"Golden Bed, you truly are the Asura King. You saw through my scheme so easily!"
Indra wore a solemn expression and nodded earnestly.
Golden Bed gritted his teeth, fury and shock flashing across his face. His eyelids twitched like drawn bowstrings, while his fists clenched tightly and trembled without stop.
Capturing Indra now would not be a problem.
The problem was how long it would take to capture him!
The Nectar of Immortality granted the gods tremendous power, and this was the Heavenly Realm. By the time he captured Indra, the Netherworld would probably have already been turned upside down.
Besides, his son Prahlad had already fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Emperor.
At last, Golden Bed lowered his head and unclenched his fists.
"What do you want?!"
Golden Bed spoke in an icy voice.
At those words, the corners of Indra's mouth lifted, and a flicker of delight flashed through his eyes.
This guy had actually relented!
After thinking briefly, Indra said, "Golden Bed! I admire your strength and fearlessness. I think the two of us should have a fair and honorable battle to decide who the Heavenly Realm belongs to."
Golden Bed's eyes lit up at those words, and he stirred with anticipation.
"However!"
"Not now!"
Indra waved his hand and smiled.
"Release Vayu, Agni, and the Gandharvas. Then I'll have Soma and Rahu withdraw their army from the Netherworld and release your wife."
Indra said.
"How can we trust you? What if you refuse to release her?"
Sukra gripped his serpent staff and immediately asked.
Indra pressed his palms together, narrowed his eyes slightly, and spoke without changing expression.
"I can swear by Supreme Lord Vishnu that I will not harm your wife or child in the slightest today."
"I swear it upon the Glory of the Heavenly Gods!"
Indra said.
"Wait!"
At that moment, Golden Bed suddenly raised his hand. His forceful voice instantly cut off Indra's words. His gaze hardened as he stared intently at Indra, making Indra feel guilty.
Did he see through it?
Indra muttered inwardly. Divine power surged within him as he prepared to flee at any moment.
Hmph!
Golden Bed snorted coldly, his face displeased as he ground his teeth.
"Change it. Swear by Brahma instead!"
"And if you break your oath, I want you to immediately relinquish the position of Heavenly Emperor."
Golden Bed's eyes were ice-cold as he spoke.
Indra and Vishnu were the murderers of his elder brother.
Submitting to Indra today was already a constant humiliation to his dignity. If Vishnu were used as the witness, it would be humiliation upon humiliation.
Brahma?!
It seemed Golden Bed did not trust Vishnu.
"I, Indra, will never break my oath!"
Indra fell silent for a moment, then nodded calmly and raised his palm toward the sky.
"Then I swear by Brahma: if Golden Bed releases Vayu, Agni, and the Heavenly Realm army today, I will not harm Golden Bed's wife or child in any way today. I will also have the army withdraw from the Netherworld today and never harm the Asuras of the Netherworld."
"Otherwise, I shall relinquish the position of Heavenly Emperor!"
His voice rolled out like rumbling thunder, resounding throughout the Heavenly Realm.
Golden Bed let out a breath, his heart settling.
He slowly raised his hand as well and spoke.
"If Indra fulfills his promise, I will also release Vayu, Agni, the other gods, and the Heavenly Realm army. If I break my oath, may I die at the hands of my enemies."
Golden Bed's voice was cold and emotionless.
Within the Brahma Realm.
Brahma smiled as he sat cross-legged upon a lotus. He looked down at the Heavenly Realm below and listened to Golden Bed and Indra.
Someone had actually remembered him, the Creator God, and asked him to bear witness.
He was quite pleased!
But what army did Indra have in the Netherworld? They were clearly all in his Brahma Realm.
Especially Rahu, who was actually enjoying himself!
Brahma shifted his gaze and glanced at the many divine cities that had appeared in the Brahma Realm. The Gandharvas had gradually restored order and resumed their guard duties.
Within one of the divine palaces guarded by many sentries.
Rahu happily widened his eyes. As he stared fixedly at the dancing Heavenly Maidens, he curled his tail around a wine cup and drank deeply.
Wine dripped sparsely from his hollow neck, yet his face was still flushed with intoxication. It was impossible to tell whether he was drunk on Soma wine or drunk on beauty.
"Hahaha! Wonderful! I really love the Heavenly Realm!"
Rahu laughed heartily.
Whoosh!
Brahma withdrew his gaze, and a thought stirred in his mind.
Rumble!
Clouds gathered across the Heavenly Realm, shifting strangely and endlessly. Above the Heavenly Realm, they condensed into Brahma's enormous phantom.
Ordinary oaths did not require him to appear in person, but between the Heavenly Emperor and Golden Bed, he had to take things more seriously.
"As you wish!"
Brahma's voice echoed throughout the Heavenly Realm, reverberating for a long time without fading.
The dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the darkness vanished. Under Surya's radiance, everything became clear and bright.
"Get lost!"
Golden Bed waved his hand and spoke.
The moment his words fell, the divine ropes binding Vayu and Agni instantly snapped. The two staggered away in panic and ran toward Indra.
Their mounts, the antelope and the ram, immediately leaped into the air and flew toward the gods.
Last came the vast Gandharva army.
Golden Bed stared coldly at Indra and let out a low growl.
"Next time, I will definitely defeat you!"
"Mhm, next time for sure!"
"I will definitely win!"
"Mhm, definitely!"
Indra replied perfunctorily.
Hmph!
The next moment, Golden Bed snorted and turned away. With a gloomy face and smoldering anger, he led his army in a mighty march toward the Netherworld.
Indra stood straight as an unmoving Mandara Mountain, silently watching the Asuras fly away toward the Netherworld.
Vayu and Agni also returned with the great Gandharva army.
"I never expected Soma and Rahu to have gone to the Netherworld. No wonder I never saw Soma."
I thought he had gone to the Human Realm to meet women in secret. I really wronged him!
Vayu looked utterly shocked.
"The Heavenly Emperor should not have agreed to their terms. They cannot kill us anyway. Soma could have simply wiped out the Netherworld."
Agni sighed.
"That makes sense!"
Surya nodded, his eyes lighting up.
The gods gathered together and reviewed their earlier tactics.
At that moment, Narada tilted his head and blinked. His fingers lightly brushed across his Veena, and he revealed a profound smile.
"Hey! Once those Asuras return, what if we pursue them while we have the momentum and catch the Asura army off guard?"
"We are not included in the oath between the Heavenly Emperor and Golden Bed."
Narada reminded them.
"But what about Golden Bed?"
Vayu asked.
"The Heavenly Emperor will deal with him!"
Narada smiled.
"!!!"
Hearing Narada's words, the gods suddenly felt inspiration flash through their minds, and their hearts began to itch.
This plan was actually feasible!
As long as the Heavenly Emperor held Golden Bed back.
Then, if all the gods attacked together, they could ambush and wipe out this Asura army. And since they would be the ones acting, it would have nothing to do with the Gandharva army in the Netherworld, nor would it involve the oath.
"Heavenly Emperor!"
"What do you think?"
Surya turned and asked.
In his eyes was reflected a streaking figure, flashing through the void and charging straight toward the Brahma Realm.
"Why are you still standing there?!"
"There is no army in the Netherworld!"
Only that roar remained by the gods' ears, echoing for a long time.
The gods froze slightly.
No army?
No army!!!
Oh no!
"Aruna!"
Surya's pupils contracted. He immediately turned around, moving like the wind—faster even than Vayu—and lunged toward the Sun Chariot as he shouted at the God of Dawn.
Aruna had already understood.
He snapped the reins!
With a sharp crack, the divine horses neighed and the wheels began to roll as the chariot sped forward.
"If there is no army, what will happen when the Asuras return?"
"Oh no!"
The gods and the Gandharva army also came to their senses.
One after another, the gods lunged toward the Sun Chariot and crowded aboard.
Fortunately, the Sun Chariot's radiance was like solid ropes and threads.
More Gandharvas grabbed the light streaming from the divine chariot like people clinging to a train. Holding it as though it were rope, they surged forward in a mighty procession, like a hanging Milky Way, racing toward the Brahma Realm.
"Slow down!"
"Wait for me!"
"Make room for me!"
Aruna's pupils shook as he watched the divine horses stumble beneath the strain, terror filling his heart.
It was time to test his driving skills!
This was a high-stakes match!
Before you continue