Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 784 - 704: The Nine Great Saints, Disperse the Smoke and Clouds! [Seeking Monthly Votes!]

In Huaguo Mountain.

The Demon King rises up against the heavens, surrounded for capture by the Heavenly Court.

The massive event draws the gaze of figures from all four continents and seas.

Heavenly Court.

Palace of the Polestar.

An apparition materializes at the center, revealing the standoff between the two factions at Huaguo Mountain. It clearly shows the Nine Great Saints and various Demon Kings jointly battling the gods.

The Jade Emperor's face darkens: "With such a lineup, even Erlang may find it difficult to pacify the situation. Could we trouble the Bodhisattva to lend a hand?"

"Immortal Master Erlang possesses unsurpassed divine skills; it would be best to request his action first." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The Bodhisattva, hands clasped in prayer, replies, "I shall join the Emperor outside South Heavenly Gate to personally assess the situation."

During the discussion,

Heavenly Master Ge Xianweng arrives at the Palace of the Polestar to report: "Your Majesty, the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng from the Western Heaven requests an audience outside Tongming Hall."

"The Ancient Buddha Ran Deng?"

"He returned to the Western Heaven, did he not?"

The Jade Emperor is taken aback.

The Old Lord is fatigued and has retreated to Li Hen Heaven. The Ancient Buddha Ran Deng, who had been engaging in discourse with the Old Lord, also took his leave.

And now, he has returned?

"Quickly, usher him in."

With a thought, he hastens someone to invite the visitor.

Shortly after,

The Venerable Ancient Buddha Ran Deng enters, addressing the Jade Emperor as the 'Great Venerable.'

Puzzled, the Jade Emperor asks, "Is the Ancient Buddha seeking the Old Lord regarding urgent matters?"

"The Old Lord is fatigued; I dare not trouble him."

Ran Deng, with palms pressed together, proclaims, "On my way back to Western Heaven, I witnessed a surge of demonic energy from the Eastern Continent and noticed Heavenly Soldiers and Generals encircling them, prompting my return."

It turns out the tumult at Huaguo Mountain has drawn him back.

Overjoyed, the Jade Emperor exclaims, "This is wonderful. With the Ancient Buddha's presence, how shall the lesser demons of the Lower Realm prevail?!"

Thereupon,

He orders Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun from Guan River Mouth, the Meishan Six Saints, and a thousand two hundred grass gods to subdue the demons at Huaguo Mountain.

The Jade Emperor, Ancient Buddha Ran Deng, the Bodhisattva Guanyin, the Queen Mother, and all immortal ministers relocate to observe the battle from outside South Heavenly Gate.

Meanwhile, Immortal Master Erlang, being commanded, quickly assembles his divine troops, mounts his eagle, leads with his canine, readies his crossbow, and, borne on a gale, crosses the Eastern Ocean to arrive at Huaguo Mountain in no time.

Shortly after,

He plunges into the fray alongside King Li and others. Soon enough, he joins the fierce combat.

Outside the South Heavenly Gate,

The Jade Emperor frowns.

He observes his nephew below, formidable indeed, commanding the 'Six Saints'—the Four Marshals and the Second General—each blessed with divine skills. Yet, they are still no match for the Nine Great Saints and twelve hundred Demon Kings of Huaguo Mountain.

Others like King Li, the Third Prince, the Nine Luminaries, and the twenty-eight constellations are but minor players, supporting from the sidelines. Whether their divine skills are limited, Dao ability lacking, or they're not putting in the effort, they fight a see-saw battle with various demons, leading to yet another stalemate.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the Jade Emperor looks to the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng and the Bodhisattva Guanyin at his side.

The Bodhisattva Guanyin speaks to the Emperor: "The god Erlang indeed has divine power. However, a single log cannot support a great building, his power alone is limited. Allow me to assist him and capture the demon."

The Bodhisattva had discerned the state of affairs below without avoiding sensitive topics.

With these words, those gathered expressed laughter, mockery, disdain, and indifference, their faces varied in response.

The Jade Emperor, however, is delighted and quickly inquires, "What weapon will the Bodhisattva use to aid him?"

The Bodhisattva replies, "I will cast down the Pure Bottle Willow to strike that monkey's head; if not to kill, then to knock him down and allow Erlang Little Saint to capture him."

Within the Nine Great Saints, concerning the Western Tour, only the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, the Monkey King, is significant.

The rest are inconsequential.

For now, it's imperative to capture the Monkey King and ensure the Western Tour returns to its rightful course.

"Go!"

The Bodhisattva Guanyin throws a willow branch from the Jade Purifying Bottle through the clouds.

Huaguo Mountain.

An impenetrable net ensnares all.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Clash! Clash! Clash!

A multitude of Immortal Gods and demons clash fiercely. Immortal Master Erlang combats alone against the Bull Demon King, Jiao Demon King, Green Bamboo King, King Tongming, and the Monkey King—five great saints.

Worthy of being the War God of Heavenly Court.

But even as the five saints unite, Immortal Master Erlang barely manages to fend them off, unable to subdue them. This struggle, if continued, would inevitably return to a deadlock, with no clear victor.

And should the supporting demon kings and soldiers approach, disaster would ensue.

At this crucial moment,

A willow branch descends from the heavens, swiftly striking towards the Monkey King's head.

"Not good!"

Wukong, who had been muddling through without engaging, knew he'd have to reveal his true form when he saw the willow branch. Unable to dodge or escape, he realizes this hit might expose him.

And so, it did.

The willow branch strikes the Monkey King's head, sending him stumbling backward. Mid-fall, he vanishes into thin air.

"A Lawless Incarnation?!"

Erlang God, witnessing this, opens his celestial eye and scans around. He can't find the Monkey King but exposes the true forms of the Green Bamboo King and King Tongming.

They were both Lawless Incarnations as well!

The three look at each other in surprise, Erlang God stands stunned.

"Exposed!"

Lu Qingfeng and Six-Eared glance at each other, retreating in unison with tacit understanding back into the depths of Huaguo Mountain, shouting as they leave, "Guanyin has no shame! Such a lofty Bodhisattva of the Western Heaven, stooping to such sneaky and disgraceful acts!"

With that rebuke,

They call out to the Bull Demon King and Jiao Demon King, "Brothers, our Dao ability is shallow, our Divine Skills weak; we fear Guanyin's sneak attacks, so we'll hide for now!"

Before the echo fades.

The two of them had vanished from sight.

The great Qingjing Saint and Qigu Great Saint, fleeing from battle in fear?!

"Jumping jacks!" Erlang God saw through the guise of these so-called Great Saints; they were mere Lawless Incarnations, just like the Monkey King, and he didn't bother to stop them. Instead, he focused on the Bull Demon King and the Jiao Demon King, pinning them in place, causing them to inwardly curse their misfortune.

"Damn it!"

"We've been had after all!" The Bull Demon King was both angry and enraged.

By now, he had finally seen the clear picture, understanding that his three younger brothers had banded together to set him up. However, there was no time for detail as Erlang God brandished his Three-pointed Double-edged Blade again, inviting battle. The Bull Demon King, wielding his Iron Rod in a wind-tight fashion, joined forces with his second brother, the Jiao Demon King, to fight against Erlang Little Saint.

All the while, they remained on guard for a sneak attack from the celestial beings.

The chaos in the mountains persisted endlessly.

For Lu Qingfeng and the other two, they were merely minor characters, spectators to the soy sauce, their presence or absence having no impact on the battle.

Meanwhile, outside the South Heavenly Gate above.

The Jade Emperor, Ancient Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, the Queen Mother, and a host of immortal ministers were struck dumb.

"It's not their True Bodies?!"

As they saw Horses' Fortune and the Great Sage, struck by The Bodhisattva Guanyin's willow twig, shatter and dissipate, they felt their faces burn with embarrassment.

The gathering of Immortal Gods, Ancient Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas looked on from the sidelines, convinced of a certain victory.

However, they ended up being toyed with by the little monkey.

How could this not be humiliating?!

The Jade Emperor's face darkened to the extreme.

Without a second thought, he turned to Ancient Buddha Randeng and The Bodhisattva Guanyin, saying, "I ask that the Ancient Buddha and the Bodhisattva take action to quickly subdue the demons of Huaguo Mountain. Once this is done, I shall use the Heavenly Mirror to seek the whereabouts of the demon monkey!"

Just as the calamity of the Western Tour had begun, the main character had already left the scene.

This was simply outrageous!

Randeng and Guanyin knew the stakes; gazing down at Huaguo Mountain, they made their move.

"Capture!"

The first one called forth the twenty-four celestial beings, sweeping both the Bull Demon King and the Jiao Demon King into its circle, causing them to vanish on the spot.

"Seize!"

The latter threw out her Jade Purifying Bottle, which grew against the wind as it fell, transforming into the size of a mountain and descending upon the Peng Demon King and the Lion Camel King.

"This is bad!"

However, with the Peng Demon King being extremely fast and the most sensitive, he instantly sprang into action to escape the battle circle and evaded the Jade Purifying Bottle, his face in shock as he disappeared into the skies.

Only the Lion Camel King was captured by the Jade Purifying Bottle.

Thus.

Of the original nine Great Saints of Huaguo Mountain, only the Macaque King and the Yu Rong King remained.

"Disaster is upon us!"

The Macaque King, an ever-elusive figure, was horrified at the turn of events and hurriedly employed his transformations, seeking to vanish without a trace.

Erlang God, King Li, the Third Prince, and other celestial beings had initially surrounded the Macaque King and the Yu Rong King, and now, seeing the Macaque King attempting to flee—

"Meishan Six Saints!"

Erlang God commanded the Six Saints of Meishan to take action, but he then saw a flash of Buddha Light in the sky, followed by a thunderous voice: "Where do you think you're going, fiend?"

Immediately after,

The Flying Dragon Treasure Staff was hurled downwards.

"Roar!"

An Eight-clawed Golden Dragon appeared out of nowhere, turning sharply with its claws, seizing the Macaque King by the head and thrusting him against the mountain rocks, revealing his true form—a four-foot-long macaque.

The Heavenly Venerable appears.

It was none other than Lingji Bodhisattva, who joined his palms together and captured the Macaque.

"Many thanks to the Bodhisattva!"

Erlang God, King Li, and the others, upon seeing the Macaque King subdued, all thanked Lingji Bodhisattva, then turned to deal with the Yu Rong King.

How could the Yu Rong King stand against the host of celestial beings?

In just a moment,

He was exposed by Erlang God to his true form, and the Meishan Six Saints stepped forward, each taking a rope to bind him.

And so,

This grand act of rebellion against the Heavens was drawing to a close.

After the Heavenly Soldiers had dealt with the twelve hundred Demon Kings of Huaguo Mountain -- killing those they could kill, capturing those they could capture, and those who could flee had fled -- the battle of Huaguo Mountain also came to an end.

The once formidable Nine Great Saints had been diminished; five had been captured, leaving only the Peng Demon King, the Green Bamboo King, King Tongming, and the Monkey King still at large, whereabouts unknown.

...

In the Northern Continent,

Lu Qingfeng watched as the demon kings of Huaguo Mountain were routed, and the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals returned to the Heavenly Court, withdrawing his gaze.

"Ancient Buddha Ran Deng."

"The Bodhisattva Guanyin."

"Lingji Bodhisattva."

The seemingly invincible figures like the Bull Demon King and the other six Great Saints, when faced with these Great Powers who had cultivated their Dao since ancient times, were completely overpowered, with no ability to fight back.

They were either captured or forced to flee, completely defenseless.

This so-called rebellion against the Heavens,

Was nothing but a joke,

Ending in a fizzle.

"It's just that the gods of the Heavenly Court didn't exert themselves, otherwise why would the Western Buddha Sect need to intervene?" Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

In this battle, if anyone truly exerted themselves, it was probably only Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun. Born of the Chan Sect, the other Heavenly gods were mostly from the Jie Sect; many had fallen victim to Erlang God's Divine Skills.

No need for pretense.

On the other hand, King Li and the Third Prince,

The latter rebellious but bound by the Linglong Treasure Tower in the hands of his father, had to listen and obey, hence his half-hearted efforts in battle, never going all out.

This battle was no different.

And while King Li tried his best, it was just a show, at most using up to half his strength. After all, as the Heavenly King, he would still need the cooperation of the Heavenly gods to subdue demons and quell evil in the future; it wouldn't do to be too different.

Six-Eared saw through the ruse, frowning and saying, "With the Buddha Sect's aid, can the stone monkey survive this calamity?"

Lu Qingfeng thought about it, considered the unfathomable Heavenly Emperor and the yet-to-act Tathagata, and shook his head: "It'll be tough!"

...

PS: I've been overtaken in monthly votes, I'm asking for your fire support. It's the 29th already, any remaining votes this month will expire soon.