Great Demon Sun Wukong

Previously, there were several times when Sun Wukong also sought help, including celestial beings from the Heavenly Palace and Buddhas from the Western Paradise. The reason Sun Wukong chose to seek help those times was because he recognized where those demons originated from. So when he found the real culprits, they either minded their reputation or it wasn't the time to openly confront each other, or they didn't want to leave a bad impression, so they reluctantly went to subdue the demons.

So later on, both the deities and the Buddhas became wiser and wouldn't easily send their people down to the mortal realm. There's much evidence for this, like that one-horned beast. Supreme Elder Lord said that the green ox stole his Qiankun Ring—could that be possible? For a celestial being of Supreme Elder Lord's level, every magic treasure is refined bit by bit, each one connected to his heart, controlled with a mere thought.

If not for the Supreme Elder Lord's order, that green ox couldn't even steal it, let alone use the Qiankun Ring. Moreover, how long has it been since Supreme Elder Lord subdued that green ox? Why has there never been an instance of the green ox stealing his magic treasure to the mortal realm before? Thus, that green ox was clearly directed by the Supreme Elder Lord and didn't reveal its identity to avoid being discovered by Sun Wukong.

However, Sun Wukong still noticed something odd from the green ox's words and actions, so he went to Supreme Elder Lord's Doushuai Palace. Initially, Supreme Elder Lord didn't want to admit it, but Sun Wukong directly went to the stable, and seeing that his scheme was exposed, Supreme Elder Lord pretended to know nothing and followed Sun Wukong to the mortal realm to subdue the green ox.

At that time, Supreme Elder Lord said he would punish it severely afterwards, but what happened after that? Has anyone ever heard how the Supreme Elder Lord punished the green ox? Later, to avoid such an embarrassing situation of Sun Wukong finding out again, the Heavenly Palace learned to direct demons that had nothing to do with them.

For instance, that Golden-Nosed White-Haired Rat Spirit encountered in the Bottomless Pit of Tanqiu Mountain was just an unknown little demon that became a fiend three hundred years ago, stealing the precious candles of the Tathagata Buddha in Spiritual Mount. Later, it was captured by King of the Heavenly Tower, Li Jing. Li Jing intended to kill it, but then Tathagata appeared, saying, "Accumulated water raising fish shall not be fished, deep mountains feeding deer hopes for eternal life," sparing the rat spirit's life.

The rat spirit not only kept its life but also acknowledged Li Jing as its godfather. When you think about it, the loopholes are many. Firstly, a simple rat spirit stealing the oil of Tathagata Buddha's lamps; is that lamp oil so easily stolen? And what courage does a little rat spirit have to go to the Maha Bodhi Temple? That's a Buddhist sacred place where not even countless Great Demons dare to go lightly.

This situation is like an ordinary petty thief getting through numerous imperial guards, countless sentries, and layers of barriers, finally reaching the Emperor's bedroom and eating a snack on the Emperor's table as he sleeps. Anyone who hears such a thing would find it incredible.

Moreover, who is that King of the Heavenly Tower, Li Jing? He is the protector deity of the Heavenly Palace, the marshal commanding all soldiers, and also a disciple of Western Paradise's Ancient Buddha of the Lamp. Why would such a figure recognize a little rat spirit as a daughter? Could it be because Li Jing always wanted a daughter? But considering Li Jing's status, there are all kinds of daughters he could adopt in the Heavenly Palace, yet he adopts a little rat spirit? This matter is indeed very unreasonable to look at.

But if explained this way, then it makes sense. Tathagata still wanted Tang Sanzang's life but it was inconvenient for the Buddhist sect to take action directly because Sun Wukong had fiery golden eyes. Hence, he caught a small rat, fed it some lamp oil to greatly increase its mana, and then had it acknowledge Li Jing as its godfather. Since Li Jing was originally a disciple of the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp, it counted as half a person of the Buddhist sect, so naturally, he dared not defy Tathagata's will.

Thus, this little rat spirit would have nothing to do with Tathagata, and when it secretly captured Tang Sanzang to eat him, Sun Wukong's wrath would only fall upon that rat spirit, and the world wouldn't think it had anything to do with Tathagata. Even if Sun Wukong discovered that the rat spirit was Li Jing's goddaughter, his anger would only be directed at the Heavenly Palace, and if he caused another ruckus in the Heavenly Palace, the strength of the Taoist sect would diminish again.

Therefore, it was yet another elaborate plan by Tathagata: to kill with a borrowed knife and to frame others. Even whether the memorial tablets inside the Bottomless Pit were erected by the rat spirit or intentionally placed for Sun Wukong to see is under question, and the story between the rat spirit and Tang Sanzang is only just the beginning; we will talk about it in more detail later.

Though these are side notes, what I want to say is that in the world of Journey to the West, everything people see is just an illusion. Only by seeing through this illusion can one truly understand Journey to the West and know what the journey to fetch the scriptures is really about.

We've strayed off topic, now let us return to Sun Wukong.

After escaping from the Kingdom of Sacrifice, Sun Wukong headed straight to Guanjia Pass. Yes, this time Sun Wukong went to find Yang Jian. If asked who in the Heavenly Palace Sun Wukong trusted the most, it would be Nezha. Outside of the Heavenly Palace, the most trusted deity by Sun Wukong is Erlang God, Yang Jian.

Even though Yang Jian is the niece's son of the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong knows he can trust Yang Jian. Soon, Sun Wukong arrived at Guanjia Pass and found Yang Jian. Yang Jian was somewhat surprised by Sun Wukong's arrival but not overly astonished. "Coming here in such haste, something must be up. Great Sage, what is it, dare I ask?"

Sun Wukong had just landed when Yang Jian already asked. Sun Wukong had long been accustomed to Yang Jian's straightforwardness. "Looking for help, something troubles me on the journey west." Sun Wukong then told Yang Jian everything that happened in the Kingdom of Sacrifice. After listening, Yang Jian first closed his eyes and pondered for a long time before saying, "I can help you with this matter, but you owe me a favor."

Sun Wukong merely nodded.

Without further ado, Yang Jian instructed the six demons of Meishan to guard the place well, then brought the Howling Celestial Dog and Sun Wukong back to the Kingdom of Sacrifice. This round trip only took a little over a Chinese hour. Upon arriving in the capital city of the Kingdom of Sacrifice, Yang Jian looked down at the Buddha's Relics below, which were emitting swirling Buddha Light, and frowned, saying to Sun Wukong, "It seems Tathagata's heart is set on killing you, and even the Heavenly Palace is so brazen. Monkey, your path ahead is not going to be easy."

Sun Wukong laughed bitterly, "Difficult as it may be, I must walk it. There's no turning back. Be careful later on, this Nine Infants, although not very powerful, previously fought with me without revealing its true form. Now, with the soul-snatching Buddha Light, it's become quite tricky." Sun Wukong recognized the Nine-Headed Insect at first sight, who claimed to be the son-in-law of the Myriad Sage Dragon King just to conceal its identity.

This Nine-Headed Insect is actually an ancient divine beast, Nine Infants. Nine Infants is a creature of water and fire, capable of spitting water and fire, its cry like a baby's wail, hence the name Nine Infants. It appeared during Emperor Yao's time, causing harm in the mortal world, and was shot and killed by Hou Yi in the Fierce Water of Northern Di. Therefore, according to historical records, this Nine Infants should be dead, but obviously, Hou Yi didn't completely kill it.

Since Nine Infants has nine heads, as long as one head remains, it can absorb nature's spiritual energy to rejuvenate. Therefore, at that time, Hou Yi's nine arrows likely allowed Nine Infants to escape with a life. Any divine beast from Ancient Times has its powerful attributes, so Sun Wukong was thus instructing Yang Jian.

Yang Jian nodded. His third eye, located at the forehead, also had the power to see through the true form of demons, so upon seeing Nine Infants below for the first time, he recognized it. At this moment, Nine Infants also noticed Sun Wukong and Yang Jian.

"Oh? Who would've thought that the Great Sage Equalling Heaven would seek help, and it's even a three-eyed one. It seems today's harvest will be quite substantial." After Nine Infants spoke, the Buddha's Relics in its hand glowed brightly again. Previously, Sun Wukong had trapped it with a silver chain, but when Sun Wukong escaped, the chain had long disappeared.

In that intense golden light, Nine Infants blurred and transformed into a colossal creature, nearly a hundred meters long, with nine identical snake heads and eighteen eyes, all venomously fixed on Sun Wukong and Yang Jian. This Nine Infants is essentially a nine-headed snake, its enormous serpentine body adorned with massive scales that appeared incomparably divine under the shine of the golden Buddha Light.

Seeing that Nine Infants had directly revealed its true form, Sun Wukong and Yang Jian also knew that this battle wouldn't be easy. Just as Sun Wukong was about to attack, the central snake head of Nine Infants opened its mouth wide, swallowing both the Buddha's Relics and the nine-leaf Lingzhi grass.

Then, amidst the surprised gazes of Sun Wukong and Yang Jian, the Nine Infants instantly transformed into a Nine-Headed Golden Dragon, covered in golden scales and with four claws on its underbelly. This transformation indeed shocked Sun Wukong and Yang Jian.