"Not good..." Ye Jingyu's Eye of Samsara suddenly perceived something, but it was already too late. The Vajra pestle in Wei Tuo's hand—the very one famous from the Battle of Investiture of the Gods—smashed brutally down upon his head. It struck with sparks flying and golden light scattering, dazing Ye Jingyu, causing his skull to throb and swell as if it were about to split apart...

This was the first time he had felt such agony since cultivating the Chaos Body.

"What a hard skull..." Even Wei Tuo's face showed a look of horror. Clearly, he hadn't expected his Vajra pestle would fail to shatter the opponent's head. However, he was, after all, a Dharmapala of Buddhism, the strongest among the heavenly deities. Though not yet a Buddha, his inherent combat power was certainly no less than that of an average Buddha. Seeing Ye Jingyu's resilient skull, he seized the moment while Ye Jingyu was reeling, and the Vajra pestle began to swing down relentlessly. In mere instants, tens of thousands of strikes blurred into existence, each one delivered with full force upon Ye Jingyu’s head, treating it as if it were a wooden fish being beaten.

Ye Jingyu’s head was indeed hard, but it could not withstand such a frenzied assault. After Wei Tuo had struck 367,532 times in rapid succession, a gaping bloody hole finally appeared on Ye Jingyu’s skull, and his body was sent flying straight backward.

At that precise moment, the figures of Dhritarashtra, Virudhaka, Vaisravana, and Virupaksha materialized within Wei Tuo’s aura. Like Wei Tuo himself, these Four Heavenly Kings were not mere projections of mental force, but true divine beings from the heavens.

Dhritarashtra, the King Protector of the East, was clad in white armor, holding a pipa; Virudhaka, the King Protector of the South, was emerald green, armed with the Cloud-Cleaving Sword; Vaisravana, the King Protector of the North, was clad in green armor, holding a treasure umbrella (also known as a banner) in his right hand and grasping a divine rat in his left; and Virupaksha, the King Protector of the West, was crimson, his arm entwined with a crimson dragon.

The moment these Four Heavenly Kings appeared, Ye Jingyu felt a throbbing pain in his head. During the Battle of Investiture of the Gods, the four Mo brothers had aided the tyrant Zhou. After their demise, their souls entered the Investiture of the Gods list, becoming the guardians of the Southern Gate of the Heavenly Court. Originally, their essence was bound by that list, forever unable to transcend and take that final step. But unexpectedly, they were later guided by the Ancient Buddha Randeng into the Twenty-Four Heavens, where the shackles of the Investiture of the Gods list were broken, finally allowing them to achieve that last step and become carefree observers of the cosmic game.

These were primeval sacred beings; their divine abilities, magical powers, cultivation, and insight were far beyond those of a few Demon Lords who had only just managed to take that final step. Seeing such an assembly, Ye Jingyu’s head began to ache fiercely.

What was the necessity of this? You all enjoy eternal freedom; I was merely eradicating a few demons, so why must you obstruct me?

Of course, what puzzled him most was why these individuals had not been conscripted to build that so-called Bridge to the Other Shore—a fate that surely guaranteed complete annihilation?

Although Ye Jingyu was enraged, he had not entirely lost his rationality. These were real entities, not mere vases formed from psychic energy. Just as he was contemplating how to engage these figures, Wei Tuo charged forward once more, and the Four Heavenly Kings attacked simultaneously...

Meanwhile, the battle between Sun Wukong and the Lord of Destruction had entered its final phase. Facing Wukong’s omnipresent staff shadows, the Lord of Destruction could offer no real defense. His arms, his shoulders, his waist—all were smashed by Sun Wukong’s iron rod, splattering dark golden blood everywhere. Had it not been for his continuous regeneration, he would have long been pounded into a pulp.

Seeing Sun Wukong advancing again, the Lord of Destruction finally dropped all pretense. The eighteen pairs of eyes atop his head flashed, unleashing thirty-six beams of World-Ending Demonic Light directly toward Sun Wukong.

Sensing the terrifying power of the demonic beams, Sun Wukong frowned, whirling his Mourning Gate Staff. It spun continuously, batting away the beams of light.

It was at that exact moment that a figure suddenly appeared behind the Lord of Destruction. In his hand, he now held thirty-six demonic swords forged entirely of white bone. With a single gesture of his finger, those thirty-six bone swords shot forward.

The Lord of Destruction’s entire focus had been on Sun Wukong. He knew his objective wasn't to defeat the Monkey King, but merely to stall him, preventing him from aiding Ye Jingyu. If he could just hold on until those powerful deities struck down his target, fulfilling the requirements of their superiors, he and his cohort would finally achieve true liberation.

Therefore, he had deliberately refrained from using the World-Ending Demonic Light, engaging only in a protracted struggle with Sun Wukong. Only now, forced into a corner, did he unleash the beams, fully committed to defending against the Monkey King—never expecting an ambush from someone else!

Moreover, the one ambushing him possessed terrifying strength, standing just one step shy of breaking free from the cosmic game board.

Chik-chik-chik—thirty-six sharp sounds echoed consecutively. All eighteen eyes of the Lord of Destruction were pierced by the bone swords. The swords instantly exploded, and the intense agony nearly caused the Lord of Destruction to faint.

Jue wore a ferocious grin; he had awaited this moment for far too long. Suddenly, a blood-red lotus throne materialized beneath him and began pressing straight down upon the Lord of Destruction.

"You traitor to the Master, die!" Jue roared, his voice immense. The scarlet lotus throne spun violently, pinning itself directly atop the head of the Lord of Destruction. It immediately crushed his skull, and the relentlessly spinning throne ground down, reducing the Demon Lord’s towering physique to its most fundamental dark energy. Countless strands of black light continuously radiated forth, but every one was absorbed by the blood-red lotus throne, ultimately integrating into Jue's body, causing his cultivation to ascend visibly.

Seeing that blood-red lotus throne, Sun Wukong’s brow furrowed. While others might not recognize it, Wukong knew it well: this was the Nine Nether Lotus Throne belonging to the Lord of the Underworld. It was a magical treasure on the same tier as the Nine-Petal Lotus Seat. Furthermore, the term "Master" he had just uttered? Could this man be a disciple of the Lord of the Underworld?

The Lord of the Underworld—the god of all demons! Back then, even when Fuxi, Nuwa, and Shennong relentlessly hunted him, they failed to slay him; instead, he lured them into a trap that cost them their lives.

Realizing the man’s true lineage, Sun Wukong suddenly understood the sense of unease he had felt when he rescued Jue previously. This wretch intended to take that final step by devouring the power of the Lord of Destruction...

"Great Sage, I know you intend to stop me, but protected by the Nine Nether Lotus Throne, even your cultivation may not breach it in a short time, correct? By the time you break through, perhaps your friend will already be annihilated..." As Sun Wukong moved to strike down Jue, the man's voice reached him. He instinctively glanced toward Ye Jingyu, and his face instantly contorted in horror...