Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 632 - 626: Questioning and Beheading Li Jing [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

The Jade Emperor was roaring furiously, his voice harsh and exhausted from rage.

"You useless lot! After five or six years, you still couldn't capture a mere demon cave, and in the end, your entire army was annihilated. Annihilation alone would have been one thing, but you even allowed hundreds, even thousands, of divine generals to be captured by the demons."

"Given that, how could you have the face to return here? Why did you not choose to die in battle?"

In front of Lingxiao Palace, a vast crowd kneeled!

Only Zhao Gongming, Fuzheng God, Li Changgeng, and a few others stood before the steps, but they too hung their heads in shame, unable to meet the Jade Emperor's gaze.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor's rage was uncontrollable, and he spared none of them from his wrath, unleashing a torrent of insults regardless of their high status.

However, Zhao Gongming and Bo Jian were Quasi-Sage Peaks, after all; their status and strength were vastly different from that of an ordinary person. A few accusations might have been tolerable, but pointing fingers and cursing at them was already excessive. They endured it only because they felt they were at fault. If they had turned against him and left on the spot, the Jade Emperor would have been helpless; he might even have lost face completely.

Clearly, Zhao Gongming and the others, having joined the Heavenly Court, did not wish to leave easily. Besides, they had indeed made a grave error and suffered a crushing defeat, causing the Heavenly Court to lose many soldiers and generals and have its army annihilated. Thus, they could only endure the Jade Emperor's anger.

The ministers trembled with fear, not daring to utter a word to intercede.

The Jade Emperor, however, lashed out indiscriminately, specifically dragging Li Jing into his tirade and scolding him vehemently.

"Your son is rebelling, colluding with those demons, killing my subordinates! What do you have to say about this?"

"I long ago told you to persuade Nezha to return. What have you done? And what has *he* done?"

"Now your son has killed a million of my celestial soldiers and generals, and he's gladly socializing with those demons, calling them brothers! Yet, you are in Yunlou Palace within the Heavenly Court, living it up! How can I ever trust you again?"

Li Jing knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, this subject has failed in his duties as a father. Please mete out my punishment."

"Aside from that line, what else can you say?" The Jade Emperor was seething, roaring, "Punishment, punishment! Alright, since you speak of punishment, then I shall punish you!"

"Guards!"

"Take Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing out and behead him!"

Everyone was aghast; the courtiers were incredibly astonished and deeply fearful. They hastily pleaded for mercy. But those who had enough clout to make a difference had been defeated in battle and simply could not find the words to speak. And the Jade Emperor was in a towering rage, presumably genuinely suspecting the loyalty of the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King's family. Ignoring everyone's pleas, he ordered Li Jing to be dragged out directly.

Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing did not struggle, nor did he beg for mercy. He just despondently allowed the four great marshals of Lingxiao Palace to drag him away.

However, executing Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing wouldn't be so simple. Firstly, his identity had to be clearly confirmed. Secondly, his crimes had to be publicly declared to all under Heaven. This process would take some time.

By the time Nezha received the news, three days had already passed. He was on his way to Flowing Sand River, accompanied by Lady Di Yong and the Six-Eared Macaque. The three of them had not known each other previously. However, during the battle at the demon cave, their allegiances were so blatantly obvious that they each became aware of the others' identities, though it remained an unspoken understanding. Consequently, after the battle at the demon cave, they came together. After each simply probed the others, they revealed their identities and recognized that they were all followers of Sha Chen. Among them, Nezha and the Six-Eared Macaque were disciples of Sha Chen, while Lady Di Yong was Sha Chen's maidservant; none of them held lofty positions.

As for the Jade Rabbit, she continued to adventure through the Three Realms and Six Paths with the Phoenix sisters, choosing not to return to Flowing Sand River.

"I must rescue my father!" Nezha halted, his teeth clenched, ready to ascend to the heavens.

The Six-Eared Macaque said, "Your illustrious father's contributions and reputation are well-known. The Jade Emperor cannot simply execute him on a whim."

"It's possible this is a trap, set to ensnare you and then capture you all at once."

Lady Di Yong also nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Third Crown Prince. Your father is a significant figure for the Heavenly Court. Moreover, he did not personally lead the attack on the demon cave. He is innocent, and the Jade Emperor is not likely to sentence him to death."

Lady Di Yong had once been hunted by Li Jing and his son, with Nezha being the most ferocious pursuer. But now, aware of each other's identities, they had put the past behind them, even addressing each other as brother and sister.

Nezha shook his head. "You don't understand. The Jade Emperor's decision not to involve my father in the assault on the demon cave is a sign of his distrust."

"This time, Zhao Gongming was defeated, and he is the Heavenly Court's foremost expert. The Jade Emperor cannot punish him, so he directs his wrath toward my father instead."

"This execution might indeed be a trap to lure me out, but it could also be real. If I don't go to save him, he could very well be beheaded."

The Six-Eared Macaque and Lady Di Yong exchanged glances, evidently contemplating the truth of the matter. However, even with their wisdom, they could not determine the reality of the situation. But Nezha was convinced that the Jade Emperor, because of him, had displaced his anger onto Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing and truly desired to execute him.

Nezha said, "You two go back first and convey my regards to our Master. If I do not return this time, you must take good care of him for me. I will never forget the mentorship he has extended to me."

The Six-Eared Macaque and Lady Di Yong frowned, unsure of what to do.

Eventually, the Six-Eared Macaque spoke up. "Going alone puts you at too great a disadvantage. I will accompany you. Moreover, with my Divine Power to listen across the six realms, I can anticipate some dangers in advance, which might be of some help."

Then, without giving Nezha a chance to object, he continued, "Lady Di Yong, please return to Flowing Sand River and inform Master about what has happened here. We will return safely."

He refrained from asking Lady Di Yong to call for reinforcements, knowing that Sha Chen was unlikely to leave Flowing Sand River easily. Moreover, he intentionally spoke of returning alive to put Sha Chen at ease.

In the end, the three did as the Six-Eared Macaque suggested. The Six-Eared Macaque and Nezha began their ascent to the heavens. Lady Di Yong, on the other hand, continued back to Flowing Sand River. However, she had already decided that she would still inform Sha Chen of the situation and petition for his assistance.

As for the Six-Eared Macaque and Nezha, after ascending to the heavens, they didn't plan to attempt an immediate rescue. Instead, they intended to first understand the truth behind the situation and then devise a detailed rescue plan.

「Flowing Sand River.」

Just two days and nights later, Lady Di Yong had returned from overseas and was calling at the gate of the government office.

"Master, open the door quickly! It's an emergency of the utmost urgency! The Jade Emperor wants to execute Third Crown Prince Nezha's father, Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing!"