After parting ways with the Nine-Headed Wyrm, Monkey returned straight to Blossom Mountain. As for the Azurewave Dragon King and his family, they still had some personal matters to settle and would not report in for another two days.
Monkey, of course, knew exactly what these personal matters were—nothing more than the issue of the marriage alliance with the Western Sea Dragon Palace. Although breaking off such a major engagement is not something that can be fixed by simply returning the bride-price, appearances must still be maintained.
Monkey estimated that after the Azurewave Dragon King had eaten the Peach of Immortality and regained some of his strength, he would likely bring the Nine-Headed Wyrm and Princess Marina, along with the remaining Peach, to visit the Western Sea Dragon Palace.
This was not something Monkey could interfere with; as long as the Nine-Headed Wyrm was present, nothing was likely to go wrong. All Monkey needed to do was return to Blossom Mountain and wait for their arrival.
Thus, another night passed.
The next morning, Blossom Mountain was once again blessed with clear skies and gentle winds.
Apart from the demon army, which remained on high alert due to the official state of war, all other aspects of production in the Demon City had gradually returned to normal.
All four city gates opened as usual, and demons streamed in and out in an endless flow. It was as if the fleet at the horizon did not exist at all.
At times, South Heaven Gate warships hovered overhead, while the demons below nervously tilled their fields. It must be said, this scene was truly bizarre.
For the demons of Blossom Mountain, this was nothing unusual—they simply did as they were told. As the supreme ruler of Blossom Mountain, Monkey never needed to answer to anyone.
As they gradually grew accustomed to the situation and believed the Celestial Army would not act against them, some demons even grew bold enough to make faces and slap their own behinds at the warships overhead.
For the South Heaven Gate Fleet, however, the situation was becoming intolerable.
Demons and the Celestial Army coexisting? What kind of absurdity was this?
The Skyward Legionnaires and Heavenly Generals aboard the warships were left red-faced with frustration.
If the Jade Emperor were to witness such a scene, the South Heaven Gate generals would be utterly disgraced.
Because of this, the Skyward Legionnaires and Heavenly Generals sent wave after wave of complaints up the chain of command, but every report simply vanished without a trace—no reply ever came.
At this moment, the three most powerful remaining leaders of the South Heaven Gate Fleet were preoccupied with other matters and had no interest in such trivial concerns.
Amidst the chorus of complaints from the rank and file, a light warship quietly raised its sails and slipped away from the South Heaven Gate Fleet, heading north.
Although the fleet was nominally besieging Blossom Mountain, their true base remained South Heaven Gate. Normally, warships coming and going were a common sight.
Sometimes it was to transport military supplies, other times to rotate personnel.
As for a warship whose destination might be tens of thousands of li away, or even South Heaven Gate itself, it naturally drew no attention from the demons of Blossom Mountain.
But today, this warship was different—it was carrying several of the most important figures from the South Heaven Gate Fleet. For reasons of their own, they all hid in the cramped cabin, not even informing their own men.
"Why does that pig-headed Peng want to see me at a time like this? What do you think he's up to?" Nathan Young asked anxiously, sitting on a wooden bench and cradling a cup of tea.
His delicate features were clouded with worry.
"It's hard to say, but it's probably best to meet him. South Heaven Gate can't take any more turmoil," replied King Easton, seated across from him.
Meanwhile, King Northmore, who was also in the cabin, kept peering through a crack in the window toward Blossom Mountain, clutching his treasured parasol tightly, his face grim as he pondered in silence.
With General Lee in trouble, South Heaven Gate was now teetering on the edge of disaster.
Normally, if Marshal Silver wanted to meet someone—even a low-ranking soldier from South Heaven Gate—he could easily be refused. After all, everyone belonged to different factions, and no one could interfere with anyone else. Besides, Marshal Silver's connections in Heaven were average at best, so his ability to make trouble for other corps was limited.
But now?
Now, everyone in South Heaven Gate was afraid.
They feared the Monkey of Blossom Mountain—if he acted rationally, all would be well, but if he made a reckless move, they could all be dragged down with him.
They feared Heaven's special envoy—if a little Gold Essence could settle things, that would be fine, but if the envoy insisted on seeing General Lee, everything could unravel.
They also feared Marshal Silver, worried that this longtime rival of General Lee might make a move at this critical moment—or worse, that he already knew something.
As for Marshal Silver's true purpose in this meeting, neither Nathan Young nor King Easton could say for sure.
If Marshal Silver didn't know General Lee had been captured, why issue a sudden invitation?
After all, Nathan Young and Marshal Silver had never had any dealings. If they had kept in touch, there'd be no need to go through official channels—there would be a Jade Tablet for direct contact.
But if Marshal Silver did know General Lee was captured, would he use this chance to extort South Heaven Gate?
Based on what everyone knew of Marshal Silver, he was more likely to report directly to the High Sky Throne Hall and take action against South Heaven Gate, rather than negotiate privately.
In short, the three of them had no idea what to expect—yet they had no choice but to come.
By noon, the light warship had already sailed nearly five thousand li, far beyond the borders of Blossom Mountain, arriving at their destination—a barren mountain region.
The barren mountains were strewn with exposed rocks. The few trees that remained had no green leaves, only skeletal branches trembling in the wind—clearly long dead.
A single breeze could stir up clouds of dust, and naturally, there was no sign of human life.
It was said that all this was the result of the local residents' disrespect for the gods. Heaven had imposed a rain ban here centuries ago, and it had never been lifted.
In a place where not a drop of water could be found, not even demons would linger, let alone humans.
The light warship descended slowly from the sky. As it neared the ground, the Skyward Legionnaires on deck spotted Marshal Silver and General Ward standing alone atop a small hill.
Soon, Nathan Young and the two Kings appeared on deck, using wind-riding magic to descend before Marshal Silver.
"Prince Nathan, it's been a long time," Marshal Silver said, clasping his hands in greeting.
His face remained cold and unchanging, betraying no emotion.
General Ward, standing behind Marshal Silver, also clasped his hands in salute.
Nathan Young returned the gesture with a slight bow, while the two Kings offered formal Heaven-style greetings—though their expressions were equally cold.
After these polite formalities, Marshal Silver spoke: "The reason I invited you here, Prince Nathan, is to clarify a few matters face to face."
"Ask whatever you wish. As long as it doesn't concern military secrets, I will answer," Nathan Young replied casually.
After a brief silence, Marshal Silver asked softly, "I've heard that General Lee has been captured by Blossom Mountain. Is this true?"