Through the pale, misty clouds, one could vaguely see enormous floating rocks shaped like inverted goose eggs, each bearing low buildings hung with great banners marked "South" and "Heaven."
Depending on the size of each floating stone, there were as few as one and as many as five ballistae mounted atop them. Spiritual power wove faintly between the rocks, forming a vast net that seemed to stretch everywhere.
Amid the hazy sea of fog, one could occasionally glimpse warships patrolling back and forth, Heavenly soldiers and generals on deck armed to the teeth.
The defenses looked simple, yet in truth were endlessly complex. It was said that Lord Lao himself had drawn the formation diagram thousands of years ago. If a common traveler or demon came here without a guide, even an army of a million would lose their way in this misty sea.
Carrying Belle, whose spiritual power was already exhausted, Monkey—dressed in fine black armor—quickly crossed the sea of fog under the escort of two Heavenly generals. Soon, a vast land smooth as a mirror and glowing with faint white light appeared before them.
"Is this South Heaven Gate?" Monkey asked.
"From the moment we entered the misty sea, we were already at South Heaven Gate," Belle corrected, flipping through a booklet she’d somehow acquired.
In the center of the mirror-smooth land ahead stood a wide, open vermilion gate—about fifty zhang across and seventy zhang high—so imposing it was startling even from afar. Strangely, the gate was set into a city wall that vanished into the clouds and mist, its edges lost to sight.
Monkey recalled Anna Yang saying that South Heaven Gate was the only entrance from the Sixth Heaven into the Seventh Heaven. He couldn’t help but wonder—just how wide and tall must those walls be?
Landing on the gleaming ground, Monkey set Belle down and lightly tapped his foot twice.
It felt much the same as the lower realms, but the faint glow was intriguing. He’d heard that South Heaven Gate had a Heaven-forged formation embedded within it—even Lord Lao couldn’t break it. Where was it hidden? Monkey wondered.
Seeing Monkey arrive, the Heavenly soldiers guarding the gate instantly showed looks of terror.
A month had passed in the lower realms, yet in Heaven only an hour had gone by. But that was an hour inside the gate; outside, time flowed the same as in the mortal world, and the gate guards had rotated countless times. During that month, the South Heaven Gate Fleet that withdrew from Blossom Mountain had already returned.
In the battle at Blossom Mountain, the entire 180,000-strong South Heaven Gate army had witnessed the fight from start to finish, and ultimately joined the fray themselves. Now back at their post, stories of the legendary demon king from Blossom Mountain—who nearly drove the Heavenly River Navy to ruin—had already spread far and wide through the ranks.
Faced with such a terrifying demon king—even knowing he’d been granted amnesty and was only here to report and receive his new post—the gate guards couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
The leading Heavenly general quietly turned his face and instructed the soldiers behind him, then strode forward quickly.
Before he could speak, one of the generals escorting Monkey had already stepped forward. The two exchanged glances, then walked together toward the great gate.
Not a single unnecessary word—well, whatever, I’m just here for a vacation anyway. Say what you want or don’t.
Thinking this, Monkey slung Belle over his shoulder and followed after them, swaying as he walked.
After only a few steps, a white-robed Grandmaster White emerged from within the gate.
Approaching, Belle followed proper Daoist etiquette, bowing with hands clasped: "Disciple Belle, greets the Star Lord."
Monkey simply clasped his hands and nodded, "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Star Lord."
Grandmaster White glanced at Monkey and returned the gesture. "No trouble at all."
Then, waving his whisk at Belle, Grandmaster White said, "You may rise. But... that's not how a celestial handmaid should salute. Someone will teach you proper etiquette in time."
Belle quickly blinked and nodded.
"Come with me, both of you." Turning, Grandmaster White led Monkey and Belle toward the great gate. As they approached, he pointed to the plaque above the gate with his whisk and said, "This is South Heaven Gate. Beyond it lies Heaven itself. Normally, no one may pass without an official writ. Once you hold office here, except for certain special posts, any private trip to the mortal world is a violation of Heaven’s laws. Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau and ordinary celestial handmaids are not special posts. In other words, once you cross this threshold, forget about the mortal world."
"It’s that strict? Taking office in Heaven is no different from being jailed, then?"
Grandmaster White immediately shot Monkey a disdainful look. "A dignified immortal—how could you compare that to a prisoner? Such talk is nonsense!"
After a moment’s thought, Monkey asked, "By the way, if an immortal gets fed up, can they resign?"
Grandmaster White was speechless for a moment. He took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and strode ahead.
Monkey shrugged, exchanged a glance with Belle, and hurried to catch up.
Passing through an arched gate dozens of zhang deep, glowing with rainbow hues like a tunnel, Monkey’s eyes lit up at the sight beyond.
Outside the gate, though countless floating stones drifted in the mist, the view was mostly a blank expanse of white. What little could be seen was either the white of warships or the gray of rocks—the red gate was the only splash of color.
But beyond the gate, it was a completely different scene.
In the boundless sky, countless lands floated, layered with palaces and towers. There were mountains, green fields, waterfalls, streams, birds soaring, beasts playing, and endless flying ships weaving through the air.
Closer in, rows upon rows of buildings hung with great banners marked "South." Warships docked at the edges of the floating lands, troops drilled in the squares, and soldiers marched even along the streets.
It must be the garrison base for the South Heaven Gate troops, Monkey guessed.
Farther out, the most eye-catching sight was a colossal tree covered in red blossoms.
How enormous was this tree?
Its trunk alone was dozens of li in diameter, and its height soared beyond sight.
When Belle saw the giant tree, her eyes went wide.
"That tree... what is it?" Monkey asked.
"That’s the Moon Tree. It represents the bonds of the Three Realms. Whether insects or gods, demons or mortals—whenever two hearts truly connect, a flower blooms on the Moon Tree. If the flower falls, the bond is broken."
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
"So, does everyone have their own flower up there?"
"It’s every bond, not every person. If a mortal has three wives, there’ll be three or five flowers up there—that’s nothing unusual."
"Oh? So that’s how it works."
Belle stared up at the blossoms for a long while. "With so many flowers, how do you find your own?" she asked.
"No need to look. Neither of you have a flower on the tree—that’s been checked already. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be allowed to take office in Heaven."
"Star Lord, tell me—why can’t immortals fall in love? Who made up these stuffy Heaven laws?"
Grandmaster White, now visibly impatient, answered coldly, "Don’t ask so many questions. Heaven’s laws are made to be obeyed. Why do you need to know so much?"
Monkey pursed his lips in boredom and glanced away.
At the edge of the platform, Grandmaster White shook out his whisk and soared skyward. Turning, he saw Monkey carrying Belle and was startled. "You... why are you carrying her?"
"She’s out of spiritual power. If I don’t carry her, are you going to?" Monkey replied, looking at Grandmaster White.
Grandmaster White was momentarily at a loss. He reluctantly pulled a strip of white jade from his sleeve, tossed it into the air, and it spun rapidly, growing until it hovered in the sky, the size of a small skiff.
Pointing for Monkey to set Belle on the jade skiff, Grandmaster White stroked his beard and said quietly, "Heaven has its rules. Even in the mortal world, men and women don’t touch casually; in Heaven, it’s even more forbidden for immortals to form attachments. Every action here must be carefully considered. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you."
Belle blinked nervously and nodded.
Monkey just chuckled, patting Belle’s head. "Don’t worry. With me here, no one can touch you. Look at me—the Heavenly Court doesn’t even accept demons, but now this demon king is an official. What’s there to be afraid of?"
Belle nodded vigorously, smiling like a flower.
Grandmaster White glanced at Monkey and could only sigh, thinking: Can she really compare to you? You were personally recommended by Lord Lao. And her? Why did His Majesty suddenly elevate a little Blossom Mountain disciple to celestial handmaid—and assign her to the Imperial Horse Bureau? Becoming an immortal with a personal attendant... truly unheard of.
Grandmaster White rubbed his temples and shook his head helplessly.
He hadn’t figured out the first puzzle yet—who had time to worry about this mysterious little girl? If not for Monkey, no god of Grandmaster White’s rank would ever be sent out to greet someone at South Heaven Gate.
To put it plainly, it was all thanks to Monkey.
Still, the girl seemed much more sensible than Monkey.
As the jade skiff slowly rose, the floating lands grew fewer and farther between, though more immortals appeared along the way.
Those immortals rode the clouds toward them. Spotting Grandmaster White from afar, most would come to greet him. But on seeing Monkey, they hurried off after offering only brief salutations.
Monkey’s black armor was already conspicuous in Heaven, and paired with his furry face—after ten thousand years of demon wars, how could immortals not shy away?
Monkey had the sneaking suspicion that his days in Heaven wouldn’t be easy.
After a long journey, the three finally arrived from the Seventh Heaven to the Ninth Heaven, where they saw a palace complex so vast it defied imagination.
"Wait here, you two. I’ll be right back," Grandmaster White said, not waiting for Monkey’s reply before striding up the white jade steps and disappearing into the palace.
Monkey and Belle simply stood quietly at the gate.
Passing immortals, palace handmaids, and even the guards on the towers couldn’t help but stare at Monkey.
Some looked frightened, some awed, some curious, and some just watched from afar for the spectacle. Even passing generals instinctively put a hand to their sword hilts. Yet not one person came up to speak to Monkey.
This odd pair—a beauty and a beast—just stood there at the palace gates.
Bored, Monkey pulled out his Golden Staff and began spinning it on the platform, startling the surrounding guards.
Suddenly, his movements froze.
In the distance, he saw four Heavenly soldiers escorting Marshal Silver, his hands bound behind his back.