Just as Taoist Qingyun took that step, the Eastern King looked back towards the direction of the great hall, and only then did he feel relieved.

He looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, "Trying to kill me, you are not yet qualified!"

His body was enveloped in purple mist, and in an instant, he pushed the heavenly soldiers hundreds of meters away.

The Eastern King leapt up and flew towards the sky.

At this moment, above the sky, the Heavenly Net arranged by Li Jing had already been set, and as the Eastern King flew, he collided with the net.

However, the Eastern King seemed unconcerned, wielding a blue Jade Ruyi and striking it against the net, instantly creating a breach in the Heavenly Court’s reputedly indestructible Heavenly Net.

The people of the Heavenly Court were shocked. Many of them had carried out such tasks before and had captured many fiercely evil demons from the Three Realms, and some had even participated in the campaign to capture the Great Sage Equalling Heaven years ago.

But they had never seen anyone breach the Heavenly Net so effortlessly.

Li Jing spoke solemnly, "This is the Eastern King, once the leader of all immortals. Everyone, be on your guard!"

Li Jing kept boosting morale, knowing the pressure of facing such a legendary figure, but he believed that victory would ultimately be theirs.

The Eastern King broke through the encirclement and headed straight for the Gate of the Southern Heavens, fully aware that the Jade Emperor would not let him go. Instead of being chased like a dog, he preferred to fight one last glorious battle.

At that moment, a dark cloud approached, and the leader, holding a Command Flag, called out loudly, "By the command of the Jade Emperor, come to capture the rebel!"

The thirty-six Thunder Generals immediately surrounded the Eastern King.

Seeing this, the Eastern King scoffed, "Thinking to harm me with Thunder Magic is far too naïve."

Countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, wielded by the thirty-six Thunder Generals. The fearsome lightning instantly enveloped the small area, trapping the Eastern King within it.

This was no ordinary lightning, but the lightning of Heavenly Tribulation, each bolt powerful enough to annihilate those monsters who had undergone Transformation.

No one had ever survived under such dense heavenly lightning.

Yet the Eastern King was no ordinary man. His body was enveloped in purple mist, standing tall and unmovable in the sea of lightning, like an ancient, unchanging mountain.

No amount of lightning could breach his defense.

With the purple mist raging, the Eastern King, riding on the purple mist, laughed loudly, "You had better step aside!"

As he spoke, the surging purple mist swept in all directions, instantly dispersing the dark clouds in the sky.

The thirty-six Thunder Generals didn’t have time to react before they were blown away by the purple mist, and it took them a long time to recover their senses.

"So powerful, truly formidable. Is this the once leader of all immortals? His strength is indeed exceptional," one Thunder General muttered apprehensively.

The power displayed was such that if it had been focused solely on them, likely none would have survived.

Luckily, the Eastern King was intent on confronting the Jade Emperor, which spared these Thunder Generals their lives.

Another, still terrified, coughed up clotted blood and weakly said, "His Protective Divine Power is truly top-notch in the Three Realms. Our heavenly lightning could not even breach his defense."

They were the Thunder Generals, who represented the Heavenly Department of Thunder, administering divine punishment. All creatures feared them, and having long been accustomed to their superior positions, especially revered was the power of their Thunder Magic, evident to all in the Three Realms. Normal demons and ghosts stood no chance against the Thunder Generals, utterly powerless to retaliate.

This had led many in the Department of Thunder to become arrogant, conducting themselves with a measure of haughtiness.

However, it was only upon facing the Eastern King that they realized they were not as powerful as they had imagined, which left several Thunder Generals quite dejected.

They charged forth furiously, yet they could only watch helplessly as the Eastern King rushed toward the Gate of the Southern Heavens.

Simultaneously, under the valiant performance of the Eastern King, the others on Yingzhou Island also erupted with great fighting strength, managing to withstand the sharp edge of the Heavenly Court.

But Li Jing was not at all flustered. The opponents had already fallen into a trap and were mere prey, their struggles merely the final flickers before extinguishment. It wouldn’t be long before they lacked the strength to resist any further.

Now, he was rather concerned about the Heavenly Court. With a master like the Eastern King storming into the Heavenly Court, clearly intent on a decisive battle with the Jade Emperor, by the current looks of it, many might choose to stand aside and watch.

After all, His Majesty had left behind quite a network back in the day.

The outcome between the Jade Emperor and the Eastern King would truly decide the fate of this battle. Sadly, this was beyond his control now. Both were among the supreme beings of the Three Realms, and frankly speaking, following the transcendence of the Three Pure Ones Tathagata, they were among the top few individuals in all the Three Realms.

Their battle was not something ordinary people could interfere in, one could only quietly await the arrival of the outcome.

The only thing Li Jing could do was to try his best to eradicate the people of Yingzhou Island, hoping to possibly disturb the Daoist Heart of the Eastern King and gain a chance of victory for the Jade Emperor.

Of course, there was another important matter he hadn’t forgotten — the legendary Divine Fusang Tree.

Looking up, he saw a towering tree on the mountain peak of Yingzhou Island, enveloped in fierce flames, appearing from a distance as if a great sun were resting upon it.

"This is the Divine Fusang Tree!" Li Jing murmured to himself.

Marvelling at the marvels of nature that could nurture such a remarkable tree, even from a great distance, Li Jing could feel the astonishing heat.

He quickly called over Nezha, who was fighting vigorously.

At that moment, Nezha was fully engrossed in the battle and appeared very displeased to be summoned by his father suddenly.

Having been previously oppressed by the Eastern King, he was burning with anger, and just as he was venting, he was called back by his father.

"Father, I’m not sure why you’ve called me over, especially at such a critical point in the war. I need to return to the battle," Nezha said, his tone revealing his displeasure.

However, Li Jing simply ignored it and, pointing towards the distance, smiled and said, "Look over there!"

Following the direction Li Jing pointed, Nezha instantly saw the marvelous Divine Fusang Tree, his pupils dilating as he murmured, "What is this?"

As the Divine Fusang Tree had long been hidden on Yingzhou Island by the Eastern King, the younger generation like Nezha had never seen this legendary tree.

"The Divine Fusang Tree!" Li Jing sighed deeply, even he was seeing this tree for the first time, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Take a good look, this tree is the legendary Spiritual Root of Fire, containing all transformations of the world’s flames. You are proficient in Samadhi True Fire, do not squander such an opportunity, for you may never have such a chance again," Li Jing advised Nezha.

He was well aware of the Jade Emperor’s plan; should it proceed as the Jade Emperor intended, this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root might soon vanish from the world.