In the attic of Mi'luo Palace, Lord Skygate stood with his arms folded, gazing quietly into the distance.
Behind him, Lord Genesis quietly sipped his tea.
After a long silence, Lord Skygate sighed and said, "He’s run off to cultivate Buddhism again? Has Lord Buddha made his move?"
"Not necessarily."
"Then what’s going on?"
"Buddhism excels at acting without desire. Most likely, this is just going with the flow to add trouble for Lord Lao. If Lord Buddha truly intervened, how could Lord Lao still sit calmly in Tusita Palace?"
Hearing this, Lord Skygate clicked his tongue and chuckled, "Who would’ve thought? They’ve been arranging their pieces for years, and we’re the last to know. The Monkey King’s fatal weakness is actually a Canary?"
Turning around, he walked step by step toward the round table, sighing deeply, "So many mighty beings scheming around a single Canary—aren’t they afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word gets out?"
As he spoke, he picked up the cup on the table and drained the tea in one gulp.
Lord Genesis glanced at him mildly and said, "Drinking like that, no matter how good the tea is, it’s a waste."
"Tea is just tea. No matter how fine, it’s meant to be drunk—how could that be called waste?"
"It’s in the subtleties that victory is found." Lord Genesis gently slid the lid of his cup, inhaling the fragrance, and mused, "Even in drinking tea, some are crowned as Tea Saints or Tea Gods, while others are merely tea guests, and some not even that—just quenching thirst. When fine tea falls to such people, how is that not waste?"
Lord Skygate’s brows furrowed as he stared quietly at Lord Genesis.
Taking a light sip, Lord Genesis sighed softly, "A tiny Canary, yet it tugs at the Monkey King’s heart. This thread, once pulled, is no trivial matter—pull it right, and the profit is immense; pull it wrong, and a single misstep leads to mutual destruction. Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata guiding the Monkey King onto the Buddhist path is, in essence, forcing Lord Lao’s hand."
At this, Lord Genesis laughed quietly, leaving Lord Skygate baffled.
He folded his arms and said softly, "I see that they’re forcing Lord Lao to act, but is this game really so interesting? I don’t quite get it."
Gathering his thoughts, Lord Genesis lowered his voice, "The art of chess is all about risk. Truth blends with illusion, illusion with truth. At this stage, whoever loses patience first, loses the game. Take one example, and it’s clear enough."
After a slight pause, Lord Genesis continued quietly, "Think about it—if the Monkey King swallowed your pill, what would happen?"
This question left Lord Skygate, who had just been clear-headed, suddenly perplexed.
"What would happen?"
"If he swallows that pill, there are only two outcomes. Either his rage runs rampant, tribulation strikes, his spirit and body are ruined, and Lord Lao’s Heavenly Dao collapses. Or, if the demon monkey somehow survives... then chaos will reign, and the Heavenly Dao will still break. In short, once he takes that pill, no matter the result, Lord Lao is doomed. That pill now hangs over Lord Lao’s head like a sword, sitting right there in Qi Tian Palace—does Lord Lao dare retrieve it?"
Lord Skygate half-squinted and said, "If he comes for it, I’ll just give the Monkey King another one!"
Lord Genesis waved his hand, "Even if you don’t, do you think Lord Buddha or Master Subhuti wouldn’t? That would put Lord Lao in even greater danger. The demon monkey is suspicious by nature—whoever acts first loses the upper hand. Lord Lao sealing the Book of Life and Death was already his best move; if he tries to block the Monkey King from cultivating Buddhism, that will mean open war. So now, he can only try to turn things another way. The Buddhists played their move lightly: it cut off the Monkey King’s grudge against Spirit Mountain for now, and redirected disaster toward Lord Lao—quite a beautiful play. Ha ha ha ha."
Lord Skygate frowned deeply. "So what should we do now?"
Lord Genesis lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and said blandly, "We just watch the show."
......
The days passed, and everyone had their own pain and struggle.
As the new army at Cloudrealm Sky Harbor grew stronger, open and covert battles with Blossom Mountain began to unfold across the mortal world. Yet the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of Blossom Mountain never appeared to lead; everything was held together by the Holy Mother alone.
Three months later, the new Cloudrealm forces joined with the South Heaven Gate detachment and marched toward the desolate Northern Jambu Continent.
At that moment, Blossom Mountain sent a special envoy to the coalition army.
Aboard the flagship, General Draco Jiao furiously tore the black silk order stamped with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven’s seal in two, threw it to the ground, and barked, "What’s the meaning of this? You want to interfere with my campaign against the monsters of Northern Jambu Continent?"
Yisu raised her head high, coldly eyeing the discarded black silk. "Does the Marshal realize he has committed a grave offense?"
"What do you mean?"
"To tear up an imperial edict from the Jade Emperor is a crime; to destroy the Great Sage’s order is the same. My Great Sage’s rank is equal to the Jade Emperor’s—your own Emperor said so himself."
"You!" General Draco Jiao was left speechless.
"If you withdraw your troops at once, I might put in a good word for you before the Great Sage."
"Don’t push me too far!" Draco Jiao roared. "Even if I refuse and march on Northern Jambu Continent, are you really going to start a war?"
"What do you think?" Yisu replied with a faint smile.
That smile left Draco Jiao deflated, standing there at a loss.
Yisu bent down to pick up the torn silk, stepped forward, and laid the pieces flat on Draco Jiao’s desk. She spoke softly: "The Great Sage has made it clear—demon affairs from now on are his to handle. If Heaven wages private war again, don’t blame him for being merciless. As for tearing up the order, the Great Sage probably won’t hold it against you, but as for moving the army, I urge you to think twice, Marshal."
Yisu looked up, smiling faintly as she stepped back and saluted politely: "Heaven, earth, you, I, and my Great Sage all know exactly what you’re plotting, Marshal. But the Three Realms today are not what they once were. I advise you: don’t wait until the world is in ruins to regret it."
That was a threat...
General Draco Jiao’s hand trembled slightly, his eyes wide.
The surrounding generals were terrified, but powerless to intervene.
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Yisu glanced around, smiled faintly, and said, "I take my leave."
Without waiting for Draco Jiao to reply, she flicked her cloak, turned, and strode out.
In the hall, crowded with more than a dozen generals, only the heavy sound of their breathing remained.
After a long silence, General Lee, who had stood quietly as deputy, finally spoke in a low voice: "I told you Blossom Mountain wouldn’t let you march on Northern Jambu Continent so easily. If you ask me, you should withdraw."
"No!" Draco Jiao snapped.
Gripping the table, he gritted his teeth: "This is only the first battle! If it ends in retreat, how will the new army have any morale in the future?"
"Then what do you plan to do?" General Lee raised his eyelids slightly. "Fight Blossom Mountain head-on?"
"I... I..." Draco Jiao’s face flushed red; he slammed his fist on the table and gritted out, "If they want to force the issue, then I’ll petition His Majesty for an edict and summon Erik Yang from Guang River Estuary!"
At this, General Lee just smiled faintly.
"What are you smiling at?"
General Lee glanced almost imperceptibly at the assembled generals.
Seeing this, Draco Jiao could only wave his hand. "The Marshal and the Heavenly King have urgent matters to discuss. All of you, withdraw."
"Yes, sir."
Once the generals had left the hall, General Lee leaned on the low table and asked softly, "Do you know about Anna Yang?"
"Anna Yang?"
General Lee tilted his head slightly: "Anna Yang is very likely the Holy Mother that the demon folk of Blossom Mountain speak of. At first it was just a suspicion, without real evidence. But last time His Majesty ordered Erik Yang to attack Blossom Mountain, the Guang River Estuary army—usually so fierce—did nothing but posture and never fought at all. That pretty much confirms it."
"Anna Yang and... Blossom Mountain..." Draco Jiao nearly choked.
He sat back in his command chair, blinking in stunned silence.
General Lee watched quietly from the side and said in a low voice, "That day, His Majesty only ordered Erik Yang to attack Blossom Mountain, not to support the Heavenly Fleet. I suspect that was the reason. If you call Erik Yang here now, who knows what might happen. If you ask me, best leave it be."
"No!" Draco Jiao suddenly roared. "That’s exactly why we need him! Force him to show his true allegiance!"
General Lee chuckled, "And if he refuses? Then who will go to war—me or you?"
Draco Jiao was momentarily speechless.
General Lee took a deep breath and paced slowly, "Blossom Mountain is not so easily dealt with. At the very least, it’s much harder than catching a demon monkey. Back in Heaven, all the generals together couldn’t defeat the demon monkey. Now the dragon dives into the sea—do you really think it will be so easy?"
"A true hero knows when to bend and when to stand tall." General Lee gently patted Draco Jiao’s shoulder and said softly, "Eradicating Blossom Mountain must be carefully planned, not rushed."
Draco Jiao clenched his fists, trembling slightly.
General Lee said no more, turned, and walked slowly out.
In the empty hall, only Draco Jiao sat alone, dazed.
After a long while, a Heavenly General hurried in and reported in a low voice, "Marshal, according to the scouts, Blossom Mountain is fully mobilized. Should we... avoid their main force for now?"
"No..."
"Sir?"
"No!" Draco Jiao suddenly roared, "How can we abandon the first battle? If we do, what face will I have? What face will His Majesty have?"
The Heavenly General was stunned.
Draco Jiao slowly stood, his face fierce: "Order all armies—turn toward Blossom Mountain and prepare to face the demon army! I’ll show them the power of Heaven’s new forces!"
......
Blossom Mountain.
In the inner study of Qi Tian Palace, Anna Yang, clad in full armor, was carefully reviewing reports from all sides.
A palace official hurried in and bowed: "Reporting to Your Holiness, the Heavenly coalition army is advancing on Blossom Mountain, and small detachments have been sent to all the continents."
"So the main force confronts our army, while small units hunt demons for merit? Draco Jiao, that fool..." Anna Yang snorted with disdain. "Didn’t General Lee stop him?"
"That... the report didn’t say, Your Holiness. I’m not sure."
Anna Yang sighed lightly, tossed the memorial onto the desk, and said, "So they’ve come. Good. If they’re here, let’s give them a lesson they’ll never forget."
After a slight pause, she asked in a low voice, "Is the Great Sage still near Spirit Mountain?"
The palace official replied quickly, "Reporting to Your Holiness, I just checked—he’s definitely still near Spirit Mountain."
"At a time like this... that damned monkey has no sense of priorities."
Anna Yang frowned deeply, but could only shake her head in resignation.
Seeing Anna Yang’s expression, the palace official hesitated, then said softly, "There’s something I’m not sure I should mention..."
"Speak."
"I heard the Great Sage ordered Shadow to search for Buddhist scriptures..."
Anna Yang’s eyes widened in shock.
"The Traveler wants to cultivate Buddhism... Has he gone mad?"