Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 569 The Unruly and Reckless Sun Wukong! Give me, Old Sun, an explanation!
The Heavenly Court is actually a complex system resulting from compromises among various parties. Whether it's the three schools of Taoism, the two schools of Buddhism, or even the demon race and the underworld, the organizational structure is intricate, with each party having elements of the other.

Just like the underworld, Pingxin Niangniang is undoubtedly the supreme being; she is also the Empress Earth Goddess who follows the example of Heaven among the Six Emperors. However, under her, there are still supreme beings in the underworld such as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, Yin Tianzi, and Dongyue Dadi Taishan Fujun.

In theory, the only supreme being in the underworld is the Goddess Pingxin, who follows the example of the Earth Goddess Houtu. However, in most cases, Goddess Pingxin does not interfere with the operation of the underworld.

In the actual operation of the underworld, those who hold real power are Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, Taishan Fujun, and others, who take turns in power.

If necessary, Lady Pingxin can hand over real power in the underworld to one of the aforementioned individuals.

For example, more than 500 years ago, when Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, the one who held real power in the Underworld was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. This is why when the Ten Kings of Hell went to the Heavenly Court to file a complaint, they did so in the name of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Because during that period, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was the one who truly held real power in the underworld.

The change in Venus's attitude toward Luofu also stemmed from this.

Venus is just an abbreviation; its full divine title is the Western Golden Virtue Venus Bright Star Lord, one of the proper three-rank five-star lords.

In the Heavenly Court system, the Five Star Lords are under multiple jurisdictions. From their full title, Western Golden Virtue Tai Bai Tian Hao Star Lord, it is not difficult to see that the Gouchen Upper Palace Heavenly Emperor also has jurisdiction over Venus.

Moreover, Venus, who may appear to be merely the chief diplomat of the Heavenly Court, actually holds true divine authority as the God of War, which falls precisely within the divine authority of the Heavenly Emperor of Gouchen Palace.

After obtaining the secret title of War Might Five Extremes Soldier Lord Heavenly Venerable, the incarnation of Luofu's divine authority extended to the planet Venus.

In terms of divine authority, Luofu suddenly became the direct superior of Venus.

Even if the real superior is Chi You in disguise, how could a wise person overlook Luo Fu, the true self?

Just as no one in the Three Realms would be foolish enough to separate Laozi and the Sage of Taiqing.

The true self and the incarnations are also one entity with multiple facets.

"Star Lord, no need for formalities." Luo Fu nodded slightly and asked, "Where is the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva under my command?"

Upon hearing this, Venus frowned and hesitated for a moment. In that instant, Luo Fu realized that the Bodhisattva of Seven Emotions must have encountered a problem.

What Luo Fu didn't expect was that the root of the problem wasn't the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva or the Jade Pool Celestial Venerable, but rather time itself.

“Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable,” Venus said frankly, “when the Heavenly Venerable went to pay his respects to His Majesty, nearly four years had passed between us.”

A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth; this is just a rough estimate.

The Heavenly Court itself was shattered into countless fragments due to the great calamity of the Lich King.

The flow of time is different in each of its spatial fragments.

Clearly, when Luo Fu paid homage to Haotian, the flow of time in that ruined place was vastly different from that in the human world.

Within the ruins, a short period of time had passed, yet approximately four years had gone by in the human world.

My mind raced through calculations.

When Luofu ascended to heaven, the westward-bound team had only just passed through the Golden Gourd Cave.

After Jindu Cave comes the Kingdom of Women. According to the reign titles of the Tang Dynasty in the Eastern Land of Jambudvipa, the period from Jindu Cave to the Kingdom of Women should be between the nineteenth and twentieth years of the Zhenguan era.

Four years have passed, and now the westward-bound group is either at Xiaoleiyin Temple or has reached the territory of Pansidong and Ruzhen Temple.

We might even have already passed Ruzhen Temple.

No wonder Venus hesitated when Luofu asked him about the Bodhisattva of Seven Emotions.

As an essential route on the westward journey.

The Spider Cave and Ruzhen Temple are both challenging missions for those who travel west.

If the westward journey is still ongoing and hasn't reached the Spider Cave or Ruzhen Temple yet, then all is well. Otherwise, who knows what methods the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva might use to make things difficult for the westward journey?

Don't forget, before the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva was banished to the mortal realm and reincarnated as a spider demon, she was one of the Seven Fairy Maidens of Heaven.

The seven sisters were banished to the mortal realm entirely because of Sun Wukong's havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Even if it was because he was reborn as a demon that he turned misfortune into blessing and attained the Bodhisattva status under the Buddha of the Middle Vehicle of Pratyekabuddha in Luofu.

We can treat each one separately.

The Bodhisattva of Seven Emotions, who has converted to the practice of controlling desires among the seven emotions, would definitely not be someone who would forgive and forget with a smile when meeting someone new.

"Thank you, Star Lord. It seems this humble monk has no time to bid farewell to the Jade Pool Celestial Venerable." Luo Fu sighed and then said, "I will have to trouble you, Star Lord, to explain this to the Jade Pool Celestial Venerable on my behalf."

Venus nodded repeatedly and said, "Buddha, what are you saying? It is my duty."

Now that we've discussed responsibilities, Venus can no longer address Luofu as the Celestial Venerable as before.

After all, the true secret name of the Five Extremes War God is Chi You, not the original Buddha Ru Zhen in Luofu.

This time, Luo Fu left the Heavenly Court not through the South Heavenly Gate as before.

Among the four Heavenly Gates of the Heavenly Court.

The South Heavenly Gate corresponds to the Southern Jambudvipa, one of the four continents, and the Southern Jambudvipa is where the human race flourished, naturally making it the most frequently visited place.

Luo Fu is not only a Buddha of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle in Buddhism, but he has also just taken the divine position of the Heavenly Venerable of the Five Extremes of War under the throne of the Heavenly Emperor of Gouchen Shanggong. His divine authority covers the Western Heavenly Gate.

In terms of the strength of the powerful figures guarding the four Heavenly Gates, the South Heavenly Gate is actually inferior to the other three Heavenly Gates.

Just like the East Heavenly Gate, which is guarded by the Eastern Qinghua Emperor, the North Heavenly Gate is personally guarded by the Zhenwu Emperor. The West Heavenly Gate is the most complicated. Theoretically, it should be guarded by the Gouchen Emperor, but the Gouchen Emperor is only in name. In addition, the West Heavenly Gate connects the Xiniu Hezhou with the Heavenly Court, so the guarding force of the West Heavenly Gate is actually dominated by the Buddhist sect.

Even in name, the one guarding the Western Heavenly Gate is the modern Buddha, Tathagata.

Whether it's the status of the Buddha of Luofu or the divine position of the incarnation of Chiyou, whose secret name is the Heavenly Venerable of the Five Extremes of War, passing through the Western Heavenly Gate is much more convenient for him than the other three Heavenly Gates.

You don't even need someone to lead the way.

After leaving the Heavenly Court, they arrived at Luofu in the human world through the Western Heavenly Gate, riding directly on auspicious clouds towards Ruzhen Temple.

Looking down from his vantage point, having just passed the Spider Cave, Luo Fu suddenly frowned and quickened his pace.

Indeed, the location of the Spider Cave clearly showed signs of a major battle, with even the Spider Cave Heaven itself having been destroyed. From the remaining traces of the battle, Luo Fu immediately recognized that it was clearly caused by Sun Wukong.

If his prediction is correct, the westward-bound group is probably currently causing trouble at Ruzhen Temple.

As Luo Fu had predicted, things turned out just as he had.

When Luofu arrived at Ruzhen Temple on auspicious clouds, he immediately saw the disciples of Ruzhen Sect who were confronting Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon.

That's right.

Even the white dragon horse, which had always served as a mount, manifested the form of a little white dragon and directly participated in the battle with the disciples of Ruzhen Temple.

Ruzhen Temple's foundation is too shallow. Even though Luofu became the Buddha of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle and the Middle Vehicle, nominally in charge of all Pratyekabuddhas.

However, after these Pratyekabuddhas had previously paid homage to the Buddha of Luofu, they did not show any interest in the True Dharma Heaven.

This has resulted in the fact that, apart from Buddha Luofu, the so-called Seven Emotions Bodhisattva at Ruzhen Temple is only at the level of an ordinary immortal. How could he possibly be a match for Sun Wukong and his companions?

It should be noted that although Sun Wukong was only a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he was capable of fighting even ordinary Daluo Golden Immortals.

Indeed, Sun Wukong's talent, background, experience, and opportunities are far beyond what ordinary cultivators can covet.

He was born with the merit of mending the heavens from the stone that mended the heavens. He was born into this form and lived happily in Flower Fruit Mountain for hundreds of years without any cultivation experience.

He traveled all the way to seek immortality and enlightenment. In just ten short years, at Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Xieyue Sanxing Cave, he spent seven years doing odd jobs and only three years truly cultivating, yet he leaped to become a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

After stealing the peaches of immortality and the elixir of immortality, and then being refined by the true fire in the Eight Trigrams Furnace for forty-nine days, Sun Wukong managed to digest the medicinal power of the elixir from his body.

Although his cultivation level was still that of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, his magical power had reached an incredible level, and his endurance was simply off the charts. You should know that after jumping out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Sun Wukong never felt this way again.

There was a reason why he was chosen to play an important role in the Journey to the West tribulation.

Given the current state of Ruzhen Temple, the so-called Seven Emotions Bodhisattva can at most only manipulate Pigsy, Sandy, and the White Dragon.

Faced with Sun Wukong, the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva's methods were practically ineffective.

Whether it's the seven emotions that bind others or the ability to control emotions, they are either completely ineffective or greatly diminished in Sun Wukong.

Although Sun Wukong was strong, he seemed to be holding back something at the moment, and every time he made a move, he seemed hesitant and restrained. Luo Fu immediately guessed the reason behind it.

Everyone in the westward journey group except for Tang Sanzang was here. It was clear that Ruzhen Temple had Tang Sanzang, the core of the westward journey group, under its control.

Otherwise, Sun Wukong would never have been so polite, as can be easily seen from the fact that Luo Fu saw the completely destroyed Spider Cave earlier.

"Wukong, what are you doing?"

A furious shout came from the sky.

The two sides engaged in fierce combat below immediately stopped what they were doing.

Riding on a red lotus with white stamens, it gracefully descended from the sky.

Luo Fu glanced at the scene of destruction in Ruzhen Temple caused by the battle between the two sides, frowned, and looked at Sun Wukong, saying, "Why are you making things difficult for my Ruzhen Temple instead of protecting your master on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures?"

Sun Wukong was ultimately unruly, and only the Buddha, who had once slapped him and imprisoned him under the Five Elements Mountain for over five hundred years, left a deep and unforgettable psychological scar on his heart.

Even with Guanyin Bodhisattva, Sun Wukong used both harsh and gentle words. When encountering monsters related to the South China Sea, Sun Wukong even dared to make jokes and ask Guanyin Bodhisattva for an explanation.

Even though Luo Fu had previously helped the westward journey team, and even the One-Horned Rhinoceros King of Jindu Cave was only captured after Luo Fu held him back.

But at this moment, Sun Wukong still spoke with great conviction.

Stopping what he was doing, holding the golden cudgel in one hand, Sun Wukong raised his palm in the direction of Luofu, bowed and said, "I, Old Sun, have been impolite. I have met the Buddha. If you are truly the Buddha, you must give me an explanation today."

Luo Fu raised an eyebrow. He wouldn't actually believe that the blame was on his side just because of Sun Wukong's words.

Sun Wukong is the kind of person who is unreasonable and unforgiving even when he is right.

Luo Fu has a clear understanding of this.

I would never easily believe what this monkey said.

Luo Fu glanced at Sun Wukong with a half-smile, but didn't rush to answer. Instead, he looked at the indignant Seven Emotions Bodhisattva beside him and asked, "Why did you have a conflict with Tang Sanzang and the others?"

"Reporting to Buddha." As the eldest of the Seven Emotions Bodhisattvas, the Red-Clothed Bodhisattva put her hands together, bowed, and said, "We have never met this disciple of the pilgrim, nor do we have any enmity with him. However, the pilgrim has deceived my disciple. These monkeys are even more audacious, stealing without asking in my True Wonderful Dharma Heaven."

The orange-robed Bodhisattva quickly added, "Buddha, this monkey stole five of our nine-thousand-year-old peaches and ruined dozens of six-thousand-year-old and three-thousand-year-old peaches. Even Buddha's ginseng fruit was stolen and eaten by this plague-ridden monkey, four of them."

It's reasonable that the ginseng fruit was stolen, since Luo Fu did indeed keep the ginseng fruit that Zhen Yuanzi had given him.

But what about the peaches of immortality? How could he remember that when did the Heavenly Court have peaches of immortality in his True and Wonderful Dharma Heaven?

As if sensing Luo Fu's doubts.

The younger sister, the Purple-Clad Bodhisattva, added: "Thanks to the generous gift from the Jade Pool Heavenly Venerable, when we sisters returned from the Heavenly Court three years ago, we brought back nine nine-thousand-year-old peaches, eighteen six-thousand-year-old peaches, and three-thousand-year-old peaches, a total of thirty-six peaches. Now, however, half of them have been ruined by this Sun Wukong."

Now Luofu understood.

The Bodhisattva of Seven Emotions was in the previous life of one of the Seven Fairy Maidens of Heaven.

His original task was to oversee and harvest the peaches of immortality. However, Luo Fu went to the ruins deep within the Heavenly Court at Haotian's invitation. By the time he returned, four years had passed in the mortal realm.

The Seven Emotions Bodhisattva stayed in the Heavenly Court for about a year, which is exactly three years ago when he returned from the Heavenly Court.
It's not hard to understand why Sun Wukong and his ilk, with their audacity, would steal ginseng fruit and peaches of immortality.

Now, Luofu is more concerned about what exactly the Spider Cave is all about.
On this point, Luofu could no longer simply listen to the explanation of the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva.

Looking at Sun Wukong, Luo Fu asked, "Wukong, what do you say?"

Sun Wukong, with his cat-like face and thunderous mouth, showed not a trace of embarrassment and said confidently, "Buddha, please forgive me. I, Old Sun, am indeed greedy. I, Old Sun, will certainly compensate you with ginseng fruit. Please forgive me."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong bowed deeply, but then he said with a straight face, "Buddha, although I, Old Sun, stole your peaches, I also cleaned up your mess."

(End of this chapter)