I am a fairy in Journey to the West

The long-closed doors of the Tongming Palace finally opened, and golden light spilled out. Then, the four emperors walked out of the Tongming Palace one by one and boarded their precious palanquins in the respectful welcome of the celestial officials and attendants.

After four cracks of the whip, twenty-four auspicious purple clouds drifted down from the sky, and then landed on the ground, transforming into twenty-four seven-colored celestial horses.

Twenty-four seven-colored celestial horses, divided into four groups, arrived in front of the four-horse carriage. Then, the 'Imperial Chariot Commander' lightly waved his arm, and the jade reins were put on the seven-colored celestial horses.

Then, driven by the Imperial Chariot Commander, the four precious chariots slowly began to move, heading towards the respective palaces of the four Great Emperors, escorted by celestial officials, attendants, and heavenly soldiers.

Inside the Tongming Hall at the rear, the Jade Emperor summoned Master Xu and instructed him, "Issue the decree that the grand court assembly will be held at the Lingxiao Hall tomorrow."

Master Xu bowed and said, "As you command."

Shortly after the edict was issued, all the celestial officials and deities of the fifth rank and above in the Great Luo Heaven received the decree.

Zhuang Yan and Sun Wukong, who lived in the Tushita Palace, also began to prepare. Zhuang Yan naturally changed into his fourth-rank celestial official robes, while Sun Wukong changed into Buddhist robes.

"It seems you're going to attend the Grand Assembly as the Victorious Fighting Buddha," Zhuang Yan said to Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "Uncle is wise enough to know my intentions."

Zhuang Yan nodded. This was Sun Wukong's first visit to the Heavenly Court since he was conferred his title after the pilgrimage, and he was attending the grand court assembly at the Lingxiao Palace.

His wearing the robes of the Victorious Fighting Buddha signifies severing ties with the past and appearing before the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor in a new guise.

He is no longer the Monkey King who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, but a Victorious Fighting Buddha who has gone through tribulations and become a saint.

Zhuang Yan then asked, "When are you going back to Flower Fruit Mountain?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "I will return after this grand court assembly is over. As your nephew, it is only right that I congratulate you on your receiving the titles and rewards, Uncle?"

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder. "Later, when we go to Buzhou Mountain, we can choose a courtyard to use as our residence. When we get tired of Huaguo Mountain, we can come and stay at Buzhou Mountain for a while."

"Very good, very good." Sun Wukong was overjoyed and said, "Uncle understands me best. I thank you."

Soon after, Sun Wukong saw Laozi and jumped over to ask, "Old man."

Laozi looked at Sun Wukong and asked, "What do you want to do, you monkey?"

Sun Wukong asked, "The Jade Emperor has decreed that there will be a grand court assembly at the Lingxiao Palace tomorrow. Where is your official robe?"

Laozi glanced at his Taoist robe and then laughed, "What official robes do I need? I'll naturally wear a Taoist robe."

"How rude! How rude!" Sun Wukong said. "Everyone else is wearing official robes, why are you only wearing a Taoist robe?"

"Don't you also wear Buddhist robes?" Lao Tzu asked.

Sun Wukong laughed heartily and said, "I, Old Sun, can wear whatever I want, and no one dares to say anything bad about me."

Laozi laughed and said, "When has I not stood in the first row at every court assembly in Lingxiao Palace? Who would dare to criticize me?"

Sun Wukong looked at Laozi and smiled, "Old man, what kind of pills have you refined these past few days? Let me, your old Sun, have a taste?"

Laozi said, “Speaking of alchemy, my alchemy room is in need of a fan boy. If you want to consume the pills, you will have to put in some effort first.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately rolled up his sleeves and said, "That's easy. What I, Old Sun, have no shortage of is strength. However, the amount of strength I exert will depend on how many pills I need to consume."

Laozi said, “That makes sense. That makes sense. I will give you ten percent of the number of batches of pills you can produce by fanning the fire today.”

"Alright, alright." Sun Wukong rolled up his sleeves and left, heading straight for the alchemy room.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a day and a night have passed. The stars in the sky shine with a faint starlight, which falls on the Milky Way.

Above the Lingxiao Palace, stars shone brightly, the sun and moon shone horizontally, and golden rays of light illuminated the surrounding sky, while auspicious clouds of nine colors stretched endlessly.

Over there, the Moon Goddess traverses clouds and mist, amidst flying blossoms and drifting leaves; over here, the Innocent Fairy offers jade and incense, ethereal and otherworldly.

At this moment, three celestial sounds of jade chimes rang out outside the Lingxiao Palace, instantly echoing throughout the Great Luo Heaven.

After the three sounds of the jade chime rang out, all the gods and immortals stood solemnly in their robes and lined up outside the Lingxiao Palace in order.

As the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and now the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sun Wukong naturally ranks above all the gods.

Zhuang Yan is currently only a fourth-rank celestial official, so he is only listed at the top of the fourth-rank celestial officials.

Outside the Lingxiao Palace, the immortals stood solemnly, while above, Wang Lingguan and his retinue of spirit officials stood in solemn silence, overseeing the etiquette.

A moment later, three more jade chimes rang out outside the Lingxiao Palace, followed by a sky full of golden light and dazzling splendor, as the Jade Emperor's Nine-Dragon Incense Chariot slowly flew into the palace.

Following them were the Four Great Emperors and other emperors, who arrived in their imperial carriages and entered the Lingxiao Palace in turn.

After an unknown amount of time, Venus, holding a whisk, walked out of the Lingxiao Palace and loudly proclaimed: "The Jade Emperor has decreed that all gods and immortals be summoned to the palace for court discussion."

After Venus proclaimed the decree, the spirit officials on both sides of the main hall immediately cracked their whips three times.

Wang Lingguan said, "All the gods and immortals shall enter the hall according to their respective ranks."

Then, all the gods and immortals entered the Lingxiao Palace in turn. After entering the palace, they bowed to the Jade Emperor in unison and said, "We pay our respects to the Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Venerable, the Supreme God of the Mysterious Vault." The Jade Emperor, showing his mercy and kindness, said, "Rise, my lords."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The gods and immortals expressed their gratitude and rose to their respective places in the celestial ranks.

Because Sun Wukong had already registered his name at the Lingguan Temple, he was naturally placed in the ranks of immortals in the Lingxiao Palace.

Sun Wukong's official title in Heaven was Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but the Lingxiao Palace only considered the rank of celestial officials. Therefore, Sun Wukong's rank in the celestial hierarchy was at the bottom among all emperors and above all gods and immortals.

However, his Buddhist robes made him stand out among the immortals.

"Wukong." The Jade Emperor had clearly noticed him too, and asked with a smile, "How do you feel about obtaining the position of Buddha?"

Sun Wukong smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I am exactly the same as before I became a Buddha."

Upon hearing this, all the gods and immortals turned their heads, thinking that Sun Wukong was just pretending to be reserved.

But the Jade Emperor smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "The Buddha is in one's heart, and it is not easy to change."

After speaking, the Jade Emperor swept his gaze over the gods and immortals in the Lingxiao Palace and said, "The celestial officials should already know what is being discussed at today's court assembly in the Lingxiao Palace. I have already discussed this with the Four Emperors, and today I will announce the conferment of the title upon the True Lord of the Spirit Platform in the Lingxiao Palace."

The gods and immortals looked slightly surprised upon hearing this, because this time the Jade Emperor said "announce" instead of "discuss".

This means that the Jade Emperor and the Four Great Emperors have agreed on this matter and there will be no further changes. Therefore, it is an announcement, not a discussion.

"Where is the True Lord of the Spirit Platform?" the Jade Emperor called out.

Zhuang Yan, holding a jade tablet, strode out of the ranks of immortals, arrived at the palace, bowed, and said, "Your subject is here."

The Jade Emperor looked solemnly at Zhuang Yan and said, "My dear minister, you have guarded the mortal realm, assisted Heaven and Earth in maintaining peace, and controlled calamities and destiny. Although your time here is short, your achievements are outstanding. Furthermore, you have been ordered by me to assist the pilgrims in overcoming tribulations and hardships, enabling the spread of Buddhism to the East, establishing the well-being of all beings, and universally saving countless lives. Your merits are immeasurable. After discussions with the Four Great Emperors, I have decided to establish an imperial position in the Heavenly Court and bestow upon you the title of 'Great Emperor of the Spiritual Platform and Enlightened Divine Firmament'."

Upon hearing this, an uproar erupted throughout the Lingxiao Palace, with everyone's face filled with utter shock.

"The palace is solemn; no noise is permitted," Wang Lingguan shouted sternly, but a deep sense of shock could also be seen in his eyes.

Everyone originally thought that Zhuang Yan would rise four ranks in a row and become a first-rank immortal official, but unexpectedly he ascended to the heavens in one step and became an emperor.

Why? At this moment, many gods felt intense dissatisfaction. We have been gods in the Heavenly Court for so long, and it is as difficult as ascending to heaven to get promoted even one level. But how long has Zhuang Yan been a celestial official? In less than a thousand years, he has jumped from a mountain god to an emperor.

Putting aside these immortals, even Zhuang Yan himself felt it was unbelievable. How did he suddenly become an emperor? I wasn't mentally prepared at all!

The emperors below the Four Great Emperors were also shocked, their expressions changing drastically. They looked at the Jade Emperor, then at the Four Great Emperors, not understanding why they had made such a decision.

Only a strange light flashed in Laozi's eyes, but he quickly nodded with a smile, his face unfathomable.

Everyone in the entire Lingxiao Palace, including Zhuang Yan himself, was astonished and shocked. Only Sun Wukong clapped and cheered, and then he was warned by Wang Lingguan.

"Great Sage Equal to Heaven, no noise is permitted in the Lingxiao Palace. This is a warning; this is not to be repeated," Wang Lingguan shouted.

Sun Wukong rolled his eyes at Wang Lingguan, but stopped making a fuss and stood there with a smile on his face.

Subsequently, the Jade Emperor issued a golden edict, which was read aloud again by Venus, saying, "Please come forward to receive the edict, Great Emperor of the Spirit Platform and the Divine Firmament."

Zhuang Yan hurriedly stepped forward to accept the golden decree, then stepped back three steps and bowed to the Jade Emperor above, saying, "Your subject Zhuang Yan thanks the Jade Emperor and the Four Emperors."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly and said, "He shall be given a crown, an imperial throne, and be placed in the heavens to receive the worship of all the gods and immortals."

As soon as the Jade Emperor finished speaking, a group of celestial maidens entered the hall carrying jade plates and stood bowing beside Zhuang Yan. Then another group of celestial maidens stepped forward, took out the Emperor's crown and accessories from the jade plates, and helped Zhuang Yan put on the Emperor's crown.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Black imperial robes, a twelve-tasseled white jade crown adorned with the Milky Way, a seven-colored jade belt with divine ribbons, and nine-element celestial boots.
After dressing properly, Zhuang Yan was seen wearing a twenty-four-chapter imperial robe and crown, exuding a majestic and dignified imperial aura.

At this moment, a magnificent light illuminated an imperial throne, which hung high in the sky. Zhuang Yan's feet also rose with mysterious light, and he slowly flew up into the sky and landed on the imperial throne.

Zhuang Yan held a jade tablet and bowed to the Jade Emperor and the Four Emperors. He then greeted the surrounding emperors, who returned the greeting with clasped hands.

After Zhuang Yan and the other emperors exchanged greetings, Venus loudly proclaimed: "The Great Emperor of the Divine Firmament, who is enlightened by the Spirit Platform, has returned to his position. All the immortals and gods step forward to pay homage."

No matter how surprised they were, Zhuang Yan's investiture as emperor was now an undeniable fact, and they could only accept reality.

Then, all the immortals and gods stepped out of their ranks, holding jade tablets, and bowed to Zhuang Yan above, saying, "Your subjects pay homage to His Majesty the Great Emperor of the Spirit Platform and the Bright Divine Firmament."

Among them, Sun Wukong's voice was the loudest. Although he was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the emperors of the Heavenly Court were equivalent to 'Heaven', so his rank was slightly lower than that of the Heavenly Court emperors.

Zhuang Yan stood on the throne in the sky with a clear and gentle gaze, looking down at the gods and immortals who were paying homage. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "All immortals, rise."

Then came the unified shouts of gratitude from all the gods: "Thank you, Your Majesty, the Great Emperor of the Divine Firmament and the Spirit Platform."

After the gods and immortals bowed to Xie Ping, they returned to their celestial ranks amidst the chanting of Wang Lingguan.

At this moment, Zhuang Yan bowed to the Jade Emperor again to express his gratitude. The Jade Emperor looked at Zhuang Yan and smiled, "Emperor Lingtai, I hereby appoint you as the Great Emperor of Lingtai Dongming Shenxiao, to take on the role of 'Emperor Who Oversees the Human World,' and continue to guard the human world on behalf of Heaven."

Zhuang Yan, holding his scepter, bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree." (End of Chapter)