Seeing the monkey flee again, Yang Jian immediately shouted, "That demonic monkey, with your abilities, you dare to call yourself the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven?"
Provoked by Yang Jian's taunts, Sun Wukong stopped running and turned to face him. The two battled fiercely, from the ground to the sea, and then to the sky. As their cultivation levels were similar, both being Great Golden Immortals, Yang Jian fought without his magical artifacts, engaging in close-quarters combat.
Above the heavenly court, Di Xin smacked his lips, remarking on the intensity of the fight.
At this moment, Taishang Laojun appeared. Di Xin and the others paid their respects.
Taishang Laojun glanced below, took a ring from his arm – the Vajra Ring – and threw it down. It struck Sun Wukong directly on the forehead. Caught off guard, Sun Wukong was knocked unconscious. Although he was a naturally born stone monkey with a robust physique, he was no match for a sneak attack from a quasi-sage.
Afterward, Yang Jian captured Sun Wukong and brought him to the heavenly court.
In the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Sun Wukong was securely bound with the Immortal Binding Rope. Only then was he awakened.
Upon waking, Sun Wukong struggled fiercely, but the Immortal Binding Rope, a treasure of the immortals, proved too strong for him to break free.
Sun Wukong surveyed his surroundings and immediately exclaimed, "Alright, you pack of immortals! You ganged up on me, Old Sun! Old Sun refuses to submit! You three-eyed brat, if you dare, fight me again!"
Sun Wukong was furious. He had been fighting Yang Jian properly, only to be ambushed. In reality, the original Sun Wukong had planned to visit Erlang Shen's temple and play a trick on him. However, Erlang Shen's taunts had spurred him to fight instead, intending to have a genuine duel. But then he was ambushed, a clear act of lacking martial integrity!
Erlang Shen did not even glance at Sun Wukong. "Are you stupid? Look at all these powerful beings present! Even I wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous, yet you keep blabbering. If it weren't for the West backing you, you'd have been killed long ago!"
Sun Wukong continued to curse, but no one paid him any mind.
The Jade Emperor, with considerable authority, declared, "This demonic monkey has brought chaos to the heavenly court. First, he stole the Peaches of Immortality, then he stole immortal wine, disrupting the Peach Banquet. He also pilfered Lao Jun's immortal pills. He shall be executed!"
With that, heavenly soldiers escorted Sun Wukong to the Execution Altar.
The massive axe that fell upon him merely tickled Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong laughed heartily, "You think this can kill me? Hah! How ridiculous!"
Seeing that the monkey was unharmed, the assembled immortals murmured amongst themselves. Honestly, the Execution Altar was not just for show; it could truly execute immortals. The fact that it failed to harm Sun Wukong indicated that he possessed considerable abilities.
"Your Majesty," Wen Zhong stepped forward and suggested, "I propose we strike him down with heavenly lightning!"
The Jade Emperor nodded.
Soon, countless bolts of lightning descended. Sun Wukong remained unharmed amidst the barrage, his cultivation even showing signs of subtle improvement.
"This monkey still has some tricks up his sleeve," Kong Xuan remarked with a smile.
It wasn't that they were truly unable to subdue the monkey; after all, this was a performance.
"Your Majesty," someone proposed, "why not throw him into Lao Jun's alchemy furnace for refinement?"
It was evident that this suggestion had been orchestrated.
"Very well, agreed," the Jade Emperor waved his hand and promptly departed, no longer interested in playing along. He left them to their own devices.
Subsequently, heavenly soldiers escorted Sun Wukong to the Tushita Palace.
Upon seeing the Tushita Palace, Sun Wukong chuckled, "What, are you preparing to give me some pills? I've already eaten enough of Lao Jun's pills!"
The two heavenly soldiers were momentarily speechless, feeling both exasperated and envious. They wished they could eat those pills too!
Afterward, Taishang Laojun opened the alchemy furnace. The heavenly soldiers unceremoniously tossed the monkey inside, and the furnace sealed itself.
Watching the flames licking around him, Sun Wukong nonchalantly curled his lips. He was confident in his body and believed these flames could not harm him.
He shouted, "Lao Jun, the fire isn't strong enough! It's not hot enough, ha ha!"
Taishang Laojun glanced at the Golden Horn and Silver Horn beside him and said, "Keep fanning!"
As soon as Taishang Laojun spoke, a boundless inferno erupted within the Eight Trigram Furnace. Sun Wukong blinked, deciding it was best not to provoke Lao Jun further. He then cried out, "Ah! It burns so much!"
Seeing an opportunity, the Golden Horn and Silver Horn continued fanning, and the flames intensified.
Sun Wukong wailed from within, though much of it was an act. Nevertheless, the flames were indeed formidable.
Finally, Sun Wukong feigned lifelessness.
Taishang Laojun peered into the alchemy furnace and clearly discerned the situation within. He chuckled inwardly, "This monkey is quite the actor!"
He then declared, "Let him be refined for seventy-seven days!"
Following this, Taishang Laojun touched the Eight Trigram Furnace, and a thread of true fire appeared within, burning at Sun Wukong's foundations.
At this moment, Sun Wukong truly felt pain. However, he remained resolute, enduring it without a sound, intending to deceive them and then break out of the furnace.
After seventy-seven days, Taishang Laojun knew it was time. He withdrew his spiritual fire and commanded, "Open the furnace!"
A plume of smoke billowed out, and Sun Wukong flew forth. His eyes, previously clear, were now red-rimmed, as if capable of spitting fire – the Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze. However, his former divine eyes, present since birth, could penetrate all of creation, whereas now, they could merely discern truth from falsehood.
His Ruyi Body, forged in primordial chaos, was also somewhat damaged by the refining process. While this ordeal had led to a slight increase in his cultivation, it was limited.
Upon Sun Wukong's emergence, Taishang Laojun feigned alarm and retreated.
Sun Wukong retrieved his Ruyi Jingu Bang, overturned the alchemy furnace, and ascended a cloud towards the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.
The morning court was in session, but Di Xin and the others had all requested leave.
This intrigued the Jade Emperor, but he paid it little mind, feeling quite pleased. With these individuals absent, he was in sole command, a state he hadn't experienced in a long time.
As the Jade Emperor excitedly gestured and commanded, a sudden exclamation cut through the air. The Jade Emperor was stunned. What was happening?
He saw the monkey burst in, raising his Jingu Bang and charging towards him.
He was immediately knocked from his throne. The Jade Emperor panicked and fled, cursing inwardly. "Damn it! No wonder those useless officials were absent. They knew this wretched monkey was coming, and they did it on purpose! I, the dignified Jade Emperor, have been struck by a monkey!"
If this got out, it would be an indelible stain on his reputation. If he still possessed his former cultivation, he wouldn't fear this monkey. "Blast it, ever since returning from my tribulation, everything has fallen apart. Now I can't even defeat a monkey. This is too infuriating!"
He was likely the most useless quasi-sage. The Jade Emperor was dejected, but his escape was resolute. "Fight, fight! I'll never play along again. Damn it, the price is too high!"