Chapter 34: Jade Emperor Resigns, Monkey Calls a Meeting

The cloud layer scattered.

Hongjun's figure vanished completely.

The Heavenly Dao's oppressive pressure that weighed on all beings' heads also dissipated.

In the ruins of the Heavenly Court, a death‑like silence.

The Jade Emperor slumped onto the steps, his ceremonial crown falling to the side.

He stared at the empty sky, his lips trembling.

Tathagata lay in a nearby mud pit, his Golden Body shattered like a rotten watermelon.

"Is it over?"

Nezha asked softly.

Sun Wukong hoisted the Golden Cudgel onto his shoulder and sneered.

"Not yet."

"Old Sun hasn't carved his name on that dragon throne yet."

Bodhi Patriarch brushed the dust from his sleeve.

"Let's go."

"Go handle what needs to be done."

The master and his two disciples stepped into the Lingxiao Treasure Hall again.

This time.

No one dared to block.

The deities who usually looked down on others cowered behind the pillars one by one.

Sun Wukong swaggered up to the highest spot.

He kicked the crooked dragon throne aside.

"Zhang Bainian."

"Change seats."

The Jade Emperor looked up at Bodhi.

Bodhi was sipping tea there, not even lifting his eyelids.

The Jade Emperor gave a wry smile and scrambled to his feet, using hands and feet.

He shifted aside and stood in the God of Wealth's spot.

Sun Wukong turned around.

He looked down at the full assembly of civil and military officials.

"From today onward, this place belongs to Mount Huaguo."

"Anyone have objections?"

The great hall was so quiet that even a dropped needle could be heard.

Tai Bai Jin Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He took a small step forward and bowed.

"Great Sage... no, the Heavenly Emperor is wise."

With a leader stepping forward, the remaining deities could no longer save face.

"Heavenly Emperor is wise!"

The shout rang to the heavens.

Sun Wukong cleared his ears.

"Enough, stop this nonsense."

"Nezha."

"Your servant is here!"

Nezha puffed his chest, the red tassels on his fire‑spike spear trembling.

"Send people to Nan Tian Men and take down the sign of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall."

"Replace it with 'Great Sage Mansion'."

"Then dispatch emissaries to the mortal realm to inform the various demon kings."

"Old Sun will hold a feast on Mount Huaguo."

"Those who don't come shall no longer roam these Three Realms."

Nezha chuckled.

"Understood!"

He spun his Wind‑Fire Wheels and smashed the great hall's windows.

Sun Wukong glanced again at Tai Bai Jin Xing.

"Old man."

"Take the Imperial Medical staff to the ruins of Ling Shan for a look around."

"Drag the surviving bodhisattvas and arhats to mine."

"Stop sitting on the lotus platform reciting sutras all day; some physical labor is good for the body."

Tai Bai Jin Xing twitched the corner of his mouth.

"As you command."

Having dealt with the Heavenly Court's affairs.

Sun Wukong followed Bodhi back to Mount Huaguo.

Not yet arrived at the mountaintop.

From afar, a red shadow swayed in view.

That was a flag.

The four large characters 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' shook straight in the wind.

That was hung up personally by the Ox Demon King.

At this moment, Mount Huaguo was filled with demonic aura everywhere.

Big Brother!

The Ox Demon King led the remaining Great Sages charging over.

They knelt directly on the cloud.

We brothers knew for sure that Big Brother would return!

Sun Wukong landed from the cloud and lifted the Ox Demon King up in one motion.

Lao Niu, you've worked hard.

The Ox Demon King's eyes were red as he looked at the Bodhi behind Sun Wukong.

He felt as if a lump of ice were lodged in his throat.

Such pressure made him unable to lift his head at all.

This is my Master.

Sun Wukong introduced.

From now on, on Mount Huaguo, the Master's word is imperial decree.

The multitude of demons knelt down in unison.

Pay respects to the Old Ancestor!

Bodhi nodded, his form flickered, and he entered the Water Curtain Cave directly.

He was indeed a bit weary.

Just now, exchanging that punch with Hongjun, although he won, it also stirred the Primordial Source.

He needed to rest and recuperate.

Sun Wukong did not disturb his Master.

He set up a grand banquet on the mountain peak.

The Heavenly Court ceded half of its territory to Mount Huaguo.

The immortal herbs and spiritual medicines that originally belonged to the immortals are now piled in the little monkey's hands.

Report—

A little monkey leapt over.

The King Yama of the Underworld requests an audience!

Sun Wukong wiped the oil from his mouth.

Tell him to scram over here.

King Yama shrank his head and entered the arena.

He held a pitch-black ledger in his hands.

Great Sage.

The Book of Life and Death has been revised according to your wishes.

He held the ledger aloft over his head.

All the demons of Mount Huaguo have had their names struck out.

Those demons who have awakened spiritual intelligence have all been granted an additional five hundred years of lifespan.

Sun Wukong took the Book of Life and Death and flipped through a few pages.

He snorted coldly and tossed the ledger back into King Yama's arms.

Scram.

If next time I see any of my underlings having their soul hooked, I'll go to the Underworld and blow up your oil cauldron.

King Yama fled in utter panic.

Kong Xuan, sitting nearby, had already taken human form.

He wore a cyan robe, his face pallid.

He gazed at Sun Wukong, his eyes complex.

Want to run?

Sun Wukong gave him a sideways glance.

Kong Xuan lowered his head.

I dare not.

Having had his cultivation sealed by the Bodhi Patriarch, he is now nothing but a plucked chicken.

From now on, you will stay here as a Dharma Protector.

Don't keep putting on airs of the Peacock Great Brightness King all day.

Here, you are merely a gatekeeper.

Kong Xuan gritted his teeth, but in the end he still sighed.

Yes.

The night grew deep.

The banquet continued.

Sun Wukong sits alone on the highest cliff.

He is handling that basket of immortal peaches.

A sudden cold fragrance drifts through the air.

This fragrance differs from the sweat odor on those demons.

Very faint.

Yet it pierces the nose.

Sun Wukong turns his head.

A woman stands under the moonlight.

She wears a sheer white veil.

The veil is so light it clings to her body, outlining the undulating contours.

Her skin under the moon is as white as snow, faintly showing a cold‑jade texture.

"Chang'e?"

Sun Wukong raises an eyebrow.

Chang'e steps forward a few paces, her skirt brushing the grass tips without a hint of sound.

She holds a jade platter in her hands.

On it sit several golden‑yellow small cakes.

"I heard the Great Sage returned triumphantly."

Her voice is soft, as if it brushed the tip of his heart.

"These are made by my own hands."

She bends down.

That flash of snow‑white dazzles Sun Wukong's eyes.

Sun Wukong takes a small cake and stuffs it into his mouth.

"Sweet."

He looks at Chang'e.

"Aren't you afraid of old Sun?"

Chang'e gently sits beside him.

Her hand rests on the grass, her nail polish shining brightly.

"The Great Sage is a hero."

She turns her face, her long lashes flutter.

"Why should I be afraid?"

Sun Wukong bursts into hearty laughter.

He places the Golden Cudgel on his lap.

"Much stronger than those hypocritical guys in Heaven."

Chang'e covers her mouth and laughs.

Those watery eyes stare at Sun Wukong, their glimmer shifting.

"Great Sage, if you like these cakes, I will make them often."

Sun Wukong is about to speak.

The Smile on his face suddenly freezes.

He looks up toward the west.

In the place that should have been the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

A streak of blood is spreading.

……

West, Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The original Buddha Light has vanished.

Everywhere are withered lotus flowers.

The Guiding Saint sits by the wreckage of the Eight Treasure Merit Pool.

His left eye is already blind, blood still dripping down.

"Xu Bodhi……"

His voice is sharp, like cutting glass.

He grips a pitch‑black bead in his hand.

The bead's surface is crawling with blood‑red veins.

It is the key to the Demon Realm.

"Since you refuse the Fómén a way out, then none of us shall live."

He forcefully presses that bead into his own forehead.

Boom!

A jet of black lightning pierces the Ling Shan's Yúncéng.

In the void.

A massive six‑winged shadow pattern slowly materializes.

It is the aura of the demon ancestor Mo Zu Luo Hou.

The Guiding Saint lets out a Cànjiào, his body beginning to contort.

He looked toward the direction of Mount Huaguo, the corner of his mouth hooking into a spiteful curve.