Great Emperor Ziwei was reveling in the joy of victory; although not yet complete, he had achieved enough success to feel utterly content.
But unexpectedly, upon hearing this voice, his brows immediately furrowed.
With a frown, he looked toward the Heavenly General and asked, "What’s the matter? What has happened to cause such panic?"
The Heavenly General knelt on the ground, weeping as he said, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother of the West ambushed our army stationed around Kunlun. Out of several hundred thousand soldiers, over a hundred thousand were killed, Generals Jin Zha and Mu Zha went missing, and two Great Heavenly Venerates were seriously injured and escaped back."
As soon as these words were spoken, all present were shocked.
No one had expected the Queen Mother of the West to act so decisively and commit such an act.
Thus, the Queen Mother of the West naturally cleared herself of suspicion, all the while having wounded the power of the Heavenly Court.
Li Jing nearly passed out; the disappearance of Jin Zha and Mu Zha was too great a blow to him.
In the chaos of battle, there was only one likely possibility for their disappearance: they had been killed.
With this thought, his vision darkened and his form wavered, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Nezha steadied Li Jing with one hand; his gaze was somewhat cold.
"I’ll go take a look."
Without waiting for an order from Great Emperor Ziwei, he rushed out.
Great Emperor Ziwei wasn’t worried; given Nezha’s strength, as long as he didn’t seek death in Kunlun, he shouldn’t encounter any problems.
Seeing Nezha rush out, Li Jing reached out, trying to call after him, but Nezha’s figure was already gone.
His face was filled with worry, fearing that Nezha too might encounter an accident.
If he were to lose three children in one day, the blow to him would be too great.
The entire Ziwei Heavenly Court fell into a silent stupor.
No one had foreseen such a drastic turn of events.
They had held victory in their grasp and were delighted at having divided the Court of Ancient Gods.
Yet they hadn’t expected the Court of Ancient Gods to act so decisively and directly, shattering all rumors.
"The Queen Mother of the West won’t survive," said Great Emperor Ziwei coldly.
Meanwhile, once the Eastern King learned of this, his face turned ashen.
He knew very well that after this battle, the Queen Mother of the West was probably already on Great Emperor Ziwei’s hit list.
To protect the Queen Mother of the West would now be extremely difficult.
Inside the Heavenly Court, the atmosphere was oppressively tense.
All were silent, many with anger on their faces.
The action of the Queen Mother of the West had enraged them.
They had lost tens of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, and the whereabouts of Generals Jin Zha and Mu Zha were unknown.
Any one of these occurrences was enough for the Heavenly Court to not let the Queen Mother of the West go unpunished.
The Eastern King placed the blame on Shao Siming and others.
If not for them, how could the Queen Mother of the West have been driven to such a state?
Without doubt, the Queen Mother of the West had by now probably enraged the entire Ziwei Heavenly Court.
Taking a deep breath, the Eastern King headed to Huaguo Mountain.
Seeking an audience with Great Emperor Ziwei at this time would surely be futile.
As the Supreme of the Three Realms, Great Emperor Ziwei must hold responsibility for his subordinates.
To save the Queen Mother of the West, the only option was to turn to Sun Wukong.
Atop Huaguo Mountain, Sun Wukong had already received the news.
He wasn’t surprised at all by the Eastern King’s arrival.
"Your Majesty has come because of the matter concerning the Queen Mother of the West?" Sun Wukong asked.
The Eastern King nodded slightly, sighing before he said, "After all, we couldn’t prevent it. Great Saint, what do you think we should do? I don’t want the Queen Mother of the West to be killed."
Sun Wukong nodded his head, similarly saying, "Actually, I’m on good terms with the Queen Mother of the West, and I don’t want her to be killed either."
That was no lie; Sun Wukong had quite a favorable impression of her, especially after the Queen Mother of the West sent him peaches of immortality several times.
So, the Queen Mother of the West was caught in a deadly fate, having killed so many.
Especially Jin Zha and Mu Zha; if they were dead, Great Emperor Ziwei would certainly not let them go.
Li Jing, a prime minister of the Heavenly Court and ranked second among military generals, was not very strong, but he had a formidable ability to lead troops.
After being disciplined, he had corrected some of his past flaws.
Great Emperor Ziwei valued him highly and truly entrusted him with great responsibilities.
The performances of Jin Zha and Mu Zha were even more remarkable; both were on the threshold of joining the ranks of the Heavenly Venerate.
Once they broke through, they could undoubtedly become famous generals of the Heavenly Court.
This time, having them lead troops was also meant to train them.
But now, their whereabouts were unknown.
"Is there any way to avoid the Queen Mother of the West being killed?" asked the Eastern King, his gaze fixed on Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong thought for a moment and then said, "Does the Eastern King feel certain that Ziwei will come out victorious?"
He was puzzled by the Eastern King’s attitude, which had been consistently certain that their side would win.
From the start, the Eastern King had sought clemency for the Queen Mother of the West, even revealing his own methods and pressuring Sun Wukong to agree.
Now, coming to seek Sun Wukong’s help as soon as possible, he hoped to secure a chance for the Queen Mother of the West to live.
Sun Wukong was indeed puzzled; where did the Eastern King’s confidence come from?
The Eastern King hesitated before saying, "I don’t mind telling you, I know many things, and I can assure that Ziwei Heavenly Court will definitely be the final victor."
Sun Wukong looked at him skeptically, and seeing the other party not offer any explanation, he stopped inquiring.
After contemplating, Sun Wukong finally said, "If the Eastern King truly wishes to save the Queen Mother of the West, pray that Jin Zha and Mu Zha haven’t been killed. Bring them back to the Heavenly Court, and then there might still be room for maneuver."
A thought flashed through the Eastern King’s mind, and he immediately realized Sun Wukong’s implication.
Although tens of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were important,
Jin Zha and Mu Zha were more crucial. As long as they were unharmed, there would still be room for negotiation.