Chapter 143: Chapter 143: The Heavenly Court Steps In to Assist the Buddhist Sect Chapter 143: Chapter 143: The Heavenly Court Steps In to Assist the Buddhist Sect But lo, the Buddhist Sect hast retreated, and on Mount Putuo remained only the strength of the Demon Tribe and the disciples of the Lord of Primordial Beginning.

Guang Chengzi clasped his hands and said, “Until we meet again!”

Wukong then said, “Many thanks to Guang Chengzi, Cloud in the Sky Immortal… for lending a hand.”

Guang Chengzi said, “It’s merely a matter of mutual enmities, not really about helping each other. Heaven-Defying no need for such courtesy.”

Wukong smiled and said, “Those who’ve harmed me, I will remember; those who’ve been kind to me, I will also remember!”

The matter of the Lord of Primordial Beginning had come to a perfect completion, the traitors of yore had all ascended the Deification Platform, and many of the former rebels from Jie Taoist had done the same. Those fated for tribulation inevitably faced it; there was no escape, such was the cycle of cause and effect. The Buddhist Sect always preached about karmic retribution but didn’t expect it would fall upon themselves, truly an inescapable retribution.

A group of individuals from the Demon Tribe began to clean up the battlefield, and among them, some fragments of magical treasures were precious materials that could be melted down and reforged anew.

This time, the Buddhist forces had suffered a great loss. Burning Lamp had died, Maitreya who was to reign in the future also died, Birupaksa Bodhisattva was severely injured, and many among the 3,000 Buddhas had not even had the chance to make a move before they were reduced to dust and crumbled away. It wasn’t clear why they had cultivated for so many tens of thousands of years. Some wrung their hands in despair, while others stomped their feet in jubilation.

Once everything was properly dealt with, everyone returned to the Water Curtain Cave.

Many believed that after this significant defeat of the Buddhist Sect, it was time to pursue the victory and attack Spiritual Mount to utterly annihilate them.

However, Wukong hadn’t been blinded by this victory. The victory had been hard-won, with the Demon Tribe’s ancestors sacrificing their lives. Moreover, on Spiritual Mount remained Tathagata, the Glazed Light King Pharmacist Buddha, Birupaksa Bodhisattva, Corpse Abandonment Buddha, Immeasurable Life Buddha, Immeasurable Light Buddha… these individuals were all Sect Founder level cultivators! Although they had been injured by the self-explosion of more than a dozen Sect Founders of the Demon Tribe, their injuries were not severe. Only Birupaksa Bodhisattva was grievously wounded by Wukong and needed a long time to recuperate.

Wukong asked, “Is any of you a Primordial Golden Immortal?”

Upon these words, the various tribe chiefs and elders fell silent.

There is a significant threshold between Primordial Golden Immortals and Daluo Golden Immortals. One could say that there is a threshold from Superior Immortal to Taiyi Golden Immortal, and every realm beyond Taiyi Golden Immortal is yet another considerable hurdle, and these hurdles tend to grow increasingly larger.

Wukong said, “Even though the Saints have agreed not to intervene, there are still the likes of Immeasurable Life Buddha, Immeasurable Light Buddha, Pharmacist Buddha, and other Primordial Golden Immortal level experts atop Spiritual Mount. Our victory this time came at the cost of our ancestors’ blood and sweat, and we must not squander it lightly! Our Demon Tribe has put all its resources out in the open, and I fear many have set their sights on us. Our most urgent task now is to find a Primordial Golden Immortal!”

Yuan Hong responded to these words, “Primordial Golden Immortals are not so easily found. One must comprehend the Primordial Dao Fruit, penetrate the Great Dao of the Void, see through the Yin and Yang Qi, and let go of all worldly attachments. My mana is currently insufficient, but if I accumulate more for a hundred or two hundred years, I could return to the realm of a Primordial Golden Immortal.”

During the Ancient Times, Yuan Hong was a Primordial Golden Immortal, and with his iron staff, he had forged a resounding reputation. However, he fell from that realm due to an injury to his great dao. Although he has the understanding of the Path, he lacks the accumulated mana. He needs to slowly gather mana and once again comprehend the Primordial Dao Fruit. This process, though it sounds simple, would take someone of Yuan Hong’s talents one to two hundred years.

Wukong then said, “It may seem as if our Demon Tribe has triumphed gloriously, forcing the Buddhist Sect to spew blood and lose face, but in protecting our foundations, we’ve also laid everything bare. Now that the Deification Platform is established, others who come to provoke us can simply claim it’s to resolve karma before they make a move. Our plan now should be to rest and recuperate.”

He truly wasn’t satisfied in his heart. While they rest and recuperate, so would the Buddhist Sect, and given enough time, who’s to say they couldn’t catch their breath? In that case, the Tang army would become the spear to break through the Buddhist Sect’s shield. By then, if the entire Tianzhu Country were to fall to the Tang army, the Buddhist Sect would lose their foundation of Incense Willpower.

With the establishment of the Deification Platform, Heaven and Earth had already descended into chaos. The Asura Blood Sea, that power that kept a low profile, had hidden from the world since the war between witches and demons in Ancient Times, only causing a stir when Ksitigarbha King and Nether River conspired to scheme against the Buddhist Sect’s merit. Quietness did not mean they were content; their strength was undoubtedly formidable. Naturally, the Demon Abyss of the Northern Region was another power to be considered. Wukong had only seen Multitreasure Taoist emerge to vie for the River Map and Luo Book, but would that region, home to many ancient demons, remain calm?

And there was an even more dangerous power, that of the Heavenly Court!

The movements of the Heavenly Court had increasingly vexed the Three Pure Ones, who had simply washed their hands of it all. By reestablishing the Deification Platform and signing the Investiture of the Gods, it seemed on the surface that they intended to abolish the Heavenly Court. Nevertheless, the Jade Emperor’s methods were also quite formidable. He won some over, suppressed others. The Longevity Emperor of the South Pole, the True Martial Great Emperor who conquered demons of the North Pole, and the Ziwei Great Emperor of the Central Palace all settled down and stopped opposing the Jade Emperor at every turn.

The enmity between Wukong and the Heavenly Court couldn’t be deeper; the Jade Emperor had long realized that should Wukong topple the Buddhist Sect, the next target would surely be the Heavenly Court! If Wukong intended to revolutionize the world, then it was the fate of the Heavenly Court to be overthrown. The Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court were like great mountains pressing upon the people, and they must be upturned.

What Wukong sought was a republic, not oppression! He desired leaders, not the Jade Emperor intent solely on entrenching his divine authority and manipulating the masses!

Just then, in the midst of the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were also discussing affairs.

“This time, the uproar caused by the Demon Tribe and the Buddhist Sect is undeniably huge! It’s said that nearly all of the three thousand Buddhas have perished, and not many Bodhisattvas are left either. The situation for the Vajra and the Eight Hundred Arhats is even more unbearable to witness.” The Queen Mother clicked her tongue in lamentation, her brows showing a trace of excitement.

“Indeed! Nearly eighty to ninety percent of the Buddhist Sect ascended to the Investiture of the Gods. This time, the Buddhist Sect fell right into the trap,” said the Jade Emperor, holding a delicate jade cup and sipping the fragrant, refreshing, and creamy jade liquid—a heavenly drink indeed.

The Queen Mother poured herself a cup of exquisite wine and said, “Your Majesty, but you also must not forget, if the Demon Tribe crushes the Buddhist Sect, how shall our Heavenly Court find its footing then?”

The Jade Emperor replied, “Tathagata is not dead; his methods are extremely cunning. Besides, with the Esoteric Buddhism to support them, the Buddhist Sect won’t collapse.”

The Queen Mother shook her head.

The Jade Emperor asked, “Why do you shake your head?”

The Queen Mother said, “You are underestimating others again. Let’s not forget, you should never underestimate any of your enemies. Otherwise, back then, you would not have been thrown into disgrace by a mere monkey.”

Recalling the past incident, the Jade Emperor’s countenance turned slightly displeased.

The Queen Mother said, “I didn’t mean to bring it up, just to remind you not to take anyone lightly, let alone that monkey. Hasn’t he done surprising things that even we could not anticipate? It’s said that he has made a grand vow to revolutionize the world and bring equality to all beings.” The Queen Mother observed the Jade Emperor’s expression gradually easing before she continued, “Who could have predicted this disastrous defeat of the Buddhist Sect? Moreover, the defeat was so catastrophic. Although there were calculations by the Saints involved, do you think the Three Pure Ones would not find the Heavenly Court disagreeable and make their own schemes against us?”

The Jade Emperor inquired, “Your words have merit, then what should I do?”

The Queen Mother sighed and said, “Now the Tang Army advances unstoppably, occupying nearly half of Tianzhu Country’s territory. The Buddhist Sect has suffered a heavy blow and will struggle to recover its vitality for a while. If we allow the Tang Army to seize the entire Tianzhu Country, they would truly be finished.”

Immortals of the nine realms and above in cultivation cannot lay hands on mortals, for doing so would incur extremely severe karma. This is also why Wukong at the front lines does not kill mortals but uses Magical Treasures to breach cities. Otherwise, with just one slap from Tathagata, this million-strong army would instantly turn to ashes.

The Jade Emperor then said, “Are we to help the Buddhist Sect suppress the Tang Army?”

The Queen Mother smiled and replied, “Who is backing the Tang Army? The Heaven-Defying Taoist, which is Sun Wukong! Sun Wukong is the Green Emperor representing the entire Demon Tribe. Now, with the Buddhist Sect gravely injured, if we lend them a hand, when they regain their vitality, they will surely cause trouble for the Demon Tribe again. When that time comes, it’ll be a case of both sides suffering, and we can reap the benefits like a fisherman!”

After hearing this, the Jade Emperor was overjoyed, rubbing his hands together and gleefully drinking three cups, exclaiming, “The Queen Mother is truly my wise and eminent consort!”

The Queen Mother said, “Your Majesty is too kind.”

The Jade Emperor calmed down and said, “But by doing this, won’t we let down the people of the Taoist Sect?”

The Queen Mother replied, “Your Majesty has already gathered the power of the Heavenly Court. Who would dare not to follow suit? Moreover, Your Majesty can simply use the excuse of valuing peace and bring up the incident when the monkey Sun wreaked havoc in the Celestial Palace due to the intervention of Tathagata from the Western Heaven, thus holding the moral high ground. What reason or courage would those Taoist bulls have to object or obstruct?”

Beautiful women are usually not intelligent, but the Queen Mother is both beautiful and wise, and her skills are indeed formidable!

The Jade Emperor applauded and said, “Brilliant! With this, we would hold the moral high ground, and since the Demon Tribe is looked down upon by others, outsiders would have no room to complain.”

A poem from later generations testifies to this, saying: “The Jade Emperor commands to aid the Western Land, where wind and clouds unleash the dragon and tiger, opening the four gates. Three thousand realms vainly sacrificed, the Queen Mother’s single plot brings about calamity.”

To find out what happens next, please tune in to the following episode.