Journey to the West: With a supernatural understanding, he entered Fangcun Mountain at the beginning
Chapter 18 - The Monkey Defies Heaven, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven of Huaguo Mountain

Chapter 18: The Monkey Defies Heaven, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven of Huaguo Mountain

Ancestor Wu Xuanming—what a terrifying existence she was. Vishnu realized that this time, he might have gone too far.

In ancient times, the Asura clan had hidden themselves in the Blood Sea, unwilling to provoke the powerful Wu (Witch) clan. Once, the supreme leader of their clan somehow offended the Wu clan, and five Ancestor Witches came to their doorstep. That battle nearly overturned the entire Blood Sea. Their clan’s leader was utterly defeated, left with no pride.

Fortunately, the Wu clan committed a great taboo and was rejected by the heavens. All twelve Ancestor Witches perished, save for one.

Wait a moment—Vishnu’s thoughts flashed. He suddenly paused mid-kneel. Wasn’t Ancestor Wu Xuanming already killed in that ancient war, going down in a self-detonation that took a supreme emperor along with her?

Vishnu abruptly raised his head and looked at the so-called Wu Xuanming before him—and sure enough, something was off. How could the true Wu Xuanming be this weak?

Though far stronger than that brat from earlier, the being before him had barely stepped into the Da Luo Golden Immortal level.

Fury surged in Vishnu’s heart. “You dare mock me, boy?!” he roared. Instantly, the surrounding aura surged like mountains crumbling and seas roaring.

The supposed Wu Xuanming’s voice changed completely, now light and mocking. “You’re a Da Luo Golden Immortal at least, and yet you’re so spineless? And you blame me for fooling you?”

Vishnu bellowed, “You’re courting death!”

He charged forward like a storm, while Qin Chuan, unafraid, also met him head-on.

The underworld was vast, and the Blood Sea was boundless. Fierce waves surged, covering the heavens, erasing all traces of life.

Vishnu wielded the Palatial Shell of Beique, surrounded by nine divine dragons—a display of extreme might.

Qin Chuan, transformed into Wu Xuanming’s true form, had a giant body that eclipsed the sun, talons tearing through the void, soaring through the cloud sea, dominating all beings.

The two battled above the Blood Sea, equally matched—neither able to defeat the other.

Qin Chuan thought to himself, Wu Xuanming’s true form really can barely hold her own against a Da Luo Golden Immortal. But where does Vishnu rank among Da Luo-level beings?

“This place is not safe. If other Blood Sea experts arrive, I’ll have a hard time escaping.”

Thinking this, Qin Chuan stood tall like a mountain—bird-bodied, human-faced, with Wu Xuanming’s true form radiating divine light.

Just then, Vishnu stepped through the void, his aura vast and unstoppable. In an instant, the sky darkened, black clouds pressing down, howling winds roaring. Qin Chuan’s body radiated cold as frost, his true form shining even brighter.

Suddenly, with arms spread wide, a rain of icy swords fell from the sky, carrying boundless cold, stabbing toward Vishnu.

Vishnu’s expression shifted slightly. He raised his arms and summoned a bloody ring of light to defend himself.

Qin Chuan took the opportunity to transform into a rainbow light and instantly fled twelve thousand miles.

“Damn it!”

Vishnu shattered the ice swords, but seeing Qin Chuan escape, he could only gnash his teeth in frustration. He didn’t pursue, instead turning back toward the Blood Sea.

Qin Chuan exited the Underworld, resumed his original form, and in a flash, arrived at Huaguo Mountain.

“This is…?”

Qin Chuan was surprised. Huaguo Mountain looked the same as ever, but the mountain was now swarming with demons—wolves, tigers, leopards, and more. At the mountain peak stood a towering banner inscribed with Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

As soon as he descended from the clouds, ominous winds howled. Before him appeared two one-horned ghost kings.

One of them said, “Who goes there? Have you come to serve under our Great Sage as well?”

Qin Chuan was slightly startled. These two one-horned ghost kings had profound cultivation, nearly Celestial Immortal level, even stronger than the original Four Marshals of Huaguo Mountain.

He laughed and said, “Who might your Great Sage be?”

The ghost kings glared and scolded.

“What remote rogue cultivator are you, that you haven’t heard the name of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of Huaguo Mountain?”

Qin Chuan shook his head and asked, “I only know there’s a monkey with the surname Sun from this mountain. Is that who you mean?”

Upon hearing this, both ghost kings were furious.

“You’re asking for death!”

They summoned fierce ghostly winds, and countless black serpents surged toward Qin Chuan.

With a single leap, Qin Chuan passed over them.

A voice rang out in the air—“Freeze.”

Everything was immobilized. Only a rainbow streak of light fell into Huaguo Mountain.

He entered the Water Curtain Cave, unnoticed.

Inside, the monkey lay snoring thunderously in deep sleep, still with traces of drunkenness on his face.

Qin Chuan chuckled softly, “You damn monkey, still trying to fool me with your transformations?”

As he spoke, he thrust the Ice Snow Dragon Cry Spear towards a patch of empty air.

The Golden Cudgel (Ruyi Jingu Bang) appeared in response.

The drunken monkey transformed into a single strand of hair.

Spear and cudgel clashed, creating a powerful shockwave that overturned the furnishings in the cave and awakened all the monkeys within.

The monkey exclaimed in surprise, “Qin Chuan! You’ve improved your magic so fast—you’re no longer below me!”

Qin Chuan withdrew his spear and stood calmly. “Just luck. But you—what’s going on with all this?”

He gestured toward the “Great Sage Equal to Heaven” banner and the reddish-brown robe on the monkey.

The monkey looked a bit embarrassed, then burst into anger:

“While you were cultivating in the Underworld, the Jade Emperor heard of my fame and invited me to the heavens for an official post. I gave him a face and went—but that old guy didn’t know true talent! He made me care for his horses!”

“I was so furious I flipped the banquet, tore off the official robes, and returned to the mortal world!”

He growled, “With my powers, why shouldn’t I be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, equal to the Jade Emperor himself?!”

Qin Chuan looked at the monkey, who was scratching his head and ears in frustration, still visibly angry. Thinking of the title “Bimawen” (Horse Master), the eternal black mark in the monkey’s life, he couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

“Restless heart, wild mind!” (Xin yuan yi ma)

Old Master Wu really had some insight.

At this point, Qin Chuan came to terms with it.

If the will of Heaven couldn’t be defied, and the great tides of fate couldn’t be reversed, then entering the tribulation was inevitable. He couldn’t just stand by and watch the monkey suffer without doing anything.

Such hesitation would block his own cultivation path.

Besides, he now had two great backers standing behind him—if things went south, someone would have his back.

Having witnessed the battle between Ancestor Wu Xuanming and Donghuang Taiyi, the Journey to the West calamity seemed like nothing but minor skirmishes.

If he didn’t even dare to step onto this stage, how could he ever hope to contend with the truly mighty in the future?

“Monkey, now that you’ve rebelled against the Southern Heavenly Gate and claimed the title ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven,’ you’ve humiliated the Jade Emperor. It’s only a matter of time before the heavenly army descends to capture you. You can’t keep lounging around like this—have the demons in the cave start drilling and training immediately.”

Qin Chuan gave this advice to the monkey.

The monkey nodded. Though he acted carefree, clearly, he wasn’t as mindless as he seemed on the surface.

Over the following days, the monkey drilled the mountain’s demons, organizing them into formation and preparing for battle.

One day, while Qin Chuan sat in meditation within the cave, he suddenly opened his eyes, looked up at the sky, and muttered softly,

“They’ve come!”

As the words fell, his figure disappeared from the cave.

High above Huaguo Mountain, dark clouds blanketed the sky, plunging the world into gloom. The atmosphere churned with tension.

Suddenly, the sound of drums and horns thundered, and flags billowed in the wind, exuding a chilling aura of war.

It was Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, leading a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals to descend and subdue the demon.