The Heavenly Generals tried to scatter and escape, but each one was driven back.
In an instant, the demon armies sealed off the entire mountaintop with impenetrable ranks. The Nine-Headed Wyrm, King Bullhorn, and several senior uncles—each stared at her in terror.
"How could this happen... the wedding... If only I hadn't chosen this moment..."
"Don't lose focus—do what you must! As long as the spell succeeds, it will be as if none of this ever happened!"
"Belle... Belle understands."
She stared blankly ahead, still silently chanting the incantation, her body already starting to tremble.
The runes on the barrier formation continued to flow slowly.
"What is happening? What are they doing to you?" The Monkey King's voice echoed in her mind.
Belle took a deep breath, still reciting the incantation.
"Say something! I told you ages ago that you can't trust that old man—are you doing this on purpose?" The Monkey King's voice roared in her mind.
Belle's eyes widened, tears streaming down as her heart twisted painfully.
Seeing him grip the Golden Staff and march toward Lord Lao, her hand unconsciously clenched at her chest, and her chanting slowed.
"Don't stop!" Lord Lao's voice rang out again.
She saw the Monkey King roaring at Lord Lao, swinging the Golden Staff at him like a bolt of lightning.
In an instant, sand and gravel flew everywhere. The distant demons instinctively shielded their eyes.
Clouds in the sky swirled into a vortex, and the whole world seemed to darken at once.
Within the raging spiritual energy, a hurricane swept through, making the surrounding trees sway like wild grass; many weaker demons were blown completely off course.
Amid the swirling dust, she saw the Monkey King charging back and forth with the Golden Staff, swinging and roaring, frantically searching for Lord Lao.
The demon generals were already too stunned to speak.
She stared blankly ahead, tears streaming like rain, scattering as sparkling droplets in the swirling currents. Yet she dared not stop chanting.
Any dust that touched the surface of the sphere instantly sparked, turning to ash and vanishing without a trace.
The next moment, Lord Lao appeared before her, completely unharmed.
"I promised you I would protect him. No matter what he does, I will shield him. You needn’t worry. Once the spell is complete, he will forget all of this, and the wedding will proceed as planned."
Hearing this, Belle silently nodded and closed her eyes.
......
Inside the hall, Anna Yang sat in a daze, collapsed on the floor.
A palace official hurried over and whispered, "Holy Mother, something has happened to Miss Belle. That’s why the Great Sage stormed out..."
"What could possibly be more important than a wedding?" she murmured, forcing a smile as tears streamed down, smearing her rouge. "If I hadn’t forced him... maybe she would have been the one wearing the bridal gown today."
Isabel Su burst in from outside, rushing to Anna’s side, breathless. "It’s Lord Lao... Lord Lao has arrived."
"Lord Lao is here?" Anna let out a bitter laugh, raising her head in confusion. "What’s going on now? Is Lord Lao going to stand up for her?"
Just then, she paused, reaching to her waist for a Jade Tablet and pressing it to her lips.
From the other end of the Jade Tablet came Borosen Jeti’s voice.
In the next moment, Anna was stunned, slowly turning to Isabel Su, her expression filled with unspeakable shock.
"Belle... is Birdie?"
......
On the mountain peak, surrounded by countless demons, General Lee’s group stood back to back.
Facing the swarming demons, drawn swords, and nocked arrows, even Nathan Young—normally fearless—felt his scalp tingle. The others were even more terrified.
In this situation, none of them had any hope of returning alive.
At this moment, all the demon generals—even the Monkey King’s four senior brothers, regardless of strength—were prepared to fight, each tense and alert.
Amid the demon horde, Lord Lao stood quietly, stroking his long beard, locking eyes with the Monkey King.
The ground was riddled with craters from the Monkey King’s blows.
Panting, he demanded, "What have you done to her?"
Lord Lao remained silent.
"What kind of formation is this?"
Lord Lao still said nothing.
Gritting his teeth, the Monkey King's muscles bulged with veins as he growled, "If you don’t answer, you’ll regret it."
Lord Lao gazed quietly at the nearly deranged Monkey King, a twitch at the corner of his eye, then sighed softly: "A soul plaque is only supposed to activate at the moment of death. Have you never wondered why Belle’s activated even though she hasn’t died?"
......
In the howling wind, Zhenyuanzi had reached the outskirts of Blossom Mountain. He stared in shock at the swarming demons, quickly halting and watching from afar.
......
The Monkey King froze.
"You really are stubborn, Monkey. Do you still not understand your situation? In all the Three Realms, the only one truly fighting to protect you is me. If your master truly wished to keep you safe, he would have shown himself by now. Master-disciple bonds? To Daoist immortals, those are a joke! So many cultivators died in the Investiture War—every one of them had ties to the Three Pure Ones."
Glaring at the Monkey King, Lord Lao continued, "Yes, I’ve used every trick to force you into things you didn’t want, trapping you in my schemes. But following my plan is your only chance to survive! Otherwise, once my Daoist cultivation is broken, do you really think the other immortals would leave a great demon king with a million demon troops alive in this world?"
"If I weren’t holding them back, do you think they’d let Blossom Mountain grow strong? Let you marry Anna Yang? Spiritual resonance in the Three Realms, immortals moved by love—do you have any idea what that means? The only reason you’re still alive is because my Daoist cultivation hasn’t been completely broken! They fear me!"
Pointing at the vast demon army, Lord Lao shouted, "Open your eyes and see clearly—who has always been helping you?"
He nearly roared the last words.
Everyone present—demons and the twenty-some Heavenly Generals—heard his words loud and clear, exchanging stunned glances.
At that moment, Lord Lao had completely abandoned his usual composure—his beard bristled, eyes wide, chest heaving.
His lips trembled slightly.
(End of chapter. Please click to continue reading!)