#devaraja

[historyoftheworldpodcast]

Vol 4 Ep 80 - The Khmer Empire

802 - 1431 - The modern Cambodian flag contains a picture of Angkor Wat, an eye catching religious temple constructed by the Khmer, and the pride of Cambodian history. The religious construction was symbolic of the key fundamental priorities of Khmer rulers, ruling over this dominant South East Asian political movement.

khmer #southeastasia #cambodia #thailand #laos #vietnam #jayavarman #devaraja #angkor #siemreap #angkorwat #hinduism #buddhism #rice

[sun-of-4-gun]

gee monkey how come you found 3 families

[journeytothewestresearch]

Is Six Ears an Aspect of Sun Wukong?

I've seen some people claim that Six Ears is not an aspect of Sun Wukong's mind. They either ignore the references to "one mind" and "two Minds" (and the Buddhist philosophy behind them), or they just say it's allegory and nothing more. Well, there are actually internal story details from chapter 58 that support the close connection between the Monkey King and his doppelganger.

1) The Bodhisattva Guanyin and her “eyes of wisdom” (huiyan, 慧眼) can’t tell them apart:

The various deities and the Bodhisattva stared at the two for a long time, but none could tell them apart (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 106). 眾諸天與菩薩都看良久，莫想能認。 [And later:] Pressing his palms together, our Buddha said, “Guanyin, the Honored One, can you tell which is the true Pilgrim and which is the false one?” “They came to your disciple’s humble region the other day,” replied the Bodhisattva, “but I truly could not distinguish between them …” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 114). 我佛合掌道：「觀音尊者，你看那兩個行者，誰是真假？」菩薩道：「前日在弟子荒境，委不能辨 …

2) The tight-fillet spell works on both Monkeys:

Asking Moksa and Goodly Wealth [a.k.a. Red Boy] to approach her, the Bodhisattva whispered to them this instruction: “Each of you take hold of one of them firmly, and let me start reciting in secret the Tight-Fillet Spell. The one whose head hurts is the real monkey; the one who has no pain is specious.” Indeed, the two disciples took hold of the two Pilgrims as the Bodhisattva recited in silence the magic words. At once the two of them gripped their heads and rolled on the ground, both screaming, “Don’t recite! Don’t recite!” The Bodhisattva stopped her recital … (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 106). 菩薩喚木叉與善財上前，悄悄吩咐：「你一個幫住一個，等我暗念緊箍兒咒，看那個害疼的便是真，不疼的便是假。」他二人果各幫一個。菩薩暗念真言，兩個一齊喊疼，都抱著頭，地下打滾，只叫：「莫念，莫念。」菩薩不念 …

(If someone disagrees with this one, they need to show where it says Six Ears is faking the pain.)

3) Both the Jade Emperor and the imp-reflecting mirror can’t tell them apart:

Issuing a decree at once to summon Devariija Li, the Pagoda-Bearer, the Jade Emperor commanded: “Let us look at those two fellows through the imp-reflecting mirror, so that the false may perish and the true endure.” The devaraja took out the mirror immediately and asked the Jade Emperor to watch with the various celestial deities. What appeared in the mirror were two reflections of Sun Wukong: there was not the slightest difference between their golden fillets, their clothing, and even their hair. Since the Jade Emperor found it impossible to distinguish them, he ordered them chased out of the hall (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, pp. 107-108). 玉帝即傳旨宣托塔李天王，教：「把照妖鏡來照這廝誰真誰假，教他假滅真存。」天王即取鏡照住，請玉帝同眾神觀看。鏡中乃是兩個孫悟空的影子，金箍、衣服，毫髮不差。玉帝亦辨不出，趕出���外。

4) Only omniscient beings like Investigative Hearing (Ksitigargbha's mount) and the Buddha can tell the two apart:

[T]he Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha said, “Wait a moment! Wait a moment! Let me ask Investigative Hearing to listen for you.” That Investigative Hearing, you see, happens to be a beast that usually lies beneath the desk of Ksitigarbha. When he crouches on the ground, he can in an instant perceive the true and the false, the virtuous and the wicked among all short-haired creatures, scaly creatures, hairy creatures, winged creatures, and crawling creatures, and among all the celestial immortals, the earthly immortals, the divine immortals, the human immortals, and the spirit immortals resident in all the cave Heavens and blessed lands in the various shrines, rivers, and mountains of the Four Great Continents. In obedience, therefore, to the command of Ksitigarbha, the beast prostrated himself in the courtyard of the Hall of Darkness, and in a little while, he raised his head to say to his master, “I have the name of the fiend …” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 112) …地藏王菩薩道：「且住，且住。等我著諦聽與你聽個真假。」原來那諦聽是地藏菩薩經案下伏的一個獸名。他若伏在地下，一霎時，將四大部洲山川社稷，洞天福地之間，蠃蟲、鱗蟲、毛蟲、羽蟲、昆蟲、天仙、地仙、神仙、人仙、鬼仙，可以照鑒善惡，察聽賢愚。那獸奉地藏鈞旨，就於森羅庭院之中，俯伏在地。須臾，擡起頭來，對地藏道：「怪名雖有…」。 [...] Smiling, Tathagata said, “Though all of you [Guanyin] possess vast dharma power and are able to observe the events of the whole universe, you cannot know all the things therein, nor do you have the knowledge of all the species” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 114). 如來笑道：「汝等法力廣大，只能普閱周天之事，不能遍識周天之物，亦不能廣會周天之種類也。」 […] [After the Buddha explains the ten categories of life and the four types of celestial primates (see the introduction here), he says:] As I see the matter, that specious Wukong must be a six-eared macaque … (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 3, p. 115). 我觀假悟空乃六耳獼猴也 …

In short, the twin monkeys are so hard to tell apart simply because they are representations of the true and illusionary minds (refer back to the article) within the same person.

So what does this say about Shadowpeach? I know LMK is a separate entity from the novel, but applying canon to this ship would make it more self-love, right? I'm sure those with creatively perverted minds know what I'm taking about.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Can you tell us something about the white mouse? I was always curious about her poem, where he talked about a bridge and two lovers. Does she really love Sanzang?

Why did he once choose to call himself Half Guanyin? Do you think he was jealous of her?

I watched an episode of JTTW 2011 and I liked that they tried to explain that her obsession with Tripitaka was because he fed her when she was a mouse. But I know that was fiction.

For me, she is in love. But I would like to hear someone else's opinion.

Personally, I truly 100% believe she didn’t love him she wanted to have sex with him for immortality and tried to make it look like love. It looks like her goal was to be a golden immortal of Grand Monad by taking Sanzang... though her seduction static does say how she proclaimed love for him I highly doubt that she chose him because of his 'personality.' I think any kind of 'love' or 'romance' mention is more for the sake of showing how she is a picture of temptation that anyone would follow her willingly as opposed to the idea that she could rape a man to get her way.

She was able to seduce at least 6 monks in the three days they were resting at the temple and ate them as well so she might not have been too hung up about Sanzang either.

I find one interesting where she was talking more about sex with Sanzang and trying to convince him to 'unify' their 'marriage' that Sanzang gave her a red peach and took a green peach from her. Red often being seen as a form of desire, not just lust but can be, and how Sanzang is letting go of desire itself rather than being consumed by desire himself.

I found the poem you were talking about! (took me a while). I truly believe that this is more of her way of expressing her shock when Sanzang misled her under Wukong's instructions. Wukong just told Sanzang to talk her outside so he can get the upper hand and Sanzang had to play along for his own protection. We have seen this before with other antagonists, such as the Scorpion Demon and the Queen of Women's Country, where they are willing to hold Sanzang hostage but don't seem to be willing to take with without consent and therefore try to seduce him. As such it is framed as 'love' and 'romance' when really they are trying to act as if they aren't keeping him as a tool to be used. Lady Earth Flow thought she succeeded in seducing the monk when he gave her the peach but really it was a way for Wukong to get in her belly and nearly beat her to death.

Before this, she was already calling him 'husband' and thus his 'betrayal' is more of her expressing shock that her tactics didn't work. She is referencing another tragic love story to describe her own despite that there weren't any mutual feelings. It does seem she is GENUINE in that she does want Sanzang to love her but I truly don't think that her love comes from a place of genuineness but more for the sake of her selfish desires.

She is called Half Guanyin not because she is jealous but rather to show how much she wants to be an immortal and on par with the Buddha and Guanyin. She only calls herself that because she stole precious Candles from Vulture Peak showing she wants the same respect and yearning for the status of the Buddha and Guanyin.

I can say in my own opinion that she was absolutely trying to use Sanzang since she has been luring other monks and murdering them as well. I will say that I think she was fond of him, for sure, but I feel that most of the female demons were similarly fond as they did not wish to harm the monk but also didn't give him a choice in saying no. Props to her for at least trying to give him a meal he would like and treating him well that is far better than the Spider Demon or the Scorpion Demon at least.

2011 is a fantastic show because they give their characters depth, and don’t have the yaoguai just as one-dimensional villains. Most of the demons in Xiyouji are flat characters as they make their goals clear from the start and are framed in a more monster-of-the-week format with few exceptions. I think 2011 was very clever in that they took Lady Earth Flow from the novel and saw how she does value loyalty (to her family Nezha and Li Jing) and how she tries to make Sanzang comfortable (vegan food and expressing the importance of love and human desire) and is able to frame her as a more round character with her own wants and desires outside of power. She is a love-sick and slightly obsessive woman who knows that she could never have a chance with Sanzang willingly as he is devoted to his mission but can't live with herself if she doesn't even try. It takes what is already there and expands on it to make her more sympathetic without excluding her actions from the book (though I'm not sure if the show has her killing those 6 monks).

I think she was infatuated with him in the book and maybe wanted to call it love but I don't think there is any real reason to think she fell for him if he didn't have that "become an immortal if you sleep with me" pass. And only trying to get with something for something so transactional doesn't seem to be 'love' in my eyes as more she would have tried this with any monk and just so happens that Sanzang is a handsome and kind man that she also was fond of and tried to be as polite as possible in her kidnapping.

[dreamlnder]

silly lil oc doodles :3

bonus chi bc im fond of him :3

[theviraltruth]

Nischal Jain | Shri Devaraja Heggade invited Shri Vadiraja Swami

Around the 16 Century, Shri Devaraja Heggade invited Shri Vadiraja Swami of Udupi to visit the shrine. The Swamiji gladly came but refused to accept Bhiksha (food offering) because the idol of Lord Manjunatha had not been consecrated according to the vedic rites.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Now I’m curious abt what Jing’s labor was like. Cuz… you know, he don’t exactly have the equipment

Celestials laugh at mortal limits.

Li Jing, a born mortal man, did not realise this until he ran panicked to Guanyin for help. The Bodhisattva was quick to calm Jing down, that his body would adjust to the pregnancy, and that he would be under great care if his mortal roots threatened his health.

I feel like the most ironic way the labour can go is if Jing, normally confined to the Celestial Realm since his pregnancy was confirmed, had severe homesickness for his birth realm and floated down in secret just for some fresh air...

Only for his daughter to decide that she wanted to see Earth too!

He should be so lucky that he had collapsed in the path of a certain group of Pilgrims....

Wukong: "Jing? Why are you-" Li Jing, nearly demonic with pain: "SHUT IT APE! My daughter has decided that she is to be born on earth's soil, and has given me no choice!" Sha Wujing, small chuckle: "Ho ho! Wukong warned us of your mishap with the water samples! I suppose congratulations are in order once we get you someplace clean and dry!" (*lifts Li Jing into a bridal carry*) Tripitaka: "Eh!? B-but the Devaraja is a man! How can he give-?" Zhu Bajie, former celestial: "Master. The divine body finds a way." Ao Lie, excited trotting: "Oh! We get to see a baby princess! I met my niece recently - I hope the General's baby is just as cute!"

Wukong ends up being the leading midwife amongst them since he has experience delivering fellow monkey demons back home. Though not without fierce resistance from the General.

Li Jing, strained groan: "I BLAME YOU! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Wukong, terrified as he holds Jing's hand: "Me!? I wasn't the one who drank unlabelled- no wait, I don't have a leg to stand on there. Let's just agree to blame Lao Tzu and his terrible organisation!" Jing, gritting his teeth through a contraction: "AGREED!"

Tripitaka and Zhu Bajie quickly make excuses to not be in earshot, deciding to contact Guanyin and Li Jing's kin, and guard the shelter respectively.

Nezha bursts onto scene immediately.

Nezha: "Father! I came as soon as I- hrrk!" (*gag of horror!*) Wukong, busy at work: "Either boil some water, or hold your father's hand! I'm not tending to a second big baby!" Li Jing, incoherent moaning: "I swear to Buddha if its another meatball..."

Guanyin finally arrives to assist, praising Wukong for his fine midwifing.

The princess is soon born squalling and hungry for life. Jing immediately starts crying and kissing her scrunched face. She's no meatball, but she's just as round and pink.

Nezha faints seconds after saying his hellos to his baby sister.

Muzha/Moksa faints too - he hadn't been warned prior to accompanying his master that it was his father giving birth! Jinzha would catch himself after being notified by his brothers.

Xiwangmu immediately rushes to Earth in a blaze. Where is her son-in-law!? He should be resting! But her protective anger is quelled when she sees the tiny form in Jing's arms. Her first granddaughter. The goddess finds herself openly thanking the Monkey King for coming to her grand-baby's aid, giving him an early invite to the naming ceremony and all future celebrations for his trouble!

Jing settles on the name "Zhenying/贞英" = "loyal/chaste" + "hero/blossom". He likes the double meaning of blossom in her name, and secretly hopes that she doesn't accidentally drink from any odd rivers in future! XD

Ao Lie holds back his opinion that baby dragons are cuter than baby human-celestials, but he makes sure to convince his uncles to at least send Heaven a well-meaning gift for the new princess. Jing grumbled when it arrived - he thinks the toy archery set is a bit of a rude jab at the past.

Iron Fan is altered of her niece's arrival, and makes sure to send Jing a whole wardrobe for the princess. Bad blood with her family or not, Tieshan isn't letting her niece suffer from poor choice in fashion! Bull gets a little emotional and sends a letter to Jing asking if Red Son and Zhenying can meet as fellow cousins in future - Jing returns a non-answer in his confusion. It seems his daughter is slowly mending the cracks caused to the royal family during the Heavenly War.

Erlang completely stiffens when he's offered to hold the baby, having not held one in centuries since his sister was a babe. He has to be gently reminded how to support the head, and holds Zhenying as carefully as he would a priceless artifact. With a tiny hand curiously reaching out to inspect his extra eye, Erlang is immediately wrapped around Zhenying's little finger. He'd kill and die for her.

Wukong gets an unexpected request from Li Jing after things have settled down. ing asks Wukong to watch over his daughter if she's ever in danger. He's terribly worried what path his little girl may go down, and he now knows that the monkey has the children's' best interests in mind. Wukong agrees, as long as he never has to fight her as he did her brothers.

And of course as you can imagine after all of this; the whole of the Jade royal family now dotes on their new princess! Xiwangmu digs up Lady Yin's baby clothes to pass down to her. The peach maidens and royal goddesses all adore their newest family member as if she were starlight itself. Even the stone-faced Emperor cracks a smile at his smallest grandchild.

Jing gets some pampering too. His sister-in-laws makes sure to help him in during the isolation period after the birth, and babysit whenever needed!

All in all, it's a joyful time in Heaven. :3

Until the baby starts learning how to shoot her toy arrows. Then it becomes clear that the Li gremlin-gene didn't stop with Nezha. >:3

[ryin-silverfish]

An informal translation of the Chinese dub dialogues in LMK S5 trailer

Sth I did on Discord earlier today. May as well put it here, with a few annotations.

Heavy spoilers under cut.

"The Ten Courts of Ksitigarbha has summoned you here to answer for your evil deeds. Do you three acknowledge your crimes?"

[地藏十殿 is referencing how in JTTW, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha/Dizang is technically the boss of the Ten Kings of the Underworld.]

Li Jing: "I should take over all affairs in the Celestial Realm."

Ten Kings: "And this…is Devaraja Li Jing, the Pagoda King."

MK: "Nezha's dad?! Nezha, is your dad becoming the new JE?"

"But there is one thing that can bring the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to his knees/make him submit..."

Li Jing: "Don't you lot try to escape again!"

"Thou shalt be condemned for thy destruction of tis' world!"

"Right now, the damage caused to the Pillar of Creation is irreversible."

MK: "Wait a sec, what exactly is the Pillar of Creation?"

"This world's functioning depends on it."

[创世之柱 likely draws inspiration from "Nvwa patching the sky" mythos, where the water god Gonggong, after losing his battle against Zhuanxu or Zhurong, knocked over Mt. Buzhou, the sky pillar with his head.]

"Whatever happens, we'll always find a way, right?"

Mei: "It seems to have something to do with…rocks?"

"Regardless of whether there is some sort of secret conspiracy, the people we trusted are all by our side!"

SWK: "Everything will be okay, MK."

"There is something deep inside you that you cannot control..."

"What we gotta do is collect the Five-colored Stones, repair whichever parts that need repairing, and return everything to normal at last!"

"Here…comes…Monkey Kid!"

Red Son: "Let's put the topic of Divine Beasts aside for a sec, Dragon Girl. Distant water cannot put out a nearby fire——"

[远水救不了近火, a Chinese idiom that basically means "a slow remedy cannot resolve an emergency".]

Mei: "My codename is Long Dongqiang! Long-dong-qiang-dong-qiang…(humming)"

[隆咚锵咚锵, a Chinese onomatopoeia for drum + gong sounds. Mei is also making a pun here of her Chinese surname, Long.]

[Edit: the onomatopoeia is also used in a CNY song, 七个隆冬锵咚锵.]

[pompomqt]

Journey to the West Chapter 83

Welcome back to this week's chapter of Journey to the West with @journeythroughjourneytothewest. This week Sun Wukong lodges an official complaint, instead of taking matters into his own hands and dealing vigilante justice to the perpetrators. So let's get into it shall we?

So Pigsy and Sandy get Tripitaka out of the hole in the ground, and ask where Monkey is. Tripitaka tells them that Wukong is currently inside the monster spirit, and Pigsy tells Monkey that that's gross, and to come out. Monkey crawls back up her throat, and to make sure she doesn't try and bite down on him when he exits, uses his staff to brace open her mouth. And apparently I was wrong earlier about the girl surrendering, because as soon as Monkey is out, the two start fighting again.

Even Pigsy is questioning why Wukong is bothering to fight this girl when he could have just finished her off from within her stomach. Sandy says that instead of worrying about the why, they should probably give him some help. And leave the worlds most kidnappable man all by himself. And for the first time in his life, Pigsy is on the right side of the argument, by saying that Monkey has got this and doesn't need their help. However Sandy is insistent that they help out, so they do, leaving Tripitaka all by his lonesome, with the horse and luggage.

Sure enough, as soon as Pigsy and Sandy join the fray, the demon girl panics and does the slipper trick again to give them the slip. And just like last time, she uses the opportunity to once again kidnap Tripitaka. She also takes the luggage and horse, just because I guess. Just once I want Bai Longma to at least try and bite someone who kidnaps him or something. I think he forgets that he's a dragon most of the time.

Meanwhile, Monkey is chewing out Sandy and Pigsy for abandoning their posts to try and help him when he didn't ask for it. And his mood only gets worse when they go back to where Tripitaka was, and only finds some rope. Monkey cries a bit because his master is kidnapped again, Pigsy however just laughs and tells him that third time's the charm, and he'll surely be able to rescue Tripitaka this time if he just tries again.

So Monkey tells them to guard the entrance again, and jumps right in, not even bothering with a transformation this time. Once he reaches the bottom, he realizes that finding Tripitaka won't be as easy this time, since the demon girl has changed where she is keeping him. Monkey cries in frustration and throws a bit of a tantrum about this- because how dare a villain in this book have more then two brain cells- however he is soon distracted by the scent of incense.

Monkey follows the scent, but instead of finding Tripitaka he finds a table with a urn and sacrifice tablets dedicated to 'father' Devaraja Li and 'brother' Nezha. This is great news to Wukong, because if this is a family member of the celestial court, that means he gets to air his grievances to the very top and have someone else deal with this problem. So Monkey takes the plaque and urn and heads back to the cave entrance.

Pigsy notices Monkey in considerably higher spirits then when he left and asks if he rescued their master. Monkey tells him that there is no need for them to rescue Tripitaka, and shows them the plaque. If she's the daughter of Devaraja who has descended to become a fiend, then all Monkey has to do is file a lawsuit before the Jade emperor against him. That will make Devaraja and Nezha the ones responsible for rescuing Tripitaka. Pigsy tells him that he should go about this carefully however, since charging someone with a mortal offense like this, is in itself also a mortal offense. Monkey however assure hims that it will be fine since he has evidence, and has even planned out what to say beforehand. Which is indeed an improvement over how Wukong used to handle issues with the law- by fighting everyone who has ever tried to arrest him.

Once Sandy and Pigsy approve of the plan, Monkey takes off for heaven, and goes straight for the Jade Emperor. Once there, Monkey gives the Jade Emperor his formally written complaint, which the Jade Emperor signs off on, The Jade Emperor then summons the Gold Star of Venus to take the decree and summon Devaraja to come before the throne. He also tells him to take Monkey with him, probably just to get him out of his office.

They arrive at Devaraja's place, and a servant announces that the Gold Star of Venus is here to see him. So Devaraja comes out, expecting to see a respected colleague only to have his mood soured by the fact that Sun Wukong is also here. Guess he still isn't over that time Wukong kicked his, and everyone else's asses. His mood only gets worse when he hears that the Gold Star of Venus is here with an official complaint lodged against him by Sun Wukong. Devaraja asks what the complain is about, and the Gold Star of Venus says it's for aiding and abetting a demon in kidnapping a human. He then hands it over to Devaraja to read it for himself.

Devaraja read's it, and says that this is a false accusation, he only has four children, three sons, and one daughter who is only seven years old. And he can bring her out right now to show them that she's not a monster spirit as proof. Anyways, this is bad for Wukong, since even if Devaraja wasn't so high up that he could execute Wukong for this slander without asking the Jade Emperor first, even a peasant has the right to protest against false accusations. And the law states that false accusations carry a thrice heave penalty. So Devaraja Li orders Monkey to be tied with fiend-binding rope.

As Monkey is tied up, The Gold Star of Venus tries to reason with Devaraja, however he is quite intent on chopping Wukong's head off. Monkey meanwhile is not worried in the slightest, and simply says that he may lose first, but then he'll win. And honestly, he has good reason to not be worried, they weren't able to kill him the last time they had him tied up and at their mercy, and I'm pretty sure he's only gotten stronger and more immortal since then.

Turns out that Wukong doesn't even have to put his immortality to the test once again though, because who should come to the rescue to block the block the blow but Nezha? Having Nezha turn his blade against him, is quite alarming to Devaraja, since Nezha has a scary past of his own. Since three days after his birth, he caused a disaster that had Devaraja fearing he might be a calamity in the future and tried to have him killed. Only for Nezha, to cut off his own flesh to give to his mother and carved up his bones to give back to his father to repay the debt of life. After which, his spirit went to complain to the Buddha. The Buddha restored him to life, after which Nezha went on to subdue ninety six demon caves. Now having a powerful son, who was out for revenge, Devaraja also petitioned to the Buddha. In response the Buddha gave him the gold pagoda, the sight of which will remind Nezha of the Buddha and calm his rage.

Anyways Devaraja doesn't have his Pagoda on him at the moment and is worried that Nezha is out for revenge after all, only for Nezha to tell him that he does indeed have another daughter in the region below. Nezha reminds him of that time that the Buddha sent him and his father on a expedition to defeat a fiend who had stolen and devoured the fragrant flowers and treasure candles of Buddha. When they caught her they spared her life and in her gratitude she took them as her father and brother, and set of tablets to light incense for them. That makes her his daughter by grace rather then blood.

Devaraja had indeed forgotten all about that incident and asks what her name is, and Nezha says that she has three, the Golden Nosed White-Haired Rodent Spirit, the Bisected Guanyin and Mistress Ground-rushing. Upon realizing the misunderstanding, Devaraja goes to untie Monkey, only for Monkey to refuse, saying they can take him in ropes to the throne so that he can win the litigation. Devaraja asks the Gold Star of Venus to do something about this, but the Gold Star of Venus points out that Monkey's grievance is legitimate, and that Devaraja tied him up and wanted to kill him.

Regardless, the Gold Venus reasons with Wukong, by using the fact that he's the one who stood up for him the past, by inviting him to heaven and convincing the Jade Emperor to give him his title of 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven'. After hearing this, Wukong agrees to let Devaraja untie him, for the Gold Star of Venus's sake. Despite that, they are still worried that Monkey might draw things out and make a fuss in front of the Jade Emperor, so they convince him to drop the charges because they are on a time crunch to rescue Tripitaka. One day in heaven is a year on earth after all.

So they have Devaraja and Nezha gather the troops and head to earth while Wukong goes with the Gold Star of Venus to say he's dropping the charges. So they explain the situation to the Jade Emperor and have him drop the charges, after that they head to earth where Sandy and Pigsy are waiting. They then send in Wukong, Nezha and the army, while Devaraja, Pigsy and Sandy guard the entrance.

Having an entire army perform search and rescue makes short work of finding where they hid Tripitaka. Turns out all the demons hid in a another small cave in one of the dark corners, and is caught when one of the minion demons takes a peak outside. They quickly have all the fiends surrounded. Mistress Ground Rushing begs for her life before Nezha, and Nezha scolds her for causing them so much trouble and orders for her and all her minions to be tied up and arrested. With the fiends arrested, and Tripitaka rescued, Nezha and his father take their leave, and are pilgrims are free to once again continue their journey to the west.

Current Sun Wukong Stats: Names/Titles: Monkey, The Stone Monkey, The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Monkey awakened to the void), Bimawen (Banhorseplague), The Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Pilgrim Sun. Immortality: 5 + 94,000 years Weapon: The Compliant Golden Hooped Rod Abilities: 72 Transformations, Cloud-Somersault, Ability to transform his individual hairs, super strength, Ability to Summon Wind, Water restriction charm, and the ability to change into a huge war form, ability to duplicate his staff, ability to immobilize others, the ability to put others to sleep, and the Fiery eyes and Diamond Pupils, intimidating horses, churning large bodies of water, sleeplessness, seizing the wind, enhanced smell, discerning good and evil within a thousand miles, Spirit Summoning, lock picking, object transformation, distance reduction, vanishing in a flash of light, super healing, transforming others, Invisibility, Wind Immunity, Medicine Making, putting out fire from a distance with a glass of wine, weaving a straw dragon, Body Division and Breathing Fire Demon Kill Count: 10753 + Unknown Number of Minions Human Kill Count: 1039 God's Defeated: 23 + Unknown number Defeats: 8 Crime List: Robbery, Murder, Mass Murder, Arson, Theft, Coercion, Threatening a Government Official, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Forgery, Employee Theft, False Imprisonment, Impersonating a Government Official, Treason, attempted murder, failure to control or report a dangerous fire, desecrating a corpse, breaking and entering, trespassing, violating Tree Law, looting corpses, trading counterfeit goods, criminal threat, animal abuse, Assisting or Instigating Escape, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption, Identity Fraud, Disorderly Conduct, Joyriding, unauthorized practice of medicine and Voyeurism Cry Count: 20 + 3 fake cries Mountains Trapped Under: 4

Current Tang Sanzang stats: Names/Titles: River Float, Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang, Tripitaka and the Tang Monk Abilities: Curing Blindness, making branches point a certain direction (allegedly), reciting sutras, pretty privilege, memorization, Heart Sutra, Meditation, Being Heaven's Specialist Little Guy, and a Golden Halo Cry Count: 50 Tight Fillet Spell Uses: 63 Paralyzed by fear: 6 Bandit Problems: 3 Kidnapped by demons: 17 Falling Off Horses: 12

Current Bai Long Ma Stats: Names/Titles: Bai Long Ma (White Dragon Horse), Prince of the Western Ocean, and third prince jade dragon of the dragon king Aorun Abilities: Transforming into a human, a water snake, and a horse, eating a horse in one bite, flight, Magic of Water Restriction, Singing, Sword Dancing and Magic Pee Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Arson, and Grave Disobedience. Contributions to the plot: 4 Kidnapped by demons: 6

Current Zhu Wuneng Stats: Names/Titles: The Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, Zhu Wuneng (Pig who is aware of ability), Zhu Ganglie, Pigsy, Idiot and Eight Rules. Weapon: Rake Abilities: 36 Transformations, parting water, fighting underwater, cloud soaring, size enhancement, CPR and Shoveling Demon Kill Count/Kill steals: 15 + Unknown number of minions Kidnapped by Demons: 12 Human Kill Count: 1 Failed Flirtation/romances Attempts: 5 Cry Count: 5 Crime List: Sexual Harassment, Murder, Kidnapping, arson, defamation, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption, Identity Fraud, Theft, Forcible entry, Disrupting a Funeral, Violating Tree Law and Arson

Current Sha Wujing Stats: Names/Titles: The Curtain-Raising General, Sha Wujing (Sand Aware of Purity), Sandy and Sha Monk Weapon: Monster Taming Staff Abilities: Fighting underwater, Cloud soaring, fetching water from a well, and Conflict De escalation Demon Kill Count: 1 + Unknown number of minions. Kidnapped by Demons: 8 Human Kill Count: 1 Cry Count: 5 Crime List: Breaking a Crystal Cup, murder, desecration of a human corpse, Damage to Religious Property, contaminating a substance for human consumption and Arson

Previous - Masterpost - Next

[tagamantra]

Art by the refulgent @lntpblk!

Anitu is the word for ritual worship across the Sword Isles. Sometimes, it also refers to the gods, souls, and ancestors worshipped to: Anito, Hanitu, hantu. They all arrive from a shared culture in the distant past when even gods were not born.

GUBAT BANWA is a martial arts fantasy tactics RPG set in the refulgent lands of THE SWORD ISLES, inspired by Classical Southeast Asian cultures! We're coming to KS on the 27th!

Anitu lore below the cut!

Anitu is less of an organized religion and more of a catch-all term for most faiths in the Isles, where most of them practice ancestor veneration, sacred worship nature, and ardent ritualism. Each banwa might not even call what they do “anitu” and might refer to it as some other word in their language: in North Rusunuga it is called pagsamba, while in the Eastern Jamiyin Kulisa’s Arrows it is referred to as Qiparjeyuhun, which is just “faith” or belief.  For the most part, only those in Gatusan’s mandala of effect recognizes Anitu as a term for a larger belief form.

The most prominent form of Anitu is Kangdayanon Anitu, which is the one practiced in the Gatusan Mahamandala’s center of power, Kangdaya. This version of Anitu has fully syncretized the Saiwa branch of Ashinin Religion, which brought the idea of a fully fledged pantheon and the idea of cosmic forces of gods in this realm. One important syncretism is the adoption of some ancestors turned into Gods, who are performed rituals to. One such god is Apung Makangayaw, the Dragon of Raiding, worshipped as a distant ancestor of Amihan, who became Rani Amiyah, the queen that Shri Bishaya married into to stake his claim into the island of Tauhaw. The gods Jamiyun Kulisa and Indira Suga also arrive from Saiwa Ashinin. 

Another important syncretism is the understanding of a cosmic soul, or a supreme oversoul. This is meant to be Siwa, but that name was quickly indigenized and understood to be Laon, the Ancient One, the name of the tallest mountain that can be seen from Tauhaw, Kanglaon. Laon means old, aged, ancient. It is said that Laon is THE Ancestor, from where all things arise.

Another important aspect brought in by Saiwa is the construction of grand temples meant to emulate the stories of the gods both celestial and chthonic. By creating these they believe they are bringing in Favor and Merit, making their lives more fortunate and enriching them with good omens. An important belief, when in the Sword Isles, as every city is subject to the sacred whims of the souls of the world—hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, thunderstorms. 

The word in Kangdayanon Anitu for temple is MAGDANTANG, and smaller versions of these temples are known as lantangan. Natural sites are worshipped and offered to as if they were magdantang. This is why every lake, mountain, hill, giant tree, river and every important shore and beach have lantangan for offerings. Stone structures are rare and only appear in the larger cities of Gatusan—they carved onto the side of hills and mountains, or from the rocks of said mountains after performing rituals to ask permission from the mountain gods to take stones for creating merit. The largest stone temple is in Kangdaya, which also acts as the Palace of the Ponong Raja. Other important sites are the Pagodas of Put’wan, the Holy Mountain of Kihadi-an, and the grand (yet now lost) temple city of Biringan, crafted by an ancient Samrasat Devaraja in the island of Mairete, now lost in its jungles. 

Kihadi-an is a grand monument complex constructed to mirror the mountain of Semedu, the grandest peak in all of Gubat Banwa. This name in Kangdayanon, Put’wanon, Ba-enense, and Apunon Anitu is attributed to be one of the regnal titles of APU DAYAWA, the grand mountain that juts out from the island of Kalanawan.

Finally, Anitu now recognizes Ashinin-style regnal titles and even the concept of god-kings, as brought by Shri-Bishaya’s retinue and royal court. Ponong Raja Batara Ambas now has a claim to a divine right to rule by way of being an avatar or an embodiment of Laon on the Warring Realms. Titles such as datu are considered a step below the title of Raja, and Maharaja. Ponong Raja means head Raja, and is a coveted title amongst all. According to the Kangdaynon balyan, the gods in the sky speak of the Uniter of the Hundred Hundred Islands, which they call the Langidagandraja, a fusion of the words LANGIT + DAGAT + INDRA + RAJA. Together, this name means HEAVEN-SEA GOD KING, as the conquerer of the entire sky and sea. This name is fabled and no man has a claim to this title. It cannot be gifted by the gods nor can it be achieved through enlightenment. It must be seized from hearts and minds of people.

[sistersorrow]

I love how every time Paradox announces a DLC for Crusader Kings 3, the first thought that crosses the minds of the playerbase is "how can I use these mechanics as Haesteinn?"

Haesteinn of Nantes is a viking ruling a tiny realm in France, and any time new content to another region, everyone races to see who can be the first to move him from France to that region so they can try the new content out as him

With the new DLC expanding the map to include all of Asia, people are giving it about an hour after release before we see posts of the Haesteinn Shogunate or a Haesteinn Devaraja ruling over an Angkor Wat built centuries early

[lavaflowe]

JTTW READING CLUB CATCH UP

Pt. 2

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

Chpt 4 Thoughts:

���the fighting immediately at the gate should have tipped everyone off this wasn’t going to go well💀 doomed from the start

•the hand holding with Gold star of Venus and Wukong I am not okay, I’m exploding it’s so cute

•Holy shit the poem about Heaven is LONG

•Wukong handles being called a bogus immortal very well?? I thought he would be angrier about that… I guess he knows its true tho🤷‍♀️

•Wukong is fantastic at his job- the best horse girl around (for the 2 weeks he was there lol)

•tantrum™️ kicks over his desk and smashes everything with his ruyi bang, causes property damage and LEAVES

•interesting that I’ve seen a lot of adaptations have him release the horses and do a mini havoc in Heaven

•love that it’s just 2 random demons who suggest 齐天大圣 to Wukong, not anyone important or anything JAKDJSJ

•HE QUITS AND THE JADE EMPEROR CALLS FOR HIM BE CAPTURED BECAUSE HES A MONSTER??? HUH???(I thought Gold Star stepped in but I GUESS I WAS WRONG)(capitalism smh /j)

•NEZHA APPEARANCE WHOOOO

•Spreading Flower axe sounds so cool, prime design material

•”eyes glowered strangely like burning stars; past his shoulders two ears, forked and hard; his voice resounded like bells and chimes”<- poem about Wukong, so lovely

•Theme I’m noticing: Wukong treated like an animal until proven otherwise (makes sense but also not)

•asks Nezha whose little brother is he, and Nezha immediately spits back like 3 insults JAKFJSJSJ, he is not here to mess around🔫

•3 HEADED 6 ARM FIGHT: WUKONG v. NEZHA

•the old bait and switch then smashing Nezha’s shoulder (flash back to all the paintings of Nezha running off while holding his broken arm💀)

•Love that Wukong called himself the little brother of the fraternal 7

•Gold Star Of Venus more like Master Negotiator/Mediator

•….is Gold star lying??? WUH

•”Peace and Quiet” and “Serene Spirit”- it’s like they don’t know that’s gonna bore the shit out of Wukong💀 like watching a train wreck in slow motion- HES NEEDS ACTION AND SOMEONE TO PLAY WITH

Chpt 5&6 under cut:

Chpt 5 Thoughts:

•uses all his free time to make more friends

•Gold Star realizes that he may get bored so they give him an extremely tedious task that will also probably bore him JAKDJAJAJD

•HELP HE JUST STARTS EATING ALL THE PEACHES WHAT- he behaved for probably like 2 weeks (again) and then decided he couldn’t wait any longer to try the OLDEST AND RAREST FRUIT IN THE GARDEN!!! AND HE PICKS MULTIPLE, NOT JUST ONE

•I’m yelling he does this multiple times

•okay but him playing around and eating making him tired and taking a nap on the branches when he’s 2 inches tall?? Adorable, no longer mad he ate all the peaches, he’s just a little guy

•ah so he only ate the really good ones. Ofcourse.

•Gently breaking the news that he’s probably not invited to the banquet 😬

•immediately freezes the peach maidens- WHY??? WHAT WAS THE REASON???

•Identity theft smh

•he is feeling….mischievous

•RESIST UR IMPULSES OH MY GOD

•he is so wasted he accidentally wandered into Laozi’s lab

Wukong: I’ve never met Laozi….now is for SURE the perfect time to make friends, when I’m so drunk I can’t walk straight

•He keeps putting things in his mouth, very monkey™️ of him

•IMMEDIATELY sobered up and knew he was in deep shit

•he lived in heaven for over a century 👀👀, Wukong says half a year- so maybe like 175 days?

•he goes back to get wine for his monkeys 🥺🥺

•next day/year Everyone one complains about the Havoc LMAO, they just kept coming, I know the Jade Emperor is distraught HAJDJAJ

•Wukong was going to straight up ignore the heavenly army they sent if they hadn’t busted down his door😂

•all his demon Allies were captured while he did a 1 v 6 with Nezha and the 5 Devarajas

•Wukong starting to get lost in the sauce, doesn’t care his ally’s were captured as long as his monkeys are okay

Chpt 6 Thoughts:

•Guan Yin Rolling up their sleeves to fix this mess

•”nothing but an invitation to disappointment” THE DRAMATICS

•I wonder if the Greek constellations were actually listed or if that was a translation choice??

•interesting that he outlasted Moksa instead of outwitting him- I feel like there’s a deeper meaning to that

•Guan Yin: I have a solution…..call in your Nephew

Jade Emperor: GENIUS

•Erlang is PUMPED to fight Wukong

•something something Erlang Shen is HAWT

•Erlang Shen: I’m here to kick your ass and arrest you

Wukong: your MOM

Erlang already swinging:

•Warform fight pt 2: Electric Boogaloo

•”they darted as stars to fill the sky”

•Erlangs eye being called the Phoenix Eye sounds SO COOL

•spotted bustard has no standards-I stand by the whore joke

•Erlang having fun with their fight LMAOOOOO

•HELP WHY DID HE WASTE TIME ENTERING A TEMPLE??? WUKONG PLS💀💀 UR ARMY IS GONE AND YOURE CORNERED NOW IS NOT THE TIME

•Wukong defeated with an assist from Laozi and Xiaotian

•stabbed for his crimes

•it’s execution time

•really loved that the poems were used to describe all of the fights

[xiyouyanyi]

JotG S2: The Ramifications

-SWK didn't leave MK to go on a vacation. Well, he tried to say so, but MK interrupted him and asked him if he could go to the Celestial Realm instead, to check on the two immortals who helped them out. And he was like "Yep, that just happened to be my first stop!"

"I don't want them to be in trouble. They…okay, one of them isn't the nicest person, but she still helped me out. Hopefully they won't. But if they do get into trouble, would you like, help them back? For me?" "Sure bud, don't worry. I'll keep an eye out."

-In truth, he got a summon from Thunder Bureau, and proceeded to spend most of S2 lying skillfully in court, trying to conceal his disciple's existence from prying eyes and get a lighter sentence for their helpers, while also bringing attention to the more urgent issue that was LBD.

-He paid a visit to Kui Mulang, now imprisoned inside a much more secure cell, with Thunder Nails stabbed through his shoulder blades. A harsh exchange ensued: SWK pried for intel about Ivory Lady the Ghostly Immortal, Kui Mulang responded with a series of mockeries and scathing remarks, before tossing out this bombshell. 

"I'll tell you everything I know, if you tell me what happened to my children." The Wood Wolf Star said, eyes hidden under the shadow casted by his messy, blood-soaked mane. "The Great Sage is capable of some exquisite destruction, but I do not believe, for a second, that he is a child killer." "...Even if they are alive, do you seriously think you can still get back into their lives? That they'll ever want you in their lives, after what you'd done to their mother?"  "Ah, so they are alive." "..." "I'm not asking where they are. Only what happened to them." Kui Mulang continued. "In exchange, you get to know all about that ghastly acquaintance of mine. Deal?"

-The Dumpling Destruction episode got slightly adjusted to suit the new "court case" scenario: it wasn't the Four Devarajas’ fault, but one of the Four Thunder Generals——Deng, Xin, Zhang, Tao.

-See, having a bunch of thunder and lightning-wielding guys be both judges, lawyers, SWAT teams, and executioners tend to make your average court case…quite heated.

-And during one of those heated arguments that lasted from the Thunder Bureau official halls all the way to the dining room next door, someone imbued their breakfast with Thunderfire and threw it at the other guy, who dodged just in time; the flaming dumpling flew out of the window and fell through the clouds, straight toward the Lower Realm.

-Like, it was still regular dumpling-sized, but that wasn't gonna matter because Thunderfire was more high-grade explosives than flames, and the impact was still enough to flatten half of the city. 

-In fact, searching for this tiny, free-falling object just made the mission even harder, and the first thing people noticed on the ground wasn't the dumpling, but the roaring thunder that accompanied dozens of winged generals as they combed through the sky, desperately looking for the offending object on Lord Wen's orders.

-SWK told MK what all the fuss was about via astral projection, then went back to breaking up the fight in the dining hall, because yes, after casually tossing a mini-nuke out of the window, these four were still engaging in their violent legal debate. 

-Lord Wen wondered, for the billionth time in his life, if one of the Taisui gods or someone in the Dipper Mansion really had it out for him, then sighed and ordered Hanzhi's temporary release, just so the Wind Bureau could assist in the search too.

-Mei, being part of the West Sea dragon clan, was obliged to help out any Celestial Bureaus involved in weather creation by virtue of an ancient accord. She wasn't too happy about it, as MK and Tang set off to find something in FFM's vault that could create a protective barrier over the city, in case the others all failed their spot checks.

-I'm making some tweaks to the treasures we are collecting, mostly by replacing them with ones from FSYY. Instead of the Demon-revealing Mirror, we have the Yin-Yang Mirror(阴阳镜) of Chijing Zi, and instead of the Crimson Jimweed, we are looking for the Chaihu Grass of Shennong.

-Since the full Yin-Yang Mirror is too OP, in this AU, it was split into its white and red halves: the white half can insta-kill anything with a soul, the red half can revive whatever the white half killed, and FFM's vault only got the red one, which was useless on its own.

-Also, instead of Guanyin's vase, the treasure they were looking for was a crystalline vase containing the Divine Water of Triple Light(三光神水)——a substance that could transform ordinary water into a self-regenerating magical barrier, also from FSYY.

-But Tang, who thought "that other God-Demon novel" was boring and not as well-written as JTTW (true), didn't know that. He still found it despite looking for the wrong vase the entire time, while pursued by Spider Queen's minions; a truly incredible feat. 

-The Thunderfire-imbued dumpling was found by Mei and neutralized safely in midair via Hanzhi's tornado, seconds after the Divine Water barrier went up.

-All four Thunder Generals received fifty lashes, on top of the beatdown they received from SWK. Hanzhi, being the natural gossiper she was, revealed her "on parole until mission's over" situation, as well as SWK's involvement in the court case to Mei.

-Of course, Mei told MK, which…only added to his guilt and anxiety. Come Minor Scale, this also changed LBD's approach: instead of telling him that SWK left because he picked the wrong successor, she focused on how his mentor had to clean up his mess, that maybe SWK didn't tell him all the truth for a good reason——he just couldn't be trusted with it.

-One question remained: why was LBD trying to rebuild the Bone Mech, when it could no longer be a vessel for one of the Ten Kings post-deification, and even if it could, the dead Shang kings would not have answered the calls of anyone who wasn't a direct descendant of theirs?

-Because it is less about the soul they are pulling out of the Underworld, and more about creating a passage between the world of the living and the dead, which is why she needed the staff.

-As Yu the Great's extendable ruler, not only can it change its size and length at will, it can also command the Water element as a whole——including the water of the Underworld rivers, the Nine Springs.

-So LBD is using the Bone Mech to create a canal between the two realms, then using the staff to draw the Nine Springs through. Which, like everything Underworld, is the purest Yin-aligned substance you can find, and reacts with Yang-aligned energy in unusual ways: in this case, it creates a living, growing ice that encases Yang-aligned entities upon contact.

-This is how the Ice Hells are constructed: every wall, every floor, is made of condemned souls of the deceased. But unlike in the Underworld, where the flow of Yang energy is predictable, controllable, and quite weak in strength, when the same water enters the mortal realm where Yang energy is so abundant, it just grows and grows and insta-freezes everything it touches.

-With the reverse-flooding also came tons of ghosts, finally escaping their confinement in the Eighteen Hells, but honestly, that was the least of everyone's worries. 

[kingmabry]

G.V.SUBBARAMAYYA

part 1

Sri G. V. Subbaramayya was a Telugu and Sanskrit scholar who taught at P. B. N. College, Nidubrolu, in what is now Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the few devotees of Sri Bhagavan who managed to be completely free and spontaneous in his presence. Sri Bhagavan appreciated this and the two of them had many intimate and entertaining exchanges. This easy familiarity suggested to some devotees that Sri Bhagavan had a special liking for him:

Devaraja Mudaliar, a prominent lawyer and intimate devotee, asked how Sri Bhagavan could observe distinction among devotees.

'For instance,' added Mudaliar, 'shall we be wrong if we say that Subbaramayya is shown a little more favor than others and is made to act as the high priest of this order?'

Sri Bhagavan, smiling, replied, To me there is no distinction. Grace is flowing like the ocean, ever full. Everyone draws from it according to his capacity. How can one who brings only a tumbler complain that he is not able to take as much as another who has brought a jar?'

In making this selection of Sri Subbaramayya's recollections of his time with Sri Bhagavan, I have concentrated on the first few years of their association. However, no account of their relationship can be complete without a mention of Sri Subbaramayya's final darshan, which took place on April 4th 1950:

Sri Bhagavan asked me, 'What do you want?'

I said with streaming eyes, 'I want freedom from fear'.

Sri Bhagavan replied with overflowing grace, 'I have already given it'.

At once I felt as though a heavy load had been lifted from my heart. As I touched his lotus feet with my hands and head, a thrill of ecstasy passed through my frame. And I felt like being plunged in an ocean of peace and bliss. That vision of Sri Bhagavan and his gracious words, granting me freedom from fear, have, taken permanent abode in my being and are guarding me from all life's ills.

- The Power of the Presence, part III

[journeytothewestresearch]

I quote the princess' part from the play here:

Do you know what happens to Wukong's wife in that old version of Journey to the West? Or is her role quite minor and not much is known about her?

I think she is still kidnapped in the Zaju play. I've never read it myself, only recalling that she was still at Flower Fruit Mountain when Wukong was put under and I'm sure if she was able to escape while he was forced to be held captive, or if she even lasted that long since she was mortal.

She has a minor role, definitely, since she isn't really character-relevant, mostly her explaining how she got kidnapped and what life is like on the mountain. I can't say if she made a second appearance after the start of the play again since I haven't read it but it could be that she died of old age at the point Wukong finished his journey. If not then she would still be stuck in the mountain most likely.

[journeythroughjourneytothewest]

Chapter 6 Recap: Guanyin, attending the banquet, inquires into the cause; the Little Sage, exerting his power, subdues the Great Sage

Providing a break from the war between Heaven and yaoguai, this chapter begins by recounting how the Bodhisattva Guanyin had arrived in Heaven for the peach banquet only to find the whole place largely deserted and no peaches to be had. Talking with a few gods who are still present, Guanyin manages to get an audience with an enraged Jade Emperor, and hears all about the Monkey King’s various crimes and exploits that prompted the Jade Emperor’s massive escalation. Hearing this, Guanyin orders her disciple Hui’an/Prince Moksa to go down to Flower-Fruit Mountain at once so that he can bring back “a factual report.” Moksa receives this from his father Devaraja Li until all conversation is broken up by “The Great Sage, leading his band of monkey monsters…shouting for battle outside.” Moksa tells Devaraja Li that he’ll battle the monkey if allowed, and his father agrees.

Old Monkey and Moksa engage in a “magnificent battle” until after “fifty or sixty rounds” an exhausted Moksa is forced to flee. Shocked at seeing his son so defeated, Devaraja Li writes to request further assistance from the Jade Emperor to capture the Monkey King. Agreeing to transport the request, Moksa is able to give his report on the situation to both Guanyin and the Jade Emperor, the latter of which laughs at the idea that one monkey monster could require this much effort to subdue. Guanyin then recommends that the Jade Emperor summon his nephew, Erlang Shen, to capture Sun Wukong. The Jade Emperor immediately does so.

Erlang Shen and his sworn brothers, the Six Brothers of Plum Mountain, are “delighted and willing” to obey, gathering their weapons and heading to Mt. Huaguoshan in “a violent magic wind.” After arranging themselves in such a way where Sun Wukong has little hope of victory or escape, Erlang Shen and his sworn brothers head to the Water-Curtain Cave, where the Little Sage first insults Sun Wukong for his audacity, the Monkey King calls him a “little boy,” and the fight between the two sages is on!

Erlang Shen and Sun Wukong battle for “more than three hundred rounds, but the result still could not be determined.” Unable to score a victory the “traditional” way, the Little Sage uses magic to take on a “green-faced, saber-toothed” war form “a hundred thousand feet tall," and Sun Wukong does the same. Yet seeing these warring behemoths and their beloved king in such a monstrous form “terrified” and “appalled” the marshals Ma and Liu and the generals Beng and Ba so completely that they entirely lose the ability to both lead their troops and fight. Seeing their prey in such confusion, the deities, led by the Six Brothers of Plum Mountain, go after the Mt. Huaguoshan simians with arrows, falcons, and dogs. They capture two or three thousand of their monkey foes. The rest “scattered in all directions,” and Heaven thus scores a complete victory over the yaoguai.

Sun Wukong, upon seeing his monkeys so thoroughly defeated, loses his will to keep fighting with Erlang Shen in their war forms “which imitated Heaven and Earth.” He flees with the Little Sage hot at his heels. Barred from running any further by the Six Brothers of Plum Mountain, the Monkey King escapes detection by transforming himself into a little sparrow, but Erlang Shen, using “his phoenix eye,” spots Sun Wukong and chases after him in the form of a sparrow hawk. The two then act as hunter and prey in a multitude of animal forms: Sun Wukong changes himself into a cormorant, Erlang Shen into a huge ocean crane; the Great Sage transforms himself into a small fish, the Little Sage hunts him as a fish hawk; Sun Wukong wriggles away as a water snake, Erlang Shen chases the monkey as a scarlet-topped gray crane. This ends when the Monkey King changes himself into a spotted bustard, which Erlang Shen, knowing that his beast “is the basest and most promiscuous of birds, mating indiscriminately with phoenixes, hawks, or crows," refuses to approach. He elects instead to revert to his true form and shoots the monkey with an arrow.

Though he’s sent tumbling down a mountain slope, Sun Wukong nevertheless “took advantage of this opportunity” and hides himself in the form of a little temple. Erlang Shen immediately knows it’s the monkey though, and the Great Sage leaps up and “disappeared again into the air” so thoroughly that not even the Little Sage can find him. Swiftly mounting the clouds and rising up to where Devaraja Li is, Erlang Shen recounts his duel of transformations with the simian and the monkey’s mysterious disappearance. Now knowing the situation, Devaraja Li uses an imp-reflecting mirror to reveal that the Monkey King escaped the Heaven’s net and is now heading for Erlang Shen’s home at the River of Libations.

The Great Sage, upon reaching Erlang Shen’s home, transforms himself into a duplicate of the Little Sage so perfect that “the demon magistrates could not tell that he was not the real Erlang.” The real Erlang Shen soon crashes in, and Sun Wukong, revealing his true form, engages the Little Sage in combat once again. The fight from Erlang Shen’s temple all the way back to Flower-Fruit Mountain, shouting insults at each other all the way.

While all this chaos is going on, the Jade Emperor is left wondering yet again why he hasn’t gotten any reports on how the battle is faring. Guanyin suggests that the two of them go to see for themselves what's happening, to which the Jade Emperor agrees. Calling for his imperial carriage, the Jade Emperor, his entourage, and Guanyin go to see the situation below, and find that while Erlang Shen and his brothers have managed to surround the Monkey King, they haven’t been able to capture him. To rectify this situation, Guanyin suggests that she thrown down her immaculate vase so that the Monkey King will be knocked down. Yet Laozi, noting that her vase is made of porcelain and susceptible to breaking, instead throws down his diamond snare right on top of Sun Wukong’s head. Engaged in “a bitter struggle with the Seven Sages,” the Monkey King didn’t see this surprise attack coming and is knocked to his feet before further being held there by Erlang Shen’s “small hound,” which bites him on the calf. Sun Wukong attempts to get up, but “the Seven Sages all pounced on him and pinned him down. They bound him with ropes and punctured his breastbone with a knife, so that he could transform no further.”

Their victory now complete, the deities began the process of retiring their troops and offering congratulations to each other. Erlang Shen further tells his sworn brothers that while he makes a report to the Jade Emperor of his success they are to “make a thorough search of the mountain here. After you have cleaned it out, got back to the River of Libations. When I have our deeds recorded and received our rewards, I shall return to celebrate with you.” And when he receives news of the Monkey King’s defeat, the Jade Emperor gives the order for him to be taken “to the monster execution block, where he was to be cut to small pieces.”

Whether this is the painful and disgraced end of Sun Wukong or not will have to wait for the next chapter.