Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 251 - 240: Wukong and the First Emperor Discuss the Law

Chapter 251: Chapter 240: Wukong and the First Emperor Discuss the Law

It was said that the great trends between Heaven and Earth had been settled, the Demon Tribe was recuperating, only lacking a counterattack on the Heavenly Court, and Wukong would then be able to complete the revolutionary task of transforming the world.

The First Emperor was an unmatched emperor throughout the ages, the first to unify the Eastern Divine Region, greatly contributing to its prosperity today. Wukong, intending to revolutionize the world, naturally had to take the life of the Jade Emperor, for a world cannot be without a ruler for a single day, let alone the Three Realms. Without a supreme leader, chaos would likely ensue.

Upon seeing Wukong arrive, Ying Zheng chuckled and put down the military book in his hand. Although he was now among the Immortal Dao, he relished reading about military tactics, constantly engaging with military books whenever he had free time, repeatedly studying them. With his vast army, Ying Zheng had swept across the nations in the world, but he never forgot his roots, often reminiscing about the glorious days when he galloped across battlefields.

"Wukong has come. Do you need me?" Ying Zheng said.

Bai Qi and Xu Fu had died in battle, and Ying Zheng had been somewhat melancholic these days, retreating to read military books.

Wukong smiled and said, "Indeed, I have come to discuss matters with your Majesty, Ancestor Dragon First Emperor."

Ying Zheng closed his military book, put it away, and said, "Then sit down and we’ll talk in detail. Since Xu Fu and Bai Qi have fallen in battle, I have not spoken with anyone for many days. Sigh!"

Wukong sighed and said, "This battle was truly perilous. If not because Di Jiang was of the Ancestral Witch’s body, he too would have perished. Bai Qi slaughtered countless beings, became deeply mired in karmic retribution and his life force was due to end; Xu Fu sought the sea eastward, and by chance encountered Shen Gongbao and obtained the Elixir of Immortality, yet now his life force too has ended. Heaven’s will is hard to defy; their deaths were destined by fate. First Emperor, you need not grieve, for the Deification Platform is near where you can appoint them as gods and be reunited."

Ying Zheng nodded lightly and laughed, "What Wukong says makes great sense."

Wukong said, "Now that the Buddhist Sect has been eliminated, the false Buddhas of Western Heaven have all ascended the Deification Platform, and I, as the Victorious Fighting Buddha, control the Western Land. This revolutionary path in the world is already half completed. First Emperor, you walk the Path of Emperors. I believe, after overthrowing the Heavenly Court, it should be you who becomes the ruler of the Ten Thousand Heavens!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng’s eyes brightened.

In years past, he had swept through the entire Eastern Lands, unifying the Eastern Divine Region, but when he thought of the real ruler of this world being the Great Jade Emperor Zhang Bairan, he would feel quite displeased. Thus, he had defied Heaven’s will to cultivate the technique of immortality, and like a bereft dog, was forced into a corner, eventually hiding in his own tomb.

What he cultivated was the Path of Emperors. To perfect this path, he inevitably needed to unite the world under his rule as the sole sovereign of all under Heaven, commanding all the realms! Only then could he break free from the shackles of the Daluo Golden Immortal stage and step into the echelons of the Primordial Golden Immortal, vying for a sliver of life during the great calamity at the turn of the Yuan period.

Ying Zheng asked, "Are these words true?"

Wukong replied, "My intention to revolutionize the world is to make all beings equal. However, the Path of Emperors, which reigns supreme above all beings, does not align with my principles. Thus, I have thought of a good method—governing the country by the legalist philosophy! Establish strict laws so that everyone in the world may have laws to follow, and adherence to the law is obligatory. Those in power must also enforce the law strictly and prosecute lawbreakers without exception! Deities who break the law will be punished just like mortals!"

Ying Zheng, now aware of the significance of cultivation and no longer pursuing the feeling of being superior to thousands, did not oppose Wukong’s words and simply said, "In the past, my Qin dynasty was governed by legalist ideals. However, I did not comply with Heaven’s will, provoking the wrath of the Heavenly Court, which led to the Qin Dynasty’s demise in its second generation."

Wukong said, "Hmm. The reason the Heavenly Court stands aloof from the world is that they are deities with an innate sense of superiority, manipulating mortals at will. If there were stringent laws, the deities would certainly not dare to act recklessly, needing to restrain their personal desires and strictly abide by the laws! I have seen clearly that to revolutionize the world, it is necessary to bind the hearts of people with stringent laws."

Ying Zheng couldn’t help but ask, "But doesn’t that contradict your philosophy of following the heart?"

Wukong replied, "My philosophy of following the heart is to act according to one’s true nature, but one must strive to maintain the goodness within at all times. If one’s true nature is obscured by external temptations and extinguishes one’s own good intentions, that is unacceptable. I think, everyone in the world probably wants equality, and for that, we need stringent laws to bind them!"

Ying Zheng listened and could not help but ponder for a moment, saying, "This reasoning is sound. The heart of man is fundamentally good, and if all good intentions are extinguished, one becomes a demon, intolerable to the world. What the people aspire to is the true great path."

Wukong said, "Exactly, those in power should consider the lives of all under heaven; they must not think that because they hold great power, they can dominate all beings. Such behavior will only lead to being despised by the masses!"

Ying Zheng said, "If I were the ruler of the myriad heavens, I would establish strict laws. If a deity commits a crime, they would be treated no differently from mortals! Furthermore, I would establish a Supervisory Guard to monitor the deities, ensuring they do not use their power for personal gain."

Wukong smiled and said, "Well spoken!"

Wukong understood that he was not the kind of talent capable of controlling the myriad worlds, such grand plans required Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, a great emperor of unparalleled strategic prowess, to implement! To revolutionize the world was easy to say, but difficult as reaching the heavens to accomplish; without talents like Ying Zheng, even if the Heavenly Court were overthrown, it would be hard to enforce.

Ying Zheng looked up to the sky and sighed, saying, "Indeed! Who would want to be oppressed? Those in power can take the lives of countless innocents with just a word. Back in the day, the Jade Emperor, because an official spilled his tribute food that was then eaten by a dog, flew into a rage. He refused to let it rain for over a decade, causing a drought that killed countless civilians. Moreover, he had a heap of rice for chickens to peck and a flour hill for dogs to lick, and an iron chain to be burnt by fire. Only when the chicken finished the rice, the dogs licked the flour, and the fire broke through the chain, would he deign to let it rain. At this rate, it could take hundreds, maybe even a thousand years! This Jade Emperor is truly objectionable."

Wukong had encountered this incident during his Journey to the West and had pleaded on behalf of the people, going to the Heavenly Court to resolve this conflict, allowing the rain to fall. Otherwise, in another ten years, the locals here might have already perished. The actions of the Jade Emperor were indeed worse than those of pigs and dogs; he treated the civilians as nothing, getting furious over an unintentional spill of his tribute and resorting to such means to exact revenge on the local civilians.

Such actions, how could they befit the ruler of the myriad heavens? Such a temperament, how could it belong to the ruler of the myriad heavens?

A man’s ambition grows with power. The Jade Emperor was once just a commoner, even a sage, who considered the welfare of the people, but once he became the ruler of the myriad heavens, his temperament drastically changed. This shows that his path of cultivation was not firm, easily swayed by external temptations.

In times past, the Buddhist Family required Bajie to avoid these external temptations, but it also obscured their true nature. The path of true nature that Wukong follows advocates following one’s true heart, but without being veiled by external temptations, forgetting one’s own path, or misinterpreting one’s own path.

Wukong chuckled mischievously, "Hehe, back then, it was I, old Sun, who went up to the Heavenly Court to find the old Jade Emperor, and only thus was the matter resolved. This old Jade Emperor, indeed a narrow-minded and petty person! How can such a character comfortably sit as the ruler of the myriad heavens? How can he suppress the fate of the Three Realms?"

Ying Zheng also smiled slightly, raising his hand toward the sky as if pointing right at the Jade Emperor’s brow, resolutely saying, "Therefore, Zhang Bairan’s end has come! His fate is over, and we shall be the ones to end it!"

Wukong said, "Indeed, this person is truly unsuitable to sit as the ruler of the myriad heavens; in time, I will rely on the First Emperor to help me achieve that grand ambition to revolutionize the world!"

Ying Zheng said, "Naturally, I do not shirk from this. Once I become the ruler of the myriad heavens, I can also achieve Perfection in my Path of Emperors, becoming a Primordial Golden Immortal. It will be a mutually beneficial deal with Wukong. However, being in such a position, I must strive for its responsibilities. I’ll remain steadfast in my path and will not follow in Zhang Bairan’s footsteps; I must advocate for the lives of all under heaven! No, I will let them govern themselves!"

Wukong nodded and said, "That day is soon at hand! In a few months, when my Demon Tribe’s primordial qi is restored, I shall strike down the Heavenly Court with full force, overthrow the Jade Emperor, and establish a true Heavenly Court!"

Ying Zheng said, "I too hope that this day comes soon, longing for time to pass quickly."

Ying Zheng’s own cultivation level had not advanced, and he was extremely anxious. His Path of Emperors required him to rule the myriad heavens to achieve Great Perfection, thus enabling him to ascend into the ranks of the Primordial Golden Immortals. He also harbored the hope to control the Three Realms, creating a grand republic where all mankind could be equal. In doing so, his name, Ying Zheng, would be forever glorified. Although Ying Zheng had not been an emperor for many years, which emperor does not love fame?

To find out what happens next, tune in to the next installment. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please access m.qidian.com to read.)