Chapter 746: Danger · Golden Cicada · Danger

"Heaven is in trouble this time, Daoist friend. Have you heard?"

"Of course, I have. That Monkey King, Sun Wukong, with his incredible abilities and innate divine powers, fought Nezha, the Great God of the Three Altars and the Southern Seas, twelve times, and there was no clear winner! The demon clans of the Five Bu Zhou are all stirred up."

"Hmph, who would have thought Heaven would have days like this!"

In a great world near the Five Bu Zhou,

Li Changsheng was disguised as the old Daoist Xu Bodhi, dressed in a dark robe, and listening to this news at an immortal gathering place.

Nezha and Sun Wukong fought twelve times? That doesn't make sense.

Li Changsheng lifted the tea in front of him, sniffed it near his nose, and a hint of confusion crossed his eyes.

Had Nezha really managed to hold back his killing aura for twelve battles without it exploding?

At this point, Nezha still had his innate human Dao body, and his killing aura was his hidden trump card in battles. If Nezha went all out, Sun Wukong shouldn’t have been able to hold his own…

Perhaps I've misjudged Sun Wukong’s strength?

Li Changsheng pondered silently, then secretly cast the Wind Whisper Spell, gathering conversations from immortal gatherings within a radius of ten thousand li.

With his Empty Bright Dao Heart suppressing his true self, Li Changsheng turned his incarnation into an emotionless information processor, collecting as much news as possible about the battles between Nezha and Sun Wukong.

The twelve battles were confirmed to be real, lasting over a month, with a fight every three days or so.

Nezha used his killing aura each time but always pulled back before it got out of control, unable to completely overpower Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong grew stronger with each fight, and neither could gain the upper hand over the other.

Heaven found itself in an awkward position, unable to advance or retreat, as Nezha’s stubborn temper meant he ignored everyone’s advice and challenged the monkey as soon as he rested.

This battle truly made the name of the Monkey King famous.

Nezha, who always held the advantage, further proved his own prowess, making the title of Great God of the Three Altars and the Southern Seas even more resounding.

Li Changsheng couldn't help but mutter to himself…

Was the Dao Ancestor’s control over the script this weak? This didn't match his memory of the Journey to the West.

Thinking differently, the one truly embarrassed here was Li Jing, not Heaven. Heaven was full of experts, and if the Jade Emperor was truly annoyed, he could simply order a few masters to descend and capture the monkey in an instant.

Both Nezha and Sun Wukong were hailed as the strongest Golden Immortals, but even if they were skilled fighters, they couldn't withstand a barrage of treasures or trapping arrays.

Li Changsheng calculated inwardly, slowly extending his immortal sense to envelop the entire great world.

Since this place was close to the Five Bu Zhou, there were naturally many demon traces.

Li Changsheng quickly located the demon clan’s “base,” and after a brief probe, he understood how the demon clan viewed the Flower Fruit Mountain battles.

‘The demon clan is finished.’

That battle had actually been used by the Dao Ancestor to lure more demon experts to Flower Fruit Mountain, turning it into the demon clan’s foremost sacred ground, thereby wiping out the remaining ancient essence of the demon clan in one fell swoop.

The delayed great war…

The evenly matched Nezha and Sun Wukong…

The increasingly excited demon clan, and the silently watchful Heaven…

In this game of chess, with no opponent for the Dao Ancestor, it must be quite lonely.

Li Changsheng stopped the Wind Whisper Spell he had cast as Xu Bodhi, set down his teacup, and left the place.

He was on his way back.

Originally, Li Changsheng had timed his return to the Five Bu Zhou to make final preparations before Sun Wukong’s second ascent to Heaven.

Although the Dao Ancestor had warned him not to return to the Five Bu Zhou, now that it was time to lay all cards on the table, there was no need to worry about it anymore.

Life sometimes requires taking on some risks.

The opportunity lay ahead, and he had to seize it, even if it was just for a 0.02 percent chance of success.

He had done all he could; now it was just a matter of finding the right moment.

Flying out of this great world, Xu Bodhi’s figure gradually faded into the void, hidden in the deepest part of the universe, drifting along the boundary of the Three Realms and Five Elements, slowly approaching the Five Bu Zhou.

At the same time, in the Kun Peng secret realm, Li Changsheng opened his eyes after a long absence, about to show a smile of confidence, but suddenly noticed…

Uh, how had the inner scene changed again?

Warm-colored curtains hung everywhere, and bright red “xi” characters were pasted all around.

Li Changsheng: …

Was he about to go into a decisive battle with the Dao Ancestor, and now his rear was forcing a “flag” on him?

And it was such a massively cursed black flag, like “defeat the Dao Ancestor and then get married”!

Ah, this.

Li Changsheng frowned in thought, steeling his heart to go find Yun Xiao and Ling E to get married first, but then realized such an action might be too hasty.

As a long-lived immortal, a rising star of the Great Wilderness, one of the top Da Luo, the holder of the Balance Great Dao, and one of the beings most dreaded by Dao Ancestor Hong Jun, he couldn’t keep superstitiously following his past life’s ways.

Besides, Yun Xiao and Ling E hadn't even brought it up.

It wasn't a big issue.

The Great Wilderness situation was at a tipping point, and if he didn’t arrive in time, it could greatly diminish the effect of the final battle.

Eradicating the Dao Ancestor wasn’t his ultimate goal.

What he truly wanted was to free the Great Wilderness from the bindings that had been in place since before the creation of heaven and earth.

“Yun? Junior sister?”

Li Changsheng called softly, his voice reaching the soundproof array in the corner, but found no one inside.

With his immortal sense sweeping through, no array could block it, and he saw Yun Xiao, Ling E, and several female immortals drinking tea in a nearby hall, each working on some embroidery.

A innate great power personally sewing red veils… that was truly adapting to local customs and respecting human traditions.

After thinking it over, Li Changsheng left a jade talisman floating in front of him, inscribing a few lines about his subsequent arrangements.

Then, he ordered the Four Plum Generals to go full throttle, permeating the entire Great Wilderness heavens while maintaining the connection with Xu Bodhi, and activated two backup incarnations.

One was a demon laden with karma, its Dao heart consumed by inner demons.

The other was a Qi refiner in the Heavenly Immortal realm from Central Divine Continent, whose heart was burdened with guilt and Dao heart imperfect, making it vulnerable to external heavenly demons.

He had been secretly cultivating these two targets for centuries. Now, instead of handling them simultaneously, Li Changsheng proceeded cautiously, one at a time, just like with Xu Bodhi, refining them into second primordial spirits.

He named them Number Two and Number Three.

Multitasking, Li Changsheng controlled the karma-laden demon, traveling from the northeastern border of West Ox He Continent, along the edge of North Club Continent, stealthily heading toward Flower Fruit Mountain.

Number Two didn't need to do much—just hide there and observe, confirming the timing of each “step.”

He couldn’t use divination methods to probe this.

Otherwise, it would be like one country in a war using the enemy’s satellite technology, making it easy to be countered.

Li Changsheng piloted Number Two, hiding and sneaking along the way, while absorbing Number Two’s memories and gathering firsthand information.

The demon clan had lost patience, and many ancient great demons who had survived were itching to move, openly declaring support for the Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain.

The demon clan launched a “Seven Little Sages” plan, aiming to promote seven experts as idols… cough, as benchmarks for the demon clan, to rally demon hearts and then smoothly coexist with Heaven.

They didn't dare truly rebel, but rebellion could serve as a means for the demon clan to submit to Heaven.

It wasn't surprising they had such fanciful ideas; their memories of Li Changsheng had been erased by the Dao Ancestor, so while they feared Heaven, it wasn’t to the point of terror.

Without those blue ripples, as soon as Sun Wukong gathered demon forces at Flower Fruit Mountain, the surviving demon experts would have swarmed in and smacked down that arrogant stone monkey.

The deterrent of Longevity.

Li Changsheng settled Number Two not far from Flower Fruit Mountain and left part of his mind there.

Then, he shifted his focus to Number Three, leaving a sect in Central Divine Continent and heading toward North Club Continent.

Officially, it was to gather herbs, but in reality, to check on the current state of the Wu Clan in the north.

Number One incarnation was, of course, Xu Bodhi, who was slowly approaching the edge of the South Sea, with his first stop at Spirit Mountain, ostensibly to seek Saint Jie Yin and see if he could lift the Heavenly Dao’s seal on the Dao realm.

In truth, he wanted to visit that soon-to-be-born Jin Chan.

He wasn’t a petty immortal god; he had long let go of any past grudges.

His trouble with Jin Chan was purely for the greater good!

Serious face.

With three lines operating simultaneously, whether still or moving, Li Changsheng recaptured that long-lost feeling, and his heart burned with fierce fighting spirit.

The Empty Bright Dao Heart suppressed it, maintaining his calm.

In the Purple Xiao Palace, in the bamboo grove,

A faint Dao rhythm flowed, and the gray-robed old Daoist appeared again behind the burly old Daoist—this was the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao’s will. Though previously suppressed by the Three Sovereigns of the Human Clan, it still retained considerable power.

“How is it?”

The Dao Ancestor asked softly.

The gray-robed old Daoist answered gravely, “It’s confirmed. In the Kun Peng secret realm, they are indeed preparing for Li Changsheng’s wedding with Yun Xiao and Ling E, and Kun Peng will return to the secret realm.”

“Oh? A wedding?”

The Dao Ancestor’s lips curved into a slight smile, then he shook his head slightly.

The gray-robed old Daoist sat down in front of the Dao Ancestor, glanced at the scene on the Creation Jade Disc, and asked, “Are you planning to send him a wedding gift?”

“No need,” the Dao Ancestor sighed. “If he can’t even escape human desires, how can he talk about balancing heaven and earth with all beings?”

The gray-robed old Daoist said, “It seems you’re somewhat dissatisfied with this.”

“Not at all,” the Dao Ancestor looked at the gray-robed old Daoist and said slowly, “Once the Journey to the West calamity is complete, you and I will merge, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of heaven and earth.

Do you have any other concerns?”

The gray-robed old Daoist was silent for a moment before saying, “I am not a living being, but a thought of the Heavenly Dao, also a thought of heaven and earth, manifesting when the ancient Great Wilderness was about to shatter.

If you wish to unify heaven and earth for its benefit, I have no concerns.”

“Good.”

“When will you have Sun Wukong raise the banner of rebellion?”

“Today.”

The Dao Ancestor smiled faintly and pointed at the Creation Jade Disc.

The disc immediately displayed the scene outside the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Under the sunlight, Sun Wukong lay beside his stone seat, happily munching on a bunch of bananas.

Beside him, several demon kings praised Sun Wukong’s bravery—these were the demon clan “new talents” who had recently sworn brotherhood with him, the executors of that plan.

At that moment, aside from the Ox Demon King, the other five sworn brothers were all present and had just arrived.

Although Sun Wukong was the youngest in age and ranked last in their brotherhood, he had subtly taken on the role of the “big brother.”

Might makes right, after all.

The Jiao Demon King laughed, “Wise brother, you’ve made a name for our demon clan, beating the heavenly soldiers and generals until they’re covered in dirt. You’ve truly vented our pent-up anger!”

The Peng Demon King opened his bird beak and scolded,

“This Heaven doesn’t know talent when they see it, not recognizing our brother’s abilities! Assigning him just as a Stable Keeper—that’s outright insulting us!”

“Ah,” Sun Wukong said with a mouth full of banana, laughing, “Now we just need to drive back those heavenly soldiers and make them know our power, so they won’t dare invade Flower Fruit Mountain again.

My dear brothers, will you join the fight later?”

“Good!”

The five demon kings agreed eagerly, their eyes burning with battle intent.

Suddenly, a voice from the side said, “Great King! Now that you’ve raised the banner for our demon clan, it’s time for a more impressive title!”

Sun Wukong turned to look—it was a demon king who had come to Flower Fruit Mountain early on.

Immediately, other demon kings chimed in, emphasizing the need for a resounding title, one that matched his abilities.

“Monkey King” just sounded too refined.

Unable to resist the demons’ persuasion, Sun Wukong nodded, and the demon clan members started shouting out suggestions, one nickname after another, turning the scene chaotic.

Suddenly, a little monkey shouted, “Great King, your powers surpass Heaven’s, your divine abilities outstrip Heaven’s—why not call yourself the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!”

“Oh?” Sun Wukong blinked, savoring the title, finding it truly domineering and a perfect way to shake off the Stable Keeper insult.

He declared firmly, “Then I’ll be the Great Sage Equaling Heaven! My children, quickly make a banner and hang it on the mountaintop!”

The group of monkeys roared in agreement, while the Jiao Demon King and Peng Demon King were swept up in excitement, each claiming their own titles and ordering their demon soldiers to sew banners.

Half a day later, thunder rumbled over Flower Fruit Mountain, and the sky turned dark.

Seven banners slowly rose from the mountaintop, each with different designs and styles, yet all exuding a fierce majesty.

Look at the central one: “Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” with three on each side: “Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven,” “Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas,” “Great Sage Who Mixes Heaven,” “Great Sage Who Moves Mountains,” “Great Sage Who Commands Wind,” and “Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods.”

Although the Ox Demon King hadn’t arrived, his brothers had prepared his title and banner for him.

Boom!

Heavenly might descended as roaring thunder, purple lightning illuminating the six figures standing under the banners.

Flower Fruit Mountain, demon aura soaring!

In a nearby mountain valley’s stone wall, Li Changsheng watched the scene through his demon incarnation, feeling a slight emotion.

With saints absent, the demon clan claims the title of Great Sage.

Surely, the immortals and gods in Heaven must be getting restless—someone like Brother Zhao, with his enthusiasm, might think Flower Fruit Mountain is too noisy and swat it down with a palm.

But the Dao Ancestor should be controlling things behind the scenes, so there’s no need to worry.

Next up should be Heaven’s second summons, offering Sun Wukong the position of Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

I wonder what choice my disciple Sun Wukong will make—whether he’ll easily bow to Heaven. Honestly, I hope he upholds the principle of “righteousness.”

As long as Sun Wukong makes a choice, I can strike at any time and dismantle the stage of the Journey to the West calamity.

Let’s see what he does.

After all, he’s my second most satisfactory disciple; my most satisfactory one is, of course, his senior sister, Long Ji.

Golden-Winged Peng was more of a student who came with his own skills, so the bond isn’t as deep as with those I taught myself.

At the edge of the South Sea, Xu Bodhi slipped into the Five Bu Zhou and quietly headed toward West Ox He Continent.

In the Purple Xiao Palace, in the purple bamboo grove,

The Dao Ancestor’s eyebrow twitched, his gaze shifting outside the Creation Jade Disc, spotting Xu Bodhi’s figure, and he shook his head slightly.

The gray-robed old Daoist asked, “Bodhi Ancestor has broken his promise—shall we erase him directly?”

“Leave him for now; he might still be useful,” the Dao Ancestor said slowly. “It’s rare to have such an obedient saint disciple. He’s just coming back to find Jie Yin and see if he can remove the Heavenly Dao’s shackles.

Keep a close watch on the Kun Peng secret realm—the most critical moment of the Journey to the West calamity is approaching; don’t let them come back and cause trouble.”

“Understood,” the gray-robed old Daoist’s figure slowly faded. “For the eternal endurance of heaven and earth.”

“For the eternal endurance of heaven and earth.”