Chapter 457: Chapter 457 Hostage Threat (4th Update!)
Flower-Fruit Mountain, inside Water Curtain Cave Heaven.
“Damn it! That Jade Emperor is utterly shameless!”
The irate voice of the Six-Eared Macaque echoed far outside the Water Curtain Cave Heaven. Sun Wukong, who had just stepped into the Mountain Protection Barrier of Flower-Fruit Mountain, couldn’t help but change his expression. His heart suddenly sank. What kind of trouble had that old Jade Emperor caused now?
Stretching out his form, Sun Wukong entered Water Curtain Cave Heaven at top speed and burst into the council hall, immediately asking the Six-Eared Macaque and the others, “What happened? Has the Jade Emperor attacked again?”
“Big brother!”
“Monkey bro!”
...
Seeing Sun Wukong appear, the Six-Eared Macaque, Luo Bai, and the others felt a surge of joy, followed by a flush of embarrassment crossing their faces. Sun Wukong frowned deeply and said sternly, “Will someone tell me what exactly happened? Where is Zi Lan? Why isn’t Zi Lan here?”
“She, she went to the Heavenly Court…”
“What?”
Sun Wukong’s eyes bulged. “Zi Lan went to the Heavenly Court? When did this happen?”
“It was, after, after you left, big brother…”
The Bull Demon King glanced at Sun Wukong, his bovine face turning beet red. Sun Wukong had specially instructed him to keep an eye on Flower-Fruit Mountain when he left. Now, he had failed to keep watch over Fairy Zi Lan, had no idea she had left, and was truly ashamed to face Sun Wukong!
“After I left? Then when did you all realize it, and why didn’t you go and bring her back?”
Sun Wukong was growing angrier. Fairy Zi Lan’s previous actions in aiding Flower-Fruit Mountain would definitely be deemed unforgivable by the Jade Emperor, and going back to the Heavenly Court, how could there be any good outcome awaiting her?
“We…”
Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.
Luo Bai gave a wry smile, “We’ve only just found out recently. Sister-in-law used a clone in the Heaven-Piercing Tower, and if we hadn’t received a decree from the Heavenly Court, we would still be unaware that sister-in-law had quietly returned to the Heavenly Court!”
“What decree? Show it to me!”
Sun Wukong stretched out his hand. Luo Bai and the others exchanged glances, all showing a trace of difficulty on their faces. After hesitating for a bit, they still sighed and handed a rolled silk cloth to Sun Wukong.
Unfurling the silk cloth, Sun Wukong’s expression suddenly became extremely grim. The content of the decree was very clear: He had to go to the Heavenly Court alone to meet an appointment, otherwise, Fairy Zi Lan would be subjected to the death penalty on the Immortal-Slaying Stage!
This was blatant blackmail, using Fairy Zi Lan as a hostage to threaten him!
“Despicable! Absolutely despicable!”
Sun Wukong was furious. As the Lord of the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor had lowered himself to use a woman as a hostage in order to lure him into a trap. There was not a shred of the dignity or grace befitting the ruler of all the Three Realms; he was acting like a desperate gambler at his wit’s end, stopping at nothing!
“Monkey bro, what do we do now?”
Seeing the rage on Sun Wukong’s face, everyone felt even more ashamed. After a moment of silence, Luo Bai asked Sun Wukong, “Why don’t I accompany you to the Heavenly Court and help rescue sister-in-law?”
“We must certainly rescue her! But when I go to rescue her, I’ll go alone!”
Sun Wukong shook his head.
“No way, monkey bro! The Jade Emperor obviously set a trap, waiting for you to walk in. The Heavenly Court is surely full of ambushes; how can you risk it alone?”
“Yeah, Big Brother, the Jade Emperor is just trying to mess with you by threatening you with your sister-in-law; you can’t fall for it!”
Once Sun Wukong had said this, everyone opposed it vehemently, each one raising their voices to dissuade him.
“If I don’t go, Zi Lan will lose her life!”
Sun Wukong roared, “Haven’t you seen the details in that decree? Immortal-Slaying Stage! Zi Lan is about to be led onto the Immortal-Slaying Stage!”
“I know it’s a trap, but what can I do? For Zi Lan, I’m willing to brave a mountain of swords and a sea of flames, even a dragon pool and a tiger’s den!”
“Monkey Bro, I’ll go with you!”
“Boss, we’ll go with you too!”
Luo Bai was the first to state his stance, followed by the Bull Demon King and others who expressed their desire to join Sun Wukong in ascending to Heavenly Court and rescue Zi Lan Fairy. However, Sun Wukong shook his head.
“No! The decree clearly states it want’s me to go alone. Otherwise, they’ll use Zi Lan as their first target. Too many people and the possibility of being discovered is too great. I can’t risk Zi Lan’s life!”
Sun Wukong said, shaking his head.
“Then let me go with you to the Heavenly Court, Monkey Bro, in case of need, I can even ask my mentor for help.”
“With my mentor backing us, the people of Heavenly Court wouldn’t dare to do anything to me,” said Luo Bai.
Luo Bai’s words left everyone speechless. Indeed, he seemed to be the most suitable one to accompany Sun Wukong to Heavenly Court — after all, he was the favorite disciple of Leader of Tongtian.
With a mentor who was one of the Three Purities, even if the Jade Emperor wanted to turn hostile, he would have to weigh whether he could withstand the wrath of the Leader of Tongtian, right?
“Fine, Luo Bai, you’ll accompany me to Heavenly Court. We’ll try to find a way to save Zi Lan. The rest of you look after Flower-Fruit Mountain and urge everyone to practice diligently! Our conflict with Heavenly Court has reached a point of no return. A final battle is inevitable. If we want to survive and defeat our opponent in that battle, we can’t slack off in our daily practice!”
“Yes, Great Saint!”
There was no time to lose; any delay might lead to unexpected changes. With clouds beneath their feet, Sun Wukong and Luo Bai left Flower-Fruit Mountain straight away, flying toward Heavenly Court.
“Who knows if Wukong will be able to successfully rescue Zi Lan Fairy on this trip?”
At the entrance of Water Curtain Cave Heaven, Nezha the Third Prince watched as Sun Wukong and Luo Bai’s figures disappeared into the horizon, and he sighed deeply, his face full of worry.
“As much as I don’t want to admit it, Wukong’s power has already far surpassed ours. If even he can’t handle it, us going would be futile; we might just end up holding him back!”
Erlang God Yang Jian shook his head and sighed softly next to him, “With Luo Bai accompanying him, things should be fine. The Leader of Tongtian always protects his own. If anyone dares to lay a hand on his prized disciple, he surely won’t just stand by! We, on the other hand, will help Wukong by guarding Flower-Fruit Mountain and responding to every change with an unchanging resolve.”
…
In the Heavenly Court, at the thirty-third heaven, the Sky of Resentment, inside Doushui Palace.
“The Jade Emperor actually resorted to such methods to lure that monkey, Wukong, to Heavenly Court; it’s quite a loss of face!”
The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord might be in Doushui Palace, but nothing in the world could escape his notice, except for Sun Wukong’s whereabouts. He knew it all, including the Jade Emperor using Zi Lan Fairy as a hostage to threaten Sun Wukong to come to Flower-Fruit Mountain. A look of disdain flashed in his eyes, and The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord heaved a light sigh. In the next moment, his gaze swept over to a corner of the wall and said lightly, “You little monkey, since you’ve already arrived, why lurk around? What, you’re thinking of stealing my Golden Core?”
“To be discovered by you, Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, is to admit that ginger gets spicier with age! I’m impressed!”