Chapter 693: Bird in a Cage

"They're moving out — so many people coming to catch us?" Ao Yulie said, watching the Heavenly Gods who had completely erupted into clamor and bustle inside the Realm of Gods.

"Obviously not. They should be gathering to go somewhere." Zhu Bajie said.

Having left the palace grounds, with Xiaotian Quan and themselves no longer weakened, it was naturally a case of the sky being high and birds flying free.

With the Heavenly Gods' level of only knowing how to fight, it was hard for them to find the group.

Zhu Bajie and Ao Yulie just watched a troop of Divine Soldiers buzzing about like headless flies, riding their flying war beasts and circling randomly all over the Realm of Gods, trying to locate them.

Doing futile, fruitless work.

Meanwhile, more Divine Soldiers were assembling into formations under the orders of the Divine Kings and Divine Generals.

"Where did those two guys hide?"

The Soundless Divine King hovered in midair, his gaze like lightning, scanning the surroundings, but failed to discover any trace of Zhu Bajie and the others.

Originally, with his cultivation strength, wanting to find the hidden Zhu Bajie and company wasn't an easy matter.

Now his combat power had grown stronger, but in other aspects, he showed a few shades of developing toward the old Tang Luo.

Aside from "fight fight fight," he knew nothing else; from a certain perspective, it was a kind of regression.

The Scarlet Flame Divine King was also searching for Zhu Bajie and the others.

"That one... is that the Fire Virtue Star Lord?" Zhu Bajie recognized the Scarlet Flame Divine King's true form; compared to Chen Qi of the Heng-Ha Two Generals, the Fire Virtue Star Lord's appearance hadn't changed all that much.

That flame-like red hair, as a distinguishing mark, hadn't changed much either.

"I've only met him a few times; I can't recognize him." Ao Yulie said.

He really wasn't familiar with the Heavenly Court's immortals.

Fine, even many monks of the Great Thunderclap Temple, he, Ao Yulie, wasn't familiar with — no common language.

A "precept-breaking monk" like Ao Yulie, being able to chat on the same wavelength as that bunch of monks would be a miracle.

"Let me see, who else is there." Zhu Bajie's eyeballs rolled, staring at the remaining Divine Kings; before long, his gaze locked onto one Divine King.

Compared to the other Divine Kings, that Divine King's build was much more withered and lean, hair hanging loose, the whole person looking slightly gloomy.

"This one is the Can-Shui Ape." Zhu Bajie pointed at that Divine King and said.

Judging by what those beside him called him, he was named the Raging Waves Divine King.

"The Twenty-Eight Mansions one?"

"Right." Zhu Bajie nodded. "The rest — whatever Divine Kings or Divine Generals — I don't recognize."

Maybe they changed enormously, or maybe they simply weren't acquaintances to begin with.

Among the six Divine Kings, three were confirmed to be old acquaintances, and all were Heavenly Court people.

"Divine King, the Realm of Gods has been searched through and through; no trace of the Rebel Gods was found." After a while, the great army had basically finished assembling, just waiting for the order to set out.

A Divine General came to report — they had not found Zhu Bajie and the others.

The Soundless Divine King raised his head to look at the sky.

The battlefield of the Heavenly Might Divine Lord and the Demon Monk had long since moved far away; there was no way to judge how things stood.

In the end... is it...

"Set out."

A voice rang out; between heaven and earth it seemed to abruptly darken for an instant, then returned to normal.

On a Divine Lord Pillar, another Divine Lord appeared.

The Heavenly Star Divine Lord!

Originally this Divine Lord garrisoned the Realm of Gods while the Heavenly Might Divine Lord led the Heavenly Gods out; but now the Heavenly Might Divine Lord was up against Tang Xuanzang, so naturally he appeared to preside over the situation.

"Yes!"

A Divine Lord's command is absolute.

The Divine Kings and Divine Generals accepted the order and departed.

The vast, mighty Heavenly God army flew forth across the sky, heading for the Nine Nether.

"It's actually him!"

"The Gouchen Great Emperor!"

Ao Yulie and Zhu Bajie simultaneously recognized the Heavenly Star Divine Lord's identity.

One of the Heavenly Court's Four Sovereign Great Emperors, the Western Extreme Gouchen Great Emperor.

Ordinarily his fame might not be prominent, but in reality, he is akin to the Five Great Bodhisattvas of the Great Thunderclap Temple.

Possessing the ability and status to sit on equal footing with Manjusri and the others.

Even compared to those few Bodhisattvas, the Four Sovereign Great Emperors are even more independent.

With his capabilities, becoming another Divine Lord is not surprising.

"Wonder who the Heavenly Momentum Divine Lord is." Ao Yulie murmured.

The Heavenly Star Gouchen Great Emperor — if the Heavenly Momentum Divine Lord is also a once-renowned big shot of the Mountains and Seas World, then most likely he was previously on par with the two of them.

The Heavenly God army set out, but the Heavenly Star Divine Lord did not leave at the first moment; his gaze swept across the Realm of Gods.

In his twin eyes it was as if myriad stars flickered.

"Bad, go!"

Zhu Bajie decided instantly and moved to leave.

The Divine Kings couldn't find them, but that didn't mean the former Gouchen Great Emperor couldn't find them.

Right at this moment, the Heavenly Star Divine Lord's Divine Domain expanded, and in a split second it enveloped the entire Realm of Gods.

The Heavenly Star Divine Lord's Divine Domain was far vaster than the Heavenly Might Divine Lord's — from the highest Divine Lord Pillar down to the seabed beneath the islands, every single spot was covered by his Divine Domain.

Not the Heavenly Might Divine Lord's pitch-black expanse.

But a starry sky.

Distant stars glittered, the galaxy of stars.

The scene of the God Realm remained, not completely covered by the God Domain, merely shrouded.

"..."

Ao Yulie, Zhu Bajie, and the others fell silently downward.

"What is this, it can actually weaken us?" Ao Yulie said amid the gray mist.

"A Heavenly God's special ability, no wonder the demons were defeated step by step, finally driven to the Nine Nether." Zhu Bajie said.

If the demons of this world are simply yaoguai, no different from the Mountains and Seas World.

Then they actually also belong to "Qi Refiners," and would likewise be weakened by crystal ore.

"Hm?" Deliberately not letting the "Infinite Star Domain" completely cover the God Realm, the Heavenly Star God Lord did so to find Zhu Bajie and the others.

But just now, he clearly heard a "plop" sound.

But when his gaze turned over, the God Domain's power permeated the vicinity, yet could not find the figures of Zhu Bajie and the others.

"Hmm, looks like they've already escaped?" The Heavenly Star God Lord thought to himself, "Tang Xuanzang has the Heavenly Might God Lord to block him, no problem. First, thoroughly resolve the Nine Nether matter, to avoid extra complications."

The God Domain converged, the Heavenly Star God Lord turned into a streak of light, like a meteor streaking across the sky.

However, this meteor did not fall from high to low; its forward trajectory was exactly the opposite of normal.

"Master!"

In the sea, Zhu Bajie and Ao Yulie turned around.

Just after falling, the Merit Jade Lotus's "invisible, inaudible" suddenly descended upon them.

Allowing them to successfully evade the Heavenly Star God Lord's search.

Removing the two states, Tang Luo and the other two flew to the edge of one of the islands.

This is where the God Slaves live; the God Slaves' activity range is not large, only a part of the island.

Plus, eighty percent of the God Soldiers went away; the God Generals and God Kings on duty, and some Heavenly God Sages, have also gone to the Nine Nether.

The God Realm's defense right now can be called empty.

Fewer than fifty Heavenly God Sages remain, leaving only the God Soldiers on normal patrol duty.

The island shore is that "cliff" type of shore; no one is there.

Tang Luo, who had gone ashore, still held a tall man half-dead, unconscious, on his last breath.

Tang Luo grabbed the back of his collar, his limbs dragging on the ground.

He looked extremely bedraggled.

"Heavenly Might God Lord, Manjusri." Tang Luo threw the Heavenly Might God Lord onto the ground.

"It's actually Bodhisattva Manjusri." Zhu Bajie and the others, seeing the Heavenly Might God Lord's appearance, though somewhat changed, not by much, enough for them to recognize.

"The remaining Heavenly Trend God Lord, wouldn't it be Samantabhadra?"

"Master, then do we go to the Nine Nether now too?"

"No rush." Tang Luo said, "There are still Heavenly Gods here; let's chat with them first."

The Heavenly Might God Lord being beaten half to death by Tang Luo did not mean he was converted, knowing all and telling all.

It's not that people of this caliber are one hundred percent hard bones who won't be converted.

But cultivating to this step, they are already figures at the top of the Mountains and Seas World pyramid; those successfully converted by soul conversion are very few.

Tang Luo also couldn't be bothered to waste time on the Heavenly Might God Lord.

Beat him up and brought him back.

The timing was just right, seeing a God Realm hollow inside.

Actually, one can't say the Heavenly Gods acted rashly, the Heavenly Star God Lord arrogant.

You must know, many places in the God Realm have enough crystal ore, forming "weakening domains."

Zhu Bajie and them escaping is no problem, but wanting to stir up trouble won't do.

Even if internally hollow, it's relative; there are still several dozen Heavenly God Sages and a batch of God Soldiers.

How could they possibly be no match for Zhu Bajie and a little dragon?

The Heavenly Star God Lord's search was just routine, not truly earnest, and he didn't really take the two to heart.

As for Tang Xuanzang, with the Heavenly Might God Lord dealing with him, the Heavenly Star God Lord naturally felt at ease.

Who would have thought, even a God Lord, before Tang Luo, is equally unable to withstand a single blow.

Now, it's Tang Luo's turn to bully the little kids.

The Sage Palace is an incomparably magnificent palace complex; those who retired from God General and God King positions, the Sages, are all experts of considerable strength.

Now they basically don't manage affairs, just enjoy life here — divine life.

Attacking the Nine Nether is a major event, but the main army has all departed; those left here are already Heavenly Gods outside the core power circle.

They don't care about outside matters at all.

Even the Sage Palace's chains snapping, not many people organized God Slaves and God Soldiers to repair it.

When the others return, they'll naturally handle it.

A group of true "Sages."

Suddenly, the Heavenly God Sages still drowning in pleasure felt the Sage Palace undergo violent trembling.

The incomparably sturdy palace buildings began to sway in the trembling, even partially collapsing.

The sound of chains snapping continuously rang out, echoing in the sky, incomparably loud.

"What's going on?"

"Who dares act recklessly!"

Home suddenly struck by disaster, the Sages couldn't remain sage-like either.

A flurry of figures flew into the high sky, only to see a child in blood-red clothes reaching down with one hand, as if rummaging through a bag, grasping the vast Palace of the Sage in their palm.

It was as if they were casually playing with a toy.

The chains connecting the Palace of the Sage had completely shattered, and the enormous "Inverted Mountain Peak" was now fully under their control.

Tang Luo "held" the Palace of the Sage, then flipped it over.

"Mountain Peak Upright," the divine slaves and some divine soldiers fell from the Palace of the Sage, plunging into the sea below.

The celestial sages tried to retaliate, but found that they, along with the entire Palace of the Sage, were firmly held by the other party.

Their attacks struck empty space, ripples spreading, faintly forming the outline of a colossal palm.

There was no way to escape.

They flew around the Palace of the Sage, appearing to move freely, but in truth they were merely birds in a cage.