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

The Thirty-Third Heaven, the Lingxiao Palace.

Inside the main hall, celestial mist swirled, and a group of immortals stood solemnly.

Venus strode to the center of the hall, bowed deeply, and spoke with a voice full of helplessness.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has returned."

The Jade Emperor lowered his gaze, his voice authoritative.

"Venus, I hereby send you to deliver an imperial decree to bestow upon that demon monkey the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

"Where is that demon monkey now? Why didn't he go to Heaven with you to express your gratitude?"

Venus stood in the center of the hall, looking embarrassed.

"Your Majesty, that demon monkey... that demon monkey refuses to go to heaven with this old minister."

The Jade Emperor frowned sharply.

"The Monkey King, isn't he satisfied yet?"

"Your Majesty, that demon monkey said that going to heaven is possible, but he set conditions."

Upon hearing this, Wuqu Xingjun immediately let out a cold snort.

"His Majesty is so magnanimous that he did not hold a capital offense against the Heavenly Court for merely being a demon monkey from the lower realms, and even made an exception by bestowing upon him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

"This is already an immense blessing!"

"How dare he be so ungrateful as to make demands?"

The Jade Emperor raised his hand, interrupting Wuqu Xingjun's words, and snorted coldly.

"He's just a demon immortal from the lower realm, yet he dares to negotiate with the Heavenly Court?"

"Speak! I want to hear what he wants!"

Venus took a deep breath and forced himself to speak.

"That demon monkey said that he suffered a great injustice when he went to the Heavenly Court last time, and the Heavenly Court must compensate him first."

"He demanded that the Heavenly Court give him 1,100 Nine-Turn Golden Pills as compensation."

Upon hearing this, the entire Lingxiao Palace instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the gods stared wide-eyed, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.

One thousand one hundred Nine-Turn Golden Pills! This number is simply astonishing.

The Fire God, his face contorted with rage, roared loudly.

"Extremely arrogant!"

"That Nine-Turn Golden Elixir is a supreme immortal pill personally refined by the Supreme Lord Laozi using countless rare and precious materials!"

"He just casually mentioned 1,100!"

"Does he really think this golden core is some kind of mud ball that can be randomly rolled out from the muddy ground of the lower realm?!"

The Water Deity also angrily echoed this.

"That monkey demon is talking nonsense!"

The Jade Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face grim.

He coldly uttered a few words.

"That mischievous monkey is truly outrageous to the extreme."

Venus wiped the sweat from his forehead and lowered his voice even further.

"Your Majesty... this is only the compensation he is demanding."

The hall fell silent once more.

Wuqu Xingjun stared intently at Taibai Jinxing.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Does he have any other requests?"

Venus nodded.

"The demon monkey said that these 1,100 golden pills were just compensation."

"Only after all the compensation has been paid will he be willing to sit down and discuss the conditions for becoming the Monkey King in heaven."

"He made three conditions set by Heaven."

The Jade Emperor stared at Venus.

"Tell me all his other conditions at once!"

Venus spoke up helplessly.

"Firstly, the Heavenly Court must offer him five hundred Nine-Turn Golden Pills as a token of their sincerity in inviting him to Heaven."

"Secondly, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven cannot be a nominal position without salary; he must have a fixed salary."

"He demanded that the Heavenly Court give him thirty Nine-Turn Golden Pills every month, with payments settled monthly."

"Thirdly, after he ascends to the Heavenly Court, he must enjoy absolute freedom, free from any heavenly rules and regulations, and no one may discipline him for any reason."

After saying this, Venus shut his mouth and quickly returned to the train.

He knew that the main hall was about to explode.

really.

As soon as Venus finished speaking, the Lingxiao Palace erupted in chaos.

All the gods' faces turned ugly, and they completely lost their composure.

The Fire God, his face flushed, strode quickly to the center of the main hall.

"Your Majesty! This demonic monkey is simply daydreaming!"

"We have served in the Heavenly Court for tens of thousands of years, working diligently and conscientiously without daring to slacken in the slightest!"

"Only at each Dan Yuan Grand Assembly can we receive a mere two or three golden pills as a reward from His Majesty!"

"He's just a wild monkey demon from the lower realm, who hasn't accomplished anything, yet he dares to ask for thirty pills every month!"

"Why should I?!"

"Why does he deserve to be treated a hundred times better than us righteous gods?!"

Water Deity also stepped forward, his face filled with intense anger.

"Your Majesty! This demonic monkey is pushing his luck and has absolutely no respect for the majesty of the Heavenly Court!"

"The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir is a special offering from His Majesty, and is only occasionally bestowed upon ministers who have made great contributions."

"How dare he make such an outrageous demand, asking for 1,600 pills directly, plus a fixed monthly salary of 30 pills!"

"If we agree to his request, where will the faces of all the immortals in Heaven be?"

"Won't all living beings in the Three Realms start to see the Heavenly Court as a joke?"

The God of War knelt heavily on the ground.

"His Majesty!"

"This monstrous monkey is extremely arrogant; we absolutely cannot allow him to be allowed to run rampant any longer!"

"He's openly provoking the Heavenly Court's bottom line!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you immediately dispatch troops to slay this demon and uphold the majesty of Heaven!"

Inside the main hall, the crowd was filled with indignation.

The outcry against Sun Wukong grew louder and louder.

Previously, the courtiers were willing to cooperate with the Jade Emperor in putting on a show, turning a blind eye to Sun Wukong's actions.

That's because everyone knows that the Buddhist Journey to the West is related to the merits of everyone present.

Everyone just goes through the motions, lets Sun Wukong cause some trouble, and in the end, the Heavenly Court gets a share of the merit. Why not?

But now the situation is completely different.

Why is it that they only get one Golden Elixir every few thousand years, while that demon monkey gets thirty every month without doing anything?

This stark contrast was simply unbearable for these high-ranking deities.

Moreover, he wanted to treat the Heavenly Court as his own backyard, free from any constraints.

Who could stand this!

Merit is important, but the majesty of Heaven and their own dignity are even more important.

"I second that proposal!"

"This greedy monkey is insatiable and must be severely punished!"

"To make an example of someone and set an example for others, thus upholding the authority of the emperor!"

"We absolutely must not agree to his demands!"

Looking at the indignant ministers below, the Jade Emperor's anger subsided somewhat.

He certainly wanted to teach Sun Wukong a painful lesson.

The majesty of Heaven is absolutely not to be challenged.

However, as the ruler of the Three Realms, he must consider things more deeply.

Sun Wukong is the absolute core protagonist of the Buddhist Journey to the West.

If it were merely a matter of Buddhism, he naturally wouldn't care.

However, the Buddhist sect's grand plan of traveling to the West is related to the future distribution of merits among the celestial beings in Heaven.

If he insists on sending troops to damage the monkey now, affecting subsequent plans, the entire court will likely complain.

This is detrimental to the interests of both the Heavenly Court and the Three Realms.

But now the situation is completely different.

It was the ministers themselves who could no longer tolerate the arrogance of this demon monkey and took the initiative to propose that Sun Wukong be severely punished.

The Jade Emperor naturally didn't mind going along with it.

"My esteemed celestial officials, have you made up your minds?" The Jade Emperor deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

"That demon monkey is a key figure in the grand plan of the Western Buddhist sect."

"If we send a large army to encircle and suppress them now, it will ruin the Buddhist sect's plans and affect your future opportunities for merit. You will regret it later."

Wuqu Xingjun responded loudly and decisively.

"His Majesty!"

"You can earn less merit, or even forgo it!"

"But the Heavenly Court must not lose face!"

"If we agree to even such humiliating and outrageous conditions, how will the Heavenly Court continue to rule the Three Realms!"

"If those demon kings in the lower realms all follow suit and imitate him, wouldn't the Three Realms be thrown into complete chaos!"

The Fire God also enthusiastically echoed this sentiment.

"What the God of War says is absolutely right!"

"The flourishing of Buddhism is its own affair!"

"The Heavenly Court must not allow its authority to be trampled underfoot just to cooperate with their plans!"

"This monstrous monkey must be severely punished!"

"We, your humble servants, are willing to stand with Your Majesty through thick and thin; the Heavenly Court cannot be dishonored!"

"Severely punish this wicked monkey! Uphold the might of Heaven!"

Inside the main hall, the civil and military officials shouted in unison.

The sound reverberated throughout the entire Thirty-Three Heavens.

The crowd remained resolute, leaving no room for compromise.

The Jade Emperor looked down at his unified ministers, a hint of satisfaction flashing deep in his eyes.

This is exactly the attitude he wanted from his ministers.

Since it was the ministers who took the initiative to offer to give up some of their merits and demand that Sun Wukong be severely punished.

Then, if he went along with the trend and issued the decree to annihilate them, even if the Buddhist sect had complaints, they wouldn't be able to find fault with the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court has already cooperated; it was this monkey who himself drove himself into a dead end.

The Jade Emperor slammed his hand on the dragon desk.

A dull thud echoed through the hall, and all other sounds fell silent instantly.

"good!"

"Since you all have made up your minds, then I will no longer tolerate such madmen!"

The Jade Emperor stared sharply at Li Jing, his voice icy.

"Where is Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King?"

Li Jing was startled and immediately strode out of the train.

"Your subject is here!"

"I hereby order you to immediately muster your troops and once again descend to the mortal realm to besiege Flower Fruit Mountain!"

"All the soldiers and generals of the Heavenly Court, the thirty-six generals of the Thunder Department, the gods of the Fire Department, the twenty-eight constellations, and the nine luminaries are at your disposal!"

"This time, there's no need to hold back!"

The Jade Emperor's gaze turned cold and sharp, his tone filled with a strong sense of killing intent.

"I have only one request."

"Capture that Sun Wukong alive and bring him back to Heaven for trial!"

Li Jing's fighting spirit surged, and he suddenly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming like a bell.

"I obey your decree!"

Li Jing suddenly stood up, turned around, and prepared to leave the Lingxiao Palace to go to the command platform to gather the army.

Just then.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the Lingxiao Palace.

Zhang Tianshi, one of the Four Celestial Masters, strode into the main hall.

"Your Majesty!"

"The Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea requests an audience outside the hall!"