Chapter 110: The Capture of Sun Wukong

“Could it be that Sun Wukong is truly going to run wild without any discipline?”

The Jade Emperor’s fury made even Taibai Jinxing uneasy, and he remained silent.

“Where is Li Jing?”

“I am here.”

“I command you to lead the Third Prince Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Luminaries Star Lords, the Twelve Primordial Spirits, the Five Directional Emperors, the Four Duty Officers, the Eastern and Western Star Arrays, the Northern and Southern Deities, the Four Sacred Mountains, the Five Great Rivers, and the Universal Heavenly Soldiers—a total of one hundred thousand heavenly troops—to descend to the mortal realm and capture the demon monkey.”

This mission was the Jade Emperor’s way of warning Sun Wukong: angering the heavens would not go unpunished. Even if he could not strike directly at Sun Wukong, his monkey descendants would pay the price.

Sending Li Jing was also a subtle message—though Sun Wukong was backed by the Buddhist sect, he was still a subject of Heaven. Li Jing, therefore, was the most suitable to handle the situation with discretion.

“I accept your command.”

Li Jing took the military order and, with Nezha, went out to muster the troops.

On Flower-Fruit Mountain, there should only be one demon king at the Taiyi Immortal Realm—Sun Wukong. The army the Jade Emperor dispatched should be more than sufficient.

However, among the heavenly generals aware of the Journey to the West calamity, few were truly capable of facing Sun Wukong. His backing by the Buddhist sect made fighting him a futile endeavor, and getting injured in battle was a risk no one wished to take.

“Bring forth the Heavenly Mirror. I want to see clearly how General Li captures the demon monkey.”

At the Jade Emperor’s command, a massive mirror several dozen zhang tall appeared in the Lingxiao Palace, vividly reflecting the scene on Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Now, three towering flags fluttered over Flower-Fruit Mountain, bearing the titles Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Mountain-Moving Great Sage, and Divine-Expelling Great Sage. Besides Sun Wukong, the Lion Camel King and the Spirit King also remained on the mountain.

Why is my second brother still on Flower-Fruit Mountain? Didn’t I ask him to stay away from Sun Wukong?

Yuan Wuji stared grimly at the banner inscribed with Divine-Expelling Great Sage. They dared not strike Sun Wukong, but would they not dare to move against you?

Li Jing led the heavenly troops in a vast net of 81 layers of celestial traps, enveloping Flower-Fruit Mountain with no chance of escape.

Li Jing understood the Jade Emperor’s fury; since he could not attack Sun Wukong directly, the only way to appease the Jade Emperor was to capture the other demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain.

For Li Jing, this was the sole course of action.

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“Brothers, it’s too late to leave Flower-Fruit Mountain now.”

Within the Water Curtain Cave, Sun Wukong grimly observed the encircling celestial net.

“We are brothers; how could we abandon you?” the Lion Camel King pounded his chest resolutely.

As a mere ordinary demon king of the mortal realm, the Lion Camel King was born in a time when no great demons of the Da Luo realm roamed the primordial world. He simply believed that reaching the Taiyi Immortal Realm was the pinnacle and saw no reason to fear the heavenly court.

The Spirit King, having returned with them, saw in Sun Wukong a reflection of his former self. The shared fate compelled him to aid Sun Wukong, just as Yuan Wuji had once helped him.

“Hmm,” the Spirit King responded simply.

The Lion Camel King was ignorant of the heavens’ terrors, but the Spirit King knew all too well. His visit to Flower-Fruit Mountain was born of brotherly affection—or perhaps Yuan Wuji’s teachings had instilled in him the importance of fraternal bonds.

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Li Jing arranged the celestial net around Flower-Fruit Mountain and commanded the heavenly troops to attack. One hundred thousand soldiers faced forty-seven thousand monkey warriors.

The well-trained heavenly soldiers pressed the attack with overwhelming force, cutting down the monkey demons one after another. Only when the Spirit King and Lion Camel King’s reinforcements arrived did the situation begin to improve.

Yet the heavenly troops’ advance could not be halted. Seeing this, Sun Wukong finally entered the fray.

Grabbing a handful of his own monkey hair, he transformed it into a vast army of monkey warriors, far superior to the native forces of Flower-Fruit Mountain—more than enough to hold off the heavenly soldiers.

With Sun Wukong’s arrival, the Spirit King and Lion Camel King eagerly joined the battle, and the heavenly forces began to retreat.

Li Jing then sent the celestial generals into battle—Nezha took the lead, accompanied by the Nine Luminaries Star Lords and the Four Heavenly Kings.

Nezha faced off against Sun Wukong, the Nine Luminaries confronted the Lion Camel King and Spirit King, while the Four Heavenly Kings provided support. Other generals assisted the heavenly soldiers in capturing the monkey warriors of Flower-Fruit Mountain.

The Nine Luminaries, all Five Elements Star Lords, possessed cultivation comparable to the Spirit King and Lion Camel King—each at the Taiyi Immortal Realm. Without special skills, the Spirit King and Lion Camel King’s defeat was inevitable.

Nezha, having fought Sun Wukong before, was no match for him. The outcome remained unchanged; it was only a matter of time.

The clash roared across the battlefield. Watching from Heaven, Yuan Wuji’s heart was filled with anxiety. The Spirit King faltered against the Five Elements Star Lords, and Nezha showed signs of exhaustion.

“Nezha, withdraw!”

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Li Jing saw Nezha’s plight and immediately ordered him back. No father wished to see his son suffer, especially when other celestial generals were merely bystanders. Only Nezha and the Five Elements Star Lords were truly engaged.

Better they face Sun Wukong directly. With the military order in hand, they dared not disobey.

The Four Heavenly Kings, patrolling nearby, became Li Jing’s next target.

“Four Heavenly Kings, you are to capture Sun Wukong.”

Li Jing brandished the military order and commanded them.

Bound by the imperial decree, the Four Heavenly Kings had no choice but to obey, despite their reluctance to confront Sun Wukong. Under the watchful eyes of all, they dared not openly defy orders.

As the Four Heavenly Kings closed in on Sun Wukong, Nezha slipped away from the battlefield.

The Four Heavenly Kings understood Sun Wukong’s identity. Though they possessed the means to defeat him, they were helpless to do so—a source of deep frustration.

“Hah!”

The Four Heavenly Kings revealed their treasures, but Yuan Wuji, watching from Heaven, sensed something amiss.

He had seen their treasures before; the aura was entirely different. Though their forms were similar, the quality of these treasures was far inferior.

It seemed the Four Heavenly Kings understood the gravity of this mission—they had even swapped their treasures for lesser ones, likely intended for Sun Wukong to dismantle.

With this realization, Yuan Wuji shifted his gaze to the other celestial generals, scrutinizing them carefully. His suspicions were confirmed.

None wielded high-grade treasures; all were of inferior quality.

Though the treasures were low-grade, deployed by the Four Heavenly Kings, they still appeared formidable, projecting an imposing aura.

Yet, under careful control, their power was far less than expected. Sun Wukong easily broke through their attacks, even shattering the treasures in their hands.

This gave the Four Heavenly Kings the perfect opportunity to retreat from the battlefield.

In the end, these inferior treasures became their ticket for withdrawal.