Chapter 27: Senior Brother

"Impudent monkey." The Demon Hand Patriarch glanced at him, not taking this花果山 demon king seriously at all, but still temporarily stopped dealing with Ji Ning and waved his hand to finish off the monkey king.

The Demon Hand Patriarch stood in midair, one hand clashing with the distant Buddha Tathagata, while the other hand directly slapped toward the monkey king.

"Thud."

A low sound.

It was the sound of the golden staff colliding with the crystalline white palm. The Demon Hand Patriarch's hand actually stopped, halted by the staff's blow.

"Hmm?" The Demon Hand Patriarch's expression changed as he stared at the distant monkey king.

"My junior brother has such strength in just a few hundred years. Could it be that old Sun, from the ancient cataclysm to now, hasn't made any progress?" The monkey king stepped through the void, rapidly closing in, holding a long staff with overwhelming battle intent.

...

"That monkey also has such strength. It seems that not only our Voidgate has hidden some strength, but the Nuwa camp has also concealed quite a bit." The Lord of All Demons sighed inwardly.

After all, it had been far too long since the ancient cataclysm, more than half a chaos cycle.

In such a long time, it was quite possible for an ordinary-looking True God or Daofather to suddenly erupt with strength rivaling top-tier Daofathers, or even leader-level power. Until the moment of life and death, the hidden cards of both camps were unclear, and these unclear cards were the most dangerous.

Because in the final battle, a careless moment when some great power suddenly erupted could affect the outcome.

Thus, both sides concealed their strength.

Even in this engagement, they only sent forces already known to each other.

"Back then, although that monkey was valued by Nuwa, he was only at the top-tier Daofather level. Now he's close to leader-level." The Lord of All Demons thought secretly.

The Flowerfruit Mountain demon king, Sun Wukong, had always had the shadow of Nuwa behind him as he grew.

He was the only one born from the divine stone that mended the heavens; how could Nuwa not care?

Obtaining treasures in the Dragon Palace, apprenticing to Bodhi, training in Buddhism, and finally Nuwa personally appearing to instruct him—it could be said that Nuwa had nurtured this monkey most diligently. During the ancient cataclysm, Voidgate was very cautious of this monkey, fearing how terrifying his strength might be. But what was the result? Although the monkey was skilled in battle and had many treasures, his comprehension of the Dao was poor, barely managing to match top-tier Daofathers.

Now, over half a chaos cycle later,

the monkey king had long undergone a transformation, which was why Bodhi had summoned him.

Bodhi had summoned his three major disciples—the eldest, Woodcutter; the second, Jidian; and the sixth, Sun Wukong. In fact, Bodhi also had a twelfth disciple who was a Daofather, but that disciple was only an ordinary Daofather and couldn't interfere in battles of this level, so Bodhi hadn't summoned him.

...

"This monkey is quite troublesome." The Demon Hand Patriarch gritted his teeth as he attacked. "Nuwa must have helped this monkey before she left the Three Realms."

Although she was skilled in offense,

she was not the Huanmu Master. The Huanmu Master could simultaneously hold off multiple leader-level existences, while she excelled in attack, not in containment. With some effort, she could kill the monkey, but that would take time, and time was precious now. The longer it took, the more great powers would arrive.

The target this time was Ji Ning!

The monkey was formidable, but he was already a True God Daofather and couldn't participate in the struggle for fortune. Ji Ning, though a Celestial Immortal True God, could unleash such monstrous power, especially with the Myriad Things Emissary, reaching near leader-level. Such a freak must not be allowed to live.

"Darklight, Shadowless, you two block this monkey. I'll deal with Ji Ning." The Demon Hand Patriarch sent a telepathic message, unwilling to be distracted by the monkey.

"Yes."

Darklight Swordmaster, who had been high in the sky, immediately shifted his thoughts. The black, flowing sword light he controlled turned and shot straight toward the distant monkey king, who had no choice but to block the sword light. No one dared to be careless with Darklight Swordmaster's 'sword.'

Whoosh.

Shadowless Daofather also quickly retreated and attacked the distant monkey king.

"Ji Ning, die." The Demon Hand Patriarch, one hand still clashing with Buddha Tathagata, sent her other pale hand through the void, crossing hundreds of thousands of zhang, directly striking at Ji Ning.

"Demon Hand Patriarch." Ji Ning felt suffocated at the sight of this palm.

If he had relied on the Rahu Formation, he would have been destroyed instantly.

But with the Myriad Things Emissary, his strength was much greater, equivalent to ten Rahu Formations, giving him a chance to resist.

"Mind-Only Style."

Ji Ning held his twin swords and executed his strongest single-target defense technique. A black hole of sword light appeared before him. When the terrifying pale hand struck, it was blocked by the black hole. The Demon Hand Patriarch clearly sensed her hand being affected by layers of strange forces, which frantically dissipated her attack power.

"Hmm?" The Demon Hand Patriarch frowned. "Plucking Leaves."

Her pale hand executed another, more exquisite and terrifying palm technique. Her index, middle, and thumb came together as if to pluck a leaf.

"Crack."

Her five fingers danced like a melody, penetrating Ji Ning's black hole of sword light. With a sound, the black hole vanished, and her fingers pinched Ji Ning's Northmoon Sword.

"How is this possible?" Ji Ning found it hard to believe and felt a chill at her claw. The Demon Hand Patriarch's claw was so 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous,' a technique so complex and profound that one couldn't help but be captivated. Its complexity and profundity surpassed even Ji Ning's swordsmanship, directly breaking his sword technique.

Perhaps in swordsmanship, Ji Ning was number one in the Three Realms.

But in palm techniques, the Demon Hand Patriarch was number one, and even Buddha Tathagata, also skilled in palms, was slightly inferior.

"Whoosh."

The Demon Hand Patriarch's pale hand executed techniques like Plucking Leaves, Breaking Flowers, or Withering—names that sounded elegant, and her movements were beautiful, but their power made Ji Ning despair. He held a divine sword in each hand. One sword was caught, and after just twelve moves, Ji Ning was struck on the waist by a palm and involuntarily fell.

"Bind." A先天 spirit-treasure rope suddenly appeared in the Demon Hand Patriarch's hand and quickly bound the Myriad Things Emissary.

Inside the Myriad Things Emissary, Ji Ning felt only unwillingness and powerlessness. Although he had fought desperately, compared to this demon among demons, who during the ancient cataclysm could fight Nuwa one-on-one in offense, he was still lacking. With just one hand and after only a dozen moves, she had captured him.

"If I could reach the fifth level of sword force, with more profound sword techniques and speed beyond the Heavenly Dao's limit, perhaps the Demon Hand Patriarch wouldn't have captured me." Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

...

To capture Ji Ning as quickly as possible, the Demon Hand Patriarch naturally held nothing back. With one hand, she executed over a dozen dazzling palm techniques, shocking the other great powers present: "The Demon Hand Patriarch has indeed improved since the ancient cataclysm."

Ji Ning was captured.

Although unwilling, Ji Ning had nothing to say. He had been too careless, and his strength was indeed insufficient. Fortunately, he still had his clones, so even if he died, he could make a comeback. But he regretted losing treasures like the 'Nine-Angled Electric Serpent' and 'Northmoon Sword.'

"Demon Hand Patriarch, please release my junior brother." A cheerful voice sounded. A gaunt old man in tattered clothes emerged from a spatial vortex. He reached out a large hand glowing with golden light—the Buddhist Golden Body technique—and tried to block the Demon Hand Patriarch.

"You crazy monk also dares to block me?" The Demon Hand Patriarch's huge hand, extended hundreds of thousands of zhang, directly grabbed the Myriad Things Emissary, ignoring Jidian's attack.

"Clang."

The pale hand collided with the golden, chicken-claw-like hand.

Jidian's expression changed.

The Demon Hand Patriarch smiled lightly, but then her expression turned ugly. She stared incredulously at the figure that appeared in midair. From another spatial vortex stepped a woodcutter in straw sandals and cloth clothes, carrying an axe on his shoulder. He had arrived at the same time as Jidian.

Jidian acted first and failed.

Only when the woodcutter swung his axe did the Demon Hand Patriarch's expression turn ugly.

"No." The Demon Hand Patriarch even voluntarily put down Ji Ning, her pale hand directly intercepting the axe.

"Sever."

The woodcutter said indifferently.

Whoosh.

The axe seemed ordinary, but the Demon Hand Patriarch's exquisite palm technique failed to block it. The blade flashed past and struck her arm. "Pfft." Her arm was severed on the spot.

"Whoosh." After severing the pale arm, the axe-blade streak, faster than light, shot straight toward Darklight Swordmaster, who was manipulating his magic treasure.

"Flee." Darklight Swordmaster hadn't expected disaster to fall from the sky. Although he had noticed the woodcutter, he trusted the Demon Hand Patriarch's strength. He never imagined that the axe, after cutting off her arm, would come straight at him. The speed of that axe was even more terrifying than Ji Ning's sword.

He wanted to flee.

But how could he escape that terrifying axe?

"Pfft."

Darklight Swordmaster's body was cleaved in two by the axe. His soul and golden core were annihilated. The two halves of his corpse fell from the sky, blood scattering in the air. A Daofather who had reached the fifth level of sword force and excelled in assassination... had fallen.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Lord Sanqing, Buddha Tathagata, Suirenshi, and Huanmu Master all stopped.

Everyone's gaze turned to the woodcutter standing there with his axe. He looked ordinary, dressed simply, but that ordinary axe strike had shaken the leader-level great powers present. Long ago, a similar existence had shaken them.

That was Houyi's arrow!

And today, this woodcutter's axe also filled them with awe.

"Junior brother." Jidian had rescued the Myriad Things Emissary.

The Demon Hand Patriarch withdrew her magic treasure and re-formed her arm. She stared fixedly at the woodcutter, no longer looking at Ji Ning, no longer thinking of capturing him.

"Houyi, is that you?" The Demon Hand Patriarch's voice was crisp and pleasant.

"It's me."

The woodcutter said calmly.

The sky above the imperial palace was silent. After a brief stillness, boom, boom, boom!!! The sky above the palace shattered repeatedly as great powers descended—other arriving powers from the Nuwa camp, such as Thunder God天尊, Carefree天尊, Amitabha Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha.

The battle was described slowly,

but it happened very quickly. From Ji Ning's death, his second avatar using the Myriad Things Emissary, to his capture, and Jidian and the woodcutter's intervention... it was all very brief.

In that short time, the great powers on the battlefield no longer cared about Ji Ning but about the woodcutter.

"Thank you for your trouble all these years, Master." The woodcutter looked at Bodhi.

"Haha, having Houyi as a disciple—I'm sure Sanqing, Tathagata, and the others would all vie for the chance." Bodhi chuckled. "Good, you've finally come out. I thought you weren't going to show up this time."

"My junior brother was about to be killed. When else would I come out?" The woodcutter looked at the wary Demon Hand Patriarch and Huanmu Master. "I think it's time for us to have a proper talk with your Voidgate."

"It is time to talk."

A figure in a red robe with green hair appeared in midair.

"Windfiend." The woodcutter looked at the red-robed, green-haired figure.

Now, a large group of great powers had gathered above the imperial palace, but they only quietly sent telepathic messages, not daring to speak aloud.

Below, Ji Ning, inside the Myriad Things Emissary, looked up at the woodcutter in the sky, his heart shaken: "Senior Brother? Woodcutter? Houyi?"