Chapter 120: Cruelty

"Old man Jade Emperor, it is time for you to vacate your seat."

With golden light flashing in his eyes, Sun Wukong charged aggressively into the Hall of Miraculous Mist. The heavenly court that once stood outside the hall seemed to have become mere decoration, vanishing inexplicably the moment Sun Wukong arrived.

"Immortals, join me in capturing this demon monkey!" Li Jing shouted, though he did not move a single step.

The immortals who rushed to engage Sun Wukong were those who had ascended from the mortal realm after the Investiture of the Gods. Their cultivation was insufficient to impede him, and those who knew the truth of the situation merely went through the motions, putting on a show rather than exerting any real effort. Thus, Sun Wukong reached the Jade Emperor with effortless ease.

"Heavenly King Li!" the planet Venus cried out.

"Demon monkey, face my magic treasure!"

A powerful suction force erupted from the Exquisite Pagoda in Li Jing's hand, pulling Sun Wukong inside before he could even react.

"A magnificent display of skill, Heavenly King Li!"

As the immortals arrived one after another and saw Sun Wukong subdued, they showered Li Jing with praise. Whether these compliments were genuine or feigned, Li Jing did not care; he rarely indulged in such flattery. He was well aware of his mission. Suddenly, the pagoda in his hand began to tremble violently, as if he could barely contain it.

"This is bad, fall back!" Li Jing’s expression seemed genuinely alarmed, yet a flicker of craftiness deep in his eyes did not escape the notice of the Jade Emperor.

*A traitorous dog, Li Jing,* the Jade Emperor thought.

With a thunderous tremor, Sun Wukong burst forth from the pagoda. He immediately sought to retaliate against the treasure, but it had vanished—Li Jing had hidden it away within his own body the moment the monkey escaped, leaving no room for revenge.

Unable to find the pagoda, Sun Wukong fixed his gaze back on the Jade Emperor. The rage on his face made the malevolent aura surrounding his golden cudgel more terrifying than ever.

"Old man Jade Emperor, taste my blow!"

As Sun Wukong swung his cudgel down, the Jade Emperor, left with no other choice, scrambled beneath his table.

***

Cowering under the table, the Jade Emperor was filled with indignation. The Buddhists had instructed him to hide beneath the table during Sun Wukong's rampage to highlight the monkey's ferocious power. Otherwise, a mere flicker of the Jade Emperor's true aura would have been enough to stop Sun Wukong in his tracks.

*Buddhists, can you bear the "fruit" of the "cause" you have sown today?*

"Quickly, summon the Buddha Tathagata from the West!" the Jade Emperor shouted, as planned, though the resentment in his heart grew ever stronger.

In the Western Paradise, a voice resonated: "Buddha, Sun Wukong has already stormed the Hall of Miraculous Mist."

"No matter," replied the Buddha. "The Jade Emperor slaughtered many monkey demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain, and Sun Wukong, having just emerged from the Eight-Trigrams Furnace, witnessed it all. His heart is filled with resentment. Let him vent a while longer in the hall, lest it interfere with our plans for the Journey to the West. We shall head to the hall shortly."

When Sun Wukong had emerged from the Tushita Palace, he had used his Fiery Golden Eyes to survey the heavens. He had seen a dungeon where thousands of his monkey kin were imprisoned, being whipped by heavenly soldiers, their corpses littering the floor. The looks of agony on the dead monkeys' faces told of the torture they had endured. He even saw soldiers violating the female monkeys. This had driven Sun Wukong into a murderous frenzy.

Yet, as he approached the dungeon, a sense of mortal peril had stopped him in his tracks. He had concluded that the only way to save them was to become the Jade Emperor himself. Perhaps his rage had clouded his judgment, preventing him from seeing the true source of his predicament. He fixated entirely on the Jade Emperor as the root of all evil.

The monkeys in the dungeon had indeed been placed there by the Jade Emperor. Unable to vent his anger on Sun Wukong, the Emperor had taken it out on the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain, even ordering his soldiers to ensure they did not die too "easily." Fearing that his own mother might be among them, Sun Wukong was consumed not only by fury but by a desperate, blinding panic.

"Jade Emperor, where are you running?"

Sun Wukong swung his cudgel again and again, but he could not strike the Emperor. In his frantic state, he lost his usual wit, thinking only of killing the Emperor to claim the throne.

*What is wrong with this monkey? And why haven't the Buddhists arrived yet?*

The Jade Emperor, while dodging, had no idea that Sun Wukong had seen the dungeon incident. The Buddhists had intentionally delayed their arrival, primarily to see the Jade Emperor humiliated by the monkey, rather than just to let Sun Wukong vent his spleen.

***

*If you do not arrive soon, Buddhists, do not blame me for taking drastic measures against this monkey.*

Having been chased for so long by a mere Loose Immortal monkey, even a man of peace would be seething with rage, let alone the Jade Emperor.

"Sun Wukong."

*The Buddha? The Buddhists have finally arrived.* The Jade Emperor suppressed the aura he had been gathering. Had they arrived a moment later, he might not have been able to restrain himself.

"Who are you to interfere in my business?"

The cold, icy voice of the Buddha calmed Sun Wukong’s rage for a fleeting moment, but the thought of his mother quickly reignited the fire in his soul.

"Get out of my way!"

Sun Wukong raised his cudgel and swung it fiercely at the Buddha’s head.

*Hm?*

The Buddha was puzzled. Why did Sun Wukong harbor such deep resentment? Even if the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain had suffered, his own calming incantation should have cleared the monkey’s mind. Why was he still in this state?

*Could there be something else goading him?* The Buddha glanced at the Jade Emperor. The Emperor, confused and unable to signal back, simply shook his head and remained silent.

The Buddha looked away from the Jade Emperor and back to Sun Wukong. The original plan had been to "reason" with the monkey, but it was clear that would not work. He would have to use force.

"Sun Wukong, your cultivation was not easily attained. If you continue to be so stubborn, do not blame me for being unkind."