Sun Wukong had been working in Heavenly Stables for half a month. One lazy afternoon, the stable officials threw him a little celebration banquet. After three rounds of heavenly wine, Wukong leaned back and asked, “So, this Supervisor of Heavenly Stables. What kind of rank is that, exactly?”

They all chuckled. “The rank is Supervisor of Heavenly Stables.”

“Right, but What level?”

Everyone burst into laughter. “It doesn’t have a grade. Not even entry-level, technically.”

Wukong frowned. “What do you mean, ‘not even entry-level’?”

Someone helpfully explained, “It’s the lowest post in Heaven. You feed the horses. If you do well, no one notices. If you mess up, you get blamed.”

Wukong’s face turned red. Then purple. Then volcanic. “WHAT?! I was a king back on Mount Huaguo! And Heaven tricked me into mucking out horse stalls? This is monkey discrimination!”

He flipped the banquet table, grabbed his golden cudgel, and stormed out of the Heavenly Stables, beating up anyone who tried to stop him. When he reached the South Heaven Gate, the guards knew he was an official and let him through without question.

Within moments, Wukong was back on Mount Huaguo. The four kings and all the demon lords from the seventy-two caves were training their armies. As soon as they saw him, the monkeys cheered, “Our king is back!” They held a feast and gave him the seat of honor.

Someone asked, “Great King, what title did they give you up there?”

Wukong forced a laugh. “Don’t even ask. All that drama for a job shoveling hay. They called it Supervisor of Heavenly Stables. Not even a real position. So I quit.”

The monkeys pounded the table in agreement. “Our king rules a mountain paradise. Why would he go groom horses?” They poured more wine to cheer him up.

Just then, a little demon rushed in. “Two single horned ghost kings are here to pay their respects!”

The ghost kings bowed and said, “We’ve heard you welcome all talents, Great King. Please accept this ochre robe and our humble service.”

Wukong was delighted. He threw on the robe, made them his generals, and poured more wine. “So,” one of the ghost kings asked, “what title did Heaven give you?”

When Wukong told them, their eyes practically caught fire. “What?! With your powers, they made you a stable boy? That’s an insult to all demons! What you deserve is the title ‘Great Sage the Equal of Heaven!’”

Wukong beamed. “Now that’s more like it!” He immediately had a giant flag made with the title ‘Great Sage the Equal of Heaven’ written in bold, golden letters. From that moment on, no one was allowed to call him “Great King” anymore. He was the Great Sage.

Meanwhile, back in Heaven, Jade Emperor held court.

An official from the Heavenly Stables nervously stepped forward. “Uh… Sun Wukong felt that his position was too low and quit privately yesterday.”

Then Virūḍhaka came in: “He’s already passed through the Southern Heavenly Gate and returned to Earth.”

Jade Emperor was furious. “Bring him back. By force if necessary!”

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing and his son, the Third Lotus Prince Nezha, stepped forward. “We’ll take care of it.”

Jade Emperor nodded. “Li Jing, I name you Commander of Demon-Suppressing Forces. Nezha, you’re now Marshal of the Three Altars. Go.”

They rallied the celestial troops. Giant Spirit God led the charge. After setting up camp outside Mount Huaguo, he marched to the Water Curtain Cave and shouted, “Tell the Supervisor of Heavenly Stables. I have been sent by Jade Emperor to capture him. If you are smart, come and surrender right away by yourself!”

The demon guards ran inside. “Great Sage! There’s a heavenly general here to capture you!”

Wukong gave a cold smile. “Bring me my armor.”

He donned his golden mail, his phoenix-feather crown, and cloud-stepping boots. Golden cudgel in hand, he led his troops out. Giant Spirit God stared at the glowing monkey with sharp starry eyes, metal ears, and a golden cudgel that shimmered like frost.

Giant Spirit God shouted: “You naughty monkey! Do you know who I am?”

Wukong sneered. “Never seen you before. Introduce yourself?”

“I am the Giant Spirit General, vanguard of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, sent by Jade Emperor to arrest you! Surrender now, or suffer like the rest of these beasts!”

Wukong roared with laughter. “Big talk from a little god! I was going to smash your head, but you can run back and carry my message instead. Tell Jade Emperor: if he acknowledges me as the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, I’ll obey. If not, I’m storming Heaven and flipping the Dragon Throne!”

Giant Spirit General saw the flag, scoffed, and charged. “Let’s see you block this!” He swung his giant axe, but Wukong was faster. With one swing of his golden cudgel, he knocked the axe aside and nearly broke the general’s arm. The poor guy dropped his weapon and fled.

Wukong yelled after him, “You soft-bellied weakling! Go cry to your boss!”

Back at camp, Giant Spirit God fell to his knees before Li Jing. “That monkey’s no joke. I couldn’t lay a finger on him.”

Li Jing was furious. “Useless! I ought to have your head!”

But Nezha stepped in. “Father, let me try.”

He suited up in full battle gear and flew toward the Water Curtain Cave.

Wukong had just returned from the fight. Seeing the new challenger, he asked, “And who’s this dashing young warrior at my gate?”

Nezha shouted, “You really don’t know me? I’m Nezha, Third Lotus Prince, son of Li Jing! I’ve come to bring you down!”

Wukong laughed. “What is this, Bring-Your-Kid-to-War Day? Listen, I’ll give you a chance. Look at my flag. Tell Jade Emperor: accept my title, or prepare for war.”

Nezha glanced at the flag and snorted. “You? Great Sage? Dream on!”

Then he yelled, “Transform!”. And he turned into his six-armed, three-headed battle form, brandishing six weapons at once.

Wukong grinned and shouted “Transform!”. He also grew three heads and six arms, each one wielding a golden cudgel.

The mountain shook. They clashed—golden cudgel against blades, fire against lightning—sky darkened, clouds spiraled, wind roared. Sparks flew like shooting stars. Rocks split. Trees snapped. Monkeys dove for cover. Demons locked their doors. Even the bravest beast didn’t dare peek out.

The war had officially begun.The heavenly soldiers were stunned. Not one of them dared to step forward.

Up in the sky, Nezha and Sun Wukong were going at it hard—fierce, fast, and evenly matched. Neither one was willing to give an inch. The air crackled with tension. The real show had just begun.

Both warriors unleashed their full powers. Nezha’s six divine weapons multiplied into thousands, swirling through the sky. In response, Wukong’s golden cudgel split into a storm of clones, raining down like shooting stars. But Wukong wasn’t just showing off, he was watching for an opening. Quick as a flash, he plucked a hair from his body, blew on it. Poof! A fake monkey appeared. While the fake monkey kept fighting head-on, the real one snuck around Nezha’s back and wham! landed a solid hit on his left shoulder. Nezha staggered, caught off guard. Wounded and rattled, he had no choice but to retreat.

From a distance, Li Jing had been watching the whole battle, just about to join in. But before he could move, Nezha came limping back, breathing heavily and a little embarrassed. “Father… that monkey’s no joke. I’m already hurt.”

Li Jing’s eyes widened. “Is that monkey that strong? How are we supposed to beat him?”

Nezha wiped his brow and said, “He’s planted a big flag outside his cave that reads Great Sage the Equal of Heaven. He says if we give him that title, he’ll behave. If not, he’s coming straight for Jade Emperor.”

Li Jing thought for a moment. “Let’s not deal with him head-on. We’ll report to Jade Emperor first and figure out another plan.”

So the father and son returned to the Lingxiao Palace and gave their report: “Sun Wukong’s power is off the charts. We need reinforcements.”

But Jade Emperor waved it off. “It’s just a monkey. What kind of trouble could he cause?”

Nezha added, “He’s demanding the title Great Sage the Equal of Heaven. He says no title, no peace.”

Jade Emperor scowled. “So arrogant! Let’s send in more troops—”

But just then, Taibai Jinxing stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, maybe we don’t need a war. What if we just give him a fancy title. No real power, no salary. That’ll calm him down for now. Call it… strategic flattery.”

Jade Emperor raised an eyebrow, thought it over, and nodded. “Fine. Do it.”

Taibai Jinxing got the royal order and flew down to Mount Huaguo. The place was on high alert. Wukong’s army of demons was guarding the entrance with weapons raised, yelling, “No outsiders allowed!”

Taibai Jinxing revealed his identity: “Stand down! I’m here by order of Jade Emperor to invite your Great Sage to Heaven!”

When Wukong heard that Taibai Jinxing himself had come, he was over the moon. He ordered his troops to prepare a grand welcome. He put on his finest—golden crown, dragon-scale armor, cloud-walking boots—and strutted out of the cave to greet Taibai Jinxing with a deep bow.

Inside, Taibai Jinxing said, “Last time, you ran off because the job was beneath you. Jade Emperor was furious and sent Li Jing after you. But you beat him too. Now I’ve put in a good word for you. Jade Emperor agrees to name you Great Sage the Equal of Heaven.”

Wukong’s grin nearly split his face. “For real this time? Not a trick?”

Taibai Jinxing chuckled. “Straight from the top. You’ve got the title.”

Thrilled, Sun Wukong threw a feast and toasted Taibai Jinxing with fine wine. Then, the two soared up to Heaven on clouds. The Heavenly soldiers lined up to welcome the new “official.”

In the Lingxiao Palace, Taibai Jinxing announced, “Sun Wukong has arrived.” Jade Emperor said solemnly, “You’re now Great Sage the Equal of Heaven. It’s an honorable post. Don’t mess it up.”

Wukong bowed deeply. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

To keep him busy and out of trouble, Jade Emperor built him a fancy palace near the Peach Garden called the Great Sage’s Manor. He also assigned two departments: Department of Tranquility and Office of Stillness—basically the most chill jobs in Heaven. Five Star Lords were ordered to escort Sun Wukong to his post. They gave him two bottles of fine wine and ten golden flowers as a welcome gift, with a final reminder: “Stay calm, do your duty, no more drama.”

Wukong was beyond delighted. He drank with the other immortals, laughed like a king, and lived his best life in Heaven—free, famous, and totally in his element.

End of this chapter. Thank you for reading!

This is just the serialized version of Journey to the West (modern retelling). If you want to read the full book faster, check out the complete, easy-to-read English and Chinese (Simplified & Traditional) version on Amazon.

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