A gentle breeze drifted in through the window lattice, making the candle shadows flicker in the grand hall.
Lingyun furrowed his brow slightly, Dantong stared at Master Sage Subhuti in terror, Ewan’s eyes widened, and Qingfeng kept his head down, silent.
Elder Stillwater sat quietly, facing Master Sage Subhuti, his hand slowly tightening around his robe, expressionless.
Master Sage Subhuti also sat quietly, stroking his long beard, his expression calm.
After a long silence, Elder Stillwater’s expression softened. He spoke softly: “Master, Belle is my junior niece, your grand-disciple, and Qingfeng’s direct disciple. Monkey is your inner disciple, our junior brother. From the day we joined, you taught us never to harm our own. Yet today… Did you take Monkey as a disciple from the start just for this day?”
Except for Qingfeng, everyone’s gaze turned to Master Sage Subhuti.
Master Sage Subhuti furrowed his brow slightly and gazed at Elder Stillwater, saying slowly: "This is Heaven’s mandate. Only by breaking the Heavenly Dao and rebuilding can endless vitality be gained for all beings."
So, Master, you’ve decided to sacrifice our tenth brother and Belle, haven’t you? Trading your own disciples for the welfare of all beings—how generous of you.
At these words, Master Sage Subhuti’s eyelid twitched slightly.
Outside the door, Eugene slowly walked in and bowed: “Master, Tenth Uncle has already gone to pursue the South Heaven Gate Fleet.”
Master Sage Subhuti glanced up, but before he could speak, there was a loud crash—Ewan had already slammed his palm into the floor, leaving a deep imprint.
Kneel!
Eugene was completely stunned.
No need to investigate further." Ewan glared at Master Sage Subhuti, holding his breath, and shouted at Eugene: "Have you ignored all my warnings? Today you’ve abetted evil—how should I punish you?
Eugene was utterly bewildered, looking at Master Sage Subhuti in panic.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the grand hall became unbearably tense.
…
In the Ten Thousand Demons Hall of Blossom Mountain, apart from a few generals sent to escort Anna Yang, all notable leaders of Blossom Mountain had gathered, exchanging silent glances.
Report!—A demon soldier rushed into the hall, dropped to one knee, and said: "Great Sage has already gone to the Sixth Heaven."
General Lee’s South Heaven Gate Fleet is also in the Sixth Heaven. Is Great Sage planning to challenge the entire fleet alone?
Facing the South Heaven Gate Fleet alone… and the Five Directional Wardens are there too, this might be…
If it’s just the South Heaven Gate Fleet, Great Sage might still stand a chance in his current state. The real issue is those inside South Heaven Gate—there’s the entire Imperial Forbidden Guard. If all the generals are mobilized…
No, we can’t just stand here—we have to send out our troops!" Shadow shouted loudly.
For a moment, many in the hall voiced their agreement.
At this moment, King Macaque muttered in a low voice: "Would sending troops now even make it in time?"
What do you mean by that?" Shadow glared at King Macaque and rebuked him.
How far are we from the Sixth Heaven South Heaven Gate? They’re fighting right there, and if we go now, do you think we’ll make it in time?" King Macaque stroked his chin and spoke slowly.
So you’re saying if we can’t make it in time, we shouldn’t send troops?" Shadow glared at King Macaque.
Suddenly, the hall was filled with tension, dividing into two clear camps. It was obvious that few sided with King Macaque.
Enough! Are we really going to fight among ourselves at a time like this?" Shortbeak shouted.
Is it us who are fighting among ourselves?" Shadow pointed at King Macaque. "These guys have never really been on our side!
If you want to say that, there’s nothing I can do." King Macaque shrugged. "But I still have to say this: Great Sage is alone, and no warship can match his speed. Even if the Imperial Forbidden Guard is mobilized, they may not be able to stop him. Don’t forget, this isn’t inside South Heaven Gate. If we rush the whole army over, the battlefield will have shifted several times by the time we arrive—it’s pointless. Didn’t Great Sage tell us to guard Blossom Mountain before he left?
Basically, you just don’t want to send troops!
So my suggestion is: the main force stays at Blossom Mountain, and we send a few people to support Great Sage from the side." King Macaque glanced at Shadow, raised his hand, and said loudly, "To avoid suspicion, I’ll go myself. Satisfied?
Shadow was momentarily speechless.
King Liontusk and King Gloomape, who had been standing beside King Macaque, unconsciously edged away.
…
The clouds parted as a giant hand swept them aside, revealing a massive monkey’s head, its fur stained with blood.
Lowering his spyglass, Li Jing gazed from afar at the monkey hovering ahead and raised his hand.
The entire fleet halted, and the soldiers on deck trembled.
Is this... the duplication technique? Wasn’t he supposed to be confused? How is he still...?
Li Jing’s eyes widened. 'He’s distracting everyone... What is he trying to do?'
…
On the Nai River, at the far end of the single-plank bridge, underworld officers used iron chains to lead the souls off the bridge one by one, working frantically.
An underworld officer had just escorted a heavenly soldier’s soul and hurried back to the bridge, raising an iron hook to snag another soul.
The iron hook struck the heavenly soldier’s soul with a click and fell to the ground.
The underworld officer froze.
All the underworld officers around looked over.
“What’s going on? Are you looking to die, messing up a soul retrieval?” White Impermanence floated over from the air.
The heavenly soldier slowly looked up and smiled at him from a distance.
“A living person?” White Impermanence was stunned too.
The next moment, the heavenly soldier slowly transformed into a furry monkey.
“Sun Wukong—!” The underworld officers cried out in shock and retreated.
In an instant, a giant ring formed beside the monkey.
White Impermanence was so frightened that he rolled his long tongue back in.
Slowly pulling out the Golden Cudgel from his ear, the monkey glanced lazily at the Nai River, the natural barrier of the underworld, and said with a grin, "Don’t be afraid. I’m just here to burn the underworld for a bit."