Chapter 40

Nezha secretly knew he was no match, yet still obeyed orders and rode his Wind Fire Wheels in pursuit. The two True Lords helped each other to their feet. Tian You sighed. "That monkey head's cultivation is astonishing. I fear the two of them cannot subdue him. We should quickly report to the Jade Emperor and have troops surround and suppress him."

True Lord Yisheng suddenly realized something. "Where are they headed?"

True Lord Tianyou narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance. "It seems to be... Tushita Palace!"

[Sun Wukong burst into the empty Tushita Palace, but neither Laojun nor any of the immortals were in sight. Staggering into the pill chamber, he saw only the Eight Trigrams Furnace blazing fiercely, with five gourds full of golden pills lined up beside it.

Treasure Shelves stood in layers around the pill chamber, filled with all kinds of precious gourds. Each gourd bore a label naming the pill inside.

Sun Wukong looked at the pill furnace and the gourds filled with golden pills, his face lighting up with delight. "These are treasures of the immortal family. Since Old Sun attained the Dao, I have long understood the mysteries within and without. I need golden pills to aid my cultivation. Since Laojun is absent and fortune has brought me here today, I might as well sample a few fresh ones."

With that, he poured out every golden pill from the gourds beside the furnace and swallowed them like roasted beans. Then his gaze swept toward the Treasure Shelves, and he darted forward to seize several more gourds and empty them.

Just then, Zhuang Yan hurried into the pill chamber. Seeing this, he barked, "You monkey! What are you doing?"

Sun Wukong abruptly looked up in shock. "Uncle, why are you here?"

Zhuang Yan did not answer, only shouted again, "What is that in your hand?"

Sun Wukong lowered his head and smiled. "Laojun's golden pills. Uncle, would you like a taste?"

Zhuang Yan said coldly, "You stole peaches and disrupted the Peach Banquet, and now you have stolen golden pills as well. You have already committed a grave offense! And you still dare laugh!"

The words sobered Wukong at once. Cold sweat streamed down his back as he thought, This disaster is greater than the heavens! If the Jade Emperor is alerted, my life is finished. I should return to the lower realm at once and proclaim myself king!

He cupped his hands to Zhuang Yan. "Uncle, I shall visit Danchi Ridge another day. Your nephew will take his leave first." With that, he leaped up, intending to flee.

But Zhuang Yan formed a hand seal and cast a spell. With a grasp through the air, he dragged Wukong back and seized him by the neck with a smile. "Where do you think you are running?"

Knowing his uncle's methods, Wukong stopped struggling and pleaded, "Your nephew knows his mistake. Please let me go, Uncle."

Zhuang Yan angrily rebuked him. "You cultivated on Mount Fangcun for years, yet your wild nature remains untamed! Today, I will personally escort you before the Jade Emperor!"

Wukong asked, "Why must Uncle be so heartless?"

Zhuang Yan snorted. "I worked diligently for a hundred years just to obtain a seventh-rank immortal post, while you, monkey head, made a mess of things and became the Great Sage Equal to Heaven instead. Today is the perfect chance to earn merit with your head. Do not worry. I will offer you fresh fruit every year."

A voice suddenly called from outside the pill chamber, "Has the Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord captured the Demon Monkey?"

Zhuang Yan replied, "Third Prince Nezha, come quickly and assist!"

Seizing the chance, Wukong hurled a gourd at Zhuang Yan's face. Bang! Zhuang Yan staggered backward and released his grip on Wukong.

"Ow!" Zhuang Yan cried out in pain as he stumbled back. Just as he was about to fall out of the pill chamber, Nezha dashed forward and caught him.

Taking the opportunity, Zhuang Yan stored the gourd Sun Wukong had thrown into Infinite Space. A smile had barely risen to his lips before he quickly suppressed it. Rubbing his cheek, he shouted furiously, "Impudent monkey, you have quite the nerve!"

Sun Wukong chuckled, plucked a tuft of fine hair, and blew it apart. In an instant, dozens of duplicates appeared. Not only did these duplicates look identical, but their martial arts and spells were no different either. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Zhuang Yan and Nezha.

Nezha was about to unleash Three Heads Six Arms to fight, but Zhuang Yan stopped him. "Do not act rashly! We cannot afford to damage Laojun's pill chamber."

"Then what is your plan?" Nezha asked anxiously.

Zhuang Yan only smiled without answering. Suddenly, he activated One Thought Capture and shouted at the duplicates. A flash of golden light passed, and a handful of monkey hair appeared in his palm.

"Brilliant!" Nezha praised. "Is this the divine ability you used last time to collect the Heavenly Sin Blade?"

As they spoke, Sun Wukong saw that things were going badly and suddenly blew up a violent gale. Sand and stones immediately flew through the pill chamber. The Treasure Shelves crashed down, and countless gourds flew toward them. Though the Eight Trigrams Furnace did not move, its flames were blown out, and thick smoke instantly filled the entire chamber.

Nezha coughed until tears streamed down his face. Just as he was about to pull Zhuang Yan away, he saw him busily collecting every flying gourd into his sleeve. Looking closely, Nezha found that the three gourds Zhuang Yan had slipped to him bore labels reading Taiyi Purple Gold Pill, Jade Lotus Purple Gold Pill, and Jiangzhen Great Returning Pill.

In an instant, Nezha found the thick smoke far less choking. Golden light surged, and he directly revealed his Three Heads Six Arms form, smashing through half the pill chamber as he reached out to seize the remaining gourds.

Zhuang Yan reacted swiftly, using a single word seal to sweep away every gourd Nezha had just caught. Nezha flew into a rage, all six hands clamping around Zhuang Yan's neck at once. "Give me back my golden pills!"

Zhuang Yan slipped free with ease and smiled. "Why the rush? If Laojun investigates, they will be safer with me."

At once, Nezha withdrew his Three Heads Six Arms form and returned to normal. He looked at Zhuang Yan with doubt. "Laojun is the incarnation of the Grand Supreme Venerable of the Dao, the Dao Ancestor who opened heaven and earth. Can you really hide this from his divine sight?"

Zhuang Yan smiled confidently. "With those gourds in my keeping, Laojun will never notice. Once the heat dies down, would it not be wonderful for us to split them evenly?"

Nezha stared at Zhuang Yan for a long while before finally nodding. "I will trust you this once. If you dare deceive me, I will report you."

"Why would I lie to you?" Zhuang Yan laughed loudly. The two were about to leave the pill chamber when Nezha suddenly cried out, "Oh no! That monkey escaped!"

Zhuang Yan pressed him down with one hand. "Good that he escaped. If he did not flee, how would we settle the account for the stolen golden pills?" Nezha's gaze immediately sharpened. "You had clearly caught that monkey just now, yet a gourd knocked you back. Did you deliberately go easy on him?"

Zhuang Yan smiled openly. "Earlier, did you not join forces with the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and still lose to him?"

"That is different! I truly could not defeat him..." Nezha stopped halfway through, his eyes widening. "You Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord, you are truly cunning!"

Zhuang Yan narrowed his eyes with a smile. "What? You do not want the golden pills anymore?"

Nezha immediately changed his expression and warmly draped an arm over Zhuang Yan's shoulder. "Hahaha, I am cunning too! We are comrades who have faced death together."

"As close as you are with your father?" Zhuang Yan teased. Nezha was instantly speechless.

At that moment, thick smoke churned through the pill chamber and soon engulfed the entire Tushita Palace, making it look like a sea of fire from afar. Grand Supreme Elder Lao, who had been discussing the Dao with Ancient Buddha Dipamkara at the Vermilion Mound Pill Terrace, suddenly stopped and looked beyond the hall. The Immortal Children and divine generals standing on either side turned their heads as well. Laojun calculated with his fingers, and his expression abruptly changed. "Not good! My golden pills!"

Laojun hurriedly bowed to Ancient Buddha Dipamkara in farewell, then led the immortal officials swiftly toward the pill chamber. Amid the rolling black smoke, Zhuang Yan and Nezha stepped forward to salute him. Laojun flicked his whisk. "Why are you here? Who caused this disturbance?"

"It was that Demon Monkey!" Nezha answered first. "After causing havoc at the Peach Banquet, he fled here and stole the immortal pills. By the time we arrived, he was already using transformation arts to obstruct us, and he even extinguished the pill furnace's fire."

No sooner had Nezha finished speaking than an immortal child rushed out in a panic, shouting, "Master, this is terrible! All the golden pills in the pill chamber are gone!"

"How could this happen?!" Grand Supreme Elder Lao clutched his chest in grief. "My golden pills!"

He abruptly turned and stared at Zhuang Yan and Nezha. With a flick of his whisk, he pointed toward the Pure Serenity Pavilion. "Spirit Platform Prefecture Lord, come with me."

"Yes." Zhuang Yan quickly followed.

Nezha suddenly grabbed Zhuang Yan's sleeve. Zhuang Yan turned back, blinked, and gave him a reassuring look. Watching Zhuang Yan disappear into the pavilion, Nezha still broke into a cold sweat—after all, he was facing Grand Supreme Elder Lao.

Inside the pavilion, Zhuang Yan raised his wide sleeve before Laojun could even turn around.

A seven-colored glow flashed, and sixty-six gourds appeared, neatly arranged atop a gilded Eight Immortals table.

When Grand Supreme Elder Lao turned and saw them, he smiled and pointed at Zhuang Yan. "Good lad, your hands are quick indeed." His gaze swept over the table, and he added, "It seems that impudent monkey only ate the five gourds beside the pill furnace?"

"That is correct. The rest are all here, returned to their rightful owner." Zhuang Yan cupped his hands. That was precisely why he had intercepted them from Nezha.

Laojun nodded and stepped forward, dividing the gourds into two piles: forty-nine on the left and seventeen on the right.

"Keep these." He pointed to the pile on the left. "Some of these pills are useless to you, so you must distinguish them yourself. The Essence of Purity Meditation Method is a method of balance; there are no taboos when taking pills, only differences in effect."

He then pointed to the pile on the right. "Give these to Nezha. He has a Lotus Root Incarnation, and these pills suit him perfectly. But if he consumes them like that monkey, most of their medicinal power will stagnate in his body. Sooner or later, he will have to make a trip through the Eight Trigrams Furnace as well."

Laojun suddenly asked with a smile, "Can you refine the medicinal power on your own?"

"I knew it." Laojun lightly tapped his whisk. "Remember the categories clearly, then take them all."

Zhuang Yan asked in surprise, "You will not keep any?"

"They would only bring more trouble if I kept them." Laojun waved a hand. "They will be of greater use to you. In the future, when you take in disciples or subdue mounts, these golden pills will come in handy."

Zhuang Yan swept all the gourds into his sleeve and bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Laojun."

"Do not thank me." Laojun stroked his beard with a smile. "Thank the monkey carrying the blame."

After bidding Laojun farewell and leaving the pavilion, Zhuang Yan found Nezha rushing up to meet him. "How did it go?"

"It is settled."

"Wonderful!" Nezha exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight.

Zhuang Yan added, "Laojun wants you to go in."

Nezha immediately composed himself, straightened his clothes, and entered the Pure Serenity Pavilion.

Nezha followed Grand Supreme Elder Lao out of the pill chamber, muttering as they walked, "Laojun, how could you suspect us? Are we the sort to steal pills?"

Laojun flicked his sleeve. "Other than that monkey head, only the two of you came here. Naturally, I must question you."

Nezha's sword-like brows rose. "We kindly helped you capture the demon, only to receive such suspicion."

Laojun suddenly pointed at the collapsed pill chamber. "If you were capturing a demon, how was this pill chamber damaged?"

Nezha's expression stiffened. "When using my true Dharma form to subdue a demon, it was unavoidable that the surroundings would be affected."

Laojun suddenly seized Nezha's wrist. "Third Prince indeed! So it was you who destroyed my pill chamber. If you do not compensate me, I will report this to the Jade Emperor!"

Nezha's eyes shifted. "You are not investigating the theft of immortal pills, yet you are fussing over the pill chamber instead?"

"Ah!" Laojun suddenly came to his senses. "My furnace full of golden pills..." Before he could finish, he mounted a cloud and flew straight toward Lingxiao Hall.

Once Laojun had gone far away, Nezha pulled Zhuang Yan to a secluded spot and rubbed his hands impatiently. "Quick, divide the golden pills!"

Zhuang Yan took out seventeen gourds and handed them over. Nezha immediately jumped up. "Only these? We must split them evenly!" As he spoke, he moved to search Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan dodged with a smile. "There are only twenty gourds in total. Giving you seventeen is already fair. Take a closer look; they are all top-grade golden pills."

Nezha inspected them and found ten gourds of Jade Lotus Purple Gold Pills, while the other seven gourds contained treasures as well. Only then did he beam. "At least you know what is good for you." With a sweep of his sleeve, he collected them all.

This disturbance was enormous. The Jade Emperor would surely send heavenly troops to suppress the Demon Monkey. Nezha grabbed Zhuang Yan and started walking. "Quickly, to Lingxiao Hall to await orders!"

In Ziwei Palace, Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole was discussing matters with Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole.

Great Emperor Changsheng said worriedly, "Calamity Qi has accumulated throughout the Three Realms. Within a hundred years, a great disaster may arise."

Great Emperor Ziwei sighed. "The immortals avoid their tribulations too much, causing the calamities to remain unresolved. The Buddhist sect's tribulation of Buddha and demon is the perfect precedent."

"I submitted the list of those meant to undergo tribulation to the Jade Emperor long ago, yet approval has not come." Great Emperor Changsheng shook his head.