Golden clouds pressed down from the heavens, blotting out the sky.
Not one cloud, not two—but a full ten miles of them, stretching from the horizon all the way above the Axe Gang's stronghold.
Above the clouds, banners snapped in the wind and golden armor gleamed. Three thousand Heavenly Soldiers stood in formation, their overwhelming presence crashing down in waves like a tangible tide.
The underlings in the stronghold had already dropped to their knees in terror.
"Oh, my god... Heavenly Soldiers and Generals... They're really Heavenly Soldiers and Generals..."
"We're finished, we're finished, we're finished! When did our Axe Gang ever offend the Heavenly Court...?"
Zhu Bajie was huddled beneath a table, trembling. "I... I'm just a bandit strategist. I have nothing to do with the Heavenly Court... Back when I was Marshal Tianpeng, I never did anything bad... except for that one time I teased Chang'e..."
Sha Wujing crouched in a corner, his face pale, but at least he could still stand.
Zhi Zun Bao stood at the stronghold's gate, looking up at the radiant golden army. His palms were slick with sweat.
"Hey, kid," he asked without turning around, "are you sure you can fight?"
Goten walked past him and stepped onto the open ground in front of the stronghold.
He looked up at the golden army in the sky, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
"Three thousand?"
Goten tilted his head.
"The Frieza Force my dad fought by himself was... hmm... probably about a million times bigger than this."
Zhi Zun Bao's mouth twitched. "Just who is your dad, anyway?"
"Sun Wukong." Goten turned around and said earnestly, "The strongest warrior in the universe."
With that, he turned back toward the sky and took a deep breath—
Then he shouted.
"Hey—!!!"
His voice echoed across the Gobi Desert.
The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals in the sky all turned to look at him.
Goten pointed a finger at the sky and grinned.
"Come at me all at once."
A huge battle flag parted in the ranks of the Heavenly Soldiers, and a figure in teal armor, holding a Jade Pipa, slowly descended.
Dhritarashtra.
He stood over ten feet tall, his face stern and his gaze sharp as lightning.
The Jade Pipa in his hands was a deep, lustrous green. Its strings glinted with a cold light—they were made from dragon bone, and when played, they could unleash sound waves that shattered the soul.
"Boy from another world," Dhritarashtra said in a deep, booming voice. "The Jade Emperor has issued his decree. Come with us to the Heavenly Court to stand trial, and you may be spared. Defy the decree—"
He lightly plucked a string.
Vooom—!!!
A sound wave, sharp as a real blade, whistled past Goten's ear and split the boulder behind him in two!
"—and you will be killed without mercy."
Goten didn't even blink.
He looked down at the split boulder, then up at Dhritarashtra.
"A sound-wave attack?"
He scratched his head.
"One of my dad's friends, Jeice, can use a similar move... but he can't beat my dad."
Dhritarashtra furrowed his brow.
This boy—he wasn't afraid of him at all.
That wasn't normal.
Under the might of heaven, no living being in the Three Realms could remain calm—not even a Demon King like the Bull Demon King would dare face the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals without some trepidation.
But in this boy's eyes, there was only curiosity and excitement.
As if he were looking at some interesting new toy.
Dhritarashtra stopped wasting words and swept his hand through the air.
"Form up—Heavenly Net!"
The three thousand Heavenly Soldiers answered with a thunderous roar and raised their spears in unison!
Golden light shot from every spear, weaving together in the sky to form a gigantic golden net. It covered the heavens for miles around, enveloping the entire Axe Gang stronghold!
Goten looked up at the glowing net, his expression turning slightly serious.
He could feel it—
The net was suppressing his power.
It was like an invisible hand pressing down on the energy within him. He could have flown into the sky with ease, but now his legs felt as heavy as lead.
"Oh?"
His eyes lit up.
"Interesting."
Dhritarashtra looked down at him from above. "Under the Heavenly Net, no one in the Three Realms can use magic or supernatural abilities. Your power from another world will be suppressed to its limits as well—surrender!"
Goten didn't answer.
He clenched his fists, feeling the pressure on the power within him.
It was true. His power had been suppressed.
But it had only been "suppressed."
It was like someone had lowered his combat power from 100 to 70—but the problem was, his 100 and this world's 100 weren't even remotely the same thing.
"You said two things." Goten looked up and earnestly raised one finger. "First, this formation really can suppress me."
He raised a second finger.
"Second—you said no one in the Three Realms can escape."
Goten grinned.
"But what if... I'm not from the Three Realms?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Golden energy erupted!
It wasn't an ordinary gold. It was a dazzling, blinding gold, shining all the more brilliantly beneath the golden net of light! Goten's hair stood slightly on end, and crackling energy flames swirled around him!
The Heavenly Net shuddered violently!
Dhritarashtra's pupils shrank sharply.
"Th-this is impossible! The Heavenly Net can suppress all power—"
Goten planted his feet and pushed off hard!
Boom!
The ground exploded, and he shot into the sky like a cannonball!
The glowing barrier of the Heavenly Net bulged outward as he slammed into it—like someone pushing hard against a balloon from the inside—
Pop!
A soft sound rang out.
The Heavenly Net—broke.
Before you continue