I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

Billions of stars intertwined like iron chains, forming a net that enveloped the entire Southern Heavenly Gate; their starlight, like knives, sliced ​​through the void.

Hongjun Laozu sat upright in Zixiao Palace, his hair and beard all white, his eyes as deep as abyss, and a wisp of negation light quietly bloomed in his hand.

The light was faint, yet it carried the unquestionable majesty of the Heavenly Dao, pointing directly at the figure below—Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang stood in the center of the formation, his black robes fluttering, a carefree smile playing on his lips.

He was originally a rogue cultivator in the lower realm, but by chance, he received help from the system and stirred up the winds and clouds of the three realms.

Today, Hongjun personally took action, using the Zhou Tian Star Array to seal its magical treasures and supernatural powers, and used the light of denial to obliterate all escape routes. The Jade Emperor Haotian personally led the heavenly army to surround and capture it, intending to eradicate this fiend in one fell swoop.

Haotian stood before the palace, clad in a dragon robe. Though his face was dignified, he could not hide a trace of panic.

He whispered to those around him, "Quickly form a battle formation and do not let this thief escape!"

Starlight surged in like a tide, all of Jiang Wang's magical treasures dimmed, his somersault cloud dissipated, and his supernatural powers were sealed.

He sensed something was wrong. Suddenly, the system within his body trembled, and a hidden mission was quietly triggered: "Counterattack in Desperate Circumstances - Trigger Condition: Facing Heavenly Dao's Seizure".

Reward: The Great Dao Talent 'Soaring'.

In an instant, a powerful force surged into his sea of ​​consciousness. Jiang Wang's eyes lit up. His talent, like an eagle soaring through the sky, transformed into invisible wings that wrapped around the somersault cloud.

Ten times the speed of light! He laughed loudly: "Old man Hongjun, your Heavenly Dao arrangement is nothing special!"

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Wang's figure swayed, and the Somersault Cloud condensed again, no longer an ordinary object.

Within the Star Array, starlight pressed down like mountains, yet he glided out like a fish, tearing through the void at ten times the speed of light, heading straight for the South Heavenly Gate.

Haotian was shocked: "Stop him!"

Heavenly soldiers and generals swarmed forward, their spears and lances like a forest, but they only managed to catch a fleeting afterimage.

Jiang Wang had already traveled a thousand miles in an instant, disappearing into the lower realm's sea of ​​clouds. Behind him, the Star Array trembled violently, leaving only Haotian's iron-blue face.

Hongjun frowned slightly, and a deep sigh echoed in the Zixiao Palace: "This boy has so many trump cards."

He had thought that once the light of rejection appeared, Jiang Wang would have no way out, but who knew that under the dictates of Heaven, an unexpected change would occur.

Haotian stepped forward tremblingly: "Master, this villain is cunning and treacherous, I have failed in my duty..."

Hongjun waved his hand: "Let's stop for now and wait for him to walk into our trap."

In the mortal realm, Jiang Wang landed in a secluded valley. His somersault cloud receded, and he sat cross-legged. The light of denial within his body coiled like a venomous snake, and the sealing power had not yet dissipated.

His divine power surged, his magical artifacts fell silent, and his heart burned with rage: "Hongjun, you old bald monk, how dare you seal my divine powers? Once I recover, I will make your Heavenly Court a scene of chaos!"

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye; the light of rejection faded, and the magic weapon regained its brilliance.

Jiang Wang abruptly stood up, his eyes flashing with murderous intent: "Not satisfied? Then go back and deliver a big gift!"

The somersault cloud unfolded once more, heading straight for the Heavenly Court at ten times the speed of light.

Before the South Heavenly Gate, the Zhou Tian Star Array remained imposing. Haotian was discussing matters with Yuanshi Tianzun when suddenly the void was torn apart, and a dark figure rushed in.

Jiang Wang appeared before the palace, arms crossed, and laughed loudly: "Old Jade Emperor, what's wrong? The great formation is set up so tightly, yet I can come and go as I please. You, the ruler of the Three Realms, are truly a coward!"

Haotian was furious and slammed his fist on the dragon table: "How dare you, Jiang Wang! You have already been struck by the light of rejection, yet you still dare to return to the Heavenly Court and cause trouble? Where are the heavenly soldiers? Seize him!"

The starlight surged again, and the great formation contracted, attempting to seal it off.

Jiang Wang, however, remained calm and unhurried. With a flash, he was already outside the formation, and then flashed back in, moving in and out as if taking a leisurely stroll.

Stars rained down upon him, yet he always managed to escape at the last second, his mocking voices ringing out: "Haha, Jade Emperor, your grand formation is probably just tickling me, isn't it? There are countless stars, but they can't catch a single hair on my head! Yuanshi Daoist, where's your axe? Come on, try and chop me with it!"

Inside the hall, the Heavenly Venerable of Primordial Beginning had a livid face. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and other great figures turned their heads to look at him. The Taoist Master of Reception chanted Buddhist incantations, but he could not hide the astonishment in his eyes.

Haotian was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end. He pointed at Jiang Wang and shouted, "You monstrous demon from the lower realm, how dare you insult my Heavenly Court! When Master Hongjun takes action, he will surely make your soul vanish!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wang burst into laughter: "Hongjun? No matter how elaborate his scheme is, it can't stop my soaring talent! Jade Emperor, you usually sit on your throne and oppress the Three Realms, but today you've been completely fooled by me. Aren't you afraid of losing face if word gets out?"

Haotian was burning with rage, his face flushed crimson: "Shut up! You...you beast!"

He waved his sleeve and summoned heavenly lightning, which struck Jiang Wang, but it was blocked by the starlight of the great array, and the shockwave made him sway.

Seeing this, Jiang Wang became even more emboldened, expending millions of years of divine power, his voice booming like a great bell, resounding throughout the Three Realms: "Jade Emperor Haotian, you coward! You proclaim yourself the ruler of the Three Realms, yet you only know how to hide under Hongjun's skirt, casually bestowing titles upon gods and banning immortals, bullying the weak and fearing the strong! Back then at the Peach Banquet, you were lusting after the Queen Mother's beauty, indulging demons to run rampant; now, when you surround and capture me, a rogue cultivator, you can't even hold the great formation! Among the beings of the Three Realms, who doesn't call you a coward? Yuanshi, Jieyin, you hypocrites, usually so high and mighty, aiding and abetting evil, helping Haotian to bring calamity to the common people! Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, your heroic spirits are immortal, do you truly wish to see the Heavenly Court so corrupt?"

The insults and abuses came like a tidal wave, spreading throughout the heavens, the underworld, and the human world.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, upon hearing this, Haotian's blood surged, his vision went black, and he coughed up blood: "You...you..."

Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed unconscious.

The powerful figures in the hall were in an uproar, and Yuanshi Tianzun hurriedly stepped forward to check on them: "Your Majesty!"

The Guide Daoist shook his head and sighed. Immortals and gods throughout the Three Realms were all shaken upon hearing this.

In a teahouse in the mortal realm, cultivators whispered among themselves: "That Jiang Wang is so arrogant, daring to insult the Jade Emperor!"

In the netherworld, ghosts chuckled: "Even the Heavenly Court has met its end."

Hongjun, sensing everything from Zixiao Palace, had a grim expression: "Another failure."

He originally intended to use Haotian to get rid of Jiang Wang, but who knew that this boy would return and provoke him, which actually made Haotian lose his temper.

With a snap of his fingers, the power of the Heavenly Dao surged, and a Heavenly Dao sealing array suddenly formed above the Lingxiao Palace.

Golden light, like chains, layer upon layer, sealed off the void: "Jiang Wang, you mortals have repeatedly violated the heavenly laws. This formation seals all your abilities except for divine power. Today, I will surely sever your head!"

The laws within the formation pressed down on Jiang Wang like a mountain, intending to obliterate his talent and magical treasures.

Despite being surrounded, Jiang Wang laughed uncontrollably: "Old man Hongjun, you think your Heavenly Dao Seal can trap me? Heavenly Dao may be vast, but it can't stop my soaring flight!"

His innate talent for the Great Dao erupted once more, his soaring power sweeping through the clouds like a whirlwind, tearing apart the sealed golden light.

The formation roared and cracks appeared everywhere. Jiang Wang's figure flickered, and he broke through the formation and escaped.

Haotian, still half-asleep, vaguely heard this and barely opened his eyes. He saw Jiang Wang standing before the palace, looking down at all living beings: "Jade Emperor, your cowardly appearance has spread throughout the Three Realms. Who will still respect you in the future? Taibai Jinxing, you old fox, you issued an order to capture me that day. I will remember it today. There will be plenty of time in the future!"

After saying this, he rode away on a somersault cloud, traversing the sky at ten times the speed of light, and returned directly to the hidden realm below.

Within the hidden realm, Jiang Wang appeared in his cave, dispelling his cloud-like aura, his expression gradually hardening.

He sat cross-legged on the futon and took a deep breath: "Hongjun's two attempts to capture me both failed, but this old man's plan is far-reaching. A great war between the heavens and the human realm is about to break out. If I don't improve my strength, I will become his pawn sooner or later."

With a thought, he took out the Chaos Pearl, which was like the beginning of chaos, containing endless mysteries: "I must refine this pearl as soon as possible and use its power to break the shackles."

Immediately afterwards, he took out the innate treasure—the Book of Curses—from his storage bag.

The book was as ancient and withered as a skeleton, with faint bloodstains on the cover, exuding a sinister aura.

Jiang Wang bit his fingertip, letting his own blood drip onto the pages of the book, consuming five million experience points. The system notification sounded: "Refinement successful, the Book of Curses recognizes its master."

He sneered, picked up his brush, and wrote the name of Haotian in blood: "Haotian Jade Emperor, you insulted my encirclement and capture, so I will repay you with a curse!" The pages turned, and the power of the curse surged out like black mist, instantly traversing the three realms and heading straight for the Heavenly Court.

Jiang Wang murmured, "This curse will never dissipate, it will target your shameful moments and make you remember this humiliation forever."

In the Lingxiao Palace of the Heavenly Court, Haotian awoke under the power of Hongjun, his face as pale as paper.

Hongjun sat at the head of the table, his voice like thunder: "Haotian, a great war between the heavens and the human realm is imminent, and the three realms are in turmoil. You must quickly obtain the water of the Mother-Child River to breed the offspring of immortals and gods and expand the heavenly army to prepare for unforeseen circumstances."

Haotian struggled to his feet, cupped his hands in acknowledgment, and said, "As you command, Master, I will now..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a burning pain in his buttocks, as if a thousand needles were piercing him, the pain penetrating to the bone marrow.

Haotian screamed in agony, fell to his knees with a thud, clutched his buttocks with both hands, and sweat poured down his face: "Ah—it hurts so much! What is this?"

The immortals and gods in the hall were shocked. Yuanshi Tianzun stepped forward to check and saw that the back of Haotian's dragon robe was stained with blood.

Hongjun's gaze sharpened, and after a quick calculation, his expression changed slightly: "A curse technique... Jiang Wang's doing."

This child is ruthless and vicious; he even used a supreme innate treasure to exact revenge, relentlessly seeking to disgrace the Heavenly Emperor.

He waved his sleeve to dispel part of the curse, and only then did Haotian catch his breath. He lay prostrate on the ground, his eyes filled with resentment: "Master, if this villain is not eliminated, how can the Three Realms be at peace?"

Hongjun shook his head, a hint of frustration flashing in his eyes: "The Heavenly Dao's plan should have been foolproof, but who knew this boy would repeatedly thwart my schemes."

"Enough. We'll see what happens when the great battle begins."

Haotian groaned in pain incessantly, the power of the curse following him like a shadow, each movement causing excruciating agony.

He gritted his teeth: "Jiang Wang, you beast, if Heaven doesn't protect you, sooner or later..."

Before he could finish speaking, another sharp pain struck, which elicited bursts of laughter from the hall.

Upon hearing this, Venus broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that Jiang Wang's specific warning was no small matter.

The powerful figures of the Three Realms exchanged glances, and Yuanshi whispered, "This boy is arrogant and may become a great threat."

Jieyin clasped his hands in prayer and said, "Amitabha, the ways of Heaven have changed, and I am also uneasy."

In the hidden cave, Jiang Wang put away the Book of Curses, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips: "Haotian, you coward, taste the bitterness of being humiliated."

"Old man Hongjun, no matter how elaborate your schemes are, I, Jiang Wang, have my own trump cards to break them!"

He swallowed the Chaos Pearl, and his internal energy surged, gradually increasing his strength.

Outside the window, the sea of ​​clouds rolls and churns, and the winds of change rise again in the three realms. Who knows what kind of waves this unexpected reversal will stir up?
As the Heavenly Court surrounded and captured them, the starlight of the Zhou Tian Star Array was like billions of silver needles, piercing the void and causing it to hum.

Jiang Wang was trapped within it; the light of rejection was like an invisible shackle, binding his limbs, and the magical artifacts lay dormant like lifeless objects.

His heart sank: "System, why is this hidden quest only coming now?"

The system responded coldly: "The host has triggered a desperate situation; rewards will be distributed."

In that instant, the Great Dao talent "soared".

Like a gentle breeze entering the body, the Somersault Cloud, originally Sun Wukong's signature move, was enhanced by his innate talent, increasing his speed tenfold, transforming into a golden light that tore through the star network.

When they fled the Heavenly Court, Haotian's eyes were bloodshot. With a wave of his hand, heavenly soldiers surged out like a tide, their long spears forming a forest, blocking off all directions.

Jiang Wang was already thousands of miles away, and the stars in the great formation behind him flickered like weeping blood.

He chuckled: "Jade Emperor, is this formation your farewell fireworks for me?"

In the lower valley, the light of rejection gradually faded like embers. Jiang Wang meditated for a quarter of an hour, and his divine power surged like a river bursting its banks, causing his magical artifact to shine brightly once more.

With his golden cudgel in hand and his somersault cloud ready to launch, his eyes burned with fighting spirit: "If I don't avenge this, I'll be unworthy of the title Jiang Wang!"

Upon returning to Heaven, the Southern Heavenly Gate shone with golden light, and Jiang Wang appeared before the hall, where Haotian was discussing matters with Yuanshi.

Yuanshi sat cross-legged to one side, with the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi floating above him. Upon hearing this, he looked up and exclaimed, "How dare you!"

Jiang Wang ignored him and went straight into the formation: "Come on, try throwing stars at me!"

His figure moved like a ghost, entering and exiting the great formation more than ten times, each time with a mocking tone: "Jade Emperor, your great formation leaks wind and rain, how can it be worthy of bestowing titles upon gods?"

Haotian flew into a rage, his dragon face contorted in fury: "Beast! Bring forth the heavenly lightning!"

The thunderbolts struck, but always missed by a hair's breadth. Jiang Wang laughed loudly, "Your aim is terrible, old man!"

Consuming millions of years of divine power, the insults swept across the three realms like a storm.

His words were sharp as knives, dissecting Haotian's misdeeds throughout his life: from the absurdity of the Peach Banquet to the conspiracy of the Investiture of the Gods, he dug out every single one of them in a bloody way.

Upon hearing this, Haotian felt as if his chest was being pounded like a drum, blood gushed out, stars danced before his eyes, and he fainted.

The hall was deathly silent. Jieyin sighed softly, "Karma."

The spirits of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors trembled, as if mocking this nominal ruler.

When Hongjun made his move, the Heavenly Dao Sealing Array was like a net covering the sky and the laws were like iron chains, sealing off all abilities that were not divine.

Jiang Wang was trapped, but his Soaring Talent erupted once more, soaring through the sky like an eagle, tearing through the golden light: "Old man, your seal cannot stop freedom!"

Breaking through the formation, he looked down at Haotian: "Coward, you should rest now."

When Venus was called out, the old immortal's face turned ashen. Jiang Wang sneered, "Old fox, I'll remember this!"

In the hidden realm, Jiang Wang refined the Chaos Pearl. The pearl contained a sea of ​​chaos. He swallowed it, experiencing excruciating pain, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered: "To break the Heavenly Dao, what is this pain to fear?"

The Book of Curses was refined, and the name of Haotian was written in blood. Black mist, like a snake, burrowed into the void.

When Haotian received the order, the curse backfired, causing him excruciating pain in his buttocks. His screams echoed throughout the hall: "Master, save me!"

Hongjun dispersed the curse, yet knew the root cause: "Jiang Wang, this technique is vile, but the ways of Heaven are unpredictable."

Haotian lay prostrate on the ground, overwhelmed with shame. The Three Realms secretly laughed, for the hidden dangers in the Heavenly Court had already been sown.

In the dark void, Jiang Wang sat cross-legged, surrounded by eerie black mist.

The ancient book of curses lay open on his lap, its pages glowing with a blood-red light, trembling slightly as if alive.

The system panel flashed in his mind, and experience points accumulated like a trickle. Each successful curse made him smirk.

Postponing his journey to the West is the right path for him.

Those guys from the Heavenly Court, each one of them thinks they're something special, but little do they know they've become his playthings.

He dipped his brush in a wisp of blood drawn from the void and slowly wrote "Haotian" on the page.

Two words. (End of this chapter)