Chen Tong gave Juanlian a long look. He'd only smashed a lousy cup, yet he had to suffer such a grave punishment. It was laughable that this guy still wanted to serve his Jade Emperor. Tsk, he was beyond saving.
"Juanlian, I'm giving you one more chance!" Chen Tong declared proudly. "Come with me, and I'll keep you safe."
Juanlian looked around in confusion, wondering if he'd heard wrong. He pointed at himself. "You're saying you'll keep me safe?"
"What? You don't believe me?" Chen Tong remained just as haughty.
"Just walk over here. Don't worry. I guarantee not one of these gods will dare touch you. Once we leave, you'll be safe."
"Heh..." Juanlian gave a bitter smile. He didn't believe a word Chen Tong said. No matter how powerful the other man was, there was a limit to it. If the Jade Emperor wanted him punished, there would be nowhere in the world for him to hide.
"Though I don't know why you want to save me, you should forget it. You'd be better off worrying about your own situation. Compared to what you're facing, my crime is nothing."
"Hmph, what an idiot." Chen Tong openly sneered at his choice. If it weren't for the mission, what did I care whether you lived or died?
Chen Tong's expression turned cold, and he let his Great Unity Golden Immortal cultivation burst forth without restraint. Deep blue light rippled around him. He had already decided: he would simply abduct the man.
He raised his left hand slightly. The space around the South Heavenly Gate seemed to come under immense pressure. King Guangmu and all the other Heavenly Soldiers and Generals dropped to their knees. It was the suppression of superior cultivation—and the divine might of a Great Unity Golden Immortal.
"Great... Unity... Golden Immortal!!" King Guangmu summoned every last bit of divine power to roar out the heaviest words he had spoken since becoming a god. Terror filled his eyes as he stared at the young man before him, dressed in fluttering white robes and radiating heroic splendor.
He had cultivated for ten thousand years, yet had only reached the Heaven Immortal realm. Though he held a divine title, he was little more than a gatekeeper. Why did this young man keep overturning everything he thought he knew?
Before, he had only been afraid of the other man's mysterious abilities. Now, he was truly terrified. This was a Great Unity Golden Immortal, whose strength was far beyond that of a mere Heavenly King like him.
Chen Tong reached out with his right hand and curled his fingers. A force of attraction shot toward Juanlian. In the next moment, Juanlian was pulled toward him like a sheet of paper.
"Amitabha!" A Buddhist Chant rang out. A lotus flower wreathed in white light appeared in the air, sacred and pure. It dispelled all the pressure and stopped Juanlian from being pulled any farther.
Chen Tong furrowed his brow and slowly uttered two words: "Guanyin!"
"Boy, you really are lawless. Stirring up trouble at Spiritual Mountain was bad enough, but now you dare to cause a disturbance at the South Heavenly Gate! Are you determined to make an enemy of all creation?"
"Hmph!" Chen Tong sneered. "Guanyin, have you recovered from your injuries? As far as I know, that attack of mine, with eighty percent of my strength, should have kept you in bed for at least eight days! I can't believe you've come running back to get beaten again."
The gods were delighted by Bodhisattva Guanyin's appearance, but Chen Tong's next words left them utterly dumbfounded.
In all the world, aside from that brash monkey, there was probably no one else who dared speak to Bodhisattva Guanyin like that.
King Guangmu looked equally stunned and terrified. A Great Unity Golden Immortal was powerful, but Bodhisattva Guanyin was a Quasi-Saint! With no saints appearing, a Quasi-Saint was invincible. Who would dare disrespect him?
"Smooth-tongued brat!" Chen Tong's words clearly angered Guanyin. "Last time, I was careless and fell for your sneak attack. Do you really think you're invincible?"
"What? This kid really beat Guanyin?" The gods were stunned all over again.
"Right..." Chen Tong was disdainful of her posturing, but inwardly, he was already calculating how to escape. He was still a long way from the East Sea, and after being caught off guard last time, she would surely be on her guard now.
Honestly, when he thought it through, he realized this was a situation where he was almost certain to die. Fear began to creep into his heart.
A Great Unity Golden Immortal could reach any place in the world with a single thought, but only if nothing interfered. Guanyin clearly wouldn't give him that chance.
Guanyin slowly raised her hand, and the power of a Quasi-Saint erupted. It seemed she no longer wished to waste words on Chen Tong.
"I'm giving you one last chance. Will you kneel and surrender, or shall I suppress you myself?"
Chen Tong's expression remained calm and unruffled, but only he knew how damp his back had become. Seeing him say nothing, Guanyin's jade hand slowly pressed down.
Wave after wave of white air crashed around Chen Tong like boulders weighing ten thousand jin. His fearsome Great Unity Golden Immortal cultivation seemed as fragile as a sheet of paper.
"So... this is the difference in power that comes with a higher realm?" Chen Tong gritted his teeth and held on with all his might, fists clenched tight. His nails pierced his skin, and drops of blood welled in his hands.
In only three breaths, he was already drenched in sweat, his face flushed and veins bulging. Without that last shred of pride deep inside him, he would have already fallen to his knees.
"To endure the pressure of my Quasi-Saint cultivation for this long shows some ability. But in the end, you're just an ant trying to stop a chariot."
Guanyin exerted more force. Chen Tong's legs suddenly trembled and slowly buckled until he was kneeling on the ground.
"Guanyin! I'll repay today's humiliation a hundredfold! A thousandfold!" Chen Tong roared from the depths of his soul.
"Hmph. Do you think you'll get the chance?" Guanyin dismissed his threat. "Submit!"
As Guanyin spoke, he opened his hand. A slender willow twig radiating holy light appeared in his palm. He tossed it toward Chen Tong, and it transformed into a rope that swiftly wrapped around him.
Guanyin couldn't truly kill Chen Tong, because the secrets he carried were far more valuable than his life.
Guanyin withdrew his pressure, and Chen Tong immediately slumped to the ground, utterly drained. Just as he tried to struggle back to his feet, the willow glowed white. A searing pain rose from the depths of his soul, nearly knocking him unconscious again.
"Hmph!" Seeing Chen Tong struggle, Guanyin said coolly, "I advise you not to fight back. Every time you struggle, your soul will suffer another bout of pain. After forty-nine times, your soul will be bound forever, until it slowly fades away."
Chen Tong's face twisted with rage. Even from far away, everyone could sense the defiance and indignation in him. But the gods who had once been his enemies felt no pity at all. Some even found it a little amusing.
Guanyin raised his hand slightly, and Chen Tong's body began to rise. If nothing unexpected happened, his fate would be decided at Spiritual Mountain. Thinking of Old Thief Tathagata, Chen Tong gave a bitter laugh, then put him out of his mind.
"We respectfully see off Bodhisattva Guanyin!"
King Guangmu and the other gods bowed. Beneath his own bow, General Juanlian's face was clouded with complicated emotions.
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