Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 108: Erlang God Seeks Revenge

Chapter 108: 108: Erlang God Seeks Revenge

The Tang army and the Tianzhu army were fiercely engaged in battle; Sun Wukong observed from above, and would strike down any formidable figures within the Tianzhu ranks with his staff. With Sun Wukong’s assistance, and since the Tang army outnumbered the Tianzhu army threefold, the Tianzhu army naturally found themselves outmatched, with soldiers losing the will to fight.

The defenders within Peacock City also didn’t dare to venture out, fearing that the Tang army would seize the opportunity to break through the city gates.

Sun Wukong was beginning to find the battle dull when he heard the rumble of thunder and looked up to see a figure descending from the clouds.

Who was this person? It was none other than Yang Jian, the manifest Honored Deity, Erlang God! How could one tell? A poem bears witness: "With a noble and handsome presence so profound, beneath his shoulders his ears be found. He wears a phoenix cap of the three peaks’ fame, donning a pale goose-yellow robe, simple and tame. Golden boots wrapped in dragon-patterned socks supreme, a jade belt with a cluster of treasures does gleam. At his side, a slingshot crescent in shape, and in hand, the three-pointed double-edged lance he does drape."

Behold Yang Jian clad in battle armor, wielding the three-pointed double-edged sword, soaring on a cloud, his eyes filled with boundless intent to kill.

Yang Jian called out, "Sun Wukong, behold who I am!"

With a mocking laugh, Sun Wukong replied, "Aren’t you just Erlang God Yang Jian? I wondered who it could be – turns out it’s just someone I’ve beaten before."

Flushed with anger, Yang Jian responded, "Sun Wukong, today I have come to seek vengeance!"

Sun Wukong retorted, "Then come, and save your breath with the idle talk!"

Below, Xue Rengui decapitated two generals, then on horseback leapt out of the fray, looking up only to see two figures gripping in the sky, one his own master and the other the renowned Erlang. He couldn’t help but think, "That’s it, there’s a tale that my master once flipped Erlang’s cultivation place upside down, a real slap in the face; this reunion is bound to be a fight to the death."

Sun Wukong met Erlang God, and upon confrontation a fierce battle unfolded. The two exchanged blows, with every move aimed to strike a fatal blow.

With a scornful taunt, Sun Wukong exclaimed, "Yang Jian, you’ve made no progress in a year! Truly disappointing."

Yang Jian, applying his Eighty-Nine Profound Skills with lethal intent in his eyes, declared, "You’ll find out soon enough if I have progressed or not!"

The sounds of their battle almost drowned out the killing cries below; troops from both nations clashing on the ground could hear the series of explosive sounds and gushes of air, clanging like hammers on steel, with bursts of gold and cyan light exploding amidst them.

Sun Wukong’s staff technique was unparalleled, and very few could match him in close combat. Yet Yang Jian was extraordinary, a man of unique talents, who had rigorously trained under the guidance of the real Jade Tripod over the past year, making subtle advancements into the realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal. With each strike of his sword, the void warped and rules were thrown into chaos, all unfathomable.

However, since being expelled, Sun Wukong had also improved his cultivation and had somewhat begun to grasp the Dharma Gate of twisting voids and chaotic rules, naturally unfazed.

Sun Wukong was formidable with his staff, and Yang Jian wielded his three-pointed double-edged sword just as well. After two hundred rounds, neither had prevailed – truly, Yang Jian was the destined adversary.

Sun Wukong ceased the drawn-out battle, somersaulting out of the melee and forming seals with his hands, shouting, "Heavenly Emperor’s Giant Seal!"

Encircling his left hand was the True Sunfire, burning fiercely as a massive hand seal formed above the void. With a pat from Sun Wukong, the seal bore down on Yang Jian, seeking to envelop and crush him in one blow.

But Yang Jian was no ordinary opponent; with a swing of his sword, his body grew thirty feet tall, and with a downward slice, he shattered the Great Seal.

Sun Wukong unleashed another move, Swallowing Sun and Spitting Moon, and out leapt his Golden Crow Law Body, swallowing and spewing True Sunfire, plunging directly towards Yang Jian.

Yang Jian cursed, "Relying on Di Jun’s divine skills is not real prowess. Face me if you dare!"

Sun Wukong responded with a strange laugh, "You’re making excuses because you can’t defeat me. Didn’t you rely on your dog that year to beat me?"

Yang Jian’s third eye flashed open, radiating lightning that ensnared the Golden Crow Law Body and began to tear it apart, the crackling noise resounding as the Golden Crow Law Body dissolved into countless fireballs, extinguishing them within the void.

Sun Wukong, having battled Yang Jian for many years, knew well of his Eighty-Nine Profound Skills. Yang Jian’s body was extremely resilient, making him formidably skilled in close combat but not as adept in spells. Thus, Sun Wukong escaped to a distance, choosing to combat him with spell techniques instead.

Sun Wukong cast his sword technique; with a flick of his fingers, a myriad of Sword Qi thrust forward – it was the Heavenly Emperor Sword Art.

Actually, every one of Di Jun’s divine skills were extremely formidable, but he was not proficient in them since he dedicated most of his time to studying the Three Thousand Great Paths and had little time to cultivate these divine skills. Besides, his Magical Treasures were quite potent, rendering those skills somewhat redundant; only the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal he had thoroughly mastered.

Enraged, Yang Jian bellowed, with his third eye blinking, the void shattered and Sword Qi disintegrated.

Sun Wukong prepared to cast another spell when he saw Yang Jian draw his Treasured Sword. With a flash of cold light, a streak of brilliance sped extremely fast towards him. Sun Wukong felt all his hair stand on end in a sudden rush of adrenaline and hastily raised the Green Lotus to protect himself; indeed, had he been a moment slower, he wouldn’t have been able to block it.

With a "crack", a stark white mark appeared on the Green Lotus, etched into it violently.

Sun Wukong was shocked. What kind of sword was this that it was so formidable? Had he been slower just now, he feared his head would have been cut off!

This sword, called the Immortal Slaying Sword, was a Magical Treasure of the Jade Tripod Sect Founder, extremely powerful. With a flash of the sword light, it demanded blood, but fortunately, Sun Wukong reacted swiftly, and the Green Lotus was also powerful enough to block that bit of cold star released upon unsheathing. Otherwise, Sun Wukong’s head and body would have been separated by now.

Sun Wukong cursed, "Good one, Yang Jian, trying to ambush me!"

Yang Jian was also slightly surprised. His Immortal Slaying Sword had never failed before. How had it been blocked by this monkey today?

Seeing the sword’s potency, Sun Wukong did not dare to be careless and with an angry shout, he executed the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal!

A giant square seal appeared in the sky, engraved with images of mountains and rivers. Sun Wukong constructed it with the use of the way of mountains and rivers from the Three Thousand Great Paths as a foundation. His mana was almost completely drained in an instant, and then he quickly circulated the Primordial Three Thousand Transformations Dharma Gate, with the two thousand paths within his Golden Core resonating to restore his mana as soon as possible.

Seeing the enormous Dharma Seal descending from the sky, cracking the void layer by layer with its immense power, Yang Jian dared not block it lightly. Operating his Profound Skills, he lifted his Immortal Slaying Sword into the sky, and instantly, countless streams of Sword Qi crisscrossed, forming a vast net, fixed in the void above.

"Boom!"

As the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal fell, the profound presence of the mountain and river societies burst forth. Yang Jian was startled and hurriedly moved to the side to avoid being caught in its immediate radius, fearing that it would result in broken bones and torn sinews!

The Immortal Slaying Sword was not a common artifact but a Magical Treasure that the Jade Tripod Sect Founder refined daily, reaching the realm of life-and-death cultivation. Even if a Sect Founder himself came, it would be difficult to break. However, the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal was also formidable, and it showcased the profound nature of mountains and rivers. It seemed to contain all the mountains of the world and the Four Seas within the seal; to confront it was to oppose the whole world.

Yet, with its Sword Qi formed into a vast net, the Immortal Slaying Sword managed to catch and prevent the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal from falling.

Sun Wukong said, "Impressive!"

After speaking, he swung his staff towards Yang Jian. Deploying the Great Mountains and Rivers Seal had greatly depleted his mana, and using another spell would likely exhaust it completely. Wouldn’t he then be like fish on the chopping block?

His Staff Technique unfolded, and hundreds of staff shadows cleaved towards Yang Jian’s forehead, shaking heaven and earth.

Yang Jian’s expression did not change as he operated his Profound Skills, a layer of golden light radiating from his body. Extremely powerful, he matched Sun Wukong blow for blow.

"Got you!"

Yang Jian suddenly remembered a chain to bind Sun Wukong, who recognized it as the Binding Demon Rope. While it was not as powerful as the Old Master’s Golden Rope or Ju Liusun’s Immortal Binding Rope, it was still tough to deal with. Once bound, it would be difficult to free oneself in a short period.

Yuan Hong’s Staff Technique contained clever methods to deal with various weapons. Although the chain was not considered a weapon, it could be seen as a type of flexible weapon; thus, Sun Wukong used his Staff Technique to deal with it. Every hit of his staff landed on the head of the chain, causing it to sway, unable to get close.

But Yang Jian took this opportunity to press forward, slashing at Sun Wukong’s back. Sun Wukong cried out loudly as he was sent flying. Though he was struck by the blade, it did not reach his core; the pain was excruciating, but not a drop of blood was shed.

The Binding Demon Rope flew to capture Sun Wukong, but just at that moment, Xue Rengui, who had been watching intently from the ground, threw his halberd into the sky. It transformed into a streak of cold light and struck the Binding Demon Rope, making a "clang" sound, and knocking it off course away from Sun Wukong.

Seeing Sun Wukong nearly captured, an infuriated Yang Jian bellowed, "Who are you? How dare you obstruct me?"

As Sun Wukong gathered his strength, he yelled, "Yang Jian, watch out! Take this hit from my staff!"

In an instant, his body enlarged to two hundred zhang high, turning into a giant golden monkey. His Creation Heavenly Mechanism Staff also grew to three hundred zhang in length, and with a fierce swing, it brought a tremendous gust of wind slashing towards Yang Jian!

Yang Jian’s Profound Skills rapidly operated, and he too grew with the wind to two hundred zhang tall, lifting his Three-pointed Double-edged Sword to block.

Displayed on Sun Wukong’s Creation Heavenly Mechanism Staff was a Divine Ape called the Star Picking Divine Ape. With a stretch of its arms, it became as fearsome as a Long-Armed Ape, aiming straight for Yang Jian’s eyes.

Yang Jian didn’t expect the Creation Heavenly Mechanism Staff to be so formidable. After taking two solid punches, his vision swirled with stars, and each eye sported a black ring.

"Ouch!" Yang Jian cried out in pain, retreating repeatedly.

Both the Tang army and the Tianzhu forces were stunned by the sight of two hundred zhang tall deities battling in the sky. Nevertheless, under Qin Qiong and Qin Shubao’s command, the well-trained Tang army immediately resumed their attack, turning the momentarily stupefied Tianzhu forces into casualties.

After a hundred or so rounds of battle between Yang Jian and Sun Wukong in the sky, the Tang army finally killed off most of the hundred thousand Tianzhu soldiers. The majority of the survivors fled, with Qin Qiong leading a pursuit and dealing another blow until they reached Peacock City, where they ceased their chase.

The Tianzhu army suffered a crushing defeat. Eighty thousand from their hundred thousand soldiers perished, while fifteen thousand were captured. Only five thousand managed to retreat back into the city.