464: Chapter 220 True Purpose_2 464: Chapter 220 True Purpose_2 Lady Houtu smiled faintly.
The Jade Emperor frowned, his voice deep as he said, “No, by that time, our reputation might be completely destroyed.
Given Ziwei’s current temperament, as soon as our power is lowered to a certain degree, he will definitely make a deadly move.
Thus, we must take action.”
Hearing this, Houtu asked, “Your Majesty, do you have any good ideas?”
“Dispel the rumors and then demonstrate our power.
Haven’t I mentioned it?
I have three top Heavenly Venerates as disciples, and this force, unknown to others, is capable of many things.”
A gleam of light flashed in the Jade Emperor’s eyes.
“For example?”
Lady Houtu’s eyes shone.
“Destroy Mount Ling.”
The Jade Emperor said with a smile, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
Since it was the Tathagata who suggested the idea against him, the Jade Emperor naturally did not plan to be polite and was ready to act against Tathagata.
Not to mention anything else, destroying Mount Ling was still within his capabilities.
With three top Heavenly Venerates taking action, without the Tathagata Buddha stationed at Mount Ling, who could withstand the joint forces of the three top Heavenly Venerates.
Even someone like Jin Chan wouldn’t even know how he died.”
Hearing the Jade Emperor’s words, Lady Houtu pondered for a moment and smiled, “I thought Your Majesty was going to suggest killing Sun Wukong.
I didn’t expect it to be an attack on Mount Ling.
However, Your Majesty, this approach is not bad.
Mount Ling has no official position in the Heavenly Court; even if Mount Ling is destroyed, it would mostly just be considered a quest for revenge.
Ziwei Heavenly Court can’t find a reason to move against us.
Your Majesty is truly wise.”
Hearing Lady Houtu’s praise, the Jade Emperor showed a smile.
It had been a long time since Lady Houtu had praised him like that.
“Then, it’s decided, they would never expect me to strike Mount Ling.”
The Jade Emperor said with a smile.
Following conventional thinking, since this news came from the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor should have moved against the Heavenly Court itself.
However, he chose not to disrupt the Heavenly Court but to destroy Mount Ling.
Nobody would expect him to do that.
…
Atop Huaguo Mountain, Sun Wukong pondered thoughtfully.
As rumors brewed for a month, the entire Three Realms found the Jade Emperor and Lady Houtu’s reputation had already soured.
Now, they had almost become the laughingstock of the Three Realms, but there had been no sign of them making a move.
Given the Jade Emperor’s temper, he would not be so calm.
If he put himself in the Jade Emperor’s position, what would he do?
Sun Wukong contemplated as he ceaselessly speculated on the possible actions of the Jade Emperor.
Firstly, the Jade Emperor would certainly not let the matter rest so easily.
He would not accept such a loss easily.
Considering the Jade Emperor’s temper, he would definitely seek revenge.
Moreover, to win back the hearts of the people, the Jade Emperor would show his own strength to reassure his subordinates.
Stabilizing morale in the cultivation world is simple; just showcasing strength suffices.
The Jade Emperor would not act personally but would surely let those around him use their power.
A glint of light flashed in Sun Wukong’s eyes; he was almost certain of this possibility.
Next, he needed to analyze who the Jade Emperor would let take action and against whom?
Firstly, excluding his twenty-eight disciples—Li Guangming and the others whose strength Sun Wukong was well aware of—a group of powerful though not very intimidating Heavenly Venerates.
The ones to act would at least be Great Heavenly Venerates.
The Jade Emperor had several Great Heavenly Venerates around him, but they were all recently recruited subordinates.
These people, having heard the rumors, might not be stable at heart, so naturally, he would not let them take action.
The Jade Emperor had to show new strength.
Wukong’s eyes gleamed as he muttered to himself, “The Jade Emperor has hidden forces by his side, his ace up the sleeve, definitely includes Great Heavenly Venerates.
Unless something unexpected happens, about three Great Heavenly Venerates might act.”
Sun Wukong repeatedly speculated and arrived at the same conclusion.
But who would the Jade Emperor target?
He would not provide Ziwei Heavenly Court with a reason to act, and flexing muscles against Ziwei Heavenly Court was not a wise move, as it could easily sacrifice his subordinates.
In that case, he could only choose a target not affiliated with the Heavenly Court, yet one that could be easily subdued and show off his muscle.
There were only two places.
One was Huaguo Mountain, and the other was Mount Ling.
Because Huaguo Mountain was Sun Wukong’s territory, and his relationship with the Great Emperor Ziwei was exceptionally good.
If he could destroy Huaguo Mountain, it would certainly strike awe throughout the Three Realms for the Jade Emperor.
The dignity of the Ziwei Heavenly Court was also damaged, its prestige reduced.
However, Huaguo Mountain had Sun Wukong.
Although his strength was not of the absolute top tier, he possessed an Immortal Body.
The last time in the underworld, they had not killed Sun Wukong.
If the Jade Emperor did not personally take action, even using three top Great Heavenly Venerates might not guarantee the destruction of Huaguo Mountain.
As long as Sun Wukong disregarded the consequences, he alone could hold off the forces sent by him.
Huaguo Mountain also had the White Tiger, a top Great Heavenly Venerate, and with Ksitigarbha having become a Great Heavenly Venerate as well and located above the East Sea, the Sea Dragon Clan could come to aid at any moment.
The chances of striking Huaguo Mountain successfully were low, and there might even be losses.
The Jade Emperor most likely would not make a move against Huaguo Mountain.
In that case, if he were to make a move, it would only be against Mount Ling.
First, the strength of Mount Ling was not as strong, nor did it have any troublesome characters.
Second, all those rumors had been spread under the supervision of Tathagata Buddha.
The Jade Emperor probably hated Tathagata Buddha by now.
Therefore, striking Mount Ling, or even destroying it, was the best way to demonstrate his power.
It could also be a way to retaliate against Tathagata Buddha and undermine the prestige of the Ziwei Heavenly Court, telling others that this would be the consequence of aiding the Ziwei Heavenly Court.
At this point, Sun Wukong was certain that the Jade Emperor’s target was Mount Ling.
He was 98 percent sure.
“Ksitigarbha and I will go out for a bit, Dongbin, you go find Ao Guang, tell him to watch over Huaguo Mountain, and if any powerful beings attack Huaguo Mountain, have Taotie and the others protect it and notify Old Sun immediately.”
Sun Wukong immediately took action.
He did not go to Mount Ling, but took Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to the Purple Bamboo Forest in the South Sea.
“Great Saint, what exactly happened?
What are we going to do?”
Ksitigarbha asked, curious.
Sun Wukong had taken him away from Huaguo Mountain, but had not specified what for?
Glancing at him, Sun Wukong said, “Find the Bodhisattva Guanyin, then we’ll head to Mount Ling together.”
“Go to Mount Ling for what?
Wait, could it be that someone is planning to make a move on Mount Ling?
The Jade Emperor?”
Ksitigarbha instantly realized.
Though he had not thought of it before, Sun Wukong’s words made him guess this possibility.
To become a Great Bodhisattva, one certainly is not foolish.
Moreover, Ksitigarbha had achieved the status of a Great Heavenly Venerate, a realm far surpassing that of an ordinary Buddha.
Sun Wukong nodded, smiling as he said, “I speculated a bit, and the Jade Emperor might possibly make a move on Mount Ling.”
“How certain are you?”
Ksitigarbha asked solemnly.
“About 80 percent.”
Sun Wukong modestly declared.
He had not spoken definitively, otherwise, he would not have arranged for Ao Guang and others to watch over Huaguo Mountain.
If he had guessed wrong outright, with the Dragon Clan watching and with the White Tiger, a top Great Heavenly Venerate, he believed that Huaguo Mountain could hold out until he returned, or perhaps even without his return.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva pondered for a moment, then said with a bitter smile, “Great Saint, you’re being modest.
The Jade Emperor is definitively acting against Mount Ling, you are indeed profoundly strategic.”
Sun Wukong glanced at him and said, “No need to flatter me, I’m certainly not profoundly strategic.
It’s mainly because I’m overly concerned about the Jade Emperor, so I thought a bit more.
You and the Jade Emperor have no grudge, so naturally, you wouldn’t have thought that far.”
Ksitigarbha nodded slightly, his face showing a trace of confusion.
“Even now, I don’t understand why the Jade Emperor would fake his death, and why he would plot so much.
If you say it’s to escape the oppression from The Three Pure Ones, being the Supreme of the Three Realms would have given him access to more resources.
Moreover, bringing back the Ancient Gods from beyond seems to bring him no benefit.”
Sun Wukong shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, saying, “I don’t know about that, maybe the Jade Emperor has gone mad.”
Seeing Sun Wukong disparage the Jade Emperor, Ksitigarbha could not help but laugh a little.
He did not say more, knowing Sun Wukong had no good feelings toward the Jade Emperor.
The two arrived at the Purple Bamboo Forest in the South Sea and explained the situation.
The Bodhisattva Guanyin immediately agreed, standing up to rush to Mount Ling with them.
Thanks to brother Achi Achi for the reward, and thank you all for your support.
Today’s update is a bit less, as the author lives in Yangzhou and went to have a nucleic acid test today.
As we can only leave the house once every three days, I also went to buy some groceries and living supplies, which took over five hours and was exhausting, so today’s update is much less.
Today I’ll post just one chapter, and will strive to write more tomorrow.