Boom—!!!
A loud explosion rang out as the historic West Heaven Palace was completely destroyed. Hades and The Monkey King flew out from it; it was their battle that had caused the palace's destruction.
The two gods engaged in a fierce battle of blades in the sky, moving at such incredible speeds that bystanders could only hear the sound of clashing metal and see flashes of light.
Boom—!!
Amidst a clap of thunder, the figures of Hades and The Monkey King became visible. By now, The Monkey King was panting heavily with exhaustion, while Hades showed an excited expression, devoid of any fatigue.
'This Hades... his strength can actually suppress Old Sun, and he hasn't even used his full power yet. He's even more formidable than that old man Yanluo.' The Monkey King gripped his Golden Cudgel tightly, cold sweat trickling down his head as he thought.
After a moment of thought, The Monkey King shook his body, and several tufts of monkey fur transformed into countless golden-haired monkey soldiers wielding iron staves, charging toward Hades.
Hades watched the charging monkey soldiers and said, "The External Incarnation? A decent technique, but it's still lacking!"
"Death Space!" A purple energy ball appeared in Hades's left hand, and the attacking monkey soldiers were instantly frozen by the purple energy.
Then, Hades squeezed his left hand hard, instantly crushing the purple ball. The monkey soldiers' eyes immediately turned white as they died, reverting back into golden monkey fur.
"The life and Death of all things depend on a single thought; truly a method worthy of Hades, the ruler of Death." The Monkey King looked at the falling monkey fur, a bitter smile on his sweat-streaked face.
Hades flexed his left hand and said to The Monkey King with a smile:
"The Monkey King, I recall that among your Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations, you have the divine powers of 'Summoning Spirits' and 'Inviting Immortals.' Do you want to do as you did on the journey to the west and invite heavenly gods you know to descend and help?"
"Heh~! Hades kid, you're really asking for it. Then I shall grant your wish." Feeling provoked by Hades, The Monkey King spoke unhappily. He then formed hand seals with both hands and began to chant the Kotodama of the 'Great Compassion Mantra':
"Namo Ratna Trayaya, Namo Arya Valokite Svaraya, Bodhisattvaya, Mahasattvaya, Mahakarunikaya. Om, Sarva Raviye Sudhanadasya, Namo Skrtva Imam Arya Valokite Svara Lamdhava, Namo Nara..."
As The Monkey King recited the Kotodama, flowing water and stones suddenly gathered around him. When the water and stones dispersed, two figures appeared before them.
One was a black pig spirit with a chubby, prosperous physique, yet beneath the fat lay extraordinary muscle. His face was that of a 'pig,' with a long snout and skin covered in dense, short black hair. He had round eyes, short bald triangular ears that stood upright, and short sharp tusks on either side of his snout. His massive, obese yet strong body was clad in black armor.
The other had pale black skin and a sickly thin frame. His hair stood upright like crimson flames, and his blood-red, sharp eyes shone with light. His wide-open maw revealed sharp fangs, and around his neck hung a necklace made of nine small skulls. He wore simple monk's robes, with blue armor draped over the tattered clothing.
They were The Monkey King's subordinate gods: Zhu Bajie and the Deep Sand God (Sandy).
"Yo~! Monkey Bro, what wind blew you here to summon us to the surface?" Zhu Bajie said to The Monkey King with a chuckle.
"Eldest Senior Brother, is there something you need help with?" the Deep Sand God asked, turning to The Monkey King. His voice was steady but carried a hint of gloom, sounding like someone tormented by troubles to the point of suicidal thoughts.
The Monkey King pointed his Golden Cudgel at Hades and said:
"Bajie! Junior Brother Sha! The opponent is this Hades from the West! Let us three brothers join forces to defeat this fellow!!"
"The famous Journey to the West trio from the East is all gathered, then? I thought you would summon the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Four Duty Deities, the Five Region Guardians, or the Eighteen Guardian Sangharamas," Hades said, looking at the newly arrived Zhu Bajie and Deep Sand God.
"Heh~! You Western Hades really don't know quality. Those minor gods don't match my Monkey Bro's temperament; only Junior Brother Sha and I are worthy." Zhu Bajie boasted about himself and the Deep Sand God before revealing his nine-toothed rake.
The Deep Sand God said nothing but gripped his demon-subduing staff tightly. As the former Curtain-Lifting General of Heaven, he could feel the terrifying aura emanating from Hades, which was darker than any underworld god he had ever seen.
Hades narrowed his eyes slightly and said to The Monkey King, "Great Sage Sun, did you think you were the only one with subordinate gods? As Hades, I also have my confidants."
"Hypnos! Thanatos!" Hades shouted with a wave of his hand, and figures of gold and silver energy appeared beside him.
"Lord Hades!!"
The Twin Gods, who had been far away in Elysium, arrived at Hades's command, wearing their divine underworld armor.
Hades stepped forward slowly and said to the Twin Gods beside him, "I'll handle The Monkey King. You two deal with Zhu Bajie and Sandy."
"You are that famous pilgrimage team from the East?" Hypnos said to the Deep Sand God with interest.
When Zhu Bajie saw the appearance of the Twin Gods, he couldn't help but tease them, "One golden-haired, one silver-haired... you guys look like Great King Golden Horn and Great King Silver Horn we met on the road to the West."
"Don't you dare compare us to those two alchemy boys who descended to become demons just for fun!!" The hot-tempered Thanatos was instantly enraged by Zhu Bajie's words and immediately charged at him.
Zhu Bajie watched Thanatos rush toward him and teased with a laugh, "Don't be in such a hurry, silver-hair! Your grandpa here is Marshal Tianpeng, one of the Four Saints of the North Pole serving the Great Emperor Ziwei, a God of War!"
"I am also known as the Nine Heavens' Honored Father, the Spiritual Leader and Master of the Primordial Void, Marshal Tianpeng, the True Lord! The Marshal of the Great Emperor! By my martial prowess, reveal the Northern Star!" Zhu Bajie recited the Kotodama, and his form changed, transforming into a three-headed, six-armed figure about 15 meters tall. His six arms held a sword, a halberd, an axe, a club, a bow, and an arrow, and he was clad in pitch-black armor.
Thanatos sneered and said, "So what if you're one of the Four Saints of the North Pole! I am Thanatos, the God of Death who governs the 'Death' of all things! Who would fear your three heads and six arms!"
"Terrible Providence!!" Thanatos gathered a ball of energy in his palms and then unleashed it. Its power instantly overwhelmed Zhu Bajie, shattering his pitch-black armor and six weapons into black metallic particles.
"Cough, cough, cough—!!" Red blood sprayed from Zhu Bajie's snout; it seemed Thanatos's strike just now had caused him significant damage.
"O Dragon, annihilate those people—Om Geye Geye Svaha!" The Deep Sand God formed hand seals and recited the Kotodama.
Following the Deep Sand God's command, the water in the river surged up like a thousand piles of snow, transforming into an ice dragon that charged toward Hypnos.
The hollow pentagram on Hypnos's forehead emitted light, releasing a powerful shockwave that pulverized the attacking ice dragon.
"Encounter Another Field!!" Hypnos reached out and used his technique. The surroundings instantly became ethereal, and then, under the Deep Sand God's shocked gaze, a massive meteorite rapidly descended toward him.
"Eight hundred miles of Quicksand, three thousand feet of Weak Water. A goose feather will not float; even reed flowers must sink!" The Deep Sand God urgently recited the Kotodama. The river followed his command, forming a massive, thick spherical ice shield above his head.
Boom—!!
A massive explosion erupted, and the impact of the meteorite created a blinding flash. Fortunately, this was a different dimension; if it were the mortal world, a crater ten thousand meters wide would likely have been smashed into the earth.
The space was filled with steam. Hypnos waved his hand, the steam dispersed, and the figure of the Deep Sand God appeared. He was on his knees, propping himself up with his demon-subduing staff, panting so hard he could barely catch his breath.
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