Chapter 267 (1/2)
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One hour earlier.
After discovering the location where the Jade Emperor resided—the city that formed the center of the Heavenly World itself—Sun Wukong and the Roc Demon King tried to rush in there without any plan whatsoever. But Su-hyeun managed to stop them just in time.
“Argh! What is it now?” Sun Wukong started complaining.
“Let’s think first before making our move. Please.”
“I won’t get killed, anyway. All I need to do is go over there and wreak havoc, that’s all.”
“You may not die, but you can still be captured like the last time, yes? Brother, if I hadn’t rescued you back then, you’d still be stuck inside the Crucible right now.”
At Su-hyeun’s words, Sun Wukong let out a pained groan and roughly scratched his head.
Those words weren’t wrong. For sure, Sun Wukong did rush in here without thinking the last time and ended up getting caught by the Heavenly World’s army.
“Back then, what happened was that this guy lost his mind after hearing the news about the Jade Emperor going through with the policy of exterminating all humans and Yogoes alike. It’s not that much different this time too, is it?”
“Things are more urgent now, though. We really only have five days left, after all.”
The Roc Demon King recounted the tale from the past, and Sun Wukong urgently piped up at the end.
He no longer displayed that relaxed demeanor from before their departure. It seemed that his hot-blooded nature was finally emerging as the Heavenly World stood right before their noses.
Su-hyeun spoke up next, “Before we do anything, let’s set some clear goals first. What is the most important part of our mission?”
“It’s the head of that bastard Jade Emperor.”
“Good. Do you know where he is, then?”
“Well, that…”
“Do you believe you can find him? Remember that a king will never show up first. He will only appear right toward the end.”
Su-hyeun’s words caused Sun Wukong to deeply furrow his brows.
Those words weren’t wrong either. Their purpose wasn’t to wage open warfare but cause chaos and kill the Jade Emperor at the end, that’s all.
“Alright, so what do you want us to do, then?”
“We should create a situation where the Jade Emperor simply has no choice but to make an appearance.”
“How?”
“First of all…”
**
KA-BOOOOM—!
The fortress gates of the Heavenly World exploded.
Numerous gods were either injured or killed off outright, and almost in an instant, an emergency alert was made throughout the entire Heavenly World.
“Enemies!”
“That’s the Ruyi Jingu Bang!”
“The Great Sage Heaven’s Equal is here!”
Noisy shouting broke out, but that only made sense.
The gods who managed to survive the previous “war” against the Great Sage Heaven’s Equal would certainly know all about the master of that massive pole invading the Heavenly World.
“…So, they finally came.”
Creeeak—
Inside an unremarkable and worn-down house.
The Jade Emperor, buried deeply in a rocking chair, slowly opened his eyes. In front of him was Erlang Shen who was kneeling on one knee.
“Erlang Shen, you do remember what you need to do from now on, don’t you?”
“I shall be on my way first, your majesty.”
Erlang Shen stood up and bowed deeply before retrieving his guandao resting in the corner of the room. He then exited from the house.
Step, step—
The sounds of his footsteps taking him outside were measured and heavy.
He had been doing his best to suppress it in the presence of the Jade Emperor, but for a while now, Erlang Shen had been emitting such terrifyingly sharp fighting spirit that merely standing near him would result in one’s body being cut up into pieces.
The Jade Emperor mulled to himself, “Does his sense of duty exceed even his desire to win?”
Erlang Shen…
Prince Nezha might have overshadowed him in the past, but even then, he remained fiercely competitive. However, his unshakeable sense of duty burned even brighter than before.
The current situation perfectly demonstrated that point.
The Heavenly World was under attack. This wasn’t even the first time but the second. To make matters worse, the opponent today was the same person as 500 years ago—the Great Sage Heaven’s Equal.
“He will stop the Great Sage even if it means his death.”
Erlang Shen was that sort of a man, after all—a general who silently defended the Heavenly World even well before the Jade Emperor had become the ruler of this world.
If the god of war, Prince Nezha, was the spear of the Heavenly World, then Erlang Shen was its shield.
After the general left, the room became devoid of any other life besides the Jade Emperor. He slowly closed his eyes and listened to the loud rumble of the Ruyi Jingu Bang that was wreaking havoc in the Heavenly World once more.
“Oh, the Great Sage Heaven’s Equal…” the Jade Emperor muttered to no one in particular as the rumbling continued. “Are you aiming for my head then?”
A smile crept on his face.
Finally, the day had come.
The Great Sage Heaven’s Equal, the existence that completely devastated the Heavenly World several hundred years ago.
The Yogoe that inflicted a huge scar on the emperor’s chest and left a truly humiliating and unforgettable record in the history books of the Heavenly World.
“Come, monkey king.” The Jade Emperor opened his eyes into narrow slits, the glare in them sharp and cold. “This is my trap laid out for you.”
**
“It’s the Ruyi Jingu Bang! Run!”
“Run…!”
KA-BOOOOM—!
Aaaaahk!
Uwahk!
The Ruyi Jingu Bang extended and swept away all the gods that were trying to pounce forward. Every time the magical pole was swung, the bodies of dozens of gods were crushed beyond recognition.
Sun Wukong dodged the spears thrown by the gods and jumped into the air.
“Looks like there aren’t any Titans around…”
The race of Titans. That title was reserved for those Heavenly World’s gods with very large bodies. They resided in a different location in the capital city, and for the longest time, they served as the guards of the Heavenly World’s prison, as well as the chief gatekeepers of various districts.
However, there didn’t seem to be any Titans around here since all he could see at the moment were regular gods.
“Man, this is just no fun.” Sun Wukong licked his lips as he stared at the gods that were rushing outside the destroyed fortress gates. He then opened his mouth wide and roared, “Stop sending out these small fries, and tell that bastard Jade Emperor to come out!”
Boooom—
Sun Wukong’s roar reverberated throughout the sky.
Since his purpose was as clear as day, it was obvious that the Heavenly World’s gods would never even entertain the thoughts of wheeling out the Jade Emperor here.
No, more correctly, they were not even planning to allow Sun Wukong to enter the capital of the Heavenly World, in the first place.