Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 181 - 182: Siege, Tianpeng Retreats Step by Step

Chapter 181: Chapter 182: Siege, Tianpeng Retreats Step by Step

Pagoda-Carrying Celestial King Li Jing, upon witnessing Marshal Tianpeng’s resolute stance, his expression involuntarily chilled, and then he waved his hand to the gathered Immortals.

"Since you are so stubbornly deluded, let all Immortals join forces to capture Tianpeng!"

If Marshal Tianpeng had been willing to surrender, they could have spared themselves some effort; however, seeing his adamant refusal, Li Jing naturally refrained from wasting more words and directly commanded Wang Mo and the other three Great Marshals to take action.

As for the other Immortals, although they also frowned, they had some rapport with Marshal Tianpeng. Therefore, they hesitated to make a move and merely flanked the area.

If Marshal Tianpeng attempted to flee, it might force their hand to act collectively.

Li Jing clearly perceived the subtle thoughts of numerous members of the Immortal Clans, but did not dwell on speculations at this moment.

As the person in charge of the situation, others might dodge their responsibilities, but he could not.

Swoosh!

Speaking, Li Jing raised his palm, and the Exquisite Pagoda surged forth from within.

Rolling flames burst forth from the Exquisite Pagoda, snaking rapidly towards Marshal Tianpeng with terrifying power.

In an instant, the entire sky was dyed red.

Upon seeing this, Marshal Tianpeng couldn’t help but harness his potent mana to execute Instantaneous Movement, dodging the devastating fiery onslaught from Li Jing.

The Four Great Marshals also took this opportunity to fly near Marshal Tianpeng and began to set up the Four Gates Extinction Formation, determined to capture him.

"Marshal Tianpeng, do not force us to act,"

Seeing that the Formation had been activated, Wang Mo frowned and spoke.

Being colleagues, they were reluctant to come to blows with Marshal Tianpeng.

Yet, given his unyielding stance, they had no choice but to give their all.

Marshal Tianpeng, witnessing this scene, still maintained a grim expression and said, "I have nothing more to say!"

As long as he didn’t leave this place to see his Honorable Master, anything more he said would be futile.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so resolutely defiant.

Now that it had come to this point, Tianpeng no longer wished to conceal his true strength and unleashed all his celestial Gang Cultivation.

Boom!

In an instant,

A terrifyingly powerful surge of immortal power burst forth from Marshal Tianpeng, wreaking havoc around him.

The fearsome surge of mana slammed directly towards Wang Mo and the other Marshals.

Even though already a Formation was in place, when the crushing aura of Marshal Tianpeng struck, they still felt the terrifying impact.

Facing such power, even the four individuals setting up the Formation staggered, unable to maintain their stance, and were directly blown away.

Puff, puff, puff!

The four were hurled backward, each spitting a mouthful of blood as the Four Gates Extinction Formation fell easily.

"Impossible!"

Seeing this, Li Jing was utterly dumbfounded; his eyes widened, and a hint of unease stirred within him.

All along, this Marshal Tianpeng had been unassuming; Li had never imagined his strength might be so formidable.

Although the Four Great Marshals were somewhat injured now, having their true spirits listed on the Investiture of the Gods meant they could resurrect even in death, so these injuries didn’t mean much to them.

Amid retreating stances, they quickly recovered their forms and began vigorously maintaining the Formation, stabilizing one that had nearly collapsed.

Li Jing, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief and then executed the Magical Laws with his hands.

The Exquisite Pagoda floating in the sky radiated a faint glow, following the descent of his Magical Laws.

With a hum,

Light burst forth from the Exquisite Pagoda,

It then plummeted directly towards Marshal Tianpeng.

A terrifying aura descended,

which caused Marshal Tianpeng’s expression to turn somber.

He knew well this treasure was originally the possession of Ancient Buddha Ran Deng, given to Li Jing. Although Li Jing couldn’t unleash its full might, it was still immensely powerful. A direct hit could prove fatal, even to one with Vajra Indestructibility.

Yet despite this, Marshal Tianpeng was undeterred; a flicker of light in his hand, and the Nine-toothed Rake appeared.

This treasure, crafted by the Grand Elder of the Supreme Way, was similarly formidable.

At that moment, as the Exquisite Pagoda descended, Marshal Tianpeng’s rake swept across, targeting 直奔落下的玲珑宝塔而去.

Bang!

Upon their collision, a muted boom erupted.

A deafening explosion spread outward, with ripples expanding from the clash of their mana.

Lesser celestial soldiers and generals struck by these mana ripples were knocked back, spewing blood, their faces pale.

Even nearby celestial Court Deities, positioned to flank, had to harness their mana defensively; otherwise, they might not withstand it.

Surprisingly, Tianpeng seemed unharmed and remained standing at his original spot.

"Even such a supreme treasure couldn’t capture Tianpeng!"

"Tianpeng truly deserves his reputation as the long-time leader of the Celestial River Naval Forces. His strength is indeed extraordinary!"

"It seems capturing Tianpeng this time will not be easy!"

"..."

At this moment, seeing this scene unfold, the deities of the Celestial Court were also abuzz with discussion.

They couldn’t help but feel some emotions stirring within them.

They initially thought the Human Teachings Sect was weak, and thus some within the Celestial Court looked down upon them.

Moreover, since Tianpeng had always been carefree and non-confrontational, no one expected his true burst of power to be this terrifying.

Was this the true strength of the Human Teachings Sect?

But it also made sense, after all, he was a disciple of the disciple of Sage Hongjun, how could he not have some cultivation?

With this thought, many immortals were somewhat reassured, and some Hermit Immortals also put aside their disdain, choosing instead to stay and watch from a distance, not wanting to get injured.

Meanwhile, inside the Ninth Celestial Palace.

The Jade Emperor was calmly watching the scene of Marshal Tianpeng and many immortals fighting, displayed on the Mystic Light Mirror.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor remained silent, his authority emanating naturally, his expression utterly calm as if everything happening in front of him was unrelated to him.

It was unknown what he was thinking.

At that moment, Marshal Tianpeng looked at his slightly trembling right hand.

Although he had forcefully caught Li Jing’s Exquisite Pagoda, it caused his palm to tremble, and he nearly failed to grasp his Nine-toothed rake.

Fortunately, his strength was formidable enough to withstand it.

If Marshal Tianpeng was in such a state, Li Jing obviously was not faring much better.

Although their strengths were not much different, Tianpeng had a great master after all.

A single elixir had allowed him to ascend and gain such cultivation; how could he be neglected normally?

While their realms were comparable, in terms of strength, Marshal Tianpeng was far beyond what Li Jing could compare to.

Li Jing, although having ascended to heaven and received the seat of the Great Demon-slaying Marshal,

was inferior to Tianpeng in mana. He was able to hold his position solely because of the Exquisite Pagoda in his hands; otherwise, Li Jing’s strength would have been greatly compromised.

Usually, this wasn’t noticeable, but now in a fight of equal rank, being the controller of the Pagoda, he immediately suffered a backlash.

His inner mana surged chaotically like overturning seas and flowing rivers.

His complexion turned extremely pale in an instant.

He was almost unable to bear it.

"Truly a brilliant tactic!"

A flicker of astonishment flashed through Li Jing’s eyes.

He had never expected Marshal Tianpeng’s strength to be so immense, it truly exceeded his imagination.

Having a military background, he was accustomed to the strict discipline of the army.

Thus, seeing the usually carefree Tianpeng commanding soldiers, he had been quite unconvinced.

He thought it was only because of Tianpeng’s master that he had such good fortune to become Marshal Tianpeng.

Usually, the more he observed, the less he felt Tianpeng deserved the role.

Now that he truly witnessed Tianpeng’s real strength, Li Jing realized what the saying meant: there is no unworthy person under a famed reputation.

Tianpeng’s eligibility as a marshal was due to his own formidable strength, not just his master’s influence.

However, even though Li Jing acknowledged Tianpeng’s strength now, it didn’t mean he would let Marshal Tianpeng off.

At this point, they were utterly irreconcilable.

Especially now that Marshal Tianpeng was defying the divine decree, he must capture Tianpeng.

At that moment, Li Jing, struggling to maintain strength, commanded as the Exquisite Pagoda above in the sky flashed with Mystic Light, and a longsword appeared in his hand.

He charged directly towards Tianpeng.

Having lost face in front of all immortals while capturing Sun Wukong previously, if he couldn’t capture Tianpeng, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

"Four Great Marshals, let us strike together!"

Now that the Four Gates Extinction Formation was stabilized again, Li Jing knew that with his strength alone, it would not be easy to capture Marshal Tianpeng.

Thus, he thought of collaborating with the Four Great Marshals.

"Yes!"

Following Li Jing’s command, the Four Great Marshals simultaneously responded, and a potent force surrounded Li Jing.

Shortly after, the powers of the Four Great Marshals merged with Li Jing’s, as if he became a part of the Four Gates Extinction Formation.

The longsword in Li Jing’s hand shone brightly.

This sword was the Exquisite Immortal Sword from within the Exquisite Pagoda, its might not inferior to a Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasure.

Enhanced by the Four Gates Extinction Formation, the Exquisite Immortal Sword emitted a terrifying glow.

A force far beyond his usual surged into Li Jing, infusing his body, and the Exquisite Immortal Sword unleashed a terrifying power, as he swiftly struck with his sword.

A dazzling sword light swept out, like mercury spilling on the ground, immensely terrifying.

Marshal Tianpeng, seeing this, dared not take any chances and twisted his body, dodging to the side.

Just then, as he had been waiting on the sidelines, one of the Four Great Marshals also suddenly struck with a palm.

Marshal Tianpeng’s expression changed, but fortunately, he dodged quickly.

However, immediately behind him, another person appeared — Wang Mo.

Wherever Marshal Tianpeng dodged, another marshal would appear, exhausting him with their relentless pursuit.

At that moment, the five of them surrounded Marshal Tianpeng, and with their combined strength not weak, Marshal Tianpeng was increasingly forced to retreat!