Chapter 35 - Hidden in Plain Sight
Chapter 35: Hidden in Plain Sight
A tuft of white clouds sped across the sky. Qin Chuan sat upon it, sucking in sharp breaths, his hand constantly rubbing his head.
The pain was growing stronger—and even Shuiyue Xianguang (Moonlight Divine Radiance) couldn’t soothe it!
“Stereotypes can be deadly… Who would’ve thought both Western Saints were lotus incarnations?”
Still, it was a relief in a way. If Patriarch Bodhi had no connection to the Western sect, then Qin Chuan’s path was clearer.
He flew straight to the Southern Heavenly Gate. The Four Heavenly Kings turned pale at his approach, bracing as if facing a great enemy.
Qin Chuan chuckled lightly, “No need to be so tense, Your Majesties. I’m just here on official business.”
“Why are you here?” Asked Viruḍhaka (King of the South) tensely. The memory of the Flower Fruit Mountain battle still haunted him.
Qin Chuan spread his hands.
“What kind of question is that? I am the envoy of Her Majesty Hou Tu, who governs the underworld in accordance with Heaven. I come bearing urgent business for the Jade Emperor—classified business. Do I need to report it to you, Lord King?”
“Besides,” he continued, “the Jade Emperor hasn’t issued any warrant for my arrest. If you obstruct me, people might suspect you harbor discontent toward Her Majesty Hou Tu herself…”
As he spoke, Qin Chuan pulled out a command token.
King Viruḍhaka’s face changed instantly. He waved his hands quickly:
“Perish the thought! Please, Immortal Lord, go right in!”
Since Qin Chuan hadn’t been arrested during the Flower Fruit Mountain incident and the Jade Emperor had issued no order afterward, his passage through Heaven with the command token was unimpeded.
Before long, he arrived at a celestial palace, towering and magnificent, radiating auspicious light. This was the residence of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing and Nezha, the Third Lotus Prince.
Qin Chuan strolled in as if he owned the place. The guards at the door acted as if they hadn’t seen him.
Inside the main hall, Li Jing sat in the seat of honor. Nezha lounged nearby, hugging his Flame-Tipped Spear, looking quite bored. Suddenly, Nezha sprang from his seat and stared towards the entrance.
“Who’s there?!”
“Hahaha! Nezha, it’s only been a while, and already your spiritual senses have grown stronger,” Qin Chuan laughed as he walked in.
“Brother Qin!”
“It’s you!”
Nezha was delighted and rushed forward to greet him. Li Jing, startled, also stood up instinctively, gripping his Exquisite Pagoda tighter.
Qin Chuan ignored Li Jing entirely, walked straight up, and sat in the main seat. He looked at Li Jing and said with a grin, “Heavenly King Li, such lack of decorum. You see a celestial envoy and address me with ‘you’?”
Li Jing’s face went through a dozen expressions before settling into calm. He bowed, holding the pagoda with both hands:
“I didn’t know a celestial envoy was visiting. I beg forgiveness for my lapse in manners.”
As an envoy of one of the Six Celestial Regents, Qin Chuan’s status was akin to a direct imperial inspector. Since the Jade Emperor hadn’t pursued the Flower Fruit Mountain incident, Qin Chuan’s rank clearly outranked that of Generalissimo Li Jing.
Qin Chuan nodded, then cut straight to the point:
“Heavenly King, where are the monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain being held?”
Li Jing replied, “I dare not hide it from Your Excellency. Some of the monkeys are imprisoned in the Heavenly Dungeon, and others are inside my Exquisite Pagoda.”
Qin Chuan looked him in the eye:
“Release them all.”
Li Jing’s face changed. He quickly responded, “Your Excellency, these demon monkeys committed grave crimes against Heaven. The fact that they’re even alive is already the result of the Jade Emperor’s—”
Before he could finish, his eyes darted downward, and he swallowed hard. The Ice-Snow Dragon-Singing Spear was already pressed against his neck.
At the doorway, Nezha gave a sly grin, respectfully exited the hall, and gently closed the door behind him.
Qin Chuan spoke calmly, “Heavenly King Li, considering the Supreme Lord’s exalted status, would he really concern himself with mere lowly demons who haven’t even attained the path of immortality?”
“Heaven cherishes life. Besides, Nezha and I are on friendly terms—I hope Heavenly King won’t make things difficult for me.”
Li Jing swallowed hard. Feeling the spear’s tip press an inch closer to his throat, he quickly nodded, “Please calm your anger, Immortal Lord—I understand!”
BANG!
The grand doors swung open. Nezha looked over and saw Qin Chuan walking out alongside Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, laughing and chatting.
Both men were calm and cheerful, clearly having had a pleasant conversation.
“Farewell, Heavenly King.”
“Safe journey, Immortal Lord.”
Inside the Eight Trigram Furnace, the Six Ding Divine Fire blazed with fierce intensity, strange phenomena swirling within.
The flames were the color of molten gold, leaping and twisting like fire dragons dancing inside the furnace. The sheer heat could melt metal and stone—it burned through anything.
The Monkey King, inside the furnace, was doing his best to maintain the Fire-Avoiding Mantra, but he still felt the searing heat surging around him. Sweat poured from his body like rain. He thought to himself:
This Eight Trigram Furnace of the Supreme Lord really is something. Even my diamond-hard body can barely endure it…
“My spiritual energy is draining too fast. If this keeps up, once the Fire-Avoiding Mantra fails, I’ll be toast. Isn’t there any ventilation in this blasted furnace?”
He looked around in desperation. The furnace walls were sealed tight, not a single gap in sight. His heart raced with anxiety, but he could do nothing.
Suddenly, a massive fireball fell from above. Startled, the Monkey instinctively dodged—and his movement brought him to a strange area where a breeze blew gently.
It was the Xun position—a wind-bearing location in the trigram formation. Here, there was no fire, only fresh wind. The difference from the rest of the blazing furnace was stark.
The Monkey’s eyes lit up. He quickly deactivated his Fire-Avoiding Mantra and collapsed in place to rest.
However, he didn’t realize that the Six Ding Divine Fire was born from the Supreme Lord’s fusion of alchemy and Qimen Dunjia (mystical Taoist divination). The Xun position may lack fire—but it was thick with smoke.
Gusts of wind stirred up the thick smoke, and soon, the Monkey was coughing uncontrollably, eyes red and streaming. He could hardly keep his eyes open.
Though the place was uncomfortable, it consumed far less energy than the flames. Had he stayed in the burning fire, he might’ve perished. So the Monkey endured the smoke and stayed in the Xùn position.
Just then, a green leaf emerged from his chest, glowing softly. The Monkey’s vision went black.
One leaf blinds the eye!
A moment later, a soothing coolness flowed through his eyes. The green leaf covered them, and faint golden lights began to shimmer from within.
In the Alchemy Room, the golden and silver child attendants diligently fanned the flames of the pill furnace. The fire roared wildly, and sweat drenched their foreheads, but they dared not slacken.
Suddenly, Taishang Laojun opened his eyes from meditation. His gaze turned profound—as if piercing space itself to peer into the Eight Trigram Furnace.
After a long pause, he said, “Children, someone sneaky has arrived outside. Go welcome him in. And keep an eye on the palace—don’t let anything go missing!”
The golden and silver boys didn’t dare delay. They immediately got up and hurried out of the alchemy room.
Outside the Palace of Douluo, Qin Chuan straightened his robe, cleared his throat, and called out:
“Junior Qin Chuan respectfully requests an audience with the Supreme Lord of Dao and Virtue, Taishang Laojun!”