Journey to the West: Life Simulation of Sun Wukong

"Why has the old angel come?"

Accompanied by Yuyan, Sun Wukong exited the Shuilian Cave and saw Taibaijinxing, who stood outside the white jade bridge and was being watched by the surrounding demons and humans.

The old angel's face was kindly, and he talked cheerfully with both humans and demons, his eyes also showing some genuine joy.

It wasn't that he had never seen the realms of human and demon merged.

But usually, it would be the kind where "cunning rabbits conduct trades and wild pigs carry burdens to make a living"—great demons and eternal evil spirits would slaughter the original human nations thoroughly, claiming the royal capitals and cities to indulge themselves in pleasure.

Yet here, it was like the human world had become a realm of immortals.

The demons were reasonable and understood etiquette; their conversations might not be elegant, but they adhered to norms.

The monkey demons, although not entirely of pure spirit, mixed clarity and turbidity in a way that implied they did not consume spiritual beings nor overly meaty and pungent foods, achieving a balance between purity and impurity.

This was the fruit of the teachings of Huaguo Mountain's Monkey King!

While he was marveling at this, suddenly he heard someone calling. Taibaijinxing hurriedly looked up and saw the peculiar Monkey King, who had a body like an ape and the face of a human, shouting from the pavilion atop the Shuilian waterfall.

Observing with the Skill of the Spiritual Eye and Observing Qi, he saw a surge of golden light around him; three flowers gathered atop his head, his aura manipulated the dragon and tiger, converging into a great elixir, forming a complete celestial cycle and unfolding the marvels of all heavens.

Taibaijinxing's eyes widened.

He had only seen such an aura around the likes of Laojun, the Three Purities, Buddha, and the Great Heavenly Supreme.

This was not just any ordinary mixed Yuan, but a person with great aspirations, ambition, and perseverance.

Taibaijinxing hurriedly bowed and said, "I have seen the naturally born saint of Huaguo Mountain."

Sun Wukong walked down the white jade bridge to the old lord's side, helped Taibaijinxing up, and said, "The old angel need not be overly courteous. I am merely a stone monkey that popped out of a rock, not worthy of being called a saint."

"Please, come to my palace to reminisce."

Taibaijinxing smiled and said, "That is indeed my wish, and I dare not refuse."

Following Sun Wukong, he walked onto the white jade bridge, mimicking Sun Wukong's actions by bowing to the two stone lions on either side of the pavilion, crossed the wide pavilion passage, and entered the Shuilian Cave, marveling at its exquisiteness.

However, what piqued Taibaijinxing's curiosity were the two stone lions outside the pavilion doors.

One had large eyes, and the other wide ears, somewhat resembling the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Listening Ear of the heavenly court.

Sun Wukong explained, "They are friends I made while learning my crafts; they wished to follow me here, far away from the celestial realms, to make a living, protecting the peace of Shuilian and blessing my cave with good fortune, worthy of our respect."

Hearing this, Taibaijinxing immediately praised, "A great sage indeed, Monkey King!"

They passed through the iron bridge, and the cave suddenly opened up, revealing many structures. The cave, with its spacious interior and uneven rock layers, resembled the celestial palaces and divine mansions of the heavens.

They moved through various buildings and entered the palace hall.

Sun Wukong did not summon the seventy-two demon kings; instead, he only called for Ao Yun.

Seeing the dragon maiden, Taibaijinxing was surprised. He then recalled that Huaguo Mountain was located at the Eastern Sea, where dragon offspring often came and went. Having a dragon maiden here as the second great king was quite normal.

It seemed that the East Sea Dragon King had spotted the potential of this fair Monkey King and thus sent the dragon maiden over.

It must be said: the old Dragon King had made a sound bet.

Literally, "first to benefit from the proximity of the water pavilion."

"Monkey King, this humble old man has descended to the mortal world because heaven has recognized your merits. The Jade Emperor invites you to ascend to heaven, intending to bestow an official rank upon you. When do you plan to depart?" Taibaijinxing got straight to the point, revealing the reason for his descent, waiting for the Monkey King's response.

"I am but a useless body performing useful deeds, teaching the demons of Huaguo Mountain; what merit is there? It is only to not let down the creation nurtured by heaven and earth," Sun Wukong humbly said.

Taibaijinxing stroked his beard and laughed, "Monkey King, you speak amiss. To educate ten thousand demons, is it not a merit? Do not be modest. Follow me to heaven; His Majesty certainly will not treat you unfairly."

"If that's the case, then I shall accompany you."

Sun Wukong too wanted to see what rank the Jade Emperor would bestow upon him this time.

After all, this time was different from the first simulation where the heavenly court wanted to supervise him; nor like the second simulation, where he suppressed the five great demon kings, causing a stir in heaven.

This time it was because he had facilitated the Sea Serpent King and the Fox Temptress in paying respects to heaven and earth, catching the Jade Emperor's attention.

"Great King, if you were to leave, what if the Sea Serpent King..."

Ao Yun expressed some worries.

"No matter."

Sun Wukong plucked a strand of hair and handed it to Ao Yun, saying, "If that demon goes mad, take out this strand of hair, blow a breath on it, and it will transform into a Binding Dragon Rope. Bind him, seal his mana and ensure he cannot use any divine skills or cast any spells."

Ao Yun took the strand of hair and felt relieved.

While Sun Wukong did not invoke his somersault cloud, a white cloud appeared beneath his feet, bearing up Yuyan, and he ascended to heaven with Taibaijinxing.

Seeing this, Taibaijinxing gravely said, "Monkey King, the Jade Emperor wishes to see you, but this little girl cannot be brought into the presence."

Before Sun Wukong could speak, Yuyan vocally objected, "I am the great king's acolyte and must stand by his side. How can I not go too?"

Taibaijinxing chuckled and said, "Though that's the case, your king has not yet been granted a celestial title, and we must follow the rules."

Sun Wukong replied, "When the time comes, she can just wait outside the Heavenly Gate."

Taibaijinxing nodded and, stroking his beard, responded, "That would also be acceptable."

Initially, Sun Wukong had planned to bring Iron Fan along to broaden her horizons, but she needed to tend to the ox, and that ox was the Great Strength Bull Demon King, full of murderous aura, which might clash with the celestial soldiers and generals guarding the Heavenly Gate and lead to conflicts.

It was better to have Iron Fan watch over things.

Moreover, Iron Fan's temper was fiery, not as calm as Yuyan, and clashing with the celestial soldiers would also be unfortunate.

Sun Wukong rode the clouds, taking little Yuyan with him, chatting and laughing with Taibaijinxing all the way to the South Heavenly Gate.

The Growth King led Pang, Liu, Gou, Bi, Deng, Xin, Zhang, Tao, and a host of mighty celestial generals, who greeted Taibaijinxing, "Jinxing, long time no see, still as spirited as ever. Who might these be?"

Surveying Sun Wukong, ape-like yet human, distinguished in appearance, he must be a loose cultivator summoned by the Jade Emperor from the earthly realm to be granted a celestial title and appointed an official, soon to be a colleague.

Taibaijinxing declared, "This individual is the virtuous True Immortal of Huaguo Mountain, who teaches countless demons and promotes kindness among people, truly a being of great merit."

The Growth King was astonished and immediately cleared the way, allowing Taibaijinxing and Sun Wukong to enter while Yuyan voluntarily stayed outside the South Heavenly Gate.

"Why aren't you entering, girl?" the Growth King asked curiously.

"The Jade Emperor only invited our great king inside, I cannot place him in a difficult position," Yuyan, assessing the Growth King in his blue armour, inquired, "Why are you blue?"

The Growth King, wielding his Taiji Swords, loudly proclaimed, "Born this way!"

"That's ugly," Yuyan criticized.

"You!"

In his haste, the Growth King, seeing that Yuyan was just a little girl, huffed, "I won't stoop to argue with a little girl."

At this time, Sun Wukong and Taibaijinxing entered the South Heavenly Gate.

Golden radiance and scarlet rainbows abounded, with a thousand streams of auspicious mist spraying forth.

The South Heavenly Gate appeared, deeply azure and made of glazed glass; brightly shining, adorned with precious jewels.

To either side stood dozens of marshal gods, each a supportive pillar, wielding axes and carrying banners; below were numerous golden-armored divine beings, each holding halberds and whips, bearing swords and staves.

The exterior was already astounding, but the interior was breathtaking: inside were several great pillars entwined with gold-scale dragons glowing against the sun; there were also numerous bridges, upon which multi-colored phoenixes spiralled.

Following this, Sun Wukong and Taibaijinxing entered the dome of heaven, seeing the thirty-three celestial palaces, each roofed with crystal tiles and every house adorned with golden jade walls.

"Monkey King, do not envy. Once His Majesty grants you a title, you too shall have a celestial palace," Taibaijinxing noticed Sun Wukong pausing, thinking he was attracted by the opulence of the celestial palaces and thus chuckled. Sample from My Virtual Library Empire—read more on M&VLEMPY&R.

"What Taibai says is true."

Sun Wukong grinned, though in reality, he was thinking about the first simulation where another version of himself, who had banished his own spirit, had greatly damaged these structures.

Following Taibai, they passed through the Transparent Hall and into the Lingxiao Palace.

Taibaijinxing reported to the Jade Emperor, "Your servant, following the divine decree, has brought the loose cultivator from below."

The Jade Emperor saw Sun Wukong but still asked, "Which one is the loose cultivator?"

Sun Wukong bowed slightly and answered, "Sun Wukong, the loose cultivator from Huaguo Mountain, at your service."

At these words, the ministers within the Lingxiao Palace were shocked and exclaimed, "This loose cultivator, ignorant of our customs, dares to not kneel and salute. He deserves death, truly deserves death."

The Jade Emperor, however, looked keenly at Sun Wukong and said, "No harm. A loose cultivator from the earthly realm, unaware of the heavenly customs, can be excused. Forgive him."

The ministers bowed and proclaimed, "His Majesty is benevolent!"

Then, the Jade Emperor looked at Sun Wukong and said, "Sun Wukong, you have acquired a human form not through the ordinary means of being born or nurtured by nature. Unlike ordinary demons who proclaim themselves kings, you instead teach and guide thousands, advocating for goodness, your merit is boundless."

"Officials, both civil and military, see where there is a slight lack of officers and appoint Sun Wukong to fill such roles."

However, after the civil and military celestial officials checked, it took a long while until Martial Star Lord stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, every palace and hall, every area in the celestial court, is fully staffed except for the royal stables, which lacks a head manager."

Sun Wukong looked towards the Martial Star Lord, and had he not known that this fellow disappeared without a trace after suggesting the title "Stable Prince"... no, interaction, he might suspect he had offended this fellow previously.

It seemed that in the celestial court, indeed, only the royal stables had a vacancy.

After all, there were hundreds of marshals outside.

Way too many.

The Jade Emperor furrowed his brows slightly and said, "Although the royal stables lack a head manager, Sun Wukong has taught thousands of demons with great merit; appointing him merely as Stable Prince is a severe underuse of his abilities."

At this moment, Taibaijinxing stood up and proposed to the Jade Emperor, "Sun Wukong has the ability to teach thousands of demons in the lower realm. Rather than having him serve as an official in the heavenly realm, why not have Your Majesty draft a celestial position for him to continue managing the thousands of demons below? Wouldn't that be best of both worlds?"

The Jade Emperor nodded, pleased, and said, "Well reasoned. But what position should be drafted?"

Taibaijinxing said, "Monkey King has taught thousands of demons in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent and lives freely and at ease. Why not call him the Eastern Leisurely Spirit King, with Huaguo Mountain and the region of the Eastern Sea under his jurisdiction? How does Your Majesty feel about that?"

The Jade Emperor pondered for a moment and then declared, "Well reasoned. Sun Wukong, I decree you Eastern Leisurely Spirit King!"