Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

Upon hearing this, Li Jing immediately bowed again: "Your Majesty, these five divine artifacts must be on the Thai King. Just order a search, and the truth will be revealed."

Ye Feng yawned and said lazily, "Li Jing, are you going to search me?"

Li Jing's expression changed drastically, and he involuntarily took half a step back. He knew Ye Feng's fearsome reputation well, having suffered a great loss at the Lingxiao Palace before.

He forced himself to remain calm and said in a low voice, "It is not that this humble general intended to offend you, but rather that Your Majesty has a criminal record, and your words are unlikely to convince the public. If you are truly open and selfless, what is there to fear from an investigation?"

Ye Feng grinned, then suddenly turned to face the Jade Emperor: "Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered that the appearance of that blue-robed thief is quite similar to that of Li Tianwang. Now that he has jumped out so hastily, could it be that he is trying to cover up his innocence? Wouldn't it be better to strip him naked and search him in public to prove his innocence?"

Without waiting for the Jade Emperor's response, he flashed and rushed straight at Li Jing!

With lightning speed, a golden light flashed in the hall—even though Li Jing was prepared, he didn't even have time to summon the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

A sharp pain shot through his leg and ankle, and a sweeping kick sent him sprawling to his knees.

A sudden numbness ran through his wrist as it was gripped like an iron clamp. The pagoda in his hand clattered to the ground, and his arms were bound by golden light, tied behind his back.

Everything happened in a flash. Golden light surged before Li Jing's eyes, followed by a wave of heat.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a golden flying sword slashing towards him!

"Ye Feng, how dare you—!" he finally exclaimed, his expression turning pale.

The sword flashed, instantly burning the robes to ashes. The flames continued to burn, engulfing the body, and the sound of flesh scorching could be clearly heard.

Li Jing screamed repeatedly, rolling on the ground. The Lingxiao Palace was filled with a burnt smell like roasted meat, and the gruesome scene was too painful to look at.

Ye Feng sheathed his sword, stood with a smile, took a step back, and created some distance.

Li Jing rolled around in the palace in a sorry state, wailing incessantly.

Seeing this, Nezha shook his head and sighed while secretly laughing, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the Seven Treasures Pagoda on the ground, thinking to himself, "I wonder if I can manage to grab the pagoda in the chaos..."

Unfortunately, the immortals looked around and ultimately dared not make a move.

At this moment, the Water Deity stepped forward and summoned the waters of the Milky Way to splash on Li Jing.

With a sudden commotion, white smoke rose, but instead of extinguishing, the flames burned even more fiercely.

Li Jing's screams gradually weakened, his breathing became rapid and shallow, and he was clearly on the verge of death.

Fire Star Lord Luo Xuan watched coldly, a slight smile subtly curving his lips.

He had personally experienced the battle at Flower Fruit Mountain and knew the power of Ye Feng's True Sun Fire—it was the World-Burning Flame, one of the Seven True Fires, which ordinary water-based supernatural powers could not extinguish.

Although he had a way to suppress him, Li Jing had been bullying others and looking down on everyone for years, and he himself was from the Jie Sect, so why should he stand up for this person and cause trouble?

Just as Li Jing was about to be engulfed by the flames, a soft sigh suddenly came from the sky. A point of golden light fell from the void and silently entered his body.

The raging golden flames instantly subsided, extinguishing like a tidal wave. The charred, curled-up body was revealed, its flesh completely destroyed, resembling a charred corpse.

At this moment, Li Jing lay motionless on the ground, his breath almost gone, like ashes, but fortunately, he still had a glimmer of hope.

Among the heavenly soldiers and generals, someone swiftly stepped forward and helped him up.

Despite its pitiful appearance, such injuries, which would be fatal to mortals, are not irreversible for immortals. Whether it is the celestial elixir of the Jade Pool or the water of the Western Eight Treasures Merit Pool, a short soak is all it takes to regenerate flesh and blood and restore it to its original state.

Ye Feng smiled faintly and said, "Since there are no stolen goods on him, Li Tianwang has been cleared of suspicion."

The immortals lowered their eyes and remained silent, focusing their attention on their own minds and spirits, all responding in silence.

However, deep down, her understanding of Ye Feng had deepened.

Once this fiend gets angry, it completely disregards the consequences. If it weren't for the timely intervention of the Great Celestial Venerable, Li Jing would probably have been reduced to ashes.

They were even more unscrupulous than when they broke into the Lingxiao Palace last time.

This person... should not be easily provoked.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor's voice came from the high platform: "Emperor Tai, you are the Heavenly Emperor, why are you so full of malice? Even if Minister Li's words were wrong, it is up to me to decide."

Moreover, he is a high-ranking official of the court. Now that he has suffered such a heavy blow from you, coupled with the theft of the treasury, he deserves an explanation.

Ye Feng's expression hardened, and he understood: the Jade Emperor was not truly angry, but merely using this as an excuse to give his ministers a way out.

He then bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. I was too impulsive. However, as the Emperor who holds the power of light over the Three Realms, I am deeply angered to be questioned in front of the palace today, which led me to act too harshly."

As for the treasure vault—" He paused, then suddenly raised his hand and flipped it over, "I just remembered something. When I fought with the thief before, I cut off half of his sleeve."

Before he finished speaking, a piece of blue cloth appeared in his palm.

Upon seeing this, all the immortals' eyelids twitched simultaneously.

There's still evidence left?

These old foxes, who had lived for thousands of years, immediately began to think.

If there was physical evidence at the time, why wasn't it presented immediately?

Looking at Li Jing again, a hint of pity crept into her eyes.

So that's how it is—the Thai King set a trap to lure people in and use the opportunity to establish his authority. Li Jing was merely a "chicken" he chose to make an example of.

Some sighed inwardly, some shook their heads with bitter smiles, and some were secretly delighted.

Just then, Venus slowly stepped forward, took the broken half of the sleeve from Ye Feng's hand, examined it carefully, and suddenly exclaimed:

"Your Majesty, this fabric... seems to be made of 'Seamless Heavenly Garment'."

"Seamless Heavenly Garment?"

The entire hall erupted in uproar.

The so-called seamless celestial garment does not refer to a single immortal robe, but rather to a type of supreme-treasure-level protective divine garment.

This garment is unique to the Heavenly Court. It is extremely difficult to weave, and there are no seams throughout its entire body. Wearing it can ward off all magic and resist lightning tribulations. Over thousands of years, only a dozen or so have been bestowed upon it, all of them granted to those of high rank and great power.

Even when Ye Feng was conferred the title of Emperor of Tai, he did not receive this honor.

Of course, the Nine Yang Golden Crow Robe he obtained was no less impressive, and perhaps even more so.

The immortals were shocked: Could it be that the thief was actually a high-ranking official in the Heavenly Palace?

And then, thinking back to the demons that escaped earlier...

Everyone immediately realized that this matter was extremely complicated, and even the Four Celestial Masters kept silent and dared not make any rash comments.

The Jade Emperor sent a celestial official, and Venus presented the cloth with both hands.

The celestial official presented it before the emperor, who gazed at it for a long time.

The Lingxiao Palace was completely silent; it was as if you could hear even the dust falling to the ground.

After a long silence, the Jade Emperor finally spoke: "I will thoroughly investigate this matter. Your Majesty's insight into evil is invaluable; I hereby bestow upon you ten jars of imperial wine and ten bolts of celestial cloth."

Ye Feng bowed slightly: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

The Jade Emperor then asked, "Kui Mulang, what was the reason for the demons' previous disturbances?"

Today is Kui Mulang's turn to be on duty, so the questioning naturally falls to him.

Kui Mulang stepped forward and reported: "The demons came from the residence of the Wood Star Lord and destroyed several palaces. Fortunately, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was present and suppressed them, preventing the evil spirits from escaping."

The Jade Emperor nodded and turned his gaze to the Monkey King.

The monkey grinned, cupped its hands in a humble gesture, and said, "I dare not accept such praise, I dare not accept such praise."

The Jade Emperor then issued another decree: "Summon—the Wood Virtue Star Lord."

A moment later, the Wood Star Lord entered the hall, paid his respects, and stood solemnly to one side.

The Jade Emperor asked in a deep voice, "Why did the demon appear in your palace?"

The Wood Star Lord bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, the demon escaped from the Demon-Sealing Bowl. I obtained this item by chance and originally intended to present it to the Heavenly Court. However, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was drinking with the Emperor Tai, and out of curiosity, the Great Sage broke the bowl."

The smile on Sun Wukong's face suddenly froze.

This Wood Star Lord actually managed to shirk all responsibility so cleanly?

The Jade Emperor's gaze darkened slightly as he asked, "Wukong, is this true?"

The monkey bowed its head and said softly, "Your Majesty... I was slightly tipsy at the time and accidentally knocked over the bowl."

Ye Feng, standing to the side, yawned lazily, his expression indifferent, seemingly uninterested in the matter.

However, he had already seen through it all—the words of the Wood Star Lord were full of flaws.

The most puzzling thing is that he didn't mention a word about the origin of the Demon-Sealing Bowl.

The demon suppressed in that bowl possessed an overwhelming aura, far beyond what the Nine Luminaries Star Officials could subdue, let alone hide. There must be a hidden story behind it.

But he did not speak out in defense of the monkey.

He had already vaguely figured out who was serving behind the Wood Star Lord.

He also knew that the man was meticulous in his actions and would not leave any real opportunity to take advantage of him.

This is a good opportunity to find out the Jade Emperor's true attitude.

He then coughed lightly and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, although Wukong is mischievous and restless, and has a carefree nature, he was captured on the spot as soon as the demon appeared and did not escape even slightly. In my opinion, it would be better to allow him to make amends and observe his future performance."

The Jade Emperor pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Since the Great Emperor Tai has pleaded for him, I will not investigate further. Wukong, considering this is your first offense and your subsequent merits, I will not punish you this time."

He paused, then added, "I'm assigning you another task. Are you willing to accept it?"

The monkey quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! May I ask what position you have been appointed to?"

"Your Great Sage Equaling Heaven's residence is adjacent to the Peach Garden. From now on, you will be in charge of the Peach Garden, patrolling it morning and evening without any slackening."

"As expected." Ye Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, and a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

In the end, the Peach Garden was handed over to the monkey.

The Jade Emperor's actions seem rather deliberate; what exactly is his intention?

Sun Wukong, however, was completely unaware of the situation. Upon hearing that he would be in charge of the celestial garden, he happily kowtowed and accepted the order.

The Jade Emperor raised his hand to signal the end of the court session.

After the imperial carriage departed first, the immortals then left in turn.

Sun Wukong strode over to Ye Feng's side, grinning, "Senior brother, now I have a proper job!"

Ye Feng replied with a smile, "That's good, a nice job. You go and settle in the garden first, and I'll definitely come to find you when I have time."

The monkey nodded repeatedly, then soared into the clouds and flew straight to the Peach Garden.

Ye Feng exchanged a few pleasantries with the other familiar immortal officials, then returned to the Thai Royal Palace alone.

Since Sun Wukong has been appointed to the position of Peach Garden, it means that the Peach Banquet is approaching.

When he causes trouble again, it will be the time for him to completely break with the Heavenly Court.

As he pondered, he stepped into the palace gate, immediately locked the restrictions, and took out three treasures from his sleeve.

It consisted of a futon, a small tripod, and an ancient seal.

He first used his magic to set up multiple layers of seals, and then injected his divine sense into the seal.

……

In an instant, the seal swelled, and the Xuanhuang Qi surged like a dragon. Five emperor figures appeared in the five directions of the void—Fuxi, Shennong, Xuanyuan, Zhuanxu, and Diku.

"It's actually the Kongtong Seal." Ye Feng's pupils shrank, and he immediately withdrew it.

This is no ordinary magic weapon, but a supreme treasure of the human religion. The holder of this seal can gather the fortune of the human race, control the deposition and establishment of emperors, with far-reaching implications and extremely heavy karmic consequences.

The current Jade Emperor rules over the Three Realms and commands all spirits.

But in the late primordial era, the order of heaven and earth had not yet been established, and heaven and man each had their own systems.

At that time, the Human Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor were equal, without any distinction of rank. Fuxi drew the Eight Trigrams, Shennong tasted herbs, and Xuanyuan ruled the world; all of them could be granted divine titles.

For example, Chisongzi, whom he killed a few days ago, was the rain master personally appointed by Shennong.