Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie had just risen to their feet, preparing to storm into the Lingxiao Palace when a shouting voice came from behind them. Glancing back, they saw Sandy approaching on a cloud, as fast as the wind, calling out, "Big brother, second brother, why didn't you wait for me, old Sandy!" Seeing the dusty and hurried look of Sandy, Wukong couldn't help but to ask with some suspicion, "Old Sandy, where did you go that you're in such a rush?"
Sandy glanced at Zhu Bajie beside him and then, unusually for him, showed an awkward, bashful expression, stammering without being able to explain himself. In the end, it was Zhu Bajie who came to Sandy's rescue, saying to Wukong, "Ah, big brother, don't ask anymore; these are all trivial matters. There's time to tell you later. Right now, the important thing is dealing with that old Jade Emperor!"
Wukong nodded, "Makes sense, makes sense. Heh, well then. Let's the three of us brothers make a big commotion today. It's just a pity that Master and little White Dragon aren't here." Having said this, he slung the Jingu Bang onto his shoulder and strode boldly into the Lingxiao Palace. What Wukong did not notice was that when he mentioned the White Dragon, the corner of Zhu Bajie's mouth revealed a sly smile, and a fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Sandy's face.
The next moment, a thunderous boom was heard. On looking again, the doors of Lingxiao Palace had been shattered by Wukong's staff. "Old Jade Emperor, your grandfather Wukong has come to make havoc in Heaven again, hahaha!" "And your grandfather Zhu!" "And your grandfather Sandy!"
Their arrogance was extreme, yet it also contained anger and pleasure. This Heaven could not escape this battle after all.
As the echoes of their voices faded, the three of them looked up and were immediately taken aback. There, sitting atop the Lingxiao Palace, were four individuals:
Supreme Jade Emperor Hao Tian Jinque
Taizhou North Star Middle Heaven's Supreme Emperor
Gouchen Upper Palace Southern Extreme Heaven's Emperor
True Martial Fumo Emperor of the North
The presence of the four emperors was tremendous, with an unmistakable intent to kill. What was strange, though, was apart from these four emperors, the grand Lingxiao Palace seemed to be without another soul within!
It was then that the Jade Emperor spoke, his voice neither hurried nor slow, displaying not a hint of panic. "Who is making such a racket?"
Holding the Jingu Bang upside down, Wukong bowed his head and slowly said, "I am Sun Wukong, the Beautiful Monkey King and Great Sage Equal to Heaven from the Water Curtain Cave at Flower Fruit Mountain."
After Wukong had finished, Zhu Bajie dragged his rake behind him, gripping only its handle, his voice slightly trembling, "I am Tianpeng Marshal Zhu Wuneng from Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain!"
Sandy simply touched the Buddha Beads around his neck and spoke with gravity, "I am Sha Wujing, the river demon of Flowing Sands River!"
Wukong and Bajie both turned to look at Sandy, seemingly puzzled by his declaration, but that sentiment was brief.
After the three had introduced themselves and before the Jade Emperor could speak, Wukong suddenly issued a bold and authoritative challenge, "Who are you people who dare to sit in the revered seats of the Three Realms?" The Jade Emperor watched Wukong with an indescribable playfulness in his eyes, as if the three before him were not there to make trouble, but rather to have tea and present gifts. The Jade Emperor paused before saying, "Monkey, enough talk. The old scores between us, or perhaps between your disciples and me, should be settled. Today, let's end them all together. The three of you brothers fight us four brothers, heh heh, it's unfair, but I suppose you, Great Sage Equalling Heaven, don't care about that, do you?"
With that, the four emperors of the Jade Emperor rose from their seats, exchanged glances, and took out their proud magic treasures, preparing for battle with Wukong and his companions.
Seeing this formation, Bajie took a small step back and whispered to Wukong, "Brother Monkey, it's the four of them against the three of us; this battle won't be easy. Each of us will take on one, but what about old Sandy? Besides, there's still one left over."
Wukong glared at Bajie and then said to Sandy, "Old Sandy, among us, you are the one with the least prowess and mana, so when the fight starts, just run away. At the twenty-second layer of Heaven, our master the Patriarch Bodhi and Zhen Yuan Immortal are there. These emperors are no easy foes."
Sandy listened and was instantly angered. Tightening his grip on the crescent spade, he said, "Brother Monkey, rest assured, Old Sandy has a clear mind. I won't slow you and Second Brother down."
"Good, haha, simpleton, just transform into your true form. We can split into two each, and let Old Sandy enjoy the show."
After speaking, he flung the Jingu Bang into the air, and then his body began to swell rapidly, growing as tall as a mountain. His muscles intertwined like a mass of twisted roots on his arms, hinting at an unimaginable strength. Zhu Bajie was not to be outdone. With a roar of anger, his body also swelled, transforming into an incredibly large pig. Although this was supposed to be a pig, upon closer inspection, it barely resembled one. Its tusks jutted towards the sky, and an overwhelming aura of slaughter emanated from it, stirring the winds and clouds into chaos. Looking at its body, steel-like bristles stood on end, and there were bone spurs protruding from all its joints, while the thick legs seemed like pillars supporting the heavens. In the end, the true form of Zhu Bajie turned out to be even three parts larger than Sun Wukong's Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape.
Seeing the simpleton's form, Sun Wukong panicked, his voice booming like thunder, "Simpleton, why transform into something so huge? Shrink your mana right now and return to normal size. Otherwise, you'll suffer a great deal in a moment."
Zhu Bajie, with a voice like a bell, responded, then mana erupted from his body as if he were about to explode. "Sigh, this simpleton still needs my help." After saying that, a gigantic hand pressed down on Zhu Bajie's shoulder, exerting some force covertly, and the massive Zhu Bajie could be seen gradually shrinking until he was about three times the size of a normal man. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong also reduced his size to about five times that of a human.
It turned out that fighting against a high-level opponent like the Jade Emperor, being larger wasn't necessarily better. A larger body meant more vulnerabilities, and often, a single flaw could lead to death. But this was Zhu Bajie's first time reverting to his true form after possessing such immense mana, so controlling it proved challenging, almost slipping out of control. This was why Sun Wukong had to intervene.
Meanwhile, major changes were also occurring where Tang Sanzang and the others were. The Twenty-two Layer Heavens
"Hmph, I wondered who had captured my Heavenly Demon. It turns out it was you, monk. Golden Cicada Tang Sanzang, I didn't expect to see you here. It seems that those ten lifetimes of karmic force are nothing much after all!" Master Tongtian said with a sardonic tone.
"Oh? It seems the master knows quite a lot! So you are aware of the matter of my karmic force. But I wonder if the master recognizes my Manifestation Flower," Tang Sanzang said, as a light white flower appeared out of thin air and began to revolve around him ceaselessly. Looking closely, the flower was seen to bloom, wilt, and bloom again in an endless cycle.
"Hmph, the Manifestation Flower might be wondrous, but I, old Daoist, am not afraid of it." Though his words were brave, a trace of seriousness in his eyes did not escape Tang Sanzang's notice.
The advantage that Master Tongtian and his companion originally had turned into a standoff with the arrival of Tang Sanzang. Both sides were cautious, neither wanting to truly wager their lives. Master Tongtian and his companion truly did not wish to do so, while the Bull Demon King and the others, even if they fought desperately, might not be able to keep Tang Sanzang, given the significance of the title of the Three Purities.
The situation at the scene became delicate. Patriarch Bodhi used his true Bodhi Tree to suppress Master Tongtian, who, although immobilized, still had a bit of strength left. The Supreme Elder Lord, with the Eight Trigrams Furnace in hand, faced off against the Bull Demon King and the six others. Although Supreme Elder Lord's aura was fierce, he dared not make another move. Without the Heavenly Demon, he could only attack with the Eight Trigrams Furnace. But if the furnace were to leave his side, he would be defenseless if Zhen Yuanzi made a move. Though the Supreme Elder Lord had some confidence in the defensive power of his Eight Trigrams Celestial Robe, he dared not let Zhen Yuanzi's Ginseng Fruit Tree Branch strike him. Furthermore, Tang Sanzang's Manifestation Flower was spinning idly nearby.
Though the Supreme Elder Lord dared not make a move, the Bull Demon King and his six companions were also in an awkward position. Although they could threaten the elder with their combined effort, they could do nothing about the Divine Fire of the Eight Trigrams protecting his body; if the fire touched them, they could be utterly annihilated. What about Zhen Yuanzi? He also dared not act first because he had Erlang God by his side, who, despite his light injuries after a fierce fight with Sun Wukong, was not to be underestimated. Erlang God had not acted previously because the Supreme Elder Lord's Fire-Consuming Heavenly Demon was overpowering, so there was no need to act and it was better to quickly heal. But if Zhen Yuanzi acted, the eye on Erlang God's forehead was not to be trifled with.
As for Tang Sanzang, he was actually quite helpless - only he knew his own situation. He had only recently refined the Manifestation Flower, and it had already been a strain to subdue the six Heavenly Demons, which were the mainstay of Master Tongtian. It wasn't so easy to convert them. Everyone was just shocked by the entrance of the Manifestation Flower and hadn't noticed. But now, while the Manifestation Flower was defensive, its offensive power was lacking.
And so, the standoff continued awkwardly. Tang Sanzang and his group were actually not in a hurry, because they had too much confidence in Sun Wukong. The strongest members of Heaven, the Three Purities, were here, blocking two of them, and the remaining one, according to reliable information, was not in Heaven. Moreover, the well-known generals of Heaven were either held up by the Demon Clan or had already become insiders. So the only opponent left for Sun Wukong was the Jade Emperor. Plus, some scores had to be settled by Sun Wukong personally; this was all the help they could offer.
Interestingly, Master Tongtian's party also seemed at ease, apparently not worried for the Jade Emperor. As for the reason, it was unknown.
In this standstill, both sides had realized that without new forces joining, they could not overcome the other. Zhen Yuanzi then spoke up, "Holy Monk, how come you are here? Isn't the Tathagata..."
Tang Sanzang replied with a carefree smile, "Hehe, Zhen Yuan Immortal speaks the truth. If it weren't for an unexpected turn of events, I should be underneath the Nine Serenities right now, entangled by the karmic force of ten lifetimes, my Buddha's power swept away by the Qi of the Nine Serenities."
"Ah, how did this happen? Holy Monk, I heard Monkey say you went to the Netherworld looking for the Queen of the Western Liang? Why are you in the Nine Serenities Land?" The Bull Demon King, because of past interactions during the journey to the west, had also formed some acquaintance with Tang Sanzang.
"That would be a long story, starting from the Mount of Flowers and Fruit Feast of the Lanterns Party three thousand years ago!"