In the narrow underground passage beneath South Heaven Gate, the flames in the wall-mounted braziers hissed, casting everything in a dim red glow.
The bas-relief tortoises on the walls seemed to writhe, their claws and jaws poised to leap at any moment.
The Five Directional Wardens walked in a line, heads bowed and hands folded in prayer, slowly passing by the Heaven soldiers marching in step.
"Heaven really is heavily guarded. Except for General Draco, who was executed at Blossom Mountain, all the Twenty-Eight Mansions have been summoned."
"Even the stones here are extraordinary. With just the five of us, even if we give it our all, I doubt we could accomplish much."
"The odds are overwhelmingly against us. Still, the fact that we've been called in means we're not suspected—at least for now."
"Or maybe we're easier to monitor this way. After all, breaking the formation would be harder than forcing open the gate. Kunlun—Avalon Mountain—cultivators are stationed here, but it's a mess."
In the distance, they could already see General Lee and the other commanders.
"Let's play it by ear."
The Five Directional Wardens all nodded slightly.
......
Outside South Heaven Gate, the bombardment continued.
The boiling lightning swept across half the sky, turning the mortal world into daylight.
Standing outside a cave, Sister May stared up blankly, sighing quietly. The Daoist disciples behind her all wore fearful expressions.
Even for cultivators, in a disaster like this, how are they any different from ordinary mortals?
Monkey was still furiously wielding his Golden Staff; each strike brought a wave of lightning and a thunderclap that shook the Three Realms.
“Do you all have a death wish? If you want to die, I'll grant it!” Monkey roared.
Each wave of lightning left Monkey battered and bloodied, but his abundant spiritual power always healed his wounds in the next instant—leaving only the lingering pain.
Countless Daoist disciples huddled together, silent, listening blankly to the thunder outside and the demon monkey’s howls, terror etched on their faces.
With every thunderclap, everyone inside South Heaven Gate shuddered, even though they knew that no matter how strong the demon monkey was, there was no way he could break through the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation.
It felt as if a death god was walking straight toward them, utterly unmasked.
Just one wall away, the outside was already a sea of blood. If the demon monkey survived his Heavenly Tribulation, the inside would soon be the same…
Amid the endless crowd, King Northmore walked as if nothing was wrong, occasionally glancing at Belle Whitebone, his hand always resting on his sword hilt.
Not far away, the unsuspecting Belle was cheerfully helping Coral Ao sort through a mountain of luggage, while Aiden Ao stood nearby, muttering to himself.
Two Heavenly Generals had quietly closed in to within just ten feet of them.
Just then, King Northmore’s gaze met Coral Ao’s.
In that instant, King Northmore’s heart skipped a beat; he quickly looked away, then began watching her out of the corner of his eye.
Coral Ao glanced at King Northmore, then turned to scan the surroundings, as if she had already noticed something.
Before she could speak, King Northmore waved his hand: “Move!”
In a flash, all the Heavenly Generals drew their swords and charged at the dragon family.