"Demon monkey, you dare intrude upon the imperial palace? Your crime is punishable by death!"
The captain of the guards bellowed, and a dozen battle-hardened figures flashed around Sun Wukong, surrounding him on all sides.
At the same time, seventy-two imperial cultivators hidden in the shadows rose into the air. Their sleeves fluttered, their magical weapons trembled, and in an instant they had laid a net that covered the heavens and earth.
Within the palace, three thousand imperial guards surged in from every direction like a tide. Their steps were orderly, their armor glinted coldly, and their long spears and halberds bristled with murderous intent.
Qin Shi Huang stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp gaze fixed on the arrogant, unruly monkey before him, whose demonic aura soared to the heavens.
"Who are you? Were you sent by the remnants of the Six States to assassinate me?"
Ever since Jing Ke's assassination attempt, Ying Zheng had made the imperial palace as impregnable as a fortress, leaving no opening whatsoever.
But when Sun Wukong heard him, he threw back his head and laughed. A look of disdain for all under heaven appeared on his face.
"I am the Handsome Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain. I command millions of demons who roam the four seas. How could mere mortals like you possibly order me around?"
He took a step forward and lightly tapped the Golden Cudgel against the ground. Sparks flew, and the blades surrounding him seemed to freeze under an invisible pressure. The air itself appeared to seethe like flames.
"Qin Shi Huang, I see that you are an exceptional ruler of your generation, and that you dare defy Heaven. I can give you a hand!"
Qin Shi Huang paused, his gaze doubtful.
"You're a demon cultivator. How can you help me defy Heaven? Go on, let's hear it!"
Sun Wukong stared straight at Qin Shi Huang with his golden eyes, his voice low.
"It's simple! If your Great Qin Dynasty is willing to become a brother nation with my Flower-Fruit Mountain, from now on, you will be the younger brother and I the elder! I swear that Flower-Fruit Mountain will protect Great Qin. If Heaven wants to destroy you, I'll pierce the sky! If the gods want to kill you, I'll wipe out every god under Heaven! If Buddha wants to destroy you, I'll crush the Buddhist kingdom on Spirit Mountain—whoever in the Three Realms dares stand in my way will die!"
His voice rolled like thunder. The generals and soldiers before the palace all changed expression, but the invisible pressure of his demonic might left them short of breath. Cold sweat seeped out beneath their armor.
Qin Shi Huang first froze, then gave a cold laugh. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and faintly brimmed with the might of an emperor.
"What did you say?"
He slowly stepped forward, holding his sword across his chest. Its blade reflected the night, gleaming with a fierce, icy light.
"You want me to call you elder brother? You want my Great Qin Dynasty to bow down and become a junior to your Flower-Fruit Mountain?"
His eyes flashed as he fixed Sun Wukong with a cold stare. Each word rang out like clashing steel.
"Demon monkey, that's nothing but a fool's dream! Utterly ridiculous!"
What kind of man was Qin Shi Huang?
Through wind and storm, he had swept across the Six States and swallowed the Eight Directions, conquering the tigerish Six States with an iron will and looking down upon all nations!
A heaven-blessed ruler like him had pride in his bones. How could he bow to a monkey?
"With one sword, I can bring all under Heaven to heel. A million cavalry can trample mountains and rivers!"
He pointed his sword at Sun Wukong, his voice like iron striking iron.
"You're nothing but a demon monkey. What power do you have to defy Heaven? How do I know you're not just making empty boasts to deceive people? If you have no real ability, how can you speak of contending with Heaven?"
At his words, Sun Wukong didn't get angry. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted, and a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
As if sensing something, he suddenly looked up at the sky. The night was deep as ink, the stars dim, and the light of Ziwei Star wavering. The imperial star flickered, seeming on the verge of falling!
A thread of lightning flashed behind the clouds. Heaven was enraged!
That old Jade Emperor had truly lost his temper!
"Heh. Fate has changed..."
Sun Wukong gave a cold laugh to himself, then formed a hand seal with one hand, his fingers like lotus petals. Faint golden light curled between them, and a divine radiance flashed across his brow. In an instant, he had divined the future and its consequences!
A moment later, he lowered his gaze to Ying Zheng. A trace of pity had appeared in his golden eyes.
"Ying Zheng, your defiance of Heaven has already provoked its wrath!"
His voice was like a cold wind, sharp and decisive.
"I have divined Heaven's secrets—you will live no longer than forty-nine years. You will die at the Palace of Dune!"
"After your death, Great Qin's dragon vein will be severed, and not one of your descendants will meet a good end!"
"Prince Fusu will take his own life, and Prince Jianglü will be executed..."
"Your Great Qin will fall in its second generation, and the land will descend into chaos once more, with heroes rising everywhere... Your empire, your dream of immortality—they'll all be no more than a fleeting illusion!"
Sun Wukong's voice rang like the evening drum and morning bell, shattering the night and striking Qin Shi Huang's deepest fear!
Qin Shi Huang's expression changed instantly. Veins throbbed at his temples, and his eyes filled with blood.
"Arrogant demon monkey! How dare you curse me!"
His fury blazed like a raging fire. He pointed his sword straight at Sun Wukong, nearly grinding his teeth to dust.
"My empire will endure for a thousand autumns, my rule for ten thousand generations! I won't let you, demon monkey, spout nonsense and shake my resolve!"
He let out a thunderous roar that resounded throughout the palace and beyond.
"Guards!!! All soldiers, heed my command! Seize the demon monkey! Put him to death at once, grind his bones to dust, and scatter them to the winds!"
In an instant, drums thundered and blades gleamed. Thousands of imperial guards surged forward like a tide, their killing intent reaching the Nine Heavens!
Yet Sun Wukong still stood with his hands behind his back. His golden eyes narrowed, and a disdainful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Heh... mere mortal soldiers and mortal swords. You're like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—pathetic and overconfident!"
Sun Wukong didn't bother to argue with Qin Shi Huang.
Fate had changed. Qin Shi Huang's years were nearly spent, and his death was close at hand.
When the time came, he would learn whether Sun Wukong's words were true!
"Whoosh—"
Sun Wukong suddenly raised his hand and gently plucked a golden strand of hair from behind his ear.
He flicked it lightly with his fingertip. The hair shimmered with a faint golden glow and silently landed on the dragon crown atop Qin Shi Huang's head.
Qin Shi Huang felt a slight coolness on his head and reached up to pluck it off. But the hair sank into his crown as if taking root, vanishing in an instant and leaving behind only a wisp of spiritual energy, hidden from sight.
Sun Wukong looked at Ying Zheng, a faintly amused expression in his golden eyes. His voice was calm.
"Soon enough, you'll know whether I spoke the truth... When the time comes, if you're willing to work with me, pull out this hair, and I'll come."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Wukong suddenly threw back his head and let out a long howl. An immeasurable torrent of Demonic Power exploded from him like a tsunami!
A beam of golden light shot into the sky, piercing the Nine Heavens!
BOOM!!!
A vast surge of spiritual energy swept through the palace!
The four imperial palace guardians were struck as if by a heavy blow. They spat blood and crumpled to their knees.
The seventy-two cultivators hadn't even finished forming their hand seals before they were flung away like stalks of straw, slamming into the golden pillars carved with dragons and groaning in pain.
Hundreds of personal guards and three thousand armored soldiers turned deathly pale and collapsed where they stood. Their swords, spears, and halberds clattered to the ground.
The entire Qin Imperial Palace—the impregnable net Qin Shi Huang had been so proud of—was reduced to rubble in an instant!
Amid the golden light, Sun Wukong stood with his hands behind his back, his expression proud and a disdainful smile on his lips.
"A mere imperial palace... You think it can hold me?"
With that, Sun Wukong shot into the sky and vanished in a flash of light. His voice drifted down from the Nine Heavens, echoing throughout the Qin Imperial Palace.
"Ying Zheng, remember this!"
"I bestow upon you a Life-Saving Monkey Hair. Life or death, success or failure—it all rests on a single thought! If one day you wish to follow me, pull out this hair and think of me. I'll come!"
His words faded, the golden light vanished completely, and the world returned to silence.
Ying Zheng stood in the center of the golden hall, his face dark as iron. Yet his fingertips trembled faintly.
The almost imperceptible monkey hair atop his head seemed both an invisible curse and a road leading to Heaven.
He gripped his dragon sword tightly, his eyes bloodshot, and muttered through gritted teeth:
"That demon monkey... he's truly formidable. He treated my impenetrable defenses and heavenly net as if they were nothing!"
Qin Shi Huang looked at the soldiers sprawled across the ground, his gaze filled with conflicting emotions. He murmured to himself:
"Could that monkey have been telling the truth? Is my Great Qin really doomed to fall..."
Before you continue