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

After leaving the Lingxiao Palace, he handed the monkey over to the nearby guarding deity, and then returned to Guanjiang Estuary with his brothers.

After he left, the Jade Emperor turned to Zhenwu, his expression softening slightly: "Zhenwu, you also contributed greatly to this subjugation of the demon."

Zhenwu humbly replied, "Thanks to the great blessings and protection of the Heavenly Venerable, and the courageous efforts of the True Lord, what merit have I, a humble Taoist, made?"

The Jade Emperor said, "Of the two demon kings of Flower Fruit Mountain, one has been captured, but the Golden Crow remains unsubdued. This task is none other than yours."

He then bestowed upon them a hundred pieces of fine jade, ten jars of imperial wine, and three magical treasures.

Zhenwu bowed again to receive the order, then returned to the ranks of immortals and stood in the seat of Laozi.

After the rewards were distributed, Zhang Tianshi stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, now that one demon has been subdued, what should be done with the monkey demon?"

The Jade Emperor remained silent for a moment, a hint of hesitation appearing between his brows.

Others may not know the details, but he knows perfectly well that Ye Feng and this monkey are both disciples of a sage.

If handled improperly, it could lead to dire consequences.

Moreover, the Supreme Lord Laozi himself appeared, and the mystery behind it was something even he could not fathom.

After much deliberation, he finally said in a deep voice:

"Take him to the execution platform."

Upon receiving the decree, Zhang Tianshi's spirits lifted, and he immediately issued orders to all directions.

Upon receiving the order, the divine general outside the palace immediately escorted the monkey to the Demon-Slaying Platform and bound him to the Demon-Subduing Pillar.

A giant axe hangs high atop the pillar, its cold light gleaming and its murderous aura chilling.

This is the "Demon-Slaying Axe," the most vicious weapon of the Heavenly Court, from which countless great demons have perished.

At this moment, the axe blade fell, reflecting the monkey's face.

The monkey looked up and laughed, saying loudly, "Are your axes sharp? They probably need sharpening; my head is as hard as a rock!"

The left and right generals turned a deaf ear, waiting only for orders.

With everything ready, the supervising celestial official gave the order, and the giant axe crashed down!

A flash of white light, and refined iron shattered stone as easily as rotten wood.

But just as the axe blade was about to strike its head, suddenly crimson flames burst forth—

clang!!!

The clanging of metal echoed through the heavens, its lingering sound lingering in the clouds.

The monkey, still tied to the pillar, grinned and said, "I told you my head was hard. Go sharpen your axe again, lest you break it."

The supervising official was terrified and looked flustered.

He had never encountered such a strange event in his life, and he shouted urgently, "Execute again!"

He raised the giant axe and cleaved it down again!

Another loud bang, sparks flew, but the ape remained completely still.

Nine consecutive kills!

click-

The axe blade finally gave way, cracking and spreading until the entire giant axe shattered into several pieces!

The monkey's laughter grew louder: "Any more? Bring me a bigger and sharper one!"

The celestial official was utterly terrified and hastily summoned the surrounding divine generals to attack, using swords, knives, fists, and hammers—nothing was spared.

However, with each strike, only sparks flew, the fur remained undamaged, and there wasn't even a scratch.

Some even used excessive force, causing their own weapons to break in the shock, leaving them clutching their broken blades in deep sorrow.

The monkey demon burst into loud laughter, his arrogant demeanor shaking the heavens.

The supervising official, filled with fear and trepidation, rushed back to the palace, knelt down, and reported:

"Your Majesty! That monkey's body is indestructible; the demon-slaying axe is shattered, and swords and blades cannot harm it. It is impossible to execute him!"

All the immortals were shocked upon hearing this.

Only the Jade Emperor remained unmoved, and said calmly:

"In that case, summon the Thunder Department and the Fire Department back to the Heavenly Court immediately, and bombard them with heavenly thunder and burn them with heavenly fire."

The imperial edict was issued immediately, and the celestial official carrying the decree rushed to Flower Fruit Mountain.

After receiving the imperial decree, Wen Zhong and Luo Xuan led the Heavenly Lords of the Thunder and Fire Tribes back to the capital overnight.

The two did not enter the Lingxiao Palace to pay their respects, but went straight to the Demon-Slaying Platform.

The monkey, beaming with pride, saw the two of them and, without any restraint, grinned and said, "Oh, isn't this Grand Tutor Wen? What's this? Instead of enjoying your leisure time on Flower Fruit Mountain, you've sneaked back to Heaven?"

Wen Zhong coughed twice, ignoring the question, and said in a deep voice, "Great Sage, please forgive me!"

Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it. The Heavenly Lords of the Thunder Department quickly dispersed, throwing out magical treasures shaped like thunder nails, instantly setting up a thunder array. In an instant, thick black clouds surged up on the horizon, making the entire sky feel oppressive as if it were about to collapse.

The lightning of divine punishment descends!

In an instant, countless bolts of lightning, as thick as buckets, crashed down from the dark clouds, striking the monkey relentlessly. Even the Demon-Slaying Platform began to crack and crumble under this force.

Although the monkey was bound within the formation and directly subjected to the lightning strikes, it still grinned and said, "Too light, too light! I can't feel it, put in more force!"

Wen Zhong frowned slightly. After the lightning strike lasted for a while, he waved his hand to stop it and turned to look at Luo Xuan.

Luo Xuan understood and immediately ordered the Fire Department Heavenly Lord to step back. Instantly, the sky and earth changed color, and nine towering fire pillars crashed down from the void, turning the Demon-Slaying Platform into a sea of ​​blazing fire in an instant.

The monkey stood in the middle of the raging flames, laughing loudly, "Cool! Cool! More, more!"

The sound was extremely arrogant, but the flames could not harm him in the slightest.

Luo Xuan snorted coldly and waved his hand to extinguish the fire.

After a moment's thought, he took out a pot—his natal magic weapon: the Ten Thousand Crows Pot.

In ancient times, there was a sage in the human religion named Suiren.

Knotting ropes to record events enlightened the people and made the world clear; drilling wood to make fire kept people warm and away from darkness, and cooked food nourished people—these were all acts of merit.

Later, Shennong passed down the art of pottery, and Kunwuzi created the method of making pots. He then refined this pot and sealed the fire crows raised in the Bright Palace inside, which were then placed deep in the Fire Dragon Island of the South China Sea.

This is the origin of the Ten Thousand Crows Pot, a priceless treasure obtained during the primordial era.

In the ancient War of the Gods, Luo Xuan used this pot to release fire crows, which burned down Xiqi City. The fire was raging, and the land was scorched for hundreds of miles, shaking the Three Realms.

At that moment, he flicked his finger, and wisps of smoke rose from the mouth of the Ten Thousand Crows Pot, followed by an explosion of flames, and thousands of fire crows soared into the sky!

Those crows were entirely crimson, formed from pure fire, and were incredibly lifelike. They spewed flames from their mouths and spread thick smoke from their wings, circling and screeching in the air, their cries echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

Under Luo Xuan's control, a flock of crows swooped down, surrounding the monkey in layers, and spewing blazing fire to burn it continuously.

The monkey, engulfed in flames, continued to laugh heartily: "It's getting warmer... but far from warm!"

Luo Xuan activated the Fire Crow Formation for a full half hour, but the monkey showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, it became even more energetic. Finally, he was moved, withdrew the Fire Crows, and his expression shifted uncertainly.

He had great confidence in the Fire Crow Formation—even during the Investiture of the Gods, few could withstand it. Anyone who had not attained the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm would find it difficult to escape unscathed; even those who had already reached the Great Luo realm would be in danger of death if they were to fall into the formation.

But what level of cultivation does this monkey possess that it can completely ignore this fire?

He and Wen Zhong exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and confusion in each other's eyes.

Left with no other choice, the two had to return to the Lingxiao Palace to report back.

The emperor paid homage to the Jade Emperor and reported: "Your Majesty, the Monkey King possesses great supernatural powers and has attained immortality. Heavenly thunder and heavenly fire cannot harm him, and even the Ten Thousand Crows Pot Formation is ineffective."

Upon hearing this, all the immortals were shocked and looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

The Jade Emperor, however, had already anticipated this, and remained silent, only subtly casting his gaze toward Laozi.

Just then, Laozi slowly stepped out, stroking his beard and smiling: "No need to panic. That monkey stole the peaches of immortality and the elixir of immortality. My Tushita Palace originally had five gourds of golden pills, half-cooked and half-ripe, which he swallowed along with the Golden Crow."

Now, the medicinal power and demonic energy have fused together, forming a unified whole within the body, thus forging an indestructible body. Ordinary thunder and fire can naturally do nothing to it.

"It would be better to have the old Taoist take it back, put it into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and refine it with the true fire of both civil and martial arts for forty-nine days, so that its elixir can be extracted and dissolved. Then its body will naturally dissolve and return to ashes."

After these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent, and no one dared to object.

The resolution was thus adopted.

Laozi nodded slightly to the Jade Emperor, then turned and left the hall, returning directly to the Tushita Palace.

The Jade Emperor then dispatched the Six Ding and Six Jia to the Demon-Slaying Platform to capture the monkey and deliver him to the Tushita Palace to be handed over to Laozi.

The handover was completed in just a few moments.

Then the Jade Emperor dismissed the immortals. The True Martial Emperor stepped forward to take his leave, saying that there were still Golden Crows on Flower Fruit Mountain that had not been eliminated, and he wished to return quickly to lead his army to wipe them out.

The Jade Emperor smiled and waved his hand: "There's no rush. Wait until the Dao Ancestor refines the Monkey King into ashes, and you don't need to rush back. Your palace in Heaven has been uninhabited and abandoned for many years. Why not take a short stay here? Once worldly affairs are settled, it won't be too late to go to Flower Fruit Mountain to slay the demon."

Zhenwu could not refuse, so he had to return to the Zhenwu Hall in the Heavenly Court for the time being.

He had deep roots in Jambudvipa, and all his subordinates were stationed there. The palaces in the heavenly palace had been empty for many years, with only a few celestial officials moving about on ordinary days. They were deserted and desolate, as if they were just for show.

Meanwhile, not long after Laozi returned to the Tushita Palace, the Six Ding and Six Jia brought the monkey there.

The monkey chatted and laughed all the way, but as soon as it approached the Tushita Palace, its expression suddenly changed, and a hint of guilt appeared between its brows.

After entering the alchemy room, the six Ding and six Jia completed their handover and bowed to the Supreme Lord to take their leave.

Laozi, the Supreme Lord, leaned against his whisk with a smile, stood with his shoulder slightly askew, and teased the monkey, "You little monkey, do you still recognize this old man?"

The monkey's eyes darted around, and with a grin, he replied, "I recognize you! You're none other than Laozi, aren't you? What brings you here, Old Sun?"

Laozi chuckled: "Since you recognize me, let me ask you, how did those five pots of golden elixir taste?"

Monkey immediately jumped up and shouted, "Don't you dare accuse me like that! Of those five jugs, I, Old Sun, only touched two at most. My senior brother completely emptied the other three. If you're going to catch a thief, you should catch the main culprit. What kind of logic is it to take it out on a nobody like me!"

Laozi chuckled upon hearing this: "You mischievous monkey, you're quite adept at betraying your own brothers."

The monkey chuckled twice, not daring to reply.

Although he was usually fearless, he knew very well that the Supreme Dao Ancestor was a top-tier power in the Three Realms, with boundless magical power. He had been captured for stealing his treasures last time, and if he fell into his hands again, he would likely face a severe punishment.

But since things have come to this, I might as well go all out.

"I only have one life to live anyway," he grinned and said, "Old man, your golden core is gone. You'd better figure it out yourself. But this rope is too tight, loosen it quickly."

Lao Jun glanced at him sideways, and actually raised his hand to untie him.

Not only that, but they also took out the gold hook that was stuck in his collarbone.

This move stunned the monkey.

The long-dormant magical power within his body slowly circulated, his eyes darted around, and his thoughts flashed like lightning.

Just then, Laozi was untying him when he suddenly paused, as if sensing something.

He slapped the monkey's body with his palm, and a beam of light rose up, falling into his palm and transforming into an ancient, flat cane.

Lao Jun held the walking stick, his expression subtle.

It was the magic weapon that Ye Feng and the monkey had previously stolen.

Originally a piece of ancient pine wood, he personally carved it into a walking stick, and over time, it gradually became a rare treasure. With just one glance, Laozi understood the whole story and shook his head, laughing, "This Golden Crow does understand human relationships."

He tucked his crutch into his sleeve, flicked his sleeve, and lifted the lid of the Bagua furnace.

Flames leaped inside the furnace, and waves of heat swept over us.

Laozi pointed to the furnace opening: "Go in."

The monkey's lips curled into a smug smile, but suddenly his eyes narrowed as he looked behind Laozi and exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother?"

Before he finished speaking, a flash of golden light appeared, and he had already disappeared several feet away.

Laozi stood still, neither looking back nor chasing after him.

He simply shook his head: "Child's trick."

With a gentle flick of the whisk.

The monkey transformed into a streak of light and sped away at lightning speed, instantly approaching the entrance to the alchemy room.

Unexpectedly, the scene before them changed abruptly—the door disappeared, replaced by a giant furnace with its doors wide open and flames raging.

His heart sank. He tried to change direction, but felt a tremendous force surging from the furnace, like an abyss sucking in stars. He couldn't break free and was pulled into the furnace. With a "bang," the furnace lid slammed shut.