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

In the tranquil palace, only the flickering candlelight casts illusory shadows.

The king gazed at the dark exterior of the palace in the distance, his thoughts drifting far away.

He recalled the day he ascended the throne, when all the officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!" He was full of vigor and thought he could lead this poor and weak country to prosperity.

He reformed the bureaucracy, redistributed land, developed water conservancy projects, and opened up trade routes, accomplishing practical things that the previous king had not done for decades.

But those former officials still cursed him behind his back, calling him a usurper and a thief who stole the country.

He doesn't care.

What he cares about is this country and its people.

He doesn't care what kind of infamy he bears, as long as Baoxiang Kingdom can recover.

But now, it's all over.

He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

The annihilation of those elite cavalrymen served as a mirror, reflecting all his efforts and struggles.

He thought he could defy fate, but he forgot one thing: there are some forces in this world that ordinary people cannot contend with.

Suddenly, a strong wind swept up outside the hall.

The wind came without warning, rattling the palace doors and sending the memorials on the table flying everywhere.

He opened his eyes and saw that the sky outside the window had suddenly changed—dark clouds surged in from all directions, covering the sky and shrouding the entire palace.

The dark clouds surged like boiling water, with faint flashes of lightning within them, resembling a giant dragon rolling through the clouds.

The people in the city looked up in horror at the strange phenomenon. Some knelt down and kowtowed, some hid in their houses, and some ran away with their children in their arms.

The wind grew stronger, causing the street vendors' stalls to sway precariously and breaking the red ribbons on the trees, scattering them all over the ground.

Kui Mulang's figure appeared in the dark clouds.

He transformed into a hundred-foot-tall Dharma body, his head reaching the heavens and his feet firmly planted on the earth. Azure light flowed around him, and countless ancient star patterns shimmered around him. His voice was like a thousand thunderclaps, shaking the entire Baoxiang Kingdom: "Usurper, come out and face your death!"

The people in the city had never seen such a scene before, and they all knelt down and kowtowed, thinking it was the wrath of the gods.

Inside the palace, the guards, maids, and eunuchs were already trembling with fear, while the king remained calmly seated on his dragon throne. He gazed at the dark clouds that blotted out the sky outside the palace gates, his expression as serene as if he had long anticipated this moment.

"You all stay here, and none of you should follow."

He said something to the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall, and then walked out of the hall alone.

He looked up at the enormous figure in the sky. Thunder flashed in Kui Mulang's eyes, and the silver spear in his hand gleamed coldly. With just a light touch, he could crush him into dust.

"So it was you who sent people to kill my wife and children?"

"Yes."

The king's voice was calm and composed, without the slightest fear.

Kui Mulang frowned. This seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined, so he asked again, "Are you the one who usurped power?"

The king chuckled twice: "Indeed."

Kui Mulang asked, "Do you know your crime?"

The king replied, "What crime have I committed?"

Kui Mulang said, "You pursued fame and fortune, overthrew the monarchy, and established a new government. You still dare to say you are not guilty?"

"absurd!"

The king sneered, "I am not the late king's biological son; I am his adopted son. When I was young, I wandered the streets, and it was the late king who brought me back to the palace, gave me food and clothes, taught me to read and write, and taught me how to govern the country. I have always been grateful to him and respected him as a father."

"My respect for him does not mean that I agree with him."

"In his later years, he became senile and dissolute, neglecting state affairs and favoring treacherous officials, causing widespread suffering among the people. I advised him several times, but he did not listen. Instead, he rebuked me, distanced himself from me, and demoted me to guard the border."

"I guarded the border for three years, witnessing the suffering of the people and hearing their cries... Later, when the late king passed away, his sons only thought about how to seize power and profit, treating the people like dirt. For a time, burning, killing, and looting occurred frequently throughout the Baoxiang Kingdom."

"It was I who led the border troops back, quelled the rebellion, killed those princes who only knew how to fight for power, and took this throne."

He raised his head, looked at Kui Mulang, and said frankly, "Some people say I am a usurper, and I do not deny it."

"I am indeed not of the late king's blood, but what have I done since I ascended to this throne?"

"I have reduced taxes, cleared wrongful convictions, repaired water conservancy projects, and opened schools, so that the people can have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and children can learn to read and write. This country is more than ten times better under my rule than it was under the previous king."

"Whether I am guilty or not, it's not your place to judge me!"

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Kui Mulang, his eyes showing no fear of impending death, but only a calm acceptance of defeat.

The other party's actions surprised Kui Mulang greatly, as they were completely different from the usurper he had imagined.

After a moment of silence, Kui Mulang said, "If you hadn't sent people to kill my wife and children, what you did would be none of my business."

"Your mistake was being born into the wrong family and doing things you shouldn't have done."

The king gave a bitter smile: "Fine, let's do it. I know I can't escape this calamity."

"You have nothing more to say?"

"I have said all I needed to say, and done all I could. My reign over these past few years has been without shame before this land and its people. But..."

"Unfortunately, I will not live to see the day when the Kingdom of Baoxiang truly rises to prominence."

Kui Mulang said no more. He gently raised his silver spear, and a beam of azure light descended from the sky, cascading down like a waterfall and enveloping the king.

Without any struggle or sound, when the light dissipated, the spot was empty, leaving only a faint trace, like sand blown away by the wind, which vanished in the blink of an eye.

Kui Mulang withdrew his supernatural powers, and his enormous, sky-covering figure slowly dissipated, clearing the sky over Baoxiang Kingdom once again.

The city fell silent, then a mournful sound began, started by someone, and soon it rose and fell in waves, as if mourning the dead new king.

Sun Wukong squatted on the city wall not far away and watched all of this.

He sighed softly, then turned and left.

He rode his somersault cloud and quickly caught up with the westward-bound group, recounting everything he had seen and heard.

The Black Bear Spirit, the Yellow Wind Monster, and Sha Wujing were all stunned and remained silent for a long time.

"That king... he's quite a figure."

The black bear spirit scratched his head, his tone somewhat complicated.

"What a pity."

Sun Wukong, unusually, did not laugh; he simply shook his head.

Yun Zhao frowned slightly.

Regardless of his character or whether he was a usurper, this king was indeed a wise ruler in terms of governing the country.

After his death, the country will once again fall into a state of leaderlessness.

The old king's sons all died in the rebellion, and his only remaining legitimate daughter was unable to shoulder the responsibility.

"Perhaps it's time for the State of Chu to take over the situation; it would be better for everyone."

A light gleamed in Yun Zhao's eyes.