Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 84 Treasure Hunt in the Lotus Cave (Part 10)
Meanwhile, Wukong invited Nezha to descend to the mortal realm.

Nezha was extremely unwilling, but he couldn't resist Wukong's sincere pleas and finally relented.

The two reported to the Jade Emperor and together rode the clouds to Pingding Mountain.

Nezha looked at the towering mountains and felt a sense of foreboding. He said to Wukong, "It's a promise. Go down and challenge us."

Wukong laughed and said, "Don't worry, when have I ever broken my promise?"

Wukong descended from the cloud, arrived at the entrance of the lotus cave, drew his staff and smashed the cave door, shouting:
"Monster, quickly return my master and junior brothers, and release the Bodhisattva!"

The little demon guarding the gate hurried inside to report.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, that monkey is here! He's banging on the door, demanding that we return his master, his junior brothers, and the Bodhisattva!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu said to Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao, "My two virtuous brothers, you stay in the cave while I go out to fight Sun Wukong!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn said, "Big brother, be careful!"

Ao Tu nodded, walked out of the cave, and saw that the cave door had been broken down by Sun Wukong. He said:

"Sun Wukong, how dare you break down my door! Quickly give me a new door, or I'll hang your master and junior brothers at the door to serve as the main entrance!"

Wukong said, "Demon dragon, you deserve a beating!"

The two engaged in a fierce battle while suspended in mid-air.

Nezha watched from a distance in the clouds. He saw that Ao Tu and Sun Wukong had fought for over a hundred rounds without Ao Tu being at a disadvantage. He was shocked and thought to himself that the demon dragon's martial arts had progressed rapidly!
At this moment, Ao Tu used his treasure.

Nezha stared intently.

Beneath Ao Tu's seat appeared a nine-tiered lotus platform, radiating auspicious light, drifting with auspicious energy, wafting with exotic fragrance, and swirling with colorful mist. It connected the three luminaries above and the eight thoroughfares below, embodying the beauty of heaven and earth, nurturing both purity and impurity.

Wukong struck the lotus platform with his staff, but the auspicious light blocked it, and it remained motionless.

Nezha felt it looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was Guanyin Bodhisattva's lotus platform.
Unable to penetrate the lotus platform, Wukong spat out another precious pearl, which emitted Buddhist light and displayed the profound principles of the heavens, striking Wukong.

Wukong dared not take the hit and could only hurriedly dodge, facing a series of perilous situations.

Seeing this, Nezha flew down, holding the Demon-Slaying Sword in one hand and the Universe Ring in the other, to help Wukong.

Ao Tu, relying on his nine-tiered lotus platform, remained unmoved despite Wukong and Nezha's attacks, only using the precious pearl to strike the two.

While dodging, Nezha said, "His treasure is the lotus throne of a Bodhisattva and the precious pearl of an ancient Buddha."

Wukong said, "I know, he hasn't used his real treasure yet!"

Nezha said, "Then let's stop fighting and leave first. This bead is powerful."

Wukong said, "Okay," and somersaulted away.

Nezha also wanted to leave, but his Wind Fire Wheels were not as fast as Wukong's Somersault Cloud.

Ao Tu grabbed Nezha's ankle, and the Wind Fire Wheels spun wildly in Ao Tu's palm. Ao Tu's fleshy hand transformed into a dragon claw, its scales shimmering, unafraid of the flames of the Wind Fire Wheels.

Nezha was shocked and used the Universe Ring to smash Ao Tu.

Ao Tu took out the Purple Gold Gourd with his other hand, chanted "Collect," and sucked Nezha into it. Then he returned to his cave in triumph.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn congratulated, "Congratulations on your triumphant return, elder brother!"

Ao Tu laughed loudly: "It's nothing!"

He shook the gourd, threw Nezha to the ground, and tied him up with the Golden Rope.

They searched Nezha carefully again and found the Dragon-Binding Rope.

Previously in Baoxiang Kingdom, Ao Tu used the Dragon-Binding Rope to bind Nezha. Later, when fighting Guanyin Bodhisattva, he left in a hurry and did not have time to retrieve the Dragon-Binding Rope.

Now it has been returned to its rightful owner.

Ao Tu then pulled out Nezha's Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) and gave the order:

“Men, the gate has been broken down by that Sun Wukong. Hang this at the door as a curtain to block the wind.”

Upon hearing this, the little demons hung the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) at the door.

Nezha struggled and said, "You demon dragon, how dare you humiliate me like this? I will repay you a hundredfold in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu recited the Tightening Rope Spell twice, and the Golden Rope immediately tightened around Nezha.

Ao Tu reached out and grabbed Nezha's ear, pulling it until it turned bright red. He laughed and said, "Little Nezha, do you still dare to be so arrogant?"

The little demon ordered Nezha to be thrown into the cell and imprisoned.

When Pigsy saw Nezha being thrown in from the cell, he exclaimed with delight:
"The Third Prince is here again. We need to go out."

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha!"

Nezha glared at Pigsy, then turned to Tang Sanzang and said:
“Holy Monk, do not worry. The Great Sage has already gone to Heaven to ask for help. The Jade Emperor will surely send divine soldiers and generals down to the mortal realm to subdue that demon and rescue you.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang said:
"Amitabha, thank you for your advice, Third Prince. It's just that my disciple Wukong has suffered a lot, encountering demons and monsters along the way, making his journey arduous and exhausting."

Upon hearing this, Nezha thought that Tang Sanzang was not bad. Even in danger, he could still think of others and could be considered a great monk.

Bajie said, "It seems we won't be able to get out anytime soon."

Sha Wujing asked, "Second Brother, why?"

Bajie said, "We have to wait until the gods are also imprisoned."

Meanwhile, Wukong returned to the Heavenly Realm.

The Jade Emperor asked, "Wukong, why did you return alone? Where is Nezha?"

Wukong said:
"Your Majesty, the Third Prince and I descended to the mortal realm. I went to challenge that demon dragon to a duel, but the demon dragon had obtained the Bodhisattva's treasure, and I was no match for him. The Third Prince came down to help, and the two of us fought the demon dragon together, but we still did not gain the upper hand."

The Third Prince said he would leave first, so Old Sun left. The Third Prince was a little slower and was captured by the demonic dragon. He begged His Majesty to send troops to exterminate the demon and rescue his master, junior brother, Bodhisattva, and the Third Prince.

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor said:
"You audacious demon dragon, how dare you so defy the might of Heaven! Heavenly King Li!" Heavenly King Li stepped forward and said, "Your subject is here!"

The Jade Emperor said, "I hereby order you to lead the Four Heavenly Kings and 100,000 heavenly soldiers to descend to the mortal realm and subdue the demons."

Li Tianwang replied, "As you command!"

Wukong hurriedly said, "Wait, Your Majesty, how petty of you!"

The Jade Emperor asked, "What?"

Wukong said, "The Four Heavenly Kings and their 100,000 heavenly soldiers couldn't even subdue me, Old Sun. How can they subdue that demonic dragon? Why don't they send more soldiers?"

The Jade Emperor said, "You impetuous monkey, my decree is not yet complete, why are you in such a hurry?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong hurriedly said, "It was my impatience, Your Majesty! Please speak, Your Majesty!"

The Jade Emperor continued to issue the decree:
"The twenty-four Heavenly Lords of the Thunder Department descend to the mortal realm to exterminate demons; the five gods of the Fire Department—the Tail Fire Tiger, the Chamber Fire Pig, the Beak Fire Monkey, the Winged Fire Snake, and the Receiving Fire Heavenly Lord—descend to burn demons; the Plague Department's messengers Zhou Xin and Li Qi spread plague and punish demons; the Dipper Department's Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends arrange the stars of the heavens to suppress demons."

The Jade Emperor issued a decree, and all the gods immediately mobilized their forces.

However, the four fire gods—the Tail Fire Tiger, the Chamber Fire Pig, the Beak Fire Monkey, and the Winged Fire Snake—arrived late, supposedly because they had gathered in the Dou Niu Palace.

The 108 star gods of the Dipper Division, including the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, arrived even later.

The four gods of the Fire Department were only a quarter of an hour late, but the star gods of the Dipper Department were a full hour late.

Li Tianwang questioned them, saying that the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends each had their own reasons. Some said they were studying the stars, some said they were inspecting the mortal world, some said they were deducing celestial phenomena, and some said they were relieving themselves.

The gods protected each other and testified one by one. Li Tianwang could not investigate them all, so he could only keep quiet, raise the command flag, and send troops down to the mortal realm.

The gods descended to the mortal realm and gathered at Pingdingshan. The sky was covered with dense clouds, and their divine might was beyond sight.

Li Tianwang ordered his heavenly soldiers and generals to first set up a net to surround the 600-li Pingdingshan area.

The heavenly soldiers and generals received their orders and went down to make arrangements.

Qin Tianjun, however, took the hammer and drill and struck down with a thunderous roar.

Li Tianwang roared, "Qin Tianjun, what are you doing!"

Qin Tianjun said, "I am acting on the Jade Emperor's orders to unleash divine thunder to punish the traitors and vanquish the demons!"

Li Tianwang angrily said, "I haven't even laid down the net yet, so why are you sending down divine thunder first? When the demons see it, won't they all flee?"

Qin Tianjun said, "Li Tianwang, what right do you have to tell me what to do? You have descended to the mortal realm many times, but you have not accomplished anything. In that Baoxiang Kingdom, you have not achieved anything. Only I have worked hard to subdue demons and destroy a corpse demon. What do you have to say about that?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tianwang's face turned red with anger, and he gripped the pagoda tightly, speechless.

Seeing this, the other gods quickly pulled the two apart.

Then, when Qin Tianjun unleashed a divine thunderclap, the demons of Pingding Mountain went into hiding, some burrowing underground, others entering caves, none daring to show their faces.

The little demon from Lotus Cave hurriedly reported:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, many heavenly soldiers and generals have descended from the sky and are standing in the clouds, surrounding us!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Men, don't be afraid, those are just a few reinforcements that the monkey invited!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn also said, "That's right, there's nothing to be afraid of, mere heavenly soldiers and generals!"

From the outside, Li Tianwang gave the order:
"The Twenty-Four Heavenly Kings of the Thunder Department command you to unleash divine thunder and annihilate the demons!"

Upon hearing this, the Twenty-Four Heavenly Kings of the Thunder Department each took up hammers and drills, and others took up electron microscopes, while the Wind God also assisted by providing wind.

In an instant, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a fierce wind howled, plunging the world into darkness.

Bolts of divine lightning struck the flat-topped mountain, which stretched for six hundred miles, creating craters in the land and mountains, and turning tall trees and withered grass into patches of fire.

The momentum was immense, but they failed to kill the demons.

Li Tianwang roared, "I ordered you to slay the demons, how dare you not exert yourselves?"

Qin Tianjun said, "How could we not exert our strength? It's you who don't know anything about warfare! If you don't lure the demons out, how can our divine thunder destroy them?"

Li Tianwang said, "Very well, I will lure the demon out!"

Li Tianwang ordered his heavenly soldiers and generals to use a celestial net to hook onto the mountain peak where Lotus Cave was located, thus moving the mountain away.

The heavenly soldiers and generals received their orders and laid down a net to catch the mountain. Ten thousand heavenly soldiers from the east, ten thousand from the south, ten thousand from the west, and ten thousand from the north pulled together to move the mountain.

Inside the cave, the mountains shook and the earth trembled.

The little demons were so frightened that they covered their heads and lay prostrate on the ground.

Ao Tu said, "Don't be afraid, let me go out and take a look."

Ao Tu flew out of the cave and saw the situation outside. He transformed into a five-clawed golden dragon, opened his mouth and spat out thousands of golden rays, shattering the net hanging on the mountain and calming the mountain down.

Ao Tu let out another dragon roar, which shocked the heavenly soldiers on the east and south sides, causing them to vomit blood, and the heavenly soldiers on the west and north sides to fall from the clouds.

Seeing this, Li Tianwang hurriedly ordered, "Quickly unleash lightning to slay the demonic dragon!"

The twenty-four Heavenly Kings of the Thunder Department received the order and unleashed their divine lightning, striking Ao Tu.

Ao Tu's golden scales shimmered, and the laws flowed around them. Divine lightning struck his scales, but he remained unmoved.

Ao Tu turned and went back to his residence.

Li Tianwang said, "Why aren't you exerting your strength?"

Qin Tianjun and the others said, "The demonic dragon is not afraid of divine thunder, so Heavenly King, you should find another divine general to take action!"

Li Tianwang said, "You only use thunder tools and not supernatural powers and spells, which clearly shows that you are unwilling to put in any effort. When I return to the Heavenly Realm, I will definitely report you to His Majesty!"

Qin Tianjun said, "We have done our best, but the demonic dragon is not afraid of divine lightning, so we have no other choice. It is the Heavenly King who is holding up the pagoda but not making a move. I think he is the one who is truly unwilling to exert his strength."

Li Tianwang: "You!"

(End of this chapter)