Blossom Mountain.
As the colossal Golden Staff churned the earth, the soil at the heart of the Heavenly Net formation was lifted in great swathes, and the swirling clouds of dust blotted out the sky.
"Is that the Ocean Pillar Rod?" Tianfu stared in terror at the Monkey seated on the distant throne atop the flagship, and drew his longsword. "No wonder he hasn’t made a move until now—it’s a fake!"
With that, he was about to lead his squad in a charge, but Tianpeng grabbed him by the arm.
Turning his head, Tianfu stared blankly at Tianpeng.
The Golden Staff had pierced through the ground at the center. By now, everyone could guess what was happening. If the demon army burst into the Heavenly Fleet’s formation through the underground tunnel, the consequences would be unimaginable. But...
At such a critical moment, Tianpeng simply held Tianfu back, raising his head to calmly scan his own fleet’s warships, his expression unruffled.
By now, the Golden Staff had already retracted at lightning speed. Before the dust could settle, a piercing roar erupted as countless iron pellets of all sizes tore through the white haze, spraying outward in every direction. In a split second, several Skyward Legionnaires closest to the dust cloud were riddled in midair, their bodies left like honeycombs—a truly horrifying sight.
The next moment, countless fully armed demons surged out from the swirling dust, swiftly attacking the surrounding Skyward Legionnaires.
The Heavenly Fleet, already exhausted, began to falter before this sudden assault.
If the demon army were facing any other Celestial Army commander at this moment, the battle would already be decided.
The Heavenly Fleet, caught completely off guard, might still have enough strength, but there was no longer time to seal this new breach.
Once the demon army flooded into the formation, destroying the Heavenly Net would be effortless. At that point, with attacks from both inside and out, the Celestial Army was certain to lose.
Unfortunately, the commander in this battle was Tianpeng.
Just as the demon army began to charge through the dust into the formation, a heavy warship, under Tianpeng’s command, surged toward the center of the dust cloud.
As the warship drew closer, the swirling currents scattered the dust, and all the Heavenly Fleet officers could clearly see the bottomless tunnel at the center—and the mass of demons inside, still waiting to attack.
"Block the tunnel exit with a warship?" Tianfu was stunned.
Before Tianfu could decide whether such a tactic would work, just as the warship was about to ram into the tunnel, the Golden Staff shot out from inside, slamming squarely against the vessel.
Driven by the Golden Staff’s immense force, sparks flew from the warship’s metal plating, which was crushed inward.
The warship could not advance another inch.
Following the Golden Staff, the Heavenly Generals caught sight of the Monkey, hidden among the crowd of demons inside the tunnel.
"I knew you'd try something like this!" Monkey slowly gazed in the direction of Tianpeng.
Faced with this situation, Tianpeng merely smiled faintly.
That smile sent a jolt of unease through Monkey's heart.
In the next instant, the Skyward Legionnaires aboard the warship scattered in panic. The vessel, twisted by tremendous force, suddenly—exploded!
Monkey's face went utterly pale.
Unlike the demon army's warships, this explosion resembled the kind Monkey had used at Black Dragon Pool, triggered mainly by altering the ship's internal spell array.
Compared to the demon army's demolition warships, this level of explosion almost only damaged the interior of the vessel.
However, Tianpeng’s true intention was never the damage caused by the explosion itself.
As the warship burst apart, countless Blaze Bombs poured from its hull, turning into a rain of fire that instantly engulfed the tunnel where Monkey stood!
In a flash, the tunnel was filled with agonized screams—the demons crammed inside, unable to escape in time, became perfect fuel for the Rootless Fire, with nowhere to run!
Gritting his teeth, Monkey streaked out of the tunnel, swinging the Golden Staff high as he charged straight at Tianpeng.
Caught off guard, Tianpeng could only draw his longsword and meet the attack.
"I’ll have your life!" came a hysterical roar.
A resounding clang rang out, sparks flying everywhere.
Under the forceful blow, Tianpeng—still not airborne—spat a mouthful of blood as his body jerked violently, crashing hard onto the deck.
At the same moment, Monkey swung the Golden Staff again.
The surrounding Heavenly Generals rushed toward Monkey one after another.
Yet while everyone’s attention was fixed on Monkey, waves of demon troops had already broken through the flames and surged into the Heavenly Fleet’s formation—not only the Nascent Soul demons, but the Rootless Fire was useless against those at Spirit-Transformation realm and above, who could project spiritual power to shield themselves!
...
Tusita Palace.
In the courtyard, Curtain had already ground the ink and gently presented the inkstone before the Jade Emperor, then bowed and stepped back.
The Jade Emperor glanced at Curtain, lowered his head slightly, and reached for the brush—only for Lord Lao to rise first, pick up the brush, and hand it to Grandmaster White.
Grandmaster White was momentarily taken aback.
"Let Grandmaster White do the honors," Lord Lao said softly.
At this, what more could anyone say?
The Jade Emperor could only nod slightly in agreement.
Seeing this, Grandmaster White hurriedly rose, accepted the brush with both hands, spread a roll of yellow silk before himself, dipped it in ink, and asked cautiously, "How should I write this?"
Lord Lao stroked his long beard, thought for a moment, and said, "Write: 'By Heaven's mandate, the True Jade Emperor proclaims: There exists, in Blossom Mountain of the Eastern Divine Continent, the Stone Monkey—Monkey King—born of the world’s spiritual essence, wild by nature, and disrespectful of Heaven and Earth. In consideration of his birth in the mountains and rearing in the wild, with no one to teach him, his past offenses are hereby pardoned. He is appointed Imperial Horse Supervisor, and accepted as a Heavenly official. Henceforth, he is to conduct himself uprightly, and commit no further reckless acts. Additionally, from this day forth, none of the Stone Monkey’s followers may leave the thousand-mile radius of Blossom Mountain without imperial permission, nor may any Heavenly armies enter Blossom Mountain without warrant. This is decreed.'"
Grandmaster White nodded silently, about to write, when the Jade Emperor interjected, "Wait."
"Your Majesty finds something amiss?" Lord Lao inquired.
"Not so. Only... if the Stone Monkey’s followers defy the edict and leave the thousand-mile boundary, how should they be dealt with?"
"The Celestial Army may execute them on the spot. What does Your Majesty think?"
"So be it," the Jade Emperor replied.
The Jade Emperor bowed slightly and resumed his seat.
"Write," Lord Lao instructed Grandmaster White.
In no time, Grandmaster White finished drafting the edict, flicked his wrist, and sparkling drops fell across the silk, drying the ink instantly. He presented it to Lord Lao with both hands: "Please review it, Lord Lao."
Lord Lao took the edict from Grandmaster White, read it carefully from start to finish, then nodded and said, "Grandmaster White’s calligraphy has improved greatly."
"You flatter me, Lord Lao," Grandmaster White replied with a hurried smile.
"Curtain," the Jade Emperor said, turning slightly, "go and deliver the edict."
"At your command, Majesty," Curtain replied.
With that, Curtain walked over to Lord Lao.
But before Curtain could reach out to receive the edict, Lord Lao smiled and said, "Grandmaster White, since you penned the edict, why not deliver it yourself? Curtain General has been standing for quite a while, and there are only three stone stools here—do pardon us. Perhaps he should yield his seat for now, yes?"
The Jade Emperor’s brow twitched at that.