Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Chapter 296: Chapter 296: The Efficacy of the Heavenly Secrets Instrument (2nd Update)

“Great Saint, the Emperor is waiting for you inside!”

When Sun Wukong descended on a cloud, the maiden of Donghua Emperor’s Immortal Palace greeted him courteously with a bow and pointed inside the palace, saying.

Sun Wukong nodded and, led by the maiden, arrived at the door of Donghua Emperor’s inner chamber. The maiden bowed and withdrew. Sun Wukong was about to knock when the door creaked open on its own, and Donghua Emperor’s voice came from inside, “Is that you, Wukong? Come in!”

Sun Wukong entered the inner chamber where Donghua Emperor was sitting cross-legged on a meditation mat, meditating. Seeing Sun Wukong enter, he gently stretched his hand towards another mat beside him, motioning for him to sit. Sun Wukong, without hesitation, took a seat and looked curiously around. It was his first time inside Donghua Emperor’s inner chamber, which, unlike the opulent palace of the Jade Emperor, appeared quite simple, resembling more the dwelling of Puti Patriarch in Three-Star Cave Heaven.

“Wukong, you don’t seem nervous at all!”

Donghua Emperor laughed lightly, a playful look in his eyes, “The entire Heavenly Court is almost turning upside down because of you, yet here you are, calm as ever! Aren’t you afraid that I might capture you like those other Immortals and Gods?”

“Your Eminence wouldn’t do such a heartless and dishonorable thing! You’re not like that old Jade Emperor!”

Sun Wukong shrugged, smiling carefree, “If you wanted to deal with me, you would have done it back in the Eastern Sea, not just observing from the sidelines. The old Jade Emperor might command others, but he can’t command you!”

“You seem quite sure. What if you’re wrong?”

Donghua Emperor raised an eyebrow, his mouth curving into a mischievous smile.

“Wrong? That won’t happen; I, Wukong, am very accurate in my judgments!”

Sun Wukong shook his head, “Besides, even if I am wrong, it’s just a matter of exerting a bit more effort to fight my way out. In these Three Realms, there’s no one that can make me fear or retreat!”

“Good! Quite the bold statement! Worthy of being the Great Sage Equalling Heaven!”

Donghua Emperor’s eyes sparkled with a flash of approval as he nodded, “But Wukong, are you truly ready to oppose Heavenly Court? The depth of Heavenly Court is not as simple as you think!”

“Your Eminence, it’s not that I want to oppose Heavenly Court on purpose; it’s that the old Jade Emperor will not tolerate me. I can’t just sit and wait for demise, can I?”

Sun Wukong sneered, “The old Jade Emperor has long conspired with that bald Ran Deng to force my hand during the Peach Banquet. Such a narrow-minded, unsparing character—I disdain to obey him. If it means rebellion, so be it! I would like to see how he could possibly handle me!”

Watching Sun Wukong’s defiant expression, Donghua Emperor could not help but shake his head with a slight smile; he had long realized that Sun Wukong was not one to resign himself to subservience. If the Jade Emperor had been more magnanimous, perhaps Sun Wukong would not have rebelled so swiftly – at most, he would just leave Heavenly Court and rule over Flower-Fruit Mountain, living freely. But this forceful push by the Jade Emperor had indeed ignited his pride and wild nature, making rebellion almost inevitable!

“Well then, since you’re determined, I won’t try to dissuade you further. Everyone chooses their own path and must face the consequences. I only want to caution you to be careful. The strength of Heavenly Court is not just what you see; if its hidden depths are revealed, it would be terrifying!”

Depth?

Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow. This was the second time Donghua Emperor had mentioned this term. What depths of Heavenly Court was he unaware of? Could it be the three saints from the Three Purities—The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, Primordial Heavenly Venerable, and Leader of Tongtian? Hong Jun Daoist Ancestor had long decreed that Heavenly Dao Saints should not interfere in the conflicts of the Three Realms and should not lightly use Saint Level powers to avoid damaging the Three Realms Space. Besides, Sun Wukong was quite certain: neither The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord nor Leader of Tongtian would confront him; they might even secretly assist him. The only real threat might come from Primordial Heavenly Venerable.

Was Donghua Emperor suggesting that Primordial Heavenly Venerable might personally take action against him, similar to what had happened with Blood Dragon Ao Tian?

Sun Wukong questioned Donghua Emperor about it, but Donghua Emperor just gave a mysterious smile and did not elaborate. Sun Wukong had no choice but to let it go. Regardless of what depths Heavenly Court held, he would stir up trouble first, and if real danger arose, he would just flee swiftly. After all, this was Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor’s domain; he had no concerns here. Fight if possible, flee if not, and return later—that was the plan. He refused to believe that Heavenly Court had depths it could call upon indefinitely!

“By the way, Your Eminence, what’s the story with that Supreme Saintly Heavenly Venerable? I feel his combat power and perceptiveness are not like those of ordinary Immortals and Gods. He seems very experienced.”

Sun Wukong suddenly thought of something else and turned to Donghua Emperor to inquire again.

“Supreme Saintly Heavenly Venerable? Are you referring to Guang Chengzi?”

“Guang Chengzi? Emperor, are you saying that the Supreme Saintly Heavenly Venerable is Guang Chengzi, one of the Kunlun Twelve Golden Immortals?”

Sun Wukong’s eyes widened in surprise at Donghua Emperor’s words. He had always thought that Guang Chengzi, like the other members of the Kunlun Twelve Golden Immortals such as Real Man of Jade Cauldron, Cultivation Heavenly Venerable, and Chi Jingzi, had long since retired and secluded themselves. He never imagined that Guang Chengzi was still serving in the Heavenly Court and had even become the chief of the Heavenly Strategy Pavilion!

“Of course, it’s him!”

Donghua Emperor nodded and said, “After the great war between immortals and demons, the Heavenly Court officially became the ruler of the Three Realms. Guang Chengzi accepted the Jade Emperor’s appointment as the Supreme Saintly Heavenly Venerable, and was in charge of constructing the Heavenly Strategy Pavilion. It took over a thousand years to forge the Heavenly Secrets Instrument, which can communicate with the Heavenly Dao and control the fates of all beings across the Three Realms and the Six Paths. Only those who have traversed the Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations and reached the realm of the Taiyi Golden Immortal are not controlled by the Heavenly Secrets Instrument, though their life paths can still be traced within it.”

“The Heavenly Secrets Instrument can control the fates of all beings in the Three Realms and the Six Paths? Is it really that powerful?”

Sun Wukong was astonished. In this life, his destiny had already escaped the constraints of the heavenly trajectory. Regardless of his cultivation level, he was not restricted by the Heavenly Dao and naturally not by the Heavenly Secrets Instrument. He didn’t have much experience with this, but if it was as Donghua Emperor said, that the Heavenly Secrets Instrument could control the fate of all beings in the Three Realms and the Six Paths, wouldn’t that put the Demon Clan of Flower-Fruit Mountain at great risk?

If the Jade Emperor ordered Guang Chengzi to use the Heavenly Secrets Instrument against the Demon Clan of Flower-Fruit Mountain, how would they defend themselves?

“Of course, it’s powerful, otherwise it wouldn’t be named after Heavenly Secrets,” Donghua Emperor replied, nodding. Seeing Wukong with a worried expression, scratching his head, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “You, lad, are not affected by that Heavenly Secrets Instrument. Even I can’t perceive your destiny. What’s there to worry about for yourself?”@@novelbin@@

“I, old Sun, am not worried for myself. I’m worried for those monkeys and monkey grandchildren and other members of the Demon Clan at Flower-Fruit Mountain. If the Heavenly Secrets Instrument is as powerful as you say, Emperor, wouldn’t it be able to manipulate their life and death at any time?”

Sun Wukong’s brow was tightly furrowed. In this life, he had worked so hard and done so much for the sole purpose of breaking free from the shackles of fate and attaining true freedom and transcendence. This freedom and transcendence wasn’t just for himself, but also for the monkeys and his monkey grandchildren at Flower-Fruit Mountain, including his family and friends. If the Heavenly Secrets Instrument indeed had the power to evolve Heavenly Secrets and control other people’s destinies, wouldn’t all his efforts be a huge joke? What meaning would remain then?

“Hahaha, Wukong, you think too much. While it’s true that the Heavenly Secrets Instrument has the power to control the fates of all beings across the Three Realms and the Six Paths, this power can’t be used lightly!”

Donghua Emperor burst out laughing.

“Not to be used lightly? Are there any restrictions?”

Sun Wukong’s eyebrows shot up.

“Exactly!”

Donghua Emperor nodded, “Everyone has their own predetermined life trajectory. Until one comprehends their own Great Dao Principles and ascends beyond the ordinary, no one can escape the restrictions of fate. Indeed, the Heavenly Secrets Instrument can control the destiny of all beings across the Three Realms and the Six Paths, but this control is subject to stringent limitations.”

“Firstly, only those below the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal who have not yet traversed the Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations will be subject to the Heavenly Secrets Instrument’s control. Once they overcome the Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations and achieve the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal, they will begin to comprehend the Heavenly Dao, and naturally, they will no longer be within the control of the Heavenly Secrets Instrument!”

“Secondly, even for those below the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal, the Heavenly Secrets Instrument cannot arbitrarily alter their fate. Each forceful alteration of a predetermined destiny will suffer a backlash from the power of fate. The stronger the cultivation of the individual whose fate is altered, the more severe the backlash faced by the operator of the Heavenly Secrets Instrument, possibly even impacting their own destiny significantly, since altering fate against the heavenly order comes with a significant cost!”

“Therefore, generally speaking, the Heavenly Secrets Instrument is used to monitor beings across the Three Realms and the Six Paths to ensure their life trajectories do not impact the rule of Heavenly Court. Its role as a warning greatly outweighs its role in control.”

After hearing Donghua Emperor’s explanations, Sun Wukong finally understood. It appeared that the Heavenly Secrets Instrument wasn’t as ominously powerful as he had feared. He thought to himself that if the Heavenly Secrets Instrument solely could manipulate the fates of all beings across the Three Realms and the Six Paths, the Demon Clan would have been directly annihilated by the Heavenly Court long ago, and those powers that refused to submit to the Heavenly Court’s rule probably wouldn’t exist either. After all, not just anyone can cultivate to a level above Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Nonetheless, the Heavenly Secrets Instrument was not entirely devoid of threat. Except for his own life trajectory, which the Heavenly Secrets Instrument could not monitor, the life paths of everyone else could still be displayed within it. If the Heavenly Court were to see that the future development of the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Clan could impact the rule of the Heavenly Court, who could guarantee that the Jade Emperor wouldn’t take preemptive action?

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