I start by accepting Sun Wukong as my disciple and reshape the Journey to the West

Chapter 139 Mascot

The moment the void rift appeared, everyone was stunned, for they sensed an overwhelming surge of Yin virtue.

Whoosh whoosh!
Some wandering souls in the underworld rushed towards that storehouse of merit as if their lives depended on it.

"Kill!" King Qin Guang's voice was icy cold.

As soon as the echo faded, thousands of ghost kings rushed out from the Yama Palace. The vast underworld could not possibly imprison all the wandering souls. As long as they did not enter the Ghost City, some lowly and unworthy ghosts were always abandoned outside the Ghost City—forever free from reincarnation.

In the past, no one paid attention to these ghosts, but now that the Ten Kings of Hell are here, and Ye Xuantian is making moves for the journey to the west, these lowly creatures actually dare to try to get a share of the pie.

In an instant, the wails within the underworld grew even louder.

Those ghost kings have no emotions and will not hold back, since each ghost they devour is a great tonic for them.

These ghosts would never have appeared before. After all, even wandering ghosts wouldn't want to be lowered to another level. It would be too much trouble and thankless for the ghost kings to fill their stomachs with ghosts. But now that they have seen Yin De, they all come out at once.

The ghosts outside were dealt with by the Ghost King, so there was no need to say more. Just that the vault of gold and silver came straight at Ye Xuantian, as if someone had attacked in anger and with emotion.

Ye Xuantian didn't care. With a casual wave of his hand, the entire treasury of gold and silver was placed in front of the Tang King.

"I'm not very good at things like building a bridge to the soul through good deeds, so I'm afraid it will be a lot of trouble for the Ten Kings of Hell," Ye Xuantian said with a smile.

The ten Kings of Hell exchanged glances and bowed to Ye Xuantian, saying, "We will certainly not fail the Sage's trust."

Without further ado, the ten Kings of Hell donned their robes, and an immense pressure immediately spread outwards.

hum!
Upright, vast, and inviolable!
Even if the Ten Kings of Hell are weak, they still have the title of "King" in their names. Moreover, fierce ghosts are hard to tame. If they don't have some skills, how can they guard the underworld?

Then, ten people simultaneously formed hand seals, and wave after wave of energy fell upon the treasury of gold and silver. The vast golden light burst forth, directly breaking through the barrier of the underworld and reaching the Tang Dynasty palace, shining upon the Tang King's physical body.

"Please let King Tang return to life!" The Ten Kings of Hell spoke in unison. Now dressed in their official robes, their simultaneous speech terrified the vengeful spirits hidden around the beam of light.

"King Tang, I have only helped you borrow a treasury of merit. After you return to the world of the living, remember to return a large sum of money to a man named Xiang Liang. In addition, in the name of King Tang, select a pilgrim to receive a brocade cassock and a nine-ringed staff. In this way, the journey will not have been in vain."

"Alright! But before I return to the world of the living, there is something I would like to ask the Sage to enlighten me on." The Tang King stepped onto the Merit Bridge and looked at Ye Xuantian.

"Your Majesty, please ask whatever you wish!"

“I ask myself, as a secular emperor, I have violated the heavenly laws. Even if the soul within my physical body is strong, it is impossible for me to withstand nine heavenly lightning strikes without causing a shock to the fate of the nation. If that were the case, why would the human race be in such dire straits? So who is it that took the nine heavenly punishments for me? I can have a temple built for them to pray for their well-being.”

Upon hearing this, the Ten Kings of Hell looked at Tang King with disbelief, and finally their gazes fell on Ye Xuantian.

The Tang Emperor will perish today; this is written in the Book of Life and Death.

But as the Tang King said, the Nine Heavenly Punishments were ultimately too powerful. The Tang King did not have enough merit to resist them. His soul dissipated, but his physical body was not harmed at all. Not only that, the fate of the Tang Dynasty was not shaken in the slightest. Could there really be some secret that they did not know about?
Ye Xuantian looked at Li Shimin for a long time: "The Great Emperor of Zhongtian Ziwei once left behind a karmic debt, which was used to reduce his own cultivation and forcefully reincarnate you, just so that the Nine Heavenly Punishments would not harm the true body of the human emperor. It's just that he never awakened his memories."

Upon hearing Ye Xuantian's words, Li Shimin's lips twitched slightly: "I am just a mortal, I'm afraid I can't do as well as the Ziwei Emperor."

"What I left behind were your original twenty years of lofty ambitions and full of aspirations. In my calculations, you will not be a foolish ruler for ten thousand years. With the help of your twenty-four ministers, you will lead the Tang Dynasty to a new height."

"Does the sage really trust me that much?"

"History will prove everything. Your Majesty should return. This Merit Bridge won't last long, and we always have to leave some for the Kings of Hell."

"Yes, yes, it was my fault. In that case, Your Majesty, I'm leaving!"

After Li Shimin finished speaking, he bowed to the Ten Kings of Hell, then walked forward. In just three steps, his figure landed in front of his physical body. He glanced at the twenty-four ministers, his smile widening, before returning to his physical body.

The ten Kings of Hell immediately used their respective methods to cut the Bridge of Merit in half, taking the piece that belonged to them into their own pockets.

"Thank you saint!"

Supporting the Merit Bridge to send the Tang King back to life gave them the opportunity to participate in the Great Tribulation. This merit was a kind of tonic for the Ten Kings of Hell.

Ye Xuantian looked at the Jinghe Dragon King below the hall: "Are you satisfied now that you've used the fate of your nation to attack the Bodhisattva?"

"Satisfied!" the Jinghe Dragon King replied readily.

The Jinghe Dragon King had no choice from the moment he faced the Bodhisattva. He tried to make a move several times, but he never had a chance to resist. However, Ye Xuantian gave him a chance to clear his name, not to mention that he ruined the Bodhisattva's plan and even connected him with the fate of the Tang Dynasty.

Such a good thing was something the Dragon King of the Jing River would never have dared to dream of before.

As for the Jinghe aquatic tribes and his own son, he no longer sought them, because he clearly saw that as long as Guanyin Bodhisattva was acting under the guise of Buddhism, he had no possibility of revenge.

"But I'm not satisfied, after all, I didn't keep my promise to you."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of the Jing River immediately knelt down: "Ao Hui dares not ask for anything else; Ao Hui is truly satisfied."

Ye Xuantian ignored him and said to himself, "I actually really wanted your son to die, and then use that as an excuse to attack Guanyin, but after thinking it over, it seems a bit unworthy, so I'll let you father and son reunite!"

The Dragon King of the Jing River hurriedly said, "It is a gift from the Sage, and Ao Hui dares not refuse. My father and I are now separated by death..."

Ok?
The Jinghe Dragon King was stunned. He looked at Ye Xuantian above and slapped himself hard.

It hurts! It really does!

"Sage, you say that we, father and son, can be reunited?"

"Shuo'er!"

Dongfang Shuo immediately stepped forward, and a luminous pearl appeared in his hand, inside which a crocodile dragon was sleeping. Who else could it be but Tuo Jie?
Dongfang Shuo threw the luminous pearl into the air.

Roar!
A dragon's roar suddenly rang out, and Tuo Jie awoke from the luminous pearl, transforming into human form and landing in front of Ao Hui, the Dragon King of the Jing River.

"Father!"

Tuo Jie hugged Ao Hui directly.

Ao Hui remained in a daze for a long time, and then, with tears streaming down his face, he hugged Tuo Jie tightly.

"Thank you saint!"

The father and son exchanged pleasantries, but they were both kneeling below, their eyes burning with barely concealed fervor. If Ye Xuantian had asked them to die at this moment, they probably wouldn't have hesitated for a second.

"Ao Hui, as my mount, it wouldn't be right to give you no reward at all. Tuolong, from this day forward, you shall go to the Blackwater River, kill the Blackwater River God, seize the mansion, and await the pilgrims. You will then be given instructions."

"I obey the decree!" Tuo Jie did not hesitate at all. After all, he had always been carried by Dongfang Shuo in the form of a luminous pearl, and he had clearly seen what Ye Xuantian had done.

"Thank you, Sage! Thank you, Sage!" Ao Hui kept thanking him. In his heart, he truly believed that his son was dead beyond any doubt.

Unexpectedly, not only did he and his son survive, but he also became Ye Xuantian's mount, and his good-for-nothing son might even become a pawn in the Great Tribulation. It was truly a blessing in disguise.

"The Ten Kings of Hell!"

"Your Majesty, we are here!" the Ten Kings of Hell answered in unison. "You have all witnessed what happened today! Now that you have entered the Great Tribulation, you should cultivate diligently in the future to await my command!"

"Yes!"

With the Ten Kings of Hell responding, it also meant that the first move by Guanyin Bodhisattva and Ye Xuantian had come to a complete end.

Two flowers bloom, each telling its own story. After the Tang Emperor was brought back to life, he finally awoke, and his twenty-four ministers immediately surrounded him.

"Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! You're awake!"

The cacophony of voices made the already confused King Tang's head feel like it was about to explode.

"Quiet, everyone!"

A strong, resonant voice rang out from within the palace, and everyone finally quieted down.

Outside the bedroom, Li Chengqian, who was sitting on the steps half asleep, was startled and immediately got up.

"Father's awake? I want to go in and see!"

He was about to go inside when Empress Zhangsun stopped him, saying, "Go on, someone else will convey your concern for you. You haven't slept for three days, you should go back and get some rest."

Li Chengqian glanced at the Changsun Palace, then at the tightly closed doors of the sleeping quarters, and finally followed Empress Changsun away amidst the lively commotion inside.

The other princes and concubines breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and dispersed.

After all, the Crown Prince and Empress Zhangsun were incredibly resilient; they had stayed here for the past three days without saying a word about going back, which prevented the Crown Prince and Empress Zhangsun from leaving as well.

On the way back, Li Chengqian sobbed softly. Empress Zhangsun, who was holding Li Chengqian's hand, did not stop to comfort him, but only said softly, "Are you upset that your mother did not let you go in to see your father?"

"No, I know what Mother is thinking. The twenty-four ministers are loyal and devoted. Father has not woken up for three days, but there seems to be no change in the court. This means that the twenty-four ministers have already completely taken control of the court. Now that Father has woken up, he must be focused on the affairs of the court and cannot care about our pretense."

Empress Zhangsun then stopped, bent down, cupped Li Chengqian's face in her hands, and gently wiped away the tears: "If that's the case, then why are you crying!"

“I am crying. Even if Father Emperor dies, this throne will not be mine! From now on, I can only play the fool and must not have any imperial ambitions.”

Empress Zhangsun's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this, then she scoffed, "Indeed, my son, how could he be a fool? You see things clearly!"

Empress Zhangsun took Li Chengqian's hand again and walked forward: "Then do you think it's stupid to pretend to be stupid? Or do you hate it?"

"No!" Li Chengqian's answer was still straightforward, even more so than before.

"Why?" Empress Zhangsun was slightly surprised; her son had truly given her a pleasant surprise today.

"Because I know that Mother Empress dislikes factional strife. You have said these things to my uncle many times. Although I am young, I heard it clearly. Mother Empress loves Father Emperor very much, so she hopes that the Tang Dynasty will last a long time."

Li Chengqian spoke these words very quickly, as if these thoughts had been brewing in his mind for a long time.

"That's right, so you did this to make Mother happy?" Empress Zhangsun was slightly moved.

"That's not it!"

"Ok?"

“I am doing this for my own happiness. I love Father Emperor. I don’t like to pretend to be smart in front of Father Emperor. It’s exhausting. I wish I could be like an ordinary prince and run into Father Emperor’s arms. Now I can finally do that. I am doing this for my own happiness.”

“But you have always been clever. If you suddenly pretend to be stupid, your father will see through it.”

"Wouldn't it be better if Father Emperor saw it? Because Father Emperor would think I'm smarter and more pragmatic!"

"You must never say these things to the other princes, understand?"

"No, I want to speak!"

"why?"

"Because I'm afraid they won't understand that as long as the twenty-four ministers are in power, the empire won't collapse. Whoever rises to power will just be a puppet. So don't be foolish enough to drug me and poison me!"

"You brat, if your father hears these words, you're finished!"

"I'm not afraid, because I have my mother!"

"You brat, when you pass messages to them, remember to be subtle, or let your mother speak to the concubines."

"There's no need for Mother to convey this message. If Mother does, they'll just think Mother is teasing them. My brothers and sisters may be a bit dim-witted, but they still have Father's blood, so they should be more discerning. Let me do it."

"It's up to you!"

……

"Wei Zheng, how long have I been unconscious?"

"Your Majesty, it has been three days!"

"The court now..."

Li Shimin had only uttered four words before he withdrew them.

"You are all very good! If I really die in the future, you must also be just as decisive, quickly take control of the court, support a puppet to the throne, and ensure that my Great Tang will prosper forever."

The twenty-four ministers all knelt down. Li Shimin thought they would apologize and plead guilty, but to his surprise, they all responded, "We obey Your Majesty's decree!"

Whoohoo!
Li Shimin gasped for breath, thinking how wonderful and obedient his ministers were.

"Although I know my princes are incompetent, Chengqian is still quite good!"

Changsun Wuji immediately raised his head: "Your Majesty, rest assured, if Your Majesty were to perish, I would be the first to support Chengqian to ascend the throne!"

"you……"

Li Shimin was truly furious, as this was somewhat different from what he had expected. However, he quickly felt relieved, knowing that the more honest they were now, the more united the twenty-four of them were.

As long as this remains unchanged, the Tang Dynasty will eventually elect a new emperor at minimal cost.

"Enough of this. Immediately send out a notice to find a man named Sagara and summon him to see me!"

"What does Your Majesty want with this person?"

"Let him come to the palace and be a mascot!"

(End of this chapter)