Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage-Chapter 77 - Supreme Elderly Lord Bestows the Golden

But severing those thoughts was extremely difficult. One should not assume everyone was like Wukong, who had received Hongmeng Purple Qi and the inheritance of the Heavenly Emperor, and had slain the evil corpse at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. It must be known that Tathagata had sat under the Bodhi Tree, his body burnt by karmic fires for a full five hundred years before he could sever the evil thoughts of many treacherous beings.

It shows how difficult it was to sever the corpse and prove the Dao!

Seeing Wukong’s arrival, the demons of Water Curtain Cave all began to howl loudly, and for a moment, the roar of various Demon Tribe members soared into the sky.

“Hail the Green Emperor!”

Tens of thousands of Demon Tribe members knelt on the mountain path, their heads touching the ground. The Green Emperor was the glory of the Demon Tribe, his prestige even higher than that of Ancestral Dragon and Ying Long. This was because Ling Weiyang was kind and benevolent, always considering the welfare of his demon subjects, setting an example with his own actions. Therefore, everyone revered him, worshiped him. The Green Emperor represented honor, belief, and, moreover, responsibility within the Demon Tribe.

The word “responsibility” was as massive as the sky!

The summit of Water Curtain Cave was the palace of the Green Emperor, built over several months by three hundred thousand elite Qin soldiers. In front of the palace, there were layers of stairs, and there was a chair made of pure gold. Carved on this chair was not a dragon, but a Green Lotus, the emblem of the Green Emperor.

Wukong shook his body, and all the dust covering his armor fell off, making the armor look as if it had been washed.

“Beat the drums!” the commanding officer ordered.

Immediately, a hurried burst of drum sounds ensued, followed by slow, solemn beats.

Wukong looked up, stepping up the stairs, his gaze as calm as water. He did not feel joyous upon acquiring the grand position of the Green Emperor; he only felt the immense weight of responsibility on his shoulders! The path to freedom for the Demon Tribe was still very long, very long indeed.

Finally, standing before the pure golden chair, Wukong lifted his robe and slowly sat down.

The drumming abruptly stopped, the demons held their breath, and after Wukong settled in his seat, a burst of noise erupted like a tsunami.

“Greetings, Green Emperor!”

At the sound of a cannon, all the demons knelt on one knee and clasped their hands in salute, even the elders from the Dragon and Golden Crow clans came forward. The four Daluo Golden Immortals knelt and offered their respects!

Wukong slightly raised his hand, saying, “Rise, my brothers! Today I have been honored as the Green Emperor, and recently I have made a grand vow to grant freedom to everything under the sky! These are not hollow words. From this day forth, I, Sun Wukong, will fight for everyone’s freedom! I shall overthrow the decree of the Buddha of the Western Heaven and the commands of the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court!”

Ever since he had created the Great Revolution Seal, Wukong had perceived some things in the dark. He wanted to establish a world of equality where even the supreme ruler of the world had no right to oppress or exploit others! In the world, everyone must be equal!

Wukong continued, “If we are to revolutionize, then I must lead by example! I aim for equality; how can I accept worship from everyone? From today, I set a rule that no one should perform rites towards me! You may only kneel to parents, to ancestors… but definitely not to authority, not to Buddha, not to immortals, because they are all our enemies!”

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent; some felt it was against tradition, but many more thought it was a good idea.

Suddenly someone shouted, “No worshiping heaven or earth, not begging from gods nor paying respects to Buddha! Only kneel to parents and ancestors!”

With that, the phrase spread, and cheers erupted loudly everywhere.

Yuan Hong laughed, “This is the kind of Demon Tribe I am glad to see, one worthy of being the Green Emperor!”

The First Emperor said, “It is easy to unify the world, but extremely difficult to govern it. Without exploitation, without oppression, without a ruler high above, how difficult that is!” Yet in his heart, he was also pondering, “This Sun Wukong has great fortune, has made a grand vow, which contradicts my path… I need to be Emperor of Heaven once to fulfill my own Dao heart, and by then, there should be no conflict.”

Wukong was also aware of this, but he had already made plans in his mind.

Neither within nor without the Three Realms can there be no ruler. The First Emperor indeed qualifies to be the Heavenly Emperor, but he must not be like the Jade Emperor who regards the common people as mere fish meat, caprically refusing to rain unless his tributes are overturned and only after piles of rice and flour are consumed by chickens and dogs. Moreover, hailing from the Legalist school, the First Emperor has iron-clad methods and can establish a system of laws to govern the realm where laws are upheld, and violation is strictly prosecuted, even if the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he faces the same charges as the citizens!

Revolution starts today, from the Water Curtain Cave!

Equality for everyone in the world, no more dominance.

Wukong preached for three days at the Water Curtain Cave, discussing the heavenly Dao and revolution. The crowd listened transfixed, dispersing to practice only after he had finished speaking.

Bai Qi and Nezha went together; both had a deep understanding of military training, making them the best candidates for this task, especially since their strengths were equal, at least when Nezha wasn’t using his magical treasures. The two, sharing similar temperaments, often sparred together.

Wukong and the others discussed matters in the Bronze Hall, planning future arrangements.

Naturally, the secrets of the Ancient Battlefield were strictly confidential, lest they cause panic both within and outside the Three Realms. Those who had entered the Emperor’s Path Ranking naturally had the secrets of the Chaos Heaven Demon erased upon exiting. Wukong felt an innate summoning, sensing that one day, the Chaos Heaven Demon would invade in full force, sparking yet another bloody battle.

Shen Gongbao said, “The strife between the Buddhist and Taoist sects grows fiercer by the day. It’s said that a Buddhist cultivator tried to beguile Emperor Li Zhi of the Great Tang. Enraged, Li Zhi had him brought to the execution platform and struck dead with a golden mallet. Afterwards, the monks of the Eastern Divine Region were furious and came to hold him accountable, but they were suppressed by the joint forces of the Tang Dynasty’s army and Taoist cultivators. Tianzhu Country has sent threats saying they’ll declare war if the Great Tang continues to disrespect Buddha!”

Wukong was shocked to hear that the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism had escalated to this extent, with two great nations on the brink of war.

Tianzhu Country is governed by the Western Heavenly Buddha Land, while the Great Tang is under the rule of the Taoist Sect of the Eastern Divine Region.

The First Emperor, stroking his beard, smiled and said, “As the newly crowned Emperor of the Great Tang, it’s time for Li Zhi to establish his authority. This challenge from Tianzhu is indeed like a pillow sent when one is dozing off. It seems that a great war between these two nations will soon begin.”

Li Zhi, ambitious as he is, being the son of the founding Emperor of the Great Tang and having witnessed the prosperity and wealth under Emperor Li Shimin, which Emperor would not want to surpass his predecessor? To surpass Li Shimin, expansion of territory was necessary, making Tianzhu a fitting target for Li Zhi’s ambitions.

After discussing for a while, someone outside came to report that Princess Iron Fan had asked for an audience.

“Princess Iron Fan? Why has this woman come here?” mumbled the Bull Demon King.

Wukong said, “Let her in.”

Shortly, Princess Iron Fan entered with Red Boy, though it was unclear when Red Boy had been summoned down from the Forty-nine Heavenly Stairs.

Wukong quickly stood up, smiling, “My apologies for not greeting you earlier!”

Princess Iron Fan smiled, “I knew it. How could my brother have died so easily?”

Red Boy said, “So you are Uncle! I thought as much, the Heaven-Defying Taoist, Great Sage Equalling Heaven…”

Red Boy and Wukong did have some conflicts, but Wukong had saved him, settling their karma. Seeing that Wukong had now greatly improved, Red Boy naturally didn’t dare act rashly again.

Princess Iron Fan said, “My master gave me something to bring to you, saying it should also settle a cause and effect between us.”

Wukong’s heart leapt with joy; anything given by the Supreme Elderly Lord was no ordinary item. He immediately laughed, “Ha-ha, ha-ha! Sister, let’s see it, what is this item?”

Princess Iron Fan then dug something out of her sleeve. Both Red Boy and Wukong instinctively jumped back two steps.

What was this item?

It was the headband that had been taken off Red Boy!

Princess Iron Fan smiled, “Brother, there’s no need to be frightened. This headband has been re-forged by my master, who also gave me an incantation to pass on to you, so I can give you this headband and teach you how to use it.”

Wukong was overjoyed; this thing was indeed a treasure. If someone refused to obey, he could simply place it on their head, and with the incantation, he could cause them unbearable pain. He had suffered enough from this device in the past. He immediately took the headband, and Princess Iron Fan passed the incantation to him using a secret transmitting method.

“This time, I have come to join you, brother. You can’t turn your sister away!” Princess Iron Fan laughed.

“Ha-ha, how could I turn you away, sister! Your abilities are substantial, not to mention having my formidable nephew…” Wukong laughed, patting Red Boy’s head.

The Bull Demon King, worried, said, “You, woman, are you planning to settle down at the Water Curtain Mountain?”

Princess Iron Fan stamped her foot, “Who is your woman? I have nothing to do with you, barbarian bull. Where I choose to stay is none of your business!”

The Bull Demon King and Jade-faced Fox were quite comfortable at Water Curtain Cave, and now with Princess Iron Fan’s arrival, they naturally felt concerned. Seeing that Princess Iron Fan was determined to stay, he said, “Then I’ll ask Wukong to find me another cave abode later, not to stay with this woman, lest she spoil my mood.”

Seeing his parents bickering as soon as they met left Red Boy quite bemused, and he could only stand helplessly on the side.