The towering red gates slowly swung open.
Monkey strode forward, and behind him, General Lee followed closely with his head bowed, careful and deferential like a servant, terrified that his master might be displeased in the slightest.
The Golden Staff scraped across the ground with a piercing sound, as if the entire world was silently listening.
Step by step, Monkey crossed South Heaven Gate, raised his head, and saw the vast parade ground, the forest of banners, the endless silver armor, and warships soaring through the sky.
Hundreds of thousands of troops had silently assembled, countless eyes fixed upon him—most of them filled with fear.
Monkey halted.
In that moment, the entire world fell utterly silent.
Behind him, General Lee seemed to sense something and hurriedly cleared his throat twice.
Standing atop the city wall, King Virūḍhaka abruptly came to his senses, slammed his fist against his breastplate, and called out in a loud voice, "We respectfully welcome the Great Sage!"
The assembled Heavenly soldiers and generals exchanged glances, then each hammered their fist against their breastplate in salute to Monkey, though all kept their heads bowed.
At that, Monkey's lips curled into a slight smile, and he laughed.
He turned to look at General Lee and nodded.
General Lee wiped his brow suddenly, forced an awkward smile, and muttered, "Thank you, Great Sage... for your praise."
...
In the Imperial Study, the Jade Emperor gripped a vermilion brush, still hesitating over the memorial in his hands.
Suddenly, another Heavenly General burst into the Imperial Study without announcement.
Immediately, everyone present turned to look at him, eyes wide with shock.
The Heavenly General bowed his head slightly and reported, "Your Majesty... the demon monkey has already entered South Heaven Gate."
The immortals present erupted in astonishment.
"What... what in the world is happening?"
"Did General Lee let him in? Or did he break in by force?"
"Your Majesty, please send for the Buddha at once! Only he can subdue the demon monkey. If you delay, it will be too late!"
The Jade Emperor felt his heart turn cold. His lips quivered, eyes blinking rapidly, and after a long moment he whispered, "Th—then what is happening now?"
The Heavenly General glanced around and replied in a low voice, "It was General Lee who let him in. Now General Lee is leading the South Heaven Gate troops behind him. From the looks of it, the demon monkey truly intends only to ascend to the Thirty-Three Heavens and meet Lord Lao—nothing more."
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor finally breathed a slow sigh of relief, clutching his chest for a long while before murmuring, "The South Heaven Gate troops aren't enough. Quickly, summon all my imperial guards and have them follow the demon monkey too! Be on guard in case he acts!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Heavenly General turned to leave, but the Jade Emperor quickly reached out to stop him, instructing, "Do not anger the demon monkey. If... if he asks, tell him the guards are his escorts—to guide him along the way."
"Understood."
...
Mist shrouded the Heavenly Court, palaces looming in and out of view, and every floating ship glimpsed was a warship.
Everything before him was bathed in dazzling sunlight, appearing so pure and sacred. Yet the entire Heavenly Court seemed to have been cleared out; the usually bustling immortals were nowhere to be seen.
Monkey flew slowly, rising higher bit by bit. Behind him, General Lee and Nathan Young trailed like small attendants.
Palace after palace flashed past him.
As Monkey gradually picked up speed, most of the troops that originally surrounded him fell behind. Yet more capable Heavenly Generals joined from every direction, still keeping Monkey encircled. In the end, only four or five hundred Heavenly Generals could keep pace with him.
At this moment, aside from the civil immortals and those above the Thirty-Three Heavens, all top battle strength had been mobilized to 'escort' Monkey.
With a faint sigh, Monkey abandoned his plan to accelerate further.
After all, he had come to ask for help. Causing trouble at this juncture would do no good. Since the other side had already backed down and opened South Heaven Gate, he should know when to stop.
Even a cornered dog will leap over a wall—let alone the Jade Emperor.
Amid the crowd, the newly appointed General Draco seemed distracted, bowing his head and searching for something among the other generals.
"Where's Kui Wolf? Why isn't he here?"