Chapter 44: The Pale-Faced Monk Appears to Seize the Treasure Box

"Shuisheng, this monkey is the demonic offspring of the ancient fiend Wuzhiqi, whose evil nature is so profound that even the sages cannot dispel it. How then do you intend to save him?" The Supreme Elder, seeing General Yuan put away the Map of Rivers and Mountains, spoke in inquiry.

"Grandmaster, I observe that Sun Wukong’s demonic nature has flared up, and it was caused by another evil spirit invading him while he was imprisoned beneath the Five Elements Mountain. Therefore, I wish to seize this opportunity to sever his evil corpse!"

"Oh, that is indeed a method," the Supreme Elder nodded slightly, sighing. "You yourself are the reincarnation of the benevolent corpse that Wuzhiqi severed, and you are well-versed in the art of severing the three corpses.

However, now that the sages no longer intervene and innate treasures have become exceedingly rare, how do you plan to sever the monkey’s evil corpse?"

"Grandmaster, in my early years when I called myself ‘the foremost demon of the Investiture of the Gods’, I chanced upon and slew the Mosquito Daoist, thereby obtaining the Western Three-tier Golden Lotus.

This is an innate treasure, capable of housing the evil corpse of Wuzhiqi!" As he spoke, General Yuan summoned forth a golden lotus, which shone brilliantly in the misty alchemical chamber.

"Such a peerless treasure—you truly are willing to part with it!" The Supreme Elder could not help but laugh and cry at once. "It is a pity for those two friends of the West, who fell without ever learning where the culprit who devoured the Twelve-tier Merit Golden Lotus had gone..."

"It’s not mine anyway, so I don’t mind using it," General Yuan replied carelessly.

"Very well. Since you are resolved, I shall not interfere further." The Supreme Elder asked meaningfully, "But your cultivation is only that of a quasi-sage—how will you sever his corpse?"

"Hehe, I humbly ask Grandmaster to lend his aid!" General Yuan laughed sheepishly.

"Oh." The Supreme Elder gave him a look of ‘just as expected’, and after pondering for a long time, he finally said, "Shuisheng, are you truly prepared?"

"For what?"

"This time, the evil corpse severed from the monkey may be born of the resentment and malice of heaven and earth. If it is not properly contained, it may one day incite another catastrophe across the Three Realms!" The Supreme Elder spoke solemnly.

"Grandmaster, rest assured. Once the evil corpse is severed, I will immediately seal it within the Moonlight Treasure Box. It will never escape!" General Yuan replied earnestly.

"In that case, let us give it a try." With that, the Supreme Elder lifted the purple-gold gourd, released Sun Wukong, then swept his dust whisk to seal Sun Wukong's consciousness, and summoned the Tower of Primordial Heaven and Earth, which radiated myriad beams of light and drew Sun Wukong inside.

"Three-tier Golden Lotus, arise!" The Supreme Elder recited a true incantation, and with a flick of his dust whisk, the golden lotus in General Yuan’s palm flew forth and entered the tower, bursting forth in multicolored radiance.

"Hasten as the law commands—release!" The Supreme Elder waved his dust whisk left and right, and from the Eight Trigram Furnace flew seven streams of Ding Divine Fire, transforming into seven crimson fire dragons that entered the tower, wrapping, grabbing, and biting, forcibly dragging out a macaque almost identical to Sun Wukong.

"Maha Prajna Paramita!" Seeing this, General Yuan quickly opened the Moonlight Treasure Box, chanted an incantation at the macaque, and a dazzling white light swept it into the box.

"Thank you, Grandmaster!" General Yuan stored the Moonlight Treasure Box, smiling and bowing to the Supreme Elder.

"Mm, I have a guest visiting. You may return on your own." The Supreme Elder put away the Tower of Primordial Heaven and Earth, and with a sweep of his dust whisk, a golden light enveloped General Yuan and sent him out beyond the Thirty-three Heavens.

Just then, the Gold and Silver Attendants called out together, "Master, Bodhisattva Guanyin has arrived!"

"Hmph, just in time." The Supreme Elder re-secured Sun Wukong, whose evil corpse had been severed, in the purple-gold gourd, then called, "Quickly invite her in."

Not long after, Bodhisattva Guanyin entered the Palace of Dou Shuo, seeing the Supreme Elder standing in the courtyard. She hurried forward and greeted him, "Dao Ancestor, this humble monk pays respects!"

"Bodhisattva, you have traveled thousands of miles to this Heaven of Parting Sorrow. Have you come to plead for Sun Wukong?" The Supreme Elder, holding the purple-gold gourd behind his back, asked as Guanyin drew near.

"Precisely!" Guanyin nodded gently. "That monkey is fated with my Buddha. He has already been enlightened and accepted as Tang Monk’s disciple.

Therefore, I beseech the Dao Ancestor, for the sake of the Buddha’s honor, to spare him and allow him to fulfill his task of escorting Tang Monk to the West for the scriptures!"

"Oh? But this monkey wounded the Manifested Sage True Lord and many immortals. If I do not destroy him, how will I answer to the Jade Emperor?"

"Dao Ancestor, please rest assured. The Buddha is already aware of this, and has sent the Arhats Who Subdue Dragons and Tigers, carrying two golden mountains, to meet the Jade Emperor and personally resolve the misunderstanding between the monkey and Erlang Shen."

"Oh! So that’s how it is!" The Supreme Elder seemed as if awakening from a dream, nodding. "Very good, very good! Bodhisattva, you may take the monkey back!"

"Dao Ancestor, wait! This humble monk has more to say." Guanyin saw the Supreme Elder raise the purple-gold gourd and quickly interjected.

"What is it, Bodhisattva?"

"My Buddha, seeing that the monkey has endured the calamity of the Five Elements Mountain yet remains unrepentant, commanded me to place this circlet upon his head, to teach him not to act out in violence again!"

The Supreme Elder pondered for a moment, despite some misgivings, eventually nodded. "It should be so. Bodhisattva, take the monkey as you wish. No need to tell me more."

"Very good!" Guanyin smiled, produced a circlet, and as the Supreme Elder released Sun Wukong, placed it upon his head, then recited the true words. The circlet immediately embedded itself into his flesh.

Having done all this, Guanyin swept her willow leaf, enveloped Sun Wukong in her bottle, saluted the Supreme Elder in Buddhist fashion, and departed...

...

Meanwhile, General Yuan, who had been sent beyond the Thirty-three Heavens by the Supreme Elder, was riding a red cloud towards Longde Star. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him, "Dao friend, please wait!"

"Well, that line sounds familiar—could it be General Shen from the Waters calling me?" General Yuan thought he had met an acquaintance, so he halted his cloud and turned to look, only to see a pallid-faced monk with black robes and long hair, smiling warmly at him.

"Who are you? Why do you call me? What do you want?" General Yuan, seeing the stranger’s gentle features, lowered his guard and asked.

"Dao friend, who I am does not matter. What matters is: who are you, and what are you doing?" The pale-faced monk stood with hands clasped behind his back, smiling.

"Ha, are you out of your mind, friend?" General Yuan sized up the black-robed monk, found him unfamiliar, and said, "Enough, I have things to do, you play by yourself!"

With that, General Yuan was about to fly off, but the pale-faced monk blocked his path. General Yuan, instantly furious, cursed, "You bald donkey, do you not know your place? If you want alms, go to the Hall of High Heaven! Why block me here?"

"The fate I seek happens to be with you, Dao friend. That is why I’ve waited here especially," the pale-faced monk replied, still smiling.

"Ha! I, Yuan Shuisheng, have always robbed others; never has anyone dared to rob me. Today, my eyes are finally opened!"

Seeing the monk’s ill intent, General Yuan immediately gripped his right hand, summoning the One Qi Water-Fire Staff; with his left, he conjured twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls, and with a shake of his body, a Flag of Eastern Green Lotus unfurled from his back, fluttering without wind—a true ‘sea, land, air—360º, offense and defense in one’.

"Dao friend, since you insist on force, do not blame me for showing no mercy!" As the pale-faced monk finished speaking, a massive black lotus appeared above General Yuan’s head, followed by a beam of purple light that rendered him immobile.

"This—this is the Twelve-tier World-Destroying Black Lotus?! Are you the Demon Ancestor Rahu?!" General Yuan exclaimed in shock, knowing he was only of quasi-sage cultivation and no match for the Demon Ancestor.

"I have old ties with your mother, Wuzhiqi, so I shall not take your life. But I must borrow the Map of Rivers and Mountains. When the Demon Sect flourishes, I shall return it to you!"

As he spoke, the pale-faced monk took the Moonlight Treasure Box from General Yuan’s embrace, then reclaimed the black lotus, and transformed himself into a black cloud, soaring towards the outer heavens.

"I don’t care who you are—give me back my Moonlight Treasure Box—" General Yuan, released from constraint, quickly seized his Water-Fire Staff, mounted his red cloud, and chased the black cloud towards the outer heavens...