Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

"Originally, this poor monk thought that since Jiang Ziya was about to face the ultimate punishment, the immortal gods of the Zhou Dynasty's camp, who were supposed to share life and death together, would spare no effort to save him. Yet, upon arriving at the Heavenly Court today, I find this scene instead. Shouldn't this poor monk laugh? Heartless and selfish, trash!"

At the end of his speech, Jiang Liu spat lightly, his face full of disdain.

These words made countless immortals blush, unsure of how to respond.

Usually, Master Xuanzang was humble and courteous in dealing with others. However, once truly angered, his words were as sharp as knives.

"Damn it! What do you mean by staring at me when you say trash?" Jiang Liu's words made Nezha appear extremely enraged, shouting furiously.

"Sorry, don't misunderstand, when I said trash I wasn't targeting you!"

With a mischievous thought in mind, Jiang Liu looked around before speaking: "I mean, you are all trash!"

"Your Majesty!"

As Jiang Liu finished speaking, the Erlang God, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward, bowed toward the Jade Emperor, and said, "Master Xuanzang's words are not without reason. During the previous deification battle, Chancellor Jiang Ziya took good care of me. Today, I hope Your Majesty can show leniency!"

Sometimes, the role of a leader is significant. Once the Erlang God spoke, all the immortals, including those like Nezha and Li Jing who had secretly allied, and even those who originally wished to plead but were intimidated by the Jade Emperor's authority, also stepped forward one after another to plead with the Jade Emperor.

For a moment, almost all the immortals pleaded for Jiang Ziya.

This scene made the Jade Emperor's face darken with a threatening gloom.

"Good, good, this situation is exactly what I wanted!" Seeing that almost all the immortals were pleading, Jiang Liu's face showed a hint of a smile as he nodded quietly.

Whether sincere or not, regardless of their intentions, almost all the immortals were pleading at this moment.

Faced with such a situation, could the Jade Emperor really refuse?

If he refused, wouldn't that show that the Jade Emperor is obstinate and tyrannical, ignoring reason?

"Damn, how could this happen!?" Seeing the situation below, the Jade Emperor's face turned extremely unpleasant, caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to speak.

The immortals led by Wen Zhong did not seem to be genuinely pleading, yet even so, if he outright rejected them, what would these immortals think?

Moreover, the plea from the batch of immortals with the Erlang God appeared to be incited by Xuanzang's provocations. Yet, who knows how much sincerity lies beneath their compelled actions?

"What to do?" The Jade Emperor whispered to himself, finding the current situation extremely troubling.

For the first time since he ascended to the position of ruler of the three realms, almost all the immortals had united in a plea against him.

"Alas..." Observing the situation unfold into such an awkward position, the Supreme Elder Lord sighed gently among the gathered witnesses.

Originally, Jiang Ziya's identity and status were extraordinary, so it wasn't wrong for the Jade Emperor to consider killing Jiang Ziya to establish authority.

Now, however, because Jiang Ziya is difficult to kill, things have become counterproductive.

Recently, the Jade Emperor's reputation has been declining, already at a dangerous brink. If today's matter also ends in failure, recovering his reputation would be nearly impossible.

"The Jade Emperor is, after all, the ruler of the three realms. If his reputation falls to the lowest point, numerous disruptions across the three realms would inevitably follow. A scenario no one wishes to see, right?" After pondering briefly to himself, the Supreme Elder Lord shook his head discreetly.

He then stepped forward a few steps, bowing toward the Jade Emperor, "Reporting to the Jade Emperor, the old Taoist has something to say!"

The Supreme Elder Lord stepping forward at this moment naturally drew countless gazes.

Even those immortals who had pleaded turned their heads in unison, focusing on the Supreme Elder Lord.

"What is it, Elder Lord? Feel free to speak!" Seeing the Supreme Elder Lord come forward, the Jade Emperor inquired, a sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

Previously, when he was about to be defeated by the combined forces of Xuanzang and Gaoyang, it was also the Supreme Elder Lord who appeared in the Void Realm to save the day. Now that the Supreme Elder Lord stepped forward, perhaps he could bring a turning point?

"Your Majesty!"

The Supreme Elder Lord's expression was serious, although he appeared old, his words were powerful and resonant, saying, "Jiang Ziya, during the Deification War, was the person of destiny and had great merit! Likewise, the current Heavenly Court is brimming with talented individuals because of the successful Deification War, and he has done great service for the Heavenly Court!"

Originally, the Jade Emperor secretly hoped that the Supreme Elder Lord had come to help him and saw it as a turning point.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the Supreme Elder Lord began, he started enumerating Jiang Ziya's merits, which made the Jade Emperor's expression quite unpleasant.

However, facing the Supreme Elder Lord, the Jade Emperor naturally couldn't interrupt him, and could only wait with a sour expression for the Supreme Elder Lord to continue speaking.

With a slow tone, the Supreme Elder Lord enumerated Jiang Ziya's merits one by one, and only then concluded, "Looking at Jiang Ziya, although he indeed has great sins, he also has great merits. Punishment for sins is undeniable, but shouldn't great merit also be rewarded?"

"Thus balancing merit and fault, I hope that the Jade Emperor can be receptive to advice! Show leniency to Jiang Ziya!" At the end of his speech, the elder on the stage, with a sincere expression, bent his knees and directly knelt down before the Jade Emperor, with a loud thud, kowtowed heavily!

Silence!

Seeing the Supreme Elder Lord kneeling and kowtowing on the ground, everyone present was astonished, their eyes focusing on the Supreme Elder Lord's expression, each with different thoughts!

Who is the Supreme Elder Lord? With the cultivation level of a Quasi-Saint, renowned as the foremost Master of Elixirs and the foremost Master of Artifact Refining in the Three Realms, along with his original identity, he is indeed above mundane matters within the Three Realms and Six Paths, even the Jade Emperor and Tathagata must treat him with courtesy.

But today, the Supreme Elder Lord actually knelt and kowtowed to the Jade Emperor!?

"The Supreme Elder Lord is truly benevolent! To plead for Jiang Ziya, he even directly knelt and kowtowed to the Jade Emperor! Truly benevolent!" Numerous immortal gods looked at the Supreme Elder Lord kowtowing on the ground, each immensely grateful and admiring.

Even the Supreme Elder Lord reached this extent, surely the Jade Emperor wouldn't deny him dignity? To save Jiang Ziya, the Supreme Elder Lord's sacrifice was exceptionally great.

"How odd! Why would the Supreme Elder Lord also plead? And to such an extent!?" Likewise, figures like Nezha and many immortals secretly felt astonished and unable to understand.

Reasonably speaking, the Supreme Elder Lord and Jiang Ziya had no friendship, if he simply spoke some words it would be understandable, but he kneels and kowtows for Jiang Ziya's sake? For these immortals present, it seems it's the first time the Supreme Elder Lord kneels and kowtows before someone?

"The Supreme Elder Lord, indeed extraordinary! On the surface, it appears to plead for Jiang Ziya but in reality, it's giving the Jade Emperor a graceful retreat!" Jiang Liu's face also carried a surprised expression, but after a moment of pondering, Jiang Liu roughly understood the Supreme Elder Lord's intention, silently reflecting.

Last time when Jiang Liu and Gaoyang seemed on the verge of defeating the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Elder Lord appeared to save the situation, and this time with the Jade Emperor stuck between a rock and a hard place, again the Supreme Elder Lord saves the day.

Regardless of the thoughts of everyone present about the Supreme Elder Lord kneeling and kowtowing at this moment, in any case, all eyes were now focused on the Supreme Elder Lord, looking at him with astonishment.

The Jade Emperor sat on his throne, watching the Supreme Elder Lord kneel and kowtow before him, his heart secretly shocked.

Nevertheless, as the ruler of the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor was silent for a moment and then understood the Supreme Elder Lord's intention.

After a thought, the Jade Emperor personally rose, swiftly walked to the Supreme Elder Lord, stretched out his hands to help him up. "Elder Lord, there's no need for this! Please rise quickly!"

"Your Majesty, I have no other request, but please grant it!" The Supreme Elder Lord was resolute, as if saying he wouldn't rise unless his request was granted.

"Alas..."

Seeing the Supreme Elder Lord's determined demeanor, the Jade Emperor was silent for a long while, then sighed heavily, saying, "Elder Lord, you are making things difficult for me! Since you insist so adamantly, I shall agree to your request!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Hearing the Jade Emperor agree, the Supreme Elder Lord finally rose and expressed gratitude towards the Jade Emperor.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" As the Jade Emperor nodded in agreement, naturally those deities who previously pleaded for Jiang Ziya also spoke collectively, thanking the Jade Emperor one after another.

"Amitabha, this humble monk thanks Your Majesty!" Secretly sighing inwardly, Jiang Liu's surface expression remained unchanged as he too expressed gratitude to the Jade Emperor.

It's surprising the Supreme Elder Lord would step up at a critical moment to help the Jade Emperor, Jiang Liu doesn't find it strange, given he had done such a thing once before.

Yet, what Jiang Liu didn't anticipate was the Supreme Elder Lord would go to such lengths for the Jade Emperor.

The collective pleading of the immortals essentially forced the Jade Emperor; if he compromised, his reputation would plummet, portraying the ruler weak and subjects strong.

But with the Supreme Elder Lord stepping in to plead, even kneeling and kowtowing, sacrificing so much given his status, the Jade Emperor naturally couldn't refuse, and agreeing to it was inevitable, saving face for the Supreme Elder Lord.

Quasi-Saint giving face to Quasi-Saint, naturally doesn't involve any so-called compromise! Naturally, the Jade Emperor's reputation wouldn't be affected.

Because the Supreme Elder Lord essentially took the burden upon himself for the Jade Emperor...