Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Chapter 160 The Phantom of the Spiritual Pearl

"Indeed formidable!"

The Bull Demon King furrowed his brows and nodded, "I, Old Bull, have used all my tricks, yet I still can't overcome him! By his side, there is a dog with a slender waist, pure white like a white elephant, with teeth so sharp they could cut through gold and jade. If it bites you, it can tear off a large chunk of flesh! With the help of that dog, I, alone, truly can't beat him!"

"A dog with a slender waist? Is it the Xiayou Heavenly Dog?"

Leng Xuan furrowed his brows, he was somewhat familiar with the rumors about Erlang God Yang Jian, whose combat power was among the top in the entire Heavenly Court. Aside from those hidden figures who wouldn't appear, there were hardly any rivals to Yang Jian in the Heavenly Court.

Aside from the Eight-Nine Profound Skill and the art of transformation, his most powerful ultimate move was the vertical Third Eye on his brow and the Xiayou Heavenly Dog he always kept by his side.

The Xiayou Heavenly Dog was a creature from primeval times, and no one knew from where Erlang God Yang Jian had tamed it. It was usually folded like a piece of paper and tucked away in his pocket, only to be thrown out at critical moments, transforming into a dog with a slender waist to injure people.

One bite was enough to tear off a chunk of flesh from even a Daluo Golden Immortal, truly ferocious!

However, after the war of Divine Enthronement, Erlang God Yang Jian rarely used the Xiayou Heavenly Dog in combat. Previously, during his battle with the Six-Eared Macaque, he hadn't used it, and Leng Xuan thought the dog was no longer following him.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that he had just made a Spiritual Beast Bag for the Xiayou Heavenly Dog to reside in, and he had released it again during the fight with the Bull Demon King.

This man and dog had cooperated for many years and had long since reached a state of telepathic understanding. Their combined power was not as simple as one plus one, so it was actually within expectations that the Bull Demon King could not overcome them. But this way, Flower-Fruit Mountain was in danger!

The Primordial Unity Grand Formation left by Sun Wukong was indeed strong, with top-notch defensive capabilities, but no matter how formidable the defensive formation was, it couldn't withstand the relentless attacks of the Celestial Army. If this continued, it would be broken sooner or later.

When the Celestial Army broke through Flower-Fruit Mountain, Leng Xuan could imagine the bloodbath that would ensue. In his years of wandering the Three Realms, he had seen far too many such scenes!

"Actually, Erlang God isn't that difficult to deal with. If someone helps me take on his Xiayou Heavenly Dog, I can hold him off,"

said the Bull Demon King, seeing everyone's expression turn somber, their morale seemed quite low, so he hurriedly spoke to boost their spirits.

"Bull Brother, I can help you take on the Xiayou Heavenly Dog!"

The Six-Eared Macaque spoke up. He also possessed cloning divine powers. Although his cultivation was not enough and his strength fell short of Erlang God Yang Jian's, taking on a dog was still within his capability.

"Actually, the key doesn't lie with Erlang God Yang Jian."

Leng Xuan shook his head, "With Flower-Fruit Mountain's current strength, it's not difficult to hold off the invading experts from the Heavenly Court if we arrange our tactics properly. What I'm worried about is the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing!"

"That's right, that pagoda is indeed formidable!"

As Leng Xuan said this, the brows of the Demon Clan gathered there furrowed once again. Flower-Fruit Mountain had the upper hand in the previous clash with the armies of the Heavenly Court. It was because Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing had brought out the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda that the tide of the battle had turned.

This time, when they retreated, it was again because Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing had unleashed the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, leading to many from the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Clan being sucked into the pagoda. Their current fate, whether they were dead or alive, was unknown.

Strong cultivators like Bull Demon King, Jiao Demon King, and Six-Eared Macaque could barely resist the pull of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda. However, the rest of the demons and demon generals from Flower-Fruit Mountain certainly did not possess such ability. Once enveloped by its pull, it was nearly impossible to escape.

It was unclear what was going through Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing's mind, not deploying the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda at the start of every battle; otherwise, the armies of demons from Flower-Fruit Mountain would have had great difficulty holding on for so long.

"We must find a way to deal with the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda; otherwise, we are at a major disadvantage!"

While it was easy to say, even Leng Xuan didn't know how to counter the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda. It was a merit-based supreme treasure initially belonging to the practitioner Ran Deng but later given to Li Jing specifically to restrain Nezha. It was because of the pagoda's miraculous effects that Li Jing earned the name of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

According to the ancient records placed by Sun Wukong in the Heaven-Piercing Tower within Flower-Fruit Mountain, which documented the treasures of the Three Realms, the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda contained its own universe within. Although it seemed to have seven levels, there were actually more.

Those who were not at the level of Daluo Golden Immortal, once taken in, would almost certainly never escape, being burned to nothingness by its internal Dao fire. Even Nezha, as the Lotus Incarnation, couldn't withstand it. It was probably only the Bull Demon King within all of Flower-Fruit Mountain who did not fear the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

"If only our leader were here; maybe he would have a way to deal with the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda."

Leng Xuan sighed and looked towards Water Curtain Cave Heaven. "I wonder how Nezha's breakthrough inside Heaven-Piercing Tower is going. He should be the person most knowledgeable about the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda. If he can break through successfully, we might actually be able to find the pagoda's weakness to counter it."

"Yes, but we don't know when Nezha will make his breakthrough."

The assembled demons all sighed, then sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate and recover their strength. The great army from Heavenly Court was constantly attacking the Primordial Unity Grand Formation Barrier outside Flower-Fruit Mountain. The barrier might be breached at any moment, so it was best to work hard to restore their depleted Primordial Force and keep their condition at its peak.

Inside the third level of the Heaven-Piercing Tower.

Nezha the Third Prince was sitting quietly in the cultivation room, with various phantoms continually appearing behind him—some with three heads and six arms, some with blooming lotuses—alternating in appearance. These were manifestations of the Dao that Nezha possessed, which were becoming more evident as the essence Qi and spirit in his body condensed.

Occasionally, the shadowy figure of a Spirit Pearl could be seen flickering into view, the appearances of which were gradually increasing.

Nezha originated from a stone in the Heavenly Pond in Kunlun Mountains, long steeped and nourished by Immortal Spirit Qi. He was later taken by Goddess Nuwa to the imperial palace to foster his growth. Upon cultivating a human form, he was named Spirit Pearl and became the most favored Dharma-Protecting Disciple under Goddess Nuwa's care.

During the battle to confer gods, King Zhou showed irreverence in the Nuwa Temple, infuriating Nuwa. She had Spirit Pearl take the "Jade Edict" to be reincarnated and become the son of Li Jing, who was then the general at Chentang Pass.

Nezha's accomplishments after reincarnation should have been greater than those of his previous life as Spirit Pearl. Unfortunately, his master Taiyi Real Person manipulated him.

When Nezha was of tender age and his nature was not yet stable, Taiyi Real Person bestowed upon him powerful magical treasures such as the Qiankun Ring and the Hun Tian Ling, indulging him excessively and thus fostering Nezha's arrogant and rash character.

Once, during a playful visit to the Eastern Sea, a minor verbal disagreement led him to kill the Third Prince of the Sea Dragon, Ao Bing, stripping his tendons and thereby enraging the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, eventually causing the Four Dragon Kings to flood Chentang Pass.