Li Jing, worried that Muzha might be injured, lunged directly towards him.
Whoosh... From behind, a great demon king suddenly swung a sword down at Li Jing.
“Be careful!” Nezha exclaimed from afar. Li Jing also sensed the danger behind him. Whoosh... The Linglong Pagoda flew towards the great demon king.
Bang... The great demon king's treasured sword slammed into the Linglong Pagoda. With a loud explosion, the pagoda was shattered.
“Hurry and go…” Li Jing, disregarding the Linglong Pagoda, grabbed Muzha and fled.
Nezha, on his end, flung the Qiankun Circle to block the great demon king, then followed Li Jing in his escape.
“Damn it! My senior brother couldn't even withstand one sword strike from that guy?” Hong Hai'er said indignantly.
“Why don’t you go try it then!” Jin Mao Hou sneered. He had heard of the great demon king’s power. Any great demon king from the early Hongmeng stage was an incredibly formidable existence, qualified for Sainthood. Otherwise, the gods and demons wouldn't have engaged in such a fierce battle back then.
With the demon race annihilated and only a few individuals remaining from the divine race, they had all become supreme beings. A mere Hong Hai'er… Humph! Jin Mao Hou naturally held him in contempt.
“Hmph! I will try!” Hong Hai'er declared, then charged towards the great demon king pursuing Nezha. Whoosh… The Fire-Tipped Spear appeared in his hand. With a flick, a stream of flame spewed towards the opponent.
Bang… The opponent’s airborne sword, which was about to strike Nezha, descended. The sword energy kicked up a cloud of dust. Whoosh… Hong Hai'er was sent flying by the dust. However, the great demon king was indeed distracted by Hong Hai'er’s interference, allowing Nezha to escape.
Plop… Hong Hai'er landed on the ground, dazed. Fortunately, it was only sword energy and not a direct hit. Otherwise, his life would have been forfeit.
Roar… The great demon king turned back, roaring, and advanced towards Hong Hai'er, appearing as though he intended to crush the child with a single stomp.
Roar… Jin Mao Hou suddenly dashed forward, snatched Hong Hai'er in his mouth, and turned to flee.
The group fled at high speed, and only when they had traveled a considerable distance and saw no one pursuing them did they dare to stop.
“Jin Mao! Why are you still biting me! Let me go!” Hong Hai'er struggled in Jin Mao Hou’s mouth.
Slap… Jin Mao Hou tossed Hong Hai'er onto the ground and said disdainfully, “How was the test? Do you know your own capabilities now!”
“Hmph! I was merely caught off guard! Even the Victorious Fighting Buddha wasn't my match back then!” Hong Hai'er retorted defiantly.
“Forget it! If you hadn’t had a good background, that Stone Monkey wouldn’t have been able to defeat you. If you hadn’t had a good background, your Master wouldn’t have taken you as a Wealth-Bestowing Boy! I’m the one without a patron, and though I should have become a saint, I ended up as a dog,” Jin Mao Hou said indignantly.
The entire Heavenly Court knew that the Bull Demon King was a fierce general favored by Spirit Mountain, who had long wished to subdue him, merely waiting for an opportunity. The Journey to the West was an opportunity created by the Heavenly Court for the sealing of demons. Many powerful beings from the immortal realms used this chance to bestow titles upon the mounts in their caves. The Bull Demon King was one of the few great demons who had been favored by Spirit Mountain long ago!
Since the Bull Demon King was favored by Spirit Mountain and slated for subjugation, how could they allow his son to perish at the hands of the Stone Monkey? This was a truth the Stone Monkey had comprehended after being sealed under the Five-Finger Mountain for five hundred years. To gain his freedom, not to mention the already promised title of Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Stone Monkey, though aware that the position was already reserved, willingly curbed his wild nature and helped the Heavenly Court successfully conclude this selection event.
As for why the Heavenly Court specifically chose the Stone Monkey to host this selection event, it was because his wild nature would command the respect of all under heaven. Isn't there a saying: “It is easier to change the course of a river than to change a man’s nature!”
I really believed that!
“Jin Mao Hou! Stop your nonsense.” Seeing Jin Mao Hou and Hong Hai'er bickering, Li Jing’s expression changed, and he quickly intervened.
“Alright! I spoke too much!” Jin Mao Hou trembled, stuck out his tongue, and dared not speak further. It wasn’t that he feared Heavenly King Li Jing, but he knew the saying “disaster comes from the mouth” was absolutely true.
“Father! Your Linglong Pagoda is broken. Why don’t we go to Tai Shang Lao Jun and see if he can help?” Nezha suddenly said. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, without his Linglong Pagoda, would become a laughingstock of the world.
“Tai Shang Lao Jun’s Bajing Palace?” Lu Fan’s heart stirred. He had heard that Tai Shang Lao Jun possessed the most treasures, especially various elixirs. This opportunity was not to be missed.
“Junior Brother! Jin Mao Hou! You two go back first. I’ll accompany Father on this trip,” Lu Fan said urgently.
“Alright!” Hong Hai'er, not in a good mood, nodded and left. Jin Mao Hou quickly followed.
Before long, they arrived at Tai Shang Lao Jun’s Xuandu Zifu, the Bajing Palace.
Indeed, it was one of the three supreme immortal palaces. As soon as Lu Fan entered, his eyes were dazzled. The place was immense. Although called Bajing Palace, it actually contained nine sacred landscapes. However, Tai Shang Lao Jun, with his profound cultivation, knew that ‘nine’ was the extreme of numbers, hence he named it Bajing Palace. He concealed one palace, subtly alluding to the nine palaces and the Bagua.
First Scene: Vast Ocean. Second Scene: Majestic Kunlun Mountains. Third Scene: Harmonious Splendor. Fourth Scene: Radiant Sun and Moon. Fifth Scene: Luminous Illusions. Sixth Scene: Misty Vapor. Seventh Scene: Rainbow Abyss. Eighth Scene: Falling Stars. Ninth Scene: Primordial Chaos.
Upon entering, Lu Fan looked around eagerly, his eyes scanning the Bajing Palace. The treasures within were at least twice as many as those on Penglai Immortal Island. Exotic flowers, spiritual trees, immortal stones – all were peerless treasures.
“Primordial Chaos? Could it be that Lao Jun’s residence also has an entrance to the Primordial Battlefield?” Seeing the Ninth Scene, Lu Fan’s heart leaped. If he could enter the Primordial Battlefield from here, he could still bring out the bodies of some great demon kings. Perhaps they could help the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons hold on for a while longer. This would also force the person who had been watching him from the Heavenly Court to reveal themselves.
After all, Yuanshi Tianzun was too powerful. In the face of Yuanshi Tianzun, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons and those twenty great demon kings were insufficient.
The three were soon led by two attendants to Lao Jun’s Daoist Palace. After paying their respects, they stated their purpose.
“Lao Jun! My magical treasure, the Linglong Pagoda, was damaged by a great demon king. This treasure was bestowed by the Buddha. I hope Lao Jun will grant me some face and repair it,” Li Jing said, bowing ninety degrees.
“Li Jing! This Linglong Pagoda has a Buddha on each level. I fear I can refine its form but not imbue it with spirit. You should probably seek the Buddha’s help,” Tai Shang Lao Jun said indifferently after glancing at Li Jing.