Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 252 - 241: The Jade Emperor’s Demonic Obstacle Kills the Queen Mother

Chapter 252: Chapter 241: The Jade Emperor’s Demonic Obstacle Kills the Queen Mother

Wukong intended to appoint Ying Zheng as the master of Ten Thousand Heavens, to establish stringent laws and govern the Three Realms by the law, demanding that immortals who break the law be punished just as mortals, using harsh and stern regulations to restrain the people of the world. He then decreed that the Tang Empire must reform and change its name to the Republic.

However, that is a story for later, as the Heavenly Court has yet to be conquered.

Speaking of Wu Zhiqi and Yuan Hong, the two went to the Eastern Divine Region, and with Kong Xuan and the Medicine Buddha already there, the people of the Taoist Sect were naturally alarmed and dared not act rashly again. After securing justice for Xiao Qing and rescuing Xu Xian, the Medicine Buddha spread the teachings of the Buddhist canon in the Eastern Divine Region, while Kong Xuan went to the most powerful Kunlun Sect to knock on their doors.

The Kunlun Sect was once controlled by the Lord of Primordial Beginning and later relocated to the Eastern Lands. It is the orthodox lineage of the Taoist Sect. Although nowadays Shu Mountain’s strength surpasses that of Kunlun, Kunlun is undoubtedly the leading sect of Taoism. Kong Xuan’s name was distinguished, and upon his arrival at the Kunlun Sect’s Dharma grounds, no one dared to neglect him, and they served him very well.

Kong Xuan then said, "I too originate from the Demon Tribe. What has become of you that you no longer subdue demons and deliver justice?"

This statement terrified the Kunlun assembly into silence for fear that Kong Xuan might become displeased and start killing.

Now that several from the Demon Tribe had come knocking, the Eastern Lands’ Taoist Sect no longer dared to be as arrogant as in the past, recklessly killing members of the Demon Tribe.

Once all was settled, everyone returned to the Water Curtain Cave, but Xu Xian refused to leave. After Kong Xuan passed him a scroll of a cultivation method, he settled down by the West Lake in remembrance of the deceased Bai Suzhen. He was hopeful that once Heavenly Court was breached and reconstructed by Wukong, Bai Suzhen would reunite with him.

Time unwittingly passed, and two years had gone by. The population in the Ultimate Bliss World was growing, and the Ten Directions Country was becoming ever more prosperous.

In the Ultimate Bliss World, there was no need to worry about hunger or cold. One who does a good deed each day and accumulates merit can ensure the well-being of their family. No one dared to commit evil deeds, for those who did would be expelled from the Ultimate Bliss World by the Victorious Fighting Buddha. Of course, unintentional mistakes were forgivable, since no one is perfect.

Consequently, the reputation of the Ultimate Bliss World grew, and many people joined it.

There was tension in the Heavenly Court, and everyone was anxious. If it wasn’t for the Jade Emperor using the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact to maintain order, many would have fled. Some indeed wanted to flee, but the Jade Emperor summoned the Divine Court’s will to call down heavenly tribulation, striking them dead on the spot.

The Jade Emperor now regretted his previous decisions. If he had only fully supported the Buddhist Sect against the Demon Tribe in battle, he would not have faced such a difficult situation. He wanted to be the fisherman who reaps the benefits of the struggle between others, but he didn’t anticipate how hard it would be! The war between Buddha and demons was completely one-sided, and once the Nether River was defeated, the momentum of the Buddhist Sect was lost. In the end, Tathagata seemed to have some power to turn the tide, but he chose to flee instead.

"Of my subjects, only four Primordial Golden Immortals are of use. The rest, whether Great Luo or Taiyi, are unequal to them. If the Demon Tribe attacks, defeat is inevitable!" lamented the Jade Emperor, thinking if he had dispatched those four Primordial Golden Immortals to the Buddhist-Demon Battlefield, the Buddhist Sect would not have suffered such a devastating defeat and could have taken down several of the Demon Tribe’s Primordial Golden Immortals.

After all, in the war between Buddha and demons, the Demon Tribe had many Primordial Golden Immortals, outnumbering the Buddhist Sect, which clearly wouldn’t have been able to withstand them, let alone drag one down with them.

The Queen Mother released a sigh and said, "Your Majesty, with a great battle imminent, what should we do?"

Their attempts at escape had been in vain, and did nothing to help; with so many Primordial Golden Immortals in the Demon Tribe, how could the Heavenly Court possibly stand against them? Moreover, this time the Asura Blood Sea had been greatly weakened, making it impossible for the Heavenly Court to rely on them for help. Besides, with Ksitigarbha King suppressing the Asura Blood Sea, it was a major question whether the Nether River could disentangle itself and come to their aid.

"The grand situation of the Heavenly Court is coming to an end, but we will make one final attempt," the Jade Emperor spoke slowly.

"What attempt?" asked the Queen Mother.

"We can only try our best to kill two great demons," the Jade Emperor replied helplessly with a wry smile. "I truly made a misjudgment this time. I did not expect the Demon Tribe to so easily defeat the Buddhist Sect. If I had decided to send reinforcements decisively, perhaps the Buddhist Sect wouldn’t have suffered such a painful loss."

The Queen Mother said, "Sun Wukong intends to revolutionize the world; he will definitely want to control the Heavenly Court. Why don’t we surrender?"

The Jade Emperor’s expression grew stern, with a determined harshness flashing in his eyes, he said loudly, "Surrender? I am the noble master of Ten Thousand Heavens, who has long been enduring a stifled existence. Now that I have finally turned the tables and become the ruler, how can I submit to a mere wild monkey? I would rather die than surrender, and I will fight the Demon Tribe one last time."

The Jade Emperor’s role as the master of Ten Thousand Heavens was merely a puppet of the Three Pure Ones. On the surface, he appeared to rule the Heavenly Court, but in reality, everything was manipulated by the Three Pure Ones behind the scenes. The majority of the Immortal Officials in the Heavenly Court were once disciples who had ascended to the Deification Platform under Tong Tian Sect Master’s Intercept Sect or were disciples of Lord of Primordial Beginning.

Even the Nine Heavens Ying Yuan Thunder God Puhua Tianzun Wen Zhong—whom the Jade Emperor had won over—was a third-generation disciple of the Intercept Sect, under the Golden Spirit Holy Mother, and the same went for Zhao Gongming, the Three Xiao Ladies, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions. The Jade Emperor seemed high and mighty, yet he was entirely hollowed out by the Three Pure Ones until later, when he regained significant power by allying with the Buddhist Sect. Still, many Immortal Officials remained deceitful, disobeying his edicts and only following the commands of the Three Pure Ones.

With the imminent Immortal-Demon Great War, many were likely to desert in the face of battle. But the Jade Emperor, wielding the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact and controlling the Divine Court’s will, was resolute that those who dared to show cowardice would be struck down by heavenly thunder without exception! The Jade Emperor did not wish to suffer an utterly disgraceful defeat. At the very least, he wanted to go down fighting fiercely, making the Demon Tribe pay a price for their victory.

"Report!"

The You Yi Immortal Official ran up and bowed to the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother.

"What is it?"

The Jade Emperor frowned and turned to ask.

The Divine Official Yu Yi said, "I have come to report, Your Majesty. Kong Xuan is leading a massive army of the Demon Tribe to violently attack the Southern Heavenly Gate. The Ziwei Great Emperor, True Martial Emperor, Longevity Emperor, and Four Lords are all leading their forces to hold them back, but with the Demon army’s onslaught, it is difficult for them to break through for the time being."

A cold glint flashed in the Jade Emperor’s eyes, and with a palm, he smashed the desk before him into smithereens, roaring, "What!"

After delivering the report, Divine Official Yu Yi immediately left to continue gathering intelligence.

He was filled with indescribable rage; Kong Xuan was attacking the Southern Heavenly Gate, and all four of the Heavenly Court’s Great Emperors had gone there. Who would then guard the Northern, Western, and Eastern Heavenly Gates? He feared that True Martial, Ziwei, and Longevity were deliberately doing so, leaving the other three gates unattended, allowing the Demon Tribe to easily breach them.

In truth, all the Heavenly Gates were protected by formations; these were set up when Heavenly Court was established. However, without a powerful entity to command the formation’s defenses, even they could not withstand a Primordial Golden Immortal for long. If the four Great Emperors were dispersed, the Demon Tribe would likely expend some effort to breach any of the gates. This battle was not one where Heavenly Court’s gates would be opened willingly—it was a fight to guard them!

The Jade Emperor said, "The news has indeed arrived swiftly; we haven’t received any information at all." He couldn’t help but burst into frantic laughter, "Haha, Haha! You really think you can deceive me so utterly!"

Queen Mother’s heart was already filled with desolation as she thought, "This day has finally come."

The Jade Emperor said, "Queen Mother, send all the warriors we have cultivated these past years into battle, spare nothing—we must severely damage the Demon Tribe!"

The Jade Emperor had already harbored thoughts of death, but at this moment, a sudden thought struck him.

Queen Mother only felt that the Jade Emperor at this moment was incredibly terrifying, giving her an exceedingly strange and unfamiliar feeling.

"Haha, Hahaha! If I’m to die, then why not let them all be buried with me? Hehe, I don’t want to be a stray dog like Tathagata." The Jade Emperor’s eyes flickered with a hysterical madness. "No... If I do so, probably not even the Three Pure Ones will accommodate me!"

Then, he slumped down disheartened.

The Jade Emperor’s mad plan was to let all of the Demon Tribe enter Heavenly Court and then use the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact as a primer to blow up the Thirty-Three Heavens all at once. Such force would bury countless lives, yet doing so would also disturb the Three Pure Ones’ abode in the higher heavens. Surely the Saints wouldn’t sit idly by, and before he could act, he might just be suppressed by a single sword strike. But to flee beyond the heavens like Tathagata, unwilling to accept such an outcome, he thought that if he blew himself up with the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact, it would create a temporary loophole in the Heavenly Dao Laws, allowing him an escape.

"No... there’s only a dead end. Even if I flee beyond the heavens, without the Turning Wheel Sage King’s physical body, the Chaos Qi would tear me to dust in an instant." The Jade Emperor let go of even this last thread of hope, ready to fight to the end.

Queen Mother asked, "Have you thought of something, Your Majesty?"

The Jade Emperor replied, "What plan could there be? There’s only to fight to the death now."

Upon hearing this, Queen Mother let out a deep sigh, "Your Majesty, if we surrender, perhaps there is a way out."

A cold light glinted in the Jade Emperor’s eyes as he seized the Queen Mother by the throat and shouted hysterically, "Surrender? You want me to surrender to that demon monkey? In the bygone days, I compromised greatly to seize power, even collaborated with the Buddhist Sect and was forced to such humiliation by that demon monkey! Now you want me to surrender to him? I am the supreme ruler of ten thousand heavens!"

"You wretch, you actually want me to surrender!"

The Jade Emperor’s arm surged with mana, and with a muffled sound, Queen Mother’s head exploded, sending brains and blood spurting wildly—the Primordial Spirit didn’t even manage to escape before she perished.

Even in death, Queen Mother could not understand; she had been wholeheartedly trying to help the Jade Emperor, so why did he kill her? Why?

After killing the Queen Mother, the Jade Emperor realized his grave mistake. Clutching her headless body, he alternated between laughing and crying, "I didn’t mean it... I didn’t mean it, can you forgive me? Can you? You shouldn’t have asked me to surrender, you should not have done that!"

The Jade Emperor was like a madman, weeping and laughing, covered in the blood of the Queen Mother.

Perhaps the Queen Mother died with eyes wide open in disbelief, killed not by an enemy, but by the person closest to her, by the Jade Emperor himself.

Under such duress, the Jade Emperor was close to breaking down. The Queen Mother’s suggestion of surrender twice drove him completely mad, and he killed her in a fit of rage.

This reveals just how limited Zhang Bairan’s magnanimity is. How could he behave so as the supreme ruler of ten thousand heavens?

With the Queen Mother dead, the Jade Emperor dared not let others find out. He burned her body to ashes with the Samadhi True Fire, took her token, and summoned all the Death Warriors he had cultivated over the years for a final battle against the Demon Tribe.

To find out what happens next, please await the next installment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)