The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 109 - 107: Water Monkey Great Saint Wuzhiqi

Chapter 109: Chapter 107: Water Monkey Great Saint Wuzhiqi

It is said that Wukong was captured and pressed beneath Five Elements Mountain. Fearing he might cause trouble, Tathagata then affixed another talisman on top, chanting "Om Mani Padme Hum," the Six Syllable Mantra, before he felt at ease.

Wukong, however, had been well-prepared, and since Daoist Equal to Heaven was his second self, he left half of his mind to study the scriptures while the other half contemplated his response.

Having Daoist Equal to Heaven as a second self meant that practicing his skills would be much more challenging than it was for ordinary people, and his cultivation might progress slowly, but it was like having an additional Daluo Golden Immortal to aid him against his enemies—a profitable deal without loss. If he could summon Daoist Equal to Heaven to Heavenly Court, then no matter how powerful Huang Tuqiu was, he would be reduced to an underling.

Back at Flower-Fruit Mountain, a group of Demon Kings searched for the Six-Eared Macaque and the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey but found them elusive.

Ox Demon King said, "These two monkeys must possess great divine powers, yet they cannot be found despite searching all Four Great Continents!"

Peng Demon King said, "Could they be hiding in some secret realm overseas? If that’s the case, then they truly are beyond our reach."

Macaques King interjected, "Let’s not talk about that for now. Wukong has been pinned under Five Elements Mountain by Tathagata—I just heard about it."

The others were taken aback, having not expected Wukong to have fallen into such a plight.

"What happened?" Yu Rong King said, indicating that if it hadn’t been for Wukong’s prior instructions, they probably would have dashed off to his rescue immediately.

Macaques King explained, "It seems he caused quite a commotion in heaven, and then the Jade Emperor had no choice but to ask Tathagata to intervene, and Tathagata wagered a bet with him."

"What was the bet?" Yu Rong King asked.

"Tathagata challenged him to leap into his palm and then use his escape technique. He said that if Wukong could escape from his palm in one move, he would consider Wukong the victor," Macaques King replied.

"And he still lost?" Yu Rong King inquired.

Macaques King nodded. A chill went through the group as Peng Demon King said, "Wukong’s escape technique is hardly inferior to mine. It’s inconceivable that he couldn’t escape from Tathagata’s palm in one move. How formidable must Tathagata’s cultivation be to cause such fear? I doubt even I could escape."

Ox Demon King said gravely, "After all, Tathagata is the Respectful Ruler of the World in Western Heaven, the sovereign of the Buddhist sect. He holds sway over not just West Cow He State but also Vedha Continent. How could he not be powerful? Without such might, how could he stand against the Three Pure? Since Wukong already made preparations and informed us, all we can do is wait and see."

Suddenly, Daoist Equal to Heaven arrived from outside Water Curtain Cave and happened to overhear Ox Demon King and the others talking.

"Big brother is right; I foreseen Tathagata’s move to capture me. My brothers need not worry. After five hundred years, I will surely escape!" Daoist Equal to Heaven declared.

Ox Demon King and the others breathed a sigh of relief, "It’s a good thing your identity as Daoist Equal to Heaven was not exposed. Otherwise, had you been seized by Tathagata as well, that would be our real concern."

Daoist Equal to Heaven chuckled, "No harm done, no harm done! My brothers, I have found the whereabouts of the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey and need you to help me capture him."

"Oh?" Peng Demon King asked, "Where is he?"

Daoist Equal to Heaven said, "This Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey is none other than Water Monkey Great Saint Wuzhiqi from Ancient Times. In the ancient era, due to his rampant chaos and causing floods, he was captured by Emperor Da Yu, who chained him and tormented his Primordial Spirit with True Fire every day. He perished during this ordeal. His physical body, however, cultivated itself into a Corpse King and has broken free. However, he was apprehended by King Bodhisattva, who gathered a group of experts from the Buddhist sect, and is now in West Cow He State."

Jiao Demon King emerged from secluded cultivation, leaping into Water Curtain Cave and exclaimed, "King Bodhisattva? I’ve reached the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal and I’m about to settle the score with that bastard!" Looking around, he was surprised, "Eh? Why is it you? Where’s Wukong?"

"Brother, you’ve been in secluded cultivation for months. Wukong has been taken by Tathagata and is now pressed under Five Elements Mountain in Southern Toad Continent," Ox Demon King informed.

Jiao Demon King cursed, "Then why aren’t you following me to rescue him instead of talking about settling scores with King Bodhisattva?"

Ox Demon King smirked, "I don’t recall who just said they wanted to settle scores with King Bodhisattva. Wukong has his own plans, and besides, we have his second self right here. We don’t need to rush; let’s first go find King Bodhisattva’s trouble, retrieve Wuzhiqi’s physical body, then discuss further."

Jiao Demon King glanced at Daoist Equal to Heaven and asked, "Seventh Brother, are you sure you don’t want us to rescue your original self?"

However, Daoist Equal to Heaven laughed, "If you attempted a rescue, Brother, it would ruin my great plan. The current priority is to help me capture Wuzhiqi’s physical body so that I can merge my Third Primordial Spirit into it and use the method of Fetal Transformation and Easy Shape-Shifting to change into a third form."

Jiao Demon King gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Alright, fine. My return from cultivation is perfect timing to seek out that bird’s bad luck, as he once chased me for months!"

"It seems this bird is especially fond of playing with water. I wonder what divine skills it’s practicing!" said the Macaques King.

The Ox Demon King cursed, "Who cares what divine skills it’s practicing or what magical treasures it’s refining! We’ll go straight up to its door and slaughter it!"

However, the Peng Demon King said, "That’s West Cow He State after all. If we make too much of a commotion, we might alarm the Buddhist sect!"

The Ox Demon King shouted, "What’s there to be afraid of! If we really alarm the Buddhist sect, we’ll just head to Ten Thousand Year Mountain to seek out the Daluo Golden Immortal, Zhen Yuanzi. This old immortal’s mana is formidable, having achieved enlightenment during the Era of the Heavenly Emperor. Even the Buddhist sect would have to show him some respect. They would protect us unless the Tathagata himself comes."

Nonetheless, the Peng Demon King shook his head, saying, "It’s still not good. We’d best not entangle ourselves with such a great mystic. Otherwise, the consequences will be tough to settle in the future. Let’s be cautious, kill King Bodhisattva, and bring back Wuzhiqi’s physical body for Seventh Brother to refine into his third body."

The Daoist Equal to Heaven laughed, saying, "During my battle with King Bodhisattva in the Imperial City of Luoyang, I injured his primordial qi. It will take him years to recover fully. With my elder brothers accompanying me, how could he possibly survive? However, it’s not good for me to show my face. It took me so much effort to dissociate myself from my true self, and if people knew we were together, the Tathagata might get suspicious. That’s a case of losing the greater for the lesser."

The Peng Demon King nodded, saying, "What Seventh Brother said makes sense. King Bodhisattva’s cultivation isn’t high, and I move as fast as the wind. Perhaps it would be better for me to go alone?"

The Jiao Demon King cursed, "Third Brother, you’re not being generous! King Bodhisattva is the ghost under my spear; you can’t take him away from me. I’ve just refined a new divine skill during my recent retreat, and I’m eager to test it out!"

The Daoist Equal to Heaven pondered, saying, "The Buddhist sect isn’t omnipotent. West Cow He State is vast, many places are under the control of Demon Kings, and the Buddhist sect can’t reach everywhere. If we’re cautious, they won’t notice us. And since King Bodhisattva’s mana isn’t strong, there’s indeed no need for a large-scale mobilization."

But the Ox Demon King said, "That Ancient Wuzhiqi required Saint King Da Yu to subdue him. He must be formidable indeed. His physical body has cultivated the Corpse Way; how could it be ordinary? King Bodhisattva, though severely injured by you, still managed to capture Wuzhiqi, which means he must have had impressive help. The Buddhist sect boasts of the Infinite Bodhisattva; who knows if he sought the help of some powerful Bodhisattva? It’s best if we all go together for support."

That’s when they remembered. In Ancient Times, Wuzhiqi caused chaos, and in the end, it was only with Da Yu’s intervention that he could be subdued. His primordial spirit had died, but his physical body had cultivated the Corpse Way and managed to free itself, clearly indicating he was no ordinary foe. Since King Bodhisattva was able to capture him, he must also have had formidable methods, or perhaps there was another expert at his side.

"Oh! For all the Ox Demon King’s rough appearance, he’s indeed thoughtful! Your words make sense. We should all go together to avoid any tricks," said the Lion Camel King with a laugh.

"Fourth Brother, you should call me Big Brother!" the Ox Demon King said archaically.

The Lion Camel King was typically reticent, very silent, but he would occasionally speak up. He seemed cold but was actually warm-hearted.

The Peng Demon King laughed, saying, "What Big Brother said is right. Second Brother, you can’t go alone this time. We’ll all go together, and when the time comes, you can make the kill."

"Exactly, exactly! Second Brother, you mustn’t think that just because you’ve become a Daluo Golden Immortal, you are invincible under heaven. Isn’t my true self formidable enough? With all his magical treasures, wasn’t he still captured by the Tathagata in an instant? You know about my VLOOKUP(A1025,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0), right? A few somersaults, yet I couldn’t even escape the palm of his hand!" said the Daoist Equal to Heaven.

Receiving this metaphorical splash of cold water, the Jiao Demon King became alert and reflected, saying, "You brothers are right. We should all go together! This bird Bodhisattva managed to subdue Wuzhiqi’s corpse, which had cultivated the Corpse Way, so we certainly must not underestimate him. How exceptional was Human Emperor Da Yu? The demons that required his intervention to be subdued were undoubtedly extraordinary."

The group nodded in agreement.

In Ancient Times, the Three Emperors were Celestial Emperor Fuxi, Human Emperor Gongsun Xuanyuan, and Earth Emperor Shennong. After them came the Five Emperors, namely Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Emperor Yao, Yu Shun, and Yu the Great.

Yu the Great was the last of the Five Emperors, and the demons that required his action to be subdued were indeed formidable.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are very ancient legends, and even the Ox Demon King had only heard of them from others. These figures could be called the sages of the Human Clan, with extremely terrifying cultivation levels, but they were rumored to have died in the great war of the Middle Ancient Period.

Xiang Yu, a descendant of Emperor Ku, did not understand the art of cultivating immortality, but was able to fight a bloody battle for seven days and nights, wounding thousands. After death, he became the Ghost Hero, summoning the spirits of a hundred thousand Chu Soldiers to wreak havoc in the Underworld, and it was only by the intervention of the Ksitigarbha King that he was finally subdued! From this, one could infer the cultivation of these great emperors. A descendant with just a trace of their bloodline was so powerful, it is unimaginable how potent Emperor Ku himself was.

Emperor Ku had an extraordinary nature, born with double pupils, as did Xiang Yu, who also had immense fortune. However, he was unlucky, excessively straightforward, and unable to become a conqueror, only destined to be a heroic martyr, hence his defeat by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, from humble origins.

A being that required an emperor’s intervention to be subdued, having cultivated the Corpse Way, must be extraordinary indeed. Initially, everyone had thought too simply.

The Peng Demon King took dozens of Peaches of Immortality from his Cave Abode to distribute, saying, "Let’s depart immediately. Take these peaches, and if you’re injured, eat one. It will help you heal."

The Demon Kings stored the Peaches of Immortality carefully. They wouldn’t use these peaches lightly now, and after rewarding some of the Little Demon Kings, their supply had diminished. They needed to save more for the future.

This expedition’s outcome was uncertain; the next Chapter will reveal their fate.