Chapter 836: Havoc in Heaven!

Though the games and television dramas provided by the system yielded excellent results for comprehending and practicing the spells and martial arts within them, when it came to innate talent, those who grew up in this defiled mortal world possessed neither the naturally nurtured primordial body of Sun Wukong nor the endless stream of various miraculous encounters. Even if they could grasp a mere smidgen of the surface elements, given their natural aptitudes, how tremendously difficult would it be to forge abilities like those of Sun Wukong?

Beneath the world-destroying catastrophes brought down by countless immortal gods across all kinds of games and dramas, they had learned to truly recognize themselves—humanity, perhaps, was indeed as utterly insignificant as it appeared in the eyes of those immortal gods.

Precisely because they recognized this reality, they did not greedily rush blindly forward, but rather advanced steadily, step by step, elevating themselves.

And at this moment, they witnessed that the Heavenly Court had truly bestowed upon the Handsome Monkey King the title of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven"!

"Is this... an intention to offer amnesty and enlistment once more...?" After all, the famous divine generals of the Heavenly Court, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li and his son, had both suffered defeat, so it was only reasonable that Taibai Jinxing would propose a peaceful settlement.

"If you ask me, what need is there for the Heavenly Court to bestow the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Couldn't he just proclaim it himself?" Jiang Xiaoyuan muttered, "That way he could enjoy his own freedom; why would he need to go up to the Heavenly Court to endure that restraint?"

"Uh..." Beside her, Xiao Yunhe, an elder of the Haotian Sect, explained, "Setting everything else aside regarding this Great Sage Equal to Heaven, he is absolutely a person who respects his master and honors the Way. Before his departure, the Patriarch repeatedly admonished him not to cause trouble. If they can make peace, it is naturally for the best."

Perhaps, within the heart of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, there had also been countless moments of struggle...

"So that's how it is..." Remembering the tear-filled, sorrowful appearance of Patriarch Bodhi when he banished Wukong, Jiang Xiaoyuan could not help but come to a sudden realization.

Although the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was born a stone monkey, if he were merely a wild monkey of high martial prowess, he naturally would not have been sung of and celebrated for thousands of years, earning the respect and veneration of everyone.

In this chronicle of the *Journey to the West*, wild and unruly as he might be, he possessed his own fundamental boundaries.

Even though the Patriarch would laughingly chide him as a mischievous monkey, that soul of respecting the master and honoring the Way, passed down for thousands of years from this land of Huaxia, had not been lost.

At this time, all the people currently watching this *Journey to the West* also gradually began to perceive that this Great Sage Equal to Heaven, though he had already leaped beyond the boundaries of the Three Realms, was entirely different from those "gods" who looked down coldly upon the mortal world; he remained a living, breathing existence of flesh and blood, vibrant with genuine emotions.

Although the title of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven did not require the Heavenly Court's bestowal, it had to be said that for the Heavenly Court to dub a young demon immortal, who had only attained illumination within the past few centuries, as a Sage was absolutely an unprecedented first.

Even if it was merely an empty title with a name but no actual power, it instead suited the temperament of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Upon the Heavenly Court, immortals went to and fro; when meeting the Three Pure Ones, he would greet them as "Laojun," and upon encountering the Four Emperors, he would address them as "Your Majesty." Though he was a "monkey head," he had spent seven or eight years learning scriptures, righteousness, and etiquette under Patriarch Bodhi, so he naturally would not behave like a savage beast of the wilderness. Coupled with the previous battle, there was also a sense of "no discord, no concord" in the air, allowing him to widely make worthy friends in the Heavenly Court, treating one another as brothers and thoroughly enjoying himself.

This was also why, even after enduring the havoc wrought upon the Heavenly Palace, when he encountered hardships upon the subsequent path of seeking the scriptures, a single ascent to the Heavenly Court would allow him to invite the immortal gods of various paths to assist him with all their might; part of the reason for this lay precisely in the relationships forged during this period.

The various Star Officials went without saying, and Taibai Jinxing favored peace; several times when the Jade Emperor wished to dispatch troops to the lower realm, only Taibai Jinxing spoke up to dissuade him, possessing a rather good relationship with Sun Wukong from the start.

The Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, the Five Elders... even down to the Nine Luminaries Star Officials, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Eight Immortals...

Among the celestial hosts of gods, those holding official titles were as numerous as the stars, to say nothing of the various wandering immortals.

They were as vast and brilliant as the stars in the night sky, allowing everyone to witness a massive system of immortal gods that was as numerous as the constellations, a grand hierarchy beyond all imagination.

Such a flourishing age of immortals possessed countless administrators within the Heavenly Court, and those outside its jurisdiction were a common sight as well!

They could not even imagine what kind of existence would dare to contend against such powerful gods and Buddhas of the celestial spheres!

But matters, naturally, would not simply end here.

Patriarch Bodhi had also spoken to him of the severity of the Three Calamities, and similarly, within the system of the Heavenly Court, by no means was everyone pleasantly acquainted with this Great Sage.

"Hehe... this Heavenly Court seems rather fun too..." A crowd of cultivators also found it amusing to watch, unable to restrain their laughter.

"Your Majesty, that Great Sage Equal to Heaven idles about every day, making friends with the various constellations of heaven without regard for high or low rank, calling everyone brother and summoning companions!" Within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Star Lord Wuqu was seen presenting a memorial, "If this continues long-term, I fear that trouble will arise from this idleness!"

And at this moment, it just so happened that there was a vacant post in the Peach Orchard: "Quickly summon Sun Wukong and command him to manage the Peach Orchard, lest he stir up trouble in his leisure."

"The Peach Orchard...?" Everyone looked at one another in mutual bewilderment.

It was said that within that Peach Orchard, there were three thousand six hundred peach trees: the front one thousand two hundred trees ripened once every three thousand years, and any human who ate them would become an immortal attained in the Way, their body healthy and light. The middle one thousand two hundred trees ripened once every six thousand years, and any human who ate them would rise into the mists to ascend, gaining eternal life and never growing old. The back one thousand two hundred trees ripened once every nine thousand years, and any human who ate them would possess a lifespan equal to heaven and earth, coeval with the sun and moon.

Previously, they had spoken of how difficult it was to cultivate the Way of longevity, yet they never expected that within this Peach Orchard, there were such immortal peaches, where eating just one could grant a lifespan equal to heaven and earth!

"There is actually such a treasure—!?" Ever since they began watching this *Journey to the West*, the crowd of cultivators had gone from continuous astonishment to utter numbness.

Within this Peach Orchard, matters proceeded peacefully at first; stealing a few peaches to eat in his leisure was truly a lucrative and pleasant task for this monkey head.

Who could have known that when the Seven Fairies arrived by imperial decree to pluck the peaches, they would mention that "the great and small venerated gods of every palace and every hall are all gathering to attend the Peach Feast."

The great and small venerated gods of every palace and every hall meant that every single immortal was upon the invitation list, yet he, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, was uniquely excluded!

Previously, with the words of the Patriarch foremost in his mind, he had endured with patience to get along amicably, but time and again, given the monkey's temperament, he naturally could tolerate it no longer.

Having already suffered a deception once before, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven felt as though he had been toyed with yet again this time, and now...

He was playing for keeps.

Enduring cold looks, ridicule, and all manners of trickery within the Heavenly Court, it was far better to return and be a carefree king, which would be infinitely more satisfying!

Perhaps... under such a system, there was fundamentally no place to accommodate such an unbridled yet naturally proud-boned Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

He was inherently incompatible with this place.

Even without a Star Lord Wuqu, there would have been a Star Lord Wenqu, or even other immortal officials.

The two sides entering into opposition appeared accidental on the surface, but in truth, it had long been a fated inevitability.

This time...

Even the entire Heavenly Palace was turned completely upside down!

The Peach Feast was ruined, the immortal peaches and immortal wine were consumed to the very last drop, and the tables, chairs, bowls, and dishes were smashed to utter pieces! Furthermore, while intoxicated, he even devoured the immortal elixirs of the Doushuai Palace until nothing remained!

Since it was unbearable, there was no longer any need to bear it!

Upon the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, the various demons bowed their heads, and the Monkey King, clad in golden armor and a phoenix-feather cap, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, stood tall and proud right in the face of the heavenly soldiers, heavenly generals, and all manner of immortal gods descending from the entire sky to surround and suppress him, as a gleaming golden banner unfurled against the wind, bearing four large characters: "Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

From a small demon monkey earnestly seeking the Way, he had walked step by step to reach this day.

They had all followed along personally, witnessed it with their own eyes, and felt the exact same emotions.

Every cultivator and martial artist who beheld this scene was moved to a flood of tears.