Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 330 The Netherworld Summons the Monkey King, the Patriarch Sees the Future

Meanwhile, the Monkey King, after obtaining the divine weapon, became even more powerful, subduing seventy-two demon caves and becoming an unparalleled force, reigning supreme in the region.

However, the monkey had no ambition whatsoever. After entrusting all sorts of trivial matters to the four old monkeys, he began to enjoy himself, traveling to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening, visiting heroes from all directions, making friends with all sorts of people, and relying on the fighting and winning techniques, he learned boundless supernatural powers.

On this day, the Monkey King hosted a banquet for his six sworn brothers. A variety of feasts were laid out, with toasts and drinks flowing freely, creating a very relaxed atmosphere.

Just as they were enjoying themselves after several rounds of drinks, the Bull Demon King said, "Brother, with your great abilities and supernatural powers, you are among the most powerful in the Three Realms. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

Wukong, who was in a drunken stupor, laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "My master is indeed extraordinary, but he lives in seclusion in the mountains, and you may not have heard of his name."

“Good brother, please speak freely. Let us little demons broaden our horizons,” said the dragon-headed demon king, playing the straight man.

"I am a disciple of the initial peak of Mount Taiyi," the Monkey King proudly declared.

Upon hearing this, the many demon kings looked at each other, unable to recall any sacred land in the Three Realms called Mount Taiyi.

"Too easy? Initial?"

A myriad of thoughts flickered in the mind of the Bull King.

His ancestral home was in Xiniuhezhou, so he had naturally heard of it.

For a time, there were rumors in Xiniu Hezhou about the Taiyi Holy Land, where people and demons from all directions could hear the Dao upon entering the mountain. However, these were just rumors, and no one had ever actually entered it.

"Could this Taiyi Mountain's Initial Peak be the Daoist temple of the Great Emperor Hongmeng Juntian, the First Heavenly Venerable of Salvation, and the Patriarch Taiyi Qingwei?"

The more the Bull King thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. The names of the dojos of great supernatural beings were not chosen arbitrarily; there were inherent causes and consequences behind them.

“My dear brother, you are born into a prestigious family and possess great supernatural powers. How many people in the three realms and worlds can surpass you? Living in seclusion in the mountains and caves is a waste of your talents. In my opinion, you should be honored as the ancestor of the Dao, or establish a Daoist temple, or ascend to heaven to become an emperor. Only in this way can your talents not be buried.”

“That makes sense, that makes sense. Elder brother is absolutely right. With Seventh Brother’s abilities, he shouldn’t be like this.”

"Wonderful, wonderful! If Seventh Brother were to become some kind of Emperor or Celestial Venerable, and give us some Star Lords or True Lords as well, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Hahaha, absolutely right."

"..."

The demon kings toasted and praised the monkey.

The monkey's eyes flickered slightly, and its heart pounded. It was as if the two gods were causing trouble, stirring up its desires.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the Monkey King sent his men to escort the demon kings back home, and then returned to his Water Curtain Cave to rest.

After finishing his work, the Monkey King leaned against the pine tree shade by the iron bridge and felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and he fell asleep in no time.

Before anyone knew when, two figures appeared. They suddenly materialized, holding a document in their hands with the three characters "Sun Wukong" written on it. It turned out to be two assassins.

"Inspired by the official document, it really is Sun Wukong; I'll put the rope around it."

"It's good that they're asleep. Evil spirits are often very capable, and it would be troublesome if they resisted. This way, it's much easier."

After saying this, the two chanted incantations, and the rules of the underworld transformed into a snare that snatched away Sun Wukong's soul, leading him to the underworld.

Good monkey, born of heaven and earth, is a spiritual embryo from birth. Without subduing the five hearts, it directly becomes a holy embryo. Therefore, the holy embryo is flawed and cannot resist the rules of the underworld. It was thus captured and taken away.

After an unknown amount of time, the monkey finally came to his senses. As soon as he looked up, he saw a city wall with an iron plaque on it that read three large characters: Netherworld.

"How did I get here? Who are you two?" The Monkey King looked warily at the two men who had taken the lives of the dead.

"Sun Wukong, your lifespan has come to an end. We two have come with orders and approvals to arrest you."

Upon hearing this, Wukong flew into a rage and said, "I was born with a holy embryo, bestowed with immeasurable magic, and attained great supernatural powers. Who in heaven and on earth dares to disrespect me? How dare you capture me?"

As they were speaking, the seductive chains were actually shattered by the monkey.

This situation terrified the two assassins, turning them deathly pale.

How could any being of the soul class possibly have the ability to shatter the soul-snatching chains?
He must be a person of great supernatural powers.

Oh no! Oh no! A person with great supernatural powers has ten thousand paths at their side, how could they possibly be moved? There must be two reasons why they could be moved to death without anyone knowing.

Enraged, the Monkey King pulled a treasure from his ear, which swayed back and forth to the size of a bowl. With a slight movement, he smashed the two dead men into mincemeat.

That's all. But the monkey, with its wild and unruly nature, grabbed its magic staff and was about to storm into the City of the Unjustly Dead to find the King of Hell.

And at this very moment, in this underworld, at the foot of the Yin Mountain of Hell, in the sacred site of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha, you are indeed a great sage under the Buddha of the First Venerable One, and you are well-versed in the principles of Zen. This humble monk is far inferior to you."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva clasped his hands together, filled with admiration and emotion, and bowed to the middle-aged Taoist priest before him.

The middle-aged Taoist priest quickly returned the greeting, saying, "I have not yet attained enlightenment, so I dare not presume to call myself a True Person."

Just then, a young novice monk rushed into the hall, shouting, "Bodhisattva, oh no! Oh no! Please leave immediately! A powerful demon is coming to sweep through the underworld!"

"Oh, who is this great master?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva frowned slightly, opened his Dharma Eye to observe, but saw only a blur, the cause and effect obscured. He clearly saw the cause and effect of the great virtuous man, and his expression became solemn.

"There is indeed trouble. In that case, I would be grateful if you would accompany me to avoid this place for a while."

Then the real man waved his hand and said, "Is the one who comes a monkey?"

The young novice was filled with doubt and quickly said, "Just as the Venerable One said, it is indeed a monkey."

"Our patriarch is truly a master of foresight. This matter is surely the karma of the Taiyi Sect. Please allow me to make the trip," the True Man said with a shake of his head and a smile.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, unaware of the reason, advised, "True man, do not be careless. That monkey is extraordinary, possessing great supernatural powers, and none of the ten directions of the underworld can subdue him. It would be better to invite the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Goddess, to carry out his decree."

He is the one who follows the example of Heaven and the Earth Goddess, one of the Four Emperors, and is of the Great Virtue of Primordial Chaos.

"No problem. Since he is my junior brother, he will surely be able to subdue him with the help of the Ancestral Master."

As they spoke, the immortal took out a white jade ruyi from his sleeve. It was shimmering with spiritual light, and all paths were dispersed. It was obviously extraordinary.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to trouble you, Master."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva bowed in reverence, while the young novice monk beside him quickly guided the immortal toward the main hall of the underworld.

The main hall was in complete chaos, with books of life and death scattered haphazardly on the ground. Countless underworld ghosts and gods trembled in fear, while the Ten Directions Underworld Emperors were being ridden by a monkey.

"You're wrong, you're wrong! I want the Book of Life and Death of the Monkeys! Are you trying to play a trick on me, Old Sun? Take this blow from my staff!"

The arrogant monkey searched through several books of life and death but could not find its name. Enraged, it pulled the treasure from its ear and was about to strike, terrifying all the ghosts and gods in the ten directions.

Although I've never seen that precious stick before, it's inscribed with dragon and phoenix patterns, surrounded by the Daoist aura of the Supreme Purity, and imbued with the merits of the Human Emperor. It's undoubtedly a priceless treasure, and if one were to be struck by it, the outcome would be uncertain.

"Wukong, stop your insolence!"

A majestic voice echoed out, startling the monkey so much that its expression changed drastically.

Is that the eldest brother's voice?

"Impossible! How could Senior Brother be in the Underworld?" The monkey quickly looked in the direction of the voice and saw Senior Brother in a Taoist robe walking over with a fawning smile on his face: "Senior Brother, what are you doing here? Could it be that you've lured these scoundrels here too?"

The master, with a stern face, said seriously, "I have come on my master's orders. Your actions have surely caused trouble and have indeed disturbed the underworld. You shall return to the mountain with me to be punished."

The Monkey King quickly said, "Elder Brother, this is not my fault. Please listen to what I have to say."

As he spoke, the monkey quickly explained the whole story.

"How can you say I've reached the end of my lifespan? I'm clearly still alive, yet they want to take me away. Since when can they take away the living instead of the dead? Shouldn't they be killed?"

As the Monkey King spoke, he glared fiercely at the Yin Emperors, terrifying them so much that their legs went weak.

"In that case, the dead man was killed, but you should never have done that you violated the Book of Life and Death and disturbed the cycle of reincarnation of all beings in the Three Realms. This is a great sin."

"If the underworld is in chaos, the whole world will be in chaos. Countless people will be harmed because of your recklessness. You should quickly submit to the law and come back to the mountain with me to be punished."

Upon hearing this, the Monkey King's gaze toward his eldest brother turned hostile: "Eldest brother, you're helping an outsider instead of me. I will never return to the mountain to be punished. Anyway, the Patriarch has already sent me down the mountain and won't let me go back."

"He truly deserves to be beaten; he should be whipped a hundred times!"

The immortal held the jade ruyi, which transformed into a whip, and immediately struck the Monkey King, causing the Monkey King's three spirits to leap wildly and smoke to billow from his seven orifices.

"You can't tell right from wrong, what kind of senior brother are you? Take this from me, Old Sun!"

The Monkey King swung his cudgel and struck, but then the real man lashed out with a whip made of jade ruyi, which sent the golden cudgel flying from his hand with tremendous force, sending the monkey flying backward.

“Someone like you deserves two hundred lashes.”

With a snap, the whip, carrying immense force, struck the monkey, causing him to writhe on the ground in agony and howl in pain.

"Senior brother, please don't fight! I'll leave right now, I'll leave right now."

The Monkey King was in great pain and begged for mercy, but the immortal was unmoved and continued to whip him.

After being whipped twice, the monkey could no longer bear it. Its primordial spirit became clouded, and its sacred embryo soared into the sky. It quickly leaped away in golden light.

However, the monkey-beating whip in the hands of that immortal was transformed from a jade ruyi, and it was unreasonable. If he said he would whip the monkey two hundred times, he would whip him two hundred times. Even if the monkey ran to the ends of the earth, he could not escape this beating.

A moment later, the monkey ran back to Flower Fruit Mountain, and the whip, across the vast emptiness, lashed his buttocks. He was in so much pain he could barely stand on his hands and knees, his ears and face flushed red, and his whole body felt weak.

"It hurts so much, it hurts so much!"

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, the monkey jumped and leaped about, its buttocks turning bright red from the two hundred lashes, a redness that would never fade.

"Senior Brother's whip is so powerful. It must have been bestowed by the Ancestral Master and is specially made to whip me. I must never provoke Senior Brother again."

The monkey covered its bottom and it took a long time to come to its senses.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you alright?"

The four old monkeys looked anxiously at their king, who had just fallen asleep and slept for a whole day. He had just woken up and was jumping around, clutching his bottom and shouting that it hurt terribly.

The Monkey King, still shaken, said, "I wasn't asleep at all; my soul was clearly stolen by that soul-stealing man. You don't know what happened, so let me tell you..."

The Monkey King recounted all the causes and effects of his trip to the underworld to the four old monkeys.

"Your Majesty's supernatural powers are as high as the heavens. Is your eldest brother even higher than the heavens?"

The four old monkeys were puzzled. The king had previously said that he had already comprehended the ultimate Dao and there was no more Dao to comprehend. How could anyone be stronger than the king?

"My senior brother is a virtuous man, but his supernatural powers are not very good, quite ordinary. However, he has a powerful treasure in his hand, which is quite unreasonable. It turns into a whip and makes my buttocks hurt a lot. I guess the patriarch specially gave it to him to beat me."

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Now, the Dharma Master, carrying the decree of his patriarch, discussed the Dao with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for three years, and then rode on a cloud, leisurely heading towards the Taiyi Grotto Heaven.

Half a month later, the True Man returned to Taiyi Cave, respectfully presented the jade ruyi, and bowed to Zhou Cheng.

The Dharma Master respectfully presented the jade ruyi: "Disciple has completed his mission, returned to the ancestral master's decree, and requests that the treasure be returned to the mountain."

On the cloud platform, Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "Indeed, you are upright and impartial, and possess great virtue. Treasures belong to those with virtue, so let this Ruyi be your guardian treasure."

This jade ruyi is extraordinary. Holding this treasure allows one to borrow a wisp of boundless power, thus surpassing all paths.

As the monkey had previously stated, this beating was unreasonable.

This is not an exaggeration, but a fact.

The infinite power is above reason, and therefore naturally does not follow reason.

If an ordinary person were to obtain such a treasure, their words would be harmonious, but they would surely cause harm. Therefore, only the most virtuous and wise can possess it.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this treasure. Your disciple bows deeply, bows again and again!"

"Enter the ranks and hear my teachings."

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Cheng then masterfully expounded the Three Vehicles of Buddhism, uttering five thousand words.

Two hours later, the sermon ended.

Inside the pavilion in the woods, Zhou Cheng's figure appeared.

Taiwei Hua sat cross-legged, performing the ritual of intercourse to create the Great Elixir, while Yu Yun diligently protected him from the side, illuminating all directions.

Upon seeing Zhou Cheng return, Yu Yun said, "I saw a glimpse of the future: the monkey is being instigated to fight his way to heaven."

Zhou Cheng shook his head: "The monkey's temperament is fickle. I'll whip him two hundred times so he'll suffer less in the future."

“You seem to really like this monkey. Apart from that child from back then, I’ve never seen you care about others so much.”

Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "After all, I grew up reading stories about monkeys, so naturally I don't want the monkeys to suffer too much in the future."

"How is the matter with Moro?" Yu Yun asked Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng looked towards Mount Ling, then withdrew his gaze: "Buddha has already sensed that Mara has invaded his heart and wants to perform the Nirvana Dharma, wanting to perish together with Mara, but he is worried about the Venerable Ones of the Western Paradise."

Yu Yun was taken aback and said, "As expected of the Buddha."

"If the mind is burdened with worries, Mara will surely take advantage of the situation, and in the end, the Great Annihilation will not be achieved."

Zhou Cheng saw the future and knew that the Buddha had not achieved Great Nirvana, but only Small Nirvana, and was thus forced into Nirvana.

"Why don't you remind the Buddha, my husband?" Yu Yun suggested.

Zhou Cheng nodded: "No rush. I will explain things to the Buddha at the Ullambana Festival. However, this is ultimately my tribulation, and even if the Buddha were to avert it, it would be useless."

Yu Yun still said, "We might as well give it a try; there's no harm in losing anything."

(End of this chapter)