Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

The Buddha looked around, making sure no one was there, then tore off his mask of compassion and cursed, "You Golden Crow, you're a real scoundrel! You tricked me into taking the blame for you and going head-to-head with the Jade Emperor! If he truly intended to kill, none of us will leave Heaven today!"

"You've taken advantage of me, and you think you can just brush me off with a few words? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Ye Feng remained expressionless, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Then, monk, what do you want?"

The Buddha's gaze shifted and landed on the monkey: "This monkey has a connection with me, and it is related to my great mission of spreading Buddhism to the East."

The monkey's pupils contracted, and the golden cudgel instantly appeared in his hand, held horizontally: "Big monk, what are you planning?"

Ye Feng chuckled and waved his hand, stepping in between: "Buddhism spreading eastward? Great monk, you have quite the appetite."

His eyes flickered slightly, and thoughts raced through his mind.

The Buddha left it at that, not saying everything, but Ye Feng knew perfectly well that he was referring to Journey to the West.

The story behind Journey to the West is far more complex than it appears. On the surface, it is full of tribulations, but in reality, it is all orchestrated by Buddhism in order to spread Buddhist teachings and use these tribulations to promote its religion.

"Since I've protected this monkey," Ye Feng said calmly, "I'll return it to you later. Enough talk, go back to your Leiyin Temple first. I'll give you an explanation once things are settled."

After hearing this, the Buddha nodded and put on his compassionate expression again: "Amitabha, Your Majesty's virtue is admirable. This humble monk awaits good news."

He turned on the lotus platform beneath his feet, about to leave, but suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "By the way, Your Majesty, the Buddha of the East recently came looking for me, saying that his golden cymbals were in your hands, I wonder..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Feng's expression changed drastically: "What about his golden cymbals? Those are spoils of war that I snatched from the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta! I've already taken them—bah, I've already won—what does it have to do with Maitreya Buddha! Great monk, stop meddling."

Seeing his firm attitude, and considering that the treasure wasn't his own anyway, the Buddha simply uttered a Buddhist chant and turned to leave.

Anyway, it's Maitreya who lost face. Let him come and ask for it in person later. What does it have to do with me?

After seeing the Buddha off, the monkey couldn't wait any longer: "Brother, shall we go back to Flower Fruit Mountain now?"

Ye Feng stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face: "Why go back to Flower Fruit Mountain? The matters of Heaven are not over yet."

"We've escaped, but the other sworn brothers are still in the hands of the Heavenly Court. The positions of the Four Emperors are vacant, and we still have to report to the Three Pure Ones. Even if it's just a formality, we still have to go."

After saying that, he turned around and returned to the Heavenly Palace.

He had previously broken through the Heavenly Court's barrier, and now the four Heavenly Gates are open to all.

Although divine generals were still stationed at the Western Heavenly Gate, no new Heavenly King or Marshal had yet been appointed. When the divine generals saw Ye Feng return, their hearts tightened, but they dared not stop him and could only watch helplessly as he and the monkey stepped into the depths of the Heavenly Court.

Upon returning to the Heavenly Palace, Ye Feng told the monkey to go back to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's Mansion to rest, while he himself strolled leisurely back to the Tai Royal Palace.

The rest of the show is up to the Jade Emperor to decide.

With his methods, he would never let this situation end badly.

……

Just as Ye Feng and the monkey saw Tathagata off.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor's decree was issued, spreading throughout the thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls.

"By the decree of the Jade Emperor: The Great Emperor Gouchen has unfortunately perished, and Heaven and Earth grieve together. However, the Heavenly Court cannot remain without the Four Emperors for long. Now, the Emperor Tai, in accordance with Heaven's will and with compassion for all living beings, once diligently and conscientiously held the reins of light over the Three Realms without any slackening. This act of rebellion against Heaven was truly due to the instigation of treacherous people who blinded his mind. Now that his injustice has been redressed, he has not only been reinstated to his original position but has also succeeded to the position of Gouchen, ranking among the Four Emperors."

"His title is: Great Emperor of the Western Primordial Heaven, also known as the Western Emperor Gouchen High God, who governs the three realms of Heaven, Earth and Man, and commands all the demons of the four continents."

The imperial edict caused an uproar throughout the Heavenly Court.

Countless star deities and celestial masters were struck as if by lightning, their heads buzzing.

No one expected that he would become one of the Four Emperors after being the rebellious demon king one day.

Ye Feng actually rose to the top in one step and sat on the throne of one of the Four Emperors?

Most importantly—Emperor Gouchen died at his hands!

The Heavenly Court can negotiate a compromise with this kind of killing god? What a joke!

Not long after the Jade Emperor's decree was issued, a group of important officials of the Heavenly Court rushed to the Lingxiao Palace, wanting to ask for clarification in person.

And what happened? The celestial official on duty at the gate coldly blocked their way: "His Majesty has returned to the Pixiang Palace to rest. Please return. If there are any important matters, they can be discussed at the court assembly in three days."

After being turned away, no one could do anything about it.

No matter how bold they were, they wouldn't dare to storm the palace and force the emperor to abdicate. They could only grit their teeth and wait for those three days, seething with resentment.

Even if we can't touch Ye Feng, we absolutely cannot let him smoothly take the position of one of the Four Emperors.

Otherwise, what face would Heaven have left? Wouldn't it become a laughing stock in the Three Realms?

With this in mind, the various celestial masters and star deities withdrew and secretly plotted.

While things appeared calm on the surface over those three days, turbulent undercurrents were brewing beneath.

Inside the Hall of Fragrant Breeze, the Jade Emperor sat behind his desk, while Venus stood with his hands at his sides, looking respectful.

"Chang Geng, I'm entrusting this matter to you. Make sure it's handled cleanly and efficiently. I will use the Haotian Mirror to conceal the secrets of heaven, leaving no trace."

Meanwhile, in the Thai Royal Palace, Ye Feng was lounging lazily on a couch, completely oblivious to worldly affairs.

He also received an imperial decree—one of the new Four Emperors, his title already decided.

Since the beginning of time, the Heavenly Court has been filled with countless people called "Emperor".

When he first ascended to the Heavenly Realm, he casually asked for the title "Emperor Taihuang" just to make it sound impressive.

But such a title only sounds impressive; if you actually threw a brick down, you'd knock down a whole bunch of emperors.

The Five Sacred Mountains are associated with five emperors: the Eastern Sacred Mountain, the Heavenly Emperor of Qirensheng; the Southern Sacred Mountain, the Heavenly Emperor of Zhaosheng; the Central Sacred Mountain, the Heavenly Emperor of Chongsheng; the Northern Sacred Mountain, the Heavenly Emperor of Antianxuansheng; and the Western Sacred Mountain, the Heavenly Emperor of Jintianyuansheng.

There are also the Holy Emperor of the East, the Heavenly Emperor of Taiyi, the Great Emperor of the Six Heavens Cave, the Emperor of the Six Waves Heavenly Lord... each title is more frightening than the last.

Even someone like Hua Guang managed to become an Emperor.

To put it bluntly, the title of "Emperor" in Heaven is no longer worth anything.

But the four emperors are different.

The other "Emperors" were merely honorary titles; in essence, they were still subjects, no different from Heavenly Sovereigns, Celestial Masters, and Star Lords.

Those who truly hold power are those who command troops and control destiny.

The Four Emperors are the true Heavenly Emperors, rulers, not slaves.

They are the four supreme beings who assist the Jade Emperor. They have the power to issue decrees, bestow divine titles, and build their own teams, forming their own independent systems.

For example, even if the Three Immortal Maidens of Sanxiao were imprisoned by the Investiture of the Gods, the Ziwei Emperor could still exempt them from their daily duties with just a word.

He commands countless stars across the north and south, all of which obey his orders. Even the Jade Emperor must obtain his approval and issue the order before he can use any star officials.

Although Emperor Gouchen was marginalized and held an awkward position among the Four Emperors, he still had four marshals under his command, who governed the star officials of the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and his disciples and former officials were all over the Heavenly Court.

As for the True Martial Emperor, needless to say, his Daoist temple was moved directly to Wudang Mountain in the Southern Continent, with the Turtle and Snake Generals as the vanguard, the Eight Marshals guarding the four directions, the Five Divine Dragons patrolling the heavens and seas, and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals arrayed to protect him.

Even more outrageous is that he raised a million Dao soldiers in the mortal realm, and his power was so great that even the top demon kings could not compare.

Ye Feng, a newcomer who started his career through "rebellion," is now trying to climb the ranks of the Four Emperors.

Many veteran officials were unconvinced, and their spines were trembling with fear.

Ye Feng was well aware that the resistance would be overwhelming and the opposition would only grow stronger.

But he doesn't care.

The imperial court is a complex and murky place, rife with factions and deeply intertwined interests. Who doesn't have a powerful backer behind them?

But one ironclad rule has never changed—strength reigns supreme.

If your fists are strong enough, all the talk is just empty words.

The Jade Emperor is the one who stands at the top of this system.

If he couldn't even control this situation, he would have been sidelined eight hundred times over.

So Ye Feng spent these three days in a very leisurely manner.

……

Heavenly Palace, Hall of Universal Brightness.

A celestial official received a secret order and was commanded to descend to the mortal realm to deliver a secret letter to the Lord of Mount Tai.

He took the letter, left the main hall, and, holding the token, passed through the South Heavenly Gate, heading towards the mortal realm.

He was just an ordinary celestial official who had barely cultivated a celestial body, with shallow supernatural powers and weak magic.

There are countless minor immortals like him in the Heavenly Court.

Two days ago, he was ordered to meet with the Great Emperor Gouchen to convey the Jade Emperor's decree—to order him to suppress Ye Feng.

That day, he was the only one who witnessed Ye Feng confronting Emperor Gouchen.

Later, blood rained down from the sky, and Gouchen fell. He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, but he managed to escape death by sheer luck.

As he passed by the thunder and fire clouds, he took out the Heavenly Court token and waved it at the rolling thunder.

In an instant, the flames parted, revealing a passage.

He stepped inside and continued downhill.

These celestial officials are native to the heavenly realm, born on blessed islands, untainted by worldly defilement, and their path of cultivation is smooth, allowing them to easily attain immortality.

However, precisely because it was too easy, these celestial officials were weak and trembled with fear when crossing the Thunderfire Layer. They barely survived thanks to the pass issued by the Heavenly Court.

He rode the clouds through the layer of thunder and fire, heading down to the lower realm, when suddenly he felt a buzzing sound in his ears.

Two mosquitoes swayed and drifted past my eyes.

He frowned and waved to shoo them away, feeling extremely annoyed.

"Wait... how could there be any living creatures in this place ravaged by thunder and fire?"

The thought had barely formed when a chill ran down my spine and up to my head. Before I could even react, a deafening buzzing sound exploded in my ears, and I saw a dark cloud of mosquitoes surging as thousands upon thousands of them swarmed towards me like a tidal wave!

In an instant, it enveloped him in a ball. In less than three breaths, all his flesh and essence were drained, leaving only an empty robe, along with the secret letter in his hand, silently hanging in the air.

Boom—

The lightning and fire passage suddenly closed, and the swirling clouds returned to the heavens. The clothes, token, and letter were instantly engulfed by the flames and burned to nothingness.

The swarm of mosquitoes, however, remained together, buzzing as they pierced through the clouds and flew straight down to the lower realm, unharmed even by heavenly thunder and earthly fire.

The fall of this celestial official was but a tiny, insignificant ripple in the long river of heaven; no one knew of it, and no one cared.

But the undercurrents have been surging ever since.

Marshal Tianyou was one of the four marshals under Emperor Gouchen, ranking alongside Yisheng, Deng Bowen, and Gouzhang.

Unfortunately, Deng Bowen and Gou Zhang were stationed far away at the Gouchen Palace, leaving only him and Yisheng in the heavens to accompany the emperor.

Now that Marshal Yisheng has been killed by Ye Feng, he is the only one left among the four marshals.

The news that Ye Feng had been personally appointed by the Jade Emperor as the new Gouchen Emperor had already swept through the Heavenly Palace like a whirlwind. Upon hearing the news, Tianyou was restless day and night, unable to eat or sleep.

He had offended Ye Feng, and on the day Yi Sheng died on the spot, he witnessed it with his own eyes, and his soul still trembles to this day.

Now that his former master is dead and a new emperor has ascended the throne, how can he, a former enemy minister, possibly survive?

He had long been planning to sneak down to the mortal realm, contact his two other brothers in the Gouchen Palace, and become a mountain king. Even being a wild demon king would be better than living in constant fear in this heavenly palace.

But in the end, he was indecisive and did not take a single step.

On this day, as he was tossing and turning in his residence, unable to make a decision, a celestial official suddenly came to report: "Marshal, the Star Lord Chang Geng has arrived."

Tianyou was taken aback, wondering to himself, "I have no dealings with Venus. What brings him here at this time?"

Completely baffled, he had no choice but to order someone to welcome them in.