Journey to the West (Black Myth)

The Grand Heavenly Sage and Merciful Benevolent Jade Emperor, Supreme Sovereign of the Mysterious Heavens, known simply as The Jade Emperor, although immortal through countless eras, still has issues that seem impossible to resolve.

In fact, Shi Yue's guess was mostly correct, though he missed the reason. The Jade Emperor regarded Sun Wukong as a thorn in his side from the moment Sun Wukong was born. The reason? Because Sun Wukong shared the same constitution as him, potentially posing a threat to his position.

It is said that in this world, a Body of Pure Yang is born once every million years, each accompanied by celestial phenomena. Normally, they are eliminated at the earliest opportunity. However, Sun Wukong's birth was genuinely earth-shattering, with innate qi bursting forth, even alerting the Hall of Miraculous Mist, making it impossible to ignore.

What neither Shi Yue nor Sun Wukong realized was that Sun Wukong's birth, with his eyes casting golden light that pierced through the heavens to the Thirty-Three Heavens, inadvertently saved both their lives. Thanks to Clairvoyance and Clairaudience spreading the news, the entire celestial realm learned of it instantly.

Thus, The Jade Emperor could no longer act openly against Sun Wukong. Even if Sun Wukong were to suffer an "accidental" death, everyone would know who was responsible. Simultaneously, he harbored resentment towards Clairvoyance and Clairaudience, thinking that these immortals, elevated from demonhood, lacked discretion! Why couldn't they quietly report it instead of letting everyone know?

The Jade Emperor was frustrated but had no choice but to let the issue fester, a feeling most unpleasant. Shi Yue, despite being of a higher Essence of the Sun level, was latent, which was the reason why he, though born of stone like Sun Wukong, was fundamentally different.

So, one could say that Sun Wukong was always under The Jade Emperor's watchful eye, while Shi Yue went unnoticed, lacking the qualifications due to not being a Body of Pure Yang.

However, The Jade Emperor did not anticipate being outmaneuvered. Someone dared to secretly teach Sun Wukong the Dao of the Golden Core, allowing him to reach the Golden Immortal stage in merely over a decade, leaving subsequent developments to unfold naturally.

The same attitude was taken towards the matter of Pilanpo. Everything was left to happen naturally, avoiding direct involvement while unleashing forces against Shi Yue for daring to provoke him, deploying his trusted Perfected Taiyi to eliminate Shi Yue, believing everything was under control.

Unexpectedly, things took another turn when King Qin Guang, the head of the Ten Yama Kings, reported to The Heavenly Court. This was anticipated and favorable, except that the black-furred demon monkey had resurfaced! Moreover, alongside Sun Wukong, they wreaked havoc on the Netherworld palaces, truly causing a mess for The Jade Emperor.

In the grand Hall of Miraculous Mist, The Jade Emperor couldn't help but cast a faint glance at Perfected Taiyi, clearly signaling, "Did you not claim to have subdued that demon monkey? Why has it appeared in the Underworld?"

This caused Perfected Taiyi to frown, though he remained calm, knowing that no matter the mistake, The Jade Emperor dared not truly punish him severely, at most a reprimand or two.

However, since the "calamity" plan was already underway, it had to proceed. Thus, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, also petitioned The Heavenly Court, complaining of being wronged by the celestial stone monkey Sun Wukong from Flower Fruit Mountain, who not only stole the Four Seas' treasures but also destroyed the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea, pleading for The Jade Emperor to take action against the demon monkey.

Instantly, the grand Lingxiao Hall was filled with righteous indignation, like a bustling marketplace, where everyone denounced the demon monkey, especially Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, who shouted the loudest, yet no one volunteered to lead troops to capture the monkey.

The scene was peculiarly eerie, as everyone remembered the demon monkey's Pure Yang constitution. They all thought, "Do you think we're foolish enough to bear that karma? Besides, the demon monkey is so immensely skilled, let whoever wants to go, go. I'll just shout a couple of times."

Upon seeing this situation, The Jade Emperor couldn't help but frown. Why are these gods, normally as dull as pigs, now suddenly so clever, even the celestial generals who ascended from being demons? Unexpectedly, he thought of Ma Guangtai, the former Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy, whom he had sent down to the mortal realm to reincarnate as a pig. He mused that if Ma Guangtai were here, he'd surely be the first to volunteer.

However, Ma Guangtai had given him ample reason to act against him as he couldn’t tolerate Ma Guangtai being around after being with one of his women.

Finally, Venus Tai Bai emerged from the ranks to stop the noisy clamor of the celestial generals.

With a gentle command, he calmed the celestial generals and stepped forward to advise, “Your Majesty, in all three realms, all creatures with nine orifices can cultivate to immortality. Sun Wukong, being a product of heaven and earth, existing under the sky and above the earth, living on dew and mist, has achieved immortality and gained the power to subdue dragons and tigers. Why not, out of compassion, issue an edict of amnesty, summon him to the celestial realm, bestow upon him a minor official position, thus bringing him under celestial command? If he obeys, he may be promoted later; if he defies the mandate, then we can capture him. This avoids mobilizing troops unnecessarily and reclaims an immortal with grace.”

Instantly, The Jade Emperor's expression darkened. He wanted to eliminate him, yet he was being advised to grant him a heavenly position. Did they think the Thunderstrike Whip was a mere decoration?

For a moment, the vast Hall of Miraculous Mist was silent enough to hear a pin drop. The celestial officials and generals dared not speak further, each thinking to themselves how bold Venus Tai Bai was. They didn't expect Venus Tai Bai to be seemingly dull-witted.

With a blank expression, The Jade Emperor glanced at Venus Tai Bai and then reconsidered, thinking that perhaps there was merit to this approach. "Since Sun Wukong holds himself as king and ancestor on Flower Fruit Mountain, I shall grant him a lowly position, then have someone provoke him. He will likely not tolerate it and rebel back to the mortal realm. Furthermore, since he has two sworn brothers, granting one of them a celestial position might sow discord among them, serving to undermine them—a truly clever plan!"

With that realization, The Jade Emperor's gaze toward Venus Tai Bai shifted favorably, and he ordered him to descend and grant amnesty to Sun Wukong.

Meanwhile, after returning from the Netherworld, Shi Yue watched quietly and waited in silence. Sun Wukong's spirits lifted noticeably after venting his frustrations. However, once several major demon kings near Flower Fruit Mountain left, the entire three realms seemed to fall silent, with a foreboding sense of an impending storm.

Could The Heavenly Court be preparing to attack Flower Fruit Mountain directly? Is it a plot against Sun Wukong or against me? Shi Yue was unsure.

Regardless, he remained unafraid, even somewhat eager for the forthcoming spectacle, and The Heavenly Court didn't keep him waiting long.

One day, as the trio drank together, their demon soldiers suddenly brought forth an old man with white hair and eyebrows, tied up securely. He was escorted by the four chief elder guards of Flower Fruit Mountain, who reported that he had dared to impersonate a celestial official and deceive at Flower Fruit Mountain, conveniently caught by them.

In this situation, Shi Yue couldn't help but break a sweat, amused by the humor of his four friends. Meanwhile, a glint of understanding passed through his eyes, realizing that The Jade Emperor was indeed playing along with the established script.

Sun Wukong and Six Paths, observing the scene, exchanged looks with him, realizing how accurately his predictions had come true. Smashing the Underworld hadn't brought disaster; it might even lead to some “fortunate” outcomes.

Sun Wukong thought, “My brother is indeed sharper than I am; this old Sun truly admires him.”

Six Paths was equally astonished. Initially skeptical, he had sensed that a calamity would soon befall Flower Fruit Mountain, so how could there be any "good news"? But now he realized that Shi Yue was completely right—good fortune had indeed arrived!

Shi Yue was intrigued. Venus Tai Bai was a renowned deity in his mind, yet he was only at the Golden Immortal stage. His white hair and eyebrows indeed exuded an immortal aura, but his head was quite unusually large, protruding as if a large bump were on his forehead. It was certain that this old fellow hadn’t ascended to immortality as a human.

Unable to resist teasing him, Shi Yue glared and suddenly shouted, "What kind of demon are you? How dare you impersonate on my Flower Fruit Mountain! Do you have a death wish? Children! Quickly prepare the pot, let us divide and eat him—it's been a long time since we've tasted human flesh."

The four elder monkeys responded vigorously; Sun Wukong was startled, and Six Paths' eyes shifted.

Venus Tai Bai's face turned pale with fear, and he exclaimed, "Great King, Great King, spare me! Indeed, I am from The Heavenly Court; how dare I deceive Great King."

Venus Tai Bai was somewhat frightened by Shi Yue’s appearance—the bronzed skin akin to humans, dark shiny body hair, and the explosively powerful demonic physique. Especially the bizarre shoulder-length hair, apart from his black fur, was not at all monkey-like. Who knew a celestial stone monkey of Flower Fruit Mountain would look so fierce?

Seeing this, a cunning gleam flashed in Shi Yue's eyes as he continued, "How can you prove you're from The Heavenly Court? Do you carry an imperial edict? How can you prove that you are you?"

The first part was acceptable, but upon hearing the latter, even Six Paths was at a loss for words, and Sun Wukong's eyes bulged. The four elder monkeys couldn't help but grimace comically, their expressions distorted.

As for Venus Tai Bai, he was also left speechless with an open mouth—how indeed was he to prove he was himself?

Shi Yue then widened his eyes and shouted, "Children, why haven't you prepared the pot yet!"

Venus Tai Bai's face turned pale again, nearly scared to death, and he quickly pleaded, "Great King, spare me! I truly am not an imposter but came from The Heavenly Court to deliver the Jade Emperor's decree, inviting Great King to become an official in the heavenly realm."

"Hmm?"

Shi Yue glared once more, "You demon, how dare you speak of such an invitation! Are you implying that I am a bandit?"

Venus Tai Bai stammered, "Th-this, little immortal means no disrespect."

Sun Wukong found it amusing and gave a chuckle, saying, "Brother, hold off on eating him."

Shi Yue was bewildered—since when had he ever indulged in such a thing?

Hearing Sun Wukong's intervention, Venus Tai Bai felt rescued and hurriedly turned to him, "Great King, Shi Yue Great King, please convey to Sun Wukong Great King that I truly am no demon, but have come under decree to invite Sun Wukong Great King to assume an official post in the heavens."

Everyone momentarily turned to stone, even Shi Yue was taken aback, and couldn't help but grin widely, which again startled Venus Tai Bai.

Sun Wukong was also left speechless for a moment, realizing he was the good cop in this exchange. Somewhat awkwardly, he asked, "Are you saying that The Jade Emperor of The Heavenly Court wishes to invite the Great King Sun Wukong of Flower Fruit Mountain to become an official in heaven?"

Venus Tai Bai immediately replied, "Indeed, I speak nothing but the truth. Please, Great King Shi Yue, you must believe me."

Sun Wukong's eyes suddenly twinkled with mischief, and he asked, "Could it be the position of Bimawen?"

Shi Yue's eyes flickered with interest while Venus Tai Bai was clearly taken aback, responding, "How could it be such a lowly position? I dare to guarantee with my life that with Great King Sun Wukong's prowess and might, he should at least be a general over some territory."

Shi Yue couldn't help but find this amusing, thinking that Venus Tai Bai might not actually have The Jade Emperor's favor after all.

Sun Wukong rubbed his head with a chuckle, "But somehow it feels like it will be that Bimawen position. Still, even if it is Bimawen, I’d like to take a look at The Heavenly Court."

Venus Tai Bai was taken aback.

Shi Yue’s eyes gleamed with amusement, and he suddenly said to Sun Wukong, "I think this old fellow is quite interesting. If you, brother, accidentally become The Jade Emperor in the future, you might as well give him a bigger position."

Shi Yue's comment almost made Venus Tai Bai collapse from shock, his eyes wide with disbelief, unable to utter a word.

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