"Welcome to the Dou Niu Palace."
Venus raised a hand and led the group forward.
By the time they arrived outside the palace, the Twenty-Eight Constellations were also checking in. The area was packed with Heavenly officials, making it look like a true gathering of stars.
The moment the Star Lords spotted Venus, Yang Jian, and the others approaching, many of them instinctively stepped forward to greet them.
Then they noticed the Bull Demon King, Marshal Tianpeng, and Axel walking ahead of Yang Jian.
Their expressions immediately changed, and their steps slowed.
Once everyone met face to face, Pigsy grinned and pointed toward the constellations.
"Brother Great Sage, look at this, the Twenty-Eight Constellations of the Heavenly Court."
"Though I guess today it should be called the Twenty-Six Constellations, since two of them are missing."
Pigsy sneered and raised his voice.
"Hey, you old Star Lords, do you still recognize Marshal Tianpeng?"
"I heard Mao Ri Xingguan and Kang Jin Long are missing. Is that true?"
The constellations exchanged awkward glances. None of them answered immediately.
Only Kui Mulang stepped forward with a cold laugh.
"How could we not recognize the Marshal?"
"We're all cowards here anyway, all bark and no bite."
"Everyone claimed they were close with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but now that Sun Wukong is in trouble, only Mao Ri Xingguan and Kang Jin Long dared to go check on him."
"As for me, that monkey killed my sons. I'd love nothing more than to skin him alive, so naturally I'm not going."
"But the rest of them?"
Kui Mulang looked around with disdain.
"They aren't even as brave as Kang Jin Long."
"They talk a lot, but when it matters, none of them dare move. After all, who isn't afraid of dying?"
Once he finished speaking, Kui Mulang walked out from the crowd and stopped in front of the group.
Among the Twenty-Eight Constellations, he was one of the few who had truly descended to the mortal world during the Journey to the West. Compared to the others, he had real experience and courage.
He cupped his hands politely.
"Kui Mulang greets the True Lord, and greets the Great Sages."
Then he looked at the Bull Demon King with amusement.
"But I really have to ask, Bull Demon King, how dare you come to Heaven?"
"Did you forget how Nezha nearly chopped your head off back then?"
The old ox snorted heavily through his nose before laughing.
"Old Yellow Robe, watch your mouth."
"Nezha and I understand each other. Back then, he was simply doing his duty."
"Besides…"
The Bull Demon King grinned dangerously.
"If flames suddenly erupt inside the Lingxiao Palace later, do you want to join us and fight your way out?"
Kui Mulang froze.
"What the hell?"
He immediately turned toward Yang Jian in disbelief.
Yang Jian gave a slow nod.
Kui Mulang's eyes widened.
"If the True Lord himself weren't standing here, I'd think you people had all gone insane."
Then he turned toward Axel.
"And you, monkey, you killed Lady Baihua's two sons back then. Aren't you going to apologize to me?"
"Maybe if your apology sounds sincere enough, I'll join you."
He raised a hand toward Axel, but before he could touch him, Yang Jian grabbed his wrist.
"This isn't Sun Wukong," Yang Jian said quietly.
"This is my elder brother. He only borrowed the monkey's armor."
Then he introduced him properly.
"Big Brother, this is Kui Mulang Xing, also known as the Yellow Robe Demon. During the Journey to the West, he fought Sun Wukong several times. His abilities are considerable."
Axel nodded casually.
"I know who he is."
Then he looked directly at Kui Mulang.
"Your sons died because of Sun Wukong, that's true."
"But there was never a clean right or wrong in that situation."
"You forced Lady Baihua to stay with you, while Sun Wukong wanted to free her."
"So who was right?"
"Who was wrong?"
"Honestly, everyone involved was both."
Axel chuckled and casually draped an arm over Kui Mulang's shoulder before waving toward the other constellations nearby.
Seeing this, the remaining Star Lords immediately gathered around him, smiling and greeting him enthusiastically.
Pride meant nothing in the Heavenly Court.
Anyone capable of surviving within an ancient power that had ruled for millions of years understood one thing very clearly, knowing when to lower your head mattered more than dignity.
While everyone surrounded Axel and exchanged pleasantries, two figures approached from the distance.
One was an old crane immortal dressed in Daoist robes and carrying a whisk.
The other was a young general in red armor who looked heroic and full of spirit.
As they walked, the crane immortal spoke calmly.
"This is the Dou Niu Palace, one of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Palaces."
"For the constellations, this place is especially important. You must report here daily without fail. Understand?"
"I understand," the young general replied, "but… why is everyone gathered over there?"
The crane immortal frowned and looked ahead.
The moment he recognized the group, his feathers nearly stood on end.
The young general instantly became nervous.
"Immortal, is something wrong?"
"Wrong?"
The crane immortal forced himself to stay composed before shaking his head.
"Nothing is wrong."
"On the contrary, your luck today is excellent."
"You're about to meet True Lord Erlang, Great Sage Bull Demon King, Marshal Tianpeng…"
He paused briefly.
"And another True Lord."
The young general blinked in confusion.
"Another True Lord? I only recognize Erlang Shen."
"And isn't the Bull Demon King a demon from Flaming Mountain? Why is he here in Heaven?"
The crane immortal merely smiled.
"Keep your questions to yourself."
"You'll understand soon enough."
As they approached, the crane immortal raised his whisk and bowed deeply.
"This poor Daoist, Immortal He, greets the two True Lords, Marshal Tianpeng, and Dali King."
Pigsy's face darkened instantly.
"Two True Lords?"
"There's only one True Lord here, and that's Erlang Shen."
His voice turned colder with every word.
There were things Pigsy never spoke about publicly.
After obtaining the scriptures, he had secretly returned to a certain place several times, hoping to make up for past regrets.
But every time he went there, he found the place sealed shut beneath powerful formations and talismans.
The one guarding it was Wang Lingguan.
The one maintaining the formation was Immortal He.
Because of that, the moment Pigsy saw him, rage surged uncontrollably inside his chest.
Immortal He ignored Pigsy's hostility and instead bowed deeply toward Axel.
"This old Daoist must congratulate the True Lord."
"Earlier today, I personally witnessed His Majesty approve the imperial decree with vermilion ink."
"He has bestowed upon Immortal Axel the title of King Zhaoying Xuanwei Lingshu, while also appointing him as Lord of Blessed Earth and Heavenly Abode."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Department of Heavenly Works has already begun constructing your palace."
As soon as those words fell, the surrounding constellations erupted in shock.
Even the Bull Demon King's expression changed slightly.
A first-rank Heavenly title.
That was no small matter.
But Axel simply grinned.
"Hahaha, so I actually got promoted?"
Then he narrowed his eyes.
"But tell me something."
"This title of mine…"
"It's not another useless job like Bimawen, right?"
Immortal He hurriedly shook his head.
"Of course not!"
"True Lord, your rank is first-class, second only to the Four Heavenly Emperors themselves!"
"You may rest assured!"
Axel slowly stepped closer, smiling faintly.
"Really?"
"My position is that high?"
"But words alone mean nothing."
"How do I know you aren't lying to me?"
The next second, Axel raised his hand and slapped Immortal He directly across the face.
Bang!
The old crane immortal spun through the air before crashing violently into the massive bronze bell outside the Dou Niu Palace.
The deafening impact echoed across the heavens.
As Immortal He collapsed to the ground in shock, Axel laughed coldly.
"Well, if my status is truly that high…"
"Then slapping you shouldn't be a problem, right?"
===
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