The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 90 - 088: Guanyin Attends the Meeting to Inquire About the Reason

Chapter 90: Chapter 088: Guanyin Attends the Meeting to Inquire About the Reason

The tale tells of Sun Wukong and the six other Great Demon Kings charging and slaying through the Heavenly Court’s Army’s camp, achieving a momentum like a bamboo splitting, taking the lives of at least ten thousand soldiers of the Heavenly Court.

On one side, Wukong slaughtered three Constellations and severely wounded the Aquatic Ape, causing the remaining stars to hide within the crowd.

Li Jing hurriedly sounded the call to retreat, and the beleaguered soldiers, upon hearing the signal, immediately dropped their weapons and fled.

Coming up from behind, the Seventy-Two Demon Kings launched an ambush, leading a host of demon soldiers with terrifying force, breaking into the camp and inflicting severe casualties, killing another thousand soldiers.

Nezha and the Ox Demon King were evenly matched, but upon hearing the call for retreat, they dared not continue the fight and turned to leave. Yet Nezha was struck by the Ox Demon King on the back with a staff, causing him to spit blood, but ultimately, he still managed to escape.

Wukong blocked those who wanted to give chase and said, "Do not pursue a desperate enemy, there are many experts within the Heavenly Court! If we press them too hard, be careful they do not fight like cornered beasts."

Peng Demon King withdrew his spear and said, "Just driving them out of Flower-Fruit Mountain will suffice. If they dare to come again, we’ll beat them into utter defeat."

The six Great Demon Kings, leading the Seventy-Two Cave Demon Kings and tens of thousands of demon soldiers, joyfully returned to the Water Curtain Cave, buoyed in spirits, cheering and shouting along the way.

The Heavenly Court’s Army suffered heavy casualties; just in this first battle, they lost nearly one-tenth of their soldiers, most of whom were elite, and several Constellations fell in battle. Huang Feihu was once again injured by Yu Rong King, though not seriously, and could continue fighting. Yu Rong King, however, was deviously cunning, his three Exorcism Hoops incredibly powerful and unpredictable, his Escape Technique astonishing.

The Ox Demon King shouted, "Old Bull here wanted to charge up and annihilate them completely. It was only that pesky kid who stopped me, and Li Jing did call a timely retreat — otherwise, I would have knocked that brat’s head off."

The Macaques King laughed and said, "That brat does have quite a few Magical Treasures on hand, it’s normal for Big Brother to not be able to take him down right away. If Li Jing dares to send troops into the mountains again, just make sure they never return!"

The six Great Demon Kings returned to the Water Curtain Cave, where they laid out banquets to treat their subordinates, all merry and immensely satisfied, only thinking how the Heavenly Court’s Army was nothing impressive and how they would give them a crushing defeat next time.

Wukong, based on the heads taken by everyone, kept a record of their merits, and those who did contribute would later receive a Peach of Immortality, naturally making the little demons overjoyed, who in turn thanked Wukong and the other Great Kings.

In his heart, Wukong thought, "I wonder if after this crushing defeat, the Heavenly Court’s Army will come again? My troubles are growing bigger and it seems it’s about time for the Buddha Ancestor to get involved."

This time, the demon race’s army sneaked an attack on Li Jing’s large camp, causing heavy losses to the Heavenly Court’s Army. What plans could Li Jing possibly have now?

The Macaques King laughed and said, "Wukong need not worry, Li Jing is nothing but a pus-filled bag without any real ability. If he dares to come, we’ll just beat him again."

"What Old Five said is right, Li Jing is just a pus-filled bag with no real skills. If he dares come again, I’ll make sure it hurts!" said the Lion Camel King who usually kept a low profile, but his involvement in today’s victorious battle had truly satisfied him, thinking that if Li Jing dared to come again, they’d make sure he doesn’t leave a second time.

Yu Rong King, having had his fill of combat excitement, exclaimed, "I’ve injured that Huang Feihu twice now, it’s been incredibly thrilling! If he dares to come again, watch me take his head off next time. You two are also in sync; one wants to beat up his mom, and another his grandma!"

Having won a great victory, they were all joyful, with boosted morale, looking forward to earning more great merits.

Wukong said with a smile, "Although Li Jing is a pus-filled bag, my brothers, do not underestimate the experts of Heavenly Court, lest we suffer a great loss and regret it later. Today, the Xu Jingyang I encountered was quite formidable, at least a Daluo Golden Immortal-level expert! But he seems too low-key, his name unheard of; only upon engaging in battle did I realize he’s such a formidable figure."

Wukong was familiar with Xu Jingyang, who had quite a reputation during the Two Jin Dynasties period, and whose Daoist lineage had been passed down endlessly.

The Ox Demon King said, "If that’s the case, let Old Bull here battle him next time!"

While the six Great Sages discussed war strategies for now, let’s return to the matter of Heavenly Court’s retreat from Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Li Jing led his remaining battered and beaten soldiers to set up camp outside again, with low morale and dejected faces.

Li Jing, gritting his teeth, said, "We must report this matter to His Majesty and ask him to decide."

This time, they had been fully prepared, yet they were still disastrously defeated by Flower-Fruit Mountain, with no excuse to offer, and it was impossible to conceal such a thing. After such a defeat, they needed a way to recover; otherwise, they couldn’t face the Jade Emperor’s thunderous fury.

It could only be said that Li Jing had underestimated his enemy, failing to gauge the strength and weakness of the foe before setting up camp near the mountains of Flower-Fruit Mountain, and he hadn’t sent out scouts either, a failure of his duty as the commander of the army. Now, what was needed most was to win a great victory to calm the Jade Emperor’s anger, or else he would be in trouble.

Nezha had been grievously wounded by that strike of the Ox Demon King and no longer had the power to fight again. Of the twenty-two Constellations, three had died, and the Aquatic Ape was severely wounded; their fighting power had been reduced to a low, lacking companions to form a Combined Attack Formation and nearly disabled.

None of the Constellations had a high level of mana, relying on their Combined Attack Formation to fight enemies. Once they suffered casualties, their combat power would be greatly diminished. Although their formation was powerful, it was now incomplete. How could they stand against the Demon Kings of Flower-Fruit Mountain, especially when Wukong had reached the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal?

Nezha said, "Father, we must ask His Majesty to send troops, otherwise, we will never be able to capture Flower-Fruit Mountain! I did not expect that several Demon Kings would all be here this time, causing us to suffer such a huge loss."

Li Jing, disheartened, said, "It was my mistake that led to this situation, it’s all on me!"

Li Jing now had no confidence in besieging Flower-Fruit Mountain; after all, with several Great Demon Kings present there, how could they achieve victory? They had arrived with high spirits, thinking that Flower-Fruit Mountain held only Wukong, only to be met with a resounding slap in the face by the actual presence of several Great Demon Kings. The defeat was heavy, and punishment was inevitable.

Upon receiving the battle report from Li Jing, the Jade Emperor was filled with rage after reviewing it.

It happened that Guanyin of the South Sea arrived to attend a meeting just as she noticed the chaos within Yao Pond, and she couldn’t help but express her surprise, "Eh? What’s happened here?"

Several Heavenly Immortals were also present, and upon seeing the Bodhisattva, they approached, bowed, and explained the situation.

They all spoke at once, and Guanyin realized from their cacophony that Sun Wukong was behind the mischief, so she said, "I shall go see the Jade Emperor."

By this time, Laozi had just finished discussing Buddhist Law with Dipankara Buddha and was in the Hall of Light. Seeing Guanyin, he smiled and said, "The Bodhisattva has also arrived."

As Guanyin was the reincarnation of Cihang, destined to spread the Buddhist Law, and females were seen as more approachable, she was reborn as a woman. Upon seeing Laozi, she quickly said, "I pay my respects to Morality God."

Only after did she turn to pay her respects to the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. The Jade Emperor couldn’t help but feel secretly annoyed; being the Great Heavenly Master, supreme above all, and yet Guanyin chose to greet Laozi before him and the Queen Mother—it was infuriating.

Guanyin asked, "May I know why the Peaches of Immortality feast organized by her majesty has been put on hold? On my way here, I saw the banquet in the Yao Pond in disarray, as if it had been disrupted by someone."

The Queen Mother sighed and said, "It’s because the Monkey Demon Sun Wukong from the Lower Realm’s Flower-Fruit Mountain has emerged. His Majesty recalled his arduous cultivation and thus decreed him an official post, allowing his name to be recorded in the immortal register. However, Sun Wukong was dissatisfied with the insignificance of the position and caused a ruckus in the Heavenly Court. Afterwards, His Majesty dispatched Venus Li Changgeng to the Lower Realm to invite him back up, and he was then granted the title ’Great Sage Equalling Heaven.’ Fearing he might become idle and stir trouble, he was assigned to guard the Peach Garden. Yet, the monkey head guarded but betrayed trust, not only making off with the full garden’s Peaches of Immortality but also disrupting the grand feast in the Yao Pond, and then entering Laojun’s palace to steal the Elixirs. Worried about being discovered, he fled back to the Lower Realm. His Majesty has ordered Li Jing to capture him, and just now, we received a report that they have already suffered a defeat."

In her heart, Guanyin found the situation peculiar; there were countless masters in the Heavenly Court, and Laozi’s Doulu Palace did not even need mentioning. Even if Laozi was not there, she wouldn’t be able to break in herself.

Guanyin also thought of the delicate situation between Buddhism and Daoism at that time. Could it be another scheme by the Three Pure Ones? However, since she was present, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, or else how could she live up to her reputation of great compassion and salvation?

Muzha, Guanyin’s disciple who sat below her, was the son of Li Jing and was named Mu Zha. Hearing that his father had lost a battle below, he became anxious.

"Bodhisattva, I am willing to go to the Lower Realm to subdue the Monkey Demon and relieve His Majesty of his worries," Mu Zha bowed and said.

Guanyin already had this in mind and replied, "Good, Muzha, you go to the Lower Realm to assist King Li in subduing that Demon Monkey."

Mu Zha was overjoyed, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, I will go to the Lower Realm and confront that Demon Monkey immediately."

Guanyin instructed, "Be careful."

Mu Zha responded, "Yes!"

As the Bodhisattva’s spiritual attainment was high, she couldn’t possibly take action lightly.

Without delay, Mu Zha left the Heavenly Court and headed straight for Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Laozi, seeing that Guanyin wasn’t going to take action, didn’t concern himself with the matter. Mu Zha and Nezha were nearly equals in skill; even if he went, he would likely not make much difference, and Laozi would enjoy watching the farce unfold.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Guanyin asked, "How was the Doulu Palace stolen from under the Grand Supreme Elder Lord?"

Laozi replied, "The Dipankara Buddha from your Western Religion arrived to discuss truths with me, so I went to meet him. Naturally, there was no longer any guard within the Doulu Palace, hence the theft."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin secretly thought, "Your Doulu Palace is secured by formations; unless you were willing, not even Rulai Buddha could break in, how could it let a mere monkey succeed in theft?" However, she knew better than to voice such thoughts and instead asked, "May I know what precious items were stolen?"

Laozi answered, "Five Calabash Elixirs were stolen, a replica Seven Stars Sword, and a Pill Furnace."

Guanyin internally contemplated, "And yet you still do not take action?"

She knew well that if Laozi wished to capture Wukong, it would be but a flick of his fingers. So why bother troubling the Jade Emperor to mobilize a great force?

Guanyin then said, "If Muzha manages to capture the Demon Monkey and bring him back, we will return the treasures to Elder Laozi."

Laozi simply smiled slightly, bowed his hands, and said, "If so, I thank the Bodhisattva."

Guanyin replied, "It’s nothing, it’s nothing."

The Jade Emperor, witnessing Laozi’s duplicity, felt secretly indignant, wishing he could tear Laozi’s face off right then and there.

Guanyin felt the matter was awash with peculiarities, realizing that Muzha had departed in haste without her having given detailed instructions, and he would likely return without success.

For what happens next, please listen to the following explanation.