Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 988 Wenchang Protector, Reopening the Execution Platform
"Time flies when you're in the mountains."

"All I know is that every time my godmother comes to visit me, she brings me a peach."

"To date, that's a full five hundred times."

The monkey moved its unbuckled arm again and scratched its head with difficulty.

“In that case, it’s time to leave this Five Elements Mountain.” Ao Bing pondered for a moment.

According to Subhuti's original methods, this world is the stage for this monkey.

After achieving complete indestructibility, he was to lead Buddhism eastward—fighting his way from Xiniuhezhou all the way to the Central Plains of the human world.

He actively sought out opponents and went to them to "discuss the law".

All these opponents were defeated.

Ultimately, it protected Buddhism so that it could take root in China.

In this process, the monkey and the Dharma complement each other.

The monkey itself became a representative and symbol of Buddhism, using the world and all living beings as a stage to demonstrate its unparalleled invincibility.

Buddhism, on the other hand, was sought after and believed in by people because of the monkey's unparalleled influence.

But now, the plan to spread Buddhism to the East has turned into a journey to the West to seek Buddhist teachings.

Ao Bing, one of the monkey's "backers," also broke through the barrier from the East Sea, obtained the Dao Fruit, and ascended to the Great Luo.

The way Buddhism treats monkeys should naturally change with the times.

"Can I go out now?" Upon hearing Ao Bing's words, the monkey exclaimed with delight.

“Of course.” Ao Bing nodded.

The Jade Emperor's game of chess always needs a trigger to move things forward.

Without a doubt, this lively monkey is the perfect catalyst to drive the game forward.

As he spoke, Ao Bing casually flicked his sleeves and pushed towards the towering Five Finger Mountain.

In an instant, the heavens and earth trembled!

The divine mountain's foundation, intertwined with the earth's veins, sharing the same origin as the five elements, and in harmony with the heavenly way, suddenly became prominent between heaven and earth.

Countless blinding cracks instantly covered the mountain, the violent five elements emitted a dying scream, and the five colors of light—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—rotated and collided wildly, finally collapsing completely in a deafening roar.

The mountain that was pressing down on the monkey instantly transformed into countless fireflies and vanished without a trace!

The freedom I've always dreamed of arrived in that instant.

But the monkey still seemed dazed and confused.

It wasn't until the five elements of Qi rotated and transformed, and then in an instant dissipated into nothingness, that the monkey came to its senses.

"I `m coming out."

"I `m coming out."

"I `m coming out!"

The monkey slowly stood up, looked at its hands, and its voice grew louder and louder, and its posture became more and more impassioned.

"I, Old Sun, am finally out!"

With a final, long roar, it pierced through the clouds and split the rocks, releasing years of pent-up frustration like an erupting volcano soaring into the heavens!

Before the howl had subsided, the monkey had already leaped up, transforming into a golden light that tore through the sky!

He greedily opened his arms, frantically inhaling and exhaling the long-lost, boundless primordial energy of heaven and earth!

The primordial energy surged forth like a tidal wave, cleansing every inch of his bones and muscles, and a surge of power refilled his long-imprisoned, indestructible body! In a flash, he disappeared before Ao Bing and Li Nu.

After more than ten breaths, his figure reappeared in front of Ao Bing.

When he reappeared, he was wearing the embroidered gold and ochre robe, the golden chainmail, the lotus-silk cloud-walking shoes, and the phoenix-winged purple-gold crown.

These are all outfits obtained from the Dragon Palace and the Heavenly Court.

Behind him, even the banners of the Monkey King had been moved over by him.

The Monkey King, once the greatest warrior in Chinese mythology, has returned in the most dazzling form!

"Sun Wukong greets his godfather and godmother."

After changing back into his new attire, completely shedding his disheveled and disheveled appearance, the monkey finally bowed before Ao Bing and Li Nu.

"Good boy."

Li Nu nodded.

"What a fine monkey!" Ao Bing nodded, looking at the monkey's heroic posture.

“Monkey, some time ago, I recommended the God of Literature to the human world.”

"He was about to preside over this first imperial examination among the people."

"But some people in this world want to do something underhanded in the imperial examinations and make things difficult for the Wenchang Emperor."

“I am willing to teach them a lesson, but if I do, it would be bullying the weak and give others something to talk about.”

"Why don't you go in my place?"

As Ao Bing spoke, he glanced at the Heavenly Court.

The gods in the Lingxiao Palace couldn't help but grimace upon hearing Ao Bing's voice, which he had deliberately sent into the Heavenly Court.

Judging from Ao Bing's words, he clearly intended to have the Great Sage Equal to Heaven personally supervise the examination.

In that imperial examination game, you, the Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and righteousness, the Supreme Being of the Great Luo, personally took action, which is of course bullying the weak.

But this led to the indestructible Monkey King personally going to the examination hall to supervise the exam. Isn't that bullying the weak?

That iron pillar, imbued with the spirit of humanity, could probably, with a mere sweep, shatter the forms of any human gods who could act under the influence of humanity, turning them into mere puppets of humanity.

Under the oppression of humanity, this Great Sage Equal to Heaven is probably an even more troublesome character than a Great Luo Immortal!
Most importantly, this Monkey King is also known for his audacity; when he fights, he never holds back and doesn't consider the consequences.

He truly doesn't care about anyone, and he's really willing to take action against anyone!

With him guarding the examination hall, who else could tamper with the exam?

As the 'guardian deity' of Emperor Wenchang, who would dare to mess with Emperor Wenchang?

This game of chess and the test that started because of Emperor Wenchang, can only be judged purely by whether Emperor Wenchang is fair enough.
Whether she can secure her position as Emperor Wenchang depends entirely on herself.

Then what is the point of this game of chess?

In the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor was too lazy to pay attention to these immortals and gods who wanted to cause trouble.

He nodded to Ao Bing, acknowledging Sun Wukong's status as the 'guardian deity' of the Wenchang Emperor, before turning to Emperor Li Shimin to discuss the upcoming imperial examination.

And the details of the journey to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures, even the route taken on the westward journey, etc...

Between choosing between the Southern Continent and the Northern Continent, the Jade Emperor ultimately chose the Southern Continent, which was closer to the southern sky.

After all, since the God-King of the Southern Heaven has personally entered the game, he should reciprocate in order to encourage more powerful figures from the Southern Heaven to join in, and also to encourage the powerful figures from the other three great worlds to join in as soon as possible.

In addition, the demon race in the southern sky is also an object that the Jade Emperor must consider.

After all, the origin of the demons in the Southern Heaven is still Pan Tian. Although those demons seem to be leaving and never returning, how could the Jade Emperor, as the Heavenly Emperor of the Southern Heaven, abandon these 'kinsmen' from Pan Tian just because they have the intention to leave?

"Although Sun Wukong still holds the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, after his havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he is now a demon, not a god."

"Moreover, it was released by Chengtian, not 'converted' by Buddhism... Therefore, until the final outcome, it will remain a demon."

"But ironically, it is now also the guardian deity of Wenchang."

"In the body of a demon, I will serve as the protector of Wenchang and oversee the fairness of the imperial examinations."

"Humans and demons, the two largest races in the world, were immediately linked together."

"Interesting, interesting."

Thinking about the mystery surrounding this change in identity, the Jade Emperor's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The structure of the Pangu world was incredibly complex—or rather, each great world was like an invisible giant net woven within it.

Generally speaking, in the vast universe, the various factions are roughly no more than:

The divine being born of nature
A weak mortal born later in life,
Immortals and gods who live in this world,
The spirits and deities who govern the netherworld.
In addition, the three major sects of Taoism, Buddhism, and the demon race.

And the trajectory of the Monkey King can be described as a living legend that permeates all existence:
It is inherently sacred, born from the creation of heaven and earth.

Born into ignorance, and corrupted by the world's filth, their divine light is concealed, and they fade into mortal life;

Then he wandered the world, roaming freely.
He then sought the Dao again in the spiritual realm, became a disciple of Subhuti, and studied the profound methods of the Dao.
Afterwards, he wreaked havoc in the underworld, erased himself from the Book of Life and Death, forcibly entered the netherworld, and disturbed the gods and spirits.
He was then granted amnesty and ascended to heaven, where he was bestowed the title of "Emperor of Heaven" and made countless friends.

Finally, he caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace as a demon and was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain.

Aside from the Western Buddhist sect, this Great Sage Equal to Heaven has actually traveled to almost every faction and identity within Pantian and combined them into one person!
Thinking about all this, the Jade Emperor suddenly realized something.

Although the Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and righteousness has not set foot on the heavens and earth for a long time, he has always had a clear understanding of the situation between the heavens and earth.

His moves and strategies are unpredictable and whimsical—that's all that matters.

The problem is that every piece he throws out is just right, the 'most suitable' piece on the board.

The current Journey to the West is clearly a scheme orchestrated by the Jade Emperor from beginning to end... How come it seems that many key moments in this game are being played by this Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and Justice?
"This great dragon god who has been absent from the mortal realm for so long, his control over the situation of heaven and earth actually surpasses mine?" The Jade Emperor thought incredulously, and his gaze toward Ao Bing was filled with instinctive fear.

With the route of the Journey to the West finalized, this gathering at the Lingxiao Palace came to an end.

As the shadow of the Human Emperor vanished in the Lingxiao Palace, the gods slowly retreated, each making their own connections with humans, arranging their pieces, and laying out their own plans.

The monkey, meanwhile, calmly added his somersault cloud before the imperial examination even began, and began to frolic among the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, and the Four Continents.

Whether it's fighting with someone or drinking with someone.

Under the gaze of those fiery eyes, countless powerful figures from beyond the realm, who had been lying dormant in Pantian, were startled awake.

The entire situation of the world was further disrupted by this.

At this time, Ao Bing, who left the Lingxiao Palace, did not return to the East Sea, nor did he return to the Huai River.

Instead, he stepped directly into the Hall of Punishments.

"Greetings, True Lord." In the Hall of Punishment, the Four No Ones looked at Ao Bing before him with envy in his eyes.

He attained enlightenment through the Lingbao method and is about to enter the Innate Realm and become a Great Luo Immortal.

He was already at this level before he was sealed away.

When Ao Bing took him out of the seal, the distance between him and Da Luo was much shorter than the distance between Ao Bing and Da Luo.

But now, after all this time, Ao Bing has gone from an ordinary Taiyi to a Daluo, yet his cultivation remains unchanged, without any progress whatsoever!
"It's really too difficult for Lingbao to cultivate."

"I wish to relinquish this precious body and enter the cycle of reincarnation to begin a new life. I hope the True Lord will grant my request."

The Four No Ones said.

He is the heirloom of the Heavenly Court's judicial lineage—long, long ago, he had the idea of ​​abandoning this spiritual treasure body, then reincarnating, and cultivating anew as a living being.

At that time, the judicial system of the Heavenly Court was in a precarious state, and no one could control the situation.

Therefore, no matter how much he wanted to be reincarnated, he could only stay by Ao Bing's side, guarding this Hall of Punishments, and handling all sorts of miscellaneous tasks and documents for Ao Bing...

But now that Ao Bing has become a Great Luo Immortal, the Heavenly Court's judicial system has a true pillar.

He naturally had the opportunity to seek entirely new possibilities.

“I fully understand your intentions, senior.”

Looking at the Four Nothingnesses True Man before him, Ao Bing nodded.

“Senior, even if you are destined to reincarnate, why not join me in fulfilling your duties once more? It would be good to accumulate more merit before reincarnation.”

“That is exactly what I wish for,” said the Four Noble Ones with delight.

"It's time to clean up this deadly prison between heaven and earth."

As the Four Noble Ones spoke, a chilling and fierce aura instantly enveloped the entire world.

"The Execution Platform has been sealed for many years, and the immortals and gods in the world have become increasingly contemptuous of the heavenly rules."

"Now is the time for the True Lord to rectify the Heavenly Rules and make all living beings in this world revere the Heavenly Rules once again."

"Perfect timing. The chess game that His Majesty the Jade Emperor has laid out between heaven and earth is destined to cause chaos throughout the world."

"Restarting the Execution Platform before that game of chess can let the various parties involved know what the rules of the game of chess are."

As Si Wu Zhenren spoke, Ao Bing's sleeves brushed against the small Hall of Punishment.

On the execution ground of the Heavenly Court, the Execution Platform, which had been sealed for countless years, hummed, and a cold light flashed on the hanging axe blade.

As a result, all the gods and immortals in the world were enveloped in a wave of fear.

In that instant, all the immortals and gods who had lived through Ao Bing's era recalled the scene of Ao Bing slaughtering heads on the execution ground.

This applies to all the immortals and gods in the world who have never violated the law of death.

One can only imagine what those sinful immortals and evil gods, imprisoned in various jails and awaiting execution for violating the death penalty, must be feeling at this moment!

Especially those immortals and gods who were moving around in the Heavenly Court, trying to nitpick over every word of the Heavenly Rules and trying to find a way to absolve themselves of their death sentences through the gaps between law and human sentiment, felt the chill of the resurrected Execution Platform and were instantly terrified.

(End of this chapter)