I am a fairy in Journey to the West

The Western Ghost Emperor's attempt to capture Parvati's soul in the Great Brahma Realm was indeed met with considerable resistance. Although the Brahma sect did not openly oppose the Western Ghost Emperor, they still tampered with the lotus flower.

The Western Ghost Emperor and his entourage were unable to capture the lotus flower, and the three Primordial Ancestors remained in seclusion, leaving the Western Ghost Emperor and his party stuck in a stalemate.

His gaze swept around and found that everyone around him was a Buddhist immortal, and each of them had some degree of hostility in their eyes.

"I have come here to arrest Parvati's soul on the orders of the Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Northern Underworld. Do you dare to disobey the imperial decree?" the Western Ghost Emperor shouted at the surrounding Brahma immortals.

The Brahma immortals all took a step back. At this moment, Indra stepped forward, put his hands together, and said, "Your Majesty the Ghost Emperor, we have not disobeyed the imperial decree."

The Western Ghost Emperor said, "Then why are you obstructing my capture of Parvati's soul?"

Indra was taken aback by these words, turned his head to look at the Brahma immortals around him, and then said with a helpless expression, "Your Majesty the Ghost Emperor, we did not stop you. Aren't we all standing here?"

The Western Ghost Emperor pointed at the refined form of Parvati's primordial spirit and said, "Then why can't we capture the soul now? Isn't someone deliberately obstructing the capture of the soul?"

“Your Majesty, you are wronging us,” Indra said. “The lotus flower formed from the spirit of the Priestess Parvati has been blessed by the celestial beings of our Brahma religion, which is why it is difficult to restrain. It is not something we can do to stop it.”

The Western Ghost Emperor then asked, "Why are you praying to her primordial spirit?"

Ganesh said, "Your Majesty the Ghost Emperor is wrong. When mortals lose a loved one, they pray for their well-being. How much more should we?"

The Western Ghost Emperor was speechless for a moment before saying, "In that case, surely the three ancestors can lift these prayers?"

Why should the prayer for blessings be lifted?

"Yes, why should the blessing be lifted?"

"Praying for blessings is a good thing, and since it is a good thing, there is no need to cancel it."

Upon hearing the words of the Brahma immortals, the Western Ghost Emperor immediately said, "Heavenly law is supreme. I have been ordered to capture Parvati's soul. If you do not cooperate, it can be considered as deliberate obstruction."

Sai Jiantuo stepped forward, put his palms together in prayer towards the Western Ghost Emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, even if we wanted to cooperate with you, our abilities are insufficient."

"Then please have your three ancestors come out," said the Western Ghost Emperor.

Sai Jiantuo said, "Please forgive us, Your Majesty the Ghost Emperor. The three ancestors are currently in seclusion and unable to come to see Your Majesty, so they specially sent us to serve Your Majesty."

"Very well, very well." The Western Ghost Emperor said, "Since you're playing these tricks on me, I won't care about saving face anymore."

After saying that, the Western Ghost Emperor took out the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman from his sleeve and contacted Zhuang Yan in front of everyone.

As the celestial light flashed on the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman, Zhuang Yan's figure appeared before the Western Ghost Emperor.

The Western Ghost Emperor hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Divine Firmament Emperor."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Please speak, fellow Daoist."

The Western Ghost Emperor then showed Zhuang Yan the decree of the Fengdu Emperor and told him about his situation, saying, "I didn't want to trouble the Divine Firmament Emperor, but I have no other choice at the moment, so I shamelessly ask the Divine Firmament Emperor for help."

Zhuang Yan smiled slightly upon hearing this and said, "Please hold the jade talisman carefully, fellow Daoist."

Upon hearing this, the Western Ghost Emperor's expression turned solemn. He immediately gripped the jade talisman firmly, and then an incomparably vast and mighty power descended. Immediately afterward, Zhuang Yan stepped out from within the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman.

In the blink of an eye, Zhuang Yan appeared before him. Upon seeing this, the Western Ghost Emperor hurriedly put away the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, "Greetings, Divine Firmament Emperor."

Upon seeing this, the surrounding Brahma immortals changed their expressions and took a few steps back, but soon, led by Indra, they stepped forward again to pay their respects and said, "Greetings, Divine Emperor Shenxiao."

"Rise." Zhuang Yan smiled and waved his hand, then looked at the lotus flower that Parvati's primordial spirit had transformed into.

Zhuang Yan raised his hand and pointed, and the lotus flower was instantly uprooted and then slowly flew towards the Western Ghost Emperor.

Upon witnessing this scene, Ganesha and Segantha tried to rush forward to stop them, but were firmly held back by Indra, Hanuman, and others.

The Western Ghost Emperor looked at the primordial lotus that flew to his eyes with surprise. He had tried everything to get close to the lotus, but Zhuang Yan had simply pointed and uprooted it.

The Western Ghost Emperor quickly put the primordial lotus into his sleeve, then bowed to Zhuang Yan and said, "Thank you, Divine Firmament Emperor."

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "There's no need to be so polite. I am in charge of the human world by the decree of the Great Heavenly Venerable. It is only natural that you come to me for matters concerning the human world."

The Western Ghost Emperor laughed and said, "What the Divine Firmament Emperor says is true."

At that moment, thousands of auspicious clouds suddenly descended from the sky above the Great Brahma Realm, shimmering with light and golden clouds.

The next moment, Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu arrived before Zhuang Yan on auspicious clouds, and together they put their hands together and said, "Greetings, Divine Emperor Shenxiao."

The surrounding Buddhist immortals immediately knelt down, saying, "Welcome the three primordial ancestors."

The Western Ghost Emperor smiled as he looked at the three founders of the Brahma sect who had suddenly appeared, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Weren't you saying that the three founders were in seclusion and couldn't receive guests? Why have you suddenly come out of seclusion?"

Vishnu laughed and said, “We were in seclusion, and our servants dared not disturb us, so we were unaware of the arrival of the Ghost Emperor. Just now, when the Divine Emperor arrived, a great power shook the Great Brahma Realm, which is why we were awakened from our meditation and hurriedly came out to greet the two emperors.”

The demon king behind the Western Demon Emperor frowned instantly; Vishnu's words were clearly a sarcastic remark directed at the Western Demon Emperor.

It means that you are not worthy enough for us to come out and greet you; only someone like the Great Emperor Shenxiao would make us personally appear.

But the Western Ghost Emperor was not angry. He just smiled and said, "It seems that the Divine Firmament Emperor has a lot of influence after all."

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. You and I are both Heavenly Emperors, only our powers and responsibilities are different. There is no difference between us."

Zhuang Yan's words were an endorsement of the Western Ghost Emperor, telling the Brahma sect that no matter how little power or how weak the Western Ghost Emperor was, he was still the Emperor of the Heavenly Court, and not someone they could disregard.

Upon hearing this, the three primordial ancestors exchanged glances, and then Brahma took the initiative to speak, saying, "I have prepared a celestial banquet in the palace, and I would like to invite the two emperors to attend."

The Western Ghost Emperor directly refused, saying, "There's no need to attend the banquet. Parvati's soul has already been captured, and I need to return to report to the Emperor of Fengdu. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait, Ghost Emperor." Shiva stopped the Western Ghost Emperor and said with a smile, "Now that you have arrived in the Great Brahma Realm, you should at least allow us to show you some hospitality. How can you leave so easily?"

The Western Demon Emperor laughed and said, "Could it be that the Primordial Ancestor Shiva intends to detain me?"

Shiva said solemnly, "I had no such intention. I just wanted to invite the Ghost Emperor to have a meal, and I also have some heartfelt words to say."

The Western Demon Emperor said, "I know what heartfelt words you have to say, nothing more than deep affection between husband and wife, and wanting to leave some lingering memories. But the laws of heaven are here, and cannot be changed." Shiva nodded slightly and said, "Demon Emperor, you are wise. Parvati is indeed my wife, and I cannot bear to let her fall into the cycle of reincarnation like this. Since she has already been punished by the laws of heaven, why force her to suffer the torment of reincarnation when only her primordial spirit remains?"

The Western Ghost Emperor said, "In the world, apart from beings like you, the Primordial Ancestor, who transcend reincarnation, only the Ten Directions True Demons do not enter the cycle of reincarnation. This is the law of heaven and earth, and it will not change because of any one person."

Shiva asked, "Is there no exception? If Parvati's primordial lotus can be preserved, I am willing to pay a price."

Upon hearing this, the Western Ghost Emperor looked at Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said to the Western Ghost Emperor, "Fellow Daoist, please go and report to the Great Emperor of Fengdu. I will answer Fellow Daoist Shiva's questions."

The Western Demon Emperor said "Good," and Shiva no longer stopped him, allowing the Western Demon Emperor's chariot to leave the Brahma Realm.

After the Western Ghost Emperor left, Zhuang Yan pointed to the snow-capped mountain not far away and said, "Fellow Daoists, why don't you come with me for a walk on the snow-capped mountain?"

The three founding emperors put their palms together and said, "We will obey Your Majesty's decree."

The four then flew to the top of the snow-capped mountain, where they watched as the sun's rays shone down, reflecting a golden light off the white ice and snow and the cliffs.

At this moment, Vishnu asked Zhuangyan, "I've heard that the Divine Emperor has been traveling among mortals all these years?"

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "I am searching for my path."

Vishnu said, “The Divine Emperor is the supreme ruler of the human realm. Isn’t your path right here in this human realm? Why do you need to look for it?”

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan suddenly looked at Vishnu.

Vishnu clasped his hands and said, “These are merely my own words. If there is anything incorrect, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Zhuang Yan said with a smile. “As Confucius said, ‘Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.’”

Vishnu shook his head and laughed, "How dare I, how dare I, give any instruction to the Emperor on matters of the Dao."

"There's nothing I wouldn't dare to do," Zhuang Yan said. "Words are spoken by people; right is right, and wrong is wrong. We should adopt what is right and discard what is wrong."

At this point, Zhuang Yan stood still and said, "The Great Dao is right here between heaven and earth; why seek it in the human world?"

After saying this, Zhuang Yan said to Vishnu, "Fellow Daoist, your realm is quite profound."

Vishnu quickly declined, saying, "Not at all, Your Majesty is too kind."

Then Vishnu changed the subject and brought up Parvati's matter again, "May I ask, Your Majesty, now that Parvati's soul has entered the underworld, in which realm of reincarnation will she be cast?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Parvati has already been punished by the laws of heaven. Her karma has been settled and her sins have been absolved. If nothing unexpected happens, she should be on the path of goodness."

But Brahma said at this moment, "Although the Emperor says so, it is not necessarily the case that this will happen."

"Does Fellow Daoist Brahma have something to say?" Zhuang Yan asked.

Brahma nodded and then said, “Divine Emperor, the Buddhist sect and my Brahma sect are mortal enemies. Their Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is the Son of the Underworld. With him in the Underworld, how can Parvati enter the cycle of good reincarnation?”

"Hahaha." Zhuang Yan laughed loudly and said, "So this is what the three ancestors were worried about. You three fellow Daoists can rest assured that the Underworld is not ruled by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva alone."

At this point, Zhuang Yan explained the power structure of the underworld to the three of them: "The Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Northern Yin is the first chief god of the underworld. It was he who ordered the capture of Parvati's soul this time, so Fellow Daoist Shiva can rest assured."

Shiva, however, had doubts and asked, "If the underworld cannot act impartially, then what should be done?"

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "Those three fellow Daoists, just come and find me. As the Supreme Emperor of the Human Realm, everything in the mortal world is under my jurisdiction, whether it is Daoism, Buddhism, Xuanmen, Brahma, or even the Buddha and Demon, as long as they exist in the human world, they are under my jurisdiction."

"So you can come to me if you need anything, and I will treat you all the same," Zhuang Yan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the three breathed a sigh of relief, because they had had very little contact with the Heavenly Court before, making them feel like outsiders compared to the Buddhist sect.

Now that Zhuang Yan has said it himself, they have nothing to worry about.

Even Shiva's inner conflict was resolved at this moment, and he no longer had any doubts. When Brahma saw that the important matter was over, he invited Zhuang Yan to a banquet in the palace.

Zhuang Yan did not refuse and went to the celestial palace where Brahma was to attend the banquet.

Three days later, Zhuang Yan returned to Buzhou Mountain.

At this time, the Fire Spirit Immortal began to reward those who had contributed to the capture of the Three Holy Mothers, Murugan, and Parvati. All those who participated in the capture were rewarded with 50,000 purple coins, and Chi Ling, Ju Ling Shen, Bi Huo, Bi Zhen, and Tian Wu General were each rewarded with an additional 50,000 purple coins, for a total of 100,000.

Based on their previous achievements and this latest accomplishment, the Six Sages of Meishan were each promoted one rank in the Celestial Official system, from the seventh rank to the sixth rank, and were also rewarded with 50,000 purple coins.

In addition, Jiang Han, Ren Xiaoyao, Wuchenzi, Wang Lang, Gu Hanqing, Zhang Qiubai, Shen Buqun, Yue Botong, Zhu Youjian, Li Zhicheng, Zhang Xianzong and others were each awarded 80,000 purple coins, but because their merits were insufficient, they were not promoted in rank.

After the rewards were given, Zhuang Yan returned just in time, so everyone followed the Fire Spirit Immortal to pay their respects to Zhuang Yan and express their gratitude.

Afterwards, everyone took their leave, except for True Immortal Huo Ling, who remained and asked Zhuang Yan, "Your Majesty, now that you've returned, do you still intend to go down the mountain to travel?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Three days ago, when I met with the three founders of the Brahma sect, it was only after being reminded by my fellow Daoist Vishnu that I understood the essence of my path."

Fire Spirit Immortal's eyes lit up, and he quickly congratulated, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Zhuang Yan waved his hand and said, "Although I know where my Dao lies, I still need to prove it."

The Fire Spirit Immortal asked, "Then how does one attain enlightenment?"

Zhuang Yan smiled slightly, and with a gentle flip of his hand, a golden immortal script character appeared in his palm.

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "Isn't this Your Majesty's secret?"

“Exactly.” Zhuang Yan nodded, then raised his hand and tossed it gently. Instantly, the immortal characters transformed into billions of golden rays that flew out of Buzhou Mountain and scattered across the Three Realms and Heavens.

Zhuang Yan said, "I will travel throughout the Three Realms to prove my Great Dao. You will still be in charge of the affairs of the Jade Palace in the Mortal World. If there are any problems that cannot be resolved, you can come to me."

The Fire Spirit Immortal's expression turned solemn, and he bowed deeply, saying, "As you command."

Afterwards, True Immortal Huo Ling bid farewell to Zhuang Yan and left Lingtai Palace. Zhuang Yan then vanished from the main hall in a flash, returning to his Zhou Tian Abode. (End of Chapter)