I am a fairy in Journey to the West

After Zhuang Yan brought Huang Zhoujun down to the mortal realm, he returned directly to the Dust Realm Jade Palace on Mount Buzhou.

At this moment, Lord Huang Zhou was dressed in plain clothes. Although he appeared calm on the surface, the desolation in his eyes was hard to hide.

After all, he had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, accumulated countless merits, and then gradually ascended to the throne of the Western Mountain Emperor.

Now that he has been suddenly stripped of his imperial throne, although he is still a first-rank celestial official, he has ultimately gone from being an 'emperor' to a 'celestial official,' and it is no exaggeration to describe the difference between being in the clouds and mud and being in the mud.

"What are you thinking about, fellow Daoist?" Zhuang Yan asked Huang Zhoujun.

Huang Zhoujun gave a bitter smile and said, "For millions of years, we have soared to the heavens, only to fall into the mud in a single day. I thought the division of the country into five emperors was the beginning, but I never expected it to be the end."

"So, fellow Daoist, you're lamenting your own imperial throne," Zhuang Yan said with a smile.

Huang Zhoujun's expression stiffened for a moment, then he looked at Zhuang Yan with surprise, and said after a moment: "Shouldn't we feel sorry for him? I ask you, Great Emperor Shenxiao, if one day your throne is stripped away, can you still be so calm and composed?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I may not be able to answer your questions about other things, but I can give you a definite answer to this one. Even if I am stripped of my throne one day, I can still remain just as calm and collected."

"Why?" Huang Zhoujun asked.

Zhuang Yan said, "Because this position of the Divine Emperor is just an embellishment for me. I don't need to use the title of the Heavenly Emperor to show off myself. Before I became an emperor, which of those Dao Lords and Buddhas didn't treat me with utmost respect? Even if I leave the Heavenly Court, I, Zhuang Yan, still have my own place in this Three Realms."

Huang Zhoujun was speechless for a moment, and after a long pause, he could only sigh and say, "That is indeed true."

Seeing Huang Zhoujun's dejected expression, Zhuang Yan smiled and suddenly pointed ahead, saying, "Look at that!"

Huang Zhoujun raised his head and looked in the direction Zhuang Yan pointed. There, purple mist rose into the sky, and celestial light shone. A moment later, a magnificent and majestic celestial palace appeared before Huang Zhoujun's eyes.

Huang Zhoujun looked closely and saw that the plaque of the celestial palace had seven large characters written on it: "Western Extreme Primordial Heavenly Lord's Palace".

"This is..." Huang Zhoujun looked at Zhuang Yan in astonishment.

Zhuang Yan said, "This will be your future divine abode. You will oversee the affairs of the Western Mountain Divine Abode and the Western Niuhe Continent, and will be responsible only to the Chenhuan Jade Palace."

Huang Zhoujun frowned, and after a moment he suddenly understood that Zhuang Yan was going to directly govern the Western Yue Divine Palace and Xiniu Hezhou.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Zhuang Yan couldn't help but smile and ask, "What's wrong? Is there something amiss?"

"No." Huang Zhoujun shook his head, then slightly roused himself and cupped his hands towards Zhuang Yan, saying, "Thank you for your trust, Emperor Shenxiao. Your subject accepts the decree."

Zhuang Yan smiled slightly and said to Huang Zhoujun, "If you're not used to it, then in the future, just call me 'I' and don't call me 'your subject' anymore."

As someone who had served as the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain for millions of years, Huang Zhoujun, despite feeling extremely disappointed at the moment, was still able to quickly regain his composure. "Your Majesty is too kind. I will get used to it."

At this point, Huang Zhoujun bowed to Zhuang Yan again to express his gratitude, saying, "If it weren't for His Majesty Shenxiao this time, let alone becoming a first-rank celestial official, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have been able to save my life. I will never forget your life-saving grace and will definitely repay you in the future."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "If you can do a good job as the Western Heavenly Lord, that will be the greatest reward for me. So, you can go back to the Western Mountain Divine Palace now and bring your wife and the people and things you need to bring to Buzhou Mountain. I will have Minister Zhi Du take charge of the affairs of the Western Mountain Divine Palace on your behalf."

Huang Zhoujun bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Afterwards, Lord Huangzhou bid farewell to Zhuang Yan and returned to Xiniu Hezhou. When he returned to Mount Hua in the west, he found that his wife, Lady Suming, was anxiously waiting outside the mountain gate.

Now that he is no longer the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain, Empress Suming is naturally no longer the Empress.

As Huang Zhoujun landed, Lady Suming rushed to greet the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain. She carefully examined him and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that he was unharmed. She then hurriedly asked, "Husband, what happened?" The people around them also quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Huang Zhoujun said expressionlessly, "Get up. You no longer need to worship me. Soon, a decree will be issued from the Heavenly Court. I am no longer the Great Emperor of the Western Peak."

The news shocked those around them, who stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.

Lady Suming asked with a look of astonishment, "What exactly happened?"

Huang Zhoujun sighed and said, "Madam, this is not the place to talk. Let's go back to the palace to talk."

"Alright." Lady Suming frowned, turned around and followed Lord Huangzhou back to the Divine Palace.

Just before Huang Zhoujun returned to the Western Mountain Divine Palace, Zhuang Yan had already arrived at the Aoyun Palace on Yunlan Mountain and summoned the Fire Spirit True Immortal and other celestial officials and gods.

Zhuang Yan told everyone what had happened in the sky, and finally said, "Huang Zhoujun has been stripped of his title as the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain and demoted to a first-rank celestial official, but fortunately his life has been spared."

After hearing all this, Hua Yue Erlang stood there blankly, unsure whether to feel sad or happy.

At this moment, he also felt a huge sense of loss. He was originally the crown prince of the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain, the Second Son of Huayue, but now he has lost that most noble identity and is left with only the title of 'Marquis Jinming' and the status of 'Fifth-Rank Celestial Official' in the Heavenly Court.

Zhi Du was equally shocked and disappointed. He had been promoted by Huang Zhou Jun, but now that Huang Zhou Jun had been stripped of his throne, the new Emperor of Xi Yue might not continue to employ him.

However, he still holds the title of a fifth-rank celestial official. Even if the new Great Emperor of the Western Mountain doesn't need him, he will at most be given a sinecure.

At this moment, Zhuang Yan said, "Minister Zhidu, Lord Huangzhou has relinquished his duties as the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain, and the new Great Emperor of the Western Mountain has not yet taken office. You should go back now and temporarily take charge of all affairs of the Western Mountain Divine Palace."

Upon hearing this, Zhi Du realized that this was an opportunity, so he quickly bowed and accepted the order, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Afterwards, Zhi Du bid farewell to Zhuang Yan, left Aoyun Palace, and returned to the Western Mountain Divine Palace.

Then Zhuang Yan looked at Hua Yue Erlang and said, "I have already opened a divine palace for Huang Zhoujun on Buzhou Mountain. He and his wife will be moving to Buzhou Mountain soon. What are your plans now?"

Upon hearing Zhuang Yan's words, Hua Yue Erlang quickly said, "Divine Emperor Shenxiao, I want to go back and spend some time with my father."

"Alright." Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "Keep your generals under your command. I grant you leave to go back and visit your parents. As for your reward, it will be delivered to you directly later."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yue Erlang was extremely grateful and said, "Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty."

Subsequently, Hua Yue Erlang also bid farewell to Zhuang Yan and left. Shortly after Hua Yue Erlang left, the Heavenly Court finally issued an edict stripping Huang Zhoujun of his position as the Great Emperor of the Western Peak.

For a moment, all the gods in the Yama-fu Great World were shocked. Even a figure like the Five Sacred Mountains Emperor had been stripped of his title as emperor.

The other four Great Emperors were especially shocked and began to inquire about the situation from the heavens. After learning the full story, they could only feel sorry for Huang Zhoujun, who had been completely tricked by his daughter.

However, this time it actually strengthened Zhuang Yan's authority, because soon everyone knew that if it weren't for Zhuang Yan, Huang Zhou Jun might not even have been able to save his life.

The people of the Jade Palace in the Mortal Realm were also somewhat saddened by this matter, after all, it was the first time they had ever witnessed an emperor being stripped of his throne.

With the matter of Lord Huangzhou settled, Zhuang Yan continued to oversee the suppression of rebellious remnants throughout Xiniu Hezhou, and the rewards for those who had contributed to the effort also began. (End of Chapter)