The Jade Emperor sat iron-faced, fists clenched and trembling, his chest heaving with agitation.
The dragon table beside him lay in ruins, but the immortals below the steps all chose to ignore it, each simply standing with heads bowed, motionless.
After a long silence, the Jade Emperor spoke in a low voice: "Ministers, do you have any suggestions?"
No one answered.
"Ministers, do you have any suggestions?" The Jade Emperor's voice rose sharply.
Still, not a sound.
"Ministers, in this crisis, if anyone has a good suggestion, and it is adopted and proves effective, I will reward you handsomely."
The Jade Emperor asked again and again, but the High Sky Throne Hall remained utterly silent—not even the usual whispers could be heard.
At this moment, nearly every immortal was drenched in sweat.
Meanwhile, outside the hall, the scene was entirely different.
News that the demon monkey was still alive had exploded through the Heavenly Court—chaos reigned everywhere.
Those who had already entered South Heaven Gate immediately abandoned any thought of retreat; those not yet inside surged forward in panic, trampling each other in the chaos—even the cordons set up by the Celestial Army were swept away by the crowd.
Inside the tower, General Lee’s hand trembled as he gripped the copper mirror.
"Pass down the order: prepare to close South Heaven Gate."
"Close the gate?" Nathan Young exclaimed. "What about those who haven’t come in yet?"
"They can only blame their bad luck. If that demon monkey gets past South Heaven Gate, everyone will die!"
Watching the sweat slowly slide down his father’s nose, Nathan was stunned. Perhaps this was the first time he truly realized how serious the situation was.
At that moment, King Virūḍhaka stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Allow me to handle this task."
"Be quick."
"Understood." With a hand on his sword, King Virūḍhaka strode quickly out of the tower.
...
On the surging sea, Nine-Headed Wyrm broke through the waves with a blank expression, closely followed by a bewildered King Macaque.
The two skimmed silently over the water, flying side by side without a word.
After a long while, King Macaque drew closer to Nine-Headed Wyrm and asked softly, "Are we really just going back?"
"If we don't go back... what can you say to persuade him? Even if you really could, how would you purge his murderous qi?"
"At this rate, Blossom Mountain is almost certain to be destroyed. These past years, our victories came too easily—the whole world has changed. Honestly, I sensed long ago things wouldn't be so simple, but I never imagined the great powers would set their sights on the Great Sage himself. Thinking about it, it's no wonder: if they weren't scheming, how could they have let us rise so far?"
After a brief pause, King Macaque asked quietly, "When we get back, what will you say?"
Nine-Headed Wyrm glanced at King Macaque and replied coolly, "If we tell the truth, Blossom Mountain will scatter for sure."
A long silence fell between them.
After gliding over the sea for a while longer, King Macaque murmured, "Maybe... we just don't tell them."
"Don't tell them?"
"Given how things stand, the great powers aren't united. If they were, we wouldn't have made it this far. I say we keep hope alive—if everyone believes the Great Sage still has a chance to attack Heaven and return, maybe there's still an opportunity."
Nine-Headed Wyrm stared at King Macaque, expressionless.
With a helpless sigh, King Macaque continued, "I really don't want to go back to the old days, hiding and running all the time... I think the other brothers feel the same—no demon enjoys living like that. If we can, everyone would rather take one desperate gamble together. If we unite, no matter how the situation changes, I believe we still have a chance."
Nine-Headed Wyrm finally smiled. "I was just wondering how to bring this up. Didn't expect you'd say it first."
King Macaque grinned back. "No demon likes a life spent hiding—you must feel the same, right?"
"I'm used to drifting, so it's all the same to me... But Rina is pregnant. No matter what happens, I need to give our child a stable home."
"Congratulations, you're going to be a father. So, do we have an agreement?"
They exchanged a knowing look, both smiling, and continued flying forward in silence.
"Only you and I know what the Great Sage said. When we get back, we'll report that the Great Sage is confident of storming the Heavenly Court, and has ordered us to hold Blossom Mountain until his triumphant return."
"Deal. You handle Shortbeak and his lot, I'll persuade my brothers to back us too."
"It's settled. As for Yisu and Many-Eyes, just leave them be—their forces aren't much anyway. If we actually hold out, I'll have my child call you godfather."
"Really? I haven't even married yet, and I'm a godfather already? Isn't that a bit much?"
"Then forget it."
"No, no, that's not what I meant..." King Macaque grinned. "Having a godson sounds pretty great, actually."
Suddenly, with a thunderous boom, the sea behind them erupted.
They turned and saw Monkey screeching as he transformed into a streak of dark golden light, tearing southward—ripping the sky asunder.
...
Inside South Heaven Gate, King Northmore took one look before slipping the Demon-Revealing Mirror into his sleeve, a slow smile spreading across his face.
A nearby black-robed cultivator whispered, "How did it go?"
King Northmore eyed Belle Whitebone in the distance and murmured, "A rare breed indeed—a bone demon turned spirit."
"Bone... a real demon? Then the Dragon Palace is—"
"Too soon to say. We need to detain her and question her to find out."
"Wait, how did she sneak into South Heaven Gate?"
"Like I said, detain her and question her."
Hand on his sword, King Northmore discreetly signaled behind him, then stepped into the crowd, moving slowly toward Belle Whitebone.
Several Celestial Generals hurried after him, gripping their weapons.
Just then, a thunderous shout rang out in the distance.
"Make way! The Celestial Army is carrying out orders—anyone who blocks us dies!"
Under King Virūḍhaka's command, the South Heaven Gate soldiers cut through the crowd like a blade.