The True Lord of the Altar Leaves the Heavenly Court, Buddhist Bodhisattvas Enter the Eastern Sea!

The Heavenly Court, the residence of the True Lord of the Altar.

A long-distance voice transmission spell turned into a breeze and drifted into the residence.

"Brother Gongming, Master Tongtian may have reappeared in the Primordial Wilderness."

"On Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Eastern Continent of Divine Sands lives a monkey named Sun Wukong. He may be Master's new disciple."

Zhao Gongming jolted awake at those words and abruptly sat up in bed.

"That was... Qiu Shou Xian's voice?"

"Master has returned to the Primordial Wilderness?"

Zhao Gongming was overwhelmed with excitement. During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had taken Sect Master Tongtian back to the Purple Firmament Palace to face the wall and reflect on his mistakes!

Since then, the disciples of the Interception Sect had lost all news of their master.

"Flower-Fruit Mountain? Sun Wukong?"

"Could Master be planning to lead us into battle once more?"

Zhao Gongming murmured his speculation, wild joy flashing through his eyes!

"Fuck!"

"I've fucking had enough of this rotten Heavenly Court!"

"If Master Tongtian can lead us into battle again, I'll gladly risk being smashed to pieces!"

All these years, Zhao Gongming had languished in the Heavenly Court, frustrated and unfulfilled!

Every day, he drank himself into a stupor to drown his sorrows!

During the Investiture of the Gods war, his physical body had perished, and his true spirit had entered the Investiture of the Gods List. Not only had his cultivation fallen to the early stage of grand unity golden immortal, but he could no longer advance an inch.

Moreover, the Heavenly Court had a rigid hierarchy and countless rules.

The disciples of the Interception Sect had always been carefree, doing as they pleased. Now, they had become birds trapped in cages.

Even that might have been bearable!

But Zhao Gongming, with his outstanding strength, had been appointed a civil official—the God of Wealth. What a joke!

During the Investiture of the Gods war, he had defeated the Twelve Golden Immortals one after another and sent Rādhā fleeing in disgrace, winning fame throughout the world and distinguishing himself brilliantly.

Yet now that old bastard Rādhā had become Ancient Buddha Dipankara of the Buddhist School, the foremost of Spirit Mountain's myriad Buddhas, ranking even above Dabao Tathagata.

Meanwhile, Zhao Gongming had been made the God of Wealth, overseeing the mortal world's gold, silver, and riches. On the surface, it seemed like a lucrative post!

But to immortals like them, such worldly wealth was utterly useless.

The title of True Lord of the Altar sounded impressive, but its rank was low. He held virtually no real authority in the Heavenly Court and had practically nothing to do!

His three sworn sisters, Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao, had met even more miserable fates.

During the Investiture of the Gods war, San Xiao had set up the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation to avenge Zhao Gongming. They had stripped the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals of the three flowers above their heads and dispersed the five energies in their chests, devastating their cultivation.

But Primordial Lord of Heaven had used his status as a Saint to intervene personally, bullying his juniors and breaking the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation!

Qiongxiao had died when Primordial Lord of Heaven struck the crown of her head with the Three Treasures Ruyi.

Bixiao had been reduced to a pool of blood!

Yunxiao had been stripped of the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors and the Primordial Gold Dou, then imprisoned beneath Qilin Cliff on Kunlun Mountain for five hundred years.

In the end, San Xiao had entered the Investiture of the Gods List and been appointed the Righteous Gods of Sensing Attendant Immortals.

These attendant immortals occupied a lowly position in the Heavenly Court. In later eras, their office would have been the equivalent of a neighborhood family-planning bureau, responsible for mortal birth, death, reincarnation, and childbirth!

Besides that, as attendant immortals, they had to be ready at any moment to serve the Queen Mother of the West, managing Yaochi and other miscellaneous affairs.

By contrast, the Chan Sect disciples occupied many important positions in the Heavenly Court and wielded real power.

For instance, two of the Heavenly Court's Four Imperial Emperors were members of the Chan Sect.

Grand Unity True Person had been appointed the Heavenly Venerable Taiyi Who Relieves Suffering, also known as Great Emperor Qinghua of Wondrous Majesty in the East.

Old Immortal of the South Pole had been appointed Nanjii Changsheng Great Emperor of the South.

Each governed a region and commanded a hundred thousand immortal soldiers and generals, ranking second only to the Jade Emperor, ruler of the Heavenly Court.

With their overwhelming influence, the Chan Sect disciples frequently bullied the disciples of the Interception Sect!

Zhao Gongming had long been seething with pent-up rage!

"Back then, ten thousand immortals paid homage to our Interception Sect. How glorious we were!"

"Now we're scattered and dwindling. Some have betrayed the sect, some are bullied, and some have been reduced to mounts!"

"Outrageous! Master Tongtian, Gongming is coming to find you!"

With that, Zhao Gongming, his heart surging with emotion, turned into a streak of light and left the Heavenly Court, flying toward Flower-Fruit Mountain in Aolai Country on the Eastern Continent of Divine Sands.

At that moment, on Flower-Fruit Mountain, beside the Eastern Sea.

A monkey with gleaming golden fur sat alone on the edge of a cliff, his back to the mountain forests and his face toward the vast, rolling sea. Loneliness filled his expression.

Since returning to Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong had subdued the surrounding lands through force. All the Demon Kings of the seventy-two caves had submitted, and the spirits of the thirty-six islands had come to pay homage. Hundreds of thousands of demons were under his command, ready to answer his every call.

He was now the renowned Handsome Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, dominating the surrounding lands and striking awe throughout the demon world.

But that was nowhere near enough!

Because the Jade Emperor, Tathagata, and those lofty Saints would never let him live peacefully as the Handsome Monkey King!

Sun Wukong raised his head and gazed at the blue sky far above!

That sky!

So high! Far too high!!!

So high that it looked upon all living beings as ants!

"Old Sun will destroy this heaven!"

"I'll make all the gods and Buddhas vanish into smoke!"

"I'll make that old Jade Emperor step down and hand his throne to a monkey!"

"I'll pin that old Tathagata beneath Flower-Fruit Mountain for five thousand years!"

"Then none of you will dare look down on me again, much less toy with, bully, or humiliate a monkey."

Sun Wukong spoke through gritted teeth.

He would never settle for being merely a Demon King!

He would establish a demon nation and become a Demon Emperor!

He would lead a million-strong demon army in an assault on the Heavenly Court!

He would make the Jade Emperor abdicate in favor of a monkey!

"But the Heavenly Court has the Jade Emperor, the Four Imperial Emperors, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, all those marshals and great gods, and a million Heavenly Soldiers and Generals..."

"Old Sun must gather the demon clans, subdue more Demon Kings, and strengthen himself before he can stand against the Heavenly Court!"

Sun Wukong clenched his fists, battle spirit blazing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the blue waves, on the floor of the boundless Eastern Sea.

The Dragon Palace's golden halls towered majestically, and lamplight shimmered in a kaleidoscope of colors through the crystal palace!

Dragon King Ao Guang of the East Sea stood respectfully before the hall.

"This humble dragon, Ao Guang, pays his respects to the two bodhisattvas of the Buddhist School!"

Ao Guang adopted an exceedingly deferential posture, his tone especially humble.

Since the ancient Dragon-Han Calamity, the dragon clan's power and cultivation had declined. The prestige with which they had once towered over heaven and earth was long gone.

The Heavenly Dao had also punished them. After the Dragon-Han Calamity, seals had been placed within the bloodlines of both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, causing later generations to cultivate slowly and possess feeble spiritual power.

Were it not for the vast seas and the protection of the Dragon Palace, they might long since have faded entirely from the Three Realms.

Now, the Buddhist School's fortune flourished, and in the future it would rise further to become the greatest religious order in the Primordial Wilderness.

Ao Guang knew full well that he must never offend the Buddhist School.

The two visitors were Medicine King Bodhisattva and Medicine Superior Bodhisattva.

They had come across the waves on Tathagata's orders, radiant with golden light, their oppressive aura enveloping the entire Eastern Sea.

"By Shizun's decree, we have come to inspect the Eastern Sea and assess the situation."

Medicine Superior Bodhisattva's tone sounded gentle, but it brooked no resistance.

"That Mischievous Monkey has returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain and will soon come to the Eastern Sea for a treasure. Have you made your preparations?"

Hearing this, Ao Guang hurriedly replied:

"Rest assured, bodhisattvas. In accordance with the plan, our Dragon Palace has already forged the nine dragon cold iron. Tempered for a thousand years in the abyss and refined in the cold for ten thousand more, it possesses extraordinary power. That monkey comes from the wilderness and knows little of the world. He will surely regard this treasure as a divine object and happily accept it."

The cold iron truly had an extraordinary origin. The dragon clan had mobilized a hundred thousand dragon smiths and soldiers and spent several centuries forging it.

When it was completed, divine light had soared into the sky. It was a high-grade postnatal spirit treasure.

"Amitabha."

Medicine King Bodhisattva wore a smile, but his tone carried a deeper meaning.

"However, the Heavenly Dao has changed. The nine dragon cold iron may no longer suffice to complete the tribulation."

Ao Guang froze and asked doubtfully, "What do you mean by that, Bodhisattva?"

Medicine King Bodhisattva's gaze remained steady as he slowly explained the truth:

"The Heavenly Dao has changed. To bring the great tribulation of Journey to the West to a flawless conclusion, we must make that monkey incur more karmic debts. As things stand, only the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron will suffice!"

"What?! The Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron is the treasure that anchors our Eastern Sea and safeguards its fortune!"

"We absolutely cannot give it to that monkey!"

Ao Guang's expression changed dramatically, his voice filled with anguish.