Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

The myriad of generals from the Eastern and Western skies were dumbfounded as they looked at the battle below. It had been many years since they had seen a war of such magnitude, especially for the newly recruited Heavenly Soldiers, who had not experienced the Monkey's havoc in the sky and gaped at this scene.

"Is that the marshal born from a mistaken pig fetus? Weren't they said to be of mediocre strength?" A regular Heavenly Soldier whispered, unable to connect the fearsome figure below with Marshal Canopy, who was demoted to the mortal realm for flirting with Chang'e.

"To reach the rank of Marshal in the Heavenly Court, none are ordinary. Have you not considered all the deities in the skies, with so many strong as cow's hair, those who command the army, how could they be as lackluster as said?" An experienced veteran imparted this wisdom to the rookie.

"But this news has spread throughout the Heavenly Court."

Suddenly, the old Heavenly Soldier lowered his voice, "That's just someone deliberately spreading rumors behind his back." The veteran looked around and, seeing no one paying attention to them, wore a mocking expression.

"Who is it?" The new soldier suddenly became interested, most intrigued by such gossip, and quickly prompted the veteran to answer.

"Who else but the newly appointed Marshal Canopy? You should know that the one we see here has commanded the Celestial River Naval Forces for many years with deep respect. Even after being demoted to the mortal world, many still believe he could return to the Heavenly Court." He then gave a knowing look.

The new soldier nodded eagerly to show he understood, then couldn't help but exclaim, "I initially thought immortals were different from mortals, but it seems they are no different down here."

"You don't understand, do you? Immortal, immortal, after all, they are people. And being human, they can't avoid these things. You'll get used to it," the old soldier said with a comforting smile.

As they were talking, a loud shout suddenly came from above: "Retreat quickly!"

Upon hearing this, the two instinctively stepped back, and only when they looked down did they realize it was the Monkey observing the battle nearby. Seeing Bajie unable to overcome his opponent for a long time and gradually losing strength, he could no longer contain his desire to fight.

The Monkey pulled out the Jingu Bang, leapt up, and attacked the Bull Demon King, shouting, "Take this, my rod!"

Li Jing reacted swiftly, seeing the Monkey make his move, he immediately ordered the surrounding Heavenly Soldiers to back away to avoid being caught in the fray.

Seeing the approaching Monkey, the Bull Demon King's face turned solemn. He pushed Bajie away with his iron rod and, summoning all his strength, swung it in a circle, aiming for the Monkey.

The clash of their weapons in mid-air stirred up a wind that uprooted trees, flattened hills, and sent unintended wild beasts flying into the sky. Find more to read on My Virtual Library Empire

The thick clouds in the sky were also blown away by the powerful air currents, revealing the Heavenly Soldiers and people of the Western Heaven behind them.

The eyes of the Monkey and the Bull Demon King met, one full of soaring fighting spirit, the other like a deep, unrippled well. The Monkey continued to increase the force in his hands, and a sizzling sound even appeared in the air between the two weapons.

"Well, that's something! Don't dodge this!" Seeing this, Bajie didn't care about any righteousness and lifted his nine-toothed rake to strike at the Bull Demon King's head. With the nine-toothed rake's teeth flashing a fierce cold light, it surely would leave nine holes on the Bull Demon King's head.

Valuable pieces like the Bull Demon King are not to be discarded lightly, the Patriarch of the Nether River thought, withdrawing his power, sidestepping Bajie's assault. Seeing the two still attacking, he frowned; these two were considered skilled hands in all the Three Realms. Facing two against one, controlling the Bull Demon King through the power of the Nether River was overwhelming.

Fear crept into his heart, but once the great battle had commenced, it was not so simple for him to just leave. Without time to ponder, Monkey's Golden Hoop Staff followed hard on his heels, its enormous power numbing his wrists.

The Bull Demon King's combat style was bold and powerful, striving to overwhelm with sheer force, a stark contrast to the Patriarch of the Nether River's usual fighting technique. Thus, the battle felt awkward for him.

On ordinary days, it wouldn't matter much; but facing Monkey, a truly skilled opponent, exposed his vulnerabilities. Once entangled by Monkey, escaping proved difficult. With Bajie's spiked rake following closely behind and Monkey leading, Bajie was full of confidence. He abandoned all defense, unleashing continuous attacks like a raging storm, bombarding him relentlessly.

Just then, Princess Iron Fan, who had been hiding in Banana Leaf Cave, suddenly appeared. Wielding the Plantain Fan, she aimed it at Bajie and fanned fiercely. A wild wind arose and instantly swept away Bajie's figure.

The whirlwind lifted dust and obscured the air; when the dust settled, Bajie was nowhere to be found—cast away by the fan to an unknown place.

However, there was not the slightest worry on Monkey's face. The Plantain Fan, although powerful, had very limited lethality. For beings as physically robust as they were, the wind could sweep them away but not cause any harm.

Nevertheless, this turned the tide, leaving Monkey to fight two against one. But far from being daunted, Monkey laughed heartily, transformed into a form with three heads and six arms, and lifted three Golden Hoop Staffs to confront the Bull Demon King and his wife.

Princess Iron Fan, waiting for an opportunity to use her fan, found it impossible to do so due to the melee with Monkey and the Bull Demon King being too close together. She could only draw her sword to provide support from the sidelines.

Impressive indeed, Monkey. Facing encirclement, he remained calm and collected, his Golden Hoop Staff so tightly spun it was impenetrable, deflecting every attack. Onlookers couldn't help but praise the sight.

"So this is the Great Sage Equalling Heaven from the legends, truly formidable." The Heavenly Soldiers who had come were mostly new recruits who joined after Monkey was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain. They had never seen Monkey's full might in action, with the legend of the Great Sage only known through the old soldiers' tales.

Upon witnessing it now, they understood that Monkey's reputation was well-deserved, and they couldn't stop cheering.

"Shake the Earth!" The Bull Demon King's Iron Rod shattered the ground, sending a massive shockwave towards Monkey.

"Well done!" Monkey laughed loudly, his body shining with golden light as his three Golden Hoop Staffs met the Iron Rod of the Bull Demon King.

A thunderous boom sounded as the great strength of the two smashed the earth beneath them into pieces. Yet neither lost their balance; instead, they took their fight to the skies.

"Great Saint, by the Buddha Ancestor's command, I have come to assist you," echoed the voice of the Precious Moonlight Buddha. Monkey's brow twitched imperceptibly. He was in the midst of the thrill of battle and did not wish for anyone to intervene. However, considering the good intentions of Precious Moonlight Buddha, Monkey could not refuse and nodded in agreement.

With a gentle wave of the hand, the Buddhist Soldiers, who had been waiting for a long time, swarmed forth to surround the Bull Demon King.

Seeing the tonsured Buddhist Soldiers closing in, the Bull Demon King's face showed his disdain as he muttered, "Not these damnable monks again."

Because of Ksitigarbha, the thing the Nether River hated most was bald monks. Faced with the sight of these numerous shaven heads, his irritation was palpable.

A Heavenly General of the Heavenly Court saw this and frowned slightly before asking Li Jing, "Shouldn't we join the fray as well?"