Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 454: The Four Saints of the North Pole Go to Battle
Nanfangbuzhou.

At the mouth of Guanjiang River.

Inside the Temple of Erlang Zhenjun.

I heard that Yang Jian said that Emperor Donghua had rebelled and was going to attack the Heavenly Palace.

Nezha immediately expressed his desire to help out, so he went to the Heavenly Palace and killed Li Jing.

……

Back then, when Nezha was born, he was a big meatball. Li Jing regarded him as a monster and chopped at the meatball with his sword, wanting to kill Nezha.

Later, after Nezha killed Ao Bing, Li Jing found out and wanted to kill Nezha again for fear of future troubles.

Nezha cut off his flesh to return to his mother and cut off his bones to return to his father in order to repay his parents' kindness.

When he came back, Nezha had the thought of resurrection in his heart, so he made a clay sculpture of a golden body, hoping to use the power of incense to rebuild his body and come back to life.

However, after Li Jing learned about this, he ruthlessly smashed Nezha's golden clay statue and wanted to kill Nezha.

There is a saying: "If a child is not taught, it is the fault of the father."

In fact, the fact that Nezha developed such a "child-killing" character may be related to Li Jing's "family education".

What kind of father is this who wants to kill his son at the slightest provocation?

How can this kind of "father is kind and son is filial" educational method cultivate children who are gentle, respectful, frugal and modest?

After that, Nezha was reborn by having Taiyi Zhenren use lotus to reshape his body.

But the grudge between Li Jing and Nezha, father and son, is deep and difficult to resolve.

Therefore, Li Tianwang who holds the pagoda always holds the pagoda in his hand.

Although on the surface both parties are "loving father and filial son".

But once Li Jing stopped holding up the tower, he was afraid that Nezha would want revenge and was terrified.

……

At this moment.

Yang Jian looked at Nezha who was full of resentment beside him, patted his shoulder helplessly, and said earnestly:

"Brother Nezha, just give up on this."

"In this world, father is the greatest, and filial piety is the greatest."

"If you really kill Li Jing, you will kill your father with your own son. I'm afraid there will be no place for you in this huge Three Realms from now on."

When Nezha heard this, his eyes widened and his face was full of dissatisfaction.

He stiffened his neck, gnashed his teeth, and his voice was full of determination and unwillingness:

"I have already given back my flesh to my mother and my bones to my father, repaying their kindness in giving birth to me and raising me."

"From now on, I will have nothing to do with them!"

"What qualifications do they have to control me?"

Yang Jian sighed and said again earnestly:
"Second brother knows the grievance in your heart, and understands that you feel that you have severed ties with them."

"However, you are his son after all. In this world, the father's power is greater than heaven. It is unacceptable for a son to kill his father."

"I'm doing this for your own good. I don't want you to make a big mistake because of a momentary impulse."

Yang Jian knew very well that even if Nezha thought he had severed his relationship with Li Jing, he would still give his flesh to his mother and his bones to his father.

But in the eyes of the gods of the three realms, the relationship between Nezha and Li Jing as father and son is always like a shadow and cannot be erased.

If Nezha really killed his father and Li Jing, he would be cursed for all eternity and become the public enemy of the three realms.

By then, no matter how powerful Nezha is, it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold in these three realms.

This was the patriarchy in ancient times; patriarchy was higher than heaven and difficult to disobey.

There were countless cases where the emperor directly sentenced his sons to death, which can be said to be the emperor's method.

But if the prince disobeys the emperor's order and seizes his father's position, he will be cursed for eternity.

Not to mention hurting his father, Nezha really can't do that.

……

At this moment.

Emperor Donghua was sending a message to the gods of the three realms, promising:

"You can live a carefree life on the immortal path. From now on, you don't have to be bound by so many red tapes, and you don't have to work hard for those insignificant merits."

"On this immortal path, you can do whatever you want, travel freely between heaven and earth, enjoy the beauty of the three realms, and understand the mysteries of the great way..."

The brothers Gao Ming and Gao Jue, the divine generals with the power of clairvoyance and superb hearing in front of the Jade Emperor, suddenly froze in expression and their breathing became rapid when they heard the news.

Emperor Donghua's words really touched their hearts!
……

Behind the Tongming Palace, auspicious clouds were rolling, and the air was filled with immortal air, yet it was faintly permeated with a hint of solemnity and murderous spirit.

The Jade Emperor sat upright on the throne, gently stroking the List of Gods hidden in his sleeves.

The List of Gods seemed to have spirituality. It trembled slightly under the Jade Emperor's caress, emitting a mysterious and majestic light.

"Dong Wanggong... Donghua..."

The Jade Emperor's face turned cold, as if covered by frost, and his mood changed from cloudy to bright.

His eyes were as sharp as torches as he stared at the trembling and shaking bodies of the clairvoyant and the divine generals, as if he could clearly see through the turmoil in their hearts.

The Jade Emperor slowly stood up and looked towards the direction of Fangzhang Xianshan. After staring for a long time, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he slowly said:
"Donghua's layout this time is really ingenious."

After that, the Jade Emperor's gaze fell on the Thousand-Li Eyes and the Wind-Ears God Generals again, and asked with a smile:
"Are you two also moved?"

Upon hearing this, the gods of Thousand-Li Eyes and Swift-Ears were so frightened that they seemed to have heard the most terrifying words in the world.

They immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground, and said in trembling voices:

"Your Majesty, I don't dare."

"I am loyal to Your Majesty and have no second thoughts."

For a while.

It was so quiet in the Tongming Hall that you could hear a pin drop.

The atmosphere was suffocating and depressing.

At this moment, the tempting voice of Emperor Donghua is still echoing in the Three Realms:
"The immortal path should be free and unfettered, and should not be restricted by the Conferred God List, becoming a servant of the heavens, being a slave or a maid, and being driven around by others."

"If I, Emperor Donghua, become the Emperor of Heaven, I will give you freedom and let you truly become free immortals and gods in these three realms!"

……

Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.

If people turn against you, the country will collapse.

This list of gods can also be called the "slavery list".

In the past, the Jade Emperor held the List of Gods in his hand, commanded the gods on the list, and controlled the affairs of the gods in the three realms.

However, the situation at this moment has undergone a subtle and dangerous change.

However, Emperor Donghua actually used the Investiture of the Gods as a chess piece and cleverly outwitted the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor knew in his heart that if he used the power of the Investiture of the Gods again to force the gods on the Investiture of the Gods to go and quell the rebellion, it would make him, the Jade Emperor, appear to be in a difficult position.

As the saying goes: "Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals, emperors against emperors."

As the master of the Three Realms, it is impossible for him to fight those small soldiers by himself. It is too embarrassing.

The Jade Emperor hesitated for a moment, then instructed Zhang Tianshi beside him:
"Tell the four True Lords, Marshal Tianpeng, Deputy Marshal Tianyou, Yisheng Baode, and Lingying Yousheng, to come to the audience immediately."

……

The Tongming Hall is magnificent and golden, filled with auspicious clouds and auspicious aura.

The Jade Emperor sat upright on the throne, his face solemn and his eyes sharp as torches, staring outside the palace.

Soon, clouds and mist rolled outside the temple, and the sky was filled with rosy clouds. Then four divine generals stepped on auspicious clouds and entered one after another with great momentum.

"Tianpeng, meet your majesty!"

The leader had red hair like flames, was handsome and extraordinary, had a shining golden helmet, and had a belt tied tightly around his cheek. On the silk belt of his armor, there was a faint python pattern, like real dragon scales.

On his waist is a golden bow, shaped like a half moon, shining with a cold light; in his hand is a golden rake, shining with golden light, and imposing. On his waist are also hanging the Tianpeng Seal and Tianpeng Bell, the two objects complement each other, adding a bit of majesty.

This divine general is none other than the "True Lord Tianpeng Marshal", or "Tianpeng Marshal" for short.

The landforms within the Three Realms are complex and varied, so the Heavenly Court has a navy that is good at water battles, an air force that can ride on the clouds, and the Netherworld also has gloomy ghost soldiers... Each branch of the military has its own strengths.

Among the naval generals, Marshal Tianpeng is good at naval battles.

He controls the Milky Way, and his water warfare skills are unmatched among the Four Saints of the North Pole, and even in the entire heaven, he is also one of the best.

Therefore, Marshal Tianpeng was able to command 80,000 Tianhe navy and hold the moat of Heaven - "Tianhe Ruoshui".

Just like the cities on earth, the Lingxiao Palace also has a moat, which is the Tianhe Ruoshui.

The water of the Milky Way is so weak that not even a feather can float on it, birds cannot pass through it, and even mortal bodies cannot cross it.

If you want to break into the Thirty-three Heavens from the outside, you must first cross the moat of Tianhe Ruoshui.

Even the Monkey King Sun Wukong, who has extraordinary combat power and great magical powers, finds it difficult to serve as the "Marshal of the Tianhe River".

There’s no other reason, Sun Wukong’s ability in water combat is average.

Fighting power is relative. Even if Sun Wukong is in the water, he can hardly compete with Marshal Tianpeng.

However, the naval marshal's strength lies in naval battles. If he were asked to fight on land, that would not be his forte.

……

You know, Li Jing, the head of the Heavenly Palace’s Ministry of War, only commands 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals.

When the Dou Department was first established, Dou Mu Yuanjun was in charge of the Golden Palace and sat in the Dou Palace. She was the leader of the Zhou Tian Lie Constellation, but she only commanded 84,000 evil stars. Yang Jian had only 1,200 grass-headed gods under his command.

Marshal Tianpeng directly commanded 80,000 naval forces and was the marshal who held real military power under the control of Heaven.

……

"Tianyou, I respectfully pay my respects to His Majesty!"

Following closely behind, one saw a divine general wearing dazzling golden armor and a scarlet battle robe, his face was as cold as iron, he held a sharp spear in his hand, a mysterious seal hung on his waist, and his whole body was surrounded by purple mist, as if there were stars flowing around to protect him, looking very majestic.

This divine general is none other than the "True Lord, Deputy Marshal Tianyou", or "Deputy Marshal Tianyou" for short.

Deputy Commander Tianyou, mainly assists the Emperor of Beiji Ziwei. He acts in a low-key manner and has little reputation in the heavenly realm.

"Heisha, I pay my respects to His Majesty!"

Further on, another god general stepped out. He was as big as a mountain, with a face as dark as iron. He held heavy chains and mysterious talismans in his hands. His eyes were as bright as torches, as if he could see through all the vanity in the world.

The whole body exudes a dark aura that is eerie and terrifying, making people afraid to approach.

This divine general is "Yishen Baode Zhenjun", also known as "Heisha General" in the world.

General Heisha does not usually reside in the heavenly realm, but rather resides in the earthly realm.

General Heisha guards the underworld, is responsible for cutting off the gates of ghosts, eliminating the five plagues, and commanding the ghost soldiers of Fengdu.

"Zhenwu, I bow to your majesty!"

The last divine general, with his golden armor shining brightly and his black robe fluttering in the wind, is standing on a turtle and snake divine beast, holding a demon-slaying sword in his hand, his eyes are like stars, a black carved flag hangs on his back, and the Big Dipper is surrounding him, shining brightly.

This is "True Lord Yousheng", also known as "General Xuanwu" and "General Zhenwu".

These four divine generals are exactly: "The Four Saints of the North Pole".

When they first ascended to the Immortal Realm, the cultivation levels of the few people were not much different.

But later, after True Lord Yousheng ascended to the immortal world, his strength improved by leaps and bounds, and the latecomers surpassed him.

Later, the True Lord Yousheng descended to the mortal world to exorcise demons. He had a temple in Wudang Mountain in the Southern Continent. He descended to the mortal world many times to exorcise demons and monsters. He showed his holiness in the human world and was worshipped by people in the mortal world as the "Emperor Xuanwu", also known as the "Emperor Zhenwu".

……

Among the Four Saints of the North Pole, there are the two marshals, Tianpeng and Tianyou, and the two generals, Heisha and Zhenwu.

The military power system of Heaven is exactly the standard configuration of the ancient imperial guards.

For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Left and Right Wanqi Armies and the Left and Right Yulin Armies were established as the "Four Armies of the North Gate". The generals among them were appointed by the emperor's confidants, and were equipped with "Imperial Seal" and golden seal as standard.

Like the "Four Armies of the North Gate", among the "Four Saints of the North Pole", Marshal Tianpeng, as the leader of the Four Saints of the North Pole, naturally becomes the "Keeper of the Seal".

In Journey to the West, it was the Jade Emperor who bestowed the "Imperial Seal" on Marshal Tianpeng instead of on Emperor Zhenwu.

There is a poem about this incident:
"(The Jade Emperor) conferred the title of Tianpeng on the Marshal and granted him the 'dagger as his imperial commemoration'."

……

At this stage, the four sages of the North Pole have different duties in heaven.

The heaven has navy and air force, and the underworld also has ghost soldiers...they are all different types of troops.

Marshal Tianpeng commands the Tianhe navy; Deputy Marshal Tianyou assists the Emperor of Beiji Ziwei; General Heisha guards the underworld; General Zhenwu eliminates demons and monsters in the lower world.

When he is not in the lower world to subdue demons, General Zhenwu will be like the Four Heavenly Kings, guarding the North Gate of Heaven.

……

The Four Saints of the North Pole were mostly immortal cultivators from the lower world. After going through untold hardships, they finally ascended to heaven, were personally received by the Jade Emperor, and were canonized as gods.

It can be said that the Four Saints of the North Pole are all confidants of the Jade Emperor.

Marshal Tianpeng is: "He has completed his mission and ascended to heaven. The immortals came to greet him in pairs... The Jade Emperor held a banquet for all the immortals, and they were arranged in ranks according to their ranks. He was appointed as the marshal to manage the Tianhe River, and the governor of the sailors was called Xianjie."

Afterwards, the Jade Emperor directly conferred upon Marshal Tianpeng the title of Marshal Tianpeng and granted him the 'Ding Rake as Imperial Sacrifice'.

What is the "节" in Osetsu?
For example, if someone has made great contributions, the ancient emperor would grant him "Jiajieyue", which is a symbol of status. He can mobilize the army, execute first and report later, and have tremendous power, equivalent to that of the emperor.

During the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu was the only one in the entire Han court under Liu Bei who was given this honor and was given the "Fake Imperial Axe" to guard Jingzhou.

Even Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun... don't have this power.

It was because Guan Yu had the "Fake Imperial Sword and Axe" that he could mobilize troops in Jingzhou to fight Cao Cao without reporting to Liu Bei and could attack Cao Cao directly.

Another example:
In the Tang Dynasty, there was an official position called "Jiedushi".

The Jiedushi was in charge of several regions where the military and politics were unified and he had tremendous power. It can be said that he was equivalent to a "prince king" in the Tang Dynasty.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Tang Dynasty was at its peak and its territory was vast, with 331 states and more than 800 vassal states. However, there were only 10 military governors.

An Lushan, after becoming the "Jiedushi", developed new ambitions and started a rebellion.

Why is this Jiedushi called “Jie” Dushi?
That is because there is a title called "Imperial Jiedushi" in the Jiedushi history.

"Festival" is the source of power and also the symbol of power.

In the Tang Dynasty, the military governors were given two banners and two festivals. The banners were used for rewards, and the festivals were used for killings!

……

Among all the officials in heaven, Marshal Tianpeng was awarded the "Imperial Festival" personally bestowed by the Jade Emperor.

It can be said that he is extremely powerful and awesome.

Above the Milky Way, if Marshal Tianpeng encounters any unusual situation, he does not need to report to the Jade Emperor. He can directly hold the "Imperial Code" and dispatch troops to execute first and report later!
This shows how respected Marshal Tianpeng is.

Zhu Bajie once said:
"Even if you were sincere and asked the 'Nine Heavens Demon Slayer' to descend to the lower world, I've 'been acquainted with him', and he wouldn't dare to do anything to me."

This is not really Zhu Bajie's bragging. Although he lost his power and his official position, Yousheng Zhenjun was promoted to the Patriarch of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect.

But True Lord Yousheng was, after all, his former younger brother, so they had some ties towards each other.

……

Of course, this is normal.

Looking back at the past, throughout the ages, for those who served as officials in the court, whether they had outstanding abilities was not the most important thing, and whether you could fight was not the most important thing either.

Jane is in the emperor's heart, and that is the most important thing.

The most important thing is whether you can understand the emperor's mind and serve him.

After all, when the emperor opens his mouth, it is the supreme will that determines fate.

No matter how talented you are or how great your military achievements are, if you are not favored and trusted by the emperor, it will be nothing but a mirage and empty talk.

On the contrary, even if one has mediocre qualifications, if one can gain the emperor's trust, it will be like a boat riding the wind and waves, with smooth sailing all the way and it will not be difficult to rise to the top.

No matter how good you are at fighting, it's useless if the Jade Emperor doesn't trust you. You'll just stay at home and raise horses and trees.

……

The Great Emperor Zhenwu among the Four Saints of the North Pole is:
"When he was young, he was brave and brave. When he grew up, he became a god. He did not aspire to be a king in the world, but devoted himself to the practice of Taoism. After going through countless hardships, when he completed his practice, he finally achieved the miraculous sight of ascending to heaven in broad daylight."

"The Jade Emperor bestowed this title, the name of Zhenwu. The mysterious void responds, the tortoise and the snake merge into one. The catastrophe ends and the catastrophe begins, the demons are cut off."

The Great Emperor Zhenwu also met with the Jade Emperor in person, who bestowed upon him the honorable title of Zhenwu.

However, the treatment of Zhenwu Great Emperor was compared with that of Marshal Tianpeng, such as: "The immortals came to welcome him in pairs, the Jade Emperor held a banquet for the immortals, conferred the Marshal the title of Tianpeng, and granted him the nail rake as a royal commemoration..."

It's quite different.

……

At that time, when Sun Wukong was making trouble in the Heavenly Palace, he was hitting enemies everywhere with his stick.

The gods on the List of Gods, such as the God of Wealth and War Zhao Gongming, the God of Dou Mu Yuanjun and the God of Golden Spirit, and the Lord of Thunder Wen Zhong... all stood by and watched, and did not try to stop it.

At the critical moment, it was the Four Saints of the North Pole who stepped forward and turned the tide.

There was Wang Lingguan, the assistant of "Yousheng Zhenjun", guarding the temple. Wang Lingguan drew his golden whip and moved forward to block Sun Wukong.

Then "True Lord Yousheng" took action and sent his generals to deliver a letter to the Thunder Palace, mobilizing thirty-six thunder generals to surround the Great Sage in the center of Gai. They displayed their magical powers and a fierce battle ensued.

At the same time, "Yishen Baode Zhenjun" and Youyi Lingguan followed the Jade Emperor's order to go to the West to convey the order to "summon Tathagata to subdue the demons."

After the Buddha subdued the demon, the two True Lords, Tianpeng and Tianyou (You), rushed out of the Lingxiao Palace, stopped the Buddha, and respectfully invited him to meet the Jade Emperor to show their respect.

It can be said that at the most critical moment, the people the Jade Emperor trusted the most were the Four Saints of the North Pole.

These Four Saints of the North Pole were all interviewed, recruited, and canonized by the Jade Emperor himself. They can be described as the Jade Emperor’s trusted ministers and pillars of the sky.

As the saying goes:
"I will eat your salary, be loyal to you, repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace, and die for you with the Jade Dragon."

At the critical moment, the Four Saints of the North Pole also made great efforts, running around and not being vague.

……

At this moment.

"Your Majesty..."

Marshal Tianpeng, Deputy Marshal Tianyou, General Heisha and General Zhenwu stepped into the Tongming Palace and each saluted the Jade Emperor with great momentum and awe-inspiring power.

The Jade Emperor glanced at the four generals and spoke slowly:
"Tian Peng, Tian You, Yi Sheng, You Sheng, you are my trusted confidants. I summoned you here today to discuss important matters."

Upon hearing this, Marshal Tianpeng stepped forward and took the lead in expressing his feelings, bowing and saying respectfully:

"Your Majesty, we are honored by your kindness and are able to serve you at your service."

"Your Majesty has summoned me today. I will do my best to help you!"

"No matter where we are, we will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Marshal Tianpeng spoke in a firm and powerful tone, and his words were full of loyalty to the Jade Emperor.

"Um……"

The Jade Emperor looked at Marshal Tianpeng and nodded with satisfaction.

This is my confidant...

(End of this chapter)