Chapter 42: Li Jing's Hubris and the Curtain’s Misfortune

Instantly, Venus Tai Bai's gaze toward Sun Wukong changed, filled with shock and disbelief. It suddenly dawned on him, as if recalling a distant rumor: Sun Wukong, the celestial stone monkey, was a once-in-a-million-years Body of Pure Yang. If that were true, with enough power, he could indeed threaten The Jade Emperor's throne.

This realization made Venus Tai Bai break out in a cold sweat. Was he inadvertently setting up The Jade Emperor for downfall? No wonder The Jade Emperor disliked him. Recalling his bet with Sun Wukong, he trembled even more—was all of this fate?

Venus Tai Bai was known as a muddle-headed fool in The Heavenly Court, often annoying others by meddling in everything, as there was nothing he didn't oversee. After the Investiture of the Gods, when the deities first assumed their positions, they feared him somewhat. But as they noticed even The Jade Emperor grew impatient with him, they stopped taking him seriously, though they hesitated to confront him directly due to his seniority.

Few knew just how old he was; even The Jade Emperor had forgotten Venus Tai Bai's origins. From aiding in establishing The Heavenly Court to becoming an annoying relic, countless years had passed.

Now, with the universe stabilized and The Heavenly Court reigning supreme over all realms, there seemed little reason to bother with this old man. Showing him minimal respect was already generous.

When Martial Star Lord presented his report, The Jade Emperor waved it through without a moment's hesitation, dismissing it outright.

This filled Venus Tai Bai with a profound sense of defeat. He returned to his place without a word, not even glancing at Sun Wukong again, feeling deeply disappointed. He couldn't shake off the fear, as Sun Wukong's ability to predict The Jade Emperor's decision was unsettling.

Conversely, Sun Wukong felt elated; his foresight was uncannily accurate, managing to anticipate The Jade Emperor's decree, increasing his indifference toward The Jade Emperor—not realizing his insights came from Shi Yue.

Shi Yue was equally pleased, looking forward to the journey to the West. He sensed that Sun Wukong might not escape his destined trials. For instance, despite earning The Jade Emperor's ire, even nearly harming his paramour, Sun Wukong ended up assigned as the Bimawen in the Netherworld, showing he couldn't avoid fate.

Seeing the celestial ministers and generals seemingly asleep, disconnected from matters at hand, solidified this notion.

Hidden within the grand hall, Six Paths felt a surge of excitement, unable to contain his intense gaze on Sun Wukong. He thought, "To have such a brother is indeed a blessing. I am willing to face calamities in his stead."

Unexpectedly, this excitement drew The Jade Emperor's attention. His imposing voice echoed through the hall, "Li Jing, why are you so agitated?"

Surprised, Six Paths quickly composed himself. In the space of the Measuring Sky Staff, Shi Yue couldn't help but smirk.

It turned out that Six Paths was hidden within Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing. The Jade Emperor hadn't noticed him, but the surge of emotion did, especially since it came from Li Jing. Why would Li Jing be excited over a Bimawen appointment?

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing was caught off guard, eyes wide, thinking, "What's this got to do with me?" He blinked, confused, and responded, "Your Majesty, I am not agitated."

"Hmph!" The Jade Emperor's cold snort silenced the entire hall, sending chills through the celestial ranks. Li Jing instinctively shrank back, and even Venus Tai Bai acted like a meditative monk, too disheartened to speak further.

Sun Wukong's eyes darted around, and the Wood Deity Officer quickly grabbed him, hurriedly leading him out of the hall as if to escape.

At that moment, The Jade Emperor's calm voice rang out again, "Li Jing, step forward."

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing shrank back again, murmuring, "Your Majesty, I truly was not agitated."

Seeing this situation, Shi Yue, who was about to leave, had to pause. It was clear that Six Paths had accidentally revealed something, catching The Jade Emperor's attention. In such a scenario, Shi Yue couldn't just stand by. Despite The Jade Emperor's imposing presence, if Six Paths were in danger, he wouldn't hesitate to intervene.

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing murmured nervously but remained still—daring to defy The Jade Emperor in such a way was quite bold! Beside him, the Four Heavenly Kings—Virudhaka, The Heavenly King of Growth, Virupaksha, The Heavenly King of Broad Vision, Dhritarashtra, The Heavenly King of Holding the Nation, and Vaisravana, The Heavenly King of Hearing Many Teachings—displayed schadenfreude, as if saying, "See what happens when you show off, Li Jing?"

Despite being a king among the heavens, Li Jing lacked real capability, possessing only the rank of a True Immortal and a single treasured item—a pagoda given by Dipankara Buddha, specifically to guard against Ne Zha. Due to his status, he typically disregarded the lesser celestial generals, earning little favor in The Heavenly Court.

But does public opinion matter? From Li Jing's perspective, it's irrelevant; everyone's under the divine whip's control. The key is to make Your Majesty happy!

Thus, whatever The Jade Emperor said, Li Jing was the first to agree, often shouting the loudest, though he only did so to curry favor with The Jade Emperor without much real effort. Only a fool wouldn't capitalize on such opportunities!

He ignored the schadenfreude of the Four Heavenly Kings, as Li Jing's eldest had Guanyin Bodhisattva, his second son had Manjusri Bodhisattva, and he himself had the backing of Dipankara Buddha and Lingji Bodhisattva. Such backing made him unafraid even of Perfected Taiyi, Ne Zha's master, giving him reason to disregard others. He truly had the clout to be bold!

Yet, Li Jing didn't realize that precisely because of these connections—all Buddhist—The Jade Emperor begrudged him, annoyed by his insistent shouting every time.

However, his defiance showed, even The Jade Emperor's face darkened. Although maintaining a calm demeanor, the celestial ministers and generals sensed the brewing anger.

Silently, Venus Tai Bai sighed to himself. Just then, Perfected Taiyi, standing at the forefront, stepped out and suddenly shouted, "Li Jing, are you defying orders?"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing grunted twice, reluctantly shuffling forward a bit, and said quietly, "Your Majesty, I truly was not agitated."

Sun Wukong's eyes darted around, and the Wood Deity Officer quickly grabbed him, hurriedly leading him out of the hall as if to escape.

At that moment, The Jade Emperor's calm voice rang out again, "Li Jing, step forward."

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing shrank back again, murmuring, "Your Majesty, I truly was not agitated."

Seeing this situation, Shi Yue, who was about to leave, had to pause. It was clear that Six Paths had accidentally revealed something, catching The Jade Emperor's attention. In such a scenario, Shi Yue couldn't just stand by. Despite The Jade Emperor's imposing presence, if Six Paths were in danger, he wouldn't hesitate to intervene.

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing murmured nervously but remained still—daring to defy The Jade Emperor in such a way was quite bold! Beside him, the four brothers—Virudhaka, The Heavenly King of Growth, Virupaksha, The Heavenly King of Broad Vision, Dhritarashtra, The Heavenly King of Holding the Nation, and Vaisravana, The Heavenly King of Hearing Many Teachings—displayed schadenfreude, as if saying, "See what happens when you show off, Li Jing?"

Despite being a king among the heavens, Li Jing lacked real capability, possessing only the rank of a True Immortal and a single treasured item—a pagoda given by Dipankara Buddha, specifically to guard against Ne Zha. Due to his status, he typically disregarded the lesser celestial generals, earning little favor in The Heavenly Court.

But does public opinion matter? From Li Jing's perspective, it's irrelevant; everyone's under the divine whip's control. The key is to make Your Majesty happy!

Thus, whatever The Jade Emperor said, Li Jing was the first to agree, often shouting the loudest, though he only did so to curry favor with The Jade Emperor without much real effort. Only a fool wouldn't capitalize on such opportunities!

He ignored the schadenfreude of the Four Heavenly Kings, as Li Jing's eldest had Guanyin Bodhisattva, his second son had Manjusri Bodhisattva, and he himself had the backing of Dipankara Buddha and Lingji Bodhisattva. Such backing made him unafraid even of Perfected Taiyi, Ne Zha's master, giving him reason to disregard others. He truly had the clout to be bold!

Yet, Li Jing didn't realize that precisely because of these connections—all Buddhist—The Jade Emperor begrudged him, annoyed by his insistent shouting every time.

However, his defiance showed, even The Jade Emperor's face darkened. Although maintaining a calm demeanor, the celestial ministers and generals sensed the brewing anger.

Silently, Venus Tai Bai sighed to himself. Just then, Perfected Taiyi, standing at the forefront, stepped out and suddenly shouted, "Li Jing, are you defying orders?"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing grunted twice, reluctantly shuffling forward a bit, and said quietly, "Your Majesty, I truly was not agitated."

Shi Yue felt a sudden alarm in his heart, sensing trouble when The Jade Emperor sharply focused his gaze on Li Jing.

Without hesitating, Shi Yue transformed into a wisp of wind, swiftly exiting the space of the Measuring Sky Staff and using his powerful magic to envelop the heavenly general where he was hidden, moving instantly to Li Jing.

A startled cry of "Ah!" echoed from the general, whose eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"How dare you!" exclaimed Perfected Taiyi, the first to react, pointing at the general and instantly freezing him in place, a step behind Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing.

"Hmph!" echoed The Jade Emperor's cold snort from his golden throne above, each syllable resonating anger, reflecting in his now visibly livid face.

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing turned to see the door guard, General Sha Xin, glaring with wide eyes as if set to commit murder before the hall, fueling his wrath further. He shouted, "Sha Xin! How dare you attempt to harm this king in the throne room!"

Stepping forward, Li Jing petitioned, "Your Majesty, I request immediate execution of Curtain-Lifting General Sha Xin as a deterrent to others!"

Hearing this, Shi Yue nearly laughed in disbelief within the Measuring Sky Staff space. He hadn't expected the famous Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King to act this way, crying for execution over anything, just as he was loudest against Sun Wukong.

Suddenly, Shi Yue paused, murmuring in shock, "Have I unwittingly harmed Monk Sha?"

Beside him, Six Paths' voice trembled slightly with gratitude, "Thank you, Brother Shi Yue, for risking yourself to save me. I hadn't expected you to follow. But who is this Monk Sha you mentioned?"

Shi Yue nodded in acknowledgment, smiling, "We are brothers, so I couldn't let you come to harm. The Jade Emperor is likely at the Great Luo tier—be cautious, even with your profound abilities, for one misstep could lead to eternal doom." Referring to Monk Sha, he added, "You will come to know him; it's fate binding him to us, though sadly, he was caught up in my actions. The Curtain-Lifting General was Monk Sha."

Six Paths' respect for Shi Yue deepened, acknowledging, "The debt you owe is also mine. I will seize any opportunity to repay it."

Outside, The Jade Emperor's face grew darker, enraged by the unseen presence that infiltrated then evaded the Hall of Miraculous Mist under his nose.

Casting a calm glance at Venus Tai Bai within the ranks, The Jade Emperor made Venus Tai Bai silently lament, as he quickly approved Li Jing's request.

Li Jing was left stunned, eyes bulging, while the surrounding celestial generals regarded him with newfound animosity. None stepped forward to plead for Curtain-Lifting General.

Finally, Venus Tai Bai sighed and stepped forward again, pleading with The Jade Emperor to consider the countless years of hard work by the Curtain-Lifting General and to allow a fragment of his primordial spirit to be sent down for reincarnation. Meanwhile, Shi Yue's Measuring Sky Staff remained attached to the Curtain-Lifting General, still as a speck of dust on him.

In the Measuring Sky Staff space, witnessing the events unfold, Shi Yue's gaze flickered thoughtfully. The inexorable progression of Journey to the West continued, unstoppable. Despite lacking a chance to break the jade cup, the Curtain-Lifting General was doomed by his involvement—prompting Shi Yue to wonder about his role in the unfolding saga.

As Shi Yue pondered silently, Six Paths waited quietly beside him, patient and observant.

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