Monkey Brother Points His Staff at the High Heaven Palace

Haotian felt a sense of despair!

Although Haotian originated as a gatekeeping attendant for Hongjun, in the eyes of the various saints, he was merely a bottom-tier figure.

But that did not mean Haotian's innate aptitude was poor;

in fact, Haotian's aptitude was top-tier.

He attained the Dao from the Primordial Extreme Yang Divine Stone, and because he had guarded Zixiao Palace for so long, he understood many secret histories of heaven and earth.

Coupled with the personal teachings of the saints by his side, Haotian's temperament was first-rate.

Otherwise, even if Hongjun wanted to push Haotian to the throne as a reward for his service, the Three Pure Ones would never have supported a fool for the position.

Haotian's intelligence was top-tier; the only issue was that when Hongjun pushed him to the throne, he used a technique of enlightenment that exhausted Haotian's potential for cultivation.

Otherwise, after several epochs had passed, there might have been another Hunyuan or saint emerging in the Primordial Era.

Haotian's intelligence was sufficient; if it weren't, he wouldn't have been able to trigger the Investiture of the Gods Calamity across the three sects of the Mystic Gate.

In terms of pure intelligence and scheming, he was on the same level as Yuanshi and Zhunti.

It was only because his cultivation realm was insufficient that he could not grasp much of the necessary information.

In the exchanges between wise men, incomplete information is the most fatal flaw.

From the words of Taishang Laojun, Haotian learned two life-threatening pieces of information:

First, Sun Wukong, who possessed the cultivation of a Quasi-Saint the moment he was born, had a background so massive that even the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate could not afford to provoke him!

Second, the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate had originally intended only a minor punishment, but now, they had completely abandoned him to his fate.

Third, his current Fate was no longer in his own hands; whether he could survive would depend entirely on the decision of Sun Wukong!

This left Haotian in utter despair.

He was the co-ruler of the Three Realms, the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court, and a peak Quasi-Saint!

How could his fate now be out of his own control?

How could Haotian be willing to accept this?!

But what if he was unwilling?

Who told him to act as a blade in the hands of the two saints of Buddhism?

In the Primordial Era, right and wrong did not matter; only Karma mattered.

Whether it was the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate or Sun Wukong, if they wanted to settle their Karma, they could only come for him, the Heavenly Emperor, rather than seeking out the Western Saint!

Haotian took a deep breath: "Laojun, is there really no other way for me?"

He did not want to fall!

He was the co-ruler of the Three Realms and a peak Quasi-Saint.

Aside from the few saints, he was the most supreme power in the Primordial Era.

He stood below a few saints, but above billions upon billions of cultivators.

He possessed endless lifespan, endless authority, and boundless glory.

How could Haotian be willing to fall here?

So what if he had plotted against Sun Wukong?

He was just a monkey who had reached the Quasi-Saint realm upon birth...

Could it be that he, the dignified Heavenly Emperor, truly could not afford to provoke him?

Haotian's expression shifted rapidly, but eventually, it steadied, and a look of severity flashed across his face!

Taishang Laojun shook his head slightly; he was, after all, an avatar of a saint.

How could Haotian's intentions be hidden from him?

Taishang Laojun sighed:

"Great Heavenly Venerate, take care of yourself. This Old Daoist shall take his leave."

Having said that, he ignored Haotian's attempts to make him stay and returned to Doushuai Palace.

He immediately sent a message to Taishang: "Haotian has already been manipulated by the so-called trend of the Heavenly Dao and cannot extricate himself."

Taishang remained silent.

With the joint recommendation of the saints at Zixiao Palace, the verification of the Heavenly Dao, and the realization of the Rise of the West, the trend of the Heavenly Dao had been set in motion.

Every cultivator deep within the Primordial Era would, intentionally or unintentionally, be drawn into this trend of the Heavenly Dao.

Even Haotian is subject to the influence of the Heavenly Dao.

To be precise, he is influenced by the Heavenly Dao controlled by Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

He has unconsciously become a part of it!

Whether he knows it or not, he is pushing forward the Rise of the West!

This is the nature of Haotian's refusal to compromise or accept his fate.

Come to think of it, as the co-ruler of the Three Realms and a peak Quasi-Saint, he would one day face such a great catastrophe.

Even an ant cherishes its own life, let alone Haotian!

Haotian composed his panicked state of mind, and a sense of injustice suddenly welled up within him!

"I am the co-ruler of the Three Realms appointed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, and I command the Three Realms, the Six Paths, the Nine Underworlds, the Ten Lands, and All Heavens and Myriad Worlds."

"I am the one to whom destiny belongs, and that Monkey must face a tribulation."

"I am merely complying with the Heavenly Dao!"

"How does that Monkey have the qualifications to judge me? It should be the other way around!"

"The Sages of the Mystic Gate actually reprimanded me for the sake of a wild monkey that appeared out of nowhere!"

"This is a violation of the Heavenly Dao!"

Haotian's eyes turned slightly red.

An inexplicable resentment was born in his heart!

Resentment toward the Sages of the Mystic Gate.

The attitude of Taishang Laojun was quite clear; all the Sages were blaming and criticizing him.

All for the sake of a monkey!!

Haotian was unwilling to accept this!

He had completely forgotten that he had schemed against the Sages in retaliation for the Western Sage Zhunti scheming against his own sister.

Haotian felt that he had been diligent and conscientious in his position as the Heavenly Emperor; even if he had no merit, he had certainly put in the hard work.

He had contributed to the Mystic Gate!

But what had he received in return?

Respect?!

That was completely non-existent!

Haotian's fury grew ever more intense!

He had to save himself!

There was no point in counting on the Mystic Gate at all.

They did not care about his life or death; they only cared about a monkey that had appeared from who knows where!

Flames of rage burned in Haotian's eyes.

He truly wanted to slap that Monkey to death!

Haotian was a peak Quasi-Saint, and he had the confidence to do so.

But his last remaining shred of reason told him he could not do this!

If he were to do that, he would truly be at odds with the four Sages.

A thought flashed through Haotian's mind, and he had an idea: "Taibai Jinxing, go and invite Buddha Rulai of the West to resolve this calamity!"

Taibai Jinxing was slightly stunned, but he still accepted the decree and departed.

Haotian then ordered: "The demon monkey is causing chaos; all Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, go and capture him!"

The civil and military Immortal Officials immediately emerged in the Hall of Lingxiao and replied in unison!

Haotian watched the Monkey's performance, his fury burning—that Monkey was actually dragging an Angel half a head taller than himself, charging straight toward the South Heaven Gate.

No matter how wrong the Angel might be, he was still an Angel, representing the majesty of the Heavenly Court.

For that Monkey to treat an Angel in such a way clearly showed he did not hold him in any regard.

This was an unforgivable sin!

Haotian was enraged, and a Thought-form flashed through his mind, "I must capture the Monkey and tear him into ten thousand pieces to uphold the strictness of my Heavenly Laws!"

He is the co-ruler of the Three Realms, Haotian Shangdi; who in the Heavenly Court would dare to disobey his decree?

Outside the South Heaven Gate, a host of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals from the Heavenly Court emerged to block the way.

Sun Wukong was furious.

He gripped the Angel in his hand, his rage growing with every passing moment!

In all honesty, when that Angel had arrived at Biyou Palace to deliver the invitation to the Peaches of Immortality banquet, Sun Wukong had merely asked a few questions out of curiosity.

Yet that Angel had actually dared to say, "Where did this monkey demon come from, daring to covet an invitation meant for the supreme deities of the Primordial Era?"

That single sentence had completely set Sun Wukong off!

He was a man of principle!

If this Angel had spoken politely—for instance, saying he hadn't heard of Sun Wukong's name and thus hadn't extended an invitation—

Sun Wukong would never have been this angry.

But not only did this Angel look down his nose at people, he had actually insulted him!

How could he endure that?

The Monkey was not someone to be bullied!

Sun Wukong dragged the Angel straight toward the South Heaven Gate, ignoring all the attempts by Duobao and the others behind him to persuade him otherwise.

Even his own master had never scolded him, Yet this fellow actually dared to insult him?

He absolutely had to be punished!

A mere Angel—beating him up wasn't much of an achievement.

Sun Wukong had never intended to just beat up some Angel.

The one he wanted to strike was Haotian!

The South Heaven Gate was packed with a dense formation of one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.

Sun Wukong sneered and blew a sudden breath.

A whirlwind instantly swept across the area outside the South Heaven Gate!

The wind, like a tornado, engulfed the one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, spinning them away until they vanished without a trace!

Haotian's eyes went wide!

These were one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, all of whom had at least the cultivation of a Golden Immortal!

And yet, they were this vulnerable?

It was a complete disgrace to the face of the Heavenly Court.

Haotian issued an urgent order: "Summon the Heavenly Officials of the Fighting Department to meet the enemy!"

The decree was sent out.

Not long after, The messenger returned, drenched in sweat: "Great Heavenly Venerate, Doumu Yuanjun says that this person is her Martial Uncle, and it would be improper for her to take action!"

What?

Haotian was stunned speechless!

Are you kidding me?!

That Doumu Yuanjun was the incarnation of Jinling.

Jinling was one of the four direct disciples of Biyou Palace, A bona fide disciple of a Sage!

But what did she call that monkey?

Martial Uncle!!

In other words, this monkey, who had just been born not long ago and had already reached the realm of a Quasi-Saint, had a master!

He was no wild monkey without a background.

And for Jinling, a disciple of a Sage, to call Sun Wukong Martial Uncle was certainly not a decision made on her own.

That monkey's seniority was on par with the Sages—though he was a generation or two below Nuwa, after all, he had been born from Nuwa's Five-Colored Stone!

A being who could stand on equal footing with the Sages.

Did that not mean that the monkey's master was someone who could be mentioned in the same breath as Dao Ancestor Hongjun?

This was completely beyond Haotian's imagination!

Was there anyone else in this Primordial Era who could stand on equal footing with the Dao Ancestor?

Haotian did not know!

But he knew even better that a Sage would not speak without purpose!

There must be some secret hidden here that he was unaware of!

Haotian felt inexplicably flustered!

He suddenly realized that the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace were actually playing for real.

The Eight Immortals had attained sainthood through their physical bodies, and their status within the Heavenly Court was extremely high.

However, they were indeed the type to listen to orders but not necessarily follow summons.

What did that mean?

If the Eight Immortals believed an imperial decree was just, then they would comply with Haotian's will.

Conversely, if they believed Haotian's idea was just a ruse, they would reject the proposal!

In layman's terms, It meant: if I think this matter is doable, then we'll do it; if I think this matter won't work, then it is absolutely out of the question!

It was as simple and brutal as that!

Haotian's palms were slick with cold sweat.

He suddenly realized that the eight great immortals of Biyou Palace!

No!

Including Taishang Laojun of the Human Sect, Randeng of Chan Jiao, and the others...

They had all vanished without a trace.

His own administrative orders had barely managed to make it out of the Hall of Lingxiao!

The fury that had filled Haotian was instantly extinguished!

He discovered with horror that the situation had become dire!

The various great powers of the Mystic Gate were all subtly radiating their dissatisfaction!

And when the Heavenly Court came under attack, the moment these immortals of the Mystic Gate hid themselves, Haotian was left completely blind!

One had to know that although the disciples of the Mystic Gate were in the minority within the Heavenly Court, the problem was that they occupied all the important positions.

Four of the Six Sovereigns were people from the Mystic Gate.

Even Doumu Yuanjun, a powerful figure who held real authority and controlled the strongest combat department in the Heavenly Court, was also from the Mystic Gate.

It could be said that as long as these few great powers issued an order, Haotian's decrees would never leave the Hall of Lingxiao!

In other words, he was being completely sidelined!

Right now... Haotian felt exactly what it was like to be sidelined.

He knew this was a warning from the Sages!

The Heavenly Court was not Haotian's Heavenly Court; it was the Mystic Gate's Heavenly Court!

Haotian, this Heavenly Emperor, was merely following the Sages' decrees to manage it on their behalf.

If Haotian were incompetent... he would naturally be deposed.

There was absolutely no room for negotiation!

Haotian broke out in a cold sweat!

Sun Wukong traveled along the path without any obstruction—the true great powers of the Mystic Gate were basically his juniors, and they had long since received instructions from the higher-ups to stay far away.

Although there were many Immortal Officials from the Western Teachings, their cultivation at best reached the level of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal; how could they possibly hold him back?

Sun Wukong was a Quasi-Saint!

One realm, one heaven; in the Primordial Era, this was almost an absolute truth!

The Monkey swung the Angel around, using him as a weapon. Whenever any Immortal Official dared to block his path, he would simply swing...

Regardless of who they were, they were all smashed to pieces!

Sun Wukong arrived directly beneath the Hall of Lingxiao.

Only then did Haotian lose his composure, shouting, "Protect the Emperor!"

But who was there to come?!

The pitiful, dignified co-ruler of the Three Realms was, at this very moment, left without a single person close to him!

Sun Wukong dangled the Angel in his hand—the Angel was already on the verge of death.

"Old man, this fellow was sent by you, right!"

Haotian suppressed his rage and nodded solemnly: "Indeed!"

Sun Wukong tossed his hand casually, and that Angel crashed through the Hall of Lingxiao and flew out!

Haotian glared in fury, "How dare you destroy my precious hall!"

The Monkey waved his hand impatiently, "You are the Lord of the Three Realms, a supreme being of great power."

"I don't believe for a second that you didn't see how many Heavenly Soldiers and Generals Old Sun slaughtered!"

"I can kill Immortal Officials, let alone this dilapidated shack of yours!"

A dilapidated shack?!

Huh?!!

Haotian was nearly driven mad with rage!

The magnificent, solemn, and towering Hall of Lingxiao was actually being called some dilapidated shack!

Haotian was livid!

The Monkey curled his lip, "What is there to look at in this dump? The house I live in is ten million times more magnificent than this!"

His expression turned serious, "Old Man, I've come to settle the score with you!"

"I had just been born, so it's fine that you hadn't heard my name yet."

"But how are you managing your subordinates?"

"You condone your subordinates harming others; that is your fault!"

"That Angel was merely a minor immortal; arguing with him would only diminish my reputation for no reason!"

Sun Wukong stated firmly, "Old Man, if I'm going to find someone, it has to be you!"

Hmm?!

Haotian was stunned.

It turned out this Monkey was actually quite upright and forthright.

He found his opinion of the Monkey shifting slightly.

But the moment he remembered that he had been reprimanded by the four Sages because of this Monkey, the fury in his heart became uncontrollable.

Haotian said with majesty:

"I am the Emperor of the Heavenly Court, the Lord of the Three Realms. By speaking to me like this, you are violating the Heavenly Law and shall suffer Heavenly Punishment!"

Sun Wukong was enraged!

The Monkey laughed aloud, "In this Primordial Era, besides my master, who dares to judge Old Sun?"

"Who could possibly judge me?!"

Haotian was shocked, "How dare you utter such treasonous remarks?"

These words were truly treasonous.

In the Primordial Era, Sages were supreme, and above the Sages was the Heavenly Dao!

The Sages acted on behalf of the Heavenly Dao to set the rules!

No living being in the Primordial Era could defy their commands.

To defy them was to invite Heavenly Punishment!

The Monkey's remarks were already bordering on "defying the heavens"!

Haotian couldn't help but look up at the sky.

According to his understanding, such remarks had already violated the laws of the Heavenly Dao, and Heavenly Punishment should have descended!

But a scene that shocked Haotian occurred.

Within the Heavenly Court, there was not a single stir!

Haotian's worldview nearly shattered!

Such treasonous remarks, and yet there was no punishment?

Are you kidding me!!

How exactly is the Heavenly Dao monitoring things?

Only now did Haotian realize the gravity of the situation.

That the Monkey could say such things without being struck by Heavenly Punishment—what did this signify?

He suddenly recalled a question: "Why would the Four Sages address this Monkey as a brother? How could the Monkey possibly withstand such a blessing?"

To be a fellow disciple of the Sages—was that a title one could simply bear?

If one's fate were even slightly weak, their fortune would be severed instantly!

They might even die an unnatural death!

Yet, the Monkey was perfectly fine!

There was not the slightest sign of him dying young!

It simply shocked Haotian to his core!

Sun Wukong grew impatient: "Old Man, you ordered your messenger to insult me; that won't do!"

"I am going to settle this with you!"

He reached into his ear and pulled out an Embroidery Needle.

The Monkey blew a breath of immortal energy onto it, and the Embroidery Needle instantly transformed into a long, thin rod.

Sun Wukong gave it a shake, and the rod immediately grew to the thickness of a bowl and became incredibly long!

With the rod in hand, the Monkey's demeanor changed in an instant.

His golden fur flew wildly.

His nostrils flared, and his fangs were bared.

Staring coldly at Haotian, Sun Wukong said, word by word:

"Old Man, if you dare to insult me, you had better be prepared to have your head beaten into a pulp!"

"I will definitely make you taste why the flowers are so red!"

Haotian suddenly felt an immense sense of absurdity!

He was the Great Emperor of the Heavenly Court, the co-ruler of the Three Realms, and a peak Quasi-Saint!

And what was that Monkey?

He had only just entered the Quasi-Saint realm!

A mere fledgling Quasi-Saint actually dared to challenge him, a mighty figure standing at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm?

Was he overthinking things?!

Haotian was quite confident. Although he had not crossed paths with the great powers of the Primordial Era, He dared to be certain that

the three great Quasi-Saints of the Primordial Era—Rulai, Zhen Yuanzi, and Kunpeng—as well as the eight great disciples of Biyou Palace like Duobao and Jinling, would absolutely never want to make an enemy of him!

The reason was simple.

Other great powers might be called peak Quasi-Saints, but they perhaps still had room for improvement!

But Haotian, this peak Quasi-Saint, was at the absolute summit.

There was not even a shred of possibility for further progress!

His cultivation was fixed in place.

He would neither progress nor decline; he would remain forever in the most peak state of a Quasi-Saint!

Haotian watched Sun Wukong's bared fangs and brandished claws, and his heart inexplicably calmed down.

"So, it turns out he is just a brave and fierce, unruly monkey!"

He felt a twinge of regret in his heart.

Had he known the Monkey was like this, why would he have made those preparations?

He could have suppressed him with a single hand!

Haotian glanced carelessly at the rod in the Monkey's hand, and in an instant, his expression changed drastically.

His primordial spirit leaped frantically within his Sea of Consciousness.

A premonition of danger—his primordial spirit was sounding the alarm!!

Haotian's pupils shrank to mere pinpoints.

"This rod... this rod..."

Sun Wukong's rod was the color of mysterious yellow, with wisps of merit energy flowing across it.

It was, shockingly, a Supreme Merit Treasure.

That was not the most important thing.

The most important thing was that the rod possessed a supreme power that had locked onto Haotian!