All the civil and military officials present finally came to their senses.
But Sun Wukong had already entered a state of rampage.
He looked coldly at everyone present.
"So it was you who wanted to scheme against me."
"I'll remember this."
"Impudent Mischievous Monkey! The Heavenly Court isn't yours to rule."
The Giant Spirit God stepped forward and swung the pair of hammers in his hands, ready to have a proper fight with Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong casually plucked out a tuft of fur, and more than a hundred Monkey Spirits appeared, each vivid and lifelike.
At that moment, the Giant Spirit God was dazzled and didn't know what to do.
He hurriedly fought off the nearest Monkey Spirit.
The Monkey Spirit let out a "hee-hee-hee" laugh, and in the next instant, a Golden Cudgel appeared in its hand.
"Impudent monkey, how dare you run wild like this!"
But the Giant Spirit God had to use every ounce of his strength just to defeat one Monkey Spirit.
Right after that, several more came.
In no time, the vast Heavenly Court had become a complete mess.
Everyone was too busy looking after themselves.
Even the Jade Emperor was so furious that his face had twisted.
"Where is Erlang Shen?"
"Where's Yang Jian?"
The Jade Emperor demanded, "Where is everyone?!"
Sun Wukong raised the Golden Cudgel in his hands and smashed the table beside him. The wine on it spilled straight onto the ground.
The Jade Emperor realized things were going badly and hurriedly shouted, "Go fetch Buddha!"
"What are you standing around for? Hurry and fetch Buddha!"
Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks. "Even if Buddha himself came here today, he still couldn't save you."
"How about this? I'll give you an official post in the Heavenly Court. From now on, you and I can settle this and live in peace."
"We'll have nothing more to do with each other!"
Hearing this, Sun Wukong sneered. "You shameless brat. You think I'll fall for your treacherous scheme? Dream on!"
"You've schemed against me time and time again. Today, I'll make every one of you pay the price you deserve!"
Sun Wukong swung the Golden Cudgel in his hands.
"Grow! Grow! Grow!"
The Golden Cudgel, which had been the size of an embroidery needle, suddenly expanded to a million zhang.
Everyone present was stunned.
They stood rooted to the spot.
The officials swallowed hard.
"What's going on? Isn't that the Sea-Calming Divine Needle?"
"Why is it in Sun Wukong's hands?"
"This is bad. What do we do now?"
In an instant, voices rose all around them.
The Heavenly Court's officials were at a loss against Sun Wukong's onslaught.
Even the Jade Emperor was like an ant on a hot pan.
Sun Wukong struck down one person after another with his cudgel, thoroughly enjoying himself.
It was safe to say that even all the people in the Heavenly Court together were no match for Sun Wukong alone.
The Jade Emperor's face darkened as he asked, "Where is Tathagata?"
"I don't know."
The Jade Emperor took a deep breath. "Wait."
Sun Wukong swung his cudgel in a wide arc.
The palace, which had exuded an air of extravagance, was now reduced to a pile of ruins.
"Ah! Hurry and catch that monkey!"
"If you want to catch him, you do it. I can't beat him at all."
"That monkey really is beastly!"
"Well, they do say he sprang from a stone."
Under the Heavenly Court's fierce onslaught, everyone had their own ideas.
The Jade Emperor was troubled. Even the Heavenly Court couldn't deal with a problem the underworld had failed to solve.
It seemed that only Tathagata's intervention could put an end to this farce.
Even if the monkey destroyed the Heavenly Court, to the Jade Emperor, it was still just a farce.
In fact, they probably didn't care all that much about the outcome.
Sun Wukong heard their cold words.
He lost the last shred of any desire to show them mercy.
"Today, I, Sun Wukong, am going to make a great ruckus in the Heavenly Palace!"
His cudgel struck whoever he saw and smashed whatever it hit.
The Heavenly Court's officials were terrified. They kept retreating, not daring to face him.
Even when they surrounded the monkey, they only formed a ring around him from a distance.
With every step Sun Wukong took, someone fell.
He advanced swiftly, and in no time, he was about to reach the Jade Emperor.
The Jade Emperor gripped the armrests of his throne, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
But just then, a mighty voice rang out.
"Impudent Mischievous Monkey!"
"How dare you run wild!"
Sun Wukong saw a brilliant golden light in the distance, but it was too far away for him to make out clearly.
Sun Wukong swung his cudgel forward. "Why shouldn't I run wild? You're the one with a lot of nerve!"
Tathagata heard him and spoke in a voice like a great bell. "Do you know who I am? I am Buddha of the Western Heaven."
"I don't know you. But if you dare interfere in this today, I'll beat you into submission too!"
"Hahahahaha!"
His laughter was full of scorn.
Sun Wukong was furious. "What's so funny?"
The officials present breathed a sigh of relief. At once, they had someone to rely on.
"Ignorant!"
"Laughable!"
"Absurd!"
Tathagata slowly uttered those six words.
He had a kindly face, but the disdain in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"Little monkey, since you're so mischievous, I might as well have a little fun with you."
Tathagata suddenly stretched out a huge hand.
Seeing it, Sun Wukong felt a chill run down his back.
He had a strong premonition that if that giant hand caught him,
things would not end well for him.
Sun Wukong scoffed. "I can travel 108,000 li on my Somersault Cloud. Let's see how that giant hand of yours is going to catch me."
In front of everyone's eyes, a Somersault Cloud appeared beneath Sun Wukong's feet.
Sun Wukong scratched his head, and in the next instant, he vanished from where he stood.
"So that's the Somersault Cloud? Its speed really is extraordinary."
"Indeed. It lives up to its reputation as a divine technique."
"This..."
For a moment, everyone present stared in the direction Sun Wukong had disappeared.
But their eyesight was limited.
So they turned to Thousand-Mile Eye.
"How are things now?"
Thousand-Mile Eye strained to peer into the distance. "I can't see clearly."
"I see him! I see him!"
"Sun Wukong is moving incredibly fast, but I can't see Tathagata's giant hand."
The Celestial Officials present were now curious.
"Keep watching!"
"I'm watching, I'm watching," Thousand-Mile Eye said.
Before you continue