Bull Demon King’s growl severed all pretense of brotherhood: “Sentiment dies with the weak! Did he aid us when Heaven besieged us? His cowardice killed Roc Brother! We’ve only six true sworn brothers—this ape was never one!”

  Serpent Demon King bared fanged teeth. “Our enemies are Heaven, Yang Jian, and Xu Fang!” His voice dripped venom, the humiliation of Xu Fang’s raid on Sea King’s Palace still festering. Even now, demons mocked him as “the groom who wed an old crone.”

  At Yang Jian’s name, Macaque Demon King’s eyes hardened. Roc Demon King had fallen to the Illustrious Sage’s blade.

  Golden threads of energy pulsed between the five demon kings’ palms, draining luminescent wisps from Sun Wukong’s convulsing form—Primordial Qi, the essence of creation itself.

  “So this… is the power of Primordial Qi…” Bull Demon King whispered reverently, cradling a swirling orb of light. “Just as the Western sage promised. The ape’s celestial origin makes him a living crucible. We leave no trace.”

  As the conspirators vanished, Macaque Demon King lingered, gaze lingering on Sun Wukong’s slumped unconscious across the stone table. “This theft won’t kill him… but weakened like this, facing Heaven’s wrath…”

  Bull Demon King yanked him away. “Survival first! Vengeance comes only with power!”

  Mouth of Guan River, Mortal Realm

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  The Gold Star of Venus found Yang Jian polishing his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade. “Shouldn’t you be at the Peach Banquet, Li Changgeng?”

  The celestial envoy forced a smile. “The banquet… encountered complications.”

  Yang Jian’s brows arched. “Did the Jade Emperor finally combust from his own arrogance?”

  “The demon monkey Sun Wukong rampaged through the Garden of Immortal Peaches,” Venus explained, omitting the orchestrated nature of the chaos. “He stole elixirs, devastated the orchard—no peaches will bloom for centuries.”

  To Venus’ shock, Yang Jian burst into booming laughter. “Marvelous! That ape did what I’ve yearned to do for millennia! Pour him wine if I ever meet him!”

  Venus paled. “Heavenly Majesty requests your aid in subduing the monkey. Even Pagoda Bearer Li Jing and Demon-Slaying Divine General Xu Fang failed.”

  “No.” Yang Jian’s smile vanished. “Let Heaven choke on its pride.”

  Venus leaned closer, voice lowering. “The Goddess of Huashan currently ‘visits’ the Hall of Divine Mists…”

  Yang Jian’s knuckles whitened around his blade. San Shengmu—his beloved sister—was being held hostage. Worse, her infatuation with Xu Fang made her complicit.

  “Clever.” The words slithered through clenched teeth. “Tell my ‘uncle’ I’ll play his game… this once.”

  Heavenly Army Camp, Above Flower-Fruit Mountain

  Yang Jian’s arrival with the Six Sages of Meishan and 1,200 Grass-Headed Deities electrified the celestial forces. Even Xu Fang acknowledged the Illustrious Sage with a nod, though fresh bandages peeked beneath his armor.

  “You let a monkey best you?” Yang Jian smirked, though his tone carried grudging respect.

  Xu Fang shrugged. “He’s… unconventional. You’ll see.”

  As Li Jing approached with false camaraderie, Yang Jian ignored him, gaze piercing Xu Fang. “Why aid this farce? You know what the ape truly is.”

  Xu Fang met his stare. “Duty binds us all, Erlang Shen. Even you.”

  The unspoken truth hung heavy: Sun Wukong was no ordinary demon, but the stone embryo nurtured by Patriarch Bodhi—a piece on the chessboard of saints.

  Yang Jian’s Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils glinted. “Then let’s give Heaven the show it craves.”