Having received his name, the Monkey King was overjoyed and bowed before the Bodhi tree in gratitude. The Patriarch then ordered the assembly to lead Sun Wukong out of the second gate and teach him…

As they were drinking and celebrating, someone came to report, "Your Majesty, there are two one-horned demon kings outside the gate who wish to see you." The Monkey King said, "Let them in." The demon king straightened his clothes and ran into the cave, bowing deeply. The Monkey King asked him, "What do you want with me?" The demon king replied, "I have long heard of Your Majesty's recruitment of talented individuals, but have had no opportunity to meet you. Now that Your Majesty has been granted the Heavenly Decree and is returning home in triumph, I have specially presented you with an ochre-yellow robe to celebrate. If Your Majesty would not despise my lowly status and accept me, I would gladly serve you like a dog or a horse." The Monkey King was overjoyed, put on the ochre-yellow robe, and the others happily lined up to pay homage. He then appointed the demon king as the vanguard commander. After the Ghost King finished expressing his gratitude, he asked again, "Your Majesty has been in Heaven for a long time, what position have you been given?" The Monkey King replied, "The Jade Emperor is disrespectful to the virtuous, appointing me as some kind of stable boy!" Upon hearing this, the Ghost King said again, "With Your Majesty's supernatural powers, why should you be assigned to tend horses? Why not make me the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?" The Monkey King was overjoyed upon hearing this, repeatedly saying, "Good, good, good!" He instructed his four generals, "Quickly prepare a banner for me, with the four characters 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' written on it, and hang it on a pole. From now on, only call me the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and do not call me Your Majesty anymore. This should also be communicated to all the demon kings in the caves, so that they may all be aware of it." This is another story.

The next day, the Jade Emperor held court. Zhang Tianshi, leading the Imperial Horse Supervisor and his deputy, bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, the newly appointed Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, Sun Wukong, disliked his low rank and rebelled, leaving the Heavenly Palace yesterday." Just then, the Heavenly King of Growth, leading his celestial soldiers, also reported from outside the South Heavenly Gate, "The Keeper of the Heavenly Horses has left the Heavenly Gate for unknown reasons." Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor immediately issued an edict: "Order both groups of deities to return to their posts. I will dispatch heavenly troops to capture this monster." Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and Nezha, the Third Prince, stepped forward from the ranks and said, "Your Majesty, your humble servants humbly request permission to subdue this monster." The Jade Emperor was overjoyed and immediately appointed Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, as the Grand Marshal for Subduing Demons, and Nezha, the Third Prince, as the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, ordering them to immediately raise an army and descend to the mortal realm. Li Jing and Nezha kowtowed in thanks and went directly to their palace. They mustered their troops, commanded their leaders, appointed the Giant Spirit God as the vanguard, the Fish-Belly General as the rearguard, and the Yaksha General as the urging force. In an instant, they emerged from the South Heavenly Gate and arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain. They chose a flat spot to set up camp and ordered the Giant Spirit God to challenge them. The Giant Spirit God received the order, prepared himself, and, wielding his Xuanhua Axe, went to the Water Curtain Cave. There, he saw many demons, mostly wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards, brandishing spears and swords, leaping and roaring. The giant spirit shouted, "You wretched creatures! Quickly go and inform the stable boy that I am a great general from Heaven, sent by the Jade Emperor to subdue you. Tell him to come out and surrender as soon as possible, lest you all be maimed!" The monsters scurried away, relaying the message to the cave: "Disaster! Disaster!" The Monkey King asked, "What disaster?" The demons replied, "There is a heavenly general outside the gate, claiming to be the Great Sage, saying: 'I have been sent by the Jade Emperor to subdue you. Tell him to come out and surrender as soon as possible, lest you all be killed.'" Upon hearing this, the Monkey King ordered, "Bring me my armor!" He then donned a purple-gold crown, golden armor, and cloud-walking shoes, and, wielding his Ruyi Jingu Bang (golden cudgel), led his men out, arranging them into battle formation. The giant spirit stared intently, "What a magnificent Monkey King—his golden armor gleaming, his golden crown gleaming, his golden cudgel in hand, and his cloud-walking shoes perfectly suited to him."

A pair of strange eyes like a star, ears that reach past the shoulders and eyebrows that are hard. A straight posture with many variations, a voice as loud as a bell.

A sharp-tongued, toothy stable boy, with lofty ambitions to become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

The Giant Spirit God roared, "You impudent monkey! Do you recognize me?" The Great Sage, hearing this, hurriedly asked, "Who are you? I've never met you before. Quickly identify yourself!" The Giant Spirit God replied, "You deceitful monkey! You don't recognize me! I am the vanguard general under Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King of the High Heaven! I have come here by the Jade Emperor's decree to subdue you. Quickly remove your armor and submit to Heaven's grace, lest all the beasts on this mountain be slaughtered. If you utter even a single word of dissent, I will turn you to dust in an instant!" Hearing this, the Monkey King was furious and said, "Impudent god, stop exaggerating!" "Stop your gossiping! I was going to kill you with one blow, but I'm afraid no one will inform you, so I'll spare your life. Go back to Heaven quickly and tell the Jade Emperor: He doesn't employ the virtuous! I, Sun Wukong, have boundless abilities, why am I made to tend his horses? Look at the title on this banner. If you are promoted according to this title, I will not use force, and the world will be at peace. If you don't, I will storm the Heavenly Palace and make sure he doesn't sit on his dragon throne!" Upon hearing this, the giant spirit opened his eyes wide and looked in the wind. Sure enough, he saw a tall pole standing outside the gate, with a banner on it bearing the four characters "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." The giant spirit sneered three times and said, "This impudent monkey, so ignorant of human affairs, yet so arrogant! You want to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Take this axe!" He swung his axe at the head. The Monkey King, however, was unhurried and met the attack with his golden cudgel. This was a fierce battle—the cudgel was named Ruyi, and the axe was named Xuanhua. The two met for the first time and did not know each other's strength. Axe and cudgel, clashing left and right. One conceals a wondrous power, the other boasts loudly. Their movements conjure clouds and mist; their outstretched hands scatter dust and sand. Heavenly powers are indeed divine, the Monkey King's transformations are truly boundless. The cudgel rises like a dragon playing in water, the axe strikes like a phoenix weaving through flowers. The Giant Spirit's fame spreads throughout the world, yet his skill is inferior to the Monkey King's. The Great Sage lightly swings his iron cudgel, a single blow to the head numbs the entire body.

The Giant Spirit God was no match for him and was struck on the head by the Monkey King's club. He hastily parried with his axe, but with a crack, the axe handle snapped in two. He retreated in defeat and fled. The Monkey King laughed, "Coward, coward! I've spared you! Go and report the news, go and report the news!" The Giant Spirit God returned to the camp gate and went straight to the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. He hurriedly knelt down and said, "The Protector of the Horses is indeed powerful! This humble general could not defeat him and has returned to plead guilty." The Heavenly King Li was furious and said, "This scoundrel has dampened my spirit! Take him out and execute him!" Prince Nezha stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Father, please calm your anger and forgive the Giant Spirit God's crime. Let me go on a campaign and I will know his true strength." The Heavenly King heeded the advice and ordered him to return to camp to await punishment.

This Prince Nezha, fully armored, leaped out of the camp and crashed into the Water Curtain Cave. Wukong was just coming to gather his troops when he saw Nezha's fierce approach. What a fine prince—his hair barely covered his head, his fur not yet covering his shoulders. Miraculously intelligent and quick-witted, his features are elegant and refined.

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