Chapter 55: Raising Havoc in the Underworld????
Above is the heavenly court, and below is the underworld.
The underworld is no simple place.
This is easy to understand.
After all, this is the land of the deceased, the ultimate destination for those who have passed away.
How could it be a place that ordinary mortals or beings could easily shake?
In Yu Qiye's words—he would rather believe that the Monkey King had the strength to wreak havoc in the heavenly court than believe he truly had the strength to wreak havoc in the underworld.
"When all is said and done, this is merely a trap set for the Monkey King."
Yu Qiye withdrew his gaze.
He had no desire to get involved.
It was far too dangerous.
As for why the underworld would scheme against the Monkey King, Yu Qiye had two guesses.
First, they genuinely needed the Monkey King to clear the books.
Second, perhaps the underworld wished to meddle in the future great tribulation of the Journey to the West and thus wanted to test the waters.
Of course, these were merely possibilities.
As for the specifics, Yu Qiye could not be certain.
"Let's continue cultivating."
Yu Qiye let out a long breath and began his cultivation.
Simultaneously, he started researching the Innate Divine Eyes.
Every pair of Innate Divine Eyes was unique.
Even though this pair of divine eyes had originated from the Monkey King, they had changed due to differences in development direction and even bloodline.
"Currently, my Innate Divine Eyes possess two core abilities."
"The first is the Annihilation Divine Light, capable of firing two rays of light fierce enough to destroy everything. The second is the ability to traverse space, observing the Three Realms and the Nine Underworlds, much like the Thousand-Mile Eye, but three parts more terrifying than it."
...
In a daze, Yu Qiye stroked his eyes.
He could faintly perceive wisps of demonic power, and even bloodline power, continuously circulating within the divine eyes.
It was as though they were being nourished, and as though they were gestating.
...
Time slowly drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, the first half of the night had passed.
Right at that moment, however,
"Mountain Bull seeks an audience with the Heavenly Crow King."
A cold voice suddenly echoed from outside the cave dwelling.
"They've come, have they?"
Yu Qiye raised an eyebrow, feeling a pleasant surprise.
He held high hopes for Mountain Bull.
This was a combat-capable warrior.
His traits were extremely well-coordinated, and his potential was not small.
Therefore...
His figure vanished in an instant.
When he reappeared, Yu Qiye was already outside the cave, standing before a figure with crescent-moon horns.
"Mountain Bull pays respects to the Heavenly Crow King. This subordinate is willing to follow the Great King wherever he goes."
Mountain Bull knelt on one knee, his expression sincere.
Among the demon race, the rule of the strong reigned supreme.
Yu Qiye was stronger than him and had even spared his life.
He was worthy of his loyalty.
...
"Good."
Nodding slightly, Yu Qiye looked toward Qingqiu Xue, who was hurrying over from the depths of the cave, and instructed:
"From now on, Mountain Bull shall be ranked alongside the Blade Mantle, the Wolf Demon, and the others, serving as a senior general under my command."
"Take him inside and make proper arrangements."
Hearing this, Qingqiu Xue wore a smile and replied:
"As you command, Great King."
...
Subduing Mountain Bull was merely an episode for Yu Qiye.
As for subsequent nurturing, Yu Qiye could only say that he still needed time to test him.
Not every subordinate was worthy of cultivation.
Only those who were absolutely loyal to him or had stood the test of time would Yu Qiye invest his resources into cultivating repeatedly.
"This world is not short of geniuses."
"What it lacks are geniuses loyal to me."
With his gaze flashing, Yu Qiye raised his eyes toward the vast night sky.
If he possessed a group of fiercely loyal subordinates,
coupled with his meticulous nurturing,
and supplemented by all sorts of resources,
then his future prospects would truly be boundless.
Just then, however, Yu Qiye suddenly lifted his gaze, looking in the direction of Flower-Fruit Mountain.
"Crow younger brother, Crow younger brother..."
Amidst repeated calls, the Monkey King tumbled through the air, flying straight toward Yu Qiye's direction.
"What is it?"
Yu Qiye inquired.
Yet deep in his heart, he could not help but wonder—had he really finished wrecking the underworld already?
"Crow younger brother, you have no idea. My soul was just dragged out by Black and White Impermanence and hauled down to the underworld!"
The Monkey King arrived close to Yu Qiye and grinned broadly.
"And then?"
Yu Qiye asked smoothly.
"And then, this old Sun saw that old geezer Yama, who actually dared to claim that my allotted lifespan had run out! That made this old Sun furious. In a fit of anger, I snatched the Book of Life and Death..."
"And altered the lifespans of myself and all the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain..."
At this point, the Monkey King looked toward Yu Qiye again, as if seeking credit, and said:
"Oh right, this old Sun also altered the lifespans of all the named demons in your Heavenly Crow Cavern."
"Really?"
Though Yu Qiye had known this long ago, he still feigned utter shock.
"When has this old Sun ever lied?"
The Monkey King patted his chest, looking extremely pleased with himself.
Just at that moment, however, Yu Qiye's expression sank, and he said in a solemn voice:
"Monkey younger brother, if that is true, then you are in grave danger!"
"How do you figure that?"
The Monkey King blinked, looking startled.
"First you snatched the Ruyi treasure from the Dragon Palace, and now you've wrecked the underworld. I imagine that before long, your name will reach the ears of the Heavenly Emperor."
Yu Qiye pointed toward the night sky.
"Oh?"
The Monkey King looked contemplative.
Then, he waved a hand dismissively and said carelessly:
"No matter, no matter. What does it matter if the heavenly court knows of this old Sun?"
"What can they possibly do to me?"
...
Quietly listening, Yu Qiye said no more.
He knew the Monkey King's personality was just like this.
Still, he couldn't blame him.
This fellow was an peerless prodigy who had yet to experience any real hardships, so naturally, he did not know how high the heavens were or how thick the earth was.
And as the Monkey King's senior martial brother, offering the necessary warning was enough.
At least this way, the fellow wouldn't come back to nag him about it later.
Besides, truth be told...
Deep down in his heart, Yu Qiye actually hoped he would embark on the path of wreaking havoc in the heavenly court.
This held infinite benefits not only for the Monkey King,
but for himself as well.
The flat peaches in the Peach Garden, the countless immortal brews, and Lord Laozi's various elixirs—
these were treasures that ordinary beings could only dream of.
Yet the Monkey King? In a single day, he looted most of them.
And the most crucial part was, the Monkey King didn't even suffer any substantive punishment?
What? Imprisoned beneath the Five-Pointers Mountain for five hundred years?
Could this... really be considered a severe punishment?
Let's do the math properly.
The Peach Garden had three thousand six hundred peach trees. The first twelve hundred trees—
ripened every three thousand years, and eating one allowed one to attain the Dao and become an immortal.
The middle twelve hundred trees—
ripened every six thousand years, and eating one allowed immortals and Buddhas to increase their lifespans by several millennia.
Not to mention the final twelve hundred peach trees—
ripened every nine thousand years, granting immortals and Buddhas lifespans numbered in the tens of thousands.
And the Monkey King had eaten so many flat peaches. Even with diminishing returns from repeated consumption, the lifespan he gained was at the very least several tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years.
And that didn't even include the elixirs and immortal wines.
Yet what was the Monkey King's final penalty? Just confinement for five hundred years?
This was equivalent to robbing a bank in the mortal world for nearly two hundred million, transferring the money overseas, and when they realized they couldn't get it back, they told you that you had frightened the staff, and fined you five hundred yuan for emotional distress.
This...
The reality might even be more exaggerated than that.
The Monkey King's five-hundred-year confinement took place in the mortal realm, not in the heavens.
One day in heaven corresponds to a year on earth.
Calculating by heavenly time, it was merely two years.
Therefore...
"Monkey younger brother, do not blame me. I certainly have no wish to ruin your destiny."
"Besides, for your happiness and mine, just sacrifice those five hundred years."
"In the future, I will surely bring fine wine and delicious brews to visit you often."