The crowd streamed toward the warships.
Scattered Daoist disciples appeared along the mountain paths, all heading for the warships as well.
"Let's go have a look," said the Monkey King, bending down and grabbing Skylar Loft's sleeve.
The Monkey King's heart trembled involuntarily.
Lowering his gaze, the Monkey King saw the sand and stones on the ground trembling slightly.
Everything around him—trees, green leaves, sand, stones, mountains—was shuddering in the earth-shaking sound of the Thunder Drums.
"What in the world is this..."
Ignoring Skylar Loft's resistance, the Monkey King bent down, grabbed his arm, and dragged him along. The two tugged and pulled each other up the road, heading toward the floating warships.
Looking up again, the Monkey King saw a silver-winged Heavenly General statue tearing through the clouds. Then, three steel warships burst out from the clouds, like whales leaping from the ocean!
Witnessing this scene, the Monkey King was left speechless in astonishment.
Before him were three identical, silver-white steel warships, vast enough to blot out the sky. Massive masts lined both sides and the decks above.
They hovered in midair, suspended as if by magic.
"Because you're a Demon Monkey," Skylar Loft replied calmly.
"Aye! Aye! Aye!" It sounded like countless voices answering in unison.
"That's what they say, but did you see any demon cultivators among the applicants? Human cultivators run into the Skyward Legion and it's fine, but demon cultivators... heh, you can try if you want."
The gusts and waves they stirred rippled outward, instantly scattering the clouds, like ripples blooming across the blue sky.
He remembered how, at the Kunlun Mountain gate, the Daoist disciple only let Skylar Loft and Yang Chan enter, but he needed permission from Master Taiyi to go in.
He also recalled how Mei Shi, who was always respectful to Jade Cauldron Immortal, still called him 'Demon Monkey' even in Jade Cauldron Immortal's presence.
Noticing the change in the Monkey King's expression, Skylar Loft scratched his ear and said leisurely, "Don't worry, did you bring your Golden Mist Cave waist token?"
"General Percy's Heavenly Fleet!" Ling Yunzi, who had appeared at his side without notice, gazed up and sighed lightly, "Each ship is eighty-one zhang long, and if you count the ram at the prow, it's a full hundred zhang. The side sails span a hundred and eight zhang. General Percy's warships just keep getting bigger."
"With a waist token, you can go anywhere without hindrance."
But the Monkey King seemed not to hear; a sense of dread crept over him.
He quickly looked up.
The synchronized shouts rang out again in the sky, like tens of thousands pulling on reins. Countless giant oars extended from beneath the three warships, rowing in perfect unison to the rhythm of the shouts.
After gliding a short distance, the massive oars spread out and held the ships steady. The thunderous war drums shifted back to fragmented beats.
The warships began to descend slowly.
His sense of foreboding was confirmed. The Monkey King's mind churned; he drew a sharp breath, let go of Skylar Loft's arm, and turned away.
"Recruitment?"
"Kunlun Mountain has always been the barracks of the Heavenly Court," Ling Yunzi said with a smile. "According to the rules, only those who reach the Divine Transformation Realm are considered immortals. There are a million troops stationed across the realm, but where would you find a million true immortals? Those million troops are merely cultivators serving the Heavenly Court. Each soldier must at least have attained the Spirit Assimilation Realm, and the junior officers above them must be in the Spirit Refining Realm. Of course, the Spirit Refining Realm is just the starting point. To be selected at that level is extremely rare."
Ling Yunzi took a sip of tea and continued, "It seems there are more openings this time. Er Lang Shen killed quite a few at Guangjiangkou. Hahaha, I wonder if they've lowered the standards."
The three warships stopped descending once they reached a height of a hundred zhang, hovering in midair.
"That's why I said from the start not to go," Jade Cauldron Immortal said, shaking his head. He looked up and whistled helplessly, "Too late now."
Before he finished speaking, dozens of Skyward Legionnaires descended from the sky, long spears in hand, surrounding the Monkey King.
Hundreds of Skyward Legionnaires in silver armor unfurled their snowy wings and soared into the air, circling the warships and forming a battle array, hovering in the sky. Their long spears glinted coldly, pointing toward the heavens, and their white cloaks billowed in the wind.
"Release the cloud ladders!"
"Aye!"
Several rope ladders dropped from the deck, but no one climbed down.
"Open the hold!"
The lead Heavenly General stood atop a high rock, removed his mask to reveal a massive scar running from forehead to mouth. The wound looked terrifying—how he survived was anyone's guess.
He shouted, "Where did this Demon Monkey come from, daring to obstruct the Heavenly Court's recruitment!"
At the prow of the lead warship, a great Heaven Banner was raised. Beneath it, a war general clad in heavy silver armor and a silver helm stood at the bow, drawing his sword and pointing it skyward. He shouted at the top of his lungs: "By order of my lord, General Percy, I am here at Kunlun Mountain to carry out recruitment. Any mortal with nine apertures may apply, to strengthen the Heavenly Army and defend the Heavenly Dao!"
"For the Heavenly Army! For the Heavenly Dao! For the Heavenly Army! For the Heavenly Dao! Uphold justice—!" Instantly, the drums thundered and the Skyward Legionnaires roared in unison.
The sound was earth-shattering, piercing the clouds.
The Monkey King was utterly entranced by the scene.
Well-trained, impeccably uniformed and formidable, their movements were perfectly synchronized and their morale soared. It looked as though every soldier possessed remarkable combat strength.
This Heavenly Court army was nothing like he had imagined! Er Lang Shen had managed to defeat such a force in just three days?
"Is that... General Percy?" The Monkey King pointed at the imposing, masked general beneath the Heaven Banner.
"He wouldn't come in person for such a minor matter. That's probably one of his lieutenants," Ling Yunzi said leisurely, sipping his tea.
Just then, the Monkey King noticed figures rising on the distant mountain peaks.
Some rode directly on the wind, while others flew atop magical artifacts of every kind.
These people all converged toward the warships.
On the ground, scattered Daoist disciples also appeared along the mountain paths, all heading toward the warships as well.
"Let's go have a look," the Monkey King said, bending down and grabbing Ling Yunzi's sleeve.
"Go look? At what?"
"To see the Heavenly Court's warships for myself."
"What's there to see? It's just a bunch of scrap metal. I'm not going!"
"Come on, didn't Master say this trip was supposed to broaden my horizons?"
Ignoring Ling Yunzi's protests, the Monkey King bent down, grabbed his arm, and dragged him along. The two tugged and pulled each other up the road, heading toward the floating warships.
(This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
Along the way, the Monkey King saw countless cultivators rushing from all directions. They wore all sorts of Daoist robes, and when they saw the Monkey King, their eyes were filled with surprise, but more pressing matters kept them from paying attention.
Normally, the Monkey King didn't move about much in Jinxia Cave. At Rainflower Monastery, everyone was convinced he was the murderer, so their stares were nothing new. But these people...
"What's going on? Why is everyone staring at me?"
"Because you're a Demon Monkey," Ling Yunzi replied calmly.
"What's so strange about a Demon Monkey? Anyone with nine apertures can become immortal. Didn't that Heavenly General just say so?"
"That's what they say, but did you see any demon cultivators among the applicants? Human cultivators run into the Skyward Inspectors and it's fine, but demon cultivators... heh, you can try if you want."
The Monkey King suddenly froze.
He remembered how, at the Kunlun Mountain gate, the Daoist disciple only let Ling Yun and Yang Chan enter, but he needed permission from Taiyi Zhenren to go in.
He also recalled how Mei Shi, who was always respectful to Yuding, still called him 'Demon Monkey' even in Yuding's presence.
Noticing the change in the Monkey King's expression, Ling Yunzi scratched his ear and said leisurely, "Don't worry, did you bring your Jinxia Cave waist token?"
"I brought it."
"With a waist token, you can go anywhere without hindrance."
But it was as if the Monkey King hadn't heard this at all; a faint sense of foreboding crept over him.
He quickly asked, "Senior brother, let me ask you—what's the relationship between the Heavenly Court and demons? I mean, demons who haven't harmed the mortal world."
"Isn't it obvious? Even among two countries of different castes in the mortal world, they fight to the death. If the races are different, what do you think will happen?"
"But, isn't it said..."
"You're trying to say there are demons who become immortals in the Heavenly Court, right? Have you ever looked into what they actually do there? I can tell you, most of them are used as mounts, chained up at the gates of some palace. Even the indispensable Dragon Clan has no real place in the Heavenly Court—they have to live deep in the seas."
His sense of foreboding was confirmed. The Monkey King's mind was in turmoil; he sucked in a cold breath, let go of Ling Yunzi's arm, and turned to walk away.
"Not going to look anymore?"
"Can a demon like me even go?" the Monkey King retorted.
"You have a waist token."
"You mean I have to show my waist token to each and every one of them?"
"That's why I said from the start not to go," Jade Cauldron said, shaking his head. He looked up and whistled helplessly, "Too late now."
Before he finished speaking, dozens of Skyward Legionnaires descended from the sky, long spears in hand, surrounding the Monkey King.
Each of the Skyward Legionnaires was armed to the teeth.
Their enormous white wings unfurled, silver helmets adorned with flowing red tassels, armor more splendid than any mortal general's, matching long spears in hand. On their left hips hung long swords, short swords, and daggers; behind them were crossbows and heavy shields; and on the right, ornate quivers.
They stood before the Monkey King, towering like mountains, their faces hidden behind silver masks, unreadable.
The sight made the Monkey King's lips twitch involuntarily.
"What... do you want?"
The lead Heavenly General stood atop a high rock, removed his mask to reveal a massive scar running from forehead to mouth. The wound looked terrifying—how he survived was anyone's guess.
He shouted, "Where did this Demon Monkey come from, daring to obstruct the Heavenly Court's recruitment!"
He waved his hand: "Seize him!"