Primordial Era: Becoming the Great Emperor of Humanity from the Start

Chapter 214 Who's in favor? Who's opposed?

Di Ting is an ancient mythical beast that truly possesses the extraordinary ability to discern all things in the world, especially adept at listening to the innermost thoughts of living beings.

This Di Ting is the divine beast under the command of Ksitigarbha, a disciple of the Western Paradise. Originally, it was expected to have a great destiny after Ksitigarbha became the Ksitigarbha King.

However, because of Jiang Heng, Ksitigarbha not only failed to become the Ksitigarbha King, but also became a marginal figure in the Western Paradise due to his repeated failures in plotting the six realms of reincarnation.

Di Ting thus became obscure in the Western Religion. If it weren't for its innate supernatural abilities, it wouldn't have been remembered by the two saints of the Western Religion this time.

Under normal circumstances, there are indeed very few things in the entire prehistoric world that can escape the innate supernatural abilities of the Listening Beast.

However, even the incarnations of the saints cannot tell which of the two Sun Wukongs is the real one and which is the fake one. How can the mere Di Ting divine beast distinguish them?

The mythical beast Di Ting walked up to the two Sun Wukongs, looked them over, and sniffed them. After a moment, it returned to Shakyamuni's side.

"The Divine Beast of Di Ting has already figured it out; that Sun Wukong is a fake!" Shakyamuni said in a deep voice, pointing at a fake Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong, pointed at by Shakyamuni, looked astonished and angrily said, "No! I, Old Sun, am the real one, and that one is the fake one!"

The other Sun Wukong immediately shouted angrily, "Hmph! What a fiend! You dare to impersonate me, Old Sun! Now you've been exposed!"

The two Sun Wukongs raised their Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic cudgels), and it looked like they were about to start fighting again at the slightest provocation.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable, the two sages of the Western Sect, the Jade Emperor Haotian, and Lu Ya all looked at the Sun Wukong who was being accused of being a fake with unfriendly expressions.

With the strength of these powerful individuals, no matter how chaotic the situation, they were able to firmly lock onto the one who was accused of being a fake Sun Wukong.

"You fiend! You have every right to be proud of yourself for managing to deceive our eyes. Now that you've exposed yourself, why don't you submit to our doom immediately?" Shakyamuni said in a deep voice.

Four powerful auras locked onto Sun Wukong, leaving him filled with grief and indignation, yet he dared not make any rash moves.

With three incarnations of saints and two peak quasi-saints, this Sun Wukong, whether real or fake, would find it difficult to match so many powerful figures.

"Now that we have distinguished the real from the fake, let's kill this monster so that the journey to the West can proceed as planned!" said Patriarch Bodhi in a deep voice.

A powerful aura began to gather, and several powerful figures were already poised to make their move.

But at that moment, Jiang Heng stepped forward, blocking the two Sun Wukongs, and looked at the incarnations of the two saints of the Western Sect with a half-smile.

"Human Emperor! What do you mean by this? Are you perhaps protecting this demon who dares to impersonate Sun Wukong?" Shakyamuni's expression hardened, and he said in a deep voice.

"Hmph! The Human Emperor has made his move at this time. Could it be that this matter is truly inextricably linked to the Human Emperor?" Jade Emperor Haotian said in a deep voice.

Based on what the Jade Emperor Haotian just said, it's not hard to see that he's determined to smear Jiang Heng.

The Jade Emperor Haotian's meaning was very clear: he was undoubtedly saying that the real and fake Sun Wukong were clearly the work of Jiang Heng, the Human Emperor.

Therefore, Jiang Heng intervened to stop the beast from distinguishing the real Sun Wukong from the fake one, which was clearly a case of being hesitant to act for fear of harming the innocent.

"Hahaha! You've put on quite a show; I'm almost reluctant to expose your true colors!" Jiang Heng said with a laugh.

"Human Emperor! What do you mean by this?" Shakyamuni asked in a deep voice, his expression unchanged.

"What do I mean? Don't you all know? Why pretend here?" Jiang Heng said disdainfully.

"Hmph! Human Emperor, you said it yourself, and you still can't tell which of these two Sun Wukongs is real and which is fake."

"What? Now that the Divine Beast of Di Ting has distinguished the real from the fake, what do you have to say?" Patriarch Bodhi said in a deep voice.

"I did say that I couldn't tell whether these two Sun Wukongs were real or fake, but I never said that I couldn't tell the difference!" Jiang Heng said in a deep voice.

The method was indeed incredibly clever to fool Jiang Heng, but it was only enough to fool Jiang Heng.

If Jiang Heng really wanted to distinguish which of the two Sun Wukongs was real and which was fake, he had plenty of other methods.

"Human Emperor! What do you mean by this? Are you saying that the Divine Beast Di Ting made a mistake just now?" Shakyamuni said.

"Whether it's right or wrong, we'll find out soon enough! I don't trust your Western religion at all!" Jiang Heng said disdainfully.

Although Jiang Heng had already noticed some problems, he didn't actually know whether the Di Ting Divine Beast had made a wrong judgment or deliberately made a wrong judgment.

But as Jiang Heng said, regardless of whether it's right or wrong, he simply wouldn't choose to believe the one-sided claims of Western religion.

Moreover, even Jiang Heng couldn't see any difference. Just by relying on the innate abilities of a divine beast, he could distinguish between the real and the fake.

This is not only disrespecting Jiang Heng, but also looking down on the incarnations of other sages. Are the incarnations of sages really inferior to a divine beast?

To find out which Sun Wukong is the real one, Jiang Heng only needs to take action himself, and the result will be clear.

"Hmph! Then we shall witness the Human Emperor's methods!" Patriarch Bodhi said in a deep voice.

If they could, Patriarch Bodhi and the others would have already taken action and completely killed the Sun Wukong who was identified as a fake.

With Jiang Heng blocking their way, neither the two saints of the Western Sect nor the Jade Emperor Haotian dared to make a move easily.

The reason is simple: these saintly incarnations have witnessed firsthand the strength of Jiang Heng's avatar.

Bodhi Patriarch was annihilated by Jiang Hengsheng and had to pay a huge price to reconstitute an avatar.

Even an ancient behemoth like the Lord of the Styx was killed by this Human Emperor. How could the word "terrifying" possibly describe Jiang Heng's strength?

It's no exaggeration to say that even if they joined forces to deal with Jiang Heng's avatar, Bodhi Patriarch and his group wouldn't be confident of victory.

Furthermore, although the incarnations of the Supreme Saint, the Master of Heaven, and the Great Sun Tathagata had not spoken, they had already tacitly stood beside Jiang Heng.

Given their inferior strength, Patriarch Bodhi and the others could only endure in silence, eager to see just how capable Jiang Heng really was.

Bodhi Patriarch and Shakyamuni exchanged a glance. Their eyes showed no worry whatsoever, but rather a hint of schadenfreude.

Clearly, both Bodhi Patriarch and Shakyamuni were full of confidence and did not believe that Jiang Heng could distinguish between the two Sun Wukongs.

"To be able to deceive my eyes, even with the help of a powerful figure, you have every reason to be proud!"

Whether it's cultivation level, technique, or even the magic weapon in their hands, they are exactly the same. They really went to great lengths!

"Unfortunately, even though the origins are the same, the unique wisdom of living beings is something that can never be imitated!" Jiang Heng said with a smile.

Using the methods of Heaven and Dao Ancestor Hongjun, it is not difficult to create a being with the same origin as Sun Wukong and the same peak Quasi-Saint cultivation.

Furthermore, with the power of Heaven, it wouldn't be difficult to simulate the complete Battle Victory Method by simply applying it to Sun Wukong a few times.

Even if Jiang Heng forged the Ruyi Jingu Bang himself, the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun could create an exact replica.

Therefore, it is not surprising that it is impossible to tell from appearances which of the two Sun Wukongs is real and which is fake.

However, while the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun may be able to simulate some things in a very similar way, they cannot deduce everything.

For example, the Victory Strike Technique was able to be deduced by the Heavenly Dao only because Sun Wukong used this technique many times in the Three Realms.

If Sun Wukong had never revealed the Fighting Victory Technique, even the Heavenly Dao could not have created a technique that did not exist out of thin air.

For example, the various cultivation techniques in Jiang Heng's system. If Jiang Heng were to exchange for a technique that has never been shown before, how would the Heavenly Dao deduce it?

The methods of Heaven and Dao Ancestor Hongjun may be very sophisticated, but they have not truly reached the level of omniscience and omnipotence.

If Jiang Heng is willing, there is more than one way to truly distinguish between the two Sun Wukongs and determine which one is real and which one is fake.

"Human Emperor! I, Old Sun, am the real one! You must believe me!" Sun Wukong, who had been accused of being an imposter, said with a face full of grief and indignation.

"I have already said that I only need to test who is real and who is fake to know the truth!" Jiang Heng said with a smile.

All the powerful figures present focused their attention on Jiang Heng, eager to see what kind of methods he possessed.

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Heng unleashed a dark light that instantly enveloped the Ruyi Jingu Bang in the hands of the two Sun Wukongs.

The two Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic cudgels) vibrated simultaneously, and a dazzling golden light shot straight into the sky, indicating that the power of the treasure of merit was being revived.

But in the next moment, the two Ruyi Jingu Bangs became different, and one of them flew towards Jiang Heng.

Holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) in his hand, Jiang Heng pointed at a fake Sun Wukong and said, "You're the fake one!"

Jiang Heng was pointing at Sun Wukong, who was holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) in his hand, which was radiating a dazzling golden light.

In other words, Jiang Heng already had the real Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) of Sun Wukong, so the rest were obviously fake.

The Sun Wukong that Jiang Heng identified as real was the same Sun Wukong that the Di Ting divine beast had just identified as fake.

"Just based on a Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff), the Human Emperor can determine that this Sun Wukong is the real one?" Patriarch Bodhi said with a gloomy expression.

Such an outcome was naturally not within the expectations of the two saints of the Western Sect. They never expected that Jiang Heng could so easily distinguish between the real and fake Sun Wukong.

Moreover, Jiang Heng not only easily distinguished between the real and the fake, but the result was exactly the opposite of what the Western Church had just given.

This made the two saints of the Western religion even more unsure whether the human emperor in front of them was truly capable or doing it on purpose.

"Hahaha! It's perfectly normal that you can't see the mystery behind my methods, isn't it?" Jiang Heng said disdainfully.

Jiang Heng wasn't deliberately mocking Bodhi Patriarch; he was simply stating a very simple matter.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel) was a pillar forged by Jiang Heng himself to suppress the seas. When forging this magical weapon, Jiang Heng actually used the weapon-forging method from the world of "Covering the Sky".

The Heavenly Dao might be able to create a magical artifact just like the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff), or even create one with the exact same characteristics as a treasure of merit.

However, Heaven could never possibly know the weapon-refining methods in the world of "Covering the Sky," because those methods simply do not belong to the primordial world.

Jiang Heng himself did not deliberately spread the weapon-refining methods of the "Covering the Sky" world in the primordial world, so the Heavenly Dao could not deduce them.

That's why, when Jiang Heng used the laws of the "Covering the Sky" world to activate the Ruyi Jingu Bang, only one Ruyi Jingu Bang flew towards him.

Based on this, Jiang Heng could easily tell which of the two Sun Wukongs was real and which was fake.

Of course, this is just the simplest method. If Jiang Heng is willing, he can come up with several other different methods.

Even if Heaven had done this perfectly, taking the two Sun Wukongs to the Fire Cloud Cave outside the Thirty-Third Heaven, Jiang Heng would still be able to tell the difference between the real and the fake.

Not only could Jiang Heng distinguish between the real and the fake, but Nuwa, the saint who once mended the sky with stones, could also tell the difference between the two Sun Wukongs.

"Hmph! Human Emperor, how can we know whether you truly discerned it or did it intentionally based solely on your word?" Jade Emperor Haotian said in a deep voice.

"Hahaha! Haotian, haven't I taught you a lesson during this time? You really think you're someone important?" Jiang Heng said disdainfully again.

Jiang Heng had taught the Jade Emperor Haotian a lesson more than once or twice, and each time he had left a deep impression on the Jade Emperor Haotian.

Now, the Jade Emperor Haotian is a typical example of forgetting the pain once the wound has healed; he has probably completely forgotten the fear of being dominated by Jiang Heng.

However, why should Jiang Heng reason with powerful figures like the Jade Emperor and the two saints of the Western Sect?

If Jiang Heng says this Sun Wukong is real, then he is real. Even if he is fake, Jiang Heng can turn the fake into the real.

Besides, Jiang Heng naturally knew that the result he had just discerned could not possibly be wrong.

"Hmph! Human Emperor, this matter concerns whether the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures can be successfully concluded, and also whether this great calamity can be truly completed."

"We are all gathered here, and it is difficult to convince us all based solely on your word!" Shakyamuni said in a deep voice.

A smile suddenly appeared on Jiang Heng's face. The next moment, amidst the shocked gazes of the assembled experts, Jiang Heng made a ruthless move.

Jiang Heng held nothing back, unleashing a powerful burst of strength. He threw a punch, the second move of the Emperor's Fist, Reincarnation.

An incredibly powerful force enveloped the Sun Wukong that Jiang Heng had determined to be fake, instantly and completely suppressing him.

Then, amidst the shocked gazes of the powerful figures, Sun Wukong was completely reduced to nothingness in the second form of the Emperor Fist, Reincarnation.

"Now, I declare that this Sun Wukong is real. Who agrees? Who disagrees?" Jiang Heng said in a deep voice.

The two saints of the Western Sect and the other powerful figures looked at each other, wondering what else they could say at this point.

Jiang Heng has already killed one of the two Sun Wukongs. The remaining Sun Wukong, whether real or fake, is now the real one.

After all, the journey to the West still requires Sun Wukong's participation, and the Journey to the West tribulation cannot truly come to a successful conclusion without Sun Wukong.

With the overall situation already decided, even if the Jade Emperor Haotian and other powerful figures had many ideas, it would be futile.

Moreover, it was only at this moment that the Jade Emperor Haotian and other powerful figures truly realized that they were facing the Human Emperor!

The human emperor before them was extremely domineering. Ever since the Lich War, it seemed that he had never truly reasoned with them.

However, Jiang Heng's strength is extremely powerful, as evidenced by the fact that he annihilated Sun Wukong with a single move.

It's important to know that the two Sun Wukongs are exactly the same in strength; they are two powerful beings who have already reached the pinnacle of the Three Realms.

Even if a saint were to intervene, although he could suppress Sun Wukong, he probably wouldn't be able to kill him so easily.

With such strength, even if powerful figures like the Jade Emperor and Haotian joined forces, they would not seem to pose any threat to Jiang Heng.

In this situation, it is natural that whichever Sun Wukong Jiang Heng says is fake, that Sun Wukong must be fake.

Having understood this, the Jade Emperor, the two sages of the Western Sect, and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable all had gloomy expressions, but dared not say anything more.

Yuanshi Tianzun was the first to turn around and leave. Jade Emperor Haotian and Lu Ya were completely intimidated and dared not stay there any longer.

After all, Jiang Heng killed Sun Wukong so easily. If he were to attack them, how could the Jade Emperor Haotian and Lu Ya possibly withstand him?

The two saints from the Western religion exchanged a glance, shook their heads helplessly, and then turned and left.

No matter how much scheming there is, it all seems utterly laughable in the face of Jiang Heng's absolute strength.

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for your help in bringing that demon to justice!" Sun Wukong said gratefully as he approached Jiang Heng.

When Di Ting determined that he was an imposter, Sun Wukong was filled with despair. With his current strength, he could never possibly be a match for several incarnations of saints.

If the two saints of the Western Sect and other powerful figures were to take action, it would probably not be a difficult task to completely kill Sun Wukong.

At that time, no matter how much resentment or injustice Sun Wukong felt, he would inevitably perish here.

Fortunately, Jiang Heng intervened at the crucial moment and completely killed the demon who dared to impersonate him, Sun Wukong, thus clearing his name.

"There's no need to worry about this. You've fallen into someone else's trap, so it's only right that I take action!" Jiang Heng said.

The expressions of the Great Sun Tathagata, the Supreme Pure Sage, and the incarnations of the Tongtian Sect Master all shifted, and their gazes instantly focused on Jiang Heng.

"Since the Human Emperor has said this, has he already discerned something?" the avatar of the Tongtian Sect Master said in a deep voice.

Upon seeing the two Sun Wukongs, powerful figures like the Great Sun Tathagata naturally realized that there must be some scheming involved.

"You can probably guess who made the move!" Jiang Heng said.

The incarnations of the Great Sun Tathagata, the Supreme Pure Sage, and the Tongtian Sect Master all nodded, naturally able to guess who had made the move.

After all, it's not hard to guess that someone in the Three Realms could be so convincing as to not distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Otherwise, how could the incarnations of the Supreme Saint and the Master of Heaven manifest in such an instant when there are only two Sun Wukongs?

However, what the powerful figures like the Taiqing Sage found difficult to understand was what kind of purpose was hidden behind this scheme.

"Although this great calamity is still ongoing, it has already somewhat escaped the control of that one, so how could he not be wary?"

This scheme is more like a test. If it succeeds, it will be like planting a nail, allowing them to regain control of this great calamity.

Even if it doesn't work, it can still be a test, and it can serve as a reminder to us that the one in question has been keeping a close eye on this great calamity!" Jiang Heng said again.

The incarnations of the Great Sun Tathagata, the Supreme Pure Sage, and the Tongtian Sect Master nodded again. Although they did not know the key behind this great calamity, they did know its purpose.

The rise of Western religions and the eastward spread of Buddhism were not things that the Taiqing Sage and the Tongtian Sect Master wanted to see, which is why they converted the barbarians to Buddhism.

The Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun had remained relatively quiet, almost leading the Taiqing Sage to mistakenly believe that the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun did not care about the Journey to the West Tribulation.

However, as it turns out, the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun were not indifferent; rather, they had been silently watching this great calamity all along.

As this great calamity gradually deviated from its original trajectory, the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun stepped forward, which led to the story of the true and false Sun Wukong.

"It seems that when this great calamity is about to end, it will be another turbulent time!" the Great Sun Tathagata said in a deep voice.

As the master of Mahayana Buddhism, and having taken a dominant position in this great eon, Vairocana Buddha naturally understood the key to this great eon.

Given the current situation, once the Journey to the West tribulation concludes successfully, Mahayana Buddhism will undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiary.

Mahayana Buddhism and Western religions are essentially one, but it is not entirely a Western religion. This is probably something that the Heavenly Dao and the Dao Ancestor Hongjun could not tolerate.

"That person has his own plans, and we have our own. In the end, it all comes down to whose methods are superior!" Jiang Heng said.

Regardless of whether the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun would intervene, the two sages of the Western Sect would certainly not stand idly by and watch Mahayana Buddhism flourish.

Everything is a game of strategy. Everyone is using some tricks now, just like the real and fake Sun Wukong this time. The two saints of the Western Sect are probably not unaware of this.

Not only did the two Western Saints know this, but the Jade Emperor and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable probably also knew the key behind the real and fake Sun Wukong.

Otherwise, how could these powerful figures have arrived at the same time, and why would they have been so confused when trying to distinguish between the real and fake Sun Wukong?

For those people, this plan was a failure, but they will not give up because of it.

To put it bluntly, the great calamity of heaven and earth is both a crisis and an opportunity for sages; it all depends on whether you can seize it.

For Jiang Heng, the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West was by no means as simple as it seemed on the surface; he also had his own purpose in this tribulation.

If all goes well, Jiang Heng might be able to see the hope of taking that step by taking advantage of this great calamity in the Journey to the West.

Sun Wukong could only scratch his head in bewilderment, completely clueless about what Jiang Heng and the others were talking about.

"We must make plans for this matter as soon as possible, lest we end up being controlled by others!" the Sage Taiqing said in a deep voice.

Jiang Heng and the others all nodded. Some of their plans were already underway, but the final outcome remained uncertain.

With the matter of the real and fake Sun Wukong concluded, the Sage Taiqing and others bid farewell and departed, and Tang Sanzang and his group once again embarked on their journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

As they overcame numerous tribulations, Tang Sanzang and his companions grew ever closer to the Western Paradise.

(End of this chapter)