I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

"Happy?"

Jiang Wang scoffed, his tone icy, "Why should I be happy? Back then, in the Ancestral Dragon Abyss, I was severely injured by the leader of the alien dragon race. You clearly had the chance to save me, but you chose to back down and run away. Now you still have the nerve to show your face in front of me? You still have the nerve to say that you've been looking for me and waiting for me?"

Ling Chen's expression changed, and he hurriedly explained, "Master, no, it's not what you think! Back then, I didn't deliberately back down, I didn't deliberately run away!"

“Back then, I was severely injured by a powerful expert from the otherworldly dragon race. I was completely powerless and unable to move. I could only watch helplessly as you were severely injured by the leader of the otherworldly dragon race and as you fell into the abyss. I was in great pain and felt very guilty!”

Ling Chen's voice was choked with emotion and a hint of grievance, "After I was lucky enough to survive, I've been looking for you and cultivating, wanting to become stronger, wanting to have the ability to find you, wanting to have the ability to avenge you. I really didn't deliberately back down or run away!"

"is it?"

Jiang Wang's eyes were icy, and his tone was full of distrust. "You say you didn't deliberately back down or run away, so why have you been living in seclusion on this deserted island for so many years, instead of coming to find me or helping me avenge myself? Why are you just lingering here and barely surviving?"

"Master, I... I am too badly injured to travel far, so I can only stay here to recuperate and cultivate. Once I am fully healed and become strong, I will come to find you and avenge you!"

Ling Chen hurriedly explained, tears welling up in his eyes, "Master, believe me, I really didn't lie to you. My loyalty to you is as clear as day!"

Guanyin looked at Ling Chen, a thought flashing through her mind. She knew that Ling Chen was Jiang Wang's eldest disciple. If she could persuade Ling Chen to repent, there might still be a chance to stop Jiang Wang. So, she weakly said, "Ling Chen, please persuade your master. He has completely gone mad. He wants to disrupt the Journey to the West, overthrow the Three Realms, and harm many innocent people. Please persuade him to repent and stop being so deluded!"

Ling Chen turned to look at Guanyin, his eyes filled with doubt: "Guanyin Bodhisattva? What are you doing here? And what about Peacock King Bodhisattva? How did you get tied up by my master?"

"Ling Chen, don't worry about us, quickly try to persuade your master!"

The Peacock King Bodhisattva also spoke up, his tone urgent, "Your master has already gone mad with evil spirits. He is going against the will of Heaven and will eventually suffer the consequences. You must persuade him to release the restrictions on Wukong and let us leave. Let Wukong leave. Don't continue down this wrong path!"

Ling Chen frowned, turned to look at Jiang Wang, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Master, is what they said true? Do you really want to disrupt the Journey to the West and overthrow the Three Realms? Do you really want to hurt them and hurt Wukong?"

Jiang Wang's eyes turned cold, and his tone was icy: "So what if it is? I did all this to seek revenge, to defy fate, and to make those who hurt me and abandoned me pay the price they deserve!"

"Master, but even seeking revenge shouldn't harm the innocent!"

Ling Chen hurriedly said, his tone urgent, "The journey to the West is ordained by Heaven and concerns the peace of the Three Realms. If you disrupt the journey and overthrow the Three Realms, you will only plunge all living beings into misery and cause more innocent people to die. This is not revenge, this is creating a sin!"

"commit a sin?"

Jiang Wang laughed heartily, "In my opinion, those high and mighty immortals, those so-called righteous people, what they have done is the real sin!"

"Back then, I was framed, hunted down, and betrayed, and they stood by and watched coldly. Wasn't that a sin? Back then, my closest people were used as pawns by the Heavenly Dao and died tragically before my eyes, and they remained indifferent. Wasn't that a sin?"

Jiang Wang's tone was filled with intense resentment, "Everything I've done today was forced upon me by them, forced upon me by the will of Heaven. I haven't committed any sins; I'm just reclaiming what belongs to me!"

"Master, please wake up!"

Ling Chen's voice was choked with emotion, "There may have been misunderstandings or hidden stories about what happened back then. You can't live in hatred forever. You can't lose yourself because of hatred and hurt so many innocent people!"

“I know you have grievances and resentment in your heart, and I know you suffered a lot back then. But hatred can't solve anything; it will only drive you more and more insane and plunge you into an abyss of no return!”

Ling Chen paused, then said earnestly, "Master, turn back now. Don't be so stubborn. Let's find out the truth about what happened back then, seek justice together, and start anew, okay?"

Jiang Wang looked at Ling Chen, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes. Back then, Ling Chen was his most trusted disciple and his closest person. If it weren't for what happened in the Ancestral Dragon Abyss, he wouldn't have been so indifferent to Ling Chen.

But when he thought of the scene where he was framed, betrayed, and his family was destroyed, the cold-eyed gods, and the injustice of the heavens, the emotion in Jiang Wang's heart vanished instantly, replaced by a strong sense of resentment and indifference: "Find out the truth? Start anew? Ling Chen, you're too naive!"

"The truth of what happened back then has long been covered up by those high and mighty gods, and we have no way of finding out it. The so-called 'starting over' is nothing but self-comfort for the weak. Only when you are strong enough can you take back everything that belongs to you and make those people pay the price!"

Jiang Wang's tone was icy, "So, you don't need to try to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up, and no one can stop me!"

"If you are willing to submit to me, help me avenge my grievances, and help me overturn the Heavenly Dao, then if I achieve great power in the future, I will appoint you as my right-hand man and share the Three Realms with me; if you are unwilling to submit to me, then don't blame me for being impolite. Even if you are my disciple, I will kill you without hesitation!"

Ling Chen looked at Jiang Wang, his eyes filled with disappointment and pain: "Master, do you really want to do this? Do you really want to kill even your own disciple for the sake of hatred? Do you really want to go down a path of no return?"

"I'm not holding you back; it's just that you refuse to submit to me and help me avenge myself!"

Jiang Wang's tone was icy, "I'm giving you one last chance: submit to me, or die. The choice is yours!"

Looking into Jiang Wang's cold eyes, Ling Chen felt a deep sense of despair. He knew that his master had completely changed, had been utterly blinded by hatred, and would never return.

However, as Jiang Wang's disciple, he was deeply indebted to Jiang Wang. Even though Jiang Wang had become so insane, he couldn't bear to betray Jiang Wang, nor could he bear to see Jiang Wang go to the point of no return.

Ling Chen took a deep breath, his eyes hardening, and his voice earnest: "Master, I cannot submit to you, I cannot help you harm the innocent, I cannot help you overthrow the Three Realms, I cannot help you commit sins!"

"But I will never betray you, I will never hurt you. I will stay by your side and keep trying to persuade you until you turn back from your misguided ways! Even if you want to kill me, I will not regret it. I only hope that you can wake up soon and stop being so deluded!"

Jiang Wang's eyes turned cold, and his tone was icy: "Fine, so you won't betray me, won't hurt me, but you still won't submit to me! Ling Chen, since you won't submit to me, then don't blame me for being impolite!" With that, Jiang Wang raised his hand and waved it, and a black demonic aura surged from his palm, flying towards Ling Chen.

This demonic energy didn't contain much killing intent; it simply wanted to cripple Ling Chen's cultivation, making him unable to stop it anymore.

Ling Chen closed his eyes, neither dodging nor resisting. He knew that he was no match for Jiang Wang, and he also knew that only in this way could Jiang Wang feel his sincerity and wake up as soon as possible.

Just as the black demonic energy was about to strike Ling Chen, a golden light suddenly surged out from Ling Chen's body, transforming into a golden shield that blocked Ling Chen's path.

This shield was a protective magic weapon that Jiang Wang gave to Ling Chen back then. It contains Jiang Wang's power from that time and can withstand all attacks.

"boom!"

The black demonic energy struck the golden shield with a loud bang. The golden shield shook violently and its light dimmed slightly, but it was never broken.

Ling Chen was also thrown back several steps by the shockwave, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his breath becoming even weaker.

Jiang Wang looked at the golden shield, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before his expression returned to its usual indifference: "I didn't expect you to still have the protective magic weapon I gave you back then."

However, this single protective artifact is not enough to save you!

"Master, I know I can't stop you, but I still have to advise you to turn back!"

Ling Chen opened his eyes, his gaze filled with earnestness, "Don't let hatred cloud your judgment anymore, don't hurt the innocent anymore, don't go against the will of Heaven anymore, otherwise, you will truly be doomed!"

Jiang Wang didn't speak, but stared coldly at Ling Chen. The demonic energy in his palm became denser again. Clearly, he had lost patience and wanted to completely cripple Ling Chen's cultivation.

Just then, a majestic voice suddenly rang out from the sky, shaking the heavens: "Jiang Wang, stop!"

Jiang Wang's eyes narrowed, and he looked up at the sky, his tone icy: "Who dares to meddle in my business?"

The clouds churned in the sky, and a golden light descended from them, transforming into a figure. This figure wore a golden dragon robe and a crown, with a majestic face and an aura of imperial power. It was none other than the Jade Emperor.

Beside the Jade Emperor stood a group of immortals, each with high cultivation and powerful aura; they were the immortals of the Heavenly Court.

At the same time, another golden light came from the west, transforming into a figure. This figure wore a kasaya, had a kind face, and exuded a strong Buddhist power. It was none other than the Tathagata Buddha.

Beside the Buddha stood a group of Buddhist disciples, each possessing profound Buddhist knowledge and a powerful aura; they were the monks of Buddhism.

The Jade Emperor looked at Jiang Wang, his tone authoritative and tinged with anger: "Jiang Wang, do you know your crime? You have disrupted the journey to the West without authorization, trapped Sun Wukong, harmed Guanyin Bodhisattva and Peacock King Bodhisattva, and even attempted to overthrow the order of the Three Realms, going against the will of Heaven. Do you know that you have violated the Heavenly Laws and deserve to die!"

The Buddha also spoke, his tone kind yet dignified: "Jiang Wang, although there were grievances in what happened back then, you cannot go against the will of Heaven, harm the innocent, or disrupt the order of the Three Realms because of that."

"Let go of your hatred, turn back before it's too late. I can help you find out the truth of what happened back then, help you get justice, and make those who framed you truly punished. But if you insist on being stubborn and unrepentant, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

Jiang Wang looked at the Jade Emperor and Buddha in the sky, and at the celestial beings and Buddhist monks around him. A faint smile appeared on his lips, and he said in a teasing tone, "Jade Emperor? Buddha? I didn't expect you to come together. It's a bit unexpected."

"Deserving of death? Is there still a chance to repent?"

Jiang Wang sneered, his tone icy, "Back then, I was framed, hunted down, betrayed, and scorned by the Three Realms. Where were you all? You were all high and mighty, watching coldly as I fell into the abyss, as my family was destroyed, as I suffered endless torment. Why didn't you say I deserved to die? Why didn't you tell me to turn back to the right path?"

“Now I’m back. I’m going to take my revenge. I’m going to overturn this so-called destiny. I’m going to make those who hurt me and abandoned me pay the price they deserve. You say I deserve to die, you advise me to turn back from the dead, do you think I’ll agree?”

"Jiang Wang, stop talking nonsense!"

The Jade Emperor said angrily, "What happened back then was a misunderstanding. It wasn't that we stood by indifferently, but rather that we didn't know the truth at the time. By the time we learned the truth, you had already fallen into the abyss and disappeared without a trace!"

"Misunderstand?"

Jiang Wang laughed loudly, "A misunderstanding? Jade Emperor, do you think I would believe such nonsense? A misunderstanding could make me framed, hunted down, and betrayed? A misunderstanding could cause my family to be destroyed and me to suffer endless torment? A misunderstanding could plunge me into the abyss, from which there is no return?"

"You're clearly making excuses, you're clearly just trying to fool me!"

Jiang Wang's tone grew louder and louder, filled with intense resentment and unwillingness, "If you really wanted to find out the truth back then, if you really wanted to help me, you wouldn't have let me end up like that, and you wouldn't have let those who framed me go unpunished for so many years!"

"Buddha, you say you can help me find out the truth of what happened back then, help me get justice, and make those who framed me truly punished. Do you think I will still believe you?"

Jiang Wang turned to look at the Buddha, his tone mocking, "Back then, I was falsely accused of colluding with the demon race. Not only did the Buddhist sect not help me, but they also kicked me when I was down and listed me as an enemy of the Three Realms. Now you say you can help me find out the truth and get justice for me. Do you think I would believe your hypocritical words?"

The Buddha sighed and said kindly, "Jiang Wang, what happened back then was indeed the fault of the Buddhist sect. We failed to investigate the truth and easily believed the slander of others, causing you great harm. I am here to apologize to you."

"But I assure you, as long as you let go of your hatred and turn back to the right path, I will do everything in my power as a Buddhist to help you find out the truth of what happened back then, to help you get justice, and to make those who framed you truly punished. I will never let you suffer the slightest injustice again, okay?" (End of this chapter)