Have I Become the Monkey King?

Li Jing's pagoda trembled violently in his palm, the golden bells hanging from the eaves jingling wildly as if emitting terrified cries. This Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had lost all his majesty; large beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and onto his armor. "Great Immortal," Li Jing's Adam's apple bobbed, "This humble god is merely acting on the Jade Emperor's orders." "Orders?" Zhen Yuanzi sneered, his plain Daoist robe fluttering without wind. His right hand remained in the Universe in the Sleeve " position, while his left hand gently rose. "Boom!" The entire Sky Manipulation suddenly darkened! Fang Yu's eyes widened as a phantom hand appeared in the sky, its palm lines clearly visible, each line like a bottomless ravine! It was truly "one hand covering the sky"! The 100,000 heavenly soldiers instantly fell into chaos. The golden-armored ranks resembled waves of wheat swept by a raging storm; even the front-line generals couldn't hold their weapons, halberds and swords clattering and falling from the clouds. "Not good!"Li Jing hastily summoned his exquisite pagoda, its seven stories radiating Golden Light, only to dim like a candle in the wind the instant it touched the shadow of the giant hand. He was horrified to discover that his connection to the pagoda was being forcibly severed by some terrifying force! "Withdraw,"Zhen Yuanzi uttered calmly. "Whoosh—" Like the Milky Way reversing, 100,000 heavenly soldiers, along with clouds, were sucked into his sleeve! Li Jing's pagoda flew from his hand, tracing a tragic parabola in the air before crashing heavily onto the Stone steps in front of the Wuzhuang Temple, rolling several times before completely losing its luster. Fang Yu's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan wildly, yet he still couldn't discern Zhen Yuanzi's movements. He only vaguely sensed the folding of space, like a giant casually crumpling a sheet of paper, with the heavenly army merely ink dots on it. Qingfeng and Mingyue were already kneeling on the ground, trembling like leaves. They had followed their master for a thousand years, yet this was the first time they had witnessed Zhen Yuanzi truly enraged. Silence. Even the chirping of insects and birds in the mountains vanished, as if all things were holding their breath. Zhen Yuanzi turned to look at Fang Yu, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool in Fang Yu's arms, then suddenly laughed: "You've got some nerve, haven't you?"Fang Yu's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. That smile, seemingly gentle, reminded him of the giant whale in the deep sea opening its mouth, the small fish swept along by the current utterly powerless to resist! "Master, I..." "No need to explain."Zhen Yuanzi waved his hand, his sleeves fluttering slightly, emitting Nezha's angry curses. Zhen Yuanzi chuckled, "These Dragon King certainly know how to complain." As he spoke, he suddenly looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the nine layers of clouds: "Since you're here, why hide your head and tail?" A helpless sigh came from above the clouds. Taibai Jinxing appeared, leaning on his dragon-patterned staff, his old face wrinkled like a dried-up date, completely devoid of any semblance of his ethereal immortality: " Great Immortal Zhenyuan, please calm your anger. We were merely—" "Merely what?"Zhen Yuanzi flicked his sleeve, and Li Jing fell at Taibai Jinxing's feet, his armor askew and him looking utterly disheveled. "Coming to my Wuzhuang Temple trouble?"Taibai Jinxing stamped his feet in exasperation: "Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" He secretly glanced at Fang Yu, then suddenly lowered his voice, "Actually, His Majesty has long disliked the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool. It's clearly a treasure of the Thunder Department, yet it's been monopolized by the Dragon Clan for a thousand years." "Oh?"Zhen Yuanzi raised an eyebrow. Fang Yu was dumbfounded. Good heavens, the water in this Heavenly Court is muddier than a bucket of swill! "Alright then."Zhen Yuanzi suddenly beckoned, and the Ginseng Fruit Tree in the distance rustled as three baby-shaped fruits fell into his palm. "Please trouble Venus to take these to the Jade Emperor, and tell him that I, Zhen Yuanzi, invite him to tea."Taibai Jinxing's eyes widened in surprise! Ginseng Fruit! Three of them! The Old Immortal's Whitebeard trembled with excitement. Just as he was about to reach out to take them, Zhen Yuanzi suddenly turned to Fang Yu: "What do you think should be done?"Fang Yu was taken aback, then a Mind Stone of inspiration struck him. He quickly took out the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool: "This junior is willing to hand over this!" "Good."Zhen Yuanzi nodded in satisfaction. The Thunder Pool transformed into Flowing Light and disappeared into his sleeve. At the same time, he extended his sleeve and released the 100,000 heavenly soldiers and Nezha back into the Sky Manipulation. Nezha, dazed and confused, regained his footing. The sinister look in his eyes was gone. Like the Monkey, he was questioning his existence after being instantly defeated. Great Immortal Zhenyuan waved his sleeve, "Then we're even!"Taibai Jinxing's hands, holding the Ginseng Fruit, trembled. This isn't an apology, it's clearly a warning. What do you mean by settling scores? I don't believe you can take away my little disciple's magic weapon. "Excuse me,"Taibai Jinxing cupped his hands and whispered to Nezha, Li Jing, and the heavenly soldier leader, "Let's go!" After Taibai Jinxing rode away on a cloud, Zhen Yuanzi suddenly turned around with a flick of his sleeve: "Hmph, you brat, disturbing my Wuzhuang Temple cultivation! What is your punishment?!"Fang Yu knelt on the bluestone slab, a bone-chilling coldness spreading through his knees. He looked up and stared directly into Zhen Yuanzi's eyes, which seemed to pierce through the Three Realms, his voice hoarse but firm: "This disciple confesses his sins."The Ancestor of Earth Immortals ' gaze fell on the Thunder Pool in his hand, a faint sneer appearing on the corner of his mouth. "Do you know that this Thunder Pool is originally a supreme treasure of the Thunder Department?"Zhen Yuanzi's voice made Fang Yu break out in a cold sweat, "Although the Dragon King of the South Sea is unworthy, he is still a righteous god appointed by the Heavenly Court." "A righteous god?"Fang Yu suddenly looked up, his eyes full of resentment. Qingfeng and Mingyue gasped, taking several steps back. For thousands of years, no one in Wuzhuang Temple had ever dared to speak to their master like this. A cold glint flashed in Zhen Yuanzi's eyes. "Insolence!" he shouted, causing the entire Longevity Mountain to tremble. Fang Yu, however, continued as if possessed: "Where were Heavenly Gods and Buddhas when that Carp Spirit demanded young boys and girls on the fifth of each month? Where were the All Buddhas of Spiritual Mountain when the Biqu Country used children's hearts and livers to refine elixirs?" "How many people did that Carp Spirit devour? How many parents did it harm? What is the purpose of my Daoist practice? To stand by and watch someone die, only to live as a thousand-year-old Old Turtle?! I would rather die standing! I would rather let this demon harm the world!" "Shut up!"Zhen Yuanzi waved his sleeve, and Fang Yu was struck as if by lightning, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. But Fang Yu stubbornly straightened his back: "Great Immortal, do you know what I saw in the Lion Camel Country?" His voice suddenly lowered, carrying a chilling calm, "A baby's hand soaking in a bucket of swill, silhouettes of monsters devouring human flesh on the window paper of a restaurant, human bone hairpins being sold on the street."Zhen Yuanzi was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "You think you're the only one who has seen human suffering?" A scroll flew out from his sleeve, slowly unfurling in the air. It depicted the scene of humans being slaughtered by demons in the primordial era, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a horrific sight. "I have endured countless tribulations, and have seen more human tragedies than you have eaten rice."Zhen Yuanzi's voice suddenly became weathered, "Why do you think the Heavenly Court was established? Why does Spiritual Mountain exist? It is to prevent such tragedies!" "Prevent?"Fang Yu suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with madness, " The Lion Camel Country is right at the foot of Spiritual Mountain! When the three great demon kings were eating people to survive, were those Arhat and Bodhisattvas blind or deaf?" A complex emotion flashed in Zhen Yuanzi's eyes, but it quickly returned to calm: "The cycle of Heaven is predetermined." "So you just have to endure? Just wait?"Fang Yu abruptly ripped open his robe, revealing his bony chest. "Waiting for those high and mighty immortals to be in a good mood one day and bestow a little pity?"Zhen Yuanzi suddenly fell silent. The mountain wind stopped, even the chirping of insects ceased. After a long while, he sighed softly: "Do you know why I didn't accept you as my disciple?"Fang Yu was taken aback. "It's not because you lack talent."Zhen Yuanzi turned away, his back view appearing somewhat forlorn, "But because your temperament is destined to go against the Heavenly Dao. My Wuzhuang Temple cannot tolerate you." Before he finished speaking, Zhen Yuanzi suddenly waved his sleeve! " Universe in the Sleeve!"Fang Yu felt the world spin, and everything went black. In his daze, he heard Qingfeng and Mingyue's anxious shouts and saw the Ginseng Fruit Tree's branches shaking violently. "Bang!" A sharp pain shot through his back, Fang Yu crashed heavily to the hard ground. A cacophony of voices suddenly filled his ears: "Newly arrived Persian carpets—" "Flatbread! Hot flatbread!" He looked up blankly; the Vermilion Bird Street were teeming with people. In the distance, the golden roof of the imperial city gleamed Bloody Light in the setting sun, the characters " Chang'an " on the city gate plaque written in bold, powerful strokes. A troop of Golden Armored Guard rode past, their hooves splashing mud onto his face, warm and foul-smelling. Fang Yu wiped his face and suddenly laughed. "What Universe in the Sleeve!" He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, "From Longevity Mountain to Chang'an!" Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his chest! He reached up and grabbed it—it was the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool! Zhen Yuanzi had returned it to him! At the same time, a small booklet appeared in his chest. It read—" The Taiyi Qinghua Dongxuan Secret Chapters."