Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 186 - 182: Great Emperor Qinghua Attacks

Chapter 186: Chapter 182: Great Emperor Qinghua Attacks

[Today, due to other commitments, I’ve combined two Chapters into one, totaling over five thousand words. I ask for your understanding.]

Wukong and the others had slain many experts of the Heavenly Court and, with the help of Wu Zhiqi, had fled using the Water Escape technique.

By the time Ziwei Great Emperor and the Emperor from the East Pole Palace arrived, all that remained were drifting corpses, the air thick with blood, a scene of utter chaos.

Ziwei Great Emperor’s expression remained unchanged as he said, "We arrived a step too late!"

The Emperor from the East Pole looked at Ziwei Great Emperor and said, "It seems that Ziwei Great Emperor is quite pleased?"

Ziwei Great Emperor replied, "My face is expressionless, where do you see joy? Do tell."

This Emperor from the East Pole was a close confidant of the Jade Emperor, while Ziwei Great Emperor, who held significant power, had not followed the Jade Emperor’s commands and often acted against his wishes until recently. The Jade Emperor had regained his formidable power and authority, forcing Ziwei Great Emperor to outwardly obey. The Jade Emperor’s orders were thus merely a formality; their current mission was to slay the demon monkey. Yet, by the time they arrived, the demon monkeys had already escaped.

It was indeed Ziwei Great Emperor who deliberately slowed their pace. During the military roll call, the Emperor from the East Pole had urged him twice, prompting him to finally mobilize the left and right aids and one hundred and eight generals from Ziwei Palace, as well as summoning a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers to leave the Heavenly Court. With the Emperor from the East Pole by his side, he had to act with due diligence, and they hurried to their destination with the fastest speed. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the targets had already vanished.

The Emperor from the East Pole was choked up by Ziwei Great Emperor’s remark and simply snorted, choosing not to speak.

"Let’s go to the Water Curtain Cave; we must avenge this insult on our Heavenly Court," the Emperor from the East Pole said angrily.

"You may go on your own; I will return to the Heavenly Court and report back to the Jade Emperor first," Ziwei Great Emperor said leisurely.

The anger in the heart of the Emperor from the East Pole was palpable. His seven companions had been killed by the Golden-winged Great Peng in the Western Heavenly Buddha Land, a direct affront to his pride. He was already quite irritable lately and his attempt to subdue the demon monkey had failed due to Ziwei Great Emperor’s dragging his feet during the military roll call, which allowed the demon monkey to escape. He hated Ziwei Great Emperor to the core!

The Emperor from the East Pole nodded and said, "Very well! I shall go alone."

Ziwei Great Emperor suddenly smiled and said, "Be careful, Emperor from the East Pole, lest you find yourself on the Deification Platform. I shall return to the Heavenly Court to report to the Jade Emperor."

The Emperor from the East Pole was furious and cursed under his breath, "That Bo Yikao, daring to curse me, Lv Dongbin, onto the Deification Platform! Ha, but I am much better off than you. If I die, I would only ascend to the Deification Platform, but if you die, you wouldn’t even make it there; your fate would be nothing but ashes and smoke!"

Ziwei Great Emperor then led his troops back to the Heavenly Court.

The Emperor from the East Pole headed towards the Water Curtain Cave with his followers from the East Pole Palace.

He was well aware of the forces at Water Curtain Cave; there was only one sect founder level figure there, Sun Wukong himself. Being a Primordial Golden Immortal, he only needed to defeat Sun Wukong to easily take down Water Curtain Cave. What a splendid opportunity to make a name for himself!

"That Sun Wukong, just recently attained the status of a Primordial Golden Immortal. The Buddhist Sect is truly incompetent, unable to subdue even him! Watch how I capture him this time," the Emperor from the East Pole thought to himself.

He also had an arrogant nature. In a previous life, he was Emperor Donghua and, having been reborn to cultivate anew, his progress was exceedingly fast, which led to his impatient character.

There were many in the Heavenly Court who did not ascend through the Investiture of the Gods; the Heavenly Court was established before the Investiture of the Gods. To thoroughly consolidate its power, the Heavenly Court later declared the three hundred and sixty-five Righteous Gods, each leading various minor deities... Emperor Donghua had been an official in the Heavenly Court even before the signing of the Investiture of the Gods, so he still had one chance to ascend to the Deification Platform.

Ziwei Great Emperor, who was the son of King Ji Chang of the Zhou dynasty, named Bo Yikao, lived in the Chaoge during the Middle Ages and the Investiture of the Gods Period. He went to Chaoge to save his father where the demon concubine Daji, seeing Bo Yikao’s profound knowledge in music and his extremely handsome appearance, a truly graceful and elegant young man, took a liking to him and wished to engage in an affair. However, Bo Yikao, being a man of integrity, fiercely rebuked Daji, which angered her. Daji then whispered slander into King Zhou’s ears. Believing he could not escape death, Bo Yikao played his zither and sang a song that criticized King Zhou’s foolishness in listening to the demon concubine Daji and trusting treacherous officials. Enraged, King Zhou had Bo Yikao beaten to death.

"This Lv Dongbin truly thinks too highly of himself, assuming he is unmatched in vision? This trip to the Water Curtain Cave might just leave him with a soiled face!" said the Left Assistant Emperor, laughing.

"Indeed, this Lv Dongbin was Emperor Donghua in a previous life, and after being reborn, he quickly advanced in his cultivation, ultimately being bestowed the title of Lord of Salvation by the Taiyi. Not long after, the Jade Emperor further subdued Indra, leading to significant shifts in the political power of the Heavenly Court, allowing him to rise as the Emperor from the East Pole. With his smooth and unobstructed career path, he naturally holds himself in high regard," said the Right Assistant Emperor, laughing.

Ziwei Great Emperor pondered and said, "Stop discussing others here; be careful not to let others overhear."

The Left and Right Assistants immediately composed themselves and said, "Yes, Great Emperor!"

Ziwei Great Emperor then instructed the Left and Right Assistants to lead the troops of Ziwei Palace back to the Central Palace, after which he ascended to the Lingxiao Hall to see the Jade Emperor.

"I pay my respects to the Jade Emperor," Ziwei Great Emperor said as he bowed.

"Ziwei Emperor, why have you returned so early? I see only you here, but not the Emperor from the East Pole?" the Jade Emperor asked.

The Jade Emperor, who daily consumed Spirit Pills and Miraculous Elixirs and also enjoyed the Queen Mother’s elixirs made from peaches that ripened every nine thousand years, had seen his Cultivation Level increase significantly. Now a Daluo Golden Immortal, he had been gathering heavenly treasures from the Ten Continents and Three Islands to refine more elixirs, seemingly aiming to break through to the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm. With his increased Cultivation Level, he spoke with a deep, unfathomable voice, no longer as indecisive as in days