Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

Although Wukong is a spirit, as a Taiyi Golden Immortal, his primordial spirit is solid and lifelike, and all the monkeys can see his form.

The four monkey generals hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects and asked anxiously, "Great King, Great King, you've finally returned! Where did you go? We were so worried about you."

Wukong laughed and said, "Something went wrong in the Underworld, and they mistakenly took me there. I was not satisfied, so I caused a huge disturbance in the Underworld, and only now have I been able to return."

Having said that, he transformed into a beam of light and entered his body, his eyes suddenly opening wide.

He stretched and said loudly, "My children, quickly bring some fresh peaches to quench your thirst! This time I've crossed all your names off the Book of Life and Death, so from now on no one can use the laws of the underworld to control you!"

The monkeys were taken aback at first, then burst into cheers, flattering and fawning over Sun Wukong.

The clever ones had already brought out fruits and vegetables to offer.

Sun Wukong stood there and recounted his experiences on the journey, especially mentioning Ye Feng's battle against Ksitigarbha. The monkeys were thrilled and cheered, praising Ye Feng incessantly.

These monkeys had limited horizons and did not know what kind of being Ksitigarbha was, nor did they understand what kind of heaven-defying act it meant to cause havoc in the underworld. They only knew that their king was powerful and influential throughout the three realms, and that their kind would no longer be restrained, so they were overjoyed.

Ye Feng found the noise and noise boring, so he left the Water Curtain Cave first and returned to his Yiyuan Palace along the path.

Upon entering the palace, he sat cross-legged on the cloud bed. With a flick of his long sleeves, a dark shadow landed, and with a gentle shake, transformed into a spirited and powerful beast—

It was truly listening intently.

Upon arriving in this new place, it showed no fear; instead, it opened its eyes and looked around with great curiosity.

Since its birth, it has been kept as a mount by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, never truly leaving his side. Although it can hear the voices of all things, it has never seen the world with its own eyes. Today, witnessing the outside world for the first time, its eyes are filled with undisguised amazement.

Seeing its puzzled expression, Ye Feng chuckled and said, "You are now free to roam the Three Realms. However, you must be careful in all things and lest you fall into the hands of others again. If you find Flower Fruit Mountain suitable, then settle down here."

Upon hearing this, Di Ting felt a surge of gratitude. He prostrated himself on the ground and solemnly kowtowed, saying, "I cannot repay your great kindness. If you ever need my help, I will gladly die for you."

Ye Feng shook his head and smiled: "Although you are a spirit beast, you are not a combatant. What can I ask you for help? I just have some questions and would like to ask you for advice."

Di Ting said solemnly, "If you have any questions, I will tell you everything I know."

Ye Feng nodded, then asked, "Alright, then I'll get straight to the point—among the Four Emperors of Heaven, who is the easiest to deal with?"

"What?!"

Di Ting suddenly looked up, his pupils contracted, and his face was filled with astonishment.

*Houtu, in the prehistoric world system, is one of the ancestral witches; here, the Four Emperors setting is followed.*

Previously, Diting was quite confident.

Not to boast, but since its birth in the Three Realms, it has been in control of eight or nine out of ten of the events that have occurred, including secret rumors.

But this question made its heart tighten.

It's not that I don't know, but... I dare not answer.

Who would ask that?

It stared warily at Ye Feng: "You're asking this... what exactly do you want to do?"

Ye Feng grinned and waved his hand, saying, "Nothing much, just a casual question."

"You call this 'just saying it'?" Di Ting couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Nevertheless, it still responded in a low voice: "In terms of the depth of one's cultivation, among the Four Emperors, the Ziwei Emperor is the least capable."

"Um."

Ye Feng narrowed his eyes, not surprised at all.

He already knew about this world—this world originated from ancient times and had experienced the calamity of the witches and demons and the chaos of the Investiture of the Gods.

The Four Heavenly Emperors are four revered deities who assist the Jade Emperor in governing the Three Realms: the Ziwei Emperor, the Gouchen Emperor, the Changsheng Emperor, and the Zhenwu Emperor.

The Ziwei Emperor was none other than Boyi Kao from the Investiture of the Gods, son of Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, whose soul was bestowed with divine status. Before becoming an emperor, he was merely a mortal.

Furthermore, due to the constraints imposed by the Investiture of the Gods, his cultivation was limited, and despite his high position, his actual power was limited. Whether he could break through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm was still unknown, and his combat strength was therefore questionable.

Ye Feng pondered silently, but before he could speak, Di Ting whispered again:

……

Let's set aside the story of Flower Fruit Mountain for now and talk about the Underworld.

At that time, the underworld was in great chaos, and the names of the monkey clan were all erased from the Book of Life and Death. This act affected the very foundation of reincarnation and shook the laws of heaven and earth.

After the Ten Kings of Hell saw off Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, they immediately convened a meeting and jointly drafted a memorial, which was then personally delivered to the Heavenly Court by King Yama, vowing to accuse the demon monkey of his heinous crimes.

This matter is far more significant than the previous attempt to seize the Dragon Palace.

Robbing the treasure vault is ultimately a matter of personal grudges; destroying the Book of Life and Death, however, shakes the very foundation of the Six Realms.

Without delay, Yama changed into his court robes, left the underworld, passed through the gap between the three realms, headed straight for the sky above the four continents, and ascended to the heavenly court.

Although the Heavenly Court is located hundreds of thousands of feet above the sky, it is not separated from the Underworld by a spatial barrier. It is actually the same world, only its location is extremely high.

King Yama, holding a memorial, ascended rapidly.

On the other side, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva returned to the Buddha Mountain, only to find that the once solemn Buddhist land had vanished without a trace, not even a speck of dust remained, and countless disciples had disappeared without a trace. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He slumped onto the lotus platform and chanted "Amitabha" several times before barely managing to suppress the flames of anger in his chest.

How could I possibly swallow this insult?

That was the temple he had built over countless years, where he not only rebuilt the Buddhist mountain but also created a secret realm within it, connecting it to his own Buddhist kingdom.

Now everything has vanished.

There was no sign of the aura of the Divine Listener, no way to sense it, and no warning from the Soul Lamp—either he had perished, or he had been abducted, and all the restrictions had been lifted.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, and my rationality nearly collapsed.

It's not that he's narrow-minded; on the contrary, as a Bodhisattva who has cultivated for many years, his mind is as still as water, and he is not easily disturbed by external things.

Imagine if you were Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva—

Just as I was calmly reciting scriptures, purifying myself and doing nothing, a judge suddenly came to ask for help, saying that a demon monkey was disturbing the underworld.

When you feel compassion for the suffering of all beings, you may also feel a sense of responsibility to protect the Dharma and go to mediate.

After exchanging only two blows, he turned around and saw that his home was gone.

Not only was the temple destroyed, but their mount was also stolen.

Who could tolerate that?

Even if Shakyamuni himself were here, it would be difficult to guarantee that he would not be angered.

He gritted his teeth and got up, determined to seek justice.

However, his identity is special; he is a representative of Buddhism stationed in the underworld and cannot leave without permission. If he wishes to travel, he must obtain the Buddha's permission.

After much deliberation, he decided to ride his lotus platform and leave the underworld, heading towards Mount Ling.

Their purpose is no different from that of Yama, the King of Hell—to go to the Heavenly Court and file a complaint!

Let's set aside the matter of Ksitigarbha for now and focus on Yama's ascension. After an unknown amount of time, suddenly everything went dark. He saw dark clouds obscuring the sun ahead, which were malevolent clouds formed by thunder, fire, and gale, stretching across the four continents and the heavens, blocking both above and below.

Thunder and lightning, along with fierce winds, swept across the sky above the four continents, reaching unfathomable heights. The energy contained within them was terrifying, and the heavenly tribulation arose from this.

As Yama approached, a meteorite carrying blazing flames hurtled towards him. His expression remained unchanged; he was already familiar with this place. He effortlessly summoned a magical artifact and calmly passed through the domain of thunder and fire. He then traversed the Nine Heavens Gale Wind layer, stretching over 30,000 miles, a wind so cold and biting it could erode the soul.

If a mortal has not ascended to the path of immortality, even a brief breath of air will cause their body and spirit to dissipate and they will cease to exist.

King Yama, naturally fearless, broke through the wind and flew away in the blink of an eye. After flying for about an hour, they finally arrived at the Heavenly Realm.

Before him, clouds billowed and shimmered, ethereal mists swirled, and a fragrant breeze wafted. From the boundless sea of ​​clouds, countless enormous islands emerged, stretching to the horizon. Yama continued on his journey, and suddenly a colossal gate appeared deep within the sea of ​​clouds.

A thousand feet wide, two towering jade pillars support a memorial archway, its golden light dazzling, its green tiles shimmering, its auspicious colors abundant, and its radiant light shining everywhere. Above the plaque are the three characters "South Heavenly Gate".

Two divine generals stand on each side of the gate, making a total of four. All of them are three zhang tall and are extremely majestic: one holds a sword, one holds a pipa, one holds a treasure umbrella, and one leads a carved beast with flowers. They are the Four Heavenly Kings who guard the South Heavenly Gate.

"King Yama, today is not the day of court assembly, why have you suddenly come to the Heavenly Palace?" Upon seeing this, King Guangmu stepped forward and asked.

King Yama bowed respectfully and said urgently, "I have important matters to report to the Jade Emperor in person, and I request that the Heavenly King convey my request on my behalf."

The Heavenly King Guangmu dared not be negligent and quickly helped him up, saying, "We are both ministers of the same court, why be so formal? Since it is urgent, I will inform you immediately."

He spoke respectfully, then turned and entered the South Heavenly Gate. Although the Ten Kings of Hell govern the underworld, they also hold a position in the Heavenly Court, their rank slightly higher than that of the Heavenly Kings. Moreover, they oversee the most important areas of reincarnation and cannot be easily offended—so that if they ever need anything from them in the future, they can help each other out.

He went deep into the Heavenly Palace and learned that the Jade Emperor was currently in the Hall of Fragrant Breeze, so he went straight there.

Passing by a side hall, I saw a dragon king dressed in court robes pacing back and forth, looking anxious.

The Heavenly King Guangmu knew that the Dragon King had been waiting here for more than an hour and seemed to have something to report, but since it was not a day of court assembly, he claimed that it was not an urgent matter. In addition, the formal court assembly was tomorrow, so he stayed here to await orders.

A moment in heaven is a year on earth. What he was waiting for, a moment and a half, had already passed in the mortal world for more than a month.

Upon seeing the Heavenly King Guangmu approaching, the Dragon King hurriedly cupped his hands and asked, "Heavenly King, are you not on duty at the South Heavenly Gate? What business do you have here?"

The Heavenly King Guangmu returned the greeting and replied, "The King of Hell has come in person, saying that he has an urgent matter to report to the Jade Emperor and has come to inform him."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King's eyes lit up, and he was secretly delighted: he had been waiting for a long time, and if he waited until tomorrow's court assembly, it would take another half day. He might as well take this opportunity to go to court with King Yama.

He immediately and quietly handed over a piece of warm and beautiful jade, and said with a smile, "Heavenly King, I also have a small favor to ask of you. I hope you can introduce me to the Jade Emperor."

The Heavenly King Guangmu took the jade pendant, lightly weighed it in his palm, his expression unchanged, and put it into his sleeve, his smile becoming even more amiable: "Of course, of course, Dragon King, please wait patiently."

Having received the benefit, he quickened his pace and headed straight for the Pixiang Hall.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor was watching celestial music and dance in the palace, bathed in golden light that illuminated the thirty-three heavens.

However, time flows differently in the heavens than in the four continents.

Only in the underworld does the rhythm of time coincide with that of the mortal realm.

Therefore, although several days had passed in the mortal realm for Ye Feng and the monkey to cause havoc in the underworld, in the Heavenly Court, it was only a fleeting moment, less than a quarter of an hour.

Before long, the Heavenly King Guangmu emerged from the Hall of Fragrant Breeze and approached the Dragon King, saying, "Dragon King, the Jade Emperor has decreed that you and Yama must go to the Hall of the Heavenly Firmament to plead your case."

The Dragon King repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

A moment later, Yama passed through the South Heavenly Gate, and the two walked side by side toward the depths of the Heavenly Palace.

The celestial realm is divided into thirty-three layers, stacked one upon another, with palaces and pavilions intertwined. The highest point is the Dou Niu Palace, whose main hall is the Lingxiao Palace.

The Dragon King straightened his clothes, stepped onto the white jade road, and walked steadily forward.

A clear, melodious sound, like the tinkling of a jade bell, echoed from the sky, its gentle waves reaching all thirty-three heavens.

This is the decree summoning all the gods, which is sounded at every court assembly. All righteous gods who are not on duty must rush to the Lingxiao Palace.