Yang Jian looked at the unruly Sun Wukong and immediately released his Howling Celestial Dog. As the saying goes, when a man ascends, his dog follows. The Howling Celestial Dog, as Yang Jian's pet, was no ordinary dog; it had a legitimate position. The gods that Sun Wukong had dealt with before had never lived as comfortably as it did.

As the leader among dogs, his greatest advantage, apart from his formidable combat power, was his loyalty. Not to mention biting Sun Wukong, Yang Jian dared to claim that it would even bite the Jade Emperor if he ordered it!

Sun Wukong, who was initially aggressive and ready to fight Yang Jian, suddenly made a sharp turn and ran away upon seeing the Howling Celestial Dog. There was no help for it, this mad dog was truly reckless when it came to biting!

Having been chased by the dog for quite some time, Yang Jian, seeing that Sun Wukong's spirit had been dampened, called back his Howling Celestial Dog. The two then faced off again, one brandishing the Ruyi Jingu Bang and the other wielding the Three-pointed Two-edged Blade, beginning the second round to compete in martial arts.

Their combat prowess was superior to that of ordinary immortals; their fight involved more of an exchange of martial skills. Yang Jian's cultivation was higher, but he was considerate, and Sun Wukong's Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill was also truly formidable. After comparing their martial arts, they compared their divine skills — overall, what they were testing was their comprehensive combat qualities.

A group of people in the heavens watched through the Hao Tian Mirror, thoroughly entertained. People like them had long passed the stage of comparing martial skills in battle, as their fights involved the clash of Great Dao principles, lacking any entertainment value.

Without his dog, Yang Jian still held the upper hand in terms of combat intelligence and experience, yet did not have a means for a quick victory, leading to a stalemate for the moment.

At this point, the Lord stepped forward again, having no choice. Upon his return, Jin Jiao and Silver Horn had come complaining that the monkey had kicked their little pots and begged the Lord to stand up for them.

How fond was the Lord of these two children?

He pulled out a Vajra Ring from his sleeve, saying, "This demon monkey's mana is powerful. I doubt he can be subdued quickly, so why don't I lend a hand?"

Off to the side, Guanyin's eyelid twitched in surprise. Hold on, didn't we already agree to settle the accounts for you, so why are you stepping in now? A single misstep and you might end up seriously harming the monkey.

Having watched over the Divine Stone for many years, she had developed deep feelings for the monkey, and after performing a ritual, she quickly tugged at the still-pretending-to-be-deep Nezha.

Nezha also knew the whole story, shaking his head at Guanyin to indicate there was no need to intervene. The monkey's own mischief — did he really think it was easy to kick the Saint's little pots?

Guanyin, though worried, managed to remain calm after seeing Nezha's gesture.

Nezha and Guanyin hadn't drawn swords, so no one else voiced an opinion. On the contrary, getting a chance to see the Lord in action made the trip worthwhile. The Lord, seeing no opposition, cheerfully tossed the Vajra Ring in his hand, which instantly crossed spatial boundaries, aiming right for Sun Wukong's head.

With a crisp clang, the monkey's vision went dark, but we could say it was good luck that he had a hard head.

Yang Jian stepped forward to check and found the monkey merely fainted, which eased his mind. Then he ordered his men to bind Sun Wukong with a demon-binding rope and haul him back to the Heavenly Court.

With his mana bound, Sun Wukong was taken straight to the Immortal Slaying Stage, but survived unscathed despite being chopped, cleaved, and shot with arrows, as well as struck by lightning, burned by fire, and blown by wind.

Sun Wukong was unsure whether he could endure, but after withstanding a round, he realized that the skills taught by Master Puti were truly effective, making the monkey even more arrogant.

"Hahaha, you minor gods can only use underhanded tricks to plot against me. If you have the balls, release me so we can fight again!"

The immortals of the Heavenly Court once again acknowledged Sun Wukong's abilities. The Jade Emperor looked around, implying what the next step should be — they couldn't very well have him personally kill the monkey, right?

The Lord, still watching the spectacle in the crowd, took the monkey's mention of "sneak attack" as a prompt. Thinking of the grumbling Jin Jiao and Silver Horn back in the Doushuai Temple, he came up with an idea.

"Your Majesty, since this demon monkey stole Immortal Pills, I suggest handing him over to me to refine in my furnace to at least recover some losses."

Guanyin: ...

She's figured it out. Why is Sun Wukong always at odds with the Lord, and now he's going to be thrown into the furnace? It's easy to get in, but is it possible to come out?

About to speak, Nezha preemptively guessed her intention and grabbed her hand. The monkey had stolen treasures from the Dragon Palace, erased names in the underworld, wrecked the Immortal Peach Orchard, trashed the Turquoise Pool Festival, and even formed a group on Huaguo Mountain. True, there were forces behind these acts, but it was undeniable that the monkey had indeed become corrupted.

Compressing emotions slightly now would allow for greater outbursts later, which would eventually awaken the demon within his heart.

From the moment Sun Wukong was born until now, everything about him seemed perfectly normal, which in itself was the greatest abnormality.

A heart demon is like a cancerous tumor within a person; if left unchecked, it will only grow larger. It's only by needling and provoking it occasionally that larger troubles are averted.

Just like how Nezha likes to discuss life with Old Luo from the Destroying Immortal Sword when he has nothing to do. If not for dealing with the heart demon, who would spend their time teasing an old man every day?

Although teasing the old man is quite enjoyable.

Sun Wukong ultimately couldn't avoid a trip through the Furnace of Eight Trigrams. The Jade Emperor ordered a few powerful warriors to carry Sun Wukong back to the Doushuai Temple. Jin Jiao and Silver Horn were overjoyed to see the monkey being brought back!

The Lord, however, was indeed careful and did not put Sun Wukong into his own furnace. Instead, he chose a replica Nezha had made, which had much less power. If the monkey was clever enough, he might still come out alive. If it were the Lord's own furnace, even a Daluo Immortal would be reduced to ashes.

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