plumnovel Chapter 16: Losing Another Child
Chapter 16: Losing Another Child
Sun Wukong smashed a large hole in the stone wall of Yunzhan Cave with his staff, sending rubble flying everywhere.
"That pig-headed idiot is such a spineless fool! The Buddhist sect promised him a golden statue of a Bodhisattva, and he just ran off with them like a puppy!"
He was so angry that he scratched his head and wished he could chase after that pig-headed man to the South China Sea and beat him up.
Chen Fan's expression was also not good, but he did not fly into a rage like Sun Wukong.
He simply stared silently in the direction where Guanyin had disappeared, his mind racing with calculations.
This time, he miscalculated.
He underestimated Guanyin's decisiveness and overestimated Zhu Bajie's ambition.
This pig is obsessed with comfort and pleasure, completely lacking the fighting spirit that Ao Lie possessed when driven to the brink. The "golden body of enlightenment" promised by Buddhism was far too tempting for him.
"Brother, what do we do now? Should we go and snatch that pig's head back?" Sun Wukong asked anxiously.
"No need." Chen Fan shook his head, his expression having returned to calm.
"Everyone has their own aspirations. Since he has chosen the path of Buddhism, we cannot force him. Taking him back would only create a burden with a divided heart."
Sun Wukong was taken aback: "Then... then we'll just leave it at that?"
"Of course not." A cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Fan's mouth.
"Guanyin thought she had won the game, but she also revealed her impatience. She is now like a gambler who has lost everything, desperately trying to grab all the remaining pieces."
"She stole Pigsy; her next target will undoubtedly be General Curtain-Rolling of the Flowing Sand River, Sandy."
"We can't keep following her lead. If she wants to protect the pilgrimage team, then we'll undermine her and cut off their resources!"
"Stealing someone's talent?" Sun Wukong didn't understand.
"Guanyin is the representative of Buddhism, so let's go find our enemies in Heaven!" A glint flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.
"Great Sage, do you still remember the Dragon King of the Jing River?"
Sun Wukong scratched his head: "I vaguely remember. It seems like it was about five hundred years ago, when a hapless guy got his head chopped off in a dream by a lowly official named Cao because he miscalculated the time of the rain?"
"That's right." Chen Fan nodded. "That official was named Wei Zheng, a minister of Emperor Taizong of Tang. And the one who ordered his execution was the Jade Emperor!"
"The Dragon King of the Jing River was executed without mercy by the Jade Emperor for a minor mistake, and his soul was trapped in the Jing River, tormented by resentment day and night. Tell me, did he hate the Jade Emperor? Did he hate the Heavenly Court?"
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up.
"I understand! The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"
"Exactly!" Chen Fan clapped his hands. "Although the Jing River Dragon King is dead, his dragon spirit lives on. He has controlled the Jing River's waterways for thousands of years and enjoys immense prestige. If we can gain his assistance, we can not only control the waters near Chang'an, but also use him as a banner to rally all the aquatic creatures in the world who are dissatisfied with the Heavenly Court!"
"Let's go! Let's go and meet this Dragon King!"
The two set off immediately, riding on their somersault cloud, and soon arrived at the banks of the Jing River outside Chang'an City.
During the day, the Jing River was calm and the water was smooth, with nothing unusual about it.
However, Chen Fan, having opened his divine eye, could see that deep within the riverbed, an incredibly thick black aura lingered, filled with endless resentment and bitterness.
"Is the Dragon King of the Jing River here?" Chen Fan called out loudly towards the water. "Chen Fan from Huaguo Mountain has come to pay his respects!"
The sound entered the water and disappeared like a stone sinking into the sea.
Sun Wukong grew impatient and raised his staff to stir the water.
"Don't rush," Chen Fan stopped him. "This Dragon King harbors too much resentment; we need to use a special method."
As he spoke, he took out a yellow talisman and a vermilion pen from his storage space.
This is a "Ghostly Communication Talisman" that he redeemed from the system shop, specifically used to communicate with ghosts and spirits.
Chen Fan bit his fingertip and used his blood as a guide to quickly draw a few strokes on the talisman.
"By the Supreme Lord's decree, open the path to the netherworld! So be it!"
He threw the talisman onto the water, and it spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into a golden light that shot into the riverbed.
"boom!"
Suddenly, a huge whirlpool exploded on the calm river surface, and a thick black mist shot into the sky from the whirlpool, transforming in mid-air into the image of a middle-aged man wearing a dragon robe, with a pale face and bloodshot eyes.
It is the soul of the Jinghe Dragon King.
"Who dares disturb my peaceful cultivation!" The Dragon King of the Jing River's voice was filled with resentment and venom, causing the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.
"Dragon King, please calm your anger." Chen Fan bowed respectfully, "We are not your enemies. We are the Jade Emperor's enemies."
The Dragon King of the Jing River was stunned, his crimson eyes fixed on Chen Fan and Sun Wukong.
When he saw Sun Wukong's appearance clearly, the dragon soul fluctuated violently.
"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven... Sun Wukong?"
"Hehe, it's me, Old Sun." Sun Wukong grinned as he carried his staff.
The Dragon King of the Jing River lessened his guard somewhat, but remained suspicious: "What business do you have with a lonely ghost like me?"
"Dragon King, are you willing to accept this?" Chen Fan asked bluntly.
"You have controlled the wind and rain for the Heavenly Court for thousands of years; you have certainly worked hard, even if you haven't achieved anything great. Just because you made a bet with a mortal sorcerer and slightly altered the amount of rain, the Jade Emperor wants to take your life!"
"You pleaded with the Western Paradise, but did Buddhism heed your plea? You sought help from all your kind across the four seas, but did any Dragon King stand up for you?"
"You ended up like this because you were merely a pawn carelessly discarded by the Jade Emperor to demonstrate his divine power!"
Every word Chen Fan uttered was like a needle, piercing the heart of the Jinghe Dragon King.
His dragon soul trembled violently, and his resentment almost materialized.
"I am not reconciled! I hate it! I hate the Jade Emperor for being heartless and ungrateful! I hate all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens for standing by and watching me die!" He roared to the sky.
"Alright!" Chen Fan shouted, "We're here to give you a chance for revenge!"
"My brother, Sun Wukong, wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. Now that he has regained his freedom, he is determined to overthrow this corrupt Heavenly Court!"
"We have already joined forces with Ao Lie, the Third Prince of the West Sea. Now, Huaguo Mountain is strong and well-equipped, and we only lack an ally who can command all the aquatic creatures in the world."
"Dragon King, if you join us, once we storm the Heavenly Palace, you too can sit on the dragon throne!"
"boom!"
Chen Fan's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the heart of the Jinghe Dragon King.
To storm the Heavenly Palace?
This was something he never even dared to dream of!
He looked at the imposing demon monkey before him, and then at the mysterious Taoist priest whose words seemed capable of overturning the three realms.
He had been trapped at the bottom of this dark and sunless river for too long, and this sudden hope drove him almost mad!
"Good! Good! Good!" The Dragon King of the Jing River said "good" three times and bowed to Chen Fan and Sun Wukong.
"I, the Jing River, am willing to serve the Great Sage as my master and follow Mr. Chen! Any aquatic creature in the world that dares to disobey me will be submerged by the mighty waters of the Jing River, their caves flooded, and their entire family wiped out!"
[Ding! The Jinghe Dragon King, a key figure in Journey to the West, has joined the protagonist's camp, damaging the Heavenly Court's fortune. Reward: 3000 Journey Points!]
[Current pilgrimage points: 16000.]
A satisfied smile appeared on Chen Fan's face.
What you lose on one front, you gain on another. Losing Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) but gaining a Dragon King filled with hatred for Heaven—it's a worthwhile trade!
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Court, at the Lingxiao Palace.
The Jade Emperor's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.
Just now, the Star Lord in charge of fortune reported that the fortune of the Heavenly Court's dragon veins has been fluctuating for no reason, showing signs of decline, with the source pointing directly to the Jing River in the mortal realm.
Then, considering the recent reports from the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear: Flower Fruit Mountain is recruiting soldiers, the Third Prince of the West Sea, Ao Lie, has openly rebelled, and now even the vengeful spirit of the Jing River Dragon King has been subdued by that demon monkey!
The Buddhist Guanyin was running around the mortal realm like a madwoman, clearly indicating that the Journey to the West plan had also encountered serious problems.
All of this points to Sun Wukong, who escaped from under the Five Fingers Mountain, and the mysterious Taoist Chen Fan!
"This is outrageous!"
The Jade Emperor slammed his palm on the dragon throne, causing the entire Lingxiao Palace to tremble.
"It is said that Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and Nezha, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, have ascended to the palace!"
Before long, Li Jing and Nezha arrived in front of the palace.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Li Jing!" The Jade Emperor's voice was icy cold. "Last time I ordered you to descend to the mortal realm to investigate, but you were frightened away by that demon monkey's few words, allowing him to grow in power! Do you know your crime?"
Li Jing was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, please calm down! It's not that I'm afraid of fighting, but that Flower Fruit Mountain is shrouded in a mysterious array, and I... I can't see through it. I'm afraid we'll fall into an ambush and lose our heavenly troops!"
"Enough!" the Jade Emperor roared. "Nonsense! A monkey demon who has been imprisoned for five hundred years has long lost its power. What can it possibly accomplish? You have clearly neglected your duties!"
"I'm giving you one last chance!"
"I order you to immediately muster 100,000 heavenly soldiers, with Nezha as the vanguard, and launch another attack on Flower Fruit Mountain! This time, I do not seek to capture them alive; you are permitted... to kill them on the spot!"
"If you fail again, you can forget about being a superstar!"
The Jade Emperor's tone was filled with murderous intent.
Li Jing was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty... I obey! I will certainly atone for my crimes and perform meritorious service, and live up to Your Majesty's trust!"
He tugged at Nezha's sleeve beside him.
Nezha remained silent throughout, but his grip on the Fire-Tipped Spear tightened even more.
He raised his head and looked towards the South Heavenly Gate, where the sea of clouds churned outside the palace, his expression complex.
Sun Wukong...
Are we going to have to fight again?
He obeyed the imperial decree, and with a sense of helplessness, he followed Li Jing to muster the troops, and they marched in a grand procession towards Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Flower and Fruit Mountain, above the Water Curtain Cave.
Dark clouds loomed over the city, and 100,000 heavenly soldiers arrayed themselves in battle formation, banners waving, exuding a murderous aura.
Li Jing, holding a pagoda, stood atop a cloud and shouted down, "Sun Wukong, the demon monkey of Flower Fruit Mountain, listen up! You have defied the Heavenly Emperor's authority, formed cliques for personal gain, and wreaked havoc on the Three Realms! The Jade Emperor has decreed that you surrender immediately, or I will raze Flower Fruit Mountain to the ground!"
"Children, do not be afraid!"
Sun Wukong, holding his golden cudgel, soared into the sky from the Water Curtain Cave, followed by Ao Lie and countless monkeys.
He looked at Li Jing and laughed loudly, "Old man Li, I spared your life last time, and you dare to come here to die again? Your grandpa Sun is here, if you have the guts, bring it on!"
"Nezha, my son, why don't you capture this impudent monkey for me!" Li Jing ordered his son beside him.
Nezha, riding on his Wind and Fire Wheels and wielding his Fire-Tipped Spear, flew out to the front of the battle.
He looked at Sun Wukong, and memories of fighting side by side in the past came to mind, but he could not disobey the emperor's command.
"Great Sage, it's been five hundred years. How have you been?"
Sun Wukong grinned: "Easy, easy. Nezha, you're here to capture me too?"
"Each serves his own master, and each has his duty to fulfill." Nezha sighed, standing with his spear held horizontally. "Great Sage, you have been suppressed for five hundred years, and your magical power must have been greatly diminished. Today, we will fight. If you lose, come with me to Heaven to plead guilty, and you may be spared from death."
"Hahahaha!" Sun Wukong laughed loudly, "Well done, Nezha! You've got quite the nerve! Come, let me, your old Sun, see how much you've improved in these past few hundred years!"
Before he finished speaking, Sun Wukong had already transformed into a golden light and smashed his staff towards Nezha's face!