Chapter 387: This Job Isn

Qianyuan Mountain, Golden Light Cave.

After days of secluded cultivation were shattered by Nezha, Taiyi Zhenren sweated profusely as Nezha presented the peach of immortality like a child offering a precious treasure.

“So you killed the Patrol Sea Night Demon, the Dragon King’s third prince, ascended to Heaven to steal the peach of immortality, transformed into the Jade Emperor to deceive the Dragon King, beat him up, followed this person to fight the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng, shattered the Heavenly Net, and returned.”

Taiyi Zhenren didn’t know if he could protect them.

“Master, you eat the peach first!”

Nezha pounded Taiyi Zhenren’s back and offered him the peach again.

Taiyi Zhenren looked up slowly at Gu Qing, his voice tinged with complaint: “You never visit Xuandu to pay respects to Laojun, never bow before Yuxu’s gate, wander freely among the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, or amuse yourself on the isles of Penglai—why did you get mixed up in this?”

“Who?”

Gu Qing, startled, pointed at his own nose: “Me?”

Only then did Taiyi Zhenren scrutinize Gu Qing closely. Suddenly he slammed his fist on the table: “Damn it… I shouldn’t have believed him…”

“What’s wrong?”

Gu Qing asked with a smile.

Taiyi Zhenren shook his head repeatedly, recalling the message from Yuding Zhenren, and said with a touch of relief: “Nothing. I hope it’s nothing.”

…

Mount Hua.

Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng, dazed and barely awake, realized he was in the arms of a strange man who wiped his face with cloth and offered him tea—his gaze met the man’s, filled with eager devotion.

“Who are you…”

“I’m Brother Wu!”

Brother Wu was an opportunist; upon hearing the name “Lu Ya,” he immediately sensed a chance for advancement, tracked down Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng, served him carefully, hoping to curry favor with Heaven and earn immortality.

“A demon?”

Tianpeng struggled to rise; Brother Wu hurried to support him from behind.

“Did you see the battle before?”

Tianpeng asked.

“I saw it. I saw it all.”

Brother Wu said: “We watched your duel with Lu Ya clearly.”

“Lu Ya?”

Tianpeng’s eyes lit up: “Then it’s no surprise…”

…

Qianyuan Mountain, Golden Light Cave.

Taiyi Zhenren sipped tea, watching Gu Qing’s calm demeanor, and said: “You’re just a minor True Immortal—how dare you defy Heaven and follow Nezha into such chaos? And you’re not even afraid?”

Before Gu Qing could speak, Nezha interrupted.

“Is the Jade Emperor worth fearing?”

Nezha said: “When I infiltrated him, he had no way to stop me!”

The Jade Emperor inside the Precious Lotus Lamp was indeed pathetically weak.

“If he had no real power, how could he rule the Three Realms?”

Taiyi Zhenren immediately knocked Nezha to the ground and pinned him down: “Even your ancestral master greets him as ‘Your Majesty’ when they meet.”

The Jade Emperor stands above the Three Pure Ones.

“The strongest, most inescapable force in this world is Heavenly Law—that is the Dao’s domain.”

Taiyi Zhenren lectured Nezha: “The Jade Emperor enforces Heavenly Law. Like a local magistrate you’d meet among mortals—Changge has one rule, another place has another; once you arrive, everything depends on what the magistrate decides.”

The interpretation of the Dao rests with the Jade Emperor.

In the Precious Lotus Lamp, Yang Jian’s ultimate goal was to change Heavenly Law.

Gu Qing listened quietly, then naturally passed the burden to his brother-in-law—let Yang Jian suffer through this. “Even a magistrate’s orders need the people’s obedience.”

Nezha rose forcefully: “The Jade Emperor has no popular support—I bet he’ll soon be abandoned by all.”

“Even if he’s abandoned, he’s still the Jade Emperor!”

Taiyi Zhenren said sternly: “When one cultivates to the Golden Immortal realm, one extracts Laws from the Heavenly Dao. Among all Golden Immortals, the Jade Emperor holds the most Laws. Even your ancestral master is a Golden Immortal, yet he possesses only a tiny fraction of the Laws.”

Gu Qing nodded in understanding. The uneven distribution of Laws naturally bred conflict—so when the new Heavenly Law emerged, both Buddhist and Daoist factions contributed greatly. The Jade Emperor’s usual lack of authority likely stemmed from other Golden Immortals pulling at the Law’s balance.

Laws—profound and elusive.

Sun Wukong once served as the Horse Tamer in Heaven; on his journey for sutras, even horses feared him.

Gu Qing’s Ninefold Sun Scripture, in this world, carried certain weights that bore the flavor of Laws.

“Wrong by a billion!”

Gu Qing thought inwardly: Yang Chan’s “Heavenly Eye” was likely forged from Law itself—he’d taken Yang Chan when coming to Qianyuan Mountain, but hadn’t seized the Heavenly Eye.

“The trouble you caused can be shielded by Yuanshi Tianzun, but you must still give the Jade Emperor a plausible explanation.”

Taiyi Zhenren sighed: “We all need to save face.”

Gu Qing glanced at Nezha, who paced anxiously.

“Master!”

Yang Chan bowed and said: “If the Jade Emperor is so powerful, how can I make him spare my mother?”

Only then did Taiyi Zhenren notice Yang Chan. As she recounted her story, he suddenly realized he had a hidden bomb beside him.

“I really can’t—”

Taiyi Zhenren was about to complain when the lotus in the cave suddenly bloomed.

This concerned the Three Realms’ supreme treasure. Taiyi Zhenren immediately scanned Gu Qing and Yang Chan, then fixed his gaze on Yang Chan—she was the one destined for the Precious Lotus Lamp.

This time, he had to hold up even if he couldn’t.

“Stay inside the cave. Don’t leave.”

Taiyi Zhenren said: “I’ll meditate and calculate—see if there’s a chance to serve Heaven. If you complete one task, you’ll be absolved…”

Gu Qing and Nezha exchanged glances. Gu Qing didn’t care—he was biding his time, waiting for the Ten Golden Suns to appear, then shouldering the world’s hope, drawing his bow and loosing his arrow. Until then, he could bide his time and forge the bow.

Yang Jian needed time to train too.

But Nezha might not hold out.

Taiyi Zhenren silently channeled his spirit, sensing movements across the Three Realms. Moments later, his face lit up: “There really is one! You’re incredibly lucky—complete this, and you’ll be completely pardoned!”

“Really?”

Nezha grinned. He wasn’t afraid of Heaven—just of dragging his parents down. “What’s the task?”

“Hehe…”

Taiyi Zhenren smiled: “Heaven is mobilizing troops to launch a campaign against Lu Ya…”

After saying this, Taiyi Zhenren’s expression turned extremely odd.

“Then go fight him!”

Nezha grabbed his weapons, eager to earn merit.

“Stop!”

Taiyi Zhenren immediately pinned Nezha down, piling books and scrolls onto him: “You’re going nowhere!”

Others didn’t know why Heaven was attacking Lu Ya—he knew perfectly well.

“Listen, Nezha.”

Gu Qing recalled Taiyi Zhenren’s mention of Lu Ya’s poetic title and said: “This job isn’t for us.”

Going now would mean being crushed between two fronts.

(End of Chapter)