Inside the inner chamber, General Lee's eyes widened in shock.
The main console on the table glowed faintly.
"So quick to react?"
Nathan Young slammed his Fire-Tipped Spear down, shouting angrily, "That demon monkey really can't behave even in Heaven!"
Without a moment's hesitation, General Lee strode out the door, scanning left and right. "Summon all Heavenly Generals above the Spirit-Transformation Stage!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Notify the sentries monitoring him! Report any activity from that demon monkey at once!"
"Yes, sir!"
"All generals, follow me to capture the demon monkey!"
"Yes, sir!"
......
Two Spirit-Transformation realm generals from South Heaven Gate, who had been standing guard outside the Imperial Horse Bureau for ages, stared blankly at the Jade Tablet. "He... he's gone..."
"Gone? Didn't you say he left the Imperial Horse Bureau during the night?"
"Yes... but we just lost track of him..."
In just half a li—barely half a li—the two Spirit-Transformation generals had completely lost his trail.
After a brief silence, a hysterical roar came from the other end of the Jade Tablet: "You two useless fools! Find him! No matter what, you must track him down—!"
......
Amid swirling clouds, Monkey sped forward, soaring through the sky as massive floating stones flashed past.
A Traveler's Path cultivator, with peak Celestial Sage power and mastery of the Sage's Path—such cultivation is truly unmatched in Heaven or Earth. Not only do few Heavenly soldiers and generals stand a chance against him, but once past South Heaven Gate, Heaven's formations are little more than illusions to his eyes.
Dodging patrols, immortals, and hidden sentries along the way, in just an instant he reached the Seventh Heaven, landing before the colossal Moon Tree.
A gentle breeze swept by, and in the faint light, countless red blossoms drifted down—a scene so beautiful it stole one's breath.
The blooming red flowers carried all mortal love; those that had fallen marked severed bonds, drifting down with lingering attachment to become dust.
Monkey stood beneath the tree, gazing up in a daze for a long, long time. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned toward the grand mansion atop a nearby floating stone.
......
A young Daoist attendant rushed into the hall.
"Master, that demon monkey has secretly left the Imperial Horse Bureau and headed straight for the Seventh Heaven."
"Are you sure you saw him clearly?" The meditating black-haired elder suddenly opened his eyes.
"Disciple saw it with absolute certainty!"
Before the words had finished, a sudden wind arose from nowhere.
When the attendant looked up, he saw that the spot where the elder had been sitting cross-legged was now only an empty meditation cushion.
......
In the crimson corridor, a white-haired elder in red robes gently pushed open the tightly closed door.
Inside, Monkey sat calmly at the round table, slowly rising to his feet.
"Wh—who are you, fiend?" The elder jumped in fright, hurriedly turning to flee, only to find Monkey already behind him.
Before the elder could cry out, Monkey flashed his waist token in front of him. "Don't be afraid, Elliot the Matchmaker. The new Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau has come to pay his respects."
"You... you're the newly recruited Demon King, Simon Sun?"
Before the words were finished, Monkey had already shoved Elliot the Matchmaker into the room.
Tripped by the threshold, Elliot the Matchmaker crashed to the floor with a thud.
As Monkey stepped across the threshold, he cast a sound-blocking spell; with a bang, all doors and windows slammed shut.
Elliot the Matchmaker's heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
Though he'd never seen this demon monkey before, he'd heard plenty—and now, seeing such cultivation, the rumors were true!
"W-what do you want?" Elliot the Matchmaker stammered, still shaken, inching backward.
Monkey gazed at Elliot with folded arms, his voice cold: "First, I've already cast a sound-blocking spell. So don't bother calling for help—it won't work. If you irritate me, who knows what might happen. Second, I ask, you answer. Time is short, so be precise; think before you speak, don't babble. If I catch you lying, I can't guarantee what will happen."
Elliot the Matchmaker trembled with rage and fear.
His repeated use of 'your subordinate' sounded polite, but the threat in his words was unmistakable.
"H-how dare you! A mere Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau dares—"
Before he could finish, Monkey stepped forward, grabbed the finger Elliot was pointing at him with, and twisted it hard.
"Crack—"
A scream was muffled within the small room as Elliot clutched his broken finger, howling and rolling on the floor, while those outside remained oblivious.
Stepping around Elliot, Monkey poured two cups of tea from the pot on the table, took a sip himself, then squatted beside the writhing elder and quietly said, "And third—I hate people pointing fingers at me. Next time, don't do it."
He handed the other cup of tea to Elliot the Matchmaker, smiling faintly. "Here, have some tea to soothe your throat. We need to have a good chat—an all-night talk by candlelight."
Elliot the Matchmaker stared blankly at Monkey, his eye twitching uncontrollably.
He'd seen arrogance before, but never anything like this...
......
In Tusita Palace, Lord Lao furrowed his brow for a long time, then sighed helplessly: "Have I... just invited a wolf into the house?"
......
In the courtyard of the Palace of Blessed Unions, Monkey swaggered along with his arm around Elliot the Matchmaker's shoulder.
Elliot shrank down like a stick of chalk, his face looking utterly miserable.
Monkey whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid. Act natural."
"How could I not be afraid?" Elliot gritted his teeth.
The attendants in the courtyard were terrified at the sight of Monkey, but since Elliot remained silent, they dared not intervene.
Just as they were about to leave, a junior official in red timidly approached, saluted, and then whispered, "Master, who is this...?"
Monkey gave a slight twitch of his finger, and the Golden Staff—shrunk to chopstick size—poked Elliot in the armpit. Elliot quickly forced a smile and said, "This is... the new Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau."
"Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau?" The junior official glanced suspiciously at Monkey.
He'd heard of demon kings being appointed to Heaven, but the Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau was ranked far below Elliot the Matchmaker; such a close relationship seemed...
Before the junior official could think further, Monkey's Golden Staff poked Elliot's armpit again. Elliot immediately said, "We're old friends, old friends... hahahaha."
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After laughing, he lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
"Oh." The junior official finally stepped aside, half convinced.
With Elliot in tow, Monkey leapt into the clouds and sped toward the Moon Tree.
......
"Contact all palaces, but don't be obvious—probe quietly for anything unusual! No matter what, we must root out that monkey! Now! Immediately!"
All the civil officials were swept out of the hall, each hastily using their own channels to check on the safety of the Heavenly Court's palaces.
General Lee suddenly realized that letting Monkey become a Heaven official was nothing short of a nightmare.
To lose a Celestial Sage demon in Heaven—what kind of disaster was this?
......
In Guanghan Palace, Fairy Hanwei paced gracefully around Belle, examining her from head to toe.
Belle lowered her head slightly, quiet as a fledgling.
"Your looks are fine, but what skills do you have?"
"I—I can make talismans," Belle stammered.
"Talisman-making is for craftsmen, not moon maidens."
"I can also refine elixirs."
"Elixir-refining isn't a moon maiden's concern, either."
Belle pouted in silence.
"Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, song—which can you do?"
Belle frowned so hard it seemed she could squeeze water out. Apparently, in Heaven, she was good for nothing.
Fairy Tishin wandered in from outside.
"What's wrong?" asked Fairy Hanwei.
"Nothing, just a clerk from South Heaven Gate suddenly asked if there was anything unusual in our palace."
"Asked if there was anything unusual in the palace?"