Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 462: Zhenwu Goes Out
skyline.

Lunar star.

Yang Chan and the Jade Rabbit Fairy were on their way back to Guanghan Palace.

The Jade Rabbit Fairy jumped up and down, her lively eyes full of curiosity. She tilted her head and asked Yang Chan beside her:
"Sister Chan, do you know the soldier just now? I rarely see you chatting with other people on weekdays."

Yang Chan shook her head slightly and said with her red lips:

"I don't know him. I just saw that his last name was Yang, so I chatted with him for a few more words."

At this time, King Jinjiao and Yang Chan, two old friends, met again unexpectedly.

However, time passes and things have changed.

Even if we meet, we won't recognize each other.

……

In the Taiyin Palace.

"King of the Golden Horn..."

"The Three Holy Mothers of Mount Hua..."

The Halloween Dragon Girl took in the whole scene, and a flash of inspiration seemed to occur in her mind, and she vaguely realized that there might be an unknown story hidden behind this.

But she was intelligent by nature and knew that this was not the time to ask too many questions, so she silently suppressed her doubts and said nothing.

At this moment.

Thanks to the help of the Jade Rabbit Fairy, the medicine-pounding fairy, and Yang Chan's precious lotus lantern, the previously injured heavenly soldiers and generals are all fine.

The injuries on their bodies gradually recovered under the nourishment of the medicine.

After the wounded soldiers recovered, they returned to their respective homes.

Along the way, the atmosphere was a little solemn, and everyone was immersed in worries about the upcoming war in heaven.

The All Saints Dragon Girl tilted her head slightly and asked Xiao Chen softly using the sound transmission technique:
"King Jinjiao, in your opinion, can Emperor Donghua achieve victory in this military campaign?"

Xiao Chen shook his head slightly, his expression solemn, and slowly transmitted his voice:

"This matter is really hard to predict."

Xiao Chen paused and continued to analyze:
"Now, the most powerful force in the heavens is undoubtedly the gods on the Conferred God List."

"If all the gods on the Conferred God List were to join the battle, Emperor Donghua would naturally have no chance of winning given his power."

"But now, Emperor Donghua has raised the banner of 'Let You Be Free and Unfettered' and has made a promise to the gods on the Conferred God List that if he can ascend to the throne of the Emperor of Heaven, he will grant them freedom."

"If the Jade Emperor uses the power of the List of Gods to send the gods on the List of Gods to fight, it would be somewhat of a harsh policy."

"After all, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

"The gods in the Investiture of the Gods already desire freedom, and the Jade Emperor's move may arouse their resentment."

"But if the Jade Emperor does not send the gods on the Conferred God List, he will not have many people available."

"It's nothing more than a few people like Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, Nezha the Third Prince, and the Four Saints of the North Pole."

"These people are about the same as the elite troops under Emperor Donghua and the remaining troops of Duke Dongwang."

"If Emperor Donghua takes action, they may not be able to stop him."

Of course, there is another person who is crucial in this battle.

That is Erlang Shen, Yang Jian.

Now that the gods have not left the list of gods, Yang Jian is undoubtedly a crucial force and may affect the balance of victory.

Yang Jian’s position is very likely to become a turning point in this war.

"I just don't know which side Yang Jian will stand on."

Xiao Chen thought in his heart.

After all, the last time he was in Guanjiangkou, he witnessed with his own eyes the scene of Yang Jian being possessed by a demon.

At that time, Yang Jian was surrounded by demonic energy and his eyes were red, as if he was swallowed by endless hatred and pain. He was completely different from the majestic and righteous Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun in his daily life.

Xiao Chen knew very well that Yang Jian had always been resentful about the Jade Emperor sending heavenly soldiers to suppress his mother Yao Ji and kill his father Yang Tianyou and brother Yang Jiao.

This has become an indelible demon in Yang Jian's heart, like a time bomb hidden deep in his heart that may explode at any time.

"Now that things have come to this, we can only wait and see what happens."

Xiao Chen sighed.

As the saying goes:
“Water follows its shape and becomes round and square, and people advance and retreat according to the situation.”

The current situation in the heaven is just like the unpredictable flowing water, which is hard to grasp.

Various forces were stirring up undercurrents. Emperor Donghua led his army in rebellion, and the Jade Emperor tried his best to suppress it.

And Yang Jian's attitude is confusing, which makes the situation more complicated.

Xiao Chen was thinking in his mind that he could only wait and see how the war between Emperor Donghua and the Jade Emperor would turn out.

If Emperor Donghua can fight to the Thirty-three Heavens and approach the Jade Emperor's Lingxiao Palace, the situation will surely fall into chaos.

This is a good opportunity to steal treasure.

But if Emperor Donghua was defeated and the Jade Emperor won a great victory, the situation would be completely different.

Their "Heavenly Turtle Catching Team" can be considered as an outpost force serving the Jade Emperor.

On the battlefield, they can fight to the death, showing their loyalty and bravery to the Jade Emperor.

In this way, he will definitely be rewarded by the Jade Emperor after the war.

And isn’t the Jade Emperor’s reward another opportunity to steal treasures?
Perhaps if the Jade Emperor is happy, he will reward them with some rare treasures, or even give them the opportunity to enter the Heavenly Treasury to choose treasures.

Left and right, both are good opportunities.

……

Inside the Tongming Hall, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip out.

There was a faint smell of blood in the hall, which was emanating from General Juanlian.

The blood-soaked General Juanlian looked pale but determined. With trembling hands, he slowly took out the image on the Haotian Mirror.

The Haotian Mirror flickered with a faint light, carrying all the images of this trip.

Afterwards, the Curtain General took a deep breath, tried to calm his voice, and reported everything that had happened during this trip to the Jade Emperor sitting on the throne:
"The Peony Goddess... Emperor Donghua... and Wang Lingguan are surrounded by the anti-heaven army..."

The Jade Emperor sat quietly on the throne, wearing an imperial robe and a crown on his head. His face was as calm as water, making it difficult to guess his inner thoughts.

He just listened to General Juanlian's report quietly, with no expression on his face and no ripples, as if he didn't care about the content of the report.

After a long time.

There was silence in the hall, except for the slight breathing of the general in charge of the curtain.

The Jade Emperor seemed to be lost in thought and hadn't spoken a word.

General Juanlian's mind could not help but recall the scene where Wang Lingguan risked his life to escort him out of the anti-heaven army's iron-clad encirclement.

In fact, before this, he and Wang Lingguan were just ordinary colleagues. Although they knew each other on a daily basis, they did not have much interaction and their relationship was not close.

However, on that life-and-death battlefield, they fought side by side, and Wang Lingguan did not hesitate to sacrifice his life to protect him.

At that moment, there was some comradeship and brotherhood between them.

At this moment.

The Jade Emperor waved his hand gently, signaling General Juanlian to withdraw. General Juanlian struggled to stand up, but fell heavily to his knees with a "thump", and his knees hit the cold and hard ground violently, causing him to feel more painful.

But at this moment, he no longer cared about the excruciating pain. He mustered up his courage and asked carefully:
"Your Majesty, I wonder if Wang Lingguan... still has a chance..."

"Ok?"

The Jade Emperor was immersed in his own thoughts and was interrupted by this sudden question. A hint of displeasure flashed across his face.

The Jade Emperor frowned slightly and glanced at the general who rolled up the curtain.

General Juanlian was covered in blood, with wounds crisscrossing like hideous gullies. Blood was still oozing out of the wounds, and he looked extremely miserable.

Finally, the Jade Emperor spoke again slowly, his tone calm:
"A new God of Justice will take up his post in heaven."

"As for the matter of Wang Lingguan..."

The Jade Emperor tapped the Nine Heavens throne and said:
"I will send orders to the Ten Yama Kings to collect Wang Lingguan's true spirit."

"Then let him stand in front of the Jade Emperor Temple and receive incense and offerings from the people."

"With the Investiture of the Gods, he can rely on the incense of the mortal world to condense his body and return again after more than a thousand years."

"The Investiture of the Gods... Incense and Flesh..."

When General Juanlian heard this, he felt a sudden chill in his heart, as if a basin of cold water was poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.

He knew the nature of the List of Gods very well. After all, it was nothing more than the personnel files of the Heavenly Court. Its function was to collect the souls of those who died in battle and canonize them as gods in Heaven.

Once a deity is listed on the list of gods, it means that he will lose his body and freedom forever. From then on, he can only obey the orders of the heaven, just like a prisoner in invisible shackles, with no freedom at all.

Moreover, after being deified, it is difficult for the gods to make any further progress in their cultivation and they can only rely on offerings from the human world to maintain their divine power.

Wang Lingguan might still have a chance to "come back to life", but the Wang Lingguan who came back to life would already be a slave on the List of Gods, having lost his true freedom and self.

What’s even more terrifying is that Wang Lingguan is worshipped by people with incense and his divinity will also be affected by the incense.

The incense contains countless prayers and distracting thoughts of all living beings in the world. Over time, his consciousness will gradually change and be controlled by the will of the incense.

In other words, the Wang Lingguan who came back to life was no longer the flesh-and-blood, affectionate and righteous Wang Lingguan.

From then on, Wang Lingguan became more like a puppet controlled by the will of incense and had lost his true soul.

General Juanlian knelt there stupidly, as if all the strength in his body had been drained. His heart was cold and he was at a loss, not knowing what to do.

He stared blankly at the almighty Jade Emperor, his lips trembling slightly, but he could not utter a word.

The Jade Emperor spoke again in a calm voice, as if he was talking about something insignificant:

"You should retreat and heal your wounds."

"Don't spread this matter outside."

At this moment, the general who rolled up the curtain was filled with shock and sadness brought about by Wang Lingguan's incident. He felt as if struck by lightning, and was in a state of disarray. He even forgot to thank the emperor and accept his orders.

When Zhang Tianshi saw this, he hurriedly reminded softly:

"General Rolling Curtain, General Rolling Curtain..."

Although the sound was light, it was like a heavy hammer, waking the general in charge of the curtain from his trance.

General Juanlian woke up as if from a dream, knelt on the ground in panic, and said quickly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The voice was a little hoarse and trembling, as if all the strength in the body was used up.

Afterwards, the General Juanlian walked out of the Tongming Palace in a daze.

The footsteps of the general who rolled up the curtain were weak and each step felt like stepping on cotton, soft and without any sense of strength.

He had no idea how he walked out of the solemn and dignified hall. The words of the Jade Emperor and Wang Lingguan's tragic future, which was about to be manipulated by fate, kept echoing in his mind.

Walking out of the Tongming Palace, General Juanlian felt his chest rising and falling. He breathed in big gulps of fresh air, trying to dispel the boredom and depression in his heart.

But the feeling of oppression followed him like a shadow, tightly entangling him and could not be shaken off.

The general was thinking about Wang Lingguan's future fate, and couldn't help but think of the old saying in the human world:

"When the birds are gone, the good bows are put away; when the cunning rabbit dies, the good dog is cooked; when the enemy country is defeated, the counselors are gone."

The Heavenly Palace today seems peaceful and harmonious, but in fact, undercurrents are surging. The forces from all sides are like ferocious beasts hiding in the dark, which may pounce at any time and tear the superficial tranquility to pieces.

Emperor Donghua's rebellion was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, which caused ripples and various forces became restless.

And in this vortex of power, who can guarantee that they will not become the next victim?
Just like a fallen leaf drifting in the wind, it has no control over itself and may be swept into the endless abyss at any time.

"The magnificent view of the Heavenly Palace..."

General Juanlian looked at the magnificent yet cold and ruthless buildings in the Heavenly Palace, and felt that this Heavenly Palace, which was home to countless immortals, suddenly became extremely depressing.

The palace that towered into the clouds shone with dazzling light under the sunlight, but it seemed like a huge cage that trapped the gods inside.

The fairy air that permeated the surroundings should have been a sign of good fortune, but in his eyes, it became an invisible shackle that bound his body and mind and made him breathless.

He suddenly wanted to escape from this heaven.

This heaven, in the eyes of mortals, is a sacred and inviolable holy place. It is the fairyland that countless cultivators dream of and the path to immortality.

But for the gods in heaven, it is more like a cage, a cage that imprisons their freedom, emotions and even their souls.

Here, they lost themselves and became puppets under the rules of heaven, with their every move strictly restricted.

This heaven is like a "besieged city". People inside the city want to escape, and people outside the city want to rush in.

The people in the lower world, those immortal cultivators who are still practicing hard in the mortal world, and the people in the outside world, those ordinary people who are full of yearning for the heaven, are sharpening their heads and trying every means to get into the heaven, just for the so-called immortality and supreme status.

Little do they know that once they step into this heaven, it means losing their freedom and becoming a victim of the power struggle.

Some gods in heaven wanted to escape from heaven, but they couldn't.

At this time, inside the Tongming Palace.

"Rolling curtains..."

On the throne of the Ninth Heaven, the Jade Emperor looked at the departing figure of General Curtain with cold eyes, as if thinking about something.

……

heaven.

At the Beitianmen, the cold wind blew, making the flags rustle, as if foreshadowing that a great war was about to come.

The Great Emperor Zhenwu was dressed in black armor, with an upright posture, standing in front of the Beitian Gate like a towering mountain, emitting a powerful aura.

He stared into the distance with deep eyes, and he had already made a decision in his heart.

At this moment, the Great Emperor Zhenwu began to mobilize his troops and prepare to attack the anti-heaven army of Emperor Donghua.

"The Xuanwu clan has not appeared in the world for a long time."

Emperor Zhenwu muttered to himself, his voice low but powerful.

Since the Jade Emperor has already pointed out the identity of his ancestor Xuanwu, he naturally doesn't need to hide anything anymore.

The secrecy and low-keyness of the past will at this moment be transformed into the edge of conquest!

Although the Great Emperor Zhenwu already had his own thunder generals, including the Five Thunder Generals, at the North Gate of Heaven, this number of thunder generals was clearly not enough when facing the aggressive anti-heaven army of Emperor Donghua.

The Great Emperor Zhenwu acted promptly, formed seals with his hands, muttered something, and a dazzling divine light shot out from his hands and rushed straight towards the far north.

This was the "Ancestor Xuanwu Order" he issued to the Xuanwu clan in the far north.

As soon as this order was issued, it was like a thunderous explosion, instantly spreading throughout the entire territory of the Xuanwu clan.

(End of this chapter)