Journey to the West: Sun Wukong's Advice System-Chapter 24: Who Doesn’t Have a Patron?

The Senluo Hall suddenly quieted down.

Under the scrutiny of those terrifying eyes, all the Ten Yama Kings trembled in their hearts and dared not speak any further.

Sun Wukong casually sat on the throne in the Senluo Hall and suddenly laughed, "Old Sun forgot one thing, those soul-fetching ghosts seem not to have died."

At this statement, King Qin Guang’s expression subtly changed, while Lord Yama let out a sigh of relief.

The expressions of the other Netherworld Kings varied, but most were in disbelief.

After all the commotion, they had been tricked by this immortal!

"Thank you for showing mercy," Lord Yama quickly bowed in gratitude, "Please return the two ghost officers so that I may investigate thoroughly."

"You come and ask, I want to see what conclusions you can draw," Sun Wukong waved his hand, throwing the crumpled pair of ghost officers to the floor of the great hall.

Struggling, the two ghost officers reverted to their original forms. Seeing such a grand scene, they were terrified and immediately fell to the ground, not daring to move.

Lord Yama glanced at them, confirmed they were his own ghost officers, but he could also confirm that he had not sent these two to Fruit Mountain, nor had he issued any decree to fetch Sun Wukong’s soul!

His dignified face demanded, "Who dispatched you to fetch the soul of Sun Wukong from Fruit Mountain? Speak the truth, or I will condemn you to the eighteenth level of hell, forever unable to reincarnate!"

The two ghost officers trembled with fear, "Reporting to the great king, it was the Lord of the Netherworld’s decree that dispatched us..."

Before they could finish, a Netherworld King suddenly raised his hand and emitted two misty beams, shouting, "What audacity, to slander the Lord of the Netherworld, you must be executed!"

But a staff came crashing from above, knocking him flying out of the hall and collapsing half of the Senluo Hall.

"Have you eaten the gall of a dog? Acting as if Old Sun does not exist?" Sun Wukong, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, stood above the Senluo Hall, his brilliance golden and blinding to behold.

All the Netherworld Kings were alarmed; it happened too fast for them to see clearly!

In their shock, King Qin Guang had a dark expression, as the situation was very unfavorable for him!

He turned to the two ghost officers, "You dare to speak such nonsense, if you say it was my decree, where is the written decree then?"

The two ghost officers had faces of despair and looked up tremblingly.

"It’s here with Old Sun," Sun Wukong pulled out the soul-fetching decree, twirling it in his hand, "The Lord of the Netherworld would probably say this decree does not specify who approved it, proving nothing, right or not?"

"What Immortal says is most correct, but the underworld still needs to keep evidence," King Qin Guang bowed, "Rest assured, I will thoroughly investigate and provide a proper explanation to the Immortal!"

"Hah! Don’t try to deceive Old Sun," Sun Wukong sneered, "If there’s no explanation today, Old Sun will take this decree and visit the Heavenly Court, asking the Jade Emperor, whether all Daluo Golden Immortals should die, should they all be summoned by the underworld?"

The Ten Yama Kings all changed color, as this issue, if blown out of proportion, could indeed be a huge disaster.

"Amitabha, all is well and good." Just then, a deep Buddhist chant resonated.

"Hmm?" Sun Wukong looked outside the hall and saw a compassionate monk, wearing a golden crown, holding a Treasure Bead in his left hand and a Tin Staff in his right, slowly stepping into the hall.

He also noticed that King Qin Guang and four other Netherworld Kings were no longer panicking.

"Who are you to dare disturb me while I adjudicate?" Sun Wukong demanded to know, already guessing it must be this so-called Ksitigarbha King Bodhisattva.

"This humble monk is the Western Ksitigarbha. Commanded by the Buddha, stationed in the underworld, guarding the eighteen levels of hell," Ksitigarbha held one palm upright, "Today, I heard that the Ten Yama Kings are unjust, so I have come to preside over justice."

"Lofty and grand-sounding, but Old Sun wants to see what kind of justice you intend to uphold!" Sun Wukong sneered, thinking how oddly coincidental that the monk would arrive just as he planned to appeal to heaven.

With that thought, he was alert, because he could not see through this monk, who was most likely a more powerful Quasi-Saint mixed Yuan Golden Immortal.

Ksitigarbha spoke indifferently, "Bring the Book of Life and Death."

The Judge in the hall immediately went to fetch the Book of Life and Death and soon carried out a stack, all of which were copies of the Book of Life and Death. He began flipping through them one by one.

"What a drag, when will you find it?" Sun Wukong could not stand such an attitude toward work and grabbed a book marked with "Soul" to inspect it himself.

He had only flipped through it three times before he found it.

Indeed, as a senior expert in ancient affairs had told him, his name was on the page marked with the number thirteen hundred and fifty in the "Soul" section.

It was annotated: Sun Wukong, the naturally formed stone monkey from Fruit Mountain, destined to live three hundred and forty-two years, to die a natural death.

Ksitigarbha saw this too. He was first astonished by Sun Wukong’s speed in searching, then said, "Normally, for those who cultivate immortality, their names would vanish from the Book of Life and Death. It seems there might have been a mistake in the Book’s records, causing the soul to be wrongfully reaped."

"Heh, this is your justice?" Sun Wukong scoffed coldly, his eyes flashing fiercely, "If that’s the case, let’s go to the Heavenly Court. I refuse to believe that there is no justice in this world, that any two random ghost messengers could reap the soul of a Daluo Golden Immortal!"

"Amitabha, Sun donor is attached to appearances, justice exists inherently..." Ksitigarbha intoned a Buddhist chant.

"Cough, cough." Suddenly, a cough came from outside the hall, interrupting Ksitigarbha’s words.

Ksitigarbha’s gaze shifted slightly as he turned and looked towards the hall entrance, gesturing with one hand and asked, "Mistress, what brings you here?"

"Cough, cough, this old woman also wants to see if there is justice in the Netherworld." Meng Po supported herself on her cane as she walked step by step into the Senluo Hall.

The expressions of King Qin Guang and several other Netherworld Kings changed again.

"Grandma, Sun has a gift for you here." Sun Wukong got up from his throne above and bowed before Meng Po.

Heh, who doesn’t have a backer?

Meng Po nodded, then turned to the monk beside her, "Ksitigarbha, please oversee that justice is served."

Ksitigarbha no longer had his earlier nonchalance; his face turned serious, and after a brief silence, he suddenly said, "This poor monk will make a plea to the Heavenly Court to speak on behalf of King Qin Guang to resign from the position of Lord of the Netherworld."

"Bodhisattva..." King Qin Guang was stunned.

The Lord of the Netherworld is the chief among the Ten Yama Kings, a prestigious position. He had gone through countless schemes and paid numerous costs to climb to his current position. How could he just lose it like that?

"Very well." Meng Po’s expression remained unchanged as she smiled at Wukong, "Wukong, now that the matter is clear, follow me and let us leave."

"Unsatisfying, unsatisfying!" Sun Wukong complained, but still left with her.

"Amitabha." Ksitigarbha’s gaze lowered as he murmured a Buddhist chant, then told the other Netherworld Kings, "Dismiss yourselves, do not neglect the affairs of your halls."

The Netherworld Kings bowed and retired.

King Yama remained in the Senluo Hall, his eyes resting on two unnoticed ghostly beings.

Meanwhile, King Qin Guang did not return to the First Hall but waited halfway for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and finally accompanied him to the Emerald Cloud Palace by the banks of Hell.

Once inside the palace, Ksitigarbha sat on the Thousand-Petal Green Lotus Platform.

King Qin Guang knelt and bowed, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for saving my life."

After calming down, he had understood Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s intention for asking him to resign as Lord of the Netherworld.

Although his name wasn’t signed on the document authorizing the reaping of souls, he could argue that the two ghost messengers were slandering him, but such a matter wouldn’t withstand scrutiny.

Once it escalated to the Heavenly Court, his crime would be grave, for he’d essentially have offended all the Daluo Golden Immortals!