"Do you know what he said? He actually told me: 'The emperor takes turns; this year it's my family's turn.' Can you believe it..."
In Mi’luo Palace, Lord Skygate paced back and forth, roaring in frustration.
Beside him, Lord Genesis, carefully grinding medicine, suddenly burst out laughing. Stroking his long beard, he sighed, "That statement—I’ve truly never heard the like."
"You’re laughing?" Lord Skygate’s eyes blazed with anger. He jabbed a finger at the door and shouted, "That’s just a mad monkey! I nearly finished him off myself just now. Leaving such a lunatic alive is a disaster! Yet he started weighing pros and cons with me, claiming that if he died, Lord Lao's Heavenly Dao Stone might recover in ten years, maybe a hundred... He actually dared to threaten me!"
Lord Genesis glanced at the furious Lord Skygate, his expression flat. "It’s fortunate you didn’t strike."
Lord Skygate paused, furrowing his brow and lowering his voice. "You believe that nonsense too?"
"That claim is certainly unreliable." Lord Genesis tilted his head slightly, eyes on the ceiling, fingers moving as he calculated. "If the Stone could recover in ten or a hundred years, what use would we have for that monkey? Lord Lao would have taken care of him long ago—how would it ever fall to you? But remember, Lord Lao’s Heavenly Dao Stone was built step by step, wasn’t it?"
Lord Skygate’s eyes narrowed, as if a sudden realization struck him.
Lowering his head, Lord Genesis continued grinding medicine, sighing deeply. "Even if the Heavenly Dao Stone collapses completely, Lord Lao has already attained ‘Non-Action.’ Given time, he could certainly rebuild it—just retracing the old road. Right now, it’s all a matter of timing. Lord Lao hopes the damage isn’t too severe, so the repair won’t take long. We, on the other hand, hope for complete collapse, so we have enough time to comprehend our own ‘Heaven’s Way.’ That’s all there is to it. Killing the monkey is the worst move for both Lord Lao and us. Besides, even if you had struck just now, you might not have truly succeeded."
"Might not have truly succeeded?" Lord Skygate said coldly. "What do you mean?"
Lord Genesis paused his grinding and said calmly, "If you tried to kill the monkey in the Imperial Horse Bureau, are you so sure Lord Lao wasn’t watching nearby?"
"Well..." Lord Skygate faltered, a trace of panic in his voice. "That’s not possible, is it? Unless Lord Lao camps out at the Bureau every day, how would he know?"
Giving Lord Skygate a half-smile, Lord Genesis resumed his work and spoke softly, "With such a key figure sitting in the Heavenly Court, how could Lord Lao not make preparations? The Jade Emperor wouldn’t dare defy him. Since even the Jade Emperor fears him, the only ones left to watch out for are you and me. Do you really think he’d let you come and go freely at the Bureau without knowing? If that were true, he wouldn’t be Lord Lao."
Hearing this, Lord Skygate took a deep, heavy breath. After a long pause, he could only sigh, "I was just too impatient."
"You were too impatient," Lord Genesis said, sweeping the powdered medicine onto a sheet of paper. "I told you, he wants your Sevenfold Cloud-Veil Pill. Just wait—he’ll come to you himself. Even I had to twist and turn to arrange a meeting in my own palace, but you barged right in..."
"I just couldn’t wait, could I? It’s been twenty days and he hasn’t made a single move. How much longer could I stand it?"
Lord Genesis shot him a sidelong glance and sighed, "You’re less patient than that monkey on the Traveler’s Path."
Lord Skygate didn’t argue, but walked back to his own mat, sat down cross-legged, and asked quietly, "Then what do you think we should do now?"
"Just wait and see." Lord Genesis chuckled. "The Sevenfold Cloud-Veil Pill has been delivered—our goodwill is clear. The pill may be useless, but at least he knows we’re willing to help. As for the rest, we’ll decide later."
"Actually, if you look at today from another angle, it might not be a bad thing. That monkey is unruly—not just toward us, but toward Lord Lao too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stirred up such chaos at Blossom Mountain. If not for that, Heaven’s Way would have returned to normal long ago, and we’d never have needed to intervene. Monkey’s arrogance is a headache, but it’s Lord Lao who suffers most. With his temperament, do you really think he’ll quietly accept five hundred years of suppression? For now, let’s just wait and watch."
At this, Lord Genesis raised his head and looked straight at Lord Skygate. "Besides, don’t forget Master Sage Subhuti—he’s a shrewd old schemer, too. Monkey is still his disciple; do you think he hasn’t left any contingencies? If you really can’t sit still and need something to do, then pick a day and visit Five-Fruits Temple to let Zhenyuan know. The more people who know, the more allies we have—and the greater our chances of success. Of course, once the Heavenly Dao breaks, we’ll have more opponents as well."
Considering this, Lord Skygate nodded silently.
...
Inside the Imperial Horse Bureau, Monkey was staring blankly at the Sevenfold Cloud-Veil Pill.
Just for this pill, he had consulted all nine of his senior brothers, as well as Jade Cauldron Immortal and Anna Yang. In the end, every conclusion was the same—this pill is not to be taken.
In theory, there’s a way to control the rate of cultivation growth after swallowing it—by using a formation to create a space with no spiritual energy. As long as there’s no aura around, there’s no cultivation increase, and thus no murderous intent or karmic burden. That way, you could control the entire process of advancement.
But in that case, the person who took it would become a complete prisoner.
And to cleanse the murderous intent and karmic burden at Celestial Sage and above requires astronomical slaughter—how could anyone achieve that locked up in such a space?
Thus, they all came to the same conclusion—this thing is just a toy Lord Skygate made for amusement, with no practical value. Even when Skylar Loft secretly made a trip to Crescent Star Cave to ask Master Sage Subhuti in a roundabout way, the answer was identical.
No wonder—if the pill were truly so wonderful, why wouldn’t Lord Skygate give it to his own disciples instead of just keeping it around? Does he expect it to lay eggs sitting on a shelf?
So, wouldn’t it be best if the world had little or no spiritual energy at all? Then you’d kill one, absorb one—no waste whatsoever.
Monkey thought wickedly, but couldn’t help sighing.
Most of what he’d said to Lord Skygate was just bluff—who told the man to act like a lion demanding tribute, as if Monkey were his subordinate?
Still, if Monkey could linger in the Heavenly Court for a few centuries more, and Blossom Mountain grew strong enough, maybe he really could stand equal to Heaven and renegotiate terms.
"Monkey." Belle leaned across the tea table, chin in her hands, watching Monkey anxiously. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"Hiding something from you?" Monkey stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"You said Lord Skygate gave you this pill... It just feels odd to me. Why would he suddenly give you something for no reason?"
"Lord Lao gave you the Violet Mist Fairy Dress, didn’t he? Why didn’t you question that?"
Belle frowned, pouting. "That’s why I think it’s weird now. What are the odds of meeting a Dao-ancestor on the road, and then traveling with him for half a year all the way to Eastrealm? Even Tina Tixin thinks it’s suspicious."
"Who’s Tixin?"
"Tixin is a Chang’e I met at Guanghan Palace. Oh, by the way, she and some of the other moon maidens are coming to the Imperial Horse Bureau tomorrow to borrow a few Pegasi for an outing. Is that okay?" Belle asked.
"Them?" Monkey’s eye twitched. "Are there a lot of them coming?"