Chapter 144: The Jade Emperor is also at a loss; Tathagata leaves Lingshan

Heavenly Court, South Tianmen.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, holding a jade vase and wearing a compassionate expression, entered the Heavenly Court from the South Tianmen under the gaze of a host of heavenly soldiers and generals.

Her journey here was by the decree of Tathagata Buddha to discuss important matters with the Jade Emperor, so naturally, her path was smooth and unobstructed.

Inside the Lingxiao Precious Hall, immortal energy swirled. The Jade Emperor sat high upon his dragon throne, with only Taibai Jinxing in attendance below.

Seeing Guanyin Bodhisattva arrive, a smile appeared on the Jade Emperor's face.

"Guanyin Bodhisattva, what brings you to my Lingxiao Precious Hall today when you have the leisure?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva bowed slightly to the Jade Emperor and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This humble monk pays respects to the Great Heavenly Sovereign."

"I have come today by the order of my Buddha Tathagata, specifically to discuss the matter of that demon monkey, Sun Wukong, with the Great Heavenly Sovereign."

Upon hearing the three words "Sun Wukong," the atmosphere in the great hall instantly became somewhat subtle.

The smile on the Jade Emperor's face also faded a little.

He said indifferently, "Oh? I wonder what instruction Tathagata Buddha has?"

The affair of Sun Wukong had caused the Heavenly Court to lose face, and now that the Fomen had come to inquire, he was naturally unhappy.

If that monkey were not the person chosen by the Fomen to face the tribulation, why would the Heavenly Court have accompanied that monkey in performing such a grand play?

But he had not expected that in the end, the goal would not be achieved, and it would even cause the Heavenly Court to lose great face.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was a person of great stature; she naturally heard the dissatisfaction in the Jade Emperor's words.

But her expression did not change; she remained in her compassionate and gentle appearance.

"The Great Heavenly Sovereign speaks too seriously. The matter of the Journey to the West is a great trend of the Heavenly Dao, concerning the peace of the Three Realms; it is not a matter for my Fomen alone, but also a duty within the Heavenly Court's purview."

With a light sentence, she pushed back the blame that the Jade Emperor had wanted to shift onto them.

"That demon monkey is now occupying the mountain as king and gathering a crowd to cause chaos. My Buddha's intention is to hope that the Heavenly Court can work with one heart and one mind with my Fomen to subdue this villain as soon as possible, so that he may turn back from his lost path and return to the right way, so that the great tribulation may be passed as soon as possible."

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor sneered in his heart.

It sounded nice—working with one heart and one mind.

To put it plainly, wasn't it just wanting the Heavenly Court to exert effort to gnaw on that hard bone of Sun Wukong?

But he could not say it out loud, so he spoke slowly, "What the Bodhisattva says is very true, but now that demon monkey and monsters like the Bull Niu Mowang have formed a Demon Alliance, with tens of thousands of demon soldiers under their command, the momentum is grand, and they have already become a force."

"Moreover, the Demon Alliance in the lower realm now acts with method and follows rules, and has not yet brought calamity to the Three Realms, so the Heavenly Court has no reason to send troops. If we were to launch a punitive expedition by force, I fear it would invite criticism from the living beings of the Three Realms."

The Jade Emperor sighed pretentiously, looking as if "I am also in a difficult position."

He was telling Guanyin that it was not that his Heavenly Court did not want to take action, but that there was truly no legitimate reason to do so.

Guanyin Bodhisattva secretly called him an "old fox" in her heart, but she still smiled on her face.

"The Great Heavenly Sovereign worries too much. The Heavenly Court is the orthodoxy of the Three Realms recognized by the Heavenly Dao; sending troops to punish monsters is a duty within your purview, so how could it invite criticism?"

"As long as the Great Heavenly Sovereign is willing to make a firm decision and strike directly at Flower Fruit Mountain with the force of a thunderbolt, this humble monk believes that victory will surely be achieved in one battle."

Guanyin began to brainwash the Jade Emperor.

However, the Jade Emperor had lived for countless ages; how could he be fooled by a few words?

He shook his head and said, "The Bodhisattva is mistaken. The Heavenly Court exists to maintain the stability of the Three Realms. How can we send troops to conquer without rhyme or reason? How could that make the living beings of the Three Realms trust the Heavenly Court?"

"How about this," the Jade Emperor kicked the ball back, "The Western Buddhist Kingdom, the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, have profound Buddhist Dharma, and there are many Luo Han and Jin Gang with great supernatural powers. Why not let the Fomen go and subdue that demon monkey, how about that?"

Once these words were spoken, Guanyin's expression finally changed.

If they let the Fomen take action, wouldn't all the infamy be borne by the Fomen?

If the Fomen were willing to bear this infamy, why would she have come to the Heavenly Court?

Guanyin could only kick the ball back to the Jade Emperor again: "The Great Heavenly Sovereign is joking. Subduing demons and eliminating monsters is originally the duty of the Heavenly Court. How could my Fomen overstep its authority?"

The two went back and forth, shifting responsibility to each other; neither wanted to be the one to stick their neck out and bear this infamy.

Finally, Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "Since the Great Heavenly Sovereign says that weapons cannot be moved, I wonder if the Great Heavenly Sovereign has a good strategy to make that monkey head return to the right path without moving weapons?"

The Jade Emperor shook his head slightly; he had discussed it with Taibai Jinxing many times and had not thought of a strategy.

Seeing that both sides had reached a stalemate, Taibai Jinxing on the side hurriedly stood out to speak for his boss.

"Reporting to Your Majesty and the Bodhisattva. This old minister has thought of a strategy. Although the Demon Alliance is powerful and acts according to rules, they are after all of the demon kind, so we can divide and conquer them."

"For example, those sworn brothers of Sun Wukong all claim to be Great Sages, but now they are a head lower than Sun Wukong. I have heard that the Bull Niu Mowang is lustful, the Flood Dragon Niu Mowang is ambitious... We can send people to secretly contact them, promise them great benefits, and divide and disintegrate them. As long as the Demon Alliance scatters, Sun Wukong will be unable to clap with one hand, and dealing with him then will be much easier."

This idea sounded quite good, but Guanyin Bodhisattva shook her head.

"Although Jinxing's strategy is clever, I fear it will be difficult to achieve results. At the beginning of the Demon Alliance's establishment, it was everyone who pushed that monkey to be the leader, and not a single person opposed it; wanting to sow discord among them is not easy. Moreover, with that person named Su Chen there, ordinary strategies of division and discord will likely be difficult to be effective."

"Since that is the case, my Heavenly Court has no good strategy," the Jade Emperor said. "I have heard that the World-Honored Tathagata possesses great wisdom; why not let the World-Honored One come up with an idea?"

The Jade Emperor kicked the ball back to the Fomen again.

Hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva sighed helplessly in her heart.

She knew that there would be no results from today's discussion.

It seems that if they want to solve this trouble, they still need the Buddha himself to make a decision.

Guanyin Bodhisattva bid farewell to the Jade Emperor, left the Heavenly Court, and returned to the Western Heaven to report back to Tathagata.

Guanyin Bodhisattva returned without success and reported the Heavenly Court's attitude and rhetoric to Tathagata Buddha exactly as they were.

"That Jade Emperor, in his words, has much evasion. It is clear that he is unwilling to take action against the Demon Alliance to avoid bearing the infamy."

Tathagata Buddha sat on his precious throne, listening quietly to Guanyin Bodhisattva finish speaking, his expression without waves.

Inside the Great Lei Yinsi, the gazes of the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were all focused on him, waiting for his decision.

After a long time, he finally spoke: "It seems that for this matter, I still need to go to the Heavenly Court myself."

Once these words were spoken, the whole hall was shocked. The Buddha actually wanted to go to the Heavenly Court himself?

"Buddha, this must not be!" The Past Buddha Ran Deng hurriedly advised, "You are the Lord of Ten Thousand Buddhas; how can you lower your status and go to the Heavenly Court in person? If you have an opinion, you can just send a messenger."

"Yes, Buddha, this matter can be left to the disciples to handle." Other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas also echoed.

Tathagata stopped everyone's persuasion.

"It is no matter."

He stood up, his massive Dharma body radiating endless majesty.

"This matter is of great importance; I need to go there myself."

After speaking, his figure disappeared from the Great Lei Yinsi. ===== CHAPTER 145 =====