Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years

Chapter 340 - 334: Breaking the Promise and Getting Fat, Yang Jian Rebels Against the Sky [Seeking Subscription Seeking Monthly Tickets]_1

Heavenly Official Pang hesitated for a long time. He didn’t want to speak, but he couldn’t hold back. Adjusting his armor, he was sweating profusely. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novęlfire.netStammering, he said, "Yang Jian is committing a great act of treason. He says... he says for me to tell Your Majesty that any further attempts to command him would be a delusional fantasy."

"He says that promises aren’t being kept. He says... he says you are untrustworthy, growing fat on empty words, unfit to be a ruler or a father! Starting today, he will no longer follow... Your Majesty’s orders."

That was a message that should have been delivered in a single breath. But, usually quick-spoken and straightforward, Heavenly Official Pang stammered for a long time, only managing to finish his words brokenly.

After finishing, he lowered his head, not daring to look at the Jade Emperor, because this matter was indeed too significant.

Yang Jian’s audacious treason, defying the Jade Emperor and daring to utter such arrogant and presumptuous words, naturally made Heavenly Official Pang somewhat nervous.

It wasn’t that he feared the Jade Emperor would reproach him, but that he feared the Jade Emperor’s wrath would lead to him being ordered to confront Yang Jian. He had already made an attempt before and was soundly beaten and sent back by Yang Jian. If he were to go again, he would surely be no match. He was even certain that Yang Jian had shown mercy during their duel; otherwise, he would have died at Guanjiangkou.

BANG.

The Jade Emperor slammed the table and rose, kicking over the dragon desk. He shouted furiously, "Audacious Yang Jian! He dares to scorn Our will! He deserves death a thousand times over, to be sliced into a thousand pieces! Summon the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing, the four Grand Marshals of the palace, the Twenty-Eight Constellations! Also, recall the Eight Immortals from Penglai! We shall capture Yang Jian at Guanjiangkou!"

He bellowed, "This insolent brat, with that rebellious streak of his! We must teach him a lesson! Let him know the fate of those who dare to insult Us and defy Our will!"

Heavenly Official Pang was shocked but also breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he wasn’t being sent alone; it looked like they planned to use overwhelming numbers of heavenly soldiers and generals to capture Yang Jian.

He clasped his fist in a bow, rose, and left to carry out the orders.

Li Changgeng, standing beside him, spoke with mild alarm, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Yang Jian’s insolence and disregard for Your Majesty must stem from some reliance. Sending troops rashly might simply force him into open rebellion."

The Jade Emperor sneered, "He harbors thoughts of rebellion?"

Li Changgeng replied, "I fear he might be driven to it. Even if he has no such intention initially, he might be left with no choice but to rebel."

The Jade Emperor roared, "He dares?"

Although enraged, he seemed to sense the truth in Li Changgeng’s words. He then snorted, "Even if he rebels, it’s merely an ant trying to shake a tree! We could crush him with a single finger!"

Li Changgeng cautioned, "Your Majesty should not act rashly. Our officials may not be his match. If they cannot overcome his Eight-Nine Profound Art, I fear the Heavenly Court will become a laughingstock to the world, much like when Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace."

Indeed, upon hearing these words, the Jade Emperor, though still furious, grew much calmer. His eyes darkened.

The havoc Sun Wukong caused in the Heavenly Palace had been manageable. Although it made the Heavenly Court lose face, it was within their control.

After all, Sun Wukong’s strength at that time was mediocre at best, hardly a threat, and his rebellion was, to some extent, encouraged by them. It just wasn’t expected to escalate so intensely. Fortunately, the final outcome remained unchanged.

Sun Wukong was firmly suppressed by them and is now serving his sentence under Five Finger Mountain, living a fate worse than death. He would likely be a broken spirit if he were ever released.

In fact, this was also part of the Jade Emperor’s plan. Buddhism probably wouldn’t have wanted to suppress Sun Wukong for so long, but the Jade Emperor didn’t wish for Sun Wukong to join Buddhism too soon and become a great asset to them. Therefore, he too had fanned the flames, ensuring Sun Wukong remained imprisoned.

If Sun Wukong could cause such a great disturbance back then, then the even more formidable Yang Jian, who had now reached the Quasi-Saint realm, could cause destruction and exert influence that was truly incalculable.

In any case, Li Changgeng felt that if Yang Jian were truly forced into rebellion, it would be a significant loss for the Heavenly Court and cause them to lose all face. In the future, Yang Jian would become a nightmare and a source of endless trouble for the Heavenly Court. To counter him, they might end up paying an enormous price. Most importantly, Yang Jian is a third-generation disciple of the Chan Sect, a disciple of Immortal Yuding. Nobody knew if the Heavenly Court forcing Yang Jian to rebel would cause the Chan Sect members within the Heavenly Court to harbor resentment.

The Jade Emperor hesitated for a moment but still waved his hand. "Our decree stands! Yang Jian’s audaciousness and disregard for his sovereign and father must be punished. However, your point is well taken. To avoid forcing Yang Jian into rebellion, send someone to invite Immortal Yuding to persuade him."

"Go and relay Our will. Tell him that as long as Yang Jian remains obedient, We can overlook his past offenses. Otherwise, he cannot escape punishment for his crimes, and his sister, Yang Chan, will also face calamity!"

Li Changgeng wanted to say more but hesitated. Finally, he let out a long sigh and took his leave. He had wanted to tell the Jade Emperor that getting angry because Yang Jian disobeyed an order was, in fact, the Jade Emperor’s own fault.

After all, it was the Jade Emperor’s repeated broken promises that had destroyed his credibility. How could he blame others for not trusting him? Discord between a ruler and his ministers always arises from the ruler repeatedly breaking his word and indulging himself, deceiving and manipulating them time and again. The Jade Emperor was generally fair to others, but towards Yang Jian, he was truly capricious, constantly going back on his word for his own benefit. If it had been any other deity from the Sect of Interpretation, not Yang Jian, they probably would have rebelled long ago.

Furthermore, Li Changgeng felt that the Jade Emperor using Yang Chan to threaten Yang Jian was not only a foolish move but also utterly useless.

Firstly, Yang Chan was already a disciple of a Saint; her status was even higher than Yang Jian’s. When Nuwa allowed Yang Chan to descend the mountain, she specifically bestowed upon her the title of Three Holy Mother. This was a clear declaration to the world: ’This is my disciple, and I cherish her. Anyone who touches her, touches me, Nuwa!’ For the Jade Emperor to use her as a threat was simply asking for humiliation.

Although the Lord of the Three Realms was powerful, he still couldn’t contend with the Saints. It was only because the Saints could not interfere in the affairs of the Three Realms that things were as they were. Otherwise, the world would be governed by the Saints, and the Lord of the Three Realms would be insignificant.

Nevertheless, the Saints also had to give some face to the Lord of the Three Realms. After all, Saints relied on the merits of the Realm of People to attain Sainthood, while the Lord of the Three Realms controlled the Three Realms. This indirectly diminished the Saints’ influence in the Realm of People, making it harder for them to advance further.

This was why the Daoist Ancestor had supported Haotian to become the Lord of the Three Realms—to create a balance against his own Saint disciples!

One person who has achieved Dao Transformation was already enough in this world. The sheer number of Saints already posed a sufficient threat to the Daoist Ancestor, who had also achieved Dao Transformation. If one or two more were to emerge who had similarly achieved Dao Transformation, how could he maintain his transcendent position above the Saints?

In the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor’s order to arrest Yang Jian caused a great stir, and the news spread rapidly.

The heavenly soldiers and generals quickly gathered. However, Li Jing, who had initially been delighted to receive an order, immediately requested sick leave upon learning he was to fight Yang Jian.

What a joke! Fight Yang Jian? Who was Yang Jian? Only those who had crossed paths with him knew how formidable he was. Li Jing was certain that even if his entire Li Family banded together, they couldn’t defeat Yang Jian. Leading troops against him was simply courting death. He didn’t want the foundation his Li Family had painstakingly built to be destroyed here.

Thus, he directly requested sick leave, claiming illness.

When the Jade Emperor heard this, he commanded Li Jing to lead the troops into battle. If Li Jing refused, he would be stripped of his position as Demon Subduing and Magic Suppressing Grand Marshal, have his title of Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King revoked, and his military authority rescinded.

Naturally, Li Jing was unwilling to relinquish these. After taking some medicine, he miraculously recovered overnight. He then went to Lingxiao Palace to thank the Jade Emperor for his trust, then mustered his troops and set off, marching directly towards Guanjiangkou in the mortal realm.

This time, he took his third son, Nezha, with him. This wasn’t because Nezha had made a breakthrough and could contend with Yang Jian, but because Nezha and Yang Jian had a good relationship. If a fight broke out, Yang Jian might show mercy on account of their old friendship and not strike a killing blow.

「Lingjiu Mountain.」

Kassapa and Ananda, the two brothers, were discussing matters.

Ananda slammed the table and said, "That old fool Maitreya is currently in contact with the Jade Emperor, seemingly intending to replace us!"

"Moreover, he even demoted Xianglong to the mortal realm! It’s truly detestable! Jin Chanzi and Xianglong were originally good brothers. Jin Chanzi already held considerable grievances against Our Buddha, and now that Xianglong has been demoted, Jin Chanzi will undoubtedly blame Our Buddha for it!"

Ananda’s expression was grim, his eyes dark.

Kassapa said, "Calm down. Maitreya would love for us to get angry and lose our composure. He has made no progress in dealing with Sha Chen. We can use this opportunity to suggest that he relinquish this task."

Ananda said, "Sha Chen is a tough nut to crack and difficult to deal with. If even Maitreya can’t handle him, we wouldn’t fare much better."

Kassapa, however, smiled. "That was because we didn’t understand him before. I have been observing him for decades and have discovered something very interesting."

Ananda was taken aback and asked in astonishment, "What interesting thing?"

Kassapa said, "Sha Chen isn’t completely isolated in the Flowing Sand River, seeing no one. Although he hides himself very well, I have observed him making contact with certain individuals."

Upon hearing this, Ananda’s spirits immediately lifted.

Kassapa said, "Although Sha Chen vehemently denies having any contact with any demons, we can confirm that he has indeed been in contact with the Spider Demon and the Black Bear Spirit."

"I have also divined that the Spider Demon has vanished several times near the Flowing Sand River, becoming untraceable by any means of calculation. If she hadn’t entered the Flowing Sand River, how could this be possible?"

Ananda nodded, his eyes filled with contemplation.

Kassapa continued, "As for the Black Bear Spirit, he possesses some talent and previously wished to join Our Buddha’s fold. Guanyin was waiting for the right opportunity to convert him, but unexpectedly, he ended up following Sha Chen."

"Now, if we can manage to convert him, the situation within the Flowing Sand River will become completely clear to us. However, he seems to have learned his lesson and isn’t making any conspicuous appearances. He mostly roams the Demon World, which makes him difficult to deal with."

Ananda blurted out, "If he’s in the Demon World, many great Bodhisattvas in Our Buddha’s fold have mounts that descended as demons. Perhaps we can have them hunt him down."

"Besides, hasn’t Guanyin made many arrangements in the Demon World? It’s rumored that she even has an avatar there known as the White Bone Saint..."

Kassapa said, "The White Bone Saint is dead; that’s why Guanyin went into seclusion. However, she left behind many contingency plans. Moreover, the Black Bear Spirit was a target she had her eye on from the beginning. This matter can indeed be entrusted to her to handle."