The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 82 - 082: Chaos in the Peach Orchard as the Great Saint Steals the Elixir

Chapter 82: Chapter 082: Chaos in the Peach Orchard as the Great Saint Steals the Elixir

Wukong, when the Flat Peach Festival arrived and the peaches were ripe, enlisted Tao Yao’s help to pick all the peaches in the garden. Then, he cast a Freezing Spell on all the local deities, strongmen, and immortals, freezing them in place. After a day or two, they would be released from the spell.

He then rode the clouds straight to Yao Pond, intending to steal a feast. Along the way, he encountered the Barefoot Immortal and called out, "Where are you headed, old Immortal?"

The Barefoot Immortal performed a ritual salute and said, "I am on my way to Yao Pond, having been summoned by the Queen Mother to attend the grand event."

As if recalling a previous life, Wukong laughed and said, "You are unaware, old Immortal, that the Jade Emperor appointed me, Old Sun, to fast-track with my VLOOKUP (A1025, [1]Sheet1!$A:$B, 2, 0), so he tasked me with informing all the great immortals to first go to the Hall of Light to rehearse the rituals before attending the gathering."

The good-natured Barefoot Immortal was tricked by Wukong and promptly set off for the Hall of Light.

Wukong descended from the clouds and, with a flick of his body, transformed into the Barefoot Immortal and made his way into Yao Pond. No one had arrived yet; only some servants were busy working. Wukong made a hand gesture and cast a spell, turning into a swarm of sleepy insects. Landing on the faces of those people, the insects bit them, and suddenly they were overwhelmed by sleepiness. They collapsed and fell asleep, and soon the place was filled with loud snoring.

Wukong chuckled to himself, "I wonder if the Three Pure Ones are hiding up in the clouds watching me, trying not to let me notice them. I have no way to see them. The Three Pure Ones have been good to me, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if they saw the Swallowing Dragon Stele."

Then he approached the banquet, grabbed the Jadescent Nectar, and started gulping it down. After drinking several bottles, he felt a bit dizzy and quickly pulled out the Swallowing Dragon Stele. Pointing the dragon’s head at the table, he swept it over the fine dishes, delicacies, wine, and precious fruit, taking everything. With so many things gathered, he put the Swallowing Dragon Stele back into his Spiritual Platform, and staggered out of Yao Pond.

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch was surprised, "The Swallowing Dragon Stele? This artifact is from the Nine Heavens, its inscriptions hide celestial secrets. Where did he get it from?"

Laozi replied, "Perhaps this monkey stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter. The Swallowing Dragon Stele cannot be mastered by anyone who lacks great destiny. When the Xia Dynasty was about to fall, it flew away on its own. It’s an object that suppresses destiny. We should not meddle with it to avoid incurring karmic consequences that are difficult to settle."

Divine retribution executes the checking and balancing of karmic forces in the world. For the Three Pure Ones, the inscriptions on the Swallowing Dragon Stele are not that remarkable because it’s not worth it to get involved with useless trinkets that have attracted heavy karmic consequences.

"Who would have thought, who would have thought that this monkey would have such destiny to obtain the Swallowing Dragon Stele! If one day he can completely refine it, reaching the Hunyuan level would be possible," said Lingbao Tianzun.

The Three Pure Ones hid amongst the clouds, quietly watching Wukong gather everything from the Flat Peach Festival.

All of a sudden Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch said, "This monkey has used the Swallowing Dragon Stele, hasn’t he taken all the peaches from the Peach Garden too?"

He quickly activated his Heavenly Vision, and indeed, the Peach Garden was picked clean, and the people inside were still immobilized by the Freezing Spell.

"I reckon this will enrage Zhang Bairin to the point of spitting blood," Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch couldn’t help laughing.

Laozi used his divine powers to guide the bewildered Wukong to the entrance of Doulu Palace.

Knowing that the Three Pure Ones were secretly plotting, Wukong certainly wouldn’t miss the opportunity to become a Daluo Golden Immortal. He leaped into Doulu Palace.

As expected, no one was in the palace, not even the Golden Horn and Silver Horn boys. He walked into the hall and headed straight for the Elixir Room.

Inside the furnace, a Purifying Purple Flame burned, and next to it stood five gourds, all filled with Elixirs.

Wukong took the gourds in hand, gave them a shake, but couldn’t tell what elixirs were inside each one. He had no choice but to uncork them and, like eating candy beans, swallowed all the elixirs. His mouth filled with a fresh fragrance as he quickly took out the Swallowing Dragon Stele.

"Good heavens! Does this monkey intend to take my Bagua Oven too?" Laozi was shocked, seeing Wukong take out the Swallowing Dragon Stele and thinking he was about to sweep away something else.

Wukong did not do that, however. Instead, he took out over a hundred Purple Veined Yellow Peaches from the Swallowing Dragon Stele, tossing them into his mouth and carelessly spitting out the pits.

After eating the peaches, he sat beside the furnace to meditate. Indeed, the True Qi was abundant. With this cycle of Qi, the True Qi inside him was almost explosive.

"Daluo Golden Immortal!" Wukong mused silently, continuously refining stream after stream of Innate True Qi into his body.

The streams of Innate True Qi poured into his organs, continually strengthening his physical body. The elixirs from Laojun’s five gourds were extraordinary; after consuming them, his body would be invulnerable, with an iron cranium and bronze bones, rendering him unscathed even if struck by lightning or burned by fire. After a further refinement by Laojun in the furnace, he would be unstoppable, provided he didn’t encounter a fire specialist.

Wukong exclaimed, "Laojun, oh Laojun, I must truly thank you. That debate on the mountain was enlightening, and now you’ve gifted me with so many elixirs."

Laozi frowned and said, "This monkey is indeed clever, realizing that we are intentionally helping him."

The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating chuckled, "This creature is the crystal stone left by Empress Zhi Ren, naturally formed, and of course highly intelligent."

One by one, the streams of Innate True Qi like divine dragons roamed his body, passing through the extraordinary channels and the eight meridians, spreading to every part of him, bringing warm currents that made Wukong feel as though he was about to ascend to immortality.

"I’m close to becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal, just one more breath away!" Wukong hastily swallowed another peach, immediately refining it as the True Qi was absorbed by his Primordial Spirit.

Suddenly, golden light radiated from Wukong, his fur stood on end, and he let out a long roar. Streaks of truth appeared before him – these were the laws! If he could comprehend them one step further and enhance his mana, he could control these laws. During Magic Combat, he could twist these laws, making spells unpredictable, which was incredibly formidable.

Wukong rose to his feet and pondered, "So this is the power of a Daluo Golden Immortal, truly incomparable to that of a Taiyi Golden Immortal! With such power, I can at least protect myself somewhat."

Having achieved the Karmic Realm of a Daluo Golden Immortal of the First Heaven, Wukong could see the cause and effect of the world clearly. His mana was much more vigorous than that of a Taiyi Golden Immortal. In the days to come, he would have the strength to compete with the great mystics. With such a robust foundation at merely the First Heaven level, his power was already astonishing.

"Old Laozi, oh Old Laozi, you really are a good guy! I’ll gladly accept this Seven Stars Sword." Wukong saw a treasured sword hanging on the wall, which was Laozi’s Side Sword, the Seven Stars Sword.

Without hesitation, Wukong took down the divine sword, only to find it was a replica. He couldn’t help feeling disappointed, but to replicate such an Innate Spiritual Treasure must have taken much effort. Laozi being so generous was indeed notable.

"This monkey head!"

Laozi couldn’t help but chuckle and shook his head, watching Wukong circle around the Bagua Oven, feeling apprehensive.

Wukong then said, "This Bagua Oven is your foundation, Old Laozi, so I won’t take it. However, you must give me a furnace to refine elixirs and magical treasures! Otherwise, how am I to challenge the Jade Emperor?"

The Three Pure Ones looked at each other, speechless.

At that moment, the Golden Horned Boy emerged from the side, holding a small pill furnace in his hands and said, "Great Sage, take this little furnace back with you for alchemy. As for the Bagua Oven, better not set your sights on it, or you risk the elder’s wrath."

The Golden Horned Boy was instructed by Laozi to present the pill furnace to Wukong. The furnace was extraordinary, far superior to those commonly used by immortals for alchemy. It was engraved with one hundred and eight thousand talismans and contained a hint of the essence of the Purifying Purple Flame from Doulu Palace. Naturally, using it for alchemy would produce results with half the effort. Although it was not as powerful as the Bagua Oven, it was certainly something that countless people of the Immortal Path would covet.

"This monkey head does have a clear vision, knowing from the start that we were trying to scheme against him." Laozi said with a smile.

Wukong did not stand on ceremony, took the pill furnace brought by the Golden Horned Boy, inhaled it into his mouth in one breath, and said with clasped hands, "I am grateful to the Immortal Child for conveying my thanks to Old Laozi. I will certainly repay this great favor."

Golden Horned Boy said, "Great Sage, you have caused a tremendous disaster. Old Laozi has a favor from Goddess Nu Wa, hence he reached out to help. In a moment, when the Jade Emperor comes to his senses, he’s likely to deal with you. Great Sage, you’d better descend to the Lower Realm quickly."

Wukong, after consuming five gourds of elixirs and taking the Seven Stars Sword and pill furnace, was completely satisfied, having reaped several times more treasures than in his previous life.

"Very well, very well, I shall not disturb you any longer, lest Old Laozi gets nervous upon seeing me, knowing that in the future he shall still need to offer me protection. Hehe, Old Sun is off!" With one somersault, Wukong flipped out of Doulu Palace, cast an invisibility spell, descended from the Southern Sky Gate, and directly returned to the Water Curtain Cave of Flower-Fruit Mountain in Dongsheng Immortal State.

As the Monkey King departed, the Three Pure Ones came out of their hiding places.

Laozi did a round of checking to see if the monkey had secretly taken anything and then felt relieved, saying, "This time I have really invested a lot!"

The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating mocked, "My brother has invested heavily, but what about Zhang Bairin and the Queen Mother? Haha, haha!"

Laozi couldn’t help touching his beard and said, "This monkey head, truly cunning."

Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch said, "The Dipankara Ancient Buddha is coming to discuss the Dao with us. We should act ignorant of the matter and see how Zhang Bairin goes into a rage."

Laozi nodded, "Let’s go."

Then, the Three Pure Ones went together to the three-story tall Zhu Ling Terrace. Shortly after, the Ancient Lamp-Burning Buddha arrived.

Dipankara performed a ritual salute towards the Three Pure Ones and said, "I apologize for intruding on the occasion of the Flat Peach Festival, taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss the Dao with the three elders."

While the pretext was to discuss the Dao, the real purpose was to deliberate on the matters concerning Buddhism and Daoism. After all, the Journey to the West was imminent, and there were many details yet to be negotiated.

The Three Pure Ones were wary of Tathagata, just as Tathagata was wary of them. With mutual wariness, they could only use their disciples to engage in the struggle.

Laozi then said, "The timing of Dipankara Buddha’s visit is perfect. The three of us brothers shall accompany you in a thorough discussion of the Dao."

Knowing that the Three Pure Ones and Ancient Lamp-Burning Buddha were engaging in a discussion, many masters of the Dao of Immortals gathered to listen.

As they initiated their discourse, they naturally drew the attention of countless experts within the Heavenly Court. With Wukong secretly leaving through the Southern Sky Gate, no one was aware of it.

Thousand-Mile Eyes and Ears that Reach Around the Corners were at the moment wide-eyed and all ears, watching and listening intently. With the discussion drawing so many people, how could they notice Wukong?

Dipankara began the discussion with the Three Pure Ones. Outwardly they were talking about the Dao, but beneath the surface, they were strategizing their moves for the interplay between Buddhism and Daoism.

With Wukong having caused a sweeping disaster, what fortune or doom awaits him, please listen to the next part for the unraveling.