Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 640 - 634: The Twelve Golden Immortals [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
The Heavenly Court was well-prepared, with all its powerful masters at the ready.
Tens of thousands of masters surged out, including the immensely powerful Da Luo masters and the terrifyingly formidable Quasi-Saints, who took action one after another.
Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing looked desperate. "You shouldn’t have come to rescue me," he said. "They have been prepared all along. This morning, I was just an excuse; their real target was always you."
Nezha said, "Father, don’t worry. It won’t be so easy for the Heavenly Court to take us down."
Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing said, "Now that so many of you are caught in this muddled state, it would be one thing if you escaped on your own, but with me, you absolutely won’t get away.
"I advise you to leave quickly and not delay any further. Otherwise, when the time comes, you won’t be able to leave even if you want to."
Nezha said, "You need not say more. Whatever the outcome, it’s our own choice. The Heavenly Court may want to take us down, but it won’t be that easy. They cannot expect to devour us all without paying a certain price. It’s simply impossible."
Li Jing said, "You don’t understand anything at all. It’s not that you are very important; it’s the person behind you, Sha Chen, that the Jade Emperor is aiming at by taking action against you. And do you think that’s all the Heavenly Court has? Buddhism and the Chan Sect have both sent out masters to deal with you."
He shouted loudly, "Hurry and leave, don’t worry about me! If you keep delaying, no one will survive! I am a symbol of the Heavenly Court, and I’ve made significant contributions. The Jade Emperor truly wants to kill me; he’s only trying to lure you out. As long as you leave, I will definitely survive."
Nezha shook his head. "Father, to this day, you almost died at the hands of Wei Zheng. Do you still hold out any hope? The Jade Emperor wants to kill you not only to lure us out but also to get rid of you, a major thorn in his side."
Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing was an exceedingly clever man and naturally understood the implications of Nezha’s words. Although what he said made sense, Li Jing simply couldn’t accept it.
"Don’t talk nonsense, I am without guilt," he declared.
Nezha scoffed coldly. "You may be without guilt, but the Jade Emperor doesn’t think so. Now that I’ve rescued you once, and you won’t leave with us, the Jade Emperor will no longer trust you. Next time, he will definitely chop off your head. I hope you, Father, can see the reality and quickly use the Eight-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda with us to fight back. Since the Heavenly Court won’t tolerate us, why continue to serve them?"
The Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King’s eyes wavered; even now, he still couldn’t accept the reality of what was happening. But having come this far and witnessed everything with his own eyes, he knew Nezha was right.
Even if Nezha and the others managed to leave safely today, and he was once again pressed onto the Immortal Slaying Stage, there would only be one outcome: death. Moreover, he had indeed felt the oppression of death before. Jiang Ziya personally oversaw the execution, and Wei Zheng personally carried it out, sparing no mercy.
Hesitating for a moment, as he saw more and more assailants close in, each one showing no mercy, Li Jing abandoned any further illusions. During the great Divine Enthronement war, he had already betrayed King Zhou to join King Wu. Although he was under the Jade Emperor, he wasn’t blindly loyal; as long as someone could awaken him to reality, he could see the situation clearly.
Now he understood that he was of no use to the Jade Emperor; keeping him was a nuisance, so he had to be removed. Therefore, regardless of the outcome, his fate would not change—it was a path that led only to death. Unless he chose to fight his way out with Nezha and henceforth never return to the Heavenly Court. Even if it meant bearing the stigma of rebellion, confronting the Heavenly Court to the very end, and leading a life of hiding.
Though such a life was not easy, Li Jing no longer had a choice. He had to decide whether to live or face certain death. Clearly, Li Jing, having realized the truth, chose to stand shoulder to shoulder in battle with his son and his son’s friends. He took out the Eight-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda and unleashed it, releasing a powerful defensive force. He protected Nezha and the others within it, blocking the sneak attacks of some petty miscreants.
Atop the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor’s complexion changed dramatically, and he roared furiously, "Li Jing, that traitor! He’s actually helping those thieves! To think I trusted him so much before. I never expected him to harbor such evil intentions, just like his son. Both have rebelliousness in their bones!"
The immortals remained silent; all of them were aware of why Li Jing had come to this pass. But no one came forward to persuade, nor were there any additional explanations.
Seeing his courtiers’ silence, the Jade Emperor naturally knew what they were thinking. Although he was extremely angry, he could not refute them. After all, this result had come about due to his own moment of enraged humiliation. He desired absolute power, so he colluded with Buddhism to act against Sha Chen. This action began as a minor escalation but led to a chain of causation, followed by the dispatching of troops against Nezha and Red Boy, ultimately resulting in the loss of his forces. Out of rage and shame, and not daring to blame the likes of Zhao Gongming, he could only vent his anger on Li Jing. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
After venting his anger on Li Jing, he felt he had to behead him, leaving no way back. Now, with Nezha’s party clearly coming to Li Jing’s rescue, and Li Jing himself knowing death was certain, he would naturally resist. After all, everyone fears death. In other words, the cause and effect of today were entirely of the Jade Emperor’s making, born from his boundless greed and collusion with Buddhism. Furthermore, after losing a million-strong army, his own uncontrollable rage led him to vent his anger on Li Jing, which directly caused today’s rebellion.
Knowing there was no turning back, the Jade Emperor could only continue down this erroneous path. In fact, he even felt he was not wrong; as the Jade Emperor, even his mistakes were right.
He bellowed furiously, ordering all immortals to take action.
Masters from Buddhism’s World of Ultimate Bliss emerged, each one mighty, exhibiting Great Divine Power to block Nezha, Red Boy, and the others from leaving. And the Chan Sect, usually at odds with Buddhism, had also dispatched its Golden Immortals. Although only a few had come, each was formidable. Guang Chengzi and Chi Jingzi were among them, two very powerful individuals, both at the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint.
With their intervention, Red Boy, Nezha, and the others were soon mired in a tough battle, unable to break free, and beginning to show signs of defeat.
Guang Chengzi said, "Nezha, you’ve betrayed our teachings. Coming here to cause havoc in the Heavenly Court today, you truly know nothing of life and death."
Nezha replied, "Uncle Master, no need for words. While I don’t understand why you’ve chosen to help the Heavenly Court, since you’ve decided to make a move, then come at me."
Guang Chengzi said, "Very well, let me see if your strength warrants such brazenness."
The two then clashed in battle, and the others tactfully dispersed, not interfering with their fight.
After a brief exchange, Guang Chengzi actually felt a surge in his qi and blood and found himself unable to defeat Nezha. This left him feeling both ashamed and indignant.
