The Heavenly Dao's Might

Sun Wukong was about to head to the divine mansion to find Zhuang Yan when he suddenly saw a descending cloud of light ahead.

Zhuang Yan appeared riding the cloud, asking with a smile, "Wukong, are you sure you want to fight me?"

Sun Wukong immediately stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Prefect." The Fire Spirit True Immortal and the other two followed closely behind. Sun Wukong chuckled, "I hope the Prefect can offer some guidance."

Zhuang Yan shook his head and said, "A spar is fine, but don't expect to learn anything."

"What do you mean?" Sun Wukong asked, confused.

Zhuang Yan didn't answer, only asking, "Are you ready?"

Sun Wukong immediately circulated the Great Celestial Immortal Art, his Grand Unity Golden Immortal might fully revealed. His divine form manifested in the world, causing winds and clouds to change color and mountains and rivers to tremble. The Fire Spirit True Immortal and the other two retreated in shock.

"Prefect, please be careful," Sun Wukong said solemnly.

Zhuang Yan calmly took out an Earthen Jar and let out a soft cry.

A golden light flashed, and Sun Wukong was instantly absorbed into the jar. Zhuang Yan put away the Magic Treasure and smiled at the stunned trio, "Dealing with a mischievous monkey, a swift and decisive approach is best."

The three exchanged glances, their eyes filled with awe. A dignified Grand Unity Golden Immortal was like an ant before the Earth Immortal Prefect. Their hearts surged with emotion, and they felt greatly honored.

Zhuang Yan summoned Chi Ling and gently patted her head, bestowing a blessing.

Chi Ling suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her left cheek, and she spat out broken teeth and roots. When she bit down again, new teeth had already grown. She looked at herself in a mirror, her eyes filled with joy, and bowed, "Thank you, Prefect, for your grace."

"Get up," Zhuang Yan said with a smile, turning to the Fire Spirit True Immortal. He took out the Dinguang Glazed Lamp and the Kunlun Mirror, "These two items are supreme treasures of the immortals. I bestow them upon the Assistant Prefect to manage."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal quickly bowed and said, "Prefect, how can I dare accept such a reward without merit? I truly dare not accept such important treasures."

Zhuang Yan said with a smile, "It is only when you have the ability that you can achieve merit. If you don't even have the proper Magic Tools, how can you serve the divine mansion? Take these Magic Treasures and refine them; they will have great use in the future."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal hesitated for a moment before saying, "But if the Prefect bestows all these treasures, won't you yourself..."

"External things are useless to me," Zhuang Yan replied indifferently.

Only then did the Fire Spirit True Immortal respectfully accept the Dinguang Glazed Lamp and the Kunlun Mirror, storing the two Magic Treasures in his Niwan Palace before bowing deeply, "Your subordinate thanks the Prefect for his grace."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly, "These two treasures have their own mysteries. When you have refined them proficiently, you will naturally understand their marvels."

"I will obey the Prefect's teachings."

With that, Zhuang Yan transformed into a stream of light and returned to the Spirit Platform Divine Mansion. The Fire Spirit True Immortal, Vanguard Hu, and Chi Ling all bowed in unison to see him off.

After returning to the divine mansion, Zhuang Yan went directly to the Mountain God Hall and took out the Earthen Jar, examining it carefully. He saw Sun Wukong lying sprawled at the bottom of the jar, panting heavily.

Zhuang Yan couldn't help but laugh, "What? Still want to break my seal?"

Hearing the voice, the monkey scrambled up and looked up to see Zhuang Yan's face. He immediately wailed, "Prefect, it's pitch black inside this jar!"

"Shall I light a candle for you?"

"No, no, absolutely not!" Sun Wukong waved his hands repeatedly. "Prefect, please be merciful and let me out. Old Sun knows his mistake."

"Where did you go wrong?"

"I shouldn't have offended the Prefect's Heavenly Might."

"Do you know my methods now?"

"I have experienced them, I have experienced them! I beg the Prefect to forgive me."

Zhuang Yan chuckled and casually tossed the Earthen Jar to the ground. With a crisp sound, the jar shattered, and Sun Wukong somersaulted out, landing steadily on the ground.

The monkey first glanced at the shattered pieces on the ground, then approached Zhuang Yan with a cheeky grin, "Prefect, your divine ability is truly extraordinary. What is it called?"

"Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."

"Hey, what's wrong with telling me?" Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks, his eyes darting around. He then added, "Actually, Old Sun still has a wish..."

Zhuang Yan raised an eyebrow.

"This Old Sun wants to try if the Somersault Cloud can escape the Prefect's divine ability." The monkey scratched his cheek, saying, "It's not that I'm unconvinced, I just want to broaden my horizons."

"What a cunning monkey!" Zhuang Yan pointed at him and laughed heartily. "You're clearly unconvinced but insist on being stubborn. Very well, today I will make you truly convinced."

Sun Wukong was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Prefect, for fulfilling my wish!"

The two went out to the hall and stood on the steps. Zhuang Yan took out a new Earthen Jar from his sleeve, "Are you ready?"

"Prefect, please wait a moment..." Sun Wukong said, then suddenly somersaulted far away.

Zhuang Yan raised the Earthen Jar, used the One Thought Capture, and shouted lightly at the sky, "Capture!"

Sun Wukong was in the middle of his somersault when his body suddenly froze. In a dizzying spin, he was once again plunged into familiar darkness.

Zhuang Yan looked down into the jar and saw the monkey somersaulting several times before steadying himself. He couldn't help but laugh, "What a clever imp, trying to sneak away?"

Sun Wukong sat cross-legged at the bottom of the jar, scratching his head and chuckling, "No matter how clever I am, I can't escape the Prefect's palm. Old Sun is convinced!"

Zhuang Yan thought to himself, How could you escape when locked by the rules? but said nothing more. He waved his hand and released the seal.

Sun Wukong leaped out of the Earthen Jar and bowed solemnly, "Thank you, Prefect, for your mercy."

"No need for such formalities," Zhuang Yan helped him up. "Why not stay at Danchi Ridge for a few days before returning to Flower-Fruit Mountain?"

A ripple appeared in the Monkey King's eyes, "The Eastern Continent of Victory is across the vast ocean. It will be difficult to reunite with you all..." He recalled the carefree days of cultivation on Spirit Platform Mountain—practicing the Dao and visiting friends amidst morning bells and evening drums, with inexhaustible spirit fruits all over the mountain, even his dreams were steeped in the fragrance of wine and fruit.

Zhuang Yan patted his shoulder, "Now your Somersault Cloud covers 108,000 li. You can come whenever you wish."

"Right, right!" Sun Wukong's eyes lit up as he secretly glanced in the direction of Mount Fangcun. Although he had been expelled from his sect, he could still return later under the name of his uncle, the Mountain God. Suddenly, he knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, "Please, Prefect, acknowledge me as your nephew!"

"Good," Zhuang Yan replied with a smile.

For over a month after that, Sun Wukong debated and sparred day and night with the Fire Spirit True Immortal and others. When it was time to part, everyone escorted him to the outskirts of Guangci Prefecture. The Monkey King took one last look at the surrounding mountains before disappearing into the clouds with a somersault.

Vanguard Hu and Chi Ling watched Sun Wukong depart, a sense of melancholy filling their hearts. Seeing this, the Fire Spirit True Immortal chuckled, "When you two cultivate to the immortal path and can ride the clouds, how difficult will it be to meet again?"

The two felt slightly comforted by his words and then followed the Fire Spirit True Immortal back to Danchi Ridge on Spirit Platform Mountain.

Time flowed by. One day, the clouds above Danchi Ridge were resplendent, and purple qi swirled around. The Fire Spirit True Immortal stood atop the Eight Immortals Tower, gazing at two streams of immortal light shooting into the sky from the peach forest, stirring up winds and clouds. He couldn't help but show a look of satisfaction.

In the clear sky and earth, the Dharma appearances of a snake and a tiger, two Earth Immortals, materialized within the immortal light. The hissing of the snake and the roaring of the tiger shook the mountains and forests, causing all beasts to bow their heads in fear. As the immortal light gradually dispersed and the Dharma appearances returned to their bodies, Vanguard Hu and Chi Ling had already attained the Dao fruit of Earth Immortals.

The two ascended into the air, their mortal husks scattering in the wind below. After suppressing their immortal might, they landed on the Eight Immortals Tower and bowed to the Fire Spirit True Immortal.

The Fire Spirit True Immortal returned their bow, saying, "Congratulations to both fellow Daoists for joining the ranks of immortals. Longevity is now within reach."

Vanguard Hu said sincerely, "It is all thanks to the Prefect's grace and the Assistant Prefect's guidance that we have achieved this result."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal smiled, "Sun Wukong's debates and sparring before his departure enlightened all of us. You two should focus on stabilizing your cultivation first. For these three months, I will patrol Guangci Prefecture."

Returning to their divine abode, Vanguard Hu's wife, Lan'er, greeted them with their two sons. Chi Ling, seeing the table full of delicacies, exclaimed joyfully, "Sister Lan'er is the most thoughtful!" This made everyone laugh heartily.

Hu Lailai and Hu Ququ, with puzzled expressions, turned to their father, Vanguard Hu, and asked, "Dad, what is a cuckold?"

Without a word, Vanguard Hu kicked his two sons away and sternly rebuked, "Hurry up and go practice!"

"What are you doing!" Lan'er immediately glared at him.

Seeing his wife's anger, Vanguard Hu quickly plastered on a smile, "My lady, don't be angry. These two brats are just roughhousing."

Lan'er shot her husband a look and turned to leave with Chi Ling. Vanguard Hu hurriedly followed.

"The Prefect has been in seclusion for some time, hasn't he?" Chi Ling asked.

Lan'er nodded, "It's been four months."

"He's been in seclusion for so long this time," Chi Ling mused, "I wonder how much his cultivation will improve by the time he emerges?"

Vanguard Hu interjected, "With the Prefect's talent, it wouldn't be surprising if he directly attained the Celestial Immortal fruit."

However, the reality was far from their speculation. Zhuang Yan's seclusion this time was not for cultivating Dao methods, but for diligently researching a new function.

Currently, Heavenly Dao Power only manifested once a year, causing Zhuang Yan's acquisition of Heavenly Dao Power to be too slow. He needed to find a way to obtain Heavenly Dao Power more efficiently under the unpredictable rules of the Heavenly Dao.

But with his strength not yet recovered, directly seizing it was clearly not an option. Thus, Zhuang Yan turned his attention to the abundant Incense and Fire power he had accumulated over the years—this worship from all beings was originally a part of the Heavenly Dao. If he could develop a function to convert Incense and Fire into Heavenly Dao Power, wouldn't it be twice the result with half the effort?

After four months of research, he had initially grasped the operational principles of this function, and it would be ready in a few more days.

Meanwhile, as Vanguard Hu and Chi Ling needed to consolidate their realms, the patrol duties were temporarily handed over to the Fire Spirit True Immortal.

As soon as she left Spirit Platform Mountain, she saw the Earth God of Guangci Prefecture standing at the foot of the mountain.

The Fire Spirit True Immortal descended on her cloud and asked, "Why are you here, Earth God, instead of guarding your temple?"

The Earth God quickly bowed, "This humble one greets the Assistant Prefect. I have an important matter to report to the Prefect."

"The Prefect is in seclusion," the Fire Spirit True Immortal said. "Speak freely."

"Recently, the Prefect's mansion has been filled with demonic energy, which is extremely sinister," the Earth God reported. "This humble one wanted to investigate but feared alerting the enemy, so I have come to report."

"Anyone who commits evil, whether immortal or demon, will emit demonic energy."

"You did well," the Fire Spirit True Immortal nodded. "Does the Prefect's mansion have Door Gods guarding it?"

"No," the Earth God shook his head. "Officials appointed by the court have soldiers to protect them; they do not set up Door Gods."

"What about the Kitchen God?"

The Earth God's expression sharpened. "I was about to report this. The mansion originally had a Kitchen God, but now contact has been lost."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal frowned slightly. "It seems there is indeed a demon at work, and even the Kitchen God has fallen victim?"

The Earth God nodded. "It is likely so."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal nodded slightly and instructed, "Lead the way. Let me see."

The Earth God respectfully complied. The Fire Spirit True Immortal, taking him along, ascended on her cloud and flew directly towards Guangci Prefecture city.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived in the city. The Fire Spirit True Immortal descended from her cloud and landed in front of a magnificent mansion. The Earth God pointed to the residence with vermilion gates and green tiles, saying, "Assistant Prefect, this is the Guangci Prefect's mansion."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal activated her dharma eye and looked. She saw demonic energy swirling above the mansion.

"Indeed, there is an evil presence," she said to the Earth God. "You may return now. I will handle this matter."

The Earth God bowed and transformed into a wisp of green smoke, disappearing into the ground.

The Fire Spirit True Immortal found a secluded spot, cast a spell to transform into a green-robed Daoist nun, concealed her immortal aura, and walked directly towards the main gate of the Prefect's mansion.

Upon reaching the gate, the guards immediately blocked her path.

The Fire Spirit True Immortal performed a ritualistic greeting. "This humble Daoist comes from the mountains, seeking an audience with the Prefect. I trouble you to announce my arrival."

The two guards exchanged glances. The one on the left replied, "Please forgive us, Daoist. Without an invitation token, we cannot announce you."

The Fire Spirit True Immortal smiled faintly and reached out to grab the air. A stone from the corner of the wall flew into her palm. Seeing this, the guards' expressions turned respectful.