Journey to the West: The gods and Buddhas panicked when the monkey was trapped inside him.

When Taibai Jinxing heard Sun Wukong announce the number of 1,100 Nine-Turn Golden Pills, his eyelids twitched wildly.

He sneered inwardly.

That monstrous monkey is truly insatiable!

One thousand one hundred Nine-Turn Golden Pills, how dare he even think of that!

There is absolutely no way that the Heavenly Court would pay this compensation.

Moreover, this is a matter that the Heavenly Court doesn't need to worry about at all.

The Journey to the West was a scheme orchestrated by Buddhism, and Sun Wukong was the chosen pilgrim.

Now that this monkey refuses to fly to heaven, it's not His Majesty who's worried, but the one on Mount Ling.

Sun Wukong's exorbitant demands and blackmail will ultimately require Buddhism to bail him out.

Moreover, Sun Wukong's arrogance and extreme disrespect for the Heavenly Court, coupled with his demand for such a massive amount of Heavenly Treasures, are truly remarkable.

If Buddhism wants to appease His Majesty's anger and for Heaven to continue its charade, it must offer more treasures as an apology to Heaven.

This means that Buddhism has to contribute twice.

One part was to satisfy Sun Wukong's appetite, and the other was to appease the Heavenly Court's pride.

Venus was calculating in his mind, but he still had to put on a good show on the surface.

If he were to slink back like this, it would make him, as the Heavenly Envoy, look too pathetic.

We have to bargain with this monkey at least once, just to put on a show, so that people won't look down on the envoys from Heaven.

Venus put on a troubled expression.

"Great Sage! This is truly the death of this old man!"

"One thousand one hundred Nine-Turn Golden Pills! Even if you turned the entire Heavenly Court upside down, you couldn't gather that many!"

"How about we reduce the compensation a bit, round it up to fifty Nine-Turn Golden Pills?"

"And I'll also provide you with several hundred peaches and several hundred jars of fine wine. How does that sound?"

Sun Wukong snorted disdainfully.

"Fifty pieces? You're trying to fob me off like a beggar!"

"Is the face of the mighty Monkey King, Sun Wukong, only worth a mere hundred golden pills?"

"One thousand one hundred, not a single one less!"

"I, Old Sun, will not ascend to heaven until I see the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir!"

The surrounding monkeys also joined in the commotion.

"Yes! Not a single one less!"

Venus quickly continued to persuade him.

"One hundred! I'll risk my life to get you one hundred!"

"This is truly the limit that the Heavenly Court can offer; any more and I will be unable to meet my expectations."

Sun Wukong wasn't buying it at all and waved his hand impatiently.

"You old man, you talk too much nonsense. Since you can't make the decision, then get back to Heaven!"

"Let the Jade Emperor weigh the options himself and decide whether to grant it or not!"

"If you can't bear to part with these golden pills, then don't send anyone to bother me, Old Sun, in the future!"

Seeing Sun Wukong's unyielding attitude, Taibai Jinxing could only sigh helplessly.

"Since the Great Sage is so determined, this old man really cannot make the decision."

"I can only truthfully report these conditions to the Jade Emperor and ask Your Majesty to make a decision."

"As for whether His Majesty will agree, I cannot guarantee that."

Sun Wukong waved his hand impatiently.

"Then you'd better hurry back to Heaven to discuss this!"

"Don't get in my way on Flower Fruit Mountain! Just looking at you annoys me!"

Venus nodded in agreement and turned to leave the Water Curtain Cave.

After taking only two steps, Venus suddenly stopped and turned around.

He recalled something Sun Wukong had just said.

Once all the compensation is in place, then we can talk about my ascension to heaven.

Venus tentatively spoke up.

"Great Sage, may I ask a question?"

"If His Majesty truly agrees to your compensation of 1,100 golden pills, will you immediately agree to accompany me to the Heavenly Court and become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, pointing at Venus and loudly mocking him.

"What are you thinking!"

"Those 1,100 golden pills are compensation that your Heavenly Court owes me, Old Sun!"

"Compensation is compensation, and Heaven is Heaven! These are two different things!"

"If you want me, Old Sun, to go to Heaven and become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, that's a different condition!"

"Pay the full compensation first, then we can talk about going to heaven! Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss!"

Upon hearing this, Venus was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

That rascal dares to separate the compensation from the conditions set by Heaven!

This is going to slaughter the Heavenly Court!

Venus suppressed his anger and tried his best to maintain a fake smile.

"Great Sage, since you still have conditions, why don't you just tell us everything at once today?"

"So that I can sort out all the conditions and report them to His Majesty the Jade Emperor in one go."

"To avoid future disagreements that might delay the Great Sage's excellent opportunity to ascend to Heaven and become an official."

Sun Wukong stroked his chin and nodded readily.

"Since you want to know now, then I, Old Sun, will mercifully tell you."

"Listen up! I, Old Sun, have three conditions for becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"

Venus immediately adopted a posture of listening attentively.

"First!"

Sun Wukong extended one finger.

"You've invited me, Old Sun, to heaven; this is a plea for talent! And seeking talent requires sincerity!"

"A gift from heaven is absolutely essential! I want five hundred Nine-Turn Golden Pills! No bargaining!"

Venus felt a chill run down his spine.

Another 500 coins for the first meeting? Adding the compensation, that makes 1600 coins!

"second!"

Sun Wukong extended his second finger.

"I, Old Sun, also spent some time in Heaven and inquired about the rules."

"Your important officials in Heaven receive generous monthly salaries."

"Since the Jade Emperor acknowledges my status as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, then he must give me a salary!"

"I won't ask for much; the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's salary is thirty Nine-Turn Golden Pills every month!"

"Payment will be made monthly, and there must be no delays!"

Venus gasped.

Thirty golden pills a month? Even all the righteous gods in the Heavenly Court combined don't get this treatment!

"third!"

Sun Wukong extended his third finger, his tone forceful.

"I, Old Sun, am a free spirit and cannot stand your Heavenly Court's rules."

"Once I, Old Sun, ascend to Heaven, aside from a few forbidden and important areas of the Heavenly Court, I can go wherever I want!"

"No one may stop me, Old Sun, for any reason!"

"And you must not use any heavenly rules or regulations as an excuse to cause trouble for me, Old Sun!"

A fierce glint flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes.

"If anyone dares to mess with me again, like the Martial Star Lord, I'll kill them with one blow, and the Heavenly Court will not be held accountable!"

After Sun Wukong finished speaking, he looked arrogantly at Taibai Jinxing.

"Just these three conditions."

"Add the 1,100 golden pills as compensation."

"Did you remember everything?"

Venus listened quietly.

This time, surprisingly, he did not engage in any further bargaining.

Because these conditions are completely beyond the scope of what a star lord like him can discuss.

Such outrageous conditions are a headache for the Jade Emperor and the Buddhist community.

Venus gave Sun Wukong a deep look and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

"I have noted down all of the Great Sage's requests."

"I will return to Heaven immediately and report the Great Sage's conditions to the Jade Emperor without missing a single word."

"As for whether it will succeed or not, that depends entirely on Your Majesty's decision."

Sun Wukong casually waved his hand.

"Go now!"

"I, Old Sun, will be waiting for your good news right here in the Water Curtain Cave!"

Venus said no more and turned to walk out of the Water Curtain Cave.

He rode on auspicious clouds, transforming into a golden ray of light, and headed straight for the Thirty-Third Heaven.