Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 1010 The Entanglement Between the Seven Great Sages
There is a difference between himself and other demon gods and other demon races—the more time goes by, the clearer Sun Wukong’s self-awareness becomes!

For Sun Wukong, demons were merely an experience, a process, in his life.

He is a demon now, but it won't be long before he abandons his demon identity and enters the Buddhist order.

Abandon demonism, and become a Buddha!
This was his predetermined future—it was destined from the moment he became a disciple of Subhuti in Xiniu Hezhou!

Subhuti is a manifestation of a Buddhist saint.

As Subhuti's most trusted disciple, he had to bear the expectations of Subhuti and carry the future of Buddhism!

Of course, Subhuti is a good teacher. If the Great Sage Equaling Heaven is unwilling to leave the demon race and does not want to bear the future of Buddhism that does not belong to him, Subhuti will not force him. But if that is the case, is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven still the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?
Therefore, no matter what, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven will eventually return to Buddhism—this is the conclusion he reached after many years of contemplation under the Five Elements Mountain!

That is where his true heart lies!
In contrast, the six sworn brothers were: the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, the Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas, the Great Sage Who Confounds Heaven, the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, the Great Sage Who Knows All, the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods, and the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods, ...

where are they?
Their roots are deeply embedded in the bloodline and history of the demon race.

Their glory, their battles, their joys and sorrows, are all closely intertwined with the rise and fall of the demon race.

They are the pillars of the demon race, the undisputed banner and symbol of the post-demon era.

They were born as demons, and they will remain demons for life.

They can never give up their demon race identity!

This fundamental difference, deeply rooted in bloodline and path, was vividly demonstrated during the havoc in Heaven.

At that time, Sun Wukong wore a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, a golden chainmail armor, lotus-silk cloud-walking shoes, and held the Ruyi Jingu Bang. He was full of vigor and dared to smash the Southern Heavenly Gate and storm the Lingxiao Palace all by himself! What boundless pride he had!

However, when he looked back at the mortal realm, did he ever harbor a sliver of hope? Did he hope that his six sworn brothers, who had once established the prestigious title of "Seven Great Sages," could rise up alongside him and wreak havoc on the Heavenly Court?
But in reality, they chose silence and chose to wait and see.

This silence, this bystander attitude, was seen by Sun Wukong, who was then imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, as a betrayal that he gnashed his teeth over!

He once uttered the most venomous curse at the foot of the mountain, hating their injustice and resenting their cowardice!

But as time passed, and as the uncontrollable rage subsided like the tide, rational thought returned to his mind.

He was originally an extremely clever monkey.

When he calmed down and began to replay that earth-shattering farce again and again, and deduced every possibility, the choices made by his six brothers truly appeared before his eyes!

That was neither a betrayal of faith nor an exploitation of him.

Rather, it was a genuine act of care and concern from an older brother to his younger brother!
After all, he was destined to enter the Buddhist order—this great saint of the demon race had to have a reason for abandoning his demon identity and stepping into Buddhism.

Otherwise, wouldn't we be despised by others?

So, the best reason why the Great Sage Equaling Heaven made a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace alone, while the other six Great Sages just sat by and watched—is that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven ultimately entering the Buddhist order!

Who told him to be 'harmed' among the demon race?

What other way can resolve the hurt stemming from a lack of brotherly loyalty, except by seeking enlightenment in Buddhism to attain Nirvana?

Moreover, at that time, when he caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace all by himself, the situation was actually under control.

Conversely, if when he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, the other six Great Sages appeared in the Heavenly Court and joined forces with him, and the Seven Great Sages, as the banner of the demon race, ascended to the heavens together... then it wouldn't be him, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Instead, it is the banner of the demon race in the post-demon race era, with the Seven Great Sages leading the demon race in rebellion against the Heavenly Court!
That was a war between the entire demon race and the Heavenly Court!

That situation would not have ended as well as the havoc in the Heavenly Palace!

Moreover, once that war is started, then he, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, will never be able to escape the demon race and eventually join the Buddhist sect!

What should he do then? What can he do?

Is it to abandon one's master's expectations and perish along with the demon race?
Or did he flee the demon race and hide in Buddhism when the demon race was about to perish because of the war he instigated?
The former would be letting the effort my mentor poured into me go to waste, which would be a disservice to my mentor.

The latter would make the entire demon race his victims—that would also be unfair to himself!

Moreover, if one were to enter the Buddhist order under such circumstances, it would bring shame upon one's own teacher.

He could choose neither of the two options!
He couldn't even choose to die!
For Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, that situation was a true disaster! A completely unsolvable dead end!

During the many years under the Five Elements Mountain, the more Sun Wukong recalled the scene of his havoc in the Heavenly Palace and the more he deduced what would happen next, the more fortunate he felt.

That's why he knew very well that the Bull Demon King and the others truly regarded him, Sun Wukong, as a brother back then, which is why they allowed him, Sun Wukong, to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace alone, despite the stigma of 'unrighteousness'.

Given Sun Wukong's predetermined fate, his six elder brothers chose to let go, choosing 'unrighteousness,' precisely to preserve his only way to survive!
Otherwise, if they had any intention of using him, they could have used his status as a direct disciple of the sage to stir things up, putting on a show of loyalty and righteousness to fool Sun Wukong into following their lead... ultimately making Sun Wukong bear all the consequences.

But they didn't do that.

When he was first imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, he harbored resentment and dissatisfaction towards his six so-called brothers. However, as time passed, that resentment and dissatisfaction gradually dissipated, and he was left with only gratitude towards his six elder brothers.

—How many people in the world would be willing to give up their own reputation to support their brother?
Unfortunately, after countless millennia under the Five Elements Mountain, this monkey finally figured it out.

But his older brothers, still worried that he hadn't figured things out, continued to avoid him and shun him...

After escaping from the Five Elements Mountain, he traveled throughout the Southern Continent, riding his somersault cloud, traversing the heavens and earth, but he never saw the figure of his brothers.

Now that the Bull Demon King has ascended to the Great Luo, proclaiming this to heaven and earth—such a momentous event, his brothers will surely not hide from him any longer.

"I thought you, Monkey, would never understand this before you died," the Bull Demon King sighed.

He reminisced about what happened back then.

They are all ancient demons of the demon race, and can be described as giants. Among the demon race, when no Great Luo Immortal appears, it is they who can make the world go round—especially the Bull Demon King!
Before he manifested in the Southern Continent, during the most difficult time for the demon race, he traveled between heaven and earth as the Demon King, serving as a link between the various demon kings. Even without sufficient clues, such a person could see that someone was plotting against the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

—Especially since he was unharmed in the Tushita Palace and the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and even overturned the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the Bull Demon King and the others were certain that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had a sage as his backer!

This havoc in the Heavenly Palace was also part of the sage's plan.

At that time, some people in the demon race also saw this point and suggested that the Bull Demon King and his companions go to the Heavenly Court together to expand the story of the havoc in the Heavenly Palace, so as to completely bind the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to the demon race's war chariot!

Given Sun Wukong's personality at the time, it would have been far too easy for him to do this!

— Just a few impassioned lines of "Brothers united, their strength can break gold," and a few heartfelt "Let's make this a grand occasion together" are enough to get the monkey fired up and ultimately make him unable to extricate himself from the fate of the demon race.

But after careful consideration, the Bull Demon King ultimately chose to give up.

After that, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain, and the Bull Demon King devoted all his thoughts to the Southern Heaven beyond the realm—in the process of opening up the Southern Heaven, he almost completely became a part of the Southern Heaven.

This time, he returned to the Heavenly Palace and held a banquet in the name of the Great Luo, inviting all his brothers to come. In doing so, he also intended to use his status as the Great Luo to vouch for the whole story of the havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

After all, if the Great Sage Equaling Heaven cannot understand this matter and cannot resolve it quickly, it will eventually become a great calamity.

"I'm not really stupid."

Sun Wukong's voice rang out softly, carrying a sense of clarity that comes with the passage of time, as he gently placed a fruit down.

The monkey's face was devoid of its usual playfulness; its golden eyes gleamed with a complex light, a mixture of relief, gratitude, and a hint of barely perceptible melancholy.

“Yes, of course you’re not stupid.” The Bull Demon King nodded slowly, his facial features softening slightly. A deeply hidden, indescribable emotion flashed across the deepest part of his bull eyes—a strange envy. “You’re just impulsive and too lazy to think.”

From the moment of birth, everything is arranged for you—such a fate sounds like a joke to the great demon king who truly fights his way out of danger with his own fists and feet, on the edge of blood and fire—a puppet being manipulated.
In reality, which of the demon race members who have truly risen through the ranks doesn't feel both envious and jealous of such a thing?

—Reckless?
Too lazy to think?
That's a characteristic that only favored people have!

Among those hard-working demons, who would dare to act recklessly? Who would dare to be 'too lazy to think'?
Even the Bull Demon King himself... if he were to switch places with the monkey in front of him, he would most likely be willing.

Unfortunately, a swap is impossible.

"Forget it, there's no need to bring up old grievances anymore." The Bull Demon King waved his hand, suppressing his complex emotions, as if gently brushing away the storms of countless millennia.

He looked at Sun Wukong.

"Seventh Brother, the banquet at Jilei Mountain still needs some time to prepare. Are you planning to stay here at my Moyun Cave and wait for the feast to begin, or go back to your Water Curtain Cave at Huaguo Mountain and wait for my invitation to arrive?"

"Me, Old Sun?" Sun Wukong's eyes darted around, and the heaviness seemed to instantly dissipate. His monkey nature took over again, and he grinned, revealing his sharp fangs. "Of course I'm staying here! I've been cooped up under the Five Elements Mountain for who knows how many years, my bones are practically rusted. I was just looking for Brother Bull's blessed land to relax and see what's so special about your Great Luo Demon Saint's mountain!"

"And there are a few other brothers. I, Old Sun, will ambush them in this Moyun Cave!"

"I want to ask them, after all these years, have they really stopped recognizing me as their younger brother?"

Sun Wukong emphasized the word "brother," his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The Bull Demon King's long-lost, rough yet affectionate "Seventh Brother" evoked a strange sense of emotion in Sun Wukong.

"As for Flower and Fruit Mountain, no way, no way!"

Huaguo Mountain was his training ground, but it was not his birthplace—his birthplace was Shizhou Island, which was also the original Huaguo Mountain.

It is also the place where the Jianmu tree is located.

Not long after he set sail and sat down before Subhuti, the saint Subhuti personally took action and, using the stone embryo that had given birth to him on the original Flower Fruit Mountain as the foundation, recreated a Flower Fruit Mountain... After this Flower Fruit Mountain was created, the original Flower Fruit Mountain transformed into the present-day Ten Continents Island, hidden in the vast ocean of the East China Sea.

"Monkey, whether we acknowledge you as our brother or not is not up to us." No sooner had Sun Wukong finished speaking than another voice rang out.

That was the Great Sage of Chaos, Peng Demon King.

One of the fastest speeds in the universe.

Its speed is even faster than the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's somersault cloud—at this extreme speed, as long as he doesn't want to see him, Sun Wukong will never be able to see him no matter what!
It's not that we can't find it, it's that we can't catch up with it!
"What do you mean?" Sun Wukong picked up a fruit and threw it at the Roc Demon King.

“We are demons, but you will eventually become a Buddha.” The Roc Demon King looked at the fruit in his hand and simply put it into his sleeve.

"Where in this world is there a Buddha who associates with the demon race?"

"Not to mention, it's the Buddha who calls the demon race 'brother'."

As Peng Demon King spoke…

If they could achieve the Great Luo status, they would naturally not care about the difference between demon gods and Buddhas—just like the Bull Demon King now, even if he set foot on Mount Ling, all the Buddhas of Mount Ling would treat him with respect.

But they are not the great Luo after all.

If they step into the sacred mountain, they will only be suppressed or converted.

That's why they're avoiding Sun Wukong!

Rather than trying to mend the relationship now only to part ways later, it would be better to abandon it after the Monkey King's havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Otherwise, that predetermined future will be a burden for both of them.

Hearing the lament of the Roc Demon King, Sun Wukong fell silent.

Demons and Buddhism!

(End of this chapter)