Within the Hall of Divine Mists.
The Jade Emperor was discussing court matters with the gathered deities when suddenly, the sound of weeping and wailing pierced the air.
Looking up, he saw the Seven Fairies approaching, huddled together.
“What’s wrong with you all? Didn’t I send you to pick peaches? Why are you so late?”
The Lady Queen Mother, surprised, thought that the Seven Fairies had encountered some mishap, and immediately inquired.
“Reporting to the esteemed ones, when we arrived at the Peach Garden, we found that the peach trees were completely bare. All the peaches were eaten clean by that Great Sage Equal to Heaven! He used magic to bind us, and we could only come here after the spell wore off an hour later, which is why we are delayed…”
The Seven Fairies knelt in the Hall of Divine Mists as they spoke.
“What?! My peaches!”
The Lady Queen Mother sprang to her feet, and the Jade Emperor’s expression darkened considerably.
However, inside, he was secretly delighted.
At this moment, a heavenly attendant approached to report, “Your Majesty, the Supreme Ancestor of Dao has arrived…”
The Jade Emperor was taken aback. The Supreme Laozi seldom visited the Hall of Divine Mists, usually only appearing for important matters. What could he be doing here now?
Yet, given the Supreme Ancestor’s immense authority in the Daoist sect, even the Jade Emperor did not dare disregard him and promptly stood up, gesturing for the Lady Queen Mother to follow.
Before the Jade Emperor could step out of the Hall, the Supreme Ancestor strode in with a stern face: “Your Majesty, the elixirs you asked me to refine have all been stolen by the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, not a single one left!”
“Your Majesty, that Great Sage has caused chaos in the Jade Pool, turning the Peach Banquet upside down!”
Another heavenly warrior reported on the situation at the Jade Pool.
“What?!”
The Jade Emperor felt as though the world was spinning!
His original intention was merely to let Sun Wukong steal some peaches; he never expected that Sun Wukong would escalate the situation to this extent and steal the elixirs he needed as well!
“Where is Li Jing?!”
The Jade Emperor’s face darkened with fury, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves as he gritted his teeth, “I command you to immediately lead the Third Prince Nezha, gather the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the Nine Luminaries, the Five Directional Deities, the Four Value Functionaries, and the Universal Star Deities. I’ll also assign you one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers to descend and capture that demon monkey. If necessary, you may kill him…but no, you must capture that demon monkey alive!”
Initially, the Jade Emperor had considered ordering Li Jing to kill Sun Wukong outright, but upon reflection, he realized that losing both the peaches and the elixirs, along with the chaos at the Peach Banquet, would make killing Sun Wukong an unwise move.
Besides, to the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong was merely a pawn in his plans with the Tathagata; if he acted impulsively and killed Sun Wukong, all his previous efforts would have been in vain.
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Thus, after much deliberation, the Jade Emperor suppressed his anger and commanded Li Jing to capture Sun Wukong alive!
“Yes, Your Majesty! I will obey!”
Li Jing stood in the Hall of Divine Mists and immediately prepared to depart, clutching his pagoda and responding loudly.
……
The news spread rapidly throughout the Three Realms!
The Flower-Fruit Mountain demon monkey Sun Wukong had caused chaos at the Peach Banquet, stealing peaches and elixirs, while Pagoda Bearer Devaraja Li Jing led heavenly soldiers down to capture the demon!
Naturally, Xu Fang caught wind of this news.
However, by the time this information reached the Divine Strategy Camp, Li Jing had already returned in defeat.
The news sent shockwaves through the Three Realms!
The esteemed Pagoda Bearer Devaraja Li Jing, leading elite heavenly soldiers, had actually lost to the demon monkey from Flower-Fruit Mountain!
“This monkey…”
Xu Fang sighed helplessly upon hearing the news.
His heart was filled with both defeat and shock.
Everything was unfolding just like in the original story; even as a time traveler, he found himself utterly powerless to change anything.
……
In the Hall of Divine Mists, the Jade Emperor’s face was ashen, and the other deities fell silent.
Only Li Jing knelt in the Hall, apologizing.
However, among the heavenly deities, no one dared stand alongside Xu Fang.
The ups and downs of the heavenly realm were only known to those within.
“Your Majesty, Guanyin Bodhisattva has arrived.”
At that moment, a heavenly attendant entered to announce, and soon Guanyin Bodhisattva, with a benevolent expression and holding a pure water bottle, entered the Hall accompanied by the Huian Walker.
After greeting the Jade Emperor and the Lady Queen Mother, and after some pleasantries, Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke, “In previous years, the Peach Banquet hosted by the Lady Queen Mother was bustling with excitement. Why has it been so quiet this year?”
The Jade Emperor’s expression darkened further, cursing inwardly: “Isn’t it because of the mess your Buddhist sect has caused!”
Although he had allowed the Buddhist plan to spread to the East and was involved in it, he never expected Sun Wukong to steal the elixirs.
Now he had gone from being in control to being at a disadvantage!
Despite his dissatisfaction, the Jade Emperor maintained the composure befitting the ruler of the Three Realms and knew he had to continue with the Eastern Buddhist plan. He replied calmly, “A demon monkey is causing havoc, stealing peaches and elixirs, which is why this year is particularly quiet.”
“A demon monkey causing havoc?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva feigned ignorance, asking with a knowing tone, “May I ask, Your Majesty, what is the origin of this demon monkey that it dares to be so audacious?”
The Jade Emperor felt even more irritated but patiently explained Sun Wukong’s background. Afterward, he added, “That demon monkey suddenly stole peaches and elixirs, causing a great commotion and fleeing to the mortal realm. I commanded Li Jing to capture him, but he returned in defeat.”
“Now I see.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and then said, “My disciple Huian possesses remarkable abilities; perhaps we can let him assist you in capturing this demon monkey!”
The Jade Emperor nodded, knowing this was part of the Buddhist plan, and readily agreed.
Huian Walker, also known as Mu Zha, was the second son of Pagoda Bearer Devaraja Li Jing. He was a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva and was not even close to Nezha’s level, making him no match for Sun Wukong. He would likely be defeated in just a single incense stick’s time.
“Bodhisattva, Huian Walker is not a match for that demon monkey,”
the Jade Emperor said, casting a deep gaze at Guanyin. “What should we do to capture that demon monkey?”
“Your Majesty need not worry; I will recommend a deity who can surely capture the demon monkey!”
Guanyin Bodhisattva replied, “I have heard of the Divine General of the Guan River…”
However, at that moment, a calm voice suddenly rang out in the Hall of Divine Mists!
“Your Majesty, I will go to battle!”
Everyone immediately turned to look at the speaker!
It was Xu Fang!
All the celestial beings in the hall looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Everyone knew that Xu Fang and Sun Wukong were sworn brothers, and previously, Xu Fang had a rather unpleasant encounter with the Jade Emperor over Sun Wukong’s management of the Peach Garden.
Yet now, this Demon-Slaying Divine General Xu Fang was actively volunteering to capture Sun Wukong!
This was highly unusual!
“Your Majesty, who is this divine general?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva pretended not to recognize Xu Fang and asked.
Without waiting for the Jade Emperor to respond, Xu Fang spoke up, “I am the Demon-Slaying Divine General, Xu Fang!”
At this moment, he was thoroughly disillusioned with the Heavenly Court!
Moreover, he had long held significant grievances with the Buddhist sect, so he spoke to Guanyin Bodhisattva without a hint of respect.
