"Hah???"
Hearing the words of the Wide-Eyed Heavenly King, Axel burst into laughter.
At the same time, Erlang Shen and the Bull Demon King exchanged stunned looks before turning toward Axel, silently asking if they should continue.
Meeting their questioning gazes, Axel grinned, tucked his staff into his ear, and spoke with an amused smile.
"The old Jade Emperor really knows how to play the 'don't slap a smiling face' trick."
"Not bad. Since they even sent the Moon Palace Fairy Maidens to welcome us, what are we waiting for?"
"We can't let these dancers waste all that practice, brothers. Let's enjoy the performance first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Axel walked past Erlang Shen and the Bull Demon King, heading straight toward the Four Heavenly Kings.
Behind him, Erlang Shen and the Bull Demon King paused briefly before nodding heavily.
"Yes!"
The moment those words were spoken, the Four Heavenly Kings visibly trembled.
Who were these men?
One was Erlang Shen, the acknowledged greatest War God of the Three Realms, famous for his arrogance and unmatched combat ability. Even the Jade Emperor himself had occasionally been ignored by him.
The other was the Bull Demon King, the most notorious great demon of the demon race, someone the Heavenly Court had once mobilized massive forces to suppress. The Four Heavenly Kings themselves had participated in that battle.
Precisely because they knew these two so well, they understood how impossible it was for either of them to willingly follow another person's lead.
Yet both of them had just answered Axel with complete obedience.
The Four Heavenly Kings swallowed nervously before hurriedly stepping aside to clear a path.
The moment Axel stepped through the South Heaven Gate, the Moon Palace dancers immediately began their performance.
Countless flower petals drifted through the sky, making the Fairy Maidens appear even more breathtaking.
The maidens stepped across the Seven Stars formation, their slender waists swaying gracefully as layers of dancers intertwined with one another in endless motion.
The surrounding music echoed across the heavens while rows of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals stood on both sides, adding a solemn atmosphere to the beautiful scene.
Behind Axel, Zhu Bajie stared at the surrounding Fairy Maidens with obvious delight.
"Hahaha! Great Sage Brother, back when Old Pig served in Heaven, I was tall and mighty, always looking down on these Fairy Maidens."
"But now, after changing forms, I became short and stout. I thought it was a loss."
"Who would've thought returning to Heaven like this would become such a blessing? My view is incredible!"
"These silk ribbons, these legs, these little feet, damn it, why can't they just step on Old Pig already?!"
As he spoke, Bajie moved closer to the lead dancer and lowered his voice.
"Fairy Maiden, Old Pig remembers there used to be a white-haired Fairy Maiden among you. She was even the lead dancer."
"Where is she now?"
Before anyone could react, Bajie suddenly grabbed the wrist of a pink-haired Fairy Maiden.
The interruption instantly frightened her.
She stumbled onto the ground, her face pale as she looked around helplessly.
Seeing her terrified expression, Axel immediately spoke.
"Relax, Fairy Maiden."
"Didn't the Jade Emperor bring you here to entertain me?"
"The dance itself doesn't matter. Seeing beautiful women already puts me in a good mood."
"So answer Old Pig's question. Nobody will punish you for stopping."
"And if someone dares to punish you, I'll deal with them personally."
At that point, Axel turned toward Erlang Shen with a grin.
"Erlang, tell her. Do I have that ability or not?"
Erlang Shen answered without hesitation.
"Big Brother absolutely does."
The pink-haired Fairy Maiden widened her eyes in shock.
Meanwhile, the surrounding dancers skillfully adjusted their formation to minimize the disruption caused by her sudden fall.
Looking at Axel's relaxed confidence and Bajie's anxious expression, the Fairy Maiden finally gathered enough courage to speak softly.
"Replying to the Great Sage... the white-haired Fairy Maiden Marshal Tianpeng mentioned... around nine hundred days ago... she apparently descended to the mortal world..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Bajie suddenly roared.
"If she descended, then say she descended! What do you mean 'apparently'?!"
His grip tightened around the Nine-Toothed Rake as sweat covered his palms.
The surrounding Heavenly Soldiers instantly reacted, armor clattering as they prepared to move.
But before anyone could act, Erlang Shen slammed the butt of his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear against the clouds.
Boom!
A violent ripple spread through the heavens.
"Impudent!"
Erlang Shen's cold voice rang across the area.
"Didn't you hear my Big Brother speaking?!"
The Heavenly Soldiers immediately froze in fear before lowering their weapons.
Only the Four Heavenly Kings remained awkwardly standing there, unsure whether they should intervene.
"Haha... there's no need for anger..."
"True Lord, Great Sage, please calm yourselves."
"That Fairy Maiden should simply answer Marshal Tianpeng honestly."
The pink-haired Fairy Maiden was trembling so badly she looked close to collapsing.
"Little immortal obeys..."
Holding back tears, she continued speaking.
"Not long after Marshal Tianpeng was punished and banished to the mortal world, Elder Sister Zi Zhu secretly descended as well."
"And around that same time, Elder Sister Bai Ling disappeared."
"Some say she followed Zi Zhu to the mortal realm."
"Others say she was secretly taken away from the Moon Palace."
"But the most common rumor says she committed a serious crime and was executed on the Immortal Slaying Platform."
"The rumor even claimed Lord Wang Lingguan personally supervised the execution."
"Little immortal truly doesn't know anything else!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the Fairy Maiden finally broke down crying.
"The Moon Palace has always been like this!"
"One sister disappears today, another tomorrow!"
"Some eventually reappear as mounts for Buddhist Arhats or servants for immortals from the Eastern Sea!"
"But others never return at all!"
"Sometimes we even find their bones, eyes, or ears hanging from the saddles of powerful immortals as decorations!"
"You forced me to say all this..."
"I probably won't survive either..."
"You're all Great Sages, True Lords, and Marshals, so why make things difficult for a small Fairy Maiden like me?!"
Her cries became hysterical as tears turned into pearls while they fell through the clouds.
She was originally a merfolk spirit.
Hearing her words, Bajie staggered backward.
He planted the Nine-Toothed Rake into the clouds just to steady himself.
After a long silence, he slowly raised his head.
"So her name was Bai Ling..."
"I only learned it now."
"It makes sense."
"I saw her together with that person back then."
"Since Wang Lingguan reported me afterward, how could he possibly spare her?"
"Compared to my eyes, Bai Ling herself was the greatest evidence of the scandal."
Bajie clenched his teeth before finally putting away his weapon and walking back toward Axel.
"Great Sage Brother."
His voice was unusually low.
"If we survive this mess... let's protect Ichigo."
"And let's change that damned Moon Palace too."
"The Taiyin Star should've been peaceful and beautiful."
"But the Star Lord and the Heavenly Court turned it into a filthy place."
"Old Pig can't stand looking at it anymore."
"It disgusts me."
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