As the command flag waved, the ordinary demon troops on the front lines—already unable to hold—gradually retreated, replaced by the elite demon generals led by the Nine-Headed Wyrm.
The monk legion surged forward in pursuit, only to be caught off guard and slaughtered.
Having already grasped the countermeasures, the Nine-Headed Wyrm transformed into his enormous nine-headed bird form and charged at the forefront, unleashing orange-yellow flames that instantly engulfed half the battlefield. Faced with these soul-burning flames, the monks were forced to huddle together.
A battle formation formed entirely of Daoist demon generals swept forward, wielding weapons empowered by Skylar Loft and rampaging through the enemy lines.
Meanwhile, Skylar Loft was busy in the rear, and the rapid deployment of more elite troops quickly turned the tide.
Seeing the demon army gradually gaining the upper hand, Shortbeak finally breathed a sigh of relief. But as he turned, he noticed Skylar Loft still looked grim.
"The Buddhists aren’t fools. If they went to all the trouble to sneak here from Spirit Mountain, it’s not just for a minor move like this."
"Then what do you mean…?"
"I can’t say for sure either." Skylar Loft swallowed hard and said slowly, "But... all is emptiness, yet the Dharma is not empty. The only thing that could bring them here is the Dharma itself. For the sake of the Dharma, they’ll do anything—they’ll never give up."
Watching the handful of monks flying out of the valley to join the battle, Skylar Loft murmured, "You’d best send someone around to their rear to investigate while you have the chance."
Shortbeak nodded silently and summoned his attendant.
Just as the monk legions were being driven back step by step, Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata merely smiled faintly.
"Add more troops."
"How many should we add?" a nearby monk asked in a low voice.
"Just enough to stabilize the situation." Pointing at the Nine-Headed Wyrm charging at the front, Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata said softly, "Send in the Dragonbreaker Saint and Tigerscourge Saint to suppress him."
The monk pressed his palms together, bowed, and said, "As you command, Venerable."
......
At this moment, South Heaven Gate.
Heavenly Tribulation had already arrived. In the dim red world, countless beams of light of every kind poured from the rift in the sky, chasing after Monkey. The thunder was so intense it made one's head spin, impossible to tell east from west.
Aside from the omnipresent lightning, every attack here was far stronger than the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array. Even the lightning alone had already left Monkey smoking from head to toe.
Faced with these rootless, baseless attacks, even a glancing blow meant torn flesh and blood. Monkey could only dodge desperately, trying to get as close as possible to the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation’s shield so that these overwhelmingly powerful attacks would strike the formation instead.
During this frenzied chase, Monkey didn’t even have time to scream. If he dared stop for a moment, the next instant, those bizarre attacks would swallow him whole.
In just a blink, he had already circled the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation hundreds of times, his speed so great that from afar it looked as if countless Monkeys were flying through the sky at once.
In this endless back-and-forth, every attack spewed from the rift swept through anything Monkey approached—even the indestructible South Heaven Gate Grand Formation was battered and on the verge of collapse.
Several times, the shield of the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation was even torn open, and Monkey instinctively tried to slip through the gap—but before he could get close, the breach had already sealed itself shut.
Deep beneath South Heaven Gate, at the core of the barrier formation, General Lee wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and continued to personally operate the array.
After just a few direct hits, two of the three remaining civil immortal officials in charge of the formation had already collapsed, and the newly appointed Heavenly Generals—whether in experience or skill—were far inferior to those veterans.
"Is this... Heaven truly dooming the Heavenly Court?"
Just then, his hands, busy manipulating talismans, suddenly paused slightly: "This is..."
The next moment, he refocused and continued operating the formation.
At that moment, General Lee’s voice rang simultaneously in the minds of Nathan Young and the Four Heavenly Kings: "There’s an insider here—someone just used the chaos to manipulate the talismans. Watch everyone’s movements."
Nathan Young was startled, his grip tightening on the Flame Spear as he stared wide-eyed at the Heavenly Generals scattered around him.
The Four Heavenly Kings quickly spread out, each gripping their weapons, strolling casually among the generals while quietly observing.
Gold-Head Warden glanced sideways, quietly slipping two fingers into his sleeve.
......
The tremendous noise from South Heaven Gate had already spread throughout the Heavenly Court; even the Jade Emperor, sitting on the dragon throne in the High Sky Throne Hall, felt his eardrums nearly burst.
Everyone watched in silence.
At this moment, the exalted gods and the cultivators who stood above all mortals were gathered together, as silent as helpless disaster victims in the human world.
In the dim prison, dust and sand kept falling from the cracks in the ceiling.
Aiden Ao spoke slowly: "If I confess to everything, will you let her go?"