Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 478 - 430

Chapter 478: 430

At this moment, above the void, Xuanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the Little White Dragon stood upon the clouds, gazing down at the bustling Great Tang, discussing animatedly.

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing were both immortals from the celestial Court, and although they often heard their master speak of how prosperous the Great Tang was, they had never imagined that its prosperity would far exceed their expectations.

Sun Wukong felt the same way.

The Little White Dragon, however, remained calm, while the Nine Spirits Holy Yuan left after sensing the presence of the Leader of the Tongtian Sect.

Sun Wukong didn’t try to stop him, as the whole point was to weaken the strength of Buddhism.

"That must be the Emperor of the Great Tang!"

By now, Xuanzang had also seen Emperor Li Shimin emerge from the great hall and promptly descended from the sky.

He slowly descended from the void.

Watching Xuanzang flying down, Emperor Li Shimin’s heart was filled with tremendous excitement, for the ability to fly suggested that his Imperial Brother had indeed attained the Dao.

"Imperial Brother, I have yearned day and night, waited for countless days, and finally, I have awaited your return!"

As soon as Xuanzang touched down, Emperor Li Shimin strode over, took Xuanzang’s hands in his own, and said tenderly.

Although not particularly fond of such close gestures, especially since at the beginning, Xuanzang had no desire to undertake the Journey to the West.

But seeing Emperor Li Shimin’s demeanor, the very image of a ruler and his subject in harmony, Xuanzang could not bear to spoil the moment.

"Your Majesty, this humble monk has not failed the trust you placed in me, having retrieved the True Scriptures of the Tathagata from the Western Great Thunderclap Monastery, I now present them for your inspection!"

After a moment of thought, Xuanzang still found an opportunity to discreetly withdraw his hands from Emperor Li Shimin’s and then gestured towards the carried bundle.

However, when Emperor Li Shimin saw the appearances of Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, his heart skipped a beat.

"Your Majesty, do not be afraid, they are all disciples I have taken along the way. This is Sun Wukong, my eldest disciple!"

"This is my second disciple, Zhu Wuneng, also known as Bajie!"

"This is my third disciple, Sha Wujing!"

"And this one, he is the Little White Dragon Ao Lie, my fourth disciple!"

Emperor Li Shimin showed no particular reaction to the first three, but his expression changed slightly upon hearing of Ao Lie.

"Imperial Brother, are these four disciples of yours also from the Dragon Clan?"

As the Emperor of the Great Tang styled himself the True Dragon Son of Heaven, it was after all a self-proclamation; compared to the real Dragon Clan, he was just a mortal, to say nothing of the fact that Emperor Li Shimin had once been frightened by the Dragon Soul of the Jing River Dragon King!

Seeing Emperor Li Shimin’s reaction, Xuanzang knew that the Emperor had been bitten by a snake once and was now afraid of the rope for ten years.

"Your Majesty is correct, my four disciples indeed hail from the Dragon Clan, the son of the Dragon of the Western Sea to be precise. Speaking of which, they are related to the Dragon King of Jing River from the past, to whom he refers as ’uncle’. However, Your Majesty, there is no need for alarm. The celestial Court has already thoroughly investigated the incident with the Jing River Dragon King, and it turns out to be a scheme concocted by someone against him. The issue has been resolved by the celestial Court and has no further connection with Your Majesty!"

Xuanzang calmly explained, after all, the past incident was all part of the ordeal of the Journey to the West, and Emperor Li Shimin had been inadvertently affected!

Emperor Li Shimin nodded in enlightenment, but confusion soon spread across his face, "Imperial Brother, then according to what you’ve said, does the celestial Court also have instances of miscarriages of justice?"

"Oh, how funny your words are, Emperor Father! Why wouldn’t the celestial Court have miscarriages of justice!"

Sun Wukong said from the side with a chuckle.

"This..."

Emperor Li Shimin was taken aback by Sun Wukong’s sarcasm, a bit embarrassed but also incredulous. In his mind, the celestial Court was a realm of immortals.

"Don’t view the immortals too highly. This pig in front of you used to be Marshal Tianpeng from the celestial Court, commanding a hundred thousand Naval Forces of the celestial River, and yet he was still banished to the mortal world!"

This time, Sun Wukong bluntly brought Zhu Bajie into the conversation without courtesy.

Zhu Bajie’s face showed a flash of shame and anger, "You monkey, why drag me into this out of nowhere? You were nothing compared to me back in the celestial Court, a mere Keeper of the Horses, a lowly Pilgrim!"

"Enough, the pair of you, how can you lack any proper form in front of my Emperor!"

Xuanzang hurriedly stepped in to stop the escalating squabble between the monkey and Bajie.

Meanwhile, Emperor Li Shimin listened in shock and awe. He had thought that one dragon disciple was already extraordinary, but it turned out each of these disciples had a remarkable background, with the second disciple even being the Great Marshal Tianpeng from the celestial Court.

"Imperial Brother, it’s all right. After all, I am but a mere mortal who does not understand the affairs of immortals, yet I am filled with longing for it!"

"Come, follow me into the hall, and tell me all about it!"

Sun Wukong, hearing Emperor Li Shimin’s words, rolled his eyes, perceiving the hidden intent in them.

"You’re wasting your time, Emperor Father. You are already the Emperor of the Human World, enjoying the utmost honor among men, so don’t even think about Becoming Immortal; there’s no chance for you!"

Sun Wukong outright squelched the faint hope in Emperor Li Shimin’s heart.

Emperor Li Shimin still harbored some expectations, but upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, his expression shifted dramatically.

"...Imperial Brother, is that really so?"

In the end, Emperor Li Shimin looked towards Xuanzang with eager anticipation.

Xuanzang, of course, understood Emperor Li Shimin’s thoughts, but ultimately, he just shook his head slightly. A Son of Heaven who had inherited the supreme fate of the Human World and ascended the Imperial Throne had already occupied the grand Fate, sanctioned by Fate itself. Unless one could surpass the Three Sovereigns in deeds or exceed the Five Emperors in virtue, aspiring to immortality was nearly impossible.

"Nevertheless, Your Majesty should not lose heart. As the Emperor of the Great Tang, unmatched in wisdom and benevolence, bringing prosperity to the countless children of the Great Tang, your merit is boundless. The True Scriptures of the Tathagata that this humble monk has brought back are precisely aligned with a ruler such as Yourself. As for the benefits, please allow this monk to explain them to Your Majesty in detail!"