Inside the Capital Heaven Palace, a man in a light blue Taoist robe sat on a futon. His aura was nonexistent, as if floating, almost nonexistent, with wisps of mystery emanating from him, yet impossible to discern clearly. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, which were initially chaotic and indistinct. After a long while, they regained their clarity, and upon closer inspection, he appeared to be no different from an ordinary person. This man was none other than the Pangu Xuantian Sage.
Xuan Tian opened his eyes, paused for a moment, and then summoned the boy Zhu Ling, saying, "Go and call Yang Jian over." Zhu Ling obeyed and left. A short while later, a handsome young man dressed in silver armor arrived.
Upon seeing Xuan Tian, the young man bowed and said, "Disciple Yang Jian greets the Ancestral Master." It was indeed Yang Jian, whose title was Erlang Zhenjun.
Xuan Tian nodded and said, "There is a stone monkey born in Dongsheng Shenzhou who has become a disciple of a master and learned great magic. Recently, he was recruited by the Heavenly Court, but due to his monkey nature, he caused trouble. However, his skills are so great that few in the Heavenly Court can match him. Since that monkey and I have some connection, I am sending you to help him."
Yang Jian originally cultivated on the island. Because the "Du Tian Xuan Yuan Gong" was extraordinary and required a great deal of magical power for each transformation, Yang Jian had some good fortune, but he could not compare with the immortals of ancient times. He had to cultivate his magical power step by step. Now he has reached the Great Luo True Immortal realm, and can be considered a master.
Hearing what Xuan Tian said, Yang Jian was somewhat puzzled. No matter how extraordinary the stone monkey was, it hadn't been born for very long. How many truly powerful beings were there in the world? Only seven. But even if these seven sages had the most powerful magic, they couldn't train a master in such a short time, could they?
It's no wonder Yang Jian imagined it that way. After all, the scene when Sun Wukong was born was quite grand, and anyone with a bit of supernatural power knows about it. However, this monkey has only been born for a short time, no more than a hundred years at most. Even if he is powerful, there is no way that no one in the Heavenly Court could deal with him. It's impossible for him to have any profound cultivation in these hundred years. Of course, Cangjie's situation is an exception, for a rather special reason.
As far as Yang Jian knew, although the Heavenly Court was not as powerful as the major sects of the sages, and although its prestige had gradually increased after the Investiture of the Gods and the number of experts had also increased, most of them were not employed by the Jade Emperor and instead formed their own factions. Even so, there were still quite a few people in the Heavenly Court whose cultivation was not weak. For example, there was Nezha, who was even more powerful than Yang Jian. It was impossible for Nezha not to be able to defeat that monkey who had cultivated for more than a hundred years. Not to mention the Jade Emperor, who was unfathomable. Don't forget that the Jade Emperor and Yaochi were the attendants of the Zixiao Palace. Everything that came out of the Zixiao Palace, whether people or things, was of the highest quality.
Xuan Tian noticed Yang Jian's doubts and smiled, "I know you have doubts. This matter is of great importance and involves many things, including the fortunes of both Buddhism and Taoism. You don't need to worry about it for now. Soon, the Heavenly Court will send someone to ask for your help. At that time, you can capture that monkey." After saying that, Xuan Tian took out an item from his sleeve, which was a jade talisman.
Xuan Tian tossed the jade talisman to Yang Jian, saying, "This is something I refined; it has great power. After you capture that monkey, insert this into its body. Remember, this must be done secretly; don't let anyone else know."
Although Yang Jian did not know what it meant, he understood. He solemnly put away the jade talisman, apologized, and withdrew.
Ten Lesser Saints vs. Great Saint
Meanwhile, Venerable Huian, on the orders of Guanyin Bodhisattva, descended to the mortal realm to scout out the enemy's situation. There he encountered Sun Wukong, and the two fought a fierce battle. Venerable Huian was no match for him and was defeated. In his retreat, Heavenly King Li wrote a letter to the Heavenly Court requesting reinforcements.
The two dared not linger, broke through the net of heaven and earth, and rode on auspicious clouds. In a short while, they arrived at the Hall of Universal Brightness, met the Four Heavenly Masters, and were led to the Hall of the Celestial Firmament to present their memorial.
Huian first bowed to the Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "How is your investigation going?"
Hui'an said, "When I first received the order to go to Flower Fruit Mountain, I asked the Heavenly Net Gate to be opened. When I saw my father, I told him the message from my master. My father said, 'Yesterday I fought that Monkey King and only captured tigers, leopards, wolves, and insects. I didn't capture a single monkey spirit.' While he was speaking, he challenged me to another battle. I fought him with my iron cudgel for fifty or sixty rounds but could not win and had to retreat back to my camp. Therefore, my father sent the Mighty Ghost King with me to the mortal realm to seek help." The Bodhisattva lowered his head and pondered.
Meanwhile, the Jade Emperor opened the scroll and saw a plea for help. He laughed and said, "What a cunning monkey! How much skill does he have to dare to fight against 100,000 heavenly soldiers! Li Tianwang has come to ask for help again. Which divine army should we send to assist him?"
Before he could finish speaking, Guanyin clasped her hands together and said, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. This humble monk has a deity who can capture this monkey."
The Jade Emperor asked, "Which deity have you invoked?"
Guanyin chuckled and said, "He is Your Majesty's nephew, the Manifest Saint Erlang Zhenjun, who currently resides at the mouth of the Guanjiang River in Guanzhou and enjoys the offerings of the lower realms. He once fought against six monsters, and he also has the Meishan brothers and 1,200 grass-headed gods under his command, possessing great supernatural powers." Just as she finished speaking, Guanyin noticed that the Jade Emperor's expression was somewhat embarrassed, and she suddenly realized why. It turned out that Yang Jian's mother had been suppressed by the Jade Emperor, and his father, brothers, and eldest brother had also been killed, so Yang Jian's relationship with the Jade Emperor was not very good.
Guanyin chuckled and said, "Unfortunately, he only obeys orders but not decrees. Your Majesty can issue a decree to mobilize troops and have him assist you, then you can capture him."
The Jade Emperor nodded upon hearing this and immediately issued a decree to mobilize troops, sending the Mighty Ghost King with it. The Ghost King received the decree and rode a cloud directly to the mouth of the Guan River, arriving at the Temple of the True Lord in less than half an hour. A ghost judge guarding the gate reported to the village, "An imperial envoy has arrived with a decree." Erlang and his brothers went out to greet the decree, burned incense, and read it. The decree stated: "The Monkey King, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is causing chaos on Flower Fruit Mountain. He stole peaches, wine, and elixirs from the palace, disrupting the Peach Banquet. He has been surrounded and subdued by 100,000 heavenly soldiers and eighteen layers of heavenly nets, but without success. Therefore, I hereby specially summon my nephew and sworn brothers to Flower Fruit Mountain to assist in his suppression. Upon success, you will be promoted and richly rewarded."
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