"I am Nezha, Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Assembly! Demon monkey, today I have come to capture you. Fight me!"
"Hahahaha!"
Sun Wukong flourished his Golden Cudgel, laughing wildly between heaven and earth, displaying all the splendor of the Handsome Monkey King.
"Whose little child are you? Send your elders here."
Nezha's face darkened. "Enough nonsense. Take this!"
Gripping his Fire-Tipped Spear, he thrust it at Sun Wukong.
"Hehe, then Old Sun will play with you first."
Sun Wukong swung his Golden Cudgel to meet him.
Both were highly accomplished martial fighters. The Golden Cudgel was a Post-Heaven Merit Spirit Treasure, while the Fire-Tipped Spear was an Innate Spirit Treasure.
With almost every collision, Qian Renxue could see cracks shaking open in space.
The once picturesque Flower-Fruit Mountain became a scene of devastation as their spirit treasures clashed.
The monkeys on the mountain screamed incessantly. Even the mere aftershocks of battle killed them with a graze; a direct touch left not even a body behind.
"How terrifying."
Standing on the thundercloud, Qian Renxue stared down with wide eyes.
At the sight of those dead monkeys, a realization suddenly dawned on her.
Although this was her first meeting with Sun Wukong, and they had exchanged only a few words, he was definitely not someone who disregarded the lives of his monkey descendants.
Otherwise, Sun Wukong would never have gone to the Underworld to strike out the monkeys' names.
His current actions were truly abnormal.
Having spent several years as crown prince, Qian Renxue had witnessed far too many plots and schemes. Now that she had become an Earth Granny and understood the rules of the Primordial World, she keenly sensed something amiss.
"Could this be deliberate? These monkeys have lived far too long, disrupting the order of life and death. The Heavenly Court would certainly set things right, but why would the Handsome Monkey King agree?"
Without enough information, Qian Renxue could not deduce anything more.
But she could confirm that today might truly be a deliberate performance.
She could not see what lay at such lofty levels. She only knew that the supreme Great Heavenly Venerable was probably pulling the strings behind this.
"What a grand undertaking. What terrifying power."
Qian Renxue marveled inwardly, failing to notice the slight change in Erlang Shen's gaze beside her.
This Earth God has some wisdom after all.
Erlang Shen chuckled inwardly before looking back at the battlefield.
An Immortal's fighting strength depended first on divine abilities. These were extremely important; those with powerful divine abilities could transform heaven and earth with a thought.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi's Universe in the Sleeve, for example, was a single winning trick that could carry him everywhere.
This was also the mainstream path for Immortals. Ninety-nine percent pursued divine abilities, then recruited guardian gods to ensure their safety at close quarters.
Sun Wukong knew seventy-two great divine abilities, and Nezha was inferior to him in this regard.
The second measure of fighting strength was individual martial skill.
For a Heavenly Court war god, martial skill was extremely important. Divine abilities were difficult to learn, and Immortals proficient in martial combat were even rarer.
Only two in the Heavenly Court could be counted among the very best martial fighters.
One was Yang Jian, and the other was Nezha.
At that moment, Nezha and Sun Wukong fought back and forth using martial skill alone.
"Brother Nezha has improved again."
Yang Jian offered his assessment quietly.
"Hehe, little child, you should go back and send your elders here."
Sun Wukong put some distance between himself and Nezha.
Nezha snorted coldly.
"Demon monkey, don't underestimate me."
Nezha roared, "Behold my Heaven-and-Earth Embodiment!"
The next moment, Nezha grew rapidly taller. In an instant, a six-headed, eight-armed manifestation towered between heaven and earth, his eight hands each holding a different spirit treasure, all shimmering with light.
Nezha looked even fiercer.
The ferocious god of the phrase "ferocious gods and vicious fiends" had found tangible expression at that moment.
"What sort of ability is this?"
Qian Renxue stared, dumbfounded. In this form, she even suspected Nezha could crush the Douluo Continent with a single stomp.
And leaving aside that manifestation, surely all those weapons in his hands were spirit treasures?
Qian Renxue was no longer completely ignorant. Even with her strength, a single spirit treasure would allow her to roam freely through the mortal realm of the Primordial World.
Besides, judging by this Great God's background, his treasures were probably more than mere Post-Heaven Spirit Treasures.
Nezha was simply far too extravagantly equipped. She might never see so many spirit treasures again in her lifetime.
One truly could not judge a person by appearances. This was no child, but a demonic ball; both his strength and his reserves were far too formidable.
"Heaven-and-Earth Embodiment? Old Sun knows that too!"
The next moment, Sun Wukong also grew rapidly taller.
As the two enormous manifestations fought, even the thundercloud showed signs of collapsing.
"Fall back!"
Li Jing waved his command flag, ordering the army to retreat.
The two fought until the sun and moon lost their light.
Every swing of their arms changed the colors of the wind and clouds.
Qian Renxue truly understood just how much weight the words "the Handsome Monkey King has some ability" carried. She did not know what realm he had reached, either.
"Nezha, you were told to put on an act, not keep at it forever, eh? Old Sun's Flower-Fruit Mountain can't withstand this kind of battering."
Sun Wukong seized an opportunity to send Nezha a voice transmission.
"Enough nonsense, monkey. Steal that pagoda, and I'll stop fighting you."
"Hey, the Great Heavenly Venerable never told me to steal the pagoda."
Sun Wukong was somewhat speechless.
Do you think I haven't got enough debts on my back? If I get the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King killed too, how many heads does Sun Wukong have to spare?
On the thundercloud, Yang Jian also noticed something amiss and knew Nezha was up to mischief again.
He immediately lowered his cloud of his own accord.
"Brother Nezha, come up and rest a while. Let me face this demon monkey."
By then, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing had also sensed something wrong, and cold sweat broke out on his back. So Nezha had just been negotiating with Sun Wukong, had he?
"Nezha, come back."
Hearing Li Jing's voice, Nezha knew it could no longer be done.
"Monkey, you really have no loyalty."
Nezha returned to the thundercloud in frustration.
Qian Renxue moved two steps aside to make room for him.
The baleful aura surrounding him was simply too frightening.
Then Erlang Shen's voice reached her ears again.
"I am the Justice Heavenly God, True Lord Qingyuan Miaodao, Yang Jian. Demon monkey, surrender yourself!"
"Howling Celestial Dog, go!"
Yang Jian unleashed his dog right away.
"Old Sun won't fight a dog!"
Sun Wukong turned and ran. Yang Jian snorted coldly, transformed into an eagle, and swiftly pursued him.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong immediately turned into a fish and plunged into the river.
Yang Jian became an osprey. Sun Wukong turned into a bird, shooting out of the water and straight into the sky, and Yang Jian transformed again...
In a short span of time, the two transformed into dozens of animals, leaving Qian Renxue staring in astonishment.
Then both returned to their original forms and began a contest of martial skill.
The two truly brought out every means at their disposal, giving Qian Renxue and the people of the Douluo Continent their fill of the spectacle.
"What a fierce monkey. He truly deserves to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"
"The Heavenly Court has deployed such a force, yet they still can't take down the Handsome Monkey King quickly."
"There really was a reason the Great Heavenly Venerable was willing to offer the Handsome Monkey King amnesty and recruitment twice."
"Just how powerful are they? Even if they aren't Daluo Golden Immortals, they probably aren't far off, are they?"
"Endless transformations and utterly terrifying martial skill-is this a true Great God of the Primordial World?"
Many people across the Douluo Continent collapsed onto the ground. Even through the screen, that imposing might left their bodies weak.
At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"It seems the forces resisting the Heavenly Court in that world aren't much better off, either."
Ning Fengzhi offered his assessment.
Sword Douluo could not hold back his question. "Fengzhi, why can't we turn to the Heavenly Court?"
Wouldn't any normal person think of joining the Heavenly Court after seeing how powerful it was?
Ning Fengzhi gave a bitter smile at his words.
"Uncle Jian, you don't understand. If we turn to the Heavenly Court, will I still have the final say in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"How could I let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect be ruined in my hands?"
Sword Douluo frowned. He felt Ning Fengzhi was backing himself into a bull's horn. Once they reached the Primordial World, they would not even have Martial Souls anymore, so why care about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
Or rather, even at a time like this, he was still unwilling to bow beneath someone else.
Ning Fengzhi wanted to be the leader, but the crucial point was that he first needed sufficient strength.
"All right, you old scoundrel, let's make a bet. We'll wager on whether this Great Sage Equal to Heaven will be captured."
Bone Douluo bumped Sword Douluo's shoulder as he spoke.
"Does the outcome even need saying? The Heavenly Court has already made its stance clear. They can certainly capture him. We might as well bet on how the Heavenly Court will punish this Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
Before you continue