Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 82: Xuan Wu Pays Homage to the New Green Emperor

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Xuan Wu Pays Homage to the New Green Emperor

Xiaoqing didn’t know how many days he had been suppressed, when suddenly he sensed a dazzling golden light shooting from above.

"You are not Sun Wukong." It was Tathagata who had descended into the desert, staring at the subdued Xiaoqing and said.

"I never claimed I was," Xiaoqing replied with a faint smile.

Tathagata felt a surge of anger. How absurd was it that creatures he could toy with had deceived him? He looked down upon Xiaoqing from on high as Xiaoqing lowered his head and closed his eyes.

Tathagata said, "Why won’t you look at me?"

Xiaoqing answered, "I dislike your condescension. I don’t see where you are more noble than I, needing me to look up to you."

All Tathagata felt was intensified rage upon hearing this, but he didn’t want to kill Xiaoqing on the spot. Wasn’t imprisoning him an even crueler fate, a fate worse than death? He stopped speaking, scoffed coldly, and left, but this incident had cost that tricky monkey some face.

Since returning to Water Curtain Cave, Wukong spent his days lying on the mountain peak, gazing at the stars, his mind as tangled as a mess of yarn.

One day, Princess Iron Fan came to the mountain peak.

Princess Iron Fan asked, "Brother, why are you so despondent?"

Wukong gave a wry smile, feeling an immense bitterness in his heart. Unable to restrain his feelings, he first told her about Zixia, then about how Xiaoqing had taken his place to face the calamity. Tears continuously fell from Princess Iron Fan’s eyes as she dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her sleeve, deeply moved.

Princess Iron Fan suddenly laughed, "A woman in love is just like that. Once she’s devoted to a man, she will follow him always, even at the cost of her own life. Brother, you shouldn’t be so downcast, you should cheer up quickly."

Wukong nodded and said, "I’m aware, but my heart simply feels uneasy! Spilling these troubles today, however, seems to have lightened my spirits somewhat."

Princess Iron Fan said, "Make sure you don’t act like that scoundrel Bull Demon King, don’t go breaking a girl’s heart."

Wukong replied, "Old Bull was merely bewitched by the Jade-faced Fox for a moment. Soon he will remember your kindness."

Unable to help herself, Princess Iron Fan snorted coldly, "I never should have been so good to that man! I thought he’d be as honest as an ox, but who knew he had so many tricks up his sleeve! Now, I could not care less about him, whether he lives or dies. All that matters to me is that my son Hong Hai’er is well."

Wukong thought to himself, "If you truly didn’t care about him, surely you wouldn’t get so angry whenever he is mentioned!"

Just then, Yuan Hong leaped onto the mountain peak.

Yuan Hong mocked, "Hey, Green Emperor, you can’t keep loitering around sleeping here. You need to start gathering the Demon Tribe forces! Both the Vermilion Bird Clan and the White Tiger Clan must be dealt with soon!"

Wukong rubbed his head, feeling the myriad complications weighing on him, which tousled his hair even further. He exclaimed sharply, "I’m on my way, I’m on my way!"

At that moment, Nezha also arrived at the peak.

"Brother Monkey, the Xuan Wu Clan has come to join!" Nezha said excitedly.

Wukong quickly straightened his robe and descended the mountain with the others to welcome the people of the Xuan Wu Clan.

The visitor from the Xuan Wu Clan was none other than the chief, Wu Mo; he bowed deeply as soon as he saw Wukong.

Wukong quickly helped Wu Mo up, smiling, "Brother Dao, since I’ve assumed the position of the Green Emperor, the old laws no longer apply—no need for formalities!"

He then led Wu Mo up the mountain into the bronze hall and ordered the best tea and fruit to be brought.

Wu Mo said, "Green Emperor, you have met our elder, Wu Aotian, in the Emperor’s Path Ranking, and you probably understand the thoughts of my Xuan Wu Clan. We are naturally peaceful and detest conflict; however, the oppression of gods and Buddhas has been too severe, making it hard for us to fend for ourselves. Now that the new Green Emperor has risen, it is necessary to support you fully. We are willing to serve the Green Emperor in uniting the Demon Tribe."

The Xuan Wu Clan, possibly inheriting the temperament of their ancestors, tended to be more mild-mannered, unlike the battle-hungry Vermilion Bird and White Tiger Clans. These two clans, ambitious, aimed for the position of the Green Emperor, but Wukong tricked them into the Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map, subduing them in the end.

It was these discordant elements within the Demon Tribe that had led them to become weaker, and due to overexerting their destiny, neither of the two emperors nor the king met good ends.

Wukong said with a smile, "Brother, you are too humble! If all of the Demon Tribe thought like the Xuan Wu Clan, why would our tribe ever worry about not succeeding in big affairs?"

Wu Mo nodded and said, "In the Xuan Wu Clan, there are eighty thousand descendants, excluding the old, weak, sick, and disabled, there are over thirty thousand with the battle power of a Nine Realms Immortal. Two are Daluo Golden Immortals, and three are Taiyi Golden Immortals."

Wukong couldn’t help but rub his hands together, saying, "Very good, very good!"

Yuan Hong sighed deeply and shook his head, "Alas, after one hundred twenty thousand years, the bloodlines among our tribe have thinned. The few who can revert to their ancestral state are all the fewer. Were it the Ancient Era or Ancient Times, Taiyi Golden Immortals would be commonplace, Daluo Golden Immortals could be found everywhere, and in one large clan, there could be at least a few thousand Taiyi Golden Immortals and hundreds of Daluo Golden Immortals. A Sect Founder might even emerge a time or two."

In the Ancient Era when Heaven and Earth first opened, the bloodlines of the Demon Tribe were pure, making cultivation speed extremely fast. However, following the war in the Ancient Era, the tribe suffered heavy losses. The elder generation was wounded by the Heavenly Dao and couldn’t bear offspring anymore. By the Ancient Times, during the Witch-Demon War, countless powerful demons were killed...leading to the present, where the bloodlines have become severely diluted, and even among the Four Symbols, these four great clans, the decline in people has been marked, with few who can revert to their ancestral bloodline.

The decline of the Demon Tribe is not just due to the fall of two emperors and one king but also related to the bloodlines.

Wu Mo bowed to Yuan Hong and sighed, "What General Yuan says is very true."

Wukong then asked, "How many large clans are still in the depths of the Southern Ridge now?"

After taking a sip of tea, Wu Mo said, "There are the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger clans, along with the transforming snake clan, the Qilin clan, the Qingqiu clan..."

The power dynamics within the Southern Ridge were complex with many clans. As Wu Mo listed them, there were about a dozen large clans.

Wukong asked, "What are the strengths of these clans like?"

Wu Mo nodded slightly and said, "The Vermilion Bird and White Tiger clans are both strong with deep foundations, as are the transforming snake clan and the Qilin clan. The other clans, however, are not so formidable."

Upon hearing this, Wukong nodded repeatedly, very satisfied in his heart. If he could conquer these clans and unite them against the Heavenly Court and Buddhist Sect, great things could be achieved!

After finishing his tea, Wu Mo said, "This visit is to express our clan’s intentions. The Green Emperor only needs to give the order, and we are willing to lead the charge! Now that the Green Emperor has ascended the throne and abolished the old laws, he indeed possesses grand authority."

Wukong smiled and said, "Brother, you are too polite."

After discussing for a while longer, Wu Mo took his leave.

Once Wu Mo had left, Yuan Hong said, "In the Ancient Era, there were many tribes. But the war in the Ancient Era caused many tribes to be annihilated."

Wukong asked, "Was the Chaos Heaven Demon really that terrifying?"

Yuan Hong said, "Extremely formidable, and it possessed special abilities that could inflict severe wounds on the Heavenly Dao. Those wounds, aside from the Four Divine Monkeys, were incurable. Even the Heavenly Dao Saints suffered greatly from them and had to recover gradually using the power of the Heavenly Dao. Of course, if the wounds were too severe, not even the power of the Heavenly Dao could heal them."

The Nine Heavens Profound Lady suffered a great dao wound inflicted by Di Jun with the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal, and in the end, despite the combined efforts of several saints, they couldn’t save her life, showing the great harm such dao injuries could do.

Yuan Hong had suffered only a slight injury and was tormented from falling from the level of Sect Founder to that of a Taiyi Golden Immortal. Think of the Ancient Era, where a single strike from a Chaos Heaven Demon could be fatal. Such formidable divine skills led to the extinction of many great tribes. Moreover, once one had a great dao wound, they could no longer reproduce, which was also a major reason for the decline of the Demon Tribe.

"During the Ancient Era, there was also the Divine Ape clan, the Star Picking Divine Ape, the Mountain-moving Divine Ape... They also had exceptional talents and were extremely formidable. Their innate divine abilities were hardly inferior to mine," Yuan Hong sighed, as if lost in memories.

Wukong nodded and said, "The Ancient Era... that was a great era, when Heaven and Earth first opened."

Yuan Hong smiled, no longer dwelling on the grandeur of the Ancient Era but said, "Let’s go, let’s visit the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird clans. If we can integrate these two large clans, our strength will be significantly enhanced, and launching an attack directly on the Heavenly Court might not be impossible."

But Wukong said, "Brother Yuan, you underestimate the Heavenly Court! Its profound foundation is not so easily shaken."

Yuan Hong listened and spoke no more, pulling Wukong out of the Water Curtain Cave and heading deep into the Southern Ridge Demon Mountain.

The two flew for a while, and then Yuan Hong stopped and said, "Having not emerged for twelve thousand years, I hadn’t realized that the Earth Immortal Realm had been divided into Four Domains. We shouldn’t rush on our journey and miss the splendid scenery. Let’s proceed a bit and enjoy the scenery first!"

Wukong replied, "As Brother Yuan says."

The two then dispersed the clouds and mist, descending from the sky, and walked through the ancient forests of the mountains.