Inside Mi’luo Palace, Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate sat across from each other, a Go board between them.
Lord Skygate lost game after game, his eyes drifting toward the door, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Arms folded, he stared at the board for a long while before suddenly blurting out, “Gold-Head Warden actually suggested inviting the Western Lord Buddha. Hmph, could it be the Buddha himself told him to say that?”
With that, he placed a stone and turned to stare at Lord Genesis.
Lord Genesis paused, pondering for a moment, then shook his head and replied, “No. First, Gold-Head Warden doesn’t necessarily take orders from the Buddha. Second, even if he did, His Majesty wouldn’t dare. If the Buddha intervened, everything would change. So why would the Buddha bother?”
Finishing, he swept his sleeve aside and made his move.
“Heh, that Jade Emperor…” Lord Skygate shook his head in resignation. “Back then, you all refused to choose a new emperor from among the cultivators above the Great Immortal realm. Now look at the mess. If he’d released Monkey, nothing would’ve happened, and he could’ve blamed Lord Lao for supporting him. But no, he insisted on bypassing Lord Lao to crush Blossom Mountain. He gave up on the ‘seize the bandit king first’ strategy with the Heavenly Fleet, and now that’s useless. How could he put Monkey back now? Wouldn’t that be slapping his own face? In the end, after all these years as emperor, he still wants to show off his authority.”
Lord Genesis chuckled. “Easy for you to say. Most cultivators above the Great Immortal realm are my own disciples—would yours accept one of mine as Jade Emperor? This emperor does have his uses; at least his intentions are transparent to us, better than picking some unknown from outside, don’t you think?”
Picking up a stone, Lord Skygate hesitated for a long time, then put it back in the bowl, straightened his robe, and stroked his beard. “I thought that monkey, cornered, would swallow the Sevenfold Cloud-Veil Pill I gave him.”
“He’s not that foolish. Monkey cultivates a mixed Sage’s Path. If he took that pill, even slaughtering all of South Heaven Gate’s garrison wouldn’t vent the ferocity. He knows that well enough.”
“Mainly Traveler’s Path, with some Sage’s Path.” Lord Skygate mused, shaking his head. “Traveler’s Path supplemented by Sage’s Path doesn’t hinder the main path—it seeks advantage and avoids harm. Though it can’t craft formations or refine pills, once mastered, it’s still very useful. But Sage’s Path with Traveler’s Path added on top—now that leaves hidden damage.”
He sighed helplessly. “Why did I ever design Sage’s Path with Traveler’s Path mixed in? I still haven’t climbed out of that pit…”
“Back then, who taught us the difference between Sage’s Path and Traveler’s Path? It was all fate. Best not to dwell on it.”
“Thinking won’t help.” Lord Skygate pursed his lips. “Maybe if I break through Heaven’s Way someday, things will change.”
With that, he turned and left.
Lord Genesis hurriedly called after him, “The game’s not finished yet!”
“Not playing anymore.” Lord Skygate waved without looking back. “I can’t beat you. Thought I’d pass the time, but you’re the one passing time—I’m just being toyed with. What’s the point!”
……
In front of the High Sky Throne Hall, Yi Su stood quietly with her four guards.
Inside the hall, the immortals were still waiting.
Inside the imperial study, the ministers could only stare in silence.
As Lord Genesis had said, the suggestion to seek help from the Western Lord Buddha was rejected outright.
But with even that suggestion denied, what options were left?
An entire hour passed, and not a single proposal was offered.
The Jade Emperor was completely out of ideas.
Yet with the crisis looming, having no solution didn’t mean they could ignore it.
After an hour of deadlock, the Jade Emperor finally lost patience and spoke: “Since none of you will offer suggestions, we’ll go in order. Let’s start with Grandmaster White.”
Pointed out by the Jade Emperor, Grandmaster White shrank back, forcing a smile. “Your Majesty, how could this old minister have any ideas?”
“If you don’t have an idea, who does?” The Jade Emperor glared at Grandmaster White, furious. “You were the one who strongly opposed sending the Heavenly Fleet to suppress Blossom Mountain. Besides, Monkey’s ascension to Heaven was by your order, and you led him in. Of everyone here, you know Monkey best. If you have no ideas, who does?”
Grandmaster White’s face twitched.
Looking around, he saw everyone edging away from him—even the Queen Mother deliberately avoided his gaze.
All of them were clearly keeping their distance…
At this moment, no matter how unreasonable the Jade Emperor’s demand, no one would step up to shield Grandmaster White. They all feared the emperor might say, “Why don’t you come up with a plan?”
Grandmaster White began to sweat. After a long pause, he braced himself and said, “Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, to untie the bell, one must use the one who tied it.”
“To untie the bell, use the one who tied it?” The Jade Emperor sat up straighter, intrigued. “Who is the one who tied the bell? Let’s hear it.”
“The one who tied it is… Lord Lao.”
At that, the brief spark of hope in the room was instantly extinguished.
Everyone knew Lord Lao refused to grant an audience—this was common knowledge.
The Jade Emperor stared expressionlessly at Grandmaster White for a long moment, then said coldly, “Well said. I’ll follow your advice—how about you go invite Lord Lao?”
“No.” Grandmaster White quickly waved his hands, licking his lips. “Your Majesty, we can’t reach Lord Lao, but maybe we could try someone else.”