Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 637 - 631: Beheading Li Jing [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

Siti was somewhat stupefied. She simply couldn't understand what Sha Chen meant by his words. Could a single Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King really destabilize the entire Heavenly Court? It just seemed too much credit for the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King and too little for the Heavenly Court.

Sha Chen seemed to see her disbelief and explained with a smile, "The Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King is, after all, a great marshal of the Heavenly Court. He's usually trusted by the Jade Emperor. Whenever there's a need to suppress demons and subdue evil, he's often the one sent out. Indeed, he has almost become a symbol of the Heavenly Court."

"But now he's implicated because of Nezha's incident and is to be executed. If he really dies, the Heavenly Court would lose its moral foundation."

"If he's rescued, the Heavenly Court equally loses its standing. Furthermore, if we rescue him, it would cause panic among some members of the Heavenly Court and suspicion from the Jade Emperor. To protect themselves, they would start to distance themselves from the Jade Emperor."

Siti, being exceptionally intelligent and having lived for countless years, had seen a lot. She instantly grasped the meaning behind Sha Chen's words, her face showing sudden realization.

Siti said, "That is to say, the Jade Emperor is in a predicament regarding the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King. It's a blunder either way. Whether he kills him or not, it will cause disunity among his ministers."

Sha Chen said, "That's one way to put it. If he kills Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing, he'll alienate his meritorious subjects and diminish his standing in the Three Realms."

"If he doesn't kill Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing, it will slightly damage his face but won't do any substantial harm. However, if he fails to kill Li Jing and we rescue him instead, not only will he lose all dignity, but he'll also lose all credibility."

Siti nodded and said, "In that case, the only option left for the Jade Emperor to minimize losses is to release Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing now."

Sha Chen laughed heartily again. "Although that would be a good solution, it's also the most difficult to achieve. I once followed the Jade Emperor for a time and got to know him. He's a man who highly values face."

"The face of an emperor is beyond anyone's imagination. Some would even harm the interests of their entire country for it, risking their nation and their lives."

"While the Jade Emperor isn't quite there yet, he is also very prideful. Getting him to let go of his pride and simply release the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King is quite unlikely."

Siti said, "So you're saying he can only stubbornly hold his ground to the end."

Sha Chen said, "That's a possibility, but a greater likelihood is that he will use this incident to lay a trap and catch all those who attempt a prison break in one fell swoop, thereby maximizing his benefits."

In the end, there might still be an ambush, meaning Nezha and his party could very well run into trouble.

Siti's expression changed. She seemed incredulous and utterly shocked. "If that's the case, why let them go? Isn't that sending them to their deaths?"

Sha Chen said, "I've said before, this is the path they have chosen for themselves."

Then he spoke no more but took out the resources Lady Di Yong had brought back and continued his cultivation. These resources weren't enough for a prolonged cultivation period, but they were better than nothing. Most of his time, however, was spent delving into spatial power. As soon as his spatial power reached the Great Perfection Realm, his strength would surpass that of Saint Zhunti.

「At this very moment.」

Nezha and his group had already arrived at the Heavenly Court and started gathering information. They found that Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing was not to be immediately executed. Instead, he was detained in the Heavenly Prison, awaiting his fate.

Nezha, with the Six-Eared Macaque by his side, remained calm and did not impulsively storm the Heavenly Prison. They decided to wait for an opportunity, hoping the Jade Emperor might show mercy and release the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King.

However, despite their waiting, the Jade Emperor still showed no intention of releasing Li Jing. The Six-Eared Macaque had already sensed the approach of Golden Winged Dapeng and others, and heard Red Boy secretly calling his name. Therefore, he led Nezha to rendezvous with them, finding a place to hide within the Heavenly Court while they waited for the right moment to act.

About half a month passed. The Jade Emperor finally issued a decree to execute the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King. Li Jing was bound on the Immortal Slaying Stage, with Wei Zheng ready to carry out the execution.

Wei Zheng, who had not long ago executed the Jinghe Dragon King, was already skilled in this task. However, he also knew that this Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King, Li Jing, was different from the Jinghe Dragon King before. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The current Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King had a formidable reputation among Gods, Humans, and Demons. He was only being executed because his son helped a demon, and the Jade Emperor, in his wrath, had ordered Li Jing's execution. Yet, Li Jing himself had not assisted any demons. In fact, to avoid suspicion, he had stepped back from leading troops into battle and had spent these years in a state of idleness. Despite this, the Jade Emperor still wanted him executed—a punishment that could be described as being meted out without prior warning or teaching.

But the Jade Emperor's commands couldn't be disobeyed. Wei Zheng, representing mortals in the execution of an Immortal, could only comply.

On the Immortal Slaying Stage, Li Jing knelt while Wei Zheng stood by, sword in hand, silent. Jiang Ziya was tasked with supervising the execution of Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li Jing. Many spectators gathered, most of them Li Jing's colleagues and friends from over the years.

Yin Shi Niang and Fairy Yunlou also arrived. They were Li Jing's wife and daughter. During this period, they had run themselves ragged, seeking help wherever they could, but to no avail. The Jade Emperor was adamant about executing Li Jing. They could only wash their faces with tears, unable to change a thing. Now, they had to witness Li Jing's beheading by Wei Zheng, powerless to intervene.

The Jade Emperor did not appear. Jiang Ziya, feeling the time was right, threw out the execution order. Wei Zheng picked up the token and, without a word, raised his sword to carry out the deed.

Just then, a loud shout rang out, "How dare a mere mortal execute my father! Take this from my spear!"

It was Crown Prince Nezha on his Wind Fire Wheels, flying in from afar. His Flame-Tipped Spear lunged from a great distance.

A beam of red light swiftly flew past and fatally pierced Wei Zheng.

Simultaneously, in the mortal realm, Wei Zheng, who had achieved a very high position, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes dimmed, and his physical condition plummeted rapidly.

King Tang, Li Shimin, even personally paid him a visit. However, Wei Zheng could not express his suffering. Moreover, his divine spirit in the Heavenly Court had been scattered and his divine position shattered, so he no longer remembered anything about the Heavenly Court.

When the spectators saw Nezha arrive to rescue Li Jing, they became tense, their expressions changing drastically.

Li Jing, kneeling on the Immortal Slaying Stage, shouted, "Nezha, what are you doing here? I don't need your rescue! Leave at once!"

Nezha, however, remained silent and flew onto the Immortal Slaying Stage, preparing to remove Li Jing's shackles.

Jiang Ziya shouted, "Quickly, set up the Net of Heaven and Earth! Do not let the father and son escape!"