Chapter 37: Journey to the West

Sun Wukong slaughtered his way into Diyu and forcibly altered the Book of Life and Death. Upon returning to Huaguoshan, he felt he had no suitable weapon, so he asked the monkeys below, "Does anyone know where there are good weapons?"

"Reporting to the Great King, I know," said an aged ape.

"Oh, tell me quickly where there are good weapons; I want to go borrow one," Sun Wukong asked hurriedly.

"I have heard that in the East Sea beside our Huaguoshan, there is a Longgong. There are many inside; go there to find one," the ape said.

"Very well, children, wait here for my return," Sun Wukong flew toward the East Sea.

"Go, go quickly and report for me, just say his old neighbor has come to visit," Sun Wukong said to the shrimp soldiers and crab generals guarding the gate of the Longgong.

Seeing that the visitor was not a kind soul, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals immediately went to report.

"Reporting to the Dragon King, at the gate there is a monkey with a hairy face and thunder-god mouth who says he is our old neighbor and has come to visit," the shrimp soldier reported hurriedly.

"A monkey with a hairy face and thunder-god mouth? Prime Minister Turtle, do you know who he is?" the Dragon King asked in confusion.

"It should be the Handsome Monkey King of Huaguoshan. It is said his strength is very high; the Great King should still see him," Prime Minister Turtle suggested.

some weapons.

"Invite him in," the Dragon King said after hearing Prime Minister Turtle's words.

"Old Dragon King, your neighbor has come to visit," Sun Wukong said upon seeing the Dragon King.

"I wonder what business my old neighbor has in coming to visit?" the Dragon King asked with a smile.

"En, I heard the Longgong has many peerless weapons, and I want to borrow one to use," Sun Wukong said brazenly.

"En, no problem. Shrimp soldiers and crab generals, bring all the weapons here for the Monkey King to choose from," the Dragon King winked at the shrimp soldiers and crab generals beside him.

"Yes, Dragon King," the shrimp soldiers and crab generals hurriedly brought over some weapons.

Sun Wukong looked at the weapons all over the ground and began to choose. After choosing for a long time, he didn't take a fancy to a single one. "Does your Longgong not have any good weapons?" The Dragon King, of course, cared about his reputation and was naturally unhappy to hear Sun Wukong say this, so he said, "We have them, I am just afraid you cannot lift them."

"Oh, take me to see them quickly," Sun Wukong asked curiously.

"This one cannot be carried; I will take you to see it," the Dragon King said to Sun Wukong.

"Very well, let us go see it now," Wukong followed the Dragon King to see it.

The Dragon King never expected that Sun Wukong would actually be able to lift the Golden Cudgel; after Sun Wukong flew away, he was extremely regretful.

Prime Minister Turtle, watching the Dragon King's sorrowful face, said from the side, "We can report this to the Heavenly Court and say he robbed us of our weapon."

"En, this is a good idea. I will report this to the Heavenly Court right now," the Dragon King's brow unfurled upon hearing Prime Minister Turtle's words, and he said happily.

Heavenly Court.

"Jade Emperor, you must uphold justice for my Diyu! A few days ago, a monkey slaughtered his way into Diyu and, relying on his high cultivation, stubbornly altered the Book of Life and Death. Jade Emperor, you must uphold justice for us!" the King of Hell said.

"Jade Emperor, I have a matter to report," the old Dragon King also said.

"What matter do you have again?" Haotian asked.

"Yesterday, the Handsome Monkey King of Huaguoshan robbed our Longgong of its supreme treasure, the Sea-Stabilizing Needle. Your Majesty must retrieve it for us!" the old Dragon King said, weeping.

"Audacious demon monkey of the lower realm, to be so arrogant! Li Jing, you lead one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers to go and capture him," Haotian said with majesty.

Thus, Li Jing led one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers to capture Sun Wukong but did not succeed. He summoned Erlang Shen Yang Jian, who captured Sun Wukong. Unexpectedly, they could not execute him at the Zhanxiantai, so they placed him in Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace to refine for forty-nine days. As a result, not only did it fail to refine Sun Wukong, but it also helped him cultivate the Fiery Eyes and reach the realm of the Fifth Turn of the Mysterious Technique. Consequently, Sun Wukong slaughtered his way to the Heavenly Court. The experts of the Heavenly Court had all come from the Investiture of the Gods and were unwilling to intervene. In the end, Sun Wukong fought his way into the Heavenly Palace. Haotian colluded with Buddhism, preparing to stage a Journey to the West, and they happened to be short of people. Seeing this ferocious Sun Wukong, he had an idea. "Someone, quickly invite Rulai Fozu—that is, the former Duobao."

Thus, Rulai pressed Sun Wukong beneath Wuzhi Shan.

After four hundred years passed, Kong Xuan awoke from his cultivation. He calculated and knew that Sun Wukong was pressed beneath Wuzhi Shan and that the Journey to the West would begin in another one hundred years.

Kong Xuan arrived beneath Wuzhi Shan. Looking at Sun Wukong's wretched appearance, he felt some guilt in his heart. After all, he was his disciple; he could have avoided this suffering, but due to his own selfishness, he had been pressed here for several hundred years, which was incomparably cruel to such an active monkey.

Seeing Kong Xuan's arrival, Sun Wukong shouted happily, "Grandmaster, you have come."

"En, Grandmaster has come this time to tell you that in another one hundred years, Guanyin Pusa will come to help you lift the mountain's suppression, allowing you to escort Tang Seng on the journey to the West. You will pretend to obey and protect Tang Seng along the way. When you reach the Western Heaven, kill Tang Seng. By then, all the merit of the journey to the West will be credited to you, which will be very helpful for your future cultivation," Kong Xuan said.

Hearing Kong Xuan's words, Sun Wukong hurriedly answered in the affirmative.

The Journey to the West was about to begin.