"Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi, be cautious!"
"As the saying goes, insufficient punishment inevitably leads to disaster. People shouldn't be so hypocritical. You promised a severe punishment for Qing Feng, so why are you suddenly letting him off lightly?"
"Could it be that you think I, Old Sun, am far away, merely a mere hair clone with insufficient oversight? Are you truly trying to make everyone unhappy?"
As he spoke, Sun Kong, who was most familiar with the personalities of the prominent figures in the Three Realms of Hong Huang, had no intention of passively waiting for his fate.
On the contrary, while using his hair clone to question Zhen Yuanzi, he was also informing the Three Realms of Hong Huang that Zhen Yuanzi had broken the rules first, thus justifying his own actions. He couldn't be blamed.
Meanwhile, to prevent Zhen Yuanzi from making any excuses and to save Qing Feng's chance, Sun Kong, after challenging the Heavenly Dao five hundred years ago and distributing the merits of the Journey to the West, made another earth-shattering move.
If he were to act, he would act on a grand scale. The Wu Zhiqi he had dispatched earlier was nothing. For this suicidal act, he had to be the one to do it, for as the ancestor of troublemaking, his appearance would surely result in bloodshed and shock the land!
...
At the Ten Thousand Flower Inn.
As Qing Feng retreated, the Rose Dragon King, the Golden Carp Spirit, and the demon household child gradually fell into disadvantage. However, upon hearing Sun Kong's shout, they were overjoyed, believing they still had hope of receiving Zhen Yuanzi's assistance.
To this end, both the Star Lord of the South Pole, who had remained hidden and inactive, and the New Six-Eared Macaque, who had returned to the mortal world to continue presiding over the second Journey to the West, were secretly delighted.
"I never imagined this battle would hold such continuous surprises. I thought this Star Lord might also miss out on merit, seeing Guang Chengzi and others being outmatched by Qing Feng."
"Now it seems, with this Sun Monkey, I probably won't have to intervene. This second tribulation will be passed."
"As for any mistakes made, what concern is it of mine? I am merely here to collect the merits of the Journey to the West."
The Star Lord of the South Pole, who had been concealed outside the Ten Thousand Flower Inn the entire time, thought to himself gleefully.
On the other side, the New Six-Eared Macaque also noticed that although Zhen Yuanzi had appeared, he had not disrupted his plan. He had merely taken away Qing Feng without imposing a severe punishment. This had angered Sun Kong, potentially leading to a battle between Sun Kong and Zhen Yuanzi. He didn't fear the death of the Rose Dragon King, the Golden Carp Spirit, or the not-so-powerful demon household child. Rather, he wished for Zhen Yuanzi, a Quasi-Saint, to be brought down.
Because, once Sun Kong completely offended Zhen Yuanzi, regardless of who won or lost, the influence of Wuzhuang Temple would be easier to manipulate in subsequent tribulations, and they would be more likely to side with him. This was a paramount event and a joyous occasion for the demon race since the fall of the Demon Ancestor Luohu, after several kalpas!
"The Demon Sage's calculations are indeed accurate."
"I must admit, the Demon Sage is far more capable than I in this regard. This is a method that requires no effort and saves the most strength."
"Our demon race will at most sacrifice a mere low-grade Golden Immortal. However, the Human School, the Chan School, the Spirit Mountain, the New Flower Fruit Mountain, and the Wa Huang Palace will all offend Zhen Yuanzi because of this."
"Their loss is our demon race's gain. With Saints unable to intervene, having an additional Quasi-Saint like Zhen Yuanzi is an unparalleled advantage."
"Fight, fight quickly, don't dally! If you're going to fight, start immediately. If that's not enough, I can even summon my three junior brothers: Ming He, Huang Quan, and You Ming."
"If four Quasi-Saints still can't thoroughly thrash Sun Monkey, then I'll write my name, New Six-Eared Macaque, backward. I'll acknowledge him as my ancestor!"
Just as the New Six-Eared Macaque had imagined, at the moment he and the Star Lord of the South Pole were secretly rejoicing, Sun Kong, riding the Chaos Somersault Cloud, accelerated his approach. He was no longer too far from the Ten Thousand Flower Inn. From the billions of miles that ordinary beings found difficult to traverse, to one billion, then eight hundred million. From the six hundred million miles that even immortals struggled to endure, to four hundred million, then two hundred million. ... And finally to the last few tens of millions of miles. With the speed of the Chaos Somersault Cloud, it was as simple as drinking water!
His face was filled with rage. This not only shocked everyone at the Ten Thousand Flower Inn, boosting the morale of Wu Zhiqi and others, and causing the Rose Dragon King and others to tremble, unable to advance or retreat, but it also made the Six Great Saints, who had been in seclusion for five hundred years, sense something. Seeing that a grand spectacle of Sun Great Sage challenging a Quasi-Saint was about to unfold, the Six Great Saints uncharacteristically emerged from seclusion to observe.
...
Xuan Du Heaven.
Eight Views Palace.
Laozi opened his eyes, narrowed them, and smiled with a complex expression.
"This Sun Monkey, after five hundred years, still loves to court disaster. This time, is he truly going to overturn the rules of the Three Realms of Hong Huang for billions of years, challenging superiors with inferiors, and the weak defeating the strong?"
"What secrets does he still possess that I, this Daoist, do not know, to dare to use them against Zhen Yuanzi, who possesses the Book of Earth?"
...
Mi Luo Heaven.
Jade Void Palace.
Yuanshi Tianzun, who had once treated Sun Kong as a junior friend, was also quite surprised by his reckless action that shocked the Three Realms of Hong Huang.
"Young Friend Sun is indeed sharp. Besides assisting my eldest disciple, Guang Chengzi, it seems he also intends to use this battle to awe the Three Realms and deter others from interfering with the subsequent tribulations?"
"However, his cultivation is still inferior to Zhen Yuanzi's, and their spiritual treasures are roughly equal. I truly don't know who will emerge victorious."
...
Similarly, Empress Nuwa in Wa Huang Palace looked worried, fearing her beloved son, Sun Kong, would suffer. Yet, she also harbored great resentment towards the Jade Emperor for using the Rose Dragon King to harm her maid, Feng'er.
The Two Saints of the West, as usual, watched the spectacle, cheering for Sun Kong. However, they also frowned with concern, as his increasing boldness and power made them worry about their inability to control him in the future.
As for Tongtian Sect Master, he had none of the other Saints' worries. After all, cooperating with the Heavenly Court, the Demon Race, and Sun Kong from three sides, he considered himself the most intelligent of all. Who lived or died, who won or lost this battle, was less important than him winning immeasurably!
"It would be best if Sun Monkey and Zhen Yuanzi both perished."
"The tragedies of the Jie School back then, if repeated this time, would be the best outcome!"
...
As for Zhen Yuanzi, although he was unaware of the differing thoughts of the Six Great Saints, he was also well aware of Sun Kong's prowess. However, to protect Qing Feng and to safeguard his own reputation and that of Wuzhuang Temple, he had no choice but to take out the Book of Earth to meet the challenge!
"Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi, I have offended you!"
Sun Kong swung his Chaos Golden Cudgel and smashed it down. Although he could not directly participate in tribulations with which he had no direct karmic connection, this was not directed at others, but at Zhen Yuanzi, an outsider. Therefore, he was not restrained by any power of the Heavenly Dao at all. He was as mighty as an ancient god!
"Great Sage Sun, it should be I who has offended you. Even Saints find the Book of Earth difficult to decipher, let alone you... Ah!"
Zhen Yuanzi intended to be humble for a moment, but as soon as the Book of Earth was deployed, it broke the precedent of never being deciphered. For a moment, the Three Realms of Hong Huang were once again shocked by Sun Kong!
With the cultivation of a middle-grade Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal, challenging a middle-grade Quasi-Saint. Could he succeed?