Chapter 24: The Guardian King Subdues the Six-Eared Macaque

At the very moment that voice rang out, the heavenly generals and soldiers were all frozen in place.

The macaque, the six-eared monkey, who had just appeared as fierce as a god of war and as immovable as a wisdom king, was likewise rendered motionless.

"You dare to brawl in the Eastern Continent of Dongsheng without asking my permission?"

The next moment, a towering figure appeared before the crowd.

He was at least several dozen meters tall! His physique was immense, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, resembling an enlarged version of an ancient general.

Seeing the newcomer, Jiang Wang felt a chill in his heart and immediately bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Heavenly King!"

The arrival was none other than the Heavenly King of the East, Mo Lihai!

On his back was a long spear, and in his hands, he held a pipa. His face, though grim, revealed a hint of benevolence.

"Hmm?" The Heavenly King Mo Lihai glanced at Jiang Wang. "You are not bad. Your cultivation is stable. After a few tens of thousands of years of steady progress, you will be able to enter the True Immortal realm. Work hard and do not waste your talent."

Jiang Wang thanked him, "Thank you for your concern, Heavenly King!"

"What is the meaning of this monkey demon?" Mo Lihai pointed at the monkey, who remained frozen by his power.

Jiang Wang thought for a moment and replied, "Reporting to the Heavenly King, I was acting under the Great Heavenly Venerable's decree to apprehend the criminal dragon, Yancai. I did not expect this monkey demon to be spying in the shadows. When he saw me attempting to take the dragon maiden, he emerged to interfere. I wished to ignore him, but he grew increasingly insolent. Ultimately, the heavenly general decided to uphold justice and prepared to subdue him with the Big Dipper formation."

The Heavenly King gave a cold laugh. "Since when does the Heavenly Court require a monkey demon to meddle in its affairs?"

He pressed his fingers against the strings of his instrument.

With a sharp *twang*, the once-arrogant six-eared macaque began to howl in agony. He clutched his head and rolled upon the ground.

After about a dozen breaths, the Heavenly King chanted a spell, and the macaque’s wailing finally ceased.

Meanwhile, the heavenly soldiers and generals, who had been frozen, regained their ability to move. Seeing the Heavenly King, they lowered their heads in respect.

As one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Southern Heaven Gate, Mo Lihai was the direct superior of these troops. Having been caught slacking off, the soldiers felt a deep sense of trepidation. The heavenly general stood at the forefront, trembling. Despite having a decree from the Great Heavenly Venerable, they could not deny the fact that they had deserted their posts.

"Heavenly King, why have you come?" the general dared not look up.

Mo Lihai snorted. "If I had not come, and you had swaggered about the Eastern Continent as you pleased, where would that have left me?"

The Heavenly King of the East was the guardian of the Dongsheng Continent; all matters occurring on these lands could be brought to him for resolution. Of course, he could not handle everything. After all, the continent was home to countless immortals, among whom were many hidden masters whom even the Heavenly King could not suppress. For instance, there was Golden Turtle Island in the East Sea—a place that even the Great Heavenly Venerable could not claim to fully control.

"I... I was escorting the Old Dragon King back to the East Sea," the general's voice softened significantly.

"Hmph, say no more. Go back and accept your punishment." The Heavenly King glared at the general, then cast a glance at the soldiers. "And the same goes for all of you!"

Jiang Wang remained silent. He wondered if he should plead for mercy, as being a deity in the Heavenly Court required one to be part of the collective; those who did not fit in were easily ostracized.

Just as he was about to decide, the Heavenly King suddenly looked at him.

"You have performed your duty in capturing the criminal dragon. Go back and collect three hundred spirit stones!"

Jiang Wang was stunned. He looked at the trembling general and the soldiers, then hardened his heart. "Many thanks for your grace, Heavenly King."

Compared to three hundred spirit stones, integrity was worth nothing.

"Take the dragon maiden back and finish your assignment!"

At the Heavenly King's command, the general hurriedly led the troops away. Jiang Wang mingled with the soldiers, who looked at him with envy.

"Brother Jiang, may I trade a hundred stalks of Crimson Pearl Immortal Grass for ten spirit stones?" a soldier asked.

Jiang Wang thought for a moment and shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, it is not that I am unwilling to trade, but I am currently seeking to purchase an immortal manual on alchemy, and spirit stones are scarce. I have no choice, so please do not take offense."

"Oh, I see. Then I cannot force you. But if you can master better alchemy, we can trade for your immortal pills in the future."

The soldiers ceased talk of spirit stones, and the group flew toward the Southern Heaven Gate.

On the way, the dragon maiden Yancai, who had been quite depressed, suddenly grew cheerful as they neared the Heavenly Court. She pestered Jiang Wang with questions about the realm.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, is the Heavenly Court very large?"

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, are the deities of the Heavenly Court very fierce?"

...

Exasperated, Jiang Wang sank his consciousness into the chat group, shielding himself from the dragon maiden’s torment.

He hadn't checked the chat in a long time, and it was quite lively, though the members seemed to be having a disagreement.

Golden Generation of Wuhundian: "How dare you? How dare you insult the gods?"

Queen of the Snake-people: "I said nothing wrong. Judging by what the Useless Prophet said, the gods of your world are indeed not very powerful."

Useless Prophet: "Alright, alright, stop arguing, both of you. What is there to fight about?"

Old Heavenly Master: "I still don't understand. Are Dou Di and Titled Douluo on the same level? Or are Dou Di and gods on the same level?"

The Mosquito's Natural Enemy: "Sigh, watching you guys spam the chat all day has caused me to miss several supermarket sales."

Little Spider: "From what I've heard, I think Dou Di is stronger."

Golden Generation of Wuhundian: "Gods are stronger! The Angel God is the most powerful deity!"

Queen of the Snake-people: "Enough! Your world's gods waste so much effort just to slaughter mortals—do they truly deserve to be called gods?"

Southern Heaven Gate Guard: "Are you all discussing the strength of the top combatants in your respective worlds?"

Useless Prophet: "Lord Immortal! Are you done with your work?"

Southern Heaven Gate Guard: "I suppose so. Why are the two of them so fired up?"

Useless Prophet: "Their worlds have somewhat similar situations, so I explained the differences between them a bit clearly, and then they started arguing."

Southern Heaven Gate Guard: "I scanned the chat history, and it seems the powerhouse of the Snake-people Queen's world is indeed stronger."

Jiang Wang casually added his two cents. There was simply no comparison between the strongest of Hu Liena’s world and the strongest of the Snake-people Queen’s world; they were not on the same level at all.

As soon as Jiang Wang spoke, a charming young girl deep within the Wuhundian sat in a daze.

While Jiang Wang chatted with the group to escape the dragon maiden's harassment, Lu Dongbin, currently on the Dongsheng Continent, had turned pale. Outside his cave dwelling, the Heavenly King of the East was continuing to lecture the monkey immortal, Six-Ears.