Volume One, Chapter Twelve: The Heavenly Ladder, Part One

At this point, Chen Yan frowned slightly.

For some reason, Hua Tuo’s memory had already been severed here, and the last time he appeared was at this very place.

What’s going on? Did he let Hua Tuo return?

Chen Yan pondered as he looked up at the sky, which remained oppressive, the heavy atmosphere intermittently pierced by flashes of lightning.

But there was no time for further thought. The Heavenly Court had already begun to act, meaning his time was running short.

His urgent task was to find the celestial ladder that led to the heavens. Chen Yan was absolutely determined that the battlefield must not reemerge in the mortal realm.

With a sudden movement, his figure appeared before the Heavenly Lake on Mount Changbai.

He had called upon the power of Sun Wukong.

Before him lay a scene of devastation—every plant had been destroyed, and in the pristine white lake stood a broken ladder, as if made of ice and snow.

Surrounding it were countless demons and spirits, howling mournfully towards the sky, as if lamenting the suffering they had endured in pursuit of immortality.

Chen Yan shook his head slightly. Although he had anticipated such a sight, witnessing the shattered celestial ladder and the desperate pleas of the myriad beings still pained him.

When did the heavens become the aspiration of mortals?

When did the sky become something beyond their reach?

If not for the unfolding of his stratagem, would the creatures of the world have fallen into such a state?

As Chen Yan listened to the cries of the demons around him, several voices echoed in his mind:

“Are these guys insane?”

“Old Ox, perhaps you were here before, ha ha ha.”

“Nonsense, stinky monkey, you spit no ivory. Human Emperor, let me step out and reason with them.”

“And I, Old Sun, although the demons here are unfamiliar, my aura should aid you.”

Chen Yan nodded, then took a deep breath and shouted:

“Don’t you feel ashamed?”

The multitude of demons fell silent instantly. Their once pitiful gazes toward the ladder turned sharp and fierce, some filled with resentment.

“It’s you! It’s because of you they severed the ladder!”

“Human Emperor! You truly deserve death!”

“Why must all living beings bear the consequences of your mistakes?”

...

The demons cursed Chen Yan but dared not attack.

They clearly feared the Human Emperor’s identity. After all, as one of the original Three Emperors, his power was indisputable.

Chen Yan sighed as he observed the beings driven mad in their pursuit of divinity.

“The roar shakes the mountain gods with fear, and the imposing actions terrify evil spirits. Known throughout the four seas as the World-Disturbing, the Western Power is called the Demon King, the Bull Demon King!”

“Clad in gleaming golden armor, crowned with a shining helm, wielding a golden cudgel taller than himself, treading on cloud shoes dusted with fragrant powder—Sun Wukong!”

“Bull Demon King, at your command!”

“Old Sun has arrived!”

At that moment, the demons’ expressions changed and they retreated en masse.

They sensed a deadly aura emanating from Chen Yan.

The Human Emperor’s power shimmered like gentle light, forming two distinct figures beside Chen Yan.

As the two appeared, a mighty demonic presence instantly enveloped the entire Heavenly Lake on Mount Changbai.

One was a short figure, no taller than four feet three inches, covered in monkey fur and gripping a dark iron staff taller than himself.

The other was a burly figure wearing a water-polished silver helmet of forged iron, dressed in a magnificent golden armor embroidered with velvet, seated atop a Water-Repelling Golden-Eyed Beast—the Demon King.

With the emergence of the Demon King and the Demon Lord, all the demons fell silent.

Although they had never seen Sun Wukong or the Bull Demon King, their overwhelming aura was enough to command respect.

Sun Wukong wasted no words and spoke directly:

“When did we demons become such pushovers? Do you really think becoming gods grants immortality? Do you truly believe you will gain the power of chaos? Then why don’t those Demon Kings and Lords come here to prove their path?”

“Stinky monkey, enough talk. I give you five seconds to vanish from before us, or your fate will be no different from this ladder!”

The Bull Demon King swung his iron staff, which flew from his hand and struck the ladder with such force that cracks appeared.

This sight changed the demons’ expressions to terror, filling the Heavenly Lake with dread.

They did not know what kind of monster this Bull Demon King was, but they knew the ladder was an unshakable celestial existence, yet this bull-like demon shattered it with a single strike.

“Who… who are you?”

Sun Wukong smirked, his Ruyi Jingu Bang suddenly growing larger as he swept it across the ladder.

“Listen well! Your grandpa’s name is Sun Wukong!”

In the next instant, the ladder crumbled into countless starlike fragments, gently scattering into the lake.

“My… my celestial ladder!!”

“What are you doing?!”

The demons erupted in fury, unable to contain themselves and shouting angrily at Chen Yan and his companions.

Chen Yan merely waved his hand gently, and the reddish-yellow aura of the Human Emperor swiftly spread over the Heavenly Lake.

Countless droplets of this aura fell like rain, cleansing the bodies of the demons.

At this moment, the demons had not yet sensed the change. They continued charging at Chen Yan with murderous intent, their eyes filled with a desire to tear the three apart.

Sun Wukong snorted coldly and surged forward, bringing his golden cudgel down.

The demons before him were instantly pinned, unable to move, sinking into the lake’s water.

He did not strike to kill, only to immobilize.

The Bull Demon King acted with the same restraint.

They beat their foes into near defeat and then withdrew.

This was exactly what Chen Yan desired.

Without the presence of powerful Demon Kings and Lords, within minutes, all demons on the mountain were rendered immobile.

As time passed, the demons lying in the water, grimacing in pain, gradually shifted from anger to astonishment.

Their eyes turned to Chen Yan’s figure reflected on the lake’s surface.

Their stagnant power had suddenly surged.

What was happening?

Having sensed all the demons’ successful ascension, Chen Yan did not linger and vanished immediately.

When the demons emerged, their madness had faded, their violent gazes replaced by shock as they exchanged glances.

“You all succeeded?”

A large, mermaid-like demon spoke:

“Human Emperor, that was… Human Emperor’s aura just now!”

“Just now, the Human Emperor helped us!”

“Is this… the true path of our mortal realm?”

Their eyes then turned toward the sky.

The heavens were shrouded in dark clouds, and because the Heavenly Lake on Mount Changbai lay so close to the sky, the opposition between the demons and the storm clouds seemed like a great battle was about to erupt.

Have all our pursuits been in vain?