Liang Xiaoke slew Nezha in one swift move, immediately stepping onto his Wind Fire Wheels, laughing out loud with such exhilaration, such triumph, such a savage grin that tears of blood streamed from his eyes, looking utterly tormented.

“Lu, do you know? I finally killed him. I really killed him. I killed the Great God Nezha of the Three Altars of the Sea Assembly. I’m no longer weak. I’m truly not weak anymore. Now I have the ability to protect you, but where are you?” Liang Xiaoke stared blankly at the sky, murmuring softly, the power of life and death within him spinning ceaselessly.

The Four Swords of Zhu Xian arrived before him, like four loyal guards.

Sensing the sorrow in Liang Xiaoke’s heart, Ye Jingyu’s impossibly vast form quickly recovered and he rushed to Liang Xiaoke’s side, lightly patting his shoulder.

“Big Brother, she wouldn’t want to see you like this…” Ye Jingyu’s face was ashen; clearly, the colossal form he manifested had drained far too much of his strength. It was understandable; that was the Primordial Body of Pangu, possessing immense power. Although he had grasped such a divine ability, his own body simply could not sustain such a colossal figure for long. Otherwise, with his stride covering thousands of miles in a single step, how could Xuanyuan Jing and the others have escaped?

“I understand…” Liang Xiaoke wiped away the bloody tears at the corners of his eyes and turned to look at Ye Jingyu, a searing light igniting in his gaze—a fighting spirit, an unyielding will to defy fate. He understood; all of this was the rule of the Heavenly Dao, it was destiny, it was Gongsun Lu’s destiny, a fate she could not escape. That was her lot.

To defy Heaven and change fate—this was what Liang Xiaoke intended to do. They had already lost too much and absolutely could not afford to lose anything more… Seeing the blazing intensity in Liang Xiaoke’s eyes, remembering the fallen Fang Zhuguo, the deceased Lin Xiaoyi, and all the companions who had fallen for this goal, a scorching flame also rose in Ye Jingyu’s eyes.

At this moment, Luo Ruofeng’s silhouette also arrived before the two of them. Their gazes met, and all three displayed resolute expressions.

The Heavenly Dao could only be held in their hands… “What is the next plan?” The one who spoke was Luo Ruofeng. Having comprehended the Way of the Emperor, he possessed a deeper understanding of situational grasp.

“Kill…” Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke replied almost without hesitation.

“What about that Monkey…” Luo Ruofeng frowned slightly. The Monkey had been captured and had vanished without a trace since. They had known each other for some time; were they not going to attempt a rescue? “The Monkey will be fine. He will surely find a way out on his own!” Mentioning the Monkey, Ye Jingyu immediately pictured that golden, gleaming head full of unyielding battle intent, recalling those intensely bright, shining eyes. How could such a person ever surrender easily? How could he possibly need them to come to his rescue…? Hearing Ye Jingyu say this, Luo Ruofeng and Liang Xiaoke naturally nodded. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven—since he was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, how could he be so easily defeated?

If the Monkey heard Ye Jingyu’s words, he wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At this moment, he was imprisoned within the Qiankun Cauldron, crushed beneath a mountain soaring a million li high in the extreme eastern reaches of the Heavenly Realm.

Erlang Shen Yang Jian stood on the opposite mountain peak, grasping his Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Lance, poised to strike the moment Sun Wukong broke free of the cauldron.

Below him sat a Daoist wearing a fiery red robe, whose appearance was rather ugly. The Daoist was spewing five streams of intensely powerful flames, actually more terrifying than the Samadhi True Fire—the Five Flavor Divine Fire. Using such fire to scorch the Qiankun Cauldron and refine Sun Wukong might actually succeed.

Standing behind the Daoist was a man over ten zhang tall, clad in golden armor, yet emanating an intense chill. The man was very ugly, even more so than the Daoist, and his icy expression made him appear simply ferocious and terrifying.

Yang Jian’s gaze remained fixed on this man, assessing him. For some inexplicable reason, he felt that the man contained something extremely dangerous, something even his third vertical eye could not decipher.

However, remembering that this person had descended to the lower realm with them, he somewhat relaxed. Even if he was dangerous, that danger was directed at the enemy; what concern was it of his? But just then, the Daoist who had been scorching the Qiankun Cauldron with the Five Flavor Divine Fire suddenly halted his actions…

“Uncle-Master Liu Ya, what is it?” Seeing the Daoist stop, Yang Jian inquired.

Liu Ya was refined from the first wisp of flame between Heaven and Earth; he possessed the innate body of a Fire Spirit, making him even more formidable than divine beasts like the Vermilion Bird. He shone brilliantly during the Battle of Investiture of the Gods, later following the Grand Pure One (Taishang Laojun), his cultivation advancing by who knows how many magnitudes. Yang Jian didn't know what realm he had currently reached, but he knew that among the second generation disciples under the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning, not a single one, not even Guangchengzi, was his match! For this very reason, he was the leader of the nine who descended this time.

“Brother Daoist Guangchengzi… is gone…” Liu Ya opened his eyes, seeing two balls of flame, yet his tone was saturated with inexpressible sorrow.

“Ah…” Yang Jian was stunned. Gone? What did that mean? Had he perished? Guangchengzi was the most highly cultivated among the second-generation disciples of the Chan Sect, nearly reaching the level of a chess master; how could he have fallen?

“The little brat Nezha is gone too. A variable, a variable!” Before Yang Jian could ask his question, Liu Ya spoke again.

“How is that possible? Martial Ancestor-Uncle was taken away by the Eldest Master and the Ancestor, and the Great Sage is held captive here by us. Do they have other masters?” Yang Jian’s face was filled with shock.

“Alas…” Liu Ya offered no further explanation, merely sighing softly.

“Hahahaha! Erlang Shen, Old Thief Liu Ya, now you know the power of that kid from the Ye family, eh? Hahahaha! Guangchengzi is dead, and that little punk Nezha is dead too! Good riddance, excellent!” Sun Wukong’s triumphant laughter echoed from within the Qiankun Cauldron.

At that moment, Yang Jian snapped back to reality, yet confusion still swirled in his mind. Hadn't it been said that Ye Jingyu and the Eldest Master had exhausted the majority of their divine soul power during their great confrontation? It should have taken a long time to recover; how could they have healed so quickly to kill Uncle-Master Guangchengzi and Nezha?

“Monkey, why are you still so stubborn even now? Why do you continue to defy your master’s orders?” Liu Ya ignored Yang Jian’s confusion and spoke to Sun Wukong inside the cauldron.

“Defy master’s orders? Heh heh, Old Sun has always acted according to his own whims; what does that have to do with master’s orders!” The Monkey’s disdainful voice drifted out of the Qiankun Cauldron.

“Since you refuse to be taught, then do not blame this Daoist for being ruthless…” Liu Ya’s voice suddenly turned icy.

“Heh heh, Old Thief Liu Ya, unleash whatever tricks you have. Do you think Old Sun is afraid of you?” Sun Wukong’s tone remained one of contempt.

“Hmph, go…” Hearing Sun Wukong’s dismissive voice, Liu Ya suddenly pointed a hand, and a treasure vase flew out, sinking into the Qiankun Cauldron before exploding. Streams of flames of various colors erupted from the vase.

Be it the Purple Flame Heavenly Fire, the Green Abyss Earth Fire, the Solar True Fire, or the Limitless True Flame—virtually all the top-tier fires of the Three Realms were condensed there, instantly raising the temperature of the Qiankun Cauldron by more than a hundredfold.

Sun Wukong, trapped inside, immediately felt as if he had been transported from a hot spring to a volcano; the intense heat caused him considerable distress.

Having no energy left for witty banter with Liu Ya, he summoned the Seven-Treasure Wonderful Tree, transforming it into a massive, seven-colored protective umbrella, while he himself sat cross-legged, urging the Seven-Treasure Wonderful Tree to ward off these most powerful flames of the Three Realms.

“Let’s go…” After tossing out the treasure vase, Liu Ya stood up from the ground and said to Yang Jian, a ball of red cloud rising beneath his feet…

“Where are we going?” Yang Jian was startled. Wasn't their mission to refine Sun Wukong? Had they already succeeded in refining him? “Circumstances have changed. We must join forces immediately to deal with them, or else if he fully masters that divine ability, we will absolutely not be his match…”

“What divine ability?” Yang Jian’s eyes were filled with doubt.

“The Primordial Body of Pangu…” Liu Ya stated coldly.

“Then he…?” Yang Jian’s expression changed drastically. He finally understood why Guangchengzi and the others had perished. If Ye Jingyu had truly cultivated such a divine ability, he would be virtually invincible, at least until their Ancestors intervened. However, he still pointed toward the Qiankun Cauldron and asked.

“Him? In another three hours, the nine Celestial Fires inside will reach a critical threshold and explode. When that happens, the entire Qiankun Cauldron will blow up. Do you think he can possibly survive?” Liu Ya snorted coldly, the cloud beneath his feet already rising…

Yang Jian’s expression shifted again. To eliminate Sun Wukong, the higher-ups above were willing to pay such a steep price, even sacrificing the Qiankun Cauldron. Seeing Liu Ya’s figure already moving away, he cast a glance at the Qiankun Cauldron, sighed softly, and followed after him.

Although deep down he felt that killing Sun Wukong in this manner was somewhat despicable—he would have preferred a fair fight of three hundred rounds—yet considering this was the decree of the higher powers across three sides, what could he say? Besides sighing, what else could he do?

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong within the Qiankun Cauldron had indeed heard Liu Ya’s voice, and the expression on his face changed slightly. He knew full well the destructive power generated when the nine Celestial Fires exploded simultaneously, detonating the Qiankun Cauldron. It was absolutely beyond his ability to resist, even with the Seven-Treasure Wonderful Tree, it would be futile. Was Old Sun also fated to perish this time?

Just as he was feeling disheartened, that single strand of purple celestial fire suddenly underwent a change. It actually separated itself from the other flames, gradually coalescing into a figure—a stern-faced man with a head of purple hair, whose eyes flickered with mad light…