Elsewhere, in the Human Realm.
In the waters near Jambudvipa.
Agni, the God of Fire, rode a golden-horned billy goat and led a vast army gathered in the mortal world. The mighty Gandharva army wore Golden Armor and wielded divine weapons, their dazzling golden radiance blotting out the sky and sun.
"Aruna, let us become the dawn and illuminate the road ahead!"
Surya, the Sun God, stood atop the Sun Chariot in Golden Armor and swept his hand forward.
Seven divine horses let out long neighs, their hooves dancing through the air.
The restless reins were tightly held by the legless youth seated on the chariot, Aruna.
Aruna, the God of Dawn.
He was Garuda's elder brother, the God of Dawn, and the charioteer of Surya's Sun Chariot.
"Newborn eastern dawn, shatter the darkness!"
"Dawn!!!"
Aruna, the God of Dawn, gripped the reins and roared. Driving the divine chariot, he vanished from the Human Realm in an instant.
The seven steeds galloped onward as the chariot released streak after streak of dawnlight, piercing through layers of void. The cold, silent space was illuminated by the Sun Chariot, its darkness driven away as it led the army behind it.
"Forward!"
Vayu, the God of Wind, held a sharp divine spear and carried a divine bow. His antelope pulled the chariot ahead at the speed of a gale, closely following the Sun Chariot.
The hundred thousand Gandharva troops followed the dawnlight ahead and charged after them.
Rumble! Rumble!
The space at the border between the Human Realm and the Netherworld shook without end. Spatial tremors erupted one after another, shaking the world.
Whoosh!
Like a great sun descending, the Sun Chariot passed through layers of void and appeared within the deep, gloomy Netherworld.
Surya's eyes narrowed.
Ahead, upon the dry, cracked, reddish-black earth, an army of Asuras had gathered. They stood still with weapons in hand, waiting solemnly, as though they had long been prepared for the gods' arrival.
A towering figure resembling a demon god stood before the Asura army.
His presence was immense. Simply standing there, he resembled Mandara Mountain itself, radiating a vast, profound, boundless aura.
More terrifying still...
His face was identical to Golden-Eyed's!
"G-Golden-Eyed!"
Surya's face filled with terror, but he immediately shook his head. "No, Golden-Eyed was clearly killed by the Heavenly Emperor. You are... Golden Bed!"
Surya cried out in shock.
His Sun Chariot had already risen into the skies above the Netherworld.
The golden sun radiated endless brilliance, instantly illuminating the entire Netherworld.
Vayu's antelope chariot shot forth with a whoosh.
Brimming with fighting spirit, he charged ahead as the army's vanguard. He drew the Bow of the Wind God, and raging winds condensed into an unstoppable arrow.
"Winds, heed my command!"
Vayu growled, and the Wind Arrow in his hand shot forth in an instant.
Whoosh!
The arrow transformed in midair, becoming two from one, four from two, eight from four...
The Wind Arrows multiplied into countless forms, endless in number. In an instant, they blanketed the Netherworld like a canopy of heaven and shot toward the Asura army.
Vayu held his divine bow, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes as he smiled with satisfaction.
He was still pretty formidable!
At this sight, the Asura army could not help but panic as they stared in astonishment at the arrow storm.
Golden Bed remained where he stood, unmoved.
Asura General Durgama frowned deeply and stepped forward, ready to act, but a staff blocked his chest.
"Don't be hasty!"
Asura Mentor Shukracharyaa spoke calmly as he withdrew his arm, his gaze falling upon Golden Bed ahead.
Golden Bed slowly raised his head.
In his eyes, behind Vayu, Agni stood upon his chariot with an imposing presence, leading another hundred thousand Heavenly Realm troops as they charged forward.
Golden Bed's lips curved slightly as he gave a cold smile.
The next moment, he flipped his right hand over and spread his five fingers.
Whoosh!
Light flickered in his palm as a massive warhammer appeared. He swung it fiercely, smashing it down toward the sky.
The warhammer's power manifested.
The hammer began to change as well, replicating at a terrifying speed. More and more appeared, and in the blink of an eye, nearly exponentially, billions upon billions of enormous warhammers had been duplicated. They spun as they smashed toward the countless arrows.
Bang! Bang! Bang...
The Wind God's arrows blanketing the heavens were instantly destroyed, exploding into nothingness with terrifying blasts.
Even more warhammers descended from above in a black mass, crashing viciously onto the gods and their army.
Rumble!
Vayu watched as the giant hammer grew larger and larger before his eyes. In an instant, it was right before him. With a bang, it struck him on the head, sending him tumbling from his divine chariot as the first to fall.
Soon after, countless Gandharva soldiers were struck by the force as well. The gods fell toward the Netherworld one after another like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
"Aahhh!"
"It hurts!"
Miserable screams rang out one after another.
Surya opened his mouth, staring at the scene in disbelief.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go!
Shouldn't the gods have charged forward with impassioned resolve, singing their way into the Netherworld and beating the Asura King flat?
How had it turned out like this?!
Surya was horrified. He now understood Golden Bed's strength and knew he could not be fought head-on.
He hurriedly cried in panic, "Aruna, let's go!"
Aruna's expression tightened. He yanked the reins, turned the chariot, and urged the horses into a gallop.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Flying warhammers came at them one after another. Fortunately, Aruna's driving skills were superb. Up and down, left and right, after a series of maneuvers, he narrowly dodged hammer after hammer.
"Surya!"
At that moment, Agni came charging over on his goat as well.
"Watch out, Agni..."
Before Surya could finish speaking, Agni was struck directly by a giant hammer. Like a meteor falling from beyond the heavens, he crashed violently into the ground with a thunderous boom, gouging out a massive crater.
"!!!"
"Agni!"
Surya cried out as he looked down.
He clutched the chariot frame in terror. Countless giant hammers were coming at them from the corner of his eye, and the divine chariot twisted and flipped through the air as fear filled his heart.
Golden Bed's power was no weaker than Golden-Eyed's—perhaps even greater.
Vayu had not even managed to block a single strike before falling.
The God of Fire had suffered the same fate!
"Go! We have to go back!"
"Quick, go to the Ocean of Milk and invite the Protector God!"
Surya bent forward, stretching out a hand as he cried out.
Heavenly Realm.
The mirror surface rippled.
Priest Sage stood frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at the scenes appearing before him.
The Heavenly Realm's hundred thousand troops were just gone like that?!
"Good thing I prepared in advance!"
Indra smacked his lips and sighed before turning to leave.
The gods had all drunk Amrita and possessed immortal bodies, so there was no need to worry about casualties.
Priest Sage hurried forward, slapped Indra's arm, and asked in alarm, "Heavenly Emperor, you're going to the Brahma Realm. What about everyone else?"
Indra gave Priest Sage a strange look.
"Do I look like such a selfish person?"
"As members of my Heavenly Realm, I'll raise their wives. Don't worry. I'm going to the Temple of the Sun God now to send Surya's wife to the Brahma Realm first."
"As for a way to rescue the gods, we'll have to make long-term plans."
"Mentor, there's no need for you to worry!"
Indra said.
"But is there enough time?"
Priest Sage asked, his face full of concern.
"Don't worry. The Gandharvas are immortal. Even if they were a hundred thousand pigs, Golden Bed wouldn't be able to catch them that easily."
Indra smiled lightly and patted Priest Sage's shoulder to reassure him. "By the way, Mentor, your wife Tara seems to still be in the Human Realm. Do you want her sent along too?"
Hearing this, Priest Sage let out a sigh of relief.
"That won't be a problem. Soma came to see me in the evening and mentioned that Tara was unsafe in the Human Realm, so I had him transform into moonlight and bring Tara back."
"They should return to the Heavenly Realm soon."
"Soma is quite a good person!"
Priest Sage smiled brightly.
"???"
Indra.
Before you continue