Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

As soon as Yun Zhao finished speaking, Sun Wukong's anger subsided considerably: "Brother, what benefits are you talking about? Tell me quickly! I, Old Sun, love to hear this!"

Yun Zhao smiled mysteriously and whispered, "Brother, do you know what treasures are in Laozi's Tushita Palace?"

Sun Wukong slapped his thigh: "Golden Elixir! That old man's Nine-Turn Golden Elixir! Brother, you mean...we should steal his elixir?"

"Hey... Nonsense! How can we cultivators call this stealing?"

"Hehe, you're right, brother."

The two exchanged a knowing smile and immediately left the Peach Garden. With a flash of light, they arrived outside the Thirty-Three Heavens, at the Heaven of Separation from Hatred, which was the location of Laozi's Daoist temple.

At this moment, there was no one around. It turned out that the Supreme Dao Ancestor had gone to the Zhuling Dantai to preach the Dao, and all the celestial children, generals, officials and clerks stood by his side, so the Tushita Palace was naturally empty.

The monkey was overjoyed: "Brother, there's no one in this palace! This is perfect for our good deed!"

He then tried to pull Yun Zhao inside with him.

But as soon as he stepped in, Yun Zhao felt a chill run down his spine. A great fear gripped his heart as a gaze fell upon him from who-knows-where.

"Hey, brother, why did you stop?"

Seeing that Yun Zhao didn't move, the monkey reached out to pull him again.

Yun Zhao said, "Brother, why don't you go in and get it yourself? I'll keep watch outside the palace for you. If anyone comes, I can alert you."

The monkey didn't think much of it, found it reasonable, nodded, and went into the Tushita Palace on its own.

Yun Zhao moved back the half-foot that had already stepped in, and the great terror in his heart suddenly disappeared.

Before long, Sun Wukong came out carrying a full bag of gourds: "Brother, this old man's house has been burgled. I searched the entire Tushita Palace and only found these golden pills. Let's go quickly."

Yun Zhao thought to himself, "You're just a thief, aren't you?" But after being frightened by the terrifying feeling just now, he and Sun Wukong dared not linger. They transformed into light and rushed straight down to the mortal realm.

……

Outside the Great Luo Heaven, in the Eight Views Palace, an old Taoist suddenly laughed and said, "This mischievous monkey is too ruthless; he didn't even leave behind a single gourd."

……

The two landed back on Flower Fruit Mountain, inside the Water Curtain Cave. Sun Wukong laughed loudly, "Brother, that was wonderful! This trip to Heaven was definitely worthwhile; we brought back so many treasures!"

Yun Zhao took out the peaches and golden pills, and the monkey wanted to share them.

Yun Zhao shook his head: "No rush. Don't forget our six brothers. When we swore brotherhood, we agreed to share both good times and bad. Now that we've received such good fortune, how can we keep it all to ourselves? We must share some with them."

Sun Wukong scratched his head: "Brother is right, you've thought things through very well."

Yun Zhao immediately sent a message to the Six Great Sages, saying only that he had important matters to discuss, without mentioning the disaster.

Before long, a demonic wind swept across Flower Fruit Mountain, and six streaks of light descended one after another.

The first to arrive was the Bull Demon King, followed by the Flood Dragon Demon King rising from the sea, and the Roc Demon King descending from the sky. The Lion Camel King, the Macaque King, and the Yu Rong King also arrived one after another.

The Eight Great Sages reunited, and the Water Curtain Cave was bustling with activity. The monkeys and their offspring served wine and fruit, clinked glasses, and reminisced about the past.

After several rounds of drinks, Yun Zhao stood up and said seriously, "Brothers, I invited you here today for two reasons: first, to reunite, and second... there is something I need to tell you."

He recounted his experiences of becoming an official in Heaven, stealing peaches of immortality, and pilfering elixirs, saying that he and Sun Wukong had committed a grave offense and that the Heavenly Court would soon send troops to capture them.

"This trouble has nothing to do with you all. I just thought that good things should be shared with brothers. I'll give you some of these peaches and golden pills. Eating them will greatly improve your cultivation. Take them and leave. Don't get involved in our affairs, lest you be implicated."

After saying this, he took out the peaches of immortality and the golden pills, divided them into six portions, and pushed them in front of everyone.

Upon hearing this, the Six Great Sages were first taken aback, then the Bull Demon King slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Brother! What are you saying? When we swore brotherhood, we agreed to share both good times and bad!"

"When you rise to power and reap the rewards, you remember to share them with your brothers, and we're grateful beyond words. Now that you're in trouble, you expect us to hoard all the benefits and just walk away? Do you think we're the kind of brothers who would do that?"

The Roc Demon King sneered, "What is the Heavenly Court? It dares to bully my demon race! How can we stand idly by when our elder brother is in trouble?"

The Demon King Jiao also said, "Brother, you remember to share the good times, how can we forget to share the bad? We'll accept the gifts, but we must fight this battle!"

The Lion Camel King, the Macaque King, and the Yu Rong King echoed in unison, "Yes! Let's fight against the Heavenly Court together!"

Yun Zhao earnestly advised, "Brothers, the Heavenly Court is powerful and will surely raise a large army this time. You are far away and carefree, why get involved?"

That was the truth. The reason he shared the golden pills and peaches with the demon kings was not only because of the brotherhood they had shared, but also because he hoped they could help him when he tried to stop Tang Sanzang in the future.

But now, it's inevitable that the monkey will be taken to the sky, so why should they get involved?

The Bull Demon King waved his hand and said, "Brother, don't try to persuade us anymore! Our minds are made up! So what if it's the Heavenly Court? At worst, we'll die. We brothers will fight side by side, what is there to fear!"

Sun Wukong laughed loudly, "Good brothers! I, Old Sun, have long wanted to fight alongside you all again!"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade them, Yun Zhao could only sigh: "Fine, since that's the case, brothers, stay. The newly built royal city of Huaguo Mountain is spacious enough for everyone to stay in."

The six great saints were overjoyed and immediately ordered their own mountain strongholds to gather their demon soldiers.

Within a few days, the demonic aura of Huaguo Mountain soared to the sky, and hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers gathered in the royal city.

Monkeys and their offspring, bull demons and aquatic creatures, birds and beasts, banners fluttering, weapons arrayed, their imposing presence reaching straight to the heavens.

Yun Zhao reorganized the army, and the six great saints each guarded their respective areas, instantly turning Huaguo Mountain into an impregnable fortress.

In Heaven, the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet was in complete chaos—most of the peaches were stolen, the golden pills were also stolen, and even Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) came out to complain.

The Jade Emperor was furious and immediately issued an edict: Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, was once again appointed to lead 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals to capture the demon monkey Sun Wukong and the demon king Yun Zhao!

The lineup is unprecedentedly large.

In addition to the original divine generals of Li Jing's main force, there are also the Giant Spirit God and Nezha the Third Prince.

In addition, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Luminaries, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Eastern and Western Stars, the Northern and Southern Gods, the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Rivers, and all the celestial beings in the sky were mobilized.

One hundred thousand heavenly soldiers laid out eighteen layers of nets, one upon another, shimmering with golden light, sealing off all directions.

Warships and cloud-like vessels blotted out the sky, their murderous aura reaching down to the mortal realm.

Li Jing stood on the command ship, looking down at the Flower Fruit Mountain where demonic energy soared into the sky, his face ashen.

The humiliation of the past was still vivid in his mind. Those three years of torment had cast a shadow over his Dao heart. If this hatred was not eliminated, he feared that his cultivation would be difficult to improve.

Now, seeing "Yun Zhao" again, his heart was filled with a mixture of hatred and fear. He roared, "You fiend Yun Zhao, Sun Wukong! Surrender at once, or I will turn your Flower Fruit Mountain to dust in an instant!"

………………

Hey guys, we're here! Late but we're here!

This part of the story is almost over, and soon it'll be my forte: putting pressure on Tang Sanzang, hehehe.