Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 217: Sorrow in Heaven

Nezha was not far from Li Jing. Seeing his father killed by that Zhuanxu with a single stick, his heart ached unbearably, and he nearly fainted. Though Nezha and Li Jing had been at odds, how could the bond between father and son be severed? Shouting “How dare you, thief!” Nezha endured his grief, summoned his Wind and Fire Wheels, grasped his Heavenly Silk Rope, and wielded his Demon-Slaying Sword to chase after Wukong.

Wukong paid no attention. Wang Yu, armed with his Demon-Slaying Sword and Divine Slaying Ring, immediately blocked Nezha, and the two engaged in battle.

With Li Jing dead, Tai Bai Jin Xing realized the battle was lost. By now, the heavenly troops were in disarray, unable to regroup. Tai Bai Jin Xing only managed to find the Nine Bright Stars and retreated back to Heaven while fighting.

Gou Chen Shang Di was trapped by the Bull Demon King, Feng Tong, Bai Ze, and Xie Zhi, unable to escape for a time. Even though he had 108 Thunder Generals, they were each hunted down by the demon kings of Qi Tian Ling and the beasts emerging from the Kunpeng’s belly, leading to fierce battles between them.

Wang Yu fought without mercy. In just a dozen rounds, he left Nezha covered in wounds. Nezha continued to fight bravely. Meanwhile, Gou Chen Shang Di tried to turn the tide, but he was already overwhelmed by the Bull Demon King and his allies. Remembering that there was still a mysterious figure on Qi Tian Ling who had defeated the Heaven-Saving Lord and hadn’t yet joined the battle, he became disheartened. Ignoring everyone else, he gathered his heavenly generals, used a magic spell to force Wang Yu back, rescued Nezha, and returned to Heaven.

The Bull Demon King and others tried to pursue them, but Wukong stopped them, saying, “Don’t chase defeated enemies!”

The Left and Right Assistants of the Zi Wei Palace had long disappeared. The Twenty-Eight Constellations fought separately, in dire straits. The hundred thousand heavenly troops were completely scattered.

It was only then that those with the cultivation level of Tai Yi Jin Xian on Qi Tian Ling truly unleashed their battles.

The Bull Demon King, in his true form as a white ox, rolled and leaped through the air, crushing everything like mountains. Feng Tong moved swiftly through the battlefield like lightning or a ghost, commanding countless souls. Meanwhile, Wukong stood on the clouds, not participating in the fight, his gaze fixed on Wang Yu.

Wang Yu held his Demon-Slaying Sword in his left hand and his Divine Slaying Ring in his right. He didn’t enter the battlefield himself but controlled his Divine Slaying Ring to strike at where the heavenly troops gathered. With each pulse of white light, an area of ten zhang around him turned into bloodshed. Wang Yu acted like a leisurely onlooker, using his magical weapons to kill as he moved, leaving a sea of blood mist wherever he went—no living beings, not even intact corpses, could be found.

Wukong thought, “No wonder Brother Niu once said, ‘When Wang Yu appears, blood splashes for thousands of miles.’ It turns out he was right.”

At that moment, outside the battlefield, Wukong suddenly saw a figure hovering in the distance, watching cautiously without daring to approach. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Lu Tong, the attendant of the Emperor of Eternal Life in the South Pole. His figure was blurred, likely due to some concealment spell, but it failed to hide him from Wukong. Wukong had an extraordinary memory; with just one glance, he had memorized most of the key figures among the heavenly soldiers. He was puzzled—since the fate of the heavenly court was already sealed, what was Lu Tong doing here?

Wukong looked around the sky. The demons of Qitianling, led by the Bull Demon King, Feng Tong, and the seventy-two demon kings, were slaughtering the remaining heavenly soldiers. It was clear that the outcome was already decided. After giving Feng Tong a few instructions, Wukong concealed himself and sneaked up on Lu Tong.

Lu Tong hid among the clouds, staring intently at the battle. Only when Wukong got closer could he see that Lu Tong was holding something in his arms, most of which was covered by his sleeves, making it impossible to tell what it was. Lu Tong remained motionless, and Wukong waited patiently—this man was acting suspiciously, surely hiding something.

In less than fifteen minutes, the heavenly soldiers were either dead or fled. Those who fled early were lucky, as the demons of Qitianling did not pursue them. This battle, known as the Battle of Qitianling, actually took place several miles west of Qitianling.

On the Gobi Desert, blood stained the yellow sand. Whether they were immortals or demons, after death they reduced to pools of blood and piles of bones. As the corpses lay scattered on the ground, invisible vital energy began to emanate.

Then Lu Tong moved. He was in the clouds, over ten miles away from the battlefield. Instead of advancing, he took out the object he was holding, carefully lifted the lid, and directed the opening toward where the vital energy was rising.

Wukong saw clearly that the object was identical to the Vitality Furnace used by Fang Xinqiu and Tail Fire Tiger back then, only much more refined. Threads of vital energy were swept up by the wind and poured into Lu Tong’s furnace, at a speed many times faster than that used by Fang Xinqiu and his group.

Wukong suddenly remembered that Fang Xinqiu had once said the method of gathering vital energy was something he had obtained from the Emperor of Eternal Life in the South Pole using precious treasures. It seemed this matter was now beyond doubt. Lu Tong was undoubtedly acting under the orders of the Immortal of the South Pole, and this method of gathering vital energy was similar to what he had seen before.

The Immortal of the South Pole was the originator of this method and naturally knew that death would release vital energy. Today’s combatants were all extraordinary immortals and demons, whose internal vital energy far exceeded that of ordinary people by hundreds or even thousands of times.

Seeing that the situation was turning unfavorable and the heavenly soldiers were about to be defeated, the Emperor of Eternal Life in the South Pole fled from the battlefield. He originally intended to return to the South Sea, but halfway there, he remembered this matter and couldn’t bear to give up all that vital energy.

The Qilin was simply too formidable. When the Southern Pole Immortal thought of the tragic fate of the God of Saving Sufferers, his heart trembled repeatedly. After pondering for a while, he took out the Creation Furnace and ordered Lu Tong to go back and collect the created essence. This way, even if something happened to Lu Tong, they could sacrifice a pawn to save the whole game. Besides, losing one Lu Tong and a fake Creation Furnace was something they could afford.

Wukong watched as Lu Tong gathered almost all the created essence from this battle. He had patiently waited the whole time. Once Lu Tong finished collecting it, he would surely hand over the Creation Furnace to the Southern Pole Immortal, so that Wukong could follow up and see just how many sins this Southern Pole Immortal had committed.

After gathering all the essence, Lu Tong waited another fifteen minutes before closing the lid of the Creation Furnace. Wukong knew this was because Lu Tong couldn’t see how much essence remained and feared missing any, so he waited a bit longer. Luong looked around to ensure no one was paying attention, then seemed relieved and headed south.

Wukong followed from about ten miles behind. Lu Tong moved faster and faster, clearly eager to return home. After traveling a few hundred miles, Wukong sensed a familiar presence following behind. Without turning around, he knew it was Fengtong.

Earlier, when Fengtong saw that the battle at Qitian Ridge had been decided, he had no desire to kill. He left without saying goodbye to Wukong, which was highly unreasonable. After a brief search, he found Wukong hiding, focusing solely on Lu Tong. Fengtong was also a Divine Ape of Creation, so he immediately understood what Lu Tong had done and guessed most of Wukong’s intentions. When Wukong caught up with Lu Tong, Fengtong, fearing that Wukong might not be able to defeat the Southern Pole Eternal Emperor, followed behind.

Wukong sent a message, “How was the battle?”

Fengtong understood Wukong’s thoughts and replied, “At Qitian Ridge, just over a thousand minor demons died, and none among the earthly immortals or above were hurt. The heavenly troops lost their leader in the chaos, leaving at least ten thousand corpses behind.”

Wukong asked further, “What do you think of Li Jing’s death?”

Fengtong said, “Li Jing’s cultivation was mediocre. His presence or absence made little difference to the strength of the Heavenly Court. But since Li Jing had long served as a marshal in the Heavenly Court, his execution during this campaign must have terrified everyone there. The purpose of this act was clearly to intimidate.”

Wukong nodded and said, “The Heavenly Court taking advantage of others’ misfortunes is not only ungraceful but also extremely cunning. If they’re not made to suffer a little, they’ll think Qitian Ridge can be bullied by anyone. By killing Li Jing, I’m telling the Heavenly Court that Qitian Ridge acts without any restraint!”

Fengtong praised, “What an act of unrestraint! After this defeat, the Heavenly Court will likely fear to act again for decades.”

Wukong said, “From today’s battle, it’s clear that those with even a little strength and status in the Heavenly Court all harbor ulterior motives. The Jade Emperor, though called the ruler of all heavens, is actually in great danger. Even if he wants to avenge this, he lacks the strength to do so.”

Ventilation Channel: “As Wukong said, to repel invaders, one must first stabilize the home. The Heavenly Court must be in a state of utter chaos right now.”
As Ventilation put it, in the Tongming Hall, the dragon throne had toppled, and the steps were in disarray, yet no one dared to clean it up.
When the Jade Emperor heard that Li Jing had died in battle, he was furious beyond measure. He tore up a stack of memorials and kicked over the dragon throne with his foot. Although Li Jing was not the strongest, he had always been loyal, and with Nezha’s assistance, he had never failed to help the Heavenly Court. More importantly, the Grand Marshal for Subduing Demons was the face of the Heavenly Court. With hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers sent on an expedition, the marshal dying on the battlefield—how could the supreme Heavenly Emperor bear such a shame?
In this battle, the Eastern Extreme Qinghua Emperor was severely wounded and forced to retreat, the True Martial Emperor and the Southern Extreme Changsheng Emperor fled the battlefield, and the Left and Right Assistants of the Purple Micro Palace perfunctorily handled matters. Only the Western Extreme Gouchen Emperor tried to hold things together, but it was too late to turn the situation around. The Jade Emperor was fully aware of all this. Time and again, he had hoped that these people would work together to build a peaceful world for the Heavenly Court, but they had repeatedly deceived and betrayed him.
Today, the Jade Emperor was extremely angry; his palms were so clenched that it seemed water might drip out. He hated Li Jing’s death, the disunity among the Heavenly Court’s members, the rampant evil forces in Qitianling, and the secret schemes of the Three Pure Ones…
But even though he was filled with hatred, who could he do anything to? All he could do was tell himself over and over again, “I am the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, the ruler of all heavens!”
After a long while, the Jade Emperor calmed down and said, “Minister Li was a pillar of the Heavenly Court, loyal to the end. His unfortunate death truly saddens me greatly.” He paused for a moment before adding, “However, the army cannot go without a commander. Starting today, I appoint the Xuantian Heavenly Emperor as the Grand Marshal for Subduing Demons to lead all the heavenly troops. Nezha, the Third Prince, will remain as the vanguard and be granted the title of Great God of the Three Altars and Seas.”
As he spoke, the Jade Emperor’s tone grew even more sorrowful. “The blame for today’s defeat lies with me. For two years, evil forces have run rampant on earth, and the Heavenly Court has launched repeated campaigns, exhausting all its strength. My ministers care deeply about the Heavenly Court, but they rushed into battle in haste, resulting in failure…”
Tai Bai Jin Xing felt slightly relieved. The Jade Emperor had always been proud, but today he finally admitted his mistake—thankfully, it wasn’t too late. Since the Jade Emperor had spoken, the ministers below naturally bowed their heads, claiming they were at fault.
The Jade Emperor showed a kind expression and waved his hand, saying, “My ministers, there’s no need to blame yourselves. The heavens remain the same, and the earth remains the same. As the saying goes, ‘For every inch the devil advances, the Taoist advances an inch.’ Let the demons in Qitianling run wild for now. Once the conflict between them and the Buddhas and Taoists in the Western Heaven is resolved, we can discuss this matter again.”
Nezha was injured both physically and mentally, and the court meeting was not held in the hall. The Jade Emperor said to Tai Bai Jin Xing, “Jin Xing, receive this order. I send you to Qitianling.”

Taibai Jinxing was stunned and immediately said, “I shall receive the imperial order!”
The Jade Emperor added, “Li Tianwang’s body is still warm. Go and retrieve his flesh, for I wish to give the Great Marshal Who Subdued Demons a proper burial.”