to have a good, satisfying fight!
The two transformed into two streaks of light in mid-air, with golden and red light constantly intersecting and colliding.
They fought from the sky to the ground, and from the eastern mountains to the western sea.
Wherever it passed, the clouds were torn apart, the rocks were shattered, and the sea was whipped up into towering waves.
The 100,000 heavenly soldiers below were terrified.
"This...this demon monkey has been suppressed for five hundred years, how can it still be so powerful?"
"His Highness the Third Prince seems... seems to be nearing his limit!"
Li Jing held the pagoda in his hands, his face ashen.
He could see clearly that although Nezha had superb spear skills and numerous magical weapons, he was gradually falling behind in terms of pure strength and speed.
That monkey was simply a tireless monster!
"Nezha! What are you doing! Seize him at once!" Li Jing couldn't help but shout loudly.
Nezha smiled bitterly to himself.
Take it down? You make it sound so easy!
He had used all his strength, even his supernatural powers of having three heads and six arms, but Sun Wukong on the other side became more and more courageous in the battle. His overwhelming demonic aura made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
More importantly, he could sense that Sun Wukong had stopped using his power.
Several times, the iron rod, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, only repelled him and did not actually kill him.
"Great Sage, you..."
"What's with the distraction!"
Seizing Nezha's momentary hesitation, Sun Wukong roared, and the golden cudgel in his hand suddenly grew longer and thicker, like a pillar supporting the sky, sweeping across with unparalleled power!
This blow sealed off all of Nezha's escape routes!
Nezha was shocked and hurriedly summoned all his magical treasures, such as the Hun Tian Ling and the Qian Kun Quan, to protect himself!
"boom!"
A loud bang!
The Heavenly Silk Ribbon shattered instantly!
The Universe Ring let out a mournful cry as it was smashed and flew backward!
Nezha was struck as if by a heavy hammer, and was thrown off his Wind Fire Wheels, plummeting straight down into the East Sea below, stirring up towering waves.
"puff!"
Nezha burst out of the sea, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face pale.
Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, landed in front of him, grinned, and revealed a set of white teeth.
"Nezha, do you want to hit me again?"
Nezha wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, put away his magic weapon, shook his head at Sun Wukong, and looked at him with a complicated expression.
"I lost."
"Hehe." Sun Wukong put away his golden cudgel, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go back and tell your father, and that old Jade Emperor, next time they come, send someone who really wants to fight!"
"I, Old Sun, am always ready to oblige!"
After saying that, he turned around, somersaulted, and flew back to Flower Fruit Mountain.
Nezha watched his departing figure, then glanced at Li Jing, whose face was grim on the cloud, sighed deeply, and turned to fly back into the heavenly army formation.
"Father, your son... is incompetent."
"Enough!" Li Jing trembled with rage. "One hundred thousand heavenly soldiers couldn't even subdue a single demon monkey! Retreat! Back to Heaven!"
Having said that, he glared fiercely at Flower-Fruit Mountain below, and with a look of resentment, led his heavenly soldiers and generals away in a dejected manner.
A deafening cheer erupted on Flower Fruit Mountain.
"May Your Majesty be mighty!"
"May Your Majesty be mighty!"
The monkeys and their offspring jumped and leaped excitedly, and Ao Lie and Chen Xuanzang also wore joyful expressions.
Chen Fan stood at the entrance of the Water Curtain Cave, looking in the direction the heavenly soldiers had retreated, lost in thought.
……
The Heavenly Court, the Lingxiao Palace.
The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
The Jade Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face ashen.
Li Jing and Nezha knelt in the center of the hall, not daring to raise their heads.
"Very well, what a fine example of the Three Altars and Seas Meeting Great God!" The Jade Emperor laughed in fury, "My 100,000 heavenly soldiers, my vanguard generals, have been driven back by a mere monkey who has been imprisoned for five hundred years?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" Li Jing kowtowed repeatedly in fear. "That demon monkey was too cunning; its strength... its strength hasn't diminished much!"
"Bullshit!" The Jade Emperor slammed his palm on the dragon table, causing the entire hall to vibrate.
"Sun Wukong was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, his magical power was worn down day and night, and it's good if he can only retain 30% of his cultivation! Tell me, how could Nezha not be able to defeat him?"
The Jade Emperor suddenly stared intently at Nezha.
"Nezha! Are you going easy on me out of consideration for our past relationship?!"
Nezha trembled and abruptly looked up: "Your Majesty! I didn't!"
"No?" The Jade Emperor sneered. "Then why was Sun Wukong able to defeat you, yet only banish you to the mortal realm unharmed? Do you think I'm a fool?"
"Your Majesty..." Nezha was speechless.
Sun Wukong did indeed show mercy, but he was also genuinely less skilled than his opponent.
But who would believe that?
"Guards!" The Jade Emperor ignored his explanation. "Nezha neglected his duties and colluded with the enemy. Strip him of his position as the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, and imprison him in the Heavenly Prison to reflect on his mistakes!"
"Father!" Nezha looked at Li Jing, hoping he would plead for him.
Li Jing hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He knew that whoever pleaded for mercy at this moment would suffer the consequences.
Soon, a heavenly general stepped forward, took away Nezha's magic weapon, and took him away.
Even after the Jade Emperor dealt with Nezha, the anger in his heart did not subside.
He looked at the trembling immortals below the throne and coldly said, "Is one Sun Wukong enough to render you all helpless? Is there no one in my Heavenly Court capable of subduing this demon monkey?!"
The immortals looked at each other, all remaining silent.
Just then, Venus emerged, trembling.
"Your Majesty, this old minister... recommends someone."
"Who?"
"At the mouth of the Guan River, there dwells the Manifestation of the Holy Erlang Zhenjun, Yang Jian."
Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the hall.
Erlang Shen Yang Jian!
The Jade Emperor's nephew, the Heavenly Court's number one war god!
Back then, he fought Sun Wukong to the death, and finally captured him by using a trick.
The Jade Emperor's expression shifted constantly.
His relationship with this nephew has always been strained.
But right now, it seems there really isn't a better candidate than Yang Jian.
"Very well!" The Jade Emperor finally made his decision. "Issue my decree: Summon Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun of Guanjiang Estuary to the palace immediately and await my command!"
……
Huaguoshan.
Sun Wukong was holding a grand victory celebration banquet and drinking to his heart's content.
Chen Fan pulled him aside.
"Great Sage, don't be too happy yet."
"Brother, what are you doing? I just drove away 100,000 heavenly soldiers, can't I, Old Sun, have some fun?" Sun Wukong said somewhat discontentedly.
Chen Fan shook his head, his expression serious.
"That old hag Guanyin, we're a step too late this time. I bet she's already found Sha Wujing of the Flowing Sand River."
Sun Wukong sobered up a bit: "You mean, the pilgrimage team is only missing me, and she's already assembled it?"
"No," Chen Fan denied. "She can't gather them all. Tang Sanzang is in our hands. She only has Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and a newly found pilgrim."
"With a team like this, let alone going on a pilgrimage, it would be difficult for them to even leave the Tang Dynasty."
"Then what's in it for her?" Sun Wukong asked, puzzled.
"She's trying to accumulate merit." Chen Fan hit the nail on the head. "The Journey to the West is the inevitable course of Heaven. Even if the group can't be all gathered, the tribulations must be overcome. She wants Pigsy and Sandy to protect that fake Tang Sanzang and accumulate merit along the way so she can report back to Buddha."
"We can't let her be so comfortable." A cold glint flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.
"If she wants to protect the journey to the West, then we'll turn the 'tribulations' she's pre-arranged into our own!"
"Let's go, Great Sage, let's go meet the real neighbor of Guanyin Temple!"
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up: "You mean... that black bear demon?"
"That's right!" Chen Fan's lips curled into a smile. "To just have him guard Guanyin's house like this is such a waste of his talent!"
"Incorporate them!"