Chapter 60: Girl: Nezha

"Come on, little ones, let's go check it out!" Sun Wukong strutted out with a swagger.

As soon as he appeared, he saw a delicately carved, jade-like little girl floating in the sky, holding a red-tasseled spear, looking incredibly imposing.

"Hold it! Whose little girl are you, causing a ruckus here? Get back at once!" Sun Wukong pointed and shouted.

"You're the little girl—your whole family are little girls!"

Nezha, eyebrows furrowed in anger: "I am the Great God of the Three Altars Sea Assembly of Heaven, Nezha! Yaozhou, your sins are unforgivable—surrender now, or I'll spare your life!"

Though scolded, Sun Wukong wasn't angry—he found it rather amusing—and didn't rush to pull out his Ruyi knife.

"Well then, tell me—what crime have I committed? Where is it unforgivable?"

"You've committed…" Nezha began, but choked on his words.

What crime has this monkey committed? He doesn't even know.

If things followed the usual path, Nezha might still know something—like stirring up the Dragon Palace, breaking into the Underworld, or at least claiming he illegally gathered demons by dragging the demon king.

But now, Sun Wukong's nature has been subtly transformed by Chen Nuo—he's become a civilized monkey.

"Just because you're a demon, we in Heaven are duty-bound to slay demons and eradicate evil!" Nezha, at a loss for words, fell back on grand righteousness.

"With so many demons in the world, why pick on me?"

A flash of golden light in his eyes, Sun Wukong grinned: "Why is your body a lotus? Are you a lotus spirit? If so, you're a demon too—since we slay demons, shouldn't you commit suicide?"

"You, insolent!" Nezha flinched as if struck, his face darkening.

Carving flesh to return to his mother, cutting bones to return to his father—this is his lifelong pain. Yet Nezha overlooked that Sun Wukong could see through illusions and perceive his true form.

Nezha lunged forward with his fire-tipped spear.

Sun Wukong sidestepped calmly, drew his Ruyi knife without haste, and easily blocked Nezha's second strike.

"Little girl, don't rush!" Sun Wukong said leisurely.

His demeanor resembled an old man strolling after a meal—nowhere near that of someone preparing to fight.

"I said I'm male!" Nezha gritted his teeth, shoved aside Sun Wukong's Ruyi knife, and launched a furious, storm-like assault.

But this offense was still child's play to Sun Wukong.

Wrists dancing, the Ruyi knife deflected all of Nezha's attacks with effortless ease, then seized the opening as Nezha lunged again.

Sun Wukong invoked the Free-and-Easy Thought, instantly appearing behind Nezha.

He gently patted Nezha's shoulder and said: "But I just can't help seeing you as a little girl—you look like one, sound like one, even your posture is like one!"

Seeing the monkey vanish instantly, then hearing the voice from behind and feeling the touch on his shoulder, Nezha felt a chill run down his spine.

He quickly swung his spear in a horizontal sweep—but still missed.

Nezha's heart sank. He hadn't wanted to fight, but now that they'd clashed, this monkey was truly tough to handle.

Just his movement and speed in this battle left Nezha utterly unable to keep up.

Haotian and the immortals watched the duel between the man and the monkey—this monkey's speed was no ordinary thing, resembling that of Tianpeng.

Haotian pondered, then quickly noticed the difference between them.

Though both moved with astonishing agility, one struck first to gain advantage, the other waited and struck first in response—this was intriguing.

"Stinking monkey, don't be arrogant—watch my divine powers!" Nezha, unable to land a hit, grew frustrated and angry.

Divine powers?

Sun Wukong blinked. Was he looking for a fight again?

He'd become somewhat unhinged—whenever anyone mentioned using divine powers, people assumed it meant some cosmic manifestation.

Was this just a trick to avoid hitting them?

So, under Sun Wukong's gaze, Nezha transformed into three heads and six arms.

New divine powers?!

It actually looked quite impressive.

Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes, studying closely—two extra heads appeared on his back, plus additional arms, yet this was a clever tactic to restrict his rear attacks.

But… Sun Wukong chuckled—he could do far more than that!

Divine powers: Myriad Threads, Countless Strands!

Sun Wukong stamped his foot—his body split into two, becoming two versions of himself.

Seeing this, Nezha exhaled in relief, thinking: Oh, just a common duplication trick—only one real body!

Holding the fire-tipped spear in front, the Mixing Heavenly Silk on the left, the Qiankun Ring on the right, Nezha launched a fierce assault at both Sun Wukong and his duplicate.

Whoosh!

The Qiankun Ring and fire-tipped spear were each blocked by a Sun Wukong wielding the Ruyi knife!

Feeling the force transmitted through his weapons, Nezha gasped: How can both have such strength?!

Usually, duplication techniques are just illusions—the clone's power is only a fraction of the real one. Logically, he should've easily defeated the fake!

How could this be?!

Though highly unusual, Nezha's battle-hardened experience allowed him to react swiftly.

"Mixing Heavenly Silk—go!"

With a low shout, the Mixing Heavenly Silk shot out, wrapping around both Sun Wukongs simultaneously.

Got them!

Seeing the monkey bound by the Mixing Heavenly Silk, Nezha's face lit up with relieved joy—this treasure was immensely powerful, capable of overturning rivers and seas, and its binding force was incredibly tough, nearly impossible to break.

"You're quite impressive," Sun Wukong said, grinning, showing no sign of being captured.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Nezha panted, cold and proud.

Seeing Nezha subdue the monkey, Li Jing, watching from midair, rejoiced immensely, his spirit soaring as he commanded the twenty thousand heavenly troops.

"Quick, advance! The demon monkey has been subdued—now sweep Mount Huaguo and eradicate every monkey to eliminate future trouble!"

After giving the orders, he even led the charge, rushing forward to the front and straight toward Sun Wukong and the two of them.

"Nezha, don't move, let your father take action!"

This excited vigor, those who didn't know would still think it was Li Jing who had subdued it himself.

Twenty thousand celestial soldiers appeared, covering the clouds and blocking the sun, a dark mass, marching toward Mount Huaguo to attack.

"Tch!" Nezha tilted his head, utterly contemptuous of Li Jing's manner.

Li Jing's earlier words about exterminating Mount Huaguo naturally reached Sun Wukong's ears, and both his true form and clone spoke in unison to Nezha: "Little girl, you're not bad..."

"But, I don't have time to play with you anymore."

The first half was still normal, but Nezha was surprised to discover that the monkey's latter half of the sentence actually came from elsewhere.

Nezha suddenly looked toward the source of the voice, only to see Sun Wukong standing on a tree branch, five fingers spread as if comprehending something.

Turning his head again, he saw that the two Sun Wukongs originally wrapped in the Hun Tian Ling were now like nothingness, dissipating bit by bit.

Nezha's pupils contracted—were they not even physical entities?

Sun Wukong's anomaly here frightened Li Jing greatly; he hastily stopped his stance and loudly shouted at Nezha: "Nezha, why did you let that demon monkey escape? What guilt do you bear!"

This sentence nearly killed Nezha with anger—didn't you see the monkey escaped via secret magic?

You idiot!

Suppressing his anger, Nezha leapt up, wanting to fight Sun Wukong again.

But Sun Wukong paid no heed, instead softly saying: "Myriad Threads Myriad Strands!"