If Lord Donghua truly were an enemy, no one atop Huaguo Mountain could withstand him, not even Sun Wukong.
The rumored strength of Lord Donghua is said to be on par with the Jade Emperor.
"Swing a chaotic club, then chop into pieces to feed to Xiangtian."
Wukong replied very decisively.
This was indeed what he had been thinking, and so he naturally blurted it out.
Even Lord Donghua was briefly taken aback before staring at Wukong with surprise. Did he truly not worry about evoking Donghua’s wrath?
His eyes narrowed slightly, fixing a somewhat piercing gaze upon Wukong.
Wukong met Lord Donghua’s gaze without any trace of fear.
The qi of both individuals began to stir and clash non-stop, creating a rather scary spectacle.
Looking at them, one would think they could come to blows at any moment.
Lu Dongbin and the others didn’t even dare take a deep breath as they watched the scene unfold, their hearts unable to remain calm.
If a fight broke out between them, just the people on Huaguo Mountain would stand no chance against Lord Donghua.
After quite some time, Lord Donghua suddenly reined in his qi, laughing as he spoke, "Indeed worthy of the title ’Great Sage Equalling Heaven’. To remain completely unflustered under my gaze, not many can claim such sanctity. Common Heavenly Venerates, if caught by my glance, would go weak at the knees and become incapable of moving."
This was no empty boast; Lord Donghua indeed possessed such power.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
The pressure from the aura clashing between the two was simply too terrifying.
Even Lu Dongbin felt almost like he was suffocating.
Wukong cracked a slight smile and then called over Nu Ba, saying, "Come support me; my legs are getting weak."
Lord Donghua was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile – this monkey was humorous indeed.
Nu Ba had been somewhat worried, but seeing the smile on Wukong’s face, she knew he was joking.
It made sense; with Wukong’s strength akin to a top Great Heavenly Venerate, Donghua’s power, however formidable, couldn’t possibly make Wukong seem so frail.
"Emperor, you are here because of the matter concerning the Queen Mother of the West, aren’t you?"
Wukong suddenly said.
Lord Donghua’s smile faded, and with a look of admiration at Wukong, he said, "Correct. The Western Queen Mother has lost her way, and I cannot persuade her, so I have come to ask a favor of you."
"Please speak, Emperor,"
Wukong replied indifferently but did not immediately agree.
After all, he had no idea what exactly Lord Donghua was going to request.
Donghua smiled slightly before continuing, "Here’s the thing, I hope that after the Heavenly Court defeats the Ancient Gods, you spare the Western Queen Mother. She bears no malice; she only wishes to protect this piece of the realm, just taking the wrong path."
Upon hearing this, everyone was somewhat surprised.
Even Wukong found it unimaginable, looking at Lord Donghua with a puzzled expression as he asked, "Emperor, how can you be so certain of our victory? Perhaps it will be us who fail in the end. After all, the power of the Ancient Gods is far stronger than that of the later generations of living beings, and we only have Great Emperor Ziwei as a fighter who can contend with the Ancient Gods."
What Wukong said was the hard truth.
He never underestimated himself, nor did he overestimate his abilities.
He had a very clear understanding of both his opponents and himself.
This understanding kept Wukong from being overly arrogant and blindly confident.
Lord Donghua smiled and said, "Others may not know, but I am aware that The Three Pure Ones have great expectations for the later generations of living beings. They are on the side of the later generations. The Ancient Gods have long been abandoned by them. If they are willing to side with the later generations, they won’t be treated harshly, but if the Ancient Gods persist in their folly, they will naturally be discarded. With The Three Pure Ones supporting you, your likelihood of victory exceeds eighty percent."
"Why not one hundred percent?"
Wukong asked, somewhat taken aback.
Lord Donghua scoffed, "The Three Pure Ones can abandon the Ancient Gods, just as they can abandon later generations. If the latter disappoints them, they will surely abandon the living beings as well. It merely comes down to which choice benefits the Three Realms the most. Do you really expect The Three Pure Ones to take pity on the living beings? None of the Ancient Gods are kind-hearted, all emerged from a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. Not committing genocide is already merciful."
This viewpoint was quite apt, and Wukong agreed with it.
Moreover, since these words came from Lord Donghua, they carried more weight.
Thinking this through, Wukong said, "Since the Emperor has put it that way, I will agree."
Lord Donghua showed a smile, raised his tea cup, and said to Wukong, "In that case, I’ll raise my cup with tea instead of wine, to honor you with a toast."
Wukong also raised his cup, and then drank it down in one go.
After finishing the tea, Lord Donghua disappeared, with the protective barriers of Huaguo Mountain proving utterly ineffective against him.