Inside the Mirror Hall of the Primordial Radiance Cave on Avalon Mountain, Jade Cauldron Immortal sat face-to-face with Master Taiyi.
"Senior brother, did you call me here just to ask me to hand over Wukong?" Jade Cauldron Immortal widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Wukong, that's the name of that demon monkey, isn't it? The Celestial Army wants him. Just hand him over."
"That Daoist disciple named Rainhe wasn't killed by Wukong. Don't tell me you don't even trust me?" Jade Cauldron Immortal suddenly stood up.
"Of course I trust you. Besides, there are five million disciples on Avalon Mountain. Even if he did kill that disciple, so what? The path of cultivation is perilous. If one cultivates the Sage's Path but doesn't know to keep themselves pure and is instead led astray by desire, then even if they survive, they will achieve nothing. Such disciples—if one dies, or even ten die—I wouldn't care in the slightest."
"Since we're not pursuing that matter, and you know the whole story, why do you still want me to hand over Wukong? The accusation of releasing the monsters imprisoned by the Celestial Army last night must be Louis Wang framing Wukong!"
Jade Cauldron Immortal was clearly furious, his voice rising sharply and echoing throughout the vast hall.
However, Master Taiyi merely glanced at Jade Cauldron Immortal's clenched fists, then looked up to meet his fearful eyes. His leisurely demeanor only made Jade Cauldron Immortal angrier.
He spoke slowly, "Junior brother, why do you keep courting trouble like this? Louis Wang may be at fault, but he is still one of our Avalon Mountain lineage. Are we supposed to expose our own shortcomings? The Celestial Army is not ignorant; since they choose to believe it, why shouldn't we?"
Jade Cauldron Immortal was already beside himself with anger. He pointed at Master Taiyi and shouted, "He was captured on our Avalon Mountain! The Celestial Army is ruthless toward demons—if anything happens to him, how will you explain it to Master Sage Subhuti?"
Master Taiyi continued to gaze indifferently at Jade Cauldron Immortal. "Avalon Mountain may appear to be under my command, but in truth, each sect governs itself—everyone knows this. Besides, the Heavenly Court oversees the Six Realms, and if the Celestial Army wants someone for an investigation, it’s only natural for us to cooperate. As for how they treat that monkey, that’s not for us to concern ourselves with."
As he finished speaking, a smile gradually appeared on Master Taiyi's face.
At that moment, the bell at Jade Cauldron Immortal’s waist suddenly rang out.
......
"Where did that old man run off to?" Hidden inside the cave residence, Anna Yang nervously shook the bell in her hand.
......
Staring in fear at the vibrating bell, Jade Cauldron Immortal looked up at his smiling senior brother, his face instantly turning pale.
"You!" Jade Cauldron Immortal turned to leave.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a fierce gust swept across Jade Cauldron Immortal’s face, lifting his hair and beard—the once open doors were now shut.
The vast hall was instantly plunged into darkness. Master Taiyi sat quietly, at ease, while Jade Cauldron Immortal stood silently, fists clenched, shoulders trembling.
In the vast hall, only Jade Cauldron Immortal’s heavy breathing remained.
"Junior brother, you haven’t visited my hall in ages. Tonight, why not stay here? We’re brothers—let’s catch up." He lifted the boiling kettle nearby, poured Jade Cauldron Immortal a cup of tea, and sighed, "As for Anna Yang, who’s still in the cave residence, she’s no longer your disciple. Best not to worry yourself about her."
......
Facing the overwhelming numbers and aggressive approach of the Celestial Army, the Monkey King clenched his teeth, gripping his staff tightly, ready to strike at any moment.
Even knowing he couldn’t win, he wasn’t someone who’d just sit and wait for death!
But why was Ling Yunzi...
Just as a fierce battle was about to erupt, Ling Yunzi’s voice rang out from behind.
"Wait, wait! There must be some misunderstanding!" Ling Yunzi shouted, running out of the cave residence.
Seeing Ling Yunzi’s seemingly panicked expression, the Monkey King suddenly felt a wave of disgust.
After all this time together, he realized he couldn’t understand what kind of person this senior brother truly was...
You clearly knew it would come to this—so why did you let me come out? If things have already reached this point, why keep up the act?
"And who are you?" The Celestial General removed his mask, revealing an old, jowly face covered in thick flesh.
"I am Ling Yunzi." With that, he pulled out the Lingyun Pavilion token from his sleeve and handed it over.
Two Celestial Soldiers hurriedly stepped in front of the general with their weapons raised, but the general shoved them aside.
He took Ling Yunzi's token, glanced at it, then tossed it back. "So, you're Ling Yunzi of the Lingyun Pavilion. Hahaha."
"That's right," Ling Yunzi replied with a forced smile. "This is an old acquaintance of mine, and also a guest at the Golden Mist Cave. There must be some misunderstanding here, right?"
Old acquaintance?
Standing to the side, the Monkey King's grip on his staff trembled, his gaze fixed on the insincere Ling Yunzi.
"There’s no misunderstanding!" Louis Wang, standing behind the Celestial General, shouted. "He’s the one who released that demon last night! I saw it with my own eyes—what misunderstanding could there be?"
The Celestial General looked at Ling Yunzi with an expressionless face, raised his hand in a casual salute, and said, "Last night, someone broke into our Celestial River Navy camp and released the demon we use to select new recruits. Since the Kunlun Mountains are nearby, your... 'old acquaintance' is a demon, and there are witnesses. That’s why we’re here to apprehend him."
Ling Yunzi glanced back at the Monkey King, and in that instant, the smile plastered on his face froze.
He could clearly see the burning anger in the Monkey King's eyes—and it was directed at him.
The Monkey King lowered his voice, staring at Ling Yunzi. "If you wanted me to be caught, why put on such a show?"
After a brief moment of shock, Ling Yunzi returned to his usual expression, turned to the Celestial General, and said with a smile, "I was with him last night. If you have witnesses, I’m one too. How could he be in two places at once, sneaking into the Celestial River Navy camp? This must be a misunderstanding."
The Celestial General replied coldly, "Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, we’ll sort it out after questioning! Seize him!"
With that, he waved his hand again.
At once, the Celestial Soldiers raised their weapons. The Monkey King gripped his staff tightly, ready to fight at any moment.
Just as swords were about to clash, Ling Yunzi hurriedly spread his arms, blocking both sides and shouted, "Wait! Wait! Celestial General, please show some leniency! I am Ling Yunzi, disciple of Master Sage Subhuti. Please, give me some face."
A cold smile appeared on the Monkey King's face. He even thought that if a fight broke out, he'd strike Ling Yunzi first!
"If you refuse to let us take him back, you must be hiding something! Ling Yunzi should be seized as well!" Louis Wang shouted from the sidelines.
"Don't you dare spout nonsense! For someone as treacherous and cunning as you, if you keep talking rubbish, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Ling Yunzi shouted, pointing at Louis Wang.
"If Master Sage Subhuti really wanted us to show you respect, he’d naturally send word to Marshal Tianpeng. As for you, Ling Yunzi, if you keep blocking the Celestial River Navy, be careful not to be charged with harboring a criminal!"
As they argued back and forth, the Monkey King didn’t hear a single word.
His eyes were filled with anger and confusion. One side was trying to frame him—he could accept that. But why was the other side betraying him?
Just as the Monkey King was sinking into utter despair, Anna Yang’s voice rang out behind him.
"Are you really clueless or just pretending? At this point, is there anything left to say? You act so well—why not become an actor?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation appeared on the Celestial General’s face. Before he could react, a sharp cry rang out, and three streaks of red light shot from the cave, instantly knocking down three Celestial Soldiers.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the Celestial Soldiers’ formation fell into chaos!
"Hold steady! Raise shields!"
"Yes, sir!"
Some of the Celestial Soldiers removed the heavy shields from their backs and formed a barrier at the front of the line. The entire formation quickly broke apart and reassembled, showing their rigorous training.
But a formation is still a formation—no matter how well-trained, it can’t match the speed of a single person.
Before the Celestial Soldiers could finish regrouping, Anna Yang soared through the air to the front, her long ribbon brushing past the Monkey King’s shoulder, leaving a faint fragrance behind.
Looking up, she was dressed in flowing white, like a fairy. Suspended behind her, the Sacred Lotus Lantern glowed with a dim red light.
The fierce wind lifted her long hair, and her once enchanting eyes now shone with a piercing intensity.
For a moment, even the Celestial Soldiers were entranced by the sight.
"Who goes there? State your name!" The Celestial General suddenly drew his sword and roared.
Someone leaned over and whispered to the general, "That’s probably... Anna Yang."
The general’s hand trembled as he gripped his sword.
Perhaps because Anna Yang’s appearance was so sudden, the Celestial Soldiers instantly formed teams of three—spear, shield, and arrow—drawing their longbows to full, but each one stood frozen, unsure what to do next.
Anna Yang raised her head, gazing at the stunned Celestial General from afar. She smiled sweetly, spun through the air, and scattered six yellow talismans with a flick of her wrist.
"Anna Yang, don’t!" Ling Yunzi shouted.
But the six yellow talismans had already dispersed, floating above the Celestial Soldiers’ heads. They exploded, releasing clouds of yellow smoke that enveloped them all.
"It’s a smoke escape! Don’t panic!"
"Hold steady! Stay in formation!"
"Form ranks! Guard your posts—don’t let them escape!"
"This is bad! The smoke is poisonous! Aaargh—!"
Chaos erupted. Through the swirling yellow smoke, the Celestial Soldiers could be seen collapsing one after another.
Anna Yang drifted down beside the Monkey King, her head held high and a faint smile on her lips. She cast a cold glance at the struggling soldiers on the ground and whispered, "Go, now."
"If you leave now, things will never be cleared up!" Ling Yunzi cried, reaching out to grab the Monkey King.
Anna Yang spun around, and in her hand—no one knew when it had appeared—was a slender sword, its tip pressed against Ling Yunzi’s throat.
Ling Yunzi, startled, quickly withdrew his hand and stepped back. "What... what are you doing?"
Her eyes cold and devoid of emotion, Anna Yang snapped, "Do you really think a monkey demon taken by the Celestial Soldiers can ever clear his name? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting!"
Ling Yunzi was left speechless.
Grabbing the Monkey King’s hand, Anna Yang broke through in one direction—her blade flashed, and several blocking Celestial Soldiers were cut down.
A drop of blood splattered onto her jade-like face, cold and utterly devoid of warmth.
She was clearly no fairy, but a demoness straight from hell!
The Monkey King shuddered at the sight.
Maybe at that moment, the Monkey King truly saw what kind of person Anna Yang was.
She was utterly different from any other woman in the world.
She possessed peerless beauty, but none of the tenderness of ordinary women.
She bore the noblest bloodline of the Six Paths, yet carried the deepest hatred.
Her selfishness was appalling, her pride insufferable, her coldness heartbreaking. Even if she shed tears, they’d be for the moon alone.
Yet, in a thousand years, it wasn’t only her brother—hailed as a peerless hero—who fought tirelessly against an unjust fate.
There was also this woman, who should have enjoyed a life as gentle as water...