Above the North Sea, the battle had reached its fever pitch.
Monkey, maintaining his Three Heads, Six Arms form, unleashed all his strength, skimming over the waves. The surging seawater rose like a towering wall, blotting out the sky and sun.
Heaven and earth trembled.
With a sudden twist, he lunged at Lord Skygate, who hovered in midair.
Three Golden Staffs struck down at once, while four Slaying Immortals Swords met them head-on, erupting in dazzling bursts of fire.
The violent impact swept across the sea, suppressing the whirlpools, scattering ripples, and raising tsunamis.
Three Golden Staffs and four Slaying Immortals Swords locked together, grinding out a harsh 'grrk-grrk' sound. Both sides fought with all their strength, neither yielding an inch.
Lord Skygate held his breath, gritted his teeth, his face flushed red.
But on Monkey's face, a savage grin slowly spread.
"Still holding up, Lord Skygate?"
He opened his mouth, baring sharp fangs, and roared—a shrill wave of sound exploded outward, wild and piercing.
Concentrated spiritual power swirled around him, almost tangible in its intensity.
Under the immense force, Lord Skygate slowly, inch by inch, retreated, his face twisted in terror.
You want to match strength with the Traveler’s Path? Are you crazy? Hahaha!
Monkey grinned, watching him with narrowed eyes. The vapor from his breath drifted before Lord Skygate’s face, swirling and gathering speed.
From a distance, he was pushed toward the sea below.
Beads of sweat as large as beans slid down Lord Skygate’s temple, evaporating before they could fall.
Don’t be so arrogant! I’ve lived tens of thousands of years—no mere demon monkey can compare!
He thrust out his hand with all his might, pushing Monkey back, but the next moment, Monkey pressed forward again, forcing him to retreat even further.
Living long only means you’re an old fossil—got it?
In those wide, glaring eyes, black veins had begun to creep in. Savage spiritual power and murderous intent kept surging, growing wilder by the second.
Stunned, Lord Skygate narrowed his eyes and began chanting an incantation.
A massive black banner appeared behind Lord Skygate out of thin air. Streams of black spiritual power drifted like mist, pouring into his back.
In an instant, his robes billowed, black spiritual power swirling around him. The force transmitted from his sword suddenly surged.
Monkey’s advance came to a halt.
At that moment, one of Monkey’s hands let go of the Golden Staff, grabbed Lord Skygate’s billowing collar, and yanked hard.
Clang—!
Monkey smashed his forehead against Lord Skygate’s nose with brutal force.
Lord Skygate reeled backward, blood spraying everywhere.
In that split second of distraction, Monkey released his other five hands, ignoring the blades of the Slaying Immortals Swords, and lunged forward, wrapping Lord Skygate in a tight embrace. He bit down on Lord Skygate’s shoulder, tearing out a chunk of flesh.
One of the swords had already pierced Monkey’s abdomen. The rainbow glow along the blade sizzled, burning away fur and even organs, yet he seemed unfazed and bit down again.
Terrified, Lord Skygate released the Slaying Immortals Sword and shoved with all his strength, trying to break free, but Monkey wrapped around him, gripping tight.
Three Slaying Immortals Swords and the Golden Staff had already fallen away.
Monkey seized his hand and drove a knee into his lungs.
Lord Skygate nearly vomited bile.
A left hook crashed into his aged face, sending teeth flying.
Just as he was about to be flung away, Monkey yanked him back, four fists crackling with spiritual power, hammering into Lord Skygate’s left ribs.
When it comes to fighting, I’m a hundred times stronger than you.
In a daze, a voice echoed in Lord Skygate’s mind.
Why didn’t you come out sooner? Why didn’t you come out sooner? Why didn’t you come out sooner?
So now you come out to save the world?
Can you even save it?
Hahaha! You all get to play the heroes—so I have to be the villain!
In the midst of the wild barrage, Lord Skygate was pummeled from the sky into the sea.
A massive gap was torn open in the surface of the sea.
His robes were shredded to dust by the relentless blows. But Monkey kept pounding, chasing him down into the deep sea, stirring up clouds of mud and sand.
In the gray haze, only the constant thunderous crashes could be heard.
The gaping hole in the sea’s surface slowly began to heal.
A streak of black light shot into the sky, spiraling down toward Monkey and Lord Skygate.
Monkey shed his Three Heads, Six Arms form and dodged into midair. The Golden Staff, fallen into the sea, burst from the waves and landed in his palm.
The seawater slowly gathered into a swirling vortex.
Lord Skygate burst from the waves, bare-chested, staggering before Monkey, clutching his chest, barely able to catch his breath.
His hair was as wild as a beggar’s, his body battered beyond recognition. Blood streamed from both shoulders, and his eyes were so swollen he could barely open them.
He still clung tightly to a black scroll in his hand.
"Not bad, your Golden Body incantation. Still not dead after all that." Monkey slowly drew the sword from his own abdomen, grinning as he licked the blood from his fangs and spat. "But your flesh is too tough—hard to chew. Still, killing you will vent my fury, so I suppose it’s useful enough."
The other three swords burst from the water, circling around Lord Skygate.
He watched Monkey with a trembling gaze, all former confidence gone from his face.
It was obvious—he was no match for Monkey in close combat.
...
Lord Genesis had just arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate, not yet entered, when a voice rang out in his mind.
This demon monkey has gained too much momentum—I can’t hold out any longer.
Just trap him. The treasures are lost; we can forge new ones later. Don’t throw yourself away too.
...
With a faint sigh, Lord Skygate raised his hand and unfurled the scroll.
Suddenly, the surroundings turned into something like a black hole, swallowing all light.
A colossal, seemingly endless formation silently took shape, its black radiance spreading over the entire sea.
For an instant, all movement in heaven and earth ceased. Silence reigned.
Monkey paused in surprise.
The four swords slowly floated to the four corners of the formation.
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Lord Skygate clutched his chest, silently watching Monkey as he retreated, step by step.
"What is this?" Monkey asked hesitantly.
"Did you think the Slaying Immortals Sword Array was just four swords?" Lord Skygate replied, his face expressionless.
Below, the seawater slowly formed swirling vortices. But these weren’t like the giant whirlpools from before—these were small, identical in size, spinning slowly.
In the sky, the clouds broke into small patches, each spinning like the water below.
Everything before Monkey’s eyes began to flicker and shift, like shattered glass.
For a moment, Monkey felt as if the entire world had been sliced into countless pieces by the formation.
Lord Skygate smiled faintly, turned, and flew toward the Southern Heavenly Gate.
...
In the High Sky Throne Hall, Marshal Silver stood motionless, gazing upward.
His face was deathly pale, utterly drained of color.
After a thousand years of war, now he had nothing left.
The Jade Emperor sat quietly on the Dragon Throne, looking down from above, his eyes betraying no emotion.
Time ticked by, and not a soul spoke. All eyes simply watched the two men in silence.
The entire hall was silent as the grave.
Among the immortals, Nezha glared at Marshal Silver, his fists clenched tight, muttering to himself: "You’re just asking for death. I never should’ve tried to save your stubborn hide. Finally got a chance, and you walk right into a trap. Serves you right."
Turning his head, he suddenly saw Grandmaster White beside him, secretly calculating something.
"What are you calculating?" Nezha asked in a low voice.
"The odds. Remember that wager? I think you bet too. If Marshal Silver’s exiled to the mortal world, I’ll win the most." Grandmaster White glanced at Nezha and smiled.
Hearing this, Nezha’s blood boiled. He lowered his voice, fuming, "You’re still worrying about that now?"
"If I don’t calculate odds, what else should I do? Go fight the demon monkey down below?" Grandmaster White shot Nezha a look of disdain.
"You—!" Nezha’s cheeks puffed with anger. After a moment, he asked quietly, "Are you still taking bets?"
"Depends on the bet." Grandmaster White craned his neck to peer over the crowd, answering offhandedly, "In this situation, I’ll take any wager that he’ll be safe for five hundred years. But if you want to bet on him being exiled to the mortal world... sorry, the book’s closed. Heh."
Nezha snorted, "I bet he’ll fall to the Beast Realm."
Grandmaster White froze, glanced at Nezha, and raised an eyebrow. "That’s a hundred-to-one payout. How much do you want to bet?"
"One million gold essence."
"One million gold essence?" Grandmaster White stared, looking at Nezha suspiciously. "Do you even have that much?"
"I’ll even put up my Fire-tipped Spear, Wind Fire Wheels, Cosmic Silk, and Universe Ring as collateral!"
"Still not enough."
"You—!"
"Collateral must be discounted," Grandmaster White said, shaking his head. "At the very least, you’ll need to add your Demon-Slaying Sword and Monster-Cleaving Blade."
"Deal!" Nezha glared.
After a long moment, Marshal Silver smiled faintly and slowly closed his eyes. "So, it really is Your Majesty who wishes to ask?"
The Jade Emperor sat in silence.
Pressing his lips together, Marshal Silver asked softly, "If I cannot explain myself, how does Your Majesty intend to deal with me?"
"According to the laws of Heaven, you’ll be dealt with as the law requires," the Jade Emperor replied softly.
"Then... according to the laws of Heaven, what is the punishment?"
"Grandmaster White."
"Your Majesty." Grandmaster White glanced provocatively at Nezha, rolled up his sleeves, and squeezed out from among the immortals.
"According to the laws of Heaven, how should this be handled?" the Jade Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty," Grandmaster White bowed and spoke slowly, "According to the laws of Heaven, colluding with the enemy is a grave offense. The punishment is to be cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, never to reincarnate. However, since the underworld has been destroyed, that’s currently impossible. So, the sentence must wait until the underworld is restored. Yet for such a serious crime, it’s best to execute judgment immediately once it’s confirmed."
Staring at Marshal Silver, the Jade Emperor asked, "Is there no other way to deal with this?"
"There is, actually," Grandmaster White frowned. "Your Majesty, doesn’t Heaven still have the Well of Exile?"
Turning, he gave a dry laugh. "Marshal Silver, I’m just stating the facts. Don’t hold it against me."
Marshal Silver stood there, dazed, his eyes empty, saying nothing.
On the dais, the Jade Emperor nodded and sighed softly. "Marshal Silver, please explain yourself now. If you cannot, in this time of crisis, even I will not be able to save you."
Looking at the helpless Jade Emperor, Marshal Silver smiled blankly. "Do as you wish."
With that, he slowly closed his eyes.