Upon hearing the sound, the two bowed and then slowly rose to their feet. If anyone had been there, they would have been quite surprised.
Aren't these two the Dragon King of the East Sea Dragon Palace and King Qin Guang of the Underworld?
The two men's appearances remained unchanged, and the occasional fluctuations of spiritual energy revealed their identities. However, their auras showed no trace of the cowardice of those from the Dragon Palace and the Underworld. Although they dared not put on any airs in front of Xuan Tian, they were, after all, seasoned superiors, and their years of cultivation could not be changed.
Xuan Tian asked, "Have you taken care of the monkey matter?"
The two men exchanged a glance and said, "Reporting to Master, the matter of Sun Wukong has been settled. We have done everything exactly as you instructed, and we dare not do anything wrong."
Xuan Tian nodded and said, "With your abilities, there should be nothing wrong with this matter." He paused, then added, "I'm sorry to have troubled you both this time."
The two men were greatly surprised upon hearing this and immediately knelt down, saying, "Your subordinates dare not. Your Excellency has been very kind to us. We will do our best to fulfill the tasks assigned by Your Excellency. How could we dare to complain about anything?"
Xuan Tian waved his hand to help the two up, saying, "There's no need to say that. Given your status, it's naturally a bit of a grievance for you to do such a weak thing. Although, in terms of the monkey's background, it's not much different from what you two are doing, this time we're going to see a good show. You two need to continue this show, otherwise, it won't be very interesting."
Upon hearing this, the two were somewhat puzzled, but they dared not disobey their master's orders and did as he said. After a while, they took their leave from Xuan Tian.
Now, the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, the Greatly Compassionate and Benevolent One, the Jade Emperor, also known as the Supreme God of the Azure Heaven, was sitting in his Golden Palace, the Lingxiao Hall, where he was holding the morning court with his civil and military officials. Suddenly, the True Man Qiu Hongji reported, "Your Majesty, outside the Tongming Hall, the Dragon King Ao Guang of the East Sea has presented a memorial, requesting the Heavenly Emperor to proclaim his decree." The Jade Emperor issued an edict, ordering Ao Guang to be summoned. Ao Guang was summoned to the Lingxiao Hall and bowed. A celestial attendant then presented the memorial. The Jade Emperor read it from beginning to end. The memorial read: "Your subject Ao Guang, a minor dragon from the East Sea of the Eastern Continent of the Water Element, reports to the Great Heavenly Emperor, the Supreme God of the Azure Heaven: Recently, the demon immortal Sun Wukong, born on Flower Fruit Mountain and residing in the Water Curtain Cave, has been bullying me, forcibly taking my place in my water dwelling, demanding weapons, and displaying his magic and power; demanding armor, and acting with ferocity and ruthlessness. He has frightened and injured the aquatic creatures and scared away turtles and alligators. The dragons of the South Sea tremble with fear, the dragons of the West Sea are miserable, and the dragons of the North Sea cower and surrender." Your subject, Ao Guang, bows deeply and presents the divine iron rod, the golden crown with phoenix wings, the chainmail, and the cloud-walking boots as a token of respect. He continues to display his martial arts and supernatural powers, merely saying, "Noisy, noisy!" Indeed, he is invincible and extremely difficult to subdue. Your subject now petitions Your Majesty for a swift judgment. I earnestly request that the heavenly army subdue this monstrous creature, so that the seas and mountains may be peaceful and the lower realms secure. Respectfully submitted.
After reading it, the Holy Emperor issued an edict: "Send the Dragon God back to the sea, and I will immediately dispatch generals to capture him." The old Dragon King bowed his head in thanks and departed. Next, the Celestial Master Ge Xianweng reported: "Your Majesty, King Qin Guang of the Underworld presents a memorial from the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, the Lord of the Underworld." A Jade Maiden beside him relayed the memorial, which the Jade Emperor also read from beginning to end. The memorial read: "The Underworld is the realm of the dead. Heaven has gods, and earth has ghosts; yin and yang rotate; birds are born, and beasts die; male and female are reborn. Life and death occur, from female to male. This is the natural order, which cannot be changed. Now, there is a demon monkey, Sun Wukong, born in the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain, who commits evil and violence, defying restraint. He uses his supernatural powers to destroy the ghost messengers of the Nine Netherworlds; relying on his power, he frightens and injures ten generations of benevolent kings. He wreaks havoc in the underworld, forcibly erasing names. This has caused monkeys to be unrestrained, and macaques to live long lives, entering the cycle of death and reincarnation, each without life or death. This humble monk submits this memorial, daring to offend the majesty of Heaven." We humbly beseech you to dispatch divine troops to subdue this demon, restore order to the yin and yang realms, and bring eternal peace to the underworld. Respectfully submitted.
After reviewing the document, the Jade Emperor thought to himself, "It is indeed this monkey." A thought flashed through his mind, and he issued a decree: "Send the King of the Underworld back to the netherworld, and I will immediately dispatch generals to capture him." King Qin Guang bowed his head in thanks and departed.
The Great Celestial Venerable summoned all the civil and military officials and asked, "How many years has this demon monkey been born, and in what generation was it born, yet it possesses such great Daoist power?"
Before he could finish speaking, a clairvoyant and aurally astute voice suddenly appeared in the class: "This monkey is a stone monkey born three hundred years ago. At the time, we didn't think much of it, but who knows where it has cultivated itself into an immortal in the past few years, subduing dragons and tigers, and forcibly erasing itself from the Book of Death."
After hearing this, the Jade Emperor looked at his ministers below and asked, "Which deity will descend to the mortal realm to subdue him?"
Before he finished speaking, Venus, the planet of longevity, appeared from the ranks and knelt before him, saying, “Your Majesty, in the Three Realms, all beings with nine orifices can cultivate immortality. However, this monkey is a body nurtured by Heaven and Earth, a body conceived by the sun and moon. He too stands upright between Heaven and Earth, consuming dew and clouds. Now that he has cultivated immortality, possessing the ability to subdue dragons and tigers, how is he different from a human? Your Majesty, I beseech you to consider the benevolent grace of creation and issue a decree of amnesty, summoning him to the Upper Realm, granting him a minor or major official position, registering him in the capital, and confining him here. If he obeys Heaven's will, he will be promoted and rewarded later; if he disobeys Heaven's will, he will be captured. This way, we can avoid mobilizing troops and, moreover, it is a proper way to subdue an immortal.”
The Jade Emperor was delighted upon hearing this and said, "As you have suggested." He immediately ordered the Wenqu Star Official to draft an edict and ordered the Venus Star to offer amnesty.
Venus received the decree, left the South Heavenly Gate, descended on auspicious clouds, and went straight to the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain. He said to the little monkeys, "I am an angel sent by Heaven, with a holy decree here to request your king to ascend to the mortal realm. Quickly inform him!"
The little monkey outside the cave relayed the message layer by layer to the depths of the cave, saying, "Your Majesty, there is an old man outside carrying a document on his back. He says he is an angel sent from heaven with a royal decree to invite you."
Upon hearing this, the Monkey King thought to himself, "Although my teacher forbids me from revealing his name or calling myself his disciple, his kindness and righteousness are still profound. While this place is comfortable, I have no reputation. I possess the supernatural powers taught by my teacher, powers rarely seen in the world. I must make a name for myself so that my teacher knows I have not disrespected him." After thinking this through, he exclaimed happily, "I was just thinking about going to Heaven these past two days, and now an angel has come to invite me!" He called out, "Quickly, invite him in!"
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