I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

Senior Brother Dayan, as expected of the world-renowned Daoist Qiufeng, has all the wine dishes, bowls and chopsticks he carries with him, ready to start a feast at any time.

He then produced a few side dishes from who-knows-where and arranged the table in a rather impressive manner.

Then, under the persuasive and eloquent guidance of Senior Brother Dayan, and with the help of Erlang Zhenjun, who deliberately lowered his stance and steered the conversation.

The atmosphere became even more harmonious!

Of course, Erlang Shen didn't have any good intentions either. His main purpose was to find out Ning Chen and the others' backgrounds so that he could go and snatch back the Tai'a Sword in the future.

Nezha's competitive spirit was also aroused, and Sun Wukong's eyes lit up when he heard the words "sparring".

The five men sat around a table, and in front of the menacing heavenly soldiers and generals, they discussed spear techniques and staff fighting over wine and meat. The atmosphere gradually warmed up, and they even had the illusion of meeting kindred spirits over drinks.

As the conversation got more animated, the group even used their chopsticks as weapons, gesturing wildly...

The 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals looked at each other in bewilderment upon seeing this scene.

These... these few people are really treating us like gods!

But these few individuals are exceptionally powerful and virtually invincible in close combat.

Erlang Zhenjun goes without saying. His grass-headed god has a saying in the Heavenly Court: "If you can't break a thousand grass heads, you can't defeat him once you break a thousand!"

Nezha, the third prince, was also a fearless fighter. With his three heads and six arms, it would take tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers and generals to stop him.

That demonic monkey appeared out of nowhere, I'd never heard of it before. It could transform into thousands of beings with just a monkey and a stick, easily defeating ten thousand heavenly soldiers and generals!

The gods in heaven, feeling frustrated and troubled, could only turn into countless sculptures, awaiting the Jade Emperor's judgment!

Beyond the nine heavens, in the Lingxiao Palace...

With eyes that can see a thousand miles and ears that can hear the wind, they recounted the dramatic changes that had taken place in Zhongnan Mountain in the lower realm.

The Jade Emperor's own nephew, Yang Jian, suddenly appeared and questioned the Heavenly Laws in front of everyone with his own bloodline. The 100,000 heavenly soldiers were intimidated by his aura and were caught in a dilemma. The treacherous demons openly drank and made merry in front of the battle.

"Outrageous! Insolent! Unbelievable!"

The Jade Emperor sat on his throne, his hands gripping the armrests tightly. His usually dignified and solemn face now appeared somewhat grave.

He pointed towards the lower realm, the successive changes rendering him speechless.

"He, he, Yang Jian, how dare he...."

The sentence relayed by the person with the keen ear.

"I was born with the body of a demigod! Am I also subject to the Heavenly Laws' punishment?"

Like an invisible curse, it echoed repeatedly in his mind, ruthlessly trampling on his dignity as the supreme ruler of the Three Realms and as an elder!

How could Yang Jian's actions be considered a questioning of the Heavenly Laws?

It was as if they had stripped him of his dignity as his uncle and, in front of 100,000 heavenly soldiers and all the gods and immortals, humiliated him and rubbed him repeatedly in the mud!

Yang Jian's actions were tantamount to treason; he was practically forcing the emperor to abdicate!

He wants to overturn the verdict on his parents' tragic deaths!

Now, only two paths remain before the Jade Emperor.

The first option: Thunderous suppression. Order Wang Lingguan, along with 100,000 heavenly soldiers, the Four Heavenly Kings, and all the heavenly generals, to spare no expense in capturing or even annihilating Yang Jian, Nezha, that damned monkey demon, the fox demon's daughter, and all their accomplices!

The second option is to acknowledge the flaws in the Heavenly Rules and rescind or amend the newly promulgated decree that caused a huge uproar: "All humans, immortals, and demons of mixed blood shall be exterminated." This would undoubtedly be an admission to the world that the Jade Emperor had not considered things thoroughly and that the Heavenly Rules were flawed, thus losing all his authority!

The first path is extremely risky. Yang Jian, with his powerful army, could easily stir up trouble in the Heavenly Court, not to mention Nezha and that demon monkey.

If a real battle were to break out, the outcome would be unpredictable. Even if the Heavenly Court were to win, its elite forces would inevitably suffer heavy losses, and it might even trigger turmoil in the Three Realms.

This is the worst possible strategy!

The second path is like slapping yourself in the face, having your face spat on by Yang Jian, and having the mighty Emperor, whose golden words and decrees are changed from morning to evening.

Once he admits he was wrong, what deterrent power will the Heavenly Laws and Heavenly Authority have left?

This is a strategy that will cause you to lose all face!

Both paths lead to certain death!

No matter which path he chooses, the Jade Emperor will suffer a great loss of prestige and become a laughing stock in the Three Realms!

"Yang Jian, you illustrious True Lord of the Pure Source Mysterious Way! Are you trying to force me to my death?"

The Jade Emperor roared inwardly, then suddenly felt dizzy. He gripped the armrests of his throne, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, barely managing to keep his balance.

The immortals below the steps fell silent, their heads bowed even lower.

Venus sighed inwardly, knowing that if no one offered a way out, the Jade Emperor would be in an awkward position.

He steeled himself, stepped forward again with trembling steps, bowed deeply, and spoke with utmost caution.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger..."

The Jade Emperor looked at Venus, his eyes showing a fierce expression masking a hint of helplessness.

"Things have come to this, Minister Taibai, you have always been wise, tell me, what other options are there to resolve this predicament? Do you really want me to bow down to that rebellious nephew?"

As the number one immortal spirit on par with the Dragon King of the West Sea, Venus already had a plan in mind.

He cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, you are wise. At this moment, fighting is absolutely out of the question. The strength of the True Lord Qingyuan Miaodao is unfathomable, the Third Prince Nezha is as fiery as fire, and that unidentified monkey demon is even more unpredictable. Although the 100,000 heavenly soldiers are numerous, once a conflict breaks out, rivers of blood will flow, and the consequences will be unimaginable. The very foundation of the Three Realms may be shaken!"

Venus glanced at the Jade Emperor's increasingly gloomy face and tentatively spoke.

"The crux of the problem, as it stands now, probably lies in the newly promulgated Heavenly Rule of 'All human-immortal-demon hybrids shall be exterminated.' If only we could, if only we could offer a brief explanation of this Heavenly Rule..."

"shut up!"

Before Taibai could finish speaking, the Jade Emperor interrupted him.

"Absolutely impossible!"

"Heavenly laws and decrees! These are golden words! They are proclaimed to all the heavens! How can they be treated lightly?! If we were to change course today because of Yang Jian, where would the majesty of my Heavenly Court be? In the future, who among the beings of the Three Realms would still respect the Heavenly Laws?! Once this precedent is set, the laws of the Heavenly Court will cease to exist!"

In his fury, the temperature inside the palace plummeted, and the celestial officials dared not even breathe.

Meanwhile, outside the Thirty-Three Heavens, in the Tushita Palace...

Laozi witnessed this farce, shook his head, and let out a sigh.

"Why go through all this...?"

He also knew that if he didn't intervene, the Jade Emperor would really make a big mistake today.

The great calamity is about to begin. At this time, the Heavenly Court appears prosperous, but it is outwardly fierce and inwardly weak. It can no longer afford to waste its efforts.

Lao Jun's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the enormous, magnificent, dark blue ox in the corner.

At this moment, the green ox was chewing on a few immortal herbs, its tail swaying idly, its eyes half-closed, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. What did the chaos in the mortal realm have to do with this old ox?

I'm just a simple old ox!

"eye!"

Sensing Laozi's gaze, the green ox let out a low moo, stopped chewing, and buried its head in its hooves, as if it were about to fall asleep.

"The cow..."

Laozi's voice was calm and undisturbed, clearly reaching the ears of the green ox.

The blue ox lazily opened one eye, glanced at its master, and exhaled a puff of white breath from its nostrils as a response.

"Chaos is about to break out in the Three Realms. Go to the Lingxiao Palace!"