Chapter 169: Complete Merit
Lingxiao Palace.
The Jade Emperor sits on the central throne.
The civil and military officials below were talking among themselves, with angry expressions on their faces.
After Day and Night Wandering God was released by Bull Demon King, he did not pass the message to Li Anran as Bull Demon King had instructed.
Instead, the troops were divided into two groups.
One of them went to Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea and reported the matter to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
One of them returned to heaven to find Zhang Tianshi and reported the matter to the Jade Emperor.
The Jade Emperor was furious and immediately issued an order to summon all the civil and military officials and Li Anran who was involved in the matter to the Lingxiao Palace.
When the immortals heard about this, they were also outraged.
Things are different now.
Ever since Yang Jian became the god of justice, the power of Heaven has grown stronger. There have been no incidents of monsters from the lower world causing chaos for many years, not to mention that these monsters were so bold as to force Heaven to release the criminals in the prison.
All of a sudden, all the immortals angrily denounced the Bull Demon King for his lawlessness and asked the Jade Emperor to send troops to conquer him.
Those gods who know the inside story of the Journey to the West and the background of Bull Demon King are no exception!
This is a matter of political correctness in the three realms!
No matter what they think in their hearts, they must show this attitude on the surface.
Li Anran was also among them.
Because of Yang Jian, although he is the god in charge of prison, he does not have to attend court meetings on weekdays.
However, today's incident was related to him, and it could even be said that it was caused by him, so the Jade Emperor specially ordered to summon him to the Lingxiao Palace.
Li Anran was also surprised when he heard this.
He has been practicing in seclusion during this period and has not paid attention to the journey to the West and the Monkey King.
I never expected that the Bull Demon King would do something like this!
However, when he used the tracking function of the Book of Punishment for Evil and saw some scattered pictures related to the Monkey King, he almost laughed out loud.
"This Monkey King is so damn unlucky!"
The Sun-Watching God did not recognize the demon kings such as the Golden-Winged Peng Eagle, and when he spoke to the immortals, he only said that the Bull Demon King, who was in the lead, had gathered a large group of demons and monsters.
Li Anran recognized most of them at a glance.
The golden-winged Peng eagle, the yellow-tusked old elephant, the hundred-eyed demon king, Sai Taisui...
It can be said that almost all the more powerful monsters in the second half of Journey to the West, except Jiuling Yuansheng and Huangmei King, were gathered together by Bull Demon King!
"No wonder the Monkey King couldn't even escape and was captured alive and tied up!"
Li Anran felt like laughing.
The Monkey King was determined to replace the monkeys and achieve enlightenment, but now, before he could even see any benefits, he had to block a disaster for the monkeys!
The cause of all this was that he imprisoned Red Boy in the Heavenly Prison and did not allow him to become Guanyin's Shancai Boy like in the original time and space!
"Is this what the Buddhists say, that every sip and every bite is destiny? Interesting!"
Li Anran has been trying to comprehend the law of cause and effect for some time, but his progress is only average.
At this moment, he had an epiphany and vaguely realized that there were lines of cause and effect wrapped around him, and that they would constantly change with his words, actions, and even thoughts.
This is actually the benefit brought by the catastrophe of heaven and earth!
Under normal circumstances, with Li Anran's cultivation level as a Taiyi Golden Immortal, it would be impossible for him to touch the laws of the Dao so easily.
"God of Prison, what do you think?" the Jade Emperor suddenly asked.
Li Anran walked out of the class and said loudly: "The Heavenly Laws and Regulations are the cornerstone of the Heavenly Court's management of the Three Realms. How can we compromise and give in because of the threat of monsters?"
"If this precedent is set, other monsters will certainly follow suit in the future. How will the Heavenly Court rule the three realms by then? What dignity will the Heavenly Laws and Regulations have?"
All the civil and military officials nodded in agreement: "What the Prison God said is absolutely right! We must not agree to the demands of those monsters!"
The Sun Travel God suddenly became anxious.
He was secretly protecting Tang Seng under the order of Tathagata. If anything happened to Tang Seng, he would definitely be punished by Tathagata.
"The Prison God, the Bull Demon King said that if Red Boy is not sent over within one day, they will torture Sun Wukong! Are you just going to die..."
"shut up!"
Li Anran interrupted him directly and said righteously: "Although Sun Wukong and I have a close relationship, this is related to the majesty of the laws of the Heavenly Court. How can I sacrifice public interests for personal gain? Not to mention that the monster just whipped and tortured Sun Wukong, even if they peeled off Sun Wukong's skin, pulled out Sun Wukong's tendons, and sent him to the underworld forever, I would never agree to it!"
Sun Wanderer: “…”
Jade Emperor: “…”
Wenwu Xianqing: “…” There is nothing wrong with what he said, but why does it sound so awkward?
Yang Jian stood at the front of the team. He caught a glimpse of the surprised and stunned expressions of the immortals from the corner of his eye. He laughed in his heart: "Brother Li Anran must be hoping that Bull Demon King and the others will beat that fake Wukong to death!"
Yang Jian stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, what the prison god said makes sense. This is a matter of the dignity of the heavenly court, and we must never compromise or give in to anyone or anything."
"I second the motion."
"Xiaoshen seconded the motion."
The other gods also responded.
The Jade Emperor himself thought the same, and immediately said, "Since all my dear ministers agree, then this matter is settled. Which god is willing to descend to the mortal world to subdue these demons?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Lingxiao Palace suddenly became quiet.
Denunciation and rebuke are one thing, but going down to earth to conquer is another!
Even the Monkey King Sun Wukong, who had caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, fell into the hands of the Bull Demon King. How could they have the courage to descend to the earth to subdue the demon?
Li Jing also shrank back into the class.
His greatest reliance in exorcising demons and monsters is Nezha!
However, Nezha couldn't even defeat Sun Wukong, let alone the Bull Demon King who could capture Sun Wukong.
Li Anran returned to his seat without saying a word.
Seeing Yang Jian frowning at the sight of the immortals shrinking back and seeming to want to step forward and volunteer, he quickly gave Yang Jian a look.
There is not just one Bull Demon King!
With so many powerful monsters gathered together, even Yang Jian might not be able to gain any benefit!
If he fails, Yang Jian’s prestige will be greatly reduced!
All those evildoers that he has suppressed over the years might show up again!
Yang Jian noticed Li Anran's expression, hesitated for a moment, and did not move forward.
The Jade Emperor noticed the two people's little movements and was a little surprised.
He always thought that between Yang Jian and Li Anran, Yang Jian was the leader and Li Anran was a subordinate like the Meishan brothers.
Unexpectedly, Li Anran could change Yang Jian's decision with just one look.
The Jade Emperor waited for a while, but when no one came forward, he could only call out the names himself: "Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and Nezha, the Third Prince!"
"I am here. "
Li Jing's body stiffened, but he could only step forward reluctantly.
Nezha was somewhat happy.
The Bull Demon King was able to capture Sun Wukong alive, he must have real skills!
His strength has improved a lot over the years, so this is a good opportunity for him to try his hand on this Bull Demon King!
The Jade Emperor noticed the different expressions on the father and son's faces, but pretended not to see anything and immediately ordered Li Jing and Nezha to lead the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Luminaries, the Twelve Stars, and others, a total of one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, to set up eighteen nets to go to the lower world to capture the Bull Demon King and other monsters.
"I obey your order."
Li Jing accepted the imperial edict with a bitter face, assembled his troops, and marched towards Xiniu Hezhou.
Yang Jian, however, couldn't sit still any longer.
He didn't care about Li Jing's life or death, but he couldn't help but care about Nezha's safety.
"His Majesty."
Yang Jian stepped forward and said, "The Bull Demon King is known as the Great Sage Ping Tian, and his strength is far greater than that of Sun Wukong back then. I am worried that Li Tianwang and Nezha the Third Prince will have difficulty in taking him down. I would like to ask Your Majesty to move to the outside of the West Heaven Gate to see the situation. If there is any problem, you can lend a hand to them."
"Approved." The Jade Emperor immediately set out and led a group of civil and military officials to the gate of Western Heaven.
On the other side, the Night Wandering God came to Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea and told the story of the Bull Demon King.
Guanyin was shocked and asked for details. When she learned that among these monsters there were the golden-winged Roc, the yellow-toothed old elephant, and Sai Taisui, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease.
It was also heard that the Bull Demon King threatened that if Li Anran did not release Red Boy within one day, he would torture the Monkey King.
Guanyin was not angry but happy.
"That monkey is still vicious and wild, so I can use the Bull Demon King to deal with him, which will save me the trouble in the future."
"However, the golden-winged Peng Eagle has always been lawless. We should not delay this matter for too long. If the golden cicada is really eaten by him, it will be terrible!"
Guanyin pondered for a moment, ordered the Night Wandering God to go to Lingshan to report the matter to Tathagata, and she led Mu Zha to fly to Lishan.
Others don’t know where Bull Demon King came from, but Guanyin knows it very clearly.
This Bull Demon King was originally Kuiniu under the tutelage of Master Tongtian. After Master Tongtian left the Three Realms, he first went to Mount Lishan to practice with the Holy Mother Wudang.
Later, for unknown reasons, he left Lishan and occupied a hilltop in Xiniu Hezhou, and gradually made a name for himself as the Bull Demon King.
The reason why the Bull Demon King's body changed from black to white was because before Tongtian Patriarch left, he thought that the Bull Demon King had been with him for many years and had made no contributions but hard work, so he used his great magic power to transform the Bull Demon King's footsteps from acquired to innate.
This is also the reason why the Bull Demon King was able to cultivate the Eight-Nine Mysterious Arts.
"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva."
The Mother of Lishan, or the Holy Mother Wudang, had known that Guanyin would come and had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as Guanyin appeared, she went to greet her and invited her into the main hall.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Dang, I came here today because of the matter of Red Boy..."
Guanyin was worried that the Golden-Winged Peng might act recklessly , so she did not dare to delay too long and went straight to the point about the story of Red Boy.
The Chan sect has been trying to reconcile with the Jie sect and let the Jie sect return to the Xuanmen sect.
Lingshan is also making the same efforts.
However, Lingshan does not ask Jiejiao to stand on its side, but only wants Jiejiao to maintain its current position of not helping either side, and it would be best if it could be completely independent from Xuanmen.
On this point, the interests of Jiejiao and Lingshan are consistent, and therefore Holy Mother Wudang is very close to Lingshan.
At that time, the Holy Mother Wu Dang, together with Guanyin, Manjusri and Samantabhadra, the Four Saints tested their Zen hearts, which was to show their attitudes to Lingshan.
Lingshan also returned the favor by deliberately allowing Lingyaxian, Qiushouxian, Jinguangxian and other former disciples of Jiejiao, now the Buddhist Mount Sect, to escape to the mortal world and participate in the journey to the West.
——That is, the yellow-toothed old elephant, the green-haired lion monster, and the golden-haired roar.
After the journey to the West is completed, if they are willing to return to Jiejiao, Lingshan will let them leave.
If they are willing to convert to Buddhism, Lingshan will give them a chance to break away from their status as mounts and achieve enlightenment.
The same goes for Red Boy and Bull Demon King.
Lingshan specially arranged the team to go to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures through Zuantou Mountain and Cuiyun Mountain, just to allow Red Boy and Bull Demon King to participate in this catastrophe without any life-threatening danger.
Allowing them to use the power of calamity to improve their cultivation and gain merit is also an opportunity for them to convert to Buddhism and achieve enlightenment. It all depends on their own choice.
Of course, Bull Demon King and Red Boy themselves did not know about these things. Instead, they were arranged after consultation between Holy Mother Wu Dang and Lingshan.
Unexpectedly, Li Anran intervened.
Red Boy was not taken in by Guanyin to become the Good Fortune Boy. Instead, he was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison by Li Anran, and was transformed from the Good Fortune Boy who had achieved enlightenment into a prisoner.
Guanyin was worried that the Holy Mother Wudang would misunderstand, so she came to explain the matter to her.
At the same time, he also came to test the attitude of Jiejiao.
The news of the Enlightenment Tea Party had spread throughout the three realms, and the discord between the Jie Sect and the Chen Sect was also known to everyone, but no one knew to what extent the discord existed.
This is very important for Lingshan.
When Holy Mother Wu Dang heard Guanyin mention Red Boy, anger immediately appeared on her face.
It is not aimed at Guanyin, but at Li Anran, Taiyi Tianzun, and Xuanmen!
The Holy Mother Wu Dang said indignantly: "Red Boy is still young and his mind is not stable. Although he has caused some trouble due to his mischief, it was also an unintentional mistake. He should be taught a lesson. Why should he be locked up in the Heavenly Prison?"
Guanyin nodded in agreement: "As the saying goes, there is nothing better than knowing one's mistakes and correcting them. Although the prison god is impartial in enforcing the law, he did go too far."
Wu Dang Shengmu snorted coldly and said, "What do you mean by impartiality? He is just relying on his master being Taiyi Zhenren to deliberately sell his integrity for fame!"
"That prison god is a bit reckless."
Guanyin was very clear that what Wu Dang Sheng Mu said might not be what she thought in her heart, but was more of a way of showing her the position and attitude of Jiejiao.
He casually echoed the words and talked about the Bull Demon King: "I don't know what the Bull Demon King was thinking. He actually thought that the Red Boy incident was all because of Sun Wukong. He teamed up with the Golden Winged Peng Eagle, the Yellow Fanged Old Elephant and other monsters to detain Jin Chanzi and his group in Cuiyun Mountain."
Wu Dang Holy Mother said: "Don't worry, Master Guanyin, Jin Chanzi has great merits and great fortune, and he will surely turn misfortune into fortune and turn disaster into blessing."
Guanyin was completely relieved after hearing this and said, "The Bull Demon King is also very protective of his child. Although he acted a little impulsively, he had his reasons."
Neither side said it explicitly, but everything was implied.
Guanyin did not stay any longer, and immediately said goodbye and left, flying to heaven.
Upon learning that the Jade Emperor was leading a group of civil and military officials to watch the battle at the West Heaven Gate, he hurried over.
Above the West Heaven Gate, there was a water mirror, and inside it was the scene of Li Jing and his son leading troops to fight against the Bull Demon King.
Just like when he conquered the Flower-Fruit Mountain, Li Jing did not dare to step forward at all. He sat in the army and only let Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Twelve Yuanchen and other gods lead the troops to challenge the enemy.
Today's twenty-eight constellations and twelve zodiac signs are no longer the disciples of the Jie Religion listed in the List of Gods, but newly appointed gods by the Jade Emperor. They are not like the previous group of Jie Religion disciples who just do their jobs perfunctorily.
But, the one in front of him is no longer just Sun Wukong!
But the Bull Demon King, the Golden-winged Peng Eagle, the Yellow-fanged Old Elephant, the Hundred-eyed Demon King...
This large group of demon kings are not weaker than monkeys, and are even stronger than them!
From the very beginning, the war showed signs of being one-sided!
Nezha is much stronger than he was in the past, but the Bull Demon King is also much stronger than the monkey before. The two fought back and forth, and it was impossible to tell the winner in a short time.
As for the other gods, they are simply vulnerable!
The Golden-Winged Roc alone blocked the twenty-eight constellations. Relying on his own fast speed, he played with the twenty-eight constellations in the palm of his hand. In just a moment, he injured seven of them.
The Yellow-fanged Old Elephant and the Hundred-eyed Demon King teamed up to fight the Four Heavenly Kings.
The strength of both sides is not at the same level at all.
The old elephant with yellow teeth just rolled up his trunk and captured Virūdhaka.
The other three heavenly kings wanted to step forward to rescue people, but they were held back by the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord alone.
The God of Wealth was not paying attention and was entangled by the spider silk of the spider spirits who were lying in ambush in secret. He was defeated instantly.
It only took a quarter of an hour.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the other two quickly retreated and luckily escaped.
Sai Taisui, the Red Lotus Demon King, the Shura Ghost King and others also found their opponents.
Except for Ruyi Zhenxian who was slightly at a disadvantage, the others either had a great advantage or easily defeated their opponents.
Li Jing was horrified and immediately sounded the death horn, leading his 100,000 troops to retreat a hundred miles before he dared to stop.
The Jade Emperor knew that it would be difficult for Li Jing to win this time, but he did not expect to lose so quickly. He felt a little embarrassed and asked, "Who is willing to come down to earth to help Li Tianwang?"
Just as Yang Jian was about to step forward to ask for orders, he heard Guanyin speak: "Your Majesty, this matter was caused by the Prison God, and it should end with the Prison God. Your Majesty, why don't you let the Prison God lead the troops to subdue the demons and monsters, and complete your merits."
