Chapter 4: Jade Emperor, Do You Know Your Crime?

Nan Tian Men.

The clouds and mist no longer drifted ethereally; instead they seemed pressed down by some heavy weight, heavily adhering to the white jade floor tiles.

The Four Great Heavenly Kings, each holding a magical artifact, stared tensely ahead.

There was only one person there.

An old man dressed in a teal Dao robe, carrying a bamboo broom in his hand.

Zengzhang Tianwang Mo Li Qing swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and his Azure Cloud Sword emitted an uneasy ringing.

"Old Patriarch… this is a crucial place of the Heavenly Court."

Mo Li Qing forced himself forward a step, his voice hoarse, "His Majesty has ordered that today the Heavenly Gate be sealed; no immortal or deity may…"

"Get lost."

The old man's lips did not move; only a single syllable slipped out.

That single word left his mouth without an earth‑shattering blast.

The Azure Cloud Sword in Mo Li Qing's hand, however, seemed struck by billions of jin, and from the tip it shattered inch by inch.

It was not only the sword that shattered.

Also Mo Li Hong's Mixed Primordial Umbrella, Mo Li Hai's Jade Lute, and Mo Li Shou's Floral Fox Marten.

The Four Great Heavenly Kings didn't even see how the old man stepped.

By the time they reacted, they felt a pressure in their chests, their bodies like kites with cut strings, flung sideways and crashed hard into the pristine coiled‑dragon pillars.

No Cànjiào.

Only a muffled thud.

The Four Great Heavenly Kings slid to the ground, clutching their chests, staring in horrified disbelief at the silhouette.

He didn't even look them straight in the eye.

It was like an ant passing by an elephant's foot; the elephant didn't care whether it stepped on anything.

Inside Lingxiao Hall.

The singing and dancing had long ceased.

The assembled immortals were now gathered around the Haotian Mirror, pointing and discussing the upheaval of Ling Shan.

"Is the Bodhi Patriarch really going to Ling Shan?"

"I doubt it; after all, the Tathagata is a Quasi‑Saint pinnacle, and there is still the legacy left by the two Western Saints…"

"Shh, he's coming!"

Nezha suddenly furrowed his brows, and gripped his fire spear tightly.

The light at the hall's entrance dimmed.

The old man with the broom crossed the threshold that symbolized the highest authority of the Three Realms.

The once noisy Lingxiao Hall fell into death‑like silence.

Only the sound of the old man's cloth shoes on the golden bricks.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

Each step seemed to tread on the heartbeats of the immortals.

The Jade Emperor sat on the high dragon throne, looking down at the uncouth old Daoist, his face so gloomy it seemed about to drip water.

He waved his sleeve, signaling Tai Bai Jin Xing to step down.

"Xu Bodhi."

The Jade Emperor's voice echoed through the hall, bearing unquestionable authority,

"You did not receive blessings at Fangcun Mountain, yet you trespassed into my Lingxiao Hall, wounded my Gate‑Keeping Heavenly King; what is your purpose?"

"I consider you a senior, I will not argue; withdraw now, and I can pretend nothing happened."

This is a step.

It is also a warning.

This is the Heavenly Court, the orthodox of the Three Realms personally sealed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Even a Saint who arrives must be given a sliver of respect.

The Bodhi Patriarch halted his steps.

He lifted his head, his sharp, bright old eyes fixed directly on the lofty Jade Emperor.

"I have come, to ask only one matter."

Bodhi's voice was calm, as calm as a pool of Dead Water.

The Jade Emperor frowned, "What matter?"

"The day of the True and False Monkey King."

Bodhi raised his hand, pointing at the Haotian Mirror hanging above the hall, "You mirror, have you reflected it?"

The air in the hall solidified.

The hand of Tower King Li Jing trembled, and the exquisite treasure pagoda nearly slipped from his grasp.

A flash of delight crossed Nezha's eyes, and he lowered his head.

All the deities held their breath.

This question is too heart‑piercing.

The Haotian Mirror surveys the thirty‑three heavens above and the nine‑dark abyss below; how could it fail to see the authenticity of the two monkeys?

The Jade Emperor's complexion stiffened for a moment.

He, of course, saw it.

He not only saw it, he also saw how the Tathagata covertly intervened,

suppressing Sun Wukong's Divine Soul, allowing the Six-Ears Macaque's single strike to achieve merit.

But he chose to remain silent.

Because that is a Western family matter.

Because the flourishing of the Fómén is the great trend of the Heavenly Dao.

To offend the Tathagata and defy the Heavenly Dao for an undisciplined demon monkey is not worthwhile.

"I…"

The Jade Emperor's eyes flickered as he tried to deflect with bureaucratic language,

"The affairs of the Three Realms are countless; I attend to myriad matters daily. Though this mirror has divine efficacy, I may not always…"

"That is, he saw it."

Bodhi interrupted his words.

The Jade Emperor roared in anger, slamming his hand onto the throne's armrest: "How dare you interrogate me! I am the ruler of the Three Realms!"

"Ruler of the Three Realms?"

Bodhi smiled.

The smile never reached his eyes, yet it radiated a bone‑piercing chill.

"As the sovereign of the Three Realms, you wield Heaven and Earth's punishments."

"You watch the loyal slain and the treacherous ascend, yet you feign deafness and muteness."

"You see justice trampled, and for the so‑called greater good you dare not utter a single word."

Bodhi lifted the broom in his hand slowly.

"If you are blind, what use is this demon‑revealing mirror?"

"If you are mute, sitting on this throne… are you even worthy?"

The moment the words fell,

Bodhi's broom, aimed at the lofty throne, gave a gentle swing.

Boom—!!!

An invisible wave of Chaos Realm energy instantly swept across the entire hall.

"Protect the throne! Protect the throne!"

Taibai Jin Xing screamed and lunged forward.

But it was of no help at all.

That power was so pure, pure enough to ignore all defensive artifacts and all divine resistance.

Crack!

The Nine-Dragon Golden Throne, symbol of the supreme authority of the Three Realms, split cleanly in half before everyone's eyes!

It was not just the throne.

Even the screen behind the Jade Emperor, together with the golden‑splendid dome of Lingxiao Hall,

Boom—boom—boom!

Half of the hall collapsed outright!

Smoke and dust rose everywhere.

Countless glazed tiles fell like raindrops.

The Jade Emperor staggered up from the smoke, his crown's tassels askew, his dragon robe smeared with ash.

He pointed at Bodhi, his finger trembling violently, his lips quivering, yet he could not utter a single word.

That single swing.

It did not wound him a hair.

But it trampled the dignity of his status as Heavenly Emperor into the mud.

"This is interest."

Bodhi Patriarch did not even glance at the disheveled Jade Emperor, turning and walking toward the hall's exit.

"To withhold information and aid tyranny is a crime."

"I'll settle this account after I finish slaughtering those bald donkeys, then we can calculate it slowly together."

The celestial beings each craned their necks, wishing they could bury their heads in their trousers.

It's terrifying.

A single swing overturned Lingxiao Hall.

This is a slap in the face of the Heavenly Dao!

But he does not care.

He is already mad.

Or rather, this is his lucid state.

Bodhi Patriarch paused slightly as he reached the hall's doorway.

Nezha lifted his head, meeting the old man's gaze.

"Third Prince."

Bodhi's voice softened a bit, "Back then on Mount Huaguo, he only ever shared a few drinks with you."

"You did not kick him when he fell; I have recorded this favor," the old Daoist said.

Having said that.

Bodhi stepped forward, and his figure instantly vanished into the boundless sea of clouds.

Only the ruined Lingxiao Hall behind remained, and the Jade Emperor, his face iron‑blue, as if about to bite his steel teeth.