“Your Majesty, I have also engaged with that monkey demon. His powers are truly immense; this defeat cannot be blamed on the Mighty Spirit God.”

  Xu Fang spoke up alongside the Jade Emperor.

  Since the Jade Emperor wanted to put on a show, Xu Fang was happy to play along, doing him a favor in the process. At this point, Xu Fang didn’t possess the qualifications to overturn the entire Buddhist sect; he could only bide his time and wait for the opportunity to make a significant impact in the future!

  As expected, upon hearing about the Mighty Spirit God’s defeat, the Jade Emperor flew into a rage, and it was the Gold Star of Venus who seized the moment to recruit Sun Wukong!

  No one knew the Gold Star’s true role in this scheme, but after descending to invite Sun Wukong to the Heavenly Court, everything unfolded just as Xu Fang had anticipated, falling into place.

  Sun Wukong was bestowed the title of Stable Keeper, responsible for the care of the heavenly steeds.

  However, instead of going to take up his new position, that monkey first asked for directions and flew straight to the Garden of Immortal Peaches!

  Because right next to the Peach Garden was the newly established residence of the Demon-Slaying General, Xu Fang!

  “Sizzle… My brother is really something! His residence is so grand, and it’s right next to such a large peach garden. He’s definitely way ahead of me…”

  Sun Wukong licked his lips, his eyes filled with envy.

  Of course, his envy wasn’t directed at Xu Fang’s official title or his impressive residence, but rather at the fact that Xu Fang’s abode was adjacent to the Peach Garden!

  “Hahaha, so it’s you, monkey!”

  Just as Sun Wukong arrived at the entrance of Xu Fang’s residence, Xu Fang sensed his presence and appeared, pulling the monkey inside. He turned to the heavenly soldiers on guard and commanded, “Today, Lord Sun visits my residence. I will drink with him until we’re satisfied. No one is to disturb us!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  The guards immediately responded respectfully.

  Inside the residence of the Demon-Slaying General, Xu Fang had already set up a formation of void energy, and the two soon lost themselves in jovial conversation, casting aside all worldly concerns.

  As half a month passed, Sun Wukong visited the General's residence daily, neglecting his duties regarding the steeds, which caused all the deities in the Heavenly Court to speculate about the close camaraderie between the Demon-Slaying General and the Stable Keeper.

  Xu Fang didn’t care about others’ opinions, but after staying in the residence for half a month, the Jade Emperor could no longer remain idle.

  It was absurd to summon you to heaven just for you to drink all day! Are you going to do any real work?

  An imperial edict arrived at the General’s residence, and Xu Fang had no choice but to sigh as he headed to the military camp.

  After all, he commanded a force of thirty thousand heavenly soldiers, a foundation entrusted to him by the Jade Emperor. He first needed to truly bring these soldiers under his command.

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  Donning the standard armor of a heavenly general, the soldiers guarding the camp quickly reported his arrival.

  The unit belonging to Xu Fang was called the Divine Strategy Camp. Once the soldier relayed the message, within moments, several well-equipped heavenly generals rushed out from the camp.

  “We did not know that General Xu had arrived, and we failed to give you a proper welcome. Please forgive us, General!”

  Seeing the heavenly generals before him, Xu Fang waved his hand casually. “We will be working together in the future. Such trivial matters are not worth dwelling on. The main thing is that you all assist me in fulfilling my duties and achieve results that will please the Jade Emperor!”

  The generals immediately clasped their hands in gratitude and stood up. “Yes, we will undoubtedly fulfill the Emperor’s trust and live up to the expectations of General Xu!”

  “Hmm.”

  Xu Fang nodded. Of course, he didn’t take their ceremonial words seriously; he wasn’t naive enough to think these soldiers would just pledge their loyalty without reason.

  Since he had just arrived at the military camp, he needed to establish his authority through his own means!

  “Take me to the training grounds to take a look.”

  Xu Fang spoke nonchalantly. At this time, most of the heavenly soldiers should be training in the yard, and he wanted to see how well the army entrusted to him by the Jade Emperor was prepared.

  The generals exchanged glances, ultimately steeling themselves to lead Xu Fang to the training grounds.

  The grounds were divided into four large areas, each housing seven to eight thousand soldiers.

  However, at this moment, the soldiers were not practicing at all. Instead, they were lounging around, stretching, and playfully teasing one another.

  “That old coot, the Jade Emperor, clearly has no good intentions!”

  Seeing this scene, Xu Fang’s heart sank as he realized the Jade Emperor’s intentions.

  Since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, it had always actively sought to subdue demons and monsters, never once allowing anyone to challenge it.

  When heavenly soldiers went into battle, they often fought in overwhelming numbers, resulting in a long history of victories.

  However, as the influence of Buddhism and Daoism grew, and the various heavenly emperors began to assert themselves, the Jade Emperor gradually lost control over the Heavenly Court.

  Now, observing the lazy demeanor of these soldiers, Xu Fang instantly understood the Jade Emperor's motives!

  He intended to take action to restore discipline within the Heavenly Court!

  To do so, he needed authority and a strong military!

  What he required was an elite army of heavenly soldiers capable of withstanding great battles!

  Thus, the Jade Emperor had entrusted Xu Fang with leading these soldiers, utilizing his past exploits against Tianbo Xun's avatar to train these heavenly troops into a formidable fighting force!

  ……

  Meanwhile, the heavenly generals standing nearby also noticed the lethargic soldiers and discreetly glanced at Xu Fang’s expression, silently panicking!

  “Before I arrived, who was in charge of this army?”

  Xu Fang asked casually, tilting his head.

  The heavenly generals stammered, reluctant to answer.

  Xu Fang’s brow furrowed, and he suddenly shouted, “Speak!”

  The pressure of his battle-hardened aura erupted in that moment!

  These generals hadn’t faced such intensity in many years, and now, confronted with Xu Fang’s commanding presence, one of them immediately cracked.

  “It was… it was Lord Wuqu, the Martial Star…”

  As soon as he spoke, the general seemed to exhale in relief, his body sagging as if he had lost all strength.

  “Martial Star?”

  Xu Fang didn’t care about the general’s reaction and quickly suppressed his own aura.

  As his presence receded, the heavenly generals collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.

  Xu Fang looked at their reactions and couldn’t help but shake his head, sighing inwardly.

  With such quality, they were actually heavenly generals?

  This military camp truly needed a thorough reshaping!

  ……

  The Martial Star, ranked among the Seven Lords of the Big Dipper, governed the Northern Dipper and shared command with the Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Breaking Army, Wealth Keeper, Literary Star, and Honest True.

  Their direct superior was the Emperor Ziwei, each holding their own military authority, with strengths varying among them.

  Among these, the most formidable were the Martial Star, Breaking Army, and Greedy Wolf.

  Now, the Jade Emperor had placed the troops under the command of the Martial Star, effectively sidelining him. It appeared he was preparing to take action against Emperor Ziwei.