Volume One, Chapter 8: The Celestial Maiden, Ba

"It seems that although the Human Emperor is young, he possesses both formidable strength and a meticulous mind. I suppose this must be the influence of King Zhou's soul, is it not?"

Yang Jian's voice drifted from the direction of Guanjiangkou. A moment later, a figure wearing a Three-Mountain Phoenix-Winged Cap and clad in silver armor slowly appeared before Chen Yan.

Observing this righteous figure, Chen Yan nodded with satisfaction—not only in affirmation of Yang Jian, but also of his words. Having inherited the power and memories of King Zhou, his current body no longer belonged entirely to himself; he existed in a state of symbiosis with the Shang ruler. Although he still held the reins of control, his temperament had inevitably been influenced by the King, shedding the immature naivety of his youth.

"Greetings, Erlang Shen, True Lord of Manifested Holiness. I trust all has been well."

Yang Jian bowed slightly, replying, "Yang Jian pays respects to the Human Emperor. May I ask if the Human Emperor is confident in this endeavor?"

"Naturally."

Chen Yan nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips. Behind him, the aura of the Human Emperor surged and churned. Within it, images flickered—now a figure with three heads and six arms, then the true form of Sun Wukong, followed by a myriad of strange and wondrous shapes.

As the manifestations of gods, demons, and monsters shifted behind Chen Yan, the expression on Yang Jian's face grew increasingly peculiar. He sensed that within this swirling aura, there were many entities whose power surpassed his own.

"Does King Zhou know how formidable Heaven truly is?"

"I am well aware. That is why I would never sacrifice my own existence to summon all of you to fight for me." Chen Yan looked at Yang Jian and continued, "I trust the True Lord has already made his decision? Otherwise, you would not have come to my world."

Yang Jian nodded slowly but said, "Although my decision is made, I still wish to witness the power of the Human Emperor. I hope you will grant me this request."

"That is only natural."

Chen Yan took his stance. Gold light flashed in his eyes, and the aura in his hands manifested into an intangible golden staff. In that instant, he seemed to transform into the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.

Yang Jian was momentarily stunned and assumed his own combat stance. He had not expected the Human Emperor to use Sun Wukong’s power against him. He knew that even at his peak, Sun Wukong was no match for him, let alone Chen Yan, who had only inherited a portion of that strength.

Yet, the next moment, his eyes filled with shock.

Without hesitation, Chen Yan struck down with the staff. Yang Jian raised his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear to block, expecting to parry the blow with ease. But the moment the spear met the staff, the ease vanished from his eyes, replaced by intense gravity.

Veins bulged on his arms; the immense force transmitted through the golden staff made even his full strength struggle to hold back the blow.

*What is happening?!*

Yang Jian was alarmed. He exerted all his power to deflect the staff and retreated several paces, desperate for a moment to catch his breath.

Chen Yan, however, gave him no such chance. As the staff was deflected, the aura in his hand instantly transformed into a golden ring that flew toward Yang Jian.

Startled while still retreating, Yang Jian instinctively raised his spear to shield himself, but the golden ring expanded, forcibly trapping his body within it.

*The Diamond Bracelet?*

Only now did Yang Jian recognize the object, but it was too late. Chen Yan extended his right hand, and a massive axe appeared. Others might not recognize it, but Yang Jian knew it all too well. It was not an ordinary axe; it was the Divine Axe of Xuanhua, used by Chenxiang to split the mountain.

Chen Yan brought the axe down in a crushing strike, but the expected impact never came. The Diamond Bracelet was empty, and the artifact itself shattered into pieces.

Seeing this, Chen Yan smiled slightly. "It seems this item, capable of only half its true power, cannot contain the True Lord."

The Divine Axe dissipated. Behind Chen Yan, his aura shifted again, manifesting into a two-headed, four-armed entity holding the Universe Ring, the Red Armillary Sash, and the Fire-Tipped Spear.

Yang Jian looked at Chen Yan with curiosity. "This art of transformation is quite interesting. Your power allows you to replicate the abilities of everyone you have absorbed, does it not?"

Chen Yan did not deny it. He stepped onto the Wind-Fire Wheels and charged at Yang Jian, the Fire-Tipped Spear dancing in his hands.

The spear thrust toward Yang Jian. Yang Jian did not retreat; he met the attack with his spear. A deafening hum erupted as the two weapons collided.

Yang Jian’s face grew grave. Based on the strength of the Diamond Bracelet, he had assumed the Human Emperor only possessed half the power of those he replicated. Yet, this Fire-Tipped Spear—emulating the power of Nezha—forced him to resist with everything he had. Was this the result of the Human Emperor's empowerment?

With a roar, Yang Jian closed his eyes, and his third eye snapped open. A beam of white light shot out. Now, the True Lord seemed like a different person; with a slight exertion of his spear-wielding hand, he forced Chen Yan’s attack back.

"The third eye? I believe I have one as well."

Chen Yan formed a hand seal, pressing his index and middle fingers to his brow and sweeping them across. A crimson, fiery eye appeared on his forehead.

Yang Jian was puzzled. The only person he knew with a heavenly eye was Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, but that eye was used to distinguish loyalty from treachery and lacked offensive power. This fiery eye of Chen Yan's was something else entirely.

Before Yang Jian could strike, Chen Yan’s fiery eye opened slightly. In an instant, Yang Jian felt as if he were submerged in a sea of flames.

He was stunned. Since achieving sainthood in the flesh, Yang Jian had never felt heat, not even when facing the Golden Crows. Yet, the mere opening of this eye caused him searing pain.

"I have lost."

Yang Jian slowly opened his eyes, drenched in sweat. He knew that with the appearance of the fiery eye, he had no strength left to fight.

Chen Yan looked at him and smiled, withdrawing his power before Yang Jian could even speak. "You must be curious about the origin of this fiery eye."

With a wave, his aura manifested into a slender female figure on the ground. Chen Yan introduced her: "There was a maiden in green, known as Nü Ba, daughter of the Yellow Emperor."

The figure solidified and bowed to Yang Jian. "Nü Ba, the Heavenly Maiden, greets the True Lord."

Yang Jian’s gaze grew dazed. He had not expected even the daughter of the Yellow Emperor to participate in this battle.

Nü Ba seemed to perceive his doubt. "Due to the nature of the Human Emperor's destiny, the Emperors of the past cannot manifest in battle themselves, but we, their descendants, are able to assist. My little fiery eye merely happened to counter the True Lord's heavenly eye."

With that, she dissipated before Yang Jian could react, leaving him standing there in a daze. Though she spoke modestly, he could sense the immense depth of her power. He muttered to himself, "Is this the power of the former Human Emperors? Truly, they were beings who stood alongside Heaven and Earth."

Chen Yan watched him and laughed. "Now, True Lord, do you recognize my strength?"

"Naturally. Having witnessed your power, I believe this battle is not unwinnable. For the sake of my mother, I voluntarily sign this pact with the Human Emperor."

As he spoke, a beam of white light shot from the pupil of Yang Jian's third eye into Chen Yan’s forehead.

A moment later, Yang Jian vanished, and a flood of his memories poured into Chen Yan’s mind.

When the white light faded, Chen Yan stood motionless, an imperceptible smile touching his lips. He murmured, "The Heavenly Court truly has some clever schemes."