Chapter 3: The Four Seas and a Thousand Mountains All Bow in Submission; The Nine Dark Regions and Ten Categories Are Erased from the Register

The Handsome Monkey King returned to his homeland in triumph. Since exterminating the Demon King of Chaos and seizing his great blade, he had trained in martial arts every day, teaching the little monkeys to cut bamboo poles for spears, whittle wood for swords, make flags, and blow whistles. They advanced and retreated, set up camps, and amused themselves for a long time. Suddenly, one day while sitting in meditation, he thought: “Here we are, amusing ourselves, but I fear this play may turn into reality. Perhaps we will alarm the human kings, or some bird king or beast king will think we have violated taboos, claiming we are drilling with weapons to rebel, and raise an army to attack us. You all have only bamboo poles and wooden swords—how can you face them? We must have sharp blades. What is to be done now?” When the monkeys heard this, they were all terrified and said, “Your Majesty sees very far ahead, but there is nowhere to obtain them.” Just as they were speaking, four elder monkeys stepped forward—two were Red-Bottomed Horse Monkeys, and two were Long-Armed Gibbons. They came before him and said, “Great King, if you wish to forge sharp weapons, it is very easy.” Wukong asked, “How is it easy?” The four elder monkeys said, “Two hundred li east of our mountain lies a body of water. Across it is the border of the Aolai Kingdom. Within that kingdom is a royal city. The city is filled with countless soldiers and civilians, and there must certainly be artisans skilled in gold, silver, copper, and iron. If Your Majesty goes there, you could either buy or have weapons made. Then you could teach and train us to guard this mountain stronghold. This is truly what is called seizing the moment for lasting peace and prosperity.” When Wukong heard this, he was overjoyed and said, “You stay here and amuse yourselves. I will go there.”

Truly a worthy monkey king, he immediately mounted his somersault cloud and in the blink of an eye flew across the two-hundred-li stretch of water. Sure enough, he saw a city there, with its six thoroughfares and three marketplaces, ten thousand gates and a thousand doors. People were coming and going in broad daylight. Wukong thought to himself: “There must be ready-made weapons here. I could go down and buy a few, but it would be better to use some magic to find some instead.” He then formed a hand seal, recited a spell, drew a breath from the direction of Xun, and blew it out. Immediately a fierce wind arose, whipping up sand and stones—truly alarming:

Where the cannon clouds rose, heaven and earth shook; black mist and dark haze made the world dim.

Rivers and seas churned with waves, frightening fish and crabs; trees in the mountains snapped, and tigers and wolves fled.

No merchants or travelers could be seen on the roads; no one appeared in any trade or profession.

The king in his hall retreated to the inner palace; civil and military officials before the steps turned back to their offices.

The thousand-year throne was toppled; the five-phoenix tower had its foundations shaken.

When the fierce wind arose, it scattered the king of Aolai Kingdom. The three markets and six thoroughfares were all in panic, doors were shut, and no one dared to walk outside. Only then did Wukong lower his cloud, charge straight into the palace gate, and search until he found the armory and weapons store. He opened the doors and saw countless weapons inside: knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battleaxes, lances, sickles, whips, maces, clubs, batons, bows, crossbows, tridents, and lances—every kind was there. He was overjoyed at the sight and said, “How many can I carry by myself? I had better use my to move them.” Truly a worthy monkey king, he pulled out a handful of his hair, chewed it in his mouth, spat it out, and recited a spell, crying, “Change!” It transformed into a thousand or ten thousand little monkeys, all scrambling and grabbing. Those with great strength took five or six pieces; those with less strength took two or three. They carried everything away cleanly. Then he mounted his cloud, used a summoning spell to call back the fierce wind, and led the little monkeys back to their home.

Now, the great and small monkeys of the were playing outside the cave when they suddenly heard the sound of wind and saw the sky filled with countless monkeys, dense and boundless. Frightened, they all ran and hid. After a while, the Handsome Monkey King lowered his cloud, withdrew the mist, shook his body, and gathered back his hairs. He piled all the weapons in a heap in front of the mountain and called out, “Little ones, come and collect your weapons.” When the monkeys looked, they saw Wukong standing alone on the level ground. They all ran forward, kowtowed, and asked for the story. Wukong told them everything about raising the fierce wind and moving the weapons. After the monkeys had thanked him, they all rushed to grab knives and seize swords, snatch axes and fight over spears, pull bows and load crossbows, shouting and yelling as they played all day long.

The next day, they again formed ranks and arrayed their forces. Wukong gathered the monkey host, which totaled over forty-seven thousand in number. This soon alarmed all the strange beasts on the mountain: wolves, insects, tigers, leopards, elk, muntjac, river deer, badgers, foxes, raccoons, wildcats, lions, elephants, mythical lions, orangutans, bears, deer, wild boars, mountain oxen, antelopes, blue rhinoceroses, clever hares, and divine mastiffs. There were seventy-two lairs of various demon kings, and they all came to pay homage to the Monkey King as their sovereign. Every year they offered tribute, and at the four seasons they reported for roll call. Some joined the ranks for training, and some delivered grain and fodder on schedule. Everything was orderly, and they turned the into an iron fortress like a golden city. The various demon kings also presented golden drums, colored banners, helmets, and armor. Amidst all this hustle and bustle, they practiced military arts and raised troops every day.

While the Handsome Monkey King was delighted, he suddenly said to the monkeys, “You have become proficient with bows and crossbows and skilled with weapons, but unfortunately, this blade of mine is too heavy and clumsy. It does not suit my taste. What is to be done?” The four elder monkeys stepped forward and reported, “Great King, you are an immortal sage. The weapons of the mortal world are not fit for your use. But we do not know—can Your Majesty enter the water?” Wukong said, “Ever since I attained the Way, I have mastered seventy-two earthly transformations and the somersault cloud with its vast magic. I am skilled in concealment and invisibility, and in summoning and transporting spells. I have a path to heaven and a door into the earth. When I walk, the sun and moon cast no shadow; when I enter metal or stone, there is no obstacle. Water cannot drown me, fire cannot burn me. Where can I not go?” The four elder monkeys said, “Since Your Majesty has such magic, beneath this Iron Plate Bridge, the water flows through to the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea. If Your Majesty is willing to go down and find the old Dragon King, and ask him for some weapon, would that not be satisfying?” When Wukong heard this, he was very pleased and said, “I will go there.”

Truly a worthy monkey king, he leaped to the bridgehead, used a water-repelling technique, formed a hand seal, and plunged into the waves, parting the water as he went straight to the bottom of the Eastern Sea. As he walked, he suddenly saw a patrolling yaksha blocking his way and asking, “Who is this pushing aside the water? What divine being are you? Speak clearly, so I can announce you and prepare a welcome.” Wukong said, “I am the Heaven-born Sage Sun Wukong of the. I am your old Dragon King’s close neighbor—how do you not know me?” When the yaksha heard this, he hurried back to the Palace and reported, “Great King, outside there is a Heaven-born Sage Sun Wukong of the. He claims to be Your Majesty’s close neighbor and is about to enter the palace.” Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, quickly rose and, together with his dragon sons, dragon grandsons, shrimp soldiers, and crab generals, came out to greet him, saying, “Please enter, Upper Immortal, please enter.” They met inside the palace, where Wukong was seated in the place of honor and served tea. Then the Dragon King asked, “When did the Upper Immortal attain the Way? What immortal arts have you been taught?” Wukong said, “Ever since I was born, I left home to cultivate the Way and obtained a body that knows neither birth nor death. Recently, I have been teaching and training my descendants to guard the mountain cave, but unfortunately I have no weapon. I have long heard that my worthy neighbor enjoys himself in his jade palace and pearl pavilion, and you must have many spare divine instruments. I have come especially to request one.” When the Dragon King heard this, he found it hard to refuse. He ordered the Mandarin Fish Commander to bring out a large blade and present it. Wukong said, “Old Sun does not know how to use a blade. Please give me something else.” The Dragon King then ordered the Sturgeon Grand Marshal and the Eel Strength Officer to carry out a nine-pronged trident. Wukong jumped down, took it in his hands, went through a routine, and put it down, saying, “Too light, too light, and it doesn’t feel right. Please give me something else.” The Dragon King smiled and said, “Upper Immortal, you haven’t looked closely—this trident weighs three thousand six hundred pounds.” Wukong said, “It doesn’t suit me, it doesn’t suit me.” Fearful now, the Dragon King ordered the Catfish Colonel and the Carp General to carry out a decorated square-headed halberd. This halberd weighed seven thousand two hundred pounds. When Wukong saw it, he ran forward, took it in his hands, performed a few stances, and made a few moves, then set it aside, saying, “Still too light, too light.” The old Dragon King grew even more frightened and said, “Upper Immortal, the only heavy weapon in my palace is this halberd. There is nothing else.” Wukong smiled and said, “The ancients said, ‘Don’t worry about the Dragon King of the Sea having no treasures!’ Go and look again. If there is anything suitable, I will pay the full price.” The Dragon King said, “There truly is nothing else.”

As he was speaking, a dragon-wife and dragon-daughter came forward from behind and said, “Great King, look at this high immortal; he is certainly no ordinary person. In our sea treasury, that divine iron pillar that stabilizes the Heavenly River at the bottom has been emitting rosy clouds and auspicious vapors these past few days. Could it be that it should manifest itself and meet this high immortal?” The Dragon King said, “That is a weight used by Yu the Great to measure the depths of rivers and seas when he controlled the floods. It is a piece of divine iron—what use could it be?” The dragon-wife said, “Whether it is useful or not, just give it to him. Let him do whatever he wants with it, and send him out of the palace.” The old Dragon King followed her advice and told all this to Sun Wukong. Wukong said, “Bring it out and let me see.” The Dragon King waved his hand and said, “It cannot be carried or lifted; the high immortal must go and see it himself.” Wukong asked, “Where is it? Lead me there.”

The Dragon King indeed led Wukong into the midst of the sea treasury, where suddenly ten thousand beams of golden light appeared. The Dragon King pointed and said, “That which shines is it.” Wukong hitched up his clothes, stepped forward, and felt it with his hand. It turned out to be an iron pillar, about as thick as a peck measure and over two zhang long. He grabbed it with both hands, straining, and said, “Too thick and too long; it needs to be shorter and thinner to be of use.” As soon as he spoke, the treasure shrank by several feet and became a circle thinner. Wukong shook it again and said, “Even thinner would be better.” The treasure indeed shrank again by a few more fen. Wukong was overjoyed and took it out of the sea treasury to look at it. It turned out to have two golden bands at each end and a length of black iron in the middle. Next to the golden bands was engraved a line of characters, reading: “The Compliant Golden-Hooped Staff; weight: thirteen thousand five hundred jin.” Wukong was secretly delighted and thought, “This treasure must be able to follow a person’s wishes.” As he walked, he thought and muttered to himself, shaking it in his hand, and said, “Shorter and thinner would be even better.” When he brought it outside, it was only two zhang long and about the thickness of a rice bowl.

Watch him now as he displayed his divine powers, whirling through every kind of technique, spinning around inside the Crystal Palace. The old Dragon King was terrified, his little dragon sons lost their wits and scattered spirits; turtles, tortoises, alligators, and soft-shelled turtles all drew in their necks; fish, shrimp, giant crabs, and turtles all hid their heads. Wukong took the treasure in his hand and sat down in the Crystal Palace hall, saying to the Dragon King with a smile, “Many thanks for your generous kindness, worthy neighbor.” The Dragon King said, “I dare not, I dare not.” Wukong said, “Though this iron is useful, there is still one matter.” The Dragon King said, “What other matter does the high immortal have?” Wukong said, “If there had been no such iron, that would have been the end of it. But now that I have it in my hand, my body has no matching armor. What is to be done? If you have any armor here, you might as well give me a set, and I will be doubly grateful.” The Dragon King said, “That I do not have.” Wukong said, “A single guest does not trouble two hosts. If you do not have any, I will certainly not leave this door.” The Dragon King said, “Trouble yourself, high immortal, to go to another sea; perhaps they might have some.” Wukong again said, “Going to three houses is not as good as staying in one. I earnestly beg for a set.” The Dragon King said, “Truly I have none; if I did, I would certainly present it.” Wukong said, “Really none? Then let me try this iron with you!” The Dragon King panicked and said, “High immortal, do not strike, do not strike! Let me see if my younger brothers have any; they ought to give you a set.” Wukong said, “Where are your younger brothers?” The Dragon King said, “My younger brothers are Ao Qin, Dragon King of the South Sea; Ao Shun, Dragon King of the North Sea; and Ao Run, Dragon King of the West Sea.” Wukong said, “I, Old Sun, will not go, will not go. As the saying goes, ‘Three on credit are not worth two in hand.’ I only hope you will give me a set, high or low, as it may be.” The old Dragon King said, “There is no need for the high immortal to go. I have here an iron drum and a golden bell. In any urgent matter, if the drum is beaten and the bell is struck, my brothers will come immediately.” Wukong said, “Since that is so, go quickly and beat the drum and strike the bell.” Sure enough, the alligator general went to strike the bell, and the turtle marshal came to beat the drum.

In a short while, the sound of the bell and drum stirred the three Dragon Kings, who arrived in a moment and met together outside. Ao Qin said, “Elder brother, what urgent matter has made you beat the drum and strike the bell?” The old Dragon King said, “Worthy younger brothers, it is hard to speak of. There is some Heaven-born sage from the Flower-Fruit Mountain who came this morning to acknowledge me as a neighbor. Later he demanded a weapon; we offered a steel fork, but he thought it too small; we presented a halberd, but he thought it too light. He took that piece of divine iron that stabilizes the Heavenly River at the bottom, handled it himself, and performed some tricks. Now he sits in the palace and demands armor. I have none here, so I struck the bell and beat the drum to invite you, my worthy brothers. Do you have any armor to give him, so we can send him off?” When Ao Qin heard this, he was furious and said, “Shall we not raise our troops and capture him?” The old Dragon King said, “Do not speak of capturing him, do not speak of capturing him. That iron—if it touches one, one dies; if it grazes one, one perishes; if it rubs against one, the skin breaks; if it brushes one, the sinews are injured.” Ao Run, Dragon King of the West Sea, said, “Second brother, do not fight with him. For now, let us scrape together a set of armor and give it to him, sending him out the door. Then we can submit a memorial to Heaven, and Heaven will surely execute him.” Ao Shun, Dragon King of the North Sea, said, “Well said. I have here a pair of lotus-root cloud-treading boots.” Ao Run, Dragon King of the West Sea, said, “I have brought a suit of linked golden armor.” Ao Qin, Dragon King of the South Sea, said, “I have a phoenix-wing purple-gold crown.” The old Dragon King was overjoyed and led them into the Crystal Palace to meet Wukong, presenting these items. Wukong put on the golden crown, golden armor, and cloud-treading boots, all properly fitted, and brandishing the Compliant Staff, he fought his way out, saying to the dragons, “I have troubled you, I have troubled you.” The Four Dragon Kings were greatly indignant, and they discussed submitting a memorial to Heaven, but that is another matter.

Now look at this Monkey King: he parted the waters and went straight back to the Iron-Plate Bridge, leaping up onto it. He saw the four old monkeys leading the troop, all waiting by the bridge. Suddenly they saw Wukong leap out of the waves, his body completely dry, shining golden as he came onto the bridge. The monkeys were so startled that they all knelt down and said, “Great King, how glorious! How glorious!” Wukong, beaming with joy, ascended his throne on high and stood the iron staff upright in the middle. Those monkeys, not knowing any better, all came to grab the treasure, but it was like a dragonfly trying to shake an iron tree—they could not move it in the slightest. One by one they bit their fingers and stuck out their tongues, saying, “Grandfather! So heavy! How did you manage to bring it?” Wukong came forward, stretched out his hand, and picked it up with one grab, saying to the monkeys with a laugh, “Everything has its owner. This treasure has lain in the sea treasury for who knows how many thousand years, and only this year did it shine. The Dragon King only took it for a piece of black iron, also calling it the Heavenly River Bottom-Steadying Divine Pillar. Those fellows could not lift or carry it, so they invited me to go and get it myself. At that time, the treasure was over two zhang long and as thick as a peck measure. I grabbed it, thinking it too big, and it shrank a great deal; when I called for it to be smaller, it shrank again; when I called for it to be smaller again, it shrank again. Quickly looking at it against the light, I saw a line of characters on it: ‘Compliant Golden-Hooped Staff, thirteen thousand five hundred jin.’ All of you stand back, and let me call for it to change again to see.” He shook the treasure in his hand and called, “Small! Small! Small!” Instantly it became as small as an embroidery needle, small enough to be tucked inside his ear and hidden. The monkeys were terrified and cried out, “Great King, take it out and play with it again.” The Monkey King truly took it out of his ear, held it in his palm, and called, “Big! Big! Big!” Immediately it became as thick as a peck measure and two zhang long. In his delight, he jumped onto the bridge, went out of the cave, gripped the treasure in his hand, and performed a divine power that made his body equal to Heaven and Earth. He bent his waist and called out, “Grow!” Then he grew to a height of ten thousand zhang, his head like Mount Tai, his waist like a steep ridge, his eyes like lightning, his mouth like a blood basin, his teeth like swords and halberds; the staff in his hand touched the Thirty-third Heaven above and reached the Eighteenth Layer of Hell below. Those tigers, leopards, wolves, and insects, all the monsters of the mountain, and the seventy-two cave demon kings, were all so terrified that they kowtowed and bowed, trembling with fear, their souls scattered and spirits dispersed. In an instant, he withdrew his divine appearance, changed the treasure back into an embroidery needle, hid it in his ear, and returned to the cave dwelling. All the demon kings of the various caves were flustered and came to pay their respects and offer congratulations.

Then he made a great display, with loud-sounding gongs, set out a feast of rare delicacies and a hundred flavors, filled cups with coconut wine and grape nectar, and feasted with the monkeys for a long time. Afterward, he again taught and drilled them as before. The Monkey King appointed the four old monkeys as stalwart generals, naming the two red-bottomed horse monkeys as Marshals Ma and Liu, and the two long-armed gibbons as Generals Beng and Ba. He entrusted all matters of encampment, rewards, and punishments to these four stalwart generals for management.

He set his mind at ease, daily riding clouds and mists, roaming the four seas, and seeking pleasure across a thousand mountains. He displayed his martial arts, visiting heroes far and wide; he wielded his supernatural powers, making friends with many worthy sages. At this time, he also formed bonds with seven brothers: the Bull Demon King, the Dragon Demon King, the Roc Demon King, the Lion Camel King, the Macaque King, and the Alligator King, making seven in total, including himself, the Handsome Monkey King. Each day they discussed literature and martial arts, passed cups and exchanged toasts, played strings and sang songs, danced and reveled, coming and going from dawn to dusk, finding joy in everything. They treated a distance of ten thousand li as if it were a path in their own courtyard; as the saying goes, a nod could span three thousand li, and a twist of the waist could cover over eight hundred.

One day, Sun Wukong, in the Water Curtain Cave, instructed the four stalwart chieftains to prepare a banquet and invite his six brothers for a drink. They slaughtered cattle and horses, made sacrifices to heaven and earth, and had all the demon creatures dance and sing, until everyone was thoroughly drunk. After seeing off the six brothers, he also rewarded the various leaders, great and small. Sun Wukong leaned against the pine shade by the iron-plank bridge and soon fell asleep. The four stalwart chieftains led the monkey throng to guard him in a circle, not daring to speak loudly.

Then the Handsome Monkey King, in his dream, saw two men holding a warrant with the three characters "Sun Wukong" written on it. They approached him, without a word, put a rope around him and dragged away his soul, stumbling and staggering until they brought him to the side of a city. The monkey king gradually sobered up, and suddenly looked up to see an iron plaque on the city wall, inscribed with three large characters: "The Realm of Darkness." The monkey king immediately realized: "The Realm of Darkness is where King Yama dwells. Why have I come here?" The two men said, "Your allotted lifespan in the mortal world is ended today. We two hold the warrant and have come to summon your soul." The monkey king, hearing this, said, "Old Monkey has transcended the Three Realms and is beyond the Five Elements; I am no longer under his jurisdiction. How dare you, muddle-headed, come to summon me?" The two soul-summoning ghosts kept tugging at him, insisting on dragging him inside. The monkey king flew into a rage, pulled out his treasure from his ear, shook it until it became as thick as a bowl mouth. With a slight raise of his hand, he smashed the two summoning ghosts into meat paste. He untied the rope himself, cast it aside, and swinging his staff, burst into the city. The bull-headed ghosts fled in all directions, and the horse-faced ghosts ran north and south. The ghost soldiers rushed to the Senluo Hall and reported, "Great King, disaster! Disaster! Outside, a hairy-faced thunder god has come charging in!"

The ten kings of the underworld, flustered, hurriedly straightened their robes to go see him. Seeing his fierce appearance, they arranged themselves in order of rank and called out loudly, "Noble immortal, leave your name! Noble immortal, leave your name!" The monkey king said, "If you do not recognize me, why did you send men to summon me?" The ten kings said, "We dare not, we dare not. It must be that the men sent made a mistake." The monkey king said, "I am the Heaven-born Sage Sun Wukong of the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. What offices do you hold?" The ten kings bowed and said, "We are the ten kings of the underworld, the rulers of the netherworld." Sun Wukong said, "Quickly state your names, or you'll get a beating." The ten kings said, "We are King Qinguang, King Chujiang, King Songdi, King Wuguan, King Yama, King Pingdeng, King Taishan, King Dushi, King Biancheng, and King Zhuanlun." Sun Wukong said, "Since you have ascended to kingship, you are beings of spiritual manifestation and response. Why do you not know good from bad? Old Monkey has cultivated immortality and attained the Way, living as long as heaven, transcending the Three Realms and leaping out of the Five Elements. Why did you send men to detain me?" The ten kings said, "Noble immortal, calm your anger. There are many with the same name and surname in the world. It must be that the summoning ghosts went to the wrong place?" Sun Wukong said, "Nonsense! Nonsense! As the saying goes: 'Officials may err, clerks may err, but the one sent is not wrong.' Quickly bring out the registers of life and death for me to see!" The ten kings, on hearing this, invited him to the hall to inspect them.

Sun Wukong, holding his Ruyi Staff, went straight up to the Senluo Hall and sat down in the center, facing south. The ten kings then ordered the judge in charge of records to bring out the books for inspection. The judge dared not be negligent; he went to the office and brought out five or six documents and ten registers. He examined them one by one: the categories of naked creatures, hairy creatures, feathered creatures, insects, and scaly shelled creatures—none had Sun Wukong's name. Then he reached the category of monkeys. It turned out that the monkeys resembled humans but were not listed among humans; they resembled naked creatures but did not dwell in the boundaries of states; they resembled walking beasts but were not under the jurisdiction of the qilin; they resembled flying birds but were not under the governance of the phoenix. There was another register, which Sun Wukong examined himself. Only at the 1,350th entry under the character "soul" was Sun Wukong's name recorded, stating: "Heaven-born stone monkey, allotted lifespan three hundred and forty-two years, peaceful death." Sun Wukong said, "I do not care about the number of years; just erase the name. Bring a brush." The judge hastily presented a brush, dipped in thick ink. Sun Wukong took the register and erased all names under the monkey category, without exception. Throwing down the register, he said, "Account settled! Account settled! From now on, you have no authority over us." Swinging his staff all the way, he burst out of the Realm of Darkness. The ten kings dared not approach; they all went to Cuiyun Palace to pay respects to Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva and discuss submitting a memorial to heaven. This matter is temporarily set aside.

The monkey king, charging out of the city, was suddenly tripped by a clump of grass and fell headlong. He woke up with a start—it turned out to be a dream of the Southern Branch. As he straightened his waist, he heard the four stalwart chieftains and the monkey throng calling out loudly, "Great King, how much did you drink? You slept through the night and still haven't woken?" Sun Wukong said, "Sleeping is a small matter. I dreamed that two men came here to summon me, and they brought me outside the gates of the Realm of Darkness, where I came to my senses. I used my supernatural powers, made a ruckus all the way to the Senluo Hall, argued with the ten kings, and looked at our registers of life and death. I erased every single name that had our designations, so none of us are under that fellow's control anymore." The monkey throng kowtowed in gratitude. From then on, the monkeys in the mountain mostly lived without aging, because the underworld had no records of them.

After the Handsome Monkey King finished recounting the matter, the four stalwart chieftains reported it to the demon kings of the various caves, who all came to congratulate him. Within a few days, the six sworn brothers also came to pay their respects. Upon hearing about the erasure of names, they were all overjoyed, and each day they gathered to enjoy themselves. This matter is temporarily set aside.

Now, the Most High Heavenly Sage, the Great Merciful Lord, the Jade Emperor, the Venerable God of the Vast Heaven, one day was seated in the Golden Palace of the Cloud Palace in the Lingxiao Hall, gathering the civil and military immortal officials for the morning audience. Suddenly, the Perfected Man Qiu Hongji reported: "Your Majesty, outside the Tongming Hall is Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, presenting a memorial, awaiting your summons." The Jade Emperor issued a decree: "Summon him in." Ao Guang was summoned to the Lingxiao Hall. After completing the formalities, a messenger immortal boy took the memorial. The Jade Emperor read it through from beginning to end. The memorial read:

"From the lower realm of the Water Element, the Eastern Continent of Superior Divinity, the Eastern Sea, the minor dragon subject Ao Guang, respectfully memorializes the Great Heavenly Lord, the Venerable God of the Vast Heaven: Lately, the demon immortal Sun Wukong, born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and dwelling in the Water Curtain Cave, has bullied this minor dragon, forcibly occupied my water residence, demanded weapons, and displayed his magic and power; he demanded armor, acting fiercely and tyrannically. He startled and injured my water creatures, and frightened away the turtles and alligators. The Dragon King of the Southern Sea trembled in fear, the Dragon King of the Western Sea was in deep distress, and the Dragon King of the Northern Sea shrank back and surrendered. This subject, Ao Guang, prostrated myself and offered the Divine Iron Staff, the Phoenix-feather Gold Crown, along with the Chain Mail and Cloud-stepping Shoes, and sent him away with courtesy. Yet he still wielded his arts and displayed his might, merely saying, 'Troublesome, troublesome!' Truly, he is invincible and hard to subdue. I now submit this memorial, humbly begging Your Majesty to decide. I implore you to dispatch heavenly troops to subdue this demon, so that the seas and mountains may be purified and the lower realm may be at peace. Respectfully submitted."

The Sacred Emperor, after reading it, issued a decree: "Let the Dragon God return to the sea. I will immediately send generals to capture him." The old dragon king kowtowed in thanks and departed.

Next, the Celestial Master Ge Xianweng reported: "Your Majesty, King Qinguang of the underworld has presented a memorial from Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Lord of the Dark Realm." A messenger jade maiden took the memorial. The Jade Emperor also read it through from beginning to end. The memorial read:

"The Realm of Darkness is the netherworld below the earth. Above there are gods, below there are ghosts; yin and yang revolve in cycles. Birds are born and beasts die; male and female alternate. Life gives rise to transformation, nurturing female forms into male—this is the natural order and cannot be altered. Now, the heaven-born demon monkey Sun Wukong of the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit has committed evil and acted violently, refusing to submit to summons. He wielded his supernatural powers, beating to death the ghost messengers of the Nine Darknesses; relying on his strength, he frightened the ten compassionate kings. He created a great uproar in the Senluo Hall, forcibly erasing names from the registers. As a result, the monkey species have no restraints, the macaques live long lives; reincarnation has been cut off, and each has no birth or death. I, a humble monk, have prepared this memorial, daring to offend Heaven's majesty. I beg you to dispatch divine troops to subdue this demon, to rectify yin and yang, and to bring eternal peace to the underworld. Respectfully submitted."

The Jade Emperor, after reading it, issued a decree: "Let the netherworld lords return to their realm. I will immediately send generals to capture him." King Qinguang also kowtowed in thanks and departed.

The Great Heavenly Lord summoned all the civil and military immortals and officials, asking: "This demon monkey—how many years has he been in existence? Which generation produced him? How did he come to possess such a Way?" Before the words were finished, Thousand-Li Eyes and Shun-Feng Ears stepped forward from the ranks and said: "This monkey was born three hundred years ago from a stone. At the time, we paid him no heed. We do not know in what place he cultivated himself into an immortal in recent years, subduing dragons and taming tigers, and forcefully erasing his name from the register of death." The Jade Emperor said: "Which divine general shall descend to the mortal realm to capture him?" Before the words were finished, Tai Bai Chang Geng Xing stepped forward from the ranks, prostrated himself on the ground, and memorialized: "Supreme Sage, among the Three Realms, any being with nine orifices can cultivate immortality. But this monkey is a body conceived by Heaven and Earth, a form nurtured by the sun and moon. He also has his head touching Heaven and his feet treading the Earth, drinking dew and feasting on clouds and mists. Now that he has achieved the Way of immortality and possesses the ability to subdue dragons and tame tigers, how is he different from any human? I, your subject, beg to suggest that Your Majesty, out of the compassionate grace of creation, issue a decree of amnesty and summon him to the Upper Realm. Bestow upon him some office, great or small, register him among the immortals, and keep him in check here. If he accepts the Heavenly mandate, he may later be promoted and rewarded; if he disobeys the Heavenly mandate, then capture him on the spot. This way, first, we will not mobilize the host and weary the troops, and second, we will gain an immortal through proper means." The Jade Emperor was pleased and said: "Let it be as you have memorialized." He immediately ordered the Wen Qu Star Official to compose an imperial edict and commanded Tai Bai Jin Xing to carry out the amnesty.

Jin Xing received the decree, left the Southern Heavenly Gate, lowered his auspicious cloud, and went straight to the Water Curtain Cave in the Flower and Fruit Mountain. He said to the little monkeys: "I am a heavenly envoy sent by the heavens, bearing a sacred decree here. I request that your Great King ascend to the Upper Realm. Announce me quickly." The little monkeys outside the cave relayed the message layer by layer to the depths of the cave, saying: "Great King, there is an old man outside carrying a scroll of writings. He says he is a heavenly envoy sent from above and has a sacred decree inviting you." The Handsome Monkey King was overjoyed and said: "These two days I have been thinking of taking a trip to the heavens, and now a heavenly envoy comes to invite me." He called out: "Invite him in quickly!" The Monkey King hastily straightened his cap and robes and went outside the gate to welcome him. Jin Xing walked straight in, faced south, and stood, saying: "I am the Western Tai Bai Jin Xing. By order of the Jade Emperor's amnesty decree, I have descended to the mortal realm to invite you to ascend to Heaven and receive the immortal register." Wu Kong smiled and said: "Many thanks, elder star, for your arrival." He ordered the little monkeys to prepare a banquet for their entertainment. Jin Xing said: "The sacred decree is upon me; I dare not linger long. I request that the Great King come with me. After your promotion, we may leisurely converse." Wu Kong said: "Thank you for your gracious visit. To leave without proper hospitality, how remiss, how remiss!" He then summoned the four stalwart generals and instructed them: "Diligently teach and train the children. Wait for me to go up to the heavens and see the way, so I can bring you all up to live together." The four stalwart generals received the order.

This Monkey King and Jin Xing soared up on clouds, rising above the clouds and mists. It was truly:

Ascending high to the rank of superior celestial immortal,

His name listed in the cloud-class registers of the precious scrolls.

But in the end, what official title he received remains unknown. Listen to the next chapter for the explanation.