Simultaneous travel: all abstract fun people

Chapter 180 The Gray Fog Hall, The Arrival of the Newcomer

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, the aroma of wine filled the air. Sun Wukong and his six brothers sat together, toasting and laughing.

Suddenly, a little demon rushed into the cave and shouted, "Your Majesty, Venus is here again!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Let him in."

After saying this, he continued drinking with his six brothers as if nothing had happened.

Before long, Venus, holding a decree, entered the cave.

Looking up, one sees Sun Wukong sitting high in the main seat, with his six brothers on either side, each with a different expression, some bold and heroic, others carefree and unrestrained.

Venus stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Great Sage, this old man has come to bother you again."

Sun Wukong put down his wine cup and said with a half-smile, "Old man, what brings you here today?"

"Could it be that the Jade Emperor is about to mobilize a large force to capture me, Old Sun?"

Venus smiled slightly and said, "Great Sage, you flatter me. I have come here today with His Majesty's bestowal of honors."

"His Majesty, mindful of the Great Sage's great supernatural powers and far-reaching fame, has specially bestowed upon the Great Sage the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and has him reside in the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain, commanding 100,000 demons and monsters throughout the four seas and eight wastelands. He has also ordered the Great Sage to establish his own government and headquarters, and all his brothers have also been granted titles and rewards."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes, but he quickly reverted to his usual nonchalant demeanor, pursing his lips and saying:

"Oh? Is that really true? Then read out the decree. I, Old Sun, want to hear what kind of rewards the Jade Emperor has bestowed."

Having said that, he crossed his legs, leaned back, and showed no intention of getting up to receive the imperial decree.

Venus had anticipated this, and was not angry. He simply shook his head slightly, unfolded the decree in his hand, and read it aloud.

These are all rewards bestowed by the Jade Emperor upon Sun Wukong and his six brothers, revealing a combination of kindness and severity in his words.

After reading it aloud, Venus presented the gifts of immortal wine, elixirs, and brocade.

Upon hearing the decree, Sun Wukong nodded and casually thanked the emperor, saying, "Very well, for the sake of the Jade Emperor's sincerity, I, Old Sun, will accept this reward for now."

Having said that, he took the imperial edict, tossed it aside, picked up a jar of celestial wine, and took a large gulp.

The six brothers were overjoyed to hear that they would also receive a reward, and they all stood up to thank Venus.

The Bull Demon King patted his chest and said, "Haha, I never expected the Jade Emperor to give us such benefits. We will have a day to serve the Heavenly Court."

The other five brothers echoed their sentiments.

The atmosphere inside the cave became lively for a time.

Seeing Sun Wukong accept the reward, Venus felt a great weight lifted from his heart, knowing that the attempt to recruit him had been successful.

But remembering the group of immortals and gods imprisoned in Sun Wukong's palm, he couldn't help but show a troubled expression, and cupped his hands to Sun Wukong, saying:

"Great Sage, I beg you to show mercy to those celestial officials you have captured and spare their lives so that I may take them back to Heaven to report."

Sun Wukong glanced at Taibai Jinxing, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said slowly, "Old man, you certainly know how to pick your moments to speak."

"Wouldn't it be too easy on them to just let them go like this?"

Taibai Jinxing quickly bowed again and said with a smile, "Great Sage, you are all-powerful. Those celestial officials were just following orders and may have offended you. I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against them."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Alright, alright, for your sake, I, Old Sun, will let them go this time."

Having said that, he raised his hand and unleashed his divine power, causing the captured immortals and gods to fall to the ground.

For a moment, another commotion broke out inside the Water Curtain Cave.

The immortals and gods were still in shock, but they dared not act rashly. Under the call of Venus, they slunk away.

After Taibai Jinxing and the others left, Sun Wukong couldn't wait to talk to Roger:

"Old monkey, you see? This offer of amnesty has actually worked."

"I, Old Sun, am now the real Great Sage Equal to Heaven!" Sun Wukong said with great pride.

Roger's voice came through: "Good, it's done."

"Now that you have achieved enlightenment, you must be more restrained in your actions from now on, and refrain from causing trouble again."

"The Heavenly Court has a deep foundation; if it really wants to be ruthless, it is not without means to suppress you."

Although Sun Wukong was always arrogant, he now understood that Roger's words were true. He scratched his head and said, "Alright, I'll remember this."

"Now that I've received the title of Great Sage Equaling Heaven and been granted titles to a group of brothers, it's a great honor for me, Old Sun. So I'll keep a low profile."

Having said that, Sun Wukong stood up, looked at Flower Fruit Mountain outside the cave, and felt a surge of joy.

Roger's thoughts began to churn.

Seeing Sun Wukong being bestowed the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, although he had expected it, he was secretly relieved that the situation had not gotten out of control.

However, when Roger heard that Sun Wukong had gained the power to rule over 100,000 demons in the four seas and eight wastelands, his heart was filled with turmoil.

Many stories I knew from the past flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.

He recalled Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Who Reaches Heaven, from the Yuan Dynasty play "Journey to the West," who was known as the Grand Steward of Demons and the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.

The Great Sage Sun Wukong of that time was one of the prototypes of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong of today. He also became a disciple of Tang Sanzang and went on a journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

Furthermore, the Great Sage Tongtian was one of the prototypes for the Tongtian Sect Leader in the novel "Investiture of the Gods".

Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, the current Sun Wukong seems to be subtly moving closer to that image.

Roger pondered further and realized that the position Sun Wukong had obtained was, to some extent, similar to that of the Northern Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord who held the position of Zhenwu.

This Northern Demon-Subduing Celestial Venerable, with his mighty presence in the North, vanquishes all evil spirits and protects the peace of the world.

The fact that Sun Wukong has now been entrusted with the important task of subduing demons suggests that the Jade Emperor has some considerations regarding checks and balances.

Furthermore, appointing Sun Wukong to command demons is a clever way to use demons to subdue demons.

Now that the seven great demon saints have all been recruited, the strength of the demons in the lower realm has been greatly reduced. Furthermore, using these recruited demons to counterbalance other demons is truly a win-win situation.

After some thought, Roger felt that Sun Wukong was now on the right track and he no longer needed to worry about him, so he decided to take a nap.

Now, through nurturing Sun Wukong in the cloud, he has greatly improved his strength and plans to return to the Hall of Gray Mist to share it with the other Rogers.

As Roger's consciousness gradually faded, his body began to fall uncontrollably, and the surrounding scenery became blurred.

When he regained consciousness, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself in the gray fog hall he had been longing for.

Just then, specks of white light converged from all directions, coalescing into a human-shaped figure of light and shadow.

It was System Roger.

System Roger looked toward the corner.

Sure enough, there were two familiar figures.

Devil Roger and Marvel Roger.

When the demon Roger saw the system Roger arrive, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh, so you're the unlucky guy who got hit by Pangu's axe and then merged with the system?"

"I'm so glad to see you."

Before the system Roger could speak, another cloud of gray mist filled the hall, signaling the arrival of a newcomer.

(End of this chapter)