“Sky King, watch out!”
Before the shrimp warrior could even finish his warning, Yuan Shi Tian Wang had already crashed with a loud bang into a suddenly appearing “light wall.” Qiao San’s mind, full of daydreams, instantly flew away, and he stood up dizzy and disoriented, venting all his embarrassment onto the wall!
He kicked it furiously, but still felt unsatisfied, muttering to himself, “Damn it, I’ll tear this rotten wall down tomorrow.”
“Whoosh…”
In an instant, a heavy silence fell at the entrance of the Crystal Palace. Even the flowing water seemed to stop. The soldiers stared at the great immortal saint before them in shock.
“Yuan Shi, brother, this is my Four Seas-connected Water Severing Formation. If you tear it down, I really will have to live submerged in water, hehe…”
A rare, cheerful female voice broke the silence. The Ruler of the Four Seas emerged with her entourage, witnessing this unimaginable scene.
“Hehe… I was just easing the tension with a little joke. I hope the Dragon Mother doesn’t mind,” Qiao San secretly wiped cold sweat from his brow, suppressing his true nature to project a facade of solemn dignity.
“Ahh, it’s impossible not to feel tense, isn’t it? Heaven’s Palace is mobilizing troops. Who knows whether they’re coming to wipe out this so-called rebel?”
The Dragon Mother chuckled bitterly, her eyes flashing with a cruel glint as she bitterly added, “The Queen Mother is indeed despicable—she’s blocked the path to the Three Holy Heavens. Yuan Shi, brother, please! It’s been a long time since you’ve visited my Eastern Sea. About 800 years, hasn’t it?”
Though seemingly casual in her muttering, the Dragon Mother carefully observed every subtle shift in Yuan Shi’s expression from the corner of her eye.
Yuan Shi Tian Wang’s noble expression remained unchanged. He smiled leisurely, replying in a reminiscent tone, “Actually, it’s been one thousand years and three months. I remember correctly, haven’t I, Dragon Mother? Haha…”
The Dragon Crystal Palace connected all Four Seas, its vast expanse far beyond Qiao San’s imagination, truly an underwater kingdom. No wonder the Queen Mother had coveted this treasure-laden palace for a thousand years.
The Water Severing Formation opened smoothly, and the Dragon Mother and Yuan Shi walked side by side, their heights nearly equal. The Ruler of the Four Seas proudly declared, “This formation connects the Four Seas. With it, even if a million troops attacked, they wouldn’t breach my Crystal Palace for three to five years. Yuan Shi, brother, please feel free to stay here without worry.”
As they walked, Yuan Shi and the Dragon Mother reached the side hall of the Crystal Palace, where a simple banquet had already been set. Naturally, the conversation soon turned to the current situation.
Yuan Shi Tian Wang let out a sigh full of compassion, “Sigh! The Mortal Realm is in chaos now, and the safety of the Three Realms hangs in the balance. Even if we can maintain a temporary peace here, it won’t last forever.”
“Hmph! All of this is that wretched Queen Mother’s doing! I absolutely won’t swallow this insult quietly!” The fiery Dragon Mother was indeed easily provoked, her foot nearly crushing the crystal stone beneath her into dust.
Suddenly, Xuan Nu coughed lightly, drawing everyone’s attention. The heir of the Su Nu sect opened her beautiful eyes wide, as if stars had flashed into her pupils. Her calm voice drifted into the ears of all present.
“Your Majesty, the key issue now is that we don’t know what the Queen Mother will do next. Will she attack the Mortal Realm, or will she strike against the Crystal Palace?”
“Yes, Bing girl makes a good point!”
Yuan Shi Tian Wang nodded, then mused, “Dragon Mother, to stop the Queen Mother’s ambitions, we still have one option: to ally with the Mortal Realm. After all, an enemy of an enemy can become a friend…”
“Yuan Shi, brother! Good and evil cannot coexist! I will never collaborate with demons! Please don’t mention this again!”
With a forceful wave of her hand, the Dragon Mother cut short Yuan Shi’s reasonable suggestion. Then, raising her wine cup, she invited everyone to drink. For a time, cups were passed around, toasts exchanged, and the dark clouds outside were momentarily forgotten.
In the Western Ox-herding Continent, the capital of Heaven,
When the Celestial Demon broke free from her seal, it was a sign of impending doom for the world. Jade Emperor certainly didn’t want his peaceful days ruined by such a demon, so he immediately prepared to mobilize his troops.
“Heavenly Emperor, wait!”
Before the order token could be dispatched, the Queen Mother had already grabbed the Jade Emperor’s sleeve. With a sharp glance from her phoenix eyes, she suggested, “Your Majesty, I have an idea. Why not let the Original Celestial Demon and the Mortal Realm fight each other to mutual destruction? Then no matter who wins, their weakened forces won’t stand a chance against our million heavenly troops!”
The Jade Emperor nodded repeatedly. Just as he was about to put the token away, the Queen Mother pulled his sleeve again, smiling sweetly like a puppeteer tugging strings, “Your Majesty, since the heavenly troops are already assembled, why not send them to attack the Four Seas? Let’s eliminate the rebels sooner and spread the glory of Heaven!”
The feared moment had finally arrived for Tai Yuan and the Dragon Mother. The Four Direction Commanders descended from Heaven once again, leading ten thousand heavenly soldiers surrounding the Dragon Palace so completely that not even a drop of water could escape. Fortunately, the Water Severing Formation truly lived up to its reputation—no matter how hard the heavenly troops tried, they couldn’t even create a tiny breach.
Meanwhile, the fires of war raged fiercely in the Mortal Realm.
The demon beast army continuously attacked Jiuyou Palace. Yushan had barely returned in time with reinforcements and defeated the first wave of beasts when even more demons swarmed in from all directions. Even these demon soldiers, trained over hundreds or thousands of years, eventually grew weary from killing.
On Jiuyou’s city walls, Yushan stood shoulder to shoulder with the women, with Lady Qiao standing before them all.
“These demon beasts don’t seem very powerful. Could it be that the Celestial Demon is all talk and no power?” Twelve blurted out her confusion.
Yushan replied gravely, “No. It’s because the Celestial Demon hasn’t fully recovered her powers yet. Watch carefully—the later beasts are stronger. If this continues and the Celestial Demon can summon ancient mythical beasts as her army, we’ll be finished!”
“Mom, Grandma, while that Celestial Demon is still weak, why don’t we strike first and kill her?”
Lady Qiao sighed helplessly, stroking little Hongyun’s pigtails as she said, “It’s not that simple. We can’t even detect the Celestial Demon’s presence. Sigh, we can only stall for time and see how things develop.”
With the Mortal Realm on the brink of disaster, Qiao San was leisurely wandering the Four Seas, mingling with shrimp and crab warriors, showing none of the lofty dignity expected of Yuan Shi Tian Wang.
Deception could only last so long. The fake Yuan Shi would occasionally reveal his true nature unconsciously. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about being exposed, because the Dragon Palace’s hostess was too preoccupied with Tai Yuan Nu, leaving absolutely no time to pay attention to him, her supposed romantic rival.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage