Journey to the West (Black Myth)

Sun Wukong, together with Venus Tai Bai, rode the clouds up to the thirty-third heaven. Unlike before, he did not leave Venus Tai Bai far behind, but instead, his eyes rolled mischievously as he started questioning Venus Tai Bai.

"Old Star, let me casually call you that, but I have a question I want to ask you."

Venus Tai Bai quickly replied, "What question does the Great King have? Please ask, and Taibai will answer truthfully."

Since Flower Fruit Mountain already had a Taibai, Sun Wukong felt awkward calling Venus Tai Bai the same, so he simply called him Old Star.

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "I once heard a friend mention the High Sun Officer of The Heavenly Court, and I just wanted to ask, what exactly is that position?"

As the words left Sun Wukong's mouth, Shi Yue and Six Paths, who were concealed in his monkey fur, both felt a stir in their hearts. Shi Yue wondered why Sun Wukong was inquiring about the High Sun Officer. It wasn't immediately clear, as there was no known grudge or connection between Sun Wukong and the official.

Six Paths, with his own thoughts, quickly linked it, pondering, "Could it be that Brother Sun Wukong, despite being mistreated by the Jade Emperor, wants to become the Bimawen, just like I did? This shows Brother Sun Wukong is truly a person driven by emotions. It turns out the two brothers claim to fear their sister-in-law but actually respect, protect, and love her. I, Six Paths, can't be weaker than my two brothers. If Brother Sun Wukong ever needs help this time, I will surely lend a hand."

Venus Tai Bai, upon hearing, laughed heartily, "Ah, so the Great King refers to the High Sun Officer. It's even less than the Bimawen you mentioned, merely one who announces the dawn."

"Oh?"

Sun Wukong’s eyes twinkled as he nodded, "I see. Are there many people holding the position of the High Sun Officer?"

At this point, Shi Yue finally understood. Sun Wukong must have come for Pilanpo's son. What else could he be planning? Clearly, he intended to stand up for the little mistress. It was surprising that beneath Sun Wukong's easygoing facade, he was so protective of the mistress. This reminded Shi Yue of his own return, nodding to himself, "Hmm, she's like mine too. I should tell her not to be so harsh on Sun Wukong."

Venus Tai Bai laughed and said, "The Great King may not know, but there are no duplicate positions in the Heavenly Court. Each immortal holds a unique office, even if the High Sun Officer is insignificant, he's still one among the celestial cycle, thus only one holds the post."

"I see."

Sun Wukong’s eyes clearly brightened, then he asked, "Old Star, do you know where the High Sun Officer usually resides or where he typically spends his time? I have some matters to discuss with him."

Hearing this, Venus Tai Bai frowned and said, "Oh? Does the Great King know the High Sun Officer? It may be difficult, as the current official is supposed to oversee the morning calls but has never truly performed these duties. Even though Taibai has reported this to the Jade Emperor many times, it's been of no use. He usually resides within the Celestial Palace, so finding him is not easy."

Shi Yue sweated at hearing this, realizing the poor man must constantly have eyes on him, no wonder he's so disliked.

Sun Wukong scratched his head, showing some reluctance. Of course, he wasn't the only one troubled. Shi Yue and Six Paths were equally at a loss—residing within the Celestial Palace, how were they supposed to act then? They couldn’t just storm the palace.

Sun Wukong looked puzzled and agitated, scrubbing his ears and cheeks in annoyance. After some time, he suddenly stopped and said, "Old Star, perhaps I shouldn’t go then."

Shi Yue's heart skipped a beat, nearly fainting with both surprise and emotion. He’s indeed going to the heavens for the sake of his mistress. Not going is fine; my brother fears not the Heavenly Court either.

Venus Tai Bai, however, stumbled at this and hurriedly stepped forward, grasping his arm in a panic, "Great King, Great King, how can you do this? How will Taibai report back? Besides, Taibai has agreed to the wager with the Great King. How could the Great King abandon Taibai?"

Seeing Venus Tai Bai's pitiable expression, Shi Yue couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking, "What an honest man. We'd need someone like this at Flower Fruit Mountain; he even agreed to a wager without asking for stakes."

Sun Wukong, seeing this, found himself in a dilemma, feeling a pang of guilt. After all, he truly liked the elder in front of him, as did Six Paths. Venus Tai Bai must have extraordinary luck to find himself on the minds of three monkeys, making it truly difficult to escape their company.

Sun Wukong, trapped in indecision, eyes darting around, finally said, "Alright, I'll go along with you for a look."

With those words, Venus Tai Bai quickly took his hand and led him onward, not daring to pause. Along the way, he continuously extolled the virtues of the Celestial Palace, as if saying, "Great King, just conquer this palace—look how beautiful and splendid it is! Living here, one can enjoy eternal life beyond measure and command all the heavens, subjugating the three realms. What carefree life would that be!"

It turned out that "thirty-three heavens" referred both to the thirty-three celestial layers and to the encompassing heavenly palaces. The territories were vast beyond description, larger than the mortal realm many times over, filled with countless heavenly materials and treasures, home to many great deities.

Venus Tai Bai's words lit up Sun Wukong's eyes with amazement, while even Shi Yue’s eyes flickered with interest. "You may attack my Flower Fruit Mountain now, but if one day I have the strength, why not take the Heavenly Court from you in return? This is the cycle of cause and effect; even a celestial sage couldn't argue with that."

Without stopping, guided by Venus Tai Bai's earnest lead, they soon arrived in front of the Hall of Miraculous Mist. Although, just because you're in the Celestial Palace, does that mean you can’t be dealt with?

As they were about to enter the Hall of Miraculous Mist, Shi Yue and Six Paths, as if spontaneously, both left Sun Wukong's body. Shi Yue worried that his transformation might revert without reaching a Da Luo level, so to avoid detection by the Jade Emperor, he darted into the space of the Measuring Sky Staff, which transformed into a speck of dust, attaching itself to the armor of a divine general standing at the entrance.

Shi Yue had long sensed the mystery of the Measuring Sky Staff, seeming as mysterious as Patriarch Bodhi. Though Patriarch Bodhi often spoke in riddles, he hadn't yet fully grasped it. He only understood that objects transformed by the Measuring Sky Staff were imperceptible, even more miraculous than his transformations using The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits, with the sole exception that living things couldn't be transformed.

Seeing the Hall of Miraculous Mist for the first time, Shi Yue was awed by the scene before him. Rainbow hues filled the sky, auspicious energy swirled in their thousands, purple mist hovered, dragons and phoenixes soared, divine beasts adorned the steps, and the grandeur was beyond words.

At the headmost seat sat a figure resembling a middle-aged man, wearing a gold crown and a golden dragon robe, emanating golden light from all around, an awe-inspiring heavenly presence making him impossible to look at directly.

Such a sight made Shi Yue sigh internally, "Truly the abode of the wealthy! This is what being truly extravagant means!" Most importantly, the spiritual energy inside the Hall of Miraculous Mist was so dense it defied belief. The swirling rainbow hues, auspicious energy, and purple mist were manifestations of this spiritual concentration. Standing here for a single day was more beneficial than a year of cultivation elsewhere.

Sun Wukong and Six Paths clearly noticed this, with Six Paths' gaze piercing and Sun Wukong's eyes shining brightly, looking around in wonder as if he had never seen such a spectacle before.

On either side stood dozens of celestial ministers and divine generals, who, upon seeing Venus Tai Bai leading in a strikingly humanoid golden-furred monkey, cast sideways glances towards Sun Wukong.

Indeed, all these celestial ministers and generals glanced sideways—keeping their heads and bodies still while their eyes fixed on Sun Wukong’s figure. Shi Yue mused to himself, "If you want to look, just look. Why the pretense, as if the Jade Emperor can't see your gaze?" Yet, at that moment, Shi Yue didn't dare fix his gaze on the Jade Emperor, only allowing his eyes to pass quickly over, fearing detection.

As Venus Tai Bai entered the Hall of Miraculous Mist, he advanced straight to the imperial dais, with Sun Wukong half a step behind, boldly following alongside.

Venus Tai Bai directly reported, "I have followed the imperial decree and brought the demon immortal from Flower Fruit Mountain."

The Jade Emperor, with a beard about a foot long, showed no change in expression upon hearing this. He nodded slightly, his gaze falling indifferently on Sun Wukong, and in a booming voice, asked, "Which one is the demon immortal?"

The implication was clear—it's just a demon monkey, so why call it a demon immortal? Evidently, Venus Tai Bai missed this nuance; otherwise, he wouldn't find himself out of favor with The Jade Emperor. The celestial ministers and divine generals below all lowered their eyes in response.

The atmosphere grew a bit tense, and Shi Yue immediately sensed this, making his eyes flicker with insight. Clearly, The Jade Emperor had no fondness for Sun Wukong. Shi Yue suddenly recalled that the idea of recruiting Sun Wukong to become a celestial official was likely Venus Tai Bai's suggestion; otherwise, The Jade Emperor might have acted sooner.

As soon as The Jade Emperor's words fell, Sun Wukong nonchalantly waved his hand and said, "That's me."

Instantly, the majestic Hall of Miraculous Mist erupted into chaos.

"How dare you!"

"Outrageous! What insolent monkey dares to be so bold?"

"You insolent monkey, how dare you act so rudely, not even kneeling before the imperial presence, and casually replying, 'That's me'? This is utterly unforgivable! Your Majesty, I, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, request permission to execute this monkey as a warning to others!"

"Monkey! Why don't you surrender immediately?"

Sun Wukong was startled, his hair standing on end, not expecting these stoic figures, resembling door gods, to suddenly become so fierce. Even Shi Yue was taken aback by the uproar, comparable to a bustling marketplace! Each outburst was louder than the last, especially from the deity holding a golden pagoda, who was yelling the fiercest. Hearing him identified as Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, Shi Yue couldn't help but glance at him.

Venus Tai Bai, who had not yet stepped down from the royal dais, couldn’t help but frown deeply. Sun Wukong's ignorance of court etiquette could be overlooked since he had just arrived from the mortal realm, but how could these celestial ministers and generals behave so rudely?

Unable to hold back, Venus Tai Bai once again addressed the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Sun Wukong is a demon immortal from the mortal realm, newly transformed into human form and unaware of courtly manners. This was my oversight. I implore Your Majesty to forgive his transgression."

Sun Wukong's eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but think that this Old Star truly was a good person.

Meanwhile, The Jade Emperor glanced at Venus Tai Bai with an indifferent gaze, thinking silently, "You keep mentioning this demon immortal. Who are you really working for, Venus Tai Bai?" Yet, outwardly, he merely waved his hand dismissively and said, "Enough."

Immediately, the hall erupted again in calls and shouts.

"Monkey demon! Why don't you quickly kneel and thank His Majesty?"

"Kneel and express your gratitude!"

But Sun Wukong acted as if he didn’t hear a thing, ignoring them completely, even going as far as to directly gaze at The Jade Emperor, feeling oddly that The Jade Emperor was no different from himself. "Why should I, Sun Wukong, kneel before him?" he thought.

As Sun Wukong scrutinized The Jade Emperor, The Jade Emperor likewise scrutinized him. "A Body of Pure Yang that appears once in a million years, and yet it's just a hairy monkey," thought The Jade Emperor, who then turned his gaze to the celestial ministers and divine generals below and asked, "Is there any place lacking an official, any position vacant?"

The majestic Hall of Miraculous Mist fell silent, with everyone lowering their eyes as if in deep meditation, avoiding speech. Shi Yue observed with surprise, thinking, "It seems the Heavenly Court is also a mess. These officials have been in their positions for so long they've become slippery as eels, no different from the corrupt officials on the earthly courts."

After a long pause, as the situation grew increasingly awkward, the Martial Star Lord finally gritted his teeth and stepped forward. Everyone knew Sun Wukong possessed a Body of Pure Yang, a rare occurrence, hinting he could even potentially rival The Jade Emperor if his fate played out. Naturally, no one wanted to suggest anything rashly, fearing that recommending the wrong position would displease The Jade Emperor and lead to trouble later.

Hesitantly, the Martial Star Lord reported, "It seems there's no lack of officials in the heavenly court, except perhaps for the Horse Stable, which could use a supervisor."

Venus Tai Bai's body trembled, his eyes widening for a moment before quickly lowering his head to hide his discomfort, with only one thought in his mind, "How can this be?"

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