Truly a celestial being, a phoenix born of the heavens. Of dragon descent, she is naturally extraordinary; in her prime, she is unlike any mortal.
He carries six divine weapons, his flight and transformations boundless. Now, by the Jade Emperor's decree, he is bestowed the title of Three Altars upon the Sea Assembly.
Wukong approached and asked, "Who are you, young man? What brings you here?" Nezha shouted, "You impudent monkey! Don't you recognize me? I am Nezha, the third prince of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. I have been sent by the Jade Emperor to capture you." Wukong laughed, "Little prince, your milk teeth haven't fallen out yet, and your baby hair hasn't dried. How dare you speak such boastful words? I will spare your life and spare your life. Just look at the words on my banner. When I pay homage to the Jade Emperor, this is my official title. There's no need for any more commotion; I will submit myself. If things don't go my way, I will definitely storm the Heavenly Palace." Nezha looked up and saw the four characters "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." Nezha said, "What great power does this demon monkey have to dare call himself that! Don't be afraid, take my sword!" Wukong said, "I'll just stand still and let you strike me a few times." Nezha was enraged and shouted, "Transform!" He instantly transformed into a three-headed, six-armed being, fiercely wielding six weapons: a demon-slaying sword, a demon-cutting knife, a demon-binding rope, a demon-subduing pestle, an embroidered ball, and a fire wheel, all attacking fiercely. Wukong was shocked and said, "This young man knows some tricks! Don't be rude, watch my supernatural powers!" The Great Sage shouted, "Transform!" He also transformed into a three-headed, six-armed being, brandishing his golden cudgel, which also transformed into three, with six hands holding three cudgels to block the attack. This battle truly shook the earth and mountains, a fierce fight indeed—the six-armed Nezha prince and the naturally beautiful stone monkey king met their true match, encountering the source of their power. One was sent to the mortal realm by a false accusation, the other was a treacherous villain who caused trouble at the Battle of the Bull. The demon-slaying sword is swift and sharp, the demon-cutting blade is ruthless and frightening to ghosts and gods; the demon-binding rope is like a flying python, the demon-subduing pestle is like a wolf's head; the fiery wheels flash with lightning, rolling like embroidered balls. The Great Sage wields three wish-fulfilling cudgels, blocking and strategizing. They fought fiercely for several rounds without a clear victor, but the prince refused to give up. He taught the six weapons many transformations, throwing them down in countless ways. The Monkey King, unafraid, laughed heartily, his iron cudgel twirling and manipulating the air. One becomes a thousand, a thousand, ten thousand, dancing wildly in the sky like flying dragons. The demon kings of all the caves were terrified and shut their doors, all the ghosts and monsters on the mountain hid their heads. The divine soldiers' anger was palpable, their golden-hooped iron cudgels whistling. On one side, the heavenly soldiers shouted, everyone was afraid; on the other side, the monkey monster waved his flag, everyone was worried. The two sides fought fiercely, it was unclear which was strong and which was gentle.
The Third Prince and Sun Wukong each displayed their divine power, fighting for thirty rounds. The prince's six weapons multiplied into countless forms; Sun Wukong's golden cudgel multiplied into countless more. In mid-air, they resembled raindrops and shooting stars, neither gaining the upper hand. It turned out that Wukong was incredibly fast; in the midst of the chaos, he plucked a hair from his body, cried out, "Transform!" and it transformed into his true form, wielding his cudgel and mimicking Nezha. His true form then leaped up, arriving behind Nezha and striking his left shoulder with the cudgel. Nezha, caught in the whistling of the cudgel, tried to dodge but was caught off guard and struck. Wounded, he fled, withdrawing his magic, returning his six weapons to his body, and retreating in defeat.
Li Tianwang, who was already on the battlefield, had seen this and was eager to lead his troops to help. Suddenly, the prince appeared before him, trembling, and reported, "Father, Bi Mawen is truly capable! Even with my magical powers, I cannot defeat him, and he has already injured my arm." Li Tianwang was greatly alarmed and said, "With such supernatural powers, how can we possibly win?" The prince said, "He has erected a flag outside his cave with the four characters 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' written on it. He boasted that he asked the Jade Emperor to bestow upon him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and all would be well; if it wasn't this title, he would surely storm the Heavenly Palace!" Li Tianwang said, "Since that's the case, let's not fight him. Let's go to the Upper Realm and report this to the Jade Emperor. We can then send more heavenly troops to surround and capture this fellow; it won't be too late." The prince, wounded and unable to fight further, returned to Heaven with Li Tianwang to report.
See how the Monkey King returned victorious to the mountain, and the seventy-two cave demon kings and his six sworn brothers all came to congratulate him. In their blessed cave, they drank and made merry. He then said to his six brothers, "Since I am called the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, you may also call yourselves Great Sages." Suddenly, the Bull Demon King shouted, "Brother, you are right! I will call myself the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven!" The Flood Dragon Demon King said, "I will call myself the Great Sage Who Restores the Seas!" The Roc Demon King said, "I will call myself the Great Sage Who Confounds Heaven!" The Lion King said, "I will call myself the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains!" The Macaque King said, "I will call myself the Great Sage Who Knows All!" The Yu Rong King said, "I will call myself the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods!" At this time, the seven Great Sages acted as they pleased, calling themselves names and enjoying themselves for a day before dispersing.
Meanwhile, Li Tianwang and the Third Prince, leading their generals, arrived at the Lingxiao Palace and reported, "We were ordered to descend to the mortal realm to subdue the demon immortal Sun Wukong, but we were unable to defeat him due to his overwhelming power. We humbly request Your Majesty to send additional troops to eliminate him." The Jade Emperor said, "How much skill can a mere monkey possess that warrants additional troops?" The Third Prince stepped forward and said, "We beg Your Majesty to pardon our crimes! That monkey wields an iron cudgel, first defeating the Giant Spirit God, and then injuring my arm. Outside his cave stands a flag inscribed with the four characters 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' saying that if he were granted this official title, he would cease hostilities and surrender; otherwise, he would have stormed the Lingxiao Palace." Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor exclaimed in surprise, "How dare this monkey be so arrogant! Order the generals to immediately..." "Execute him immediately." Just then, Venus appeared from the ranks and said, "That demon monkey only knows how to talk, not how to be worthy. If we send troops to fight him, we will not be able to subdue him in time, and it will only be a waste of manpower. It would be better if Your Majesty showed great mercy and issued an imperial edict of amnesty, making him the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. However, give him an empty title, an official position without salary." The Jade Emperor said, "What do you mean by 'an official position without salary'?" Venus said, "He will be called the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but he will not be given any duties or salary. Let him live in the heavens and earth, so that his evil heart will be restrained and he will not become arrogant. In this way, the world will be at peace and the seas will be tranquil." The Jade Emperor said upon hearing this, "As you have suggested." He immediately ordered the imperial edict to be issued and Venus to take it away.
Venus reappeared at the Southern Heavenly Gate and went straight to the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain to observe. This time, he was different from before; he was imposing and filled with murderous intent, and all sorts of demons were present. Each one wielded a sword, spear, knife, or staff, roaring and leaping about. Upon seeing Venus, they all rushed forward to attack. Venus said, "Hey, leaders, come here! I'll trouble you to inform your Great Sage. I am an angel sent by the Emperor, with a divine decree to invite him." The demons immediately ran in to report, "There is an old man outside who says he is an angel from the upper realm, with a decree to invite you." Wukong said, "Good, good! It must be Taibai Jinxing who came before. Last time he invited me to the upper realm, although my official rank was insignificant, I still got to travel to heaven once and recognize the way inside and outside the Heavenly Gate. This time he has come again, he must have good intentions." He instructed the leaders to raise their banners and drums and form a procession to welcome him. The Great Sage then led his monkey troop, wearing a crown and armor, with an ochre-yellow robe over the armor, and cloud-patterned shoes, and hurriedly came out of the cave, bowing in respect. He called out, "Old Star, please come in! Forgive my failure to greet you properly." Venus stepped forward and entered the cave, standing facing south. He said, "I now inform you, Great Sage, that because you disliked your lowly rank, you fled the Imperial Horse Stables. Some officials, both high and low, reported this to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor decreed: 'All official positions are conferred from the lowest to the highest. Why do you dislike your lowly rank?' Immediately, Li Tianwang led Nezha down to the mortal realm to fight. Unaware of your great power, they were defeated and returned to Heaven to report: 'Great Sage, you have raised a banner, declaring yourself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. The generals hesitated, but I, an old man, risked my life to petition on your behalf, thus avoiding a war and requesting Your Majesty to grant you the title. The Jade Emperor granted my request, and that is why I have come to invite you.' Wukong laughed, 'Thank you for your trouble before, and for your kindness today! But I wonder if the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven exists in Heaven?' Venus said, 'I only dared to come after obtaining permission for this title. If it is not granted, then I am the only one to be punished.'"
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