Chapter 27: Great Heavenly Venerable's Knee

That wrinkled IOU was like a death talisman, pasted on the Jade Emperor's forehead.

The cinnabar-red fingerprint was glaringly bright.

Those few signatures bearing the Saint's Dao Rhythm exuded an even more suffocating oppressive aura.

Zhǔntí, Jiēyǐn.

That is a Saint.

Even a Saint was beaten into signing a servitude contract and locked up in a pagoda.

The Jade Emperor's Adam's apple rolled up and down, making a 'gulping' sound.

That sound, in the deathly silent Lingxiao Hall, was louder than a thunderclap.

"Mute?"

Sun Wukong tilted his head, reached out and patted the Jade Emperor's face.

The force was not strong.

Its harmfulness was extremely low, its insult extremely high.

"Weren't you just able to shout loudly?"

"Quickly go invite?"

"Who to invite? Invite that dead fat Tathagata? Or go to the Purple Azure Palace to invite that old man who plays with mud?"

The Jade Emperor's face flushed pig-liver red.

That was Xiūfèn, and even more, Fear Heart Demon.

He is the master of the Three Realms, the Myriad Heaven Supreme.

Since ascending the throne, even when facing a Saint, he has retained some dignity.

When has he ever been scolded like a child, with someone riding on his head to defecate?

"I..."

The Jade Emperor opened his mouth, his voice dry and hoarse.

"I am appointed by the Dao Ancestor..."

Pa!

A crisp crack.

Sun Wukong backhanded a slap.

This slap held nothing back.

Half of the Jade Emperor's face instantly swelled enormously, two gold‑glinting teeth flying out mixed with blood.

"Still mentioning the Dao Ancestor to this old monkey?"

Sun Wukong grabbed the Jade Emperor's collar and lifted him from the rubble.

Those golden eyes were only three cun from the Jade Emperor.

Inside burned not fire, but ice.

It was the vengeful venom suppressed for five hundred years.

"Five hundred years ago, I was pressed under Wǔxíng Shān."

"When thirsty, I drank molten copper; when hungry, I ate iron pellets."

"What were you doing back then?"

Sun Wukong grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth.

"You were holding the Peach Banquet."

"You were watching song and dance."

"You were laughing."

Pa!

Another slap.

It landed on the other half of the face.

Symmetrical.

"Now."

"Give this old monkey a smile?"

"Laugh!"

Sun Wukong's roar shook the Lingxiao Hall's ceiling, sending dust drifting down.

The Jade Emperor trembled all over.

Tears and snot smeared his face.

He wanted to resist, but his inner mana, like encountering a natural enemy, shrank tightly in his dantian, daring not to move.

That was the bloodline suppression of the Chaotic Demon God.

Below the hall, the assembled immortals all lowered their heads, gazing at their feet.

Venus hid behind the pillar, his beard trembling.

No one dared to speak.

No one even dared to breathe loudly.

At this moment, the Heavenly Court's majesty was trampled into the mud by this monkey.

"Enough."

A hand rested on Sun Wukong's shoulder.

A light press.

The raging, violent aura on Sun Wukong's body instantly calmed considerably.

Bodhi Patriarch walked up.

He did not look at the Jade Emperor's horribly unbearable face.

Instead, he looked at the dragon throne that was only half remaining.

Although a bit broken, it still gleamed with golden light, representing the highest authority of the Three Realms.

"Zhang Bairen."

Bodhi's voice was very light.

It was as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

"Sitting in this position for long periods easily leads to hemorrhoids."

"You're a bit muddled."

"Since you're muddled, don't sit."

"Come down."

When those words were spoken, Deathly Silence fell over the whole scene.

Is this… to depose the emperor?

Is this to change the heavens and the earth?!

Rumble—!!!

Above the Nine Heavens, dark clouds suddenly gathered.

A grand, icy, merciless will descended.

Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Emperor is established by the Heavenly Dao, governing the order of the Three Realms.

Now that someone seeks to forcibly depose, the Heavenly Dao responds, sending a thunderous warning.

Purple thunder rolled within the Cloud Layer; it was the Purple Sky Divine Thunder.

That was the fury of the Heavenly Dao.

Even a Quasi-Saint would be reduced to ash with the slightest touch.

A hopeful light burst from the Jade Emperor's eyes.

"Heavenly Dao!"

"I am the destiny's return! I am…"

Bodhi Patriarch lifted his head.

He glanced at the thundercloud looming overhead.

He frowned.

He was somewhat impatient.

"It's unbearably noisy."

He stood with his hands behind his back, facing the firmament, and uttered just a single word.

"Away."

There was no magical energy fluctuation.

No divine light or shadow appeared.

It was simply a single, plain word.

Words Follow Law.

Like an eraser wiping a pencil drawing.

The sky‑filled dark clouds, the terrifying thunder, the representation of the supreme Heavenly Dao will.

In that instant.

It dissipated completely.

Sunlight poured down again.

Shining on the Jade Emperor's blank face.

It looked especially comical.

The earlier throat‑full of "destiny's return" was still stuck in his throat.

Now it turned into a death‑hastening poison.

Even the Heavenly Dao… fears this old Taoist?

Even the Old Heaven… tells him to go away?

The light in the Jade Emperor's eyes was completely extinguished.

The last bit of spirit, essence, and vigor was drained by that single word.

Thud.

The Great Celestial Sovereign who had ruled the Three Realms for billions of years felt his knees give way.

He knelt on the ground.

His knees struck the shattered jade, and blood seeped out.

He felt no pain.

He only felt cold.

A bone‑deep cold.

"I… I concede."

The Jade Emperor lay on the ground, his forehead pressed against the icy earth.

The voice was tiny, like a mosquito's hum.

"That's right then."

Sun Wukong let go, disdainfully wiping his hands on the Jade Emperor's dragon robe.

"If you'd been this obedient earlier, why bother taking those two slaps?"

He stepped onto the dragon throne, looking down on the assembled immortals.

"You know who."

Sun Wukong pointed at the Tai Bai Jin Xing shrinking in the corner.

"Don't hide, your butt's sticking out."

"Go, fetch the keys to the Heavenly Court's treasury."

"I, Old Sun, have heard there's plenty of good stuff up in Heaven."

"Moving today, just happen to be missing this and that."

Tai Bai Jin Xing came running out, crawling and stumbling, holding a string of glittering gold keys.

He handed them over to Sun Wukong, trembling.

"Great... Great Sage."

"This is the master key to the treasury of the Thirty-Three Palaces and Seventy-Two Halls."

"They're all here."

Sun Wukong took the keys and weighed them in his hand.

He wasn't as happy as he'd imagined.

He turned to look at the Bodhi Patriarch.

"Master."

"This gold and silver treasure is of no use to us."

"I recall there's a garden up in Heaven."

"The peaches inside taste fine."

The Bodhi Patriarch raised an eyebrow.

"Peaches?"

"You mean the branch of the innate Ren-water spiritual root?"

He nodded.

"Although the bloodline is a bit diluted, it's still barely edible."

"Let's go."

"Go try something fresh."

Master and disciple turned and walked away.

Just like an old man who's finished at the vegetable market and is heading to the fruit stall.

He didn't even glance at the Jade Emperor lying on the ground.

Ne Zha stood to the side, gazing at the Jade Emperor, who looked like he'd lost his parents, then at the two arrogant figures' backs.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

That day.

It really collapsed.

Not only did it collapse.

And it was going to be eaten clean by those two.