Journey to the West: Sun Wukong's Advice System-Chapter 211 Inspection

Sun Wukong did not bring any followers, and came alone to the underworld.

He first paid his respects to Houtu in the guise of Meng Po near the Bridge of Helplessness, and solemnly said, "Madam Meng, your humble Sun Wukong has brought respect."

Meng Po coughed a few times before saying, "You now hold a position among the Four Imperial Guardians of the Heavenly Court, which isn’t inferior to mine. There’s no need for such grand gestures."

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "Madam, what are you saying? In the Heavenly Court we may be equals, but here in the underworld, I must remain earnest and respectful."

The Four Imperial Guardians of the Heavenly Court include the Zi Wei Great Emperor of the North Pole, the Southern Extreme Immortal Emperor Changsheng, the Emperor of the Northern Heavenly Palace, and the Holder of Divine Right Following Houtu.

From the perspective of their positions within the Heavenly Dao, they were indeed equals.

However, things were different on Earth. The great ancestor witch Houtu had once transformed into the cycle of reincarnation and opened the realm of darkness, providing a place for the countless lost souls of Vast Wilderness, a grand merit unparalleled, making her the sole saint of the terrestrial path.

In the underworld, his position was as the Yin Emperor of Fengdu, which was far inferior to Houtu.

Moreover, he had met Meng Po in Magic Square Mountain. In his heart, his master Bodhi, Meng Po, and the woodcutter Da Yi, they were all on the same side.

Should the situation in the Three Realms shift, these were his most reliable supports.

Thus, even without these differences in strength and position, he would still show the utmost respect to Houtu’s incarnation, Meng Po.

At this moment, Meng Po added, "You never visit without reason. Tell me, what brings you here this time?"

Sun Wukong stepped closer, smiling and scratching his head as he said, "Madam really understands your humble Sun. This visit is to exercise the Yin Emperor’s powers and inspect the underworld, which might cause some disturbance."

Meng Po, holding her cane, gently shook her head, "With your current strength, you shouldn’t need me to back you up, right?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "No need, no need. Just in case things get a bit out of hand later, please don’t blame me, Madam."

Meng Po ladled out a bowl of soup, pouring it down for the spirits near the bridge, and casually remarked, "As long as you don’t disrupt the order of reincarnation, do as you wish, but make sure to restore everything you break afterwards, so it doesn’t seem like you don’t take the underworld seriously."

Sun Wukong patted his chest and said, "Rest assured, Madam. This underworld is our own place. Your humble Sun will take good care of it. Hehe, once things are settled here, I’ll bring a surprise for Madam."

Meng Po, squinting her eyes, gave the Monkey King a glance and said, "A surprise? Just make sure it isn’t a shock."

Sun Wukong smiled and said, "You’ll see in due time, Madam."

After chatting for a while longer, he bid farewell and headed towards Fengdu.

Meng Po watched the golden light disappear, curious what this monkey was up to, and also marveled at how much Sun Wukong had changed over the past two hundred years, each visit bringing something markedly different.

...

Fengdu is Mount Fengdu, located in the northern part of the netherworld.

The mountain is two thousand six hundred miles high and surrounds an area of thirty thousand miles; within it are palaces and caves, all dwelling places of ghosts and deities.

The inside and outside of the mountain house twelve palaces each, forming twenty-four Yin Palaces in total, tasked with examining and punishing the sinful souls, governed by three officials, nine bureaus, and twenty-four prisons.

Apart from these, there are ten great Yin Marshals, commanding a million Yin soldiers.

All these are governed by the North Yin Emperor of Fengdu, the Yin Emperor.

The last time Sun Wukong visited the underworld to investigate the Three-Life Stone, the then Yin Emperor Bo Yikao had tried to delay him with troops and numerous Yin Soldier Formations, all of which were forcefully breached by him.

Thus, when he showed up in Fengdu now as the newly appointed Yin Emperor, all the officials, including the Four Judges, the Ten Great Netherworld Kings and the Ten Great Yin Marshals, were extremely nervous.

Little could they imagine that in less than a century, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven from the North who once fiercely fought with them would become the new Ziwei Great Emperor, assuming the role of Emperor Fengdu in the Underworld.

In the North Yin Palace, Sun Wukong was enthroned high above the great hall.

"Greetings to Emperor Fengdu," the officials and Yin generals carefully and respectfully saluted, fearing that they might incur punishment.

Sun Wukong did not smile or jest with them, but sternly ordered them to report the recent occurrences in Fengdu, appearing serious and inspecting.

He then identified some issues, punished some corrupt officials and ghost generals, and rewarded those who were diligent and had made achievements.

This clear method of reward and punishment was straightforward and effective, allowing him to swiftly take control of all of Fengdu.

Finally, Sun Wukong selected a few judges, underworld officials, and Yin generals to inspect the ten halls of the netherworld.

Apart from King Qin Guang, who was still in the cycle of a hundred reincarnations, the Nine Halls Netherworld Kings led by King Yama had already been informed of the arrival of the new Emperor Fengdu and had thus prepared for his arrival.

Some of the Netherworld Kings were also tense, as they had previously been led by King Qin Guang and had obeyed the orders of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the leader of the Underworld Sect.

Who could have thought that King Qin Guang, in an effort to deal with King Yama, had once summoned a Daluo Golden Immortal realm demon monkey to the Underworld, and that this demon monkey had now become their direct superior?

Although the Underworld was rife with various factions, including Houtu, Tai Yi, the Green Radiance Great Emperor, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, leader of the Underworld Sect, as well as the Eastern Emperor of Mount Tai.

Nevertheless, by name, the Northern Yin Emperor Fengdu was the sovereign of this nether realm!

Inside the fifth hall, the Hall of Yama, Sun Wukong sat in the position of King Yama, receiving the obeisance of the Nine Halls Netherworld Kings.

Just like before, he earnestly listened to the reports of the Netherworld Kings on the affairs of their respective halls and administered further rewards and punishments.

...

On the banks of Hell, the Green Cloud Palace.

Faint Buddhist chants emanated from this palace, filtering through the eighteen layers of Hell, ceaselessly transforming the evil spirits and resentful ghosts within.

At that moment, Ksitigarbha sat cross-legged on the Thousand Petal Blue Lotus Platform.

Two monks, one slender and the other dignified, both major Bodhisattvas of the Buddha Sect—Manjusri and Samantabhadra—were also visiting.

Suddenly, a ghost messenger came to report that Emperor Fengdu had arrived in the Underworld and was inspecting the ten halls of the netherworld.

A look of perplexed compassion crossed Ksitigarbha’s face. After a moment’s thought, he found nothing amiss with this, since Sun Wukong now held a divine position in the Underworld. Inspecting it was entirely proper.

"To entrust such power to a mere demon monkey, I really don’t know what the Heavenly Emperor was thinking," Manjusri Bodhisattva unreservedly expressed his thoughts. free𝑤ebnovel.com

He had said on many occasions that the Ziwei Great Emperor commanded the stars, regulated myriad laws, and governed Fengdu; every word and action could influence the circumstances of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Such an important divine position had unexpectedly fallen into the hands of a demon monkey, which would inevitably lead to great disaster.

"Amitabha, this is the misfortune of the Three Realms," Samantabhadra Bodhisattva sighed.

Ksitigarbha said nothing because the matter was already decided, and speaking further was useless.

Back then, to preserve the Buddha Sect’s authority in the Underworld, he had had to step forward to defend King Qin Guang, thus violating the Five Precepts and causing his Buddhist faith to waver. However, King Qin Guang’s own cleverness had eventually made Ksitigarbha’s efforts futile.

Since then, he had ceased to concern himself with these matters, dedicating himself solely to guarding Hell and transforming the evil spirits and resentful ghosts within.

After a short while, another ghost messenger reported that Emperor Fengdu had left the Reincarnation Hall and was heading towards Hell.

Ksitigarbha’s gaze sharpened, and Manjusri and Samantabhadra exchanged glances, the three Bodhisattvas similarly puzzled.