The True Lord thought to himself: The Patriarch's words were indeed correct. He then said, "Angel, please return; I shall go and draw my sword to assist you." The Ghost King replied, but that is another story.

The True Lord then summoned the six brothers of Meishan, namely the four Grand Marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li, and the two Generals Guo Shen and Zhijian, and gathered them in front of the hall, saying: "Just now, the Jade Emperor dispatched us to Huaguo Mountain to subdue the demon monkey. Let's go together."

All the brothers were delighted to go. They immediately mustered their divine soldiers, rode hawks and led hounds, nocked crossbows and drew bows, and rode the whirlwind, crossing the Eastern Ocean in an instant, arriving directly at Flower Fruit Mountain. Seeing the Heavenly Net, so dense and layered that they could not advance, they shouted: "Listen up, divine generals of the Heavenly Net: I am Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Manifestation, sent by the Jade Emperor to capture the demon monkey. Quickly open the gates and let us pass."

In an instant, the gods arrived one by one, and the Four Heavenly Kings and Li Tianwang came out of the gate to greet them. After the greetings, they inquired about the outcome of the battle. The Heavenly Kings recounted the events described above, and Zhenjun laughed, "Since you have come here, I must fight him in a contest of transformations. You gentlemen, prepare the Heavenly Net and Earthly Net, but do not cover the top; just make sure the four sides are tight so I can fight. If I lose to him, you gentlemen need not help me; I have my brothers to support me. If I win, you gentlemen need not bind me either; my brothers will take care of it. I only ask that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King use his Demon-Revealing Mirror to stand in the air. I fear that if he is defeated and flees elsewhere, you must make sure he is clearly seen and not escaped." The Heavenly Kings each took their positions in the four cardinal directions, and the heavenly soldiers lined up in their respective formations and departed.

This True Lord, leading four Grand Marshals, two Generals, and his seven brothers, went out of the camp to challenge the enemy. He instructed his generals to guard the camp closely and to gather all the hawks and hounds. The grass-root gods obeyed his orders. The True Lord went to the outside of the Water Curtain Cave and saw a group of monkeys, neatly arranged in a coiled dragon formation; in the center of the army, there was a flag with the four characters "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" written on it.

Yang Jian shook his head slightly after reading it, thinking to himself: This monkey is indeed unfit to be a son of man; he is utterly ignorant. He then shouted, "How can that wicked demon be worthy of the title of Equal to Heaven?"

Meishan's sixth brother said, "Stop praising him, let's go fight." The little monkey at the camp saw the True Lord and hurriedly went to inform him. The Monkey King immediately drew his golden cudgel, donned his golden armor, donned his cloud-walking boots, adjusted his purple-gold crown, and leaped out of the camp gate. He eagerly opened his eyes to observe the True Lord's appearance; indeed, he was handsome and refined, dressed elegantly. Truly—his appearance was refined and dignified, his ears reached his shoulders, and his eyes shone brightly. He wore a three-peaked phoenix hat and a pale yellow robe.

Gold-embroidered boots lined with dragon-patterned stockings, a jade belt adorned with floral and eight-treasure decorations. A crescent-shaped slingshot slung at her waist, a three-pointed, double-edged spear in her hand.

He split Peach Mountain with an axe to save his mother, and shot down the twin phoenixes with a slingshot. He slew eight monsters, earning widespread fame, and formed a sworn brotherhood with the Seven Sages of Plum Mountain.

His heart was too proud to acknowledge the heavenly family, his nature too arrogant to dwell in the divine realm by the Guan River. The holy and virtuous spirit of Chicheng manifested boundless power, known as Erlang.

Seeing that Wukong's attire was quite impressive and his cultivation was not bad, barely reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, Yang Jian shook his head and laughed, "You monkey are not impatient, but a reckless and audacious fellow."

The Great Sage, who had been all smiles when he saw Yang Jian, was immediately displeased upon hearing this. He drew his golden cudgel and shouted, "Who are you, little general, daring to come here and challenge me?"

Meishan's sixth brother shouted, "You blind fool, don't you recognize my master? My master is the Jade Emperor's nephew, the Second Prince Zhaohui Lingxian. He has been ordered by the Emperor to capture you, you rebellious monkey who serves as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses! You still don't know what's good for you!"

The Great Sage sneered, "I remember that back then, the Jade Emperor's sister descended to the mortal realm and, together with Yang Jun, gave birth to a son. Was it you who once split Peach Mountain with an axe? I wanted to curse you a few times, but we have no grudge against each other; I wanted to hit you with my staff, but that would be a pity and kill you. You young man, you'd better hurry back and summon your Four Heavenly Kings."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian, who had previously considered sparing him, was now enraged and determined to teach the monkey a lesson. He roared, "You impudent monkey! How dare you be so rude! Take this!" The Great Sage dodged to the side, swiftly raising his golden cudgel to strike back. The two engaged in a fierce battle—Zhai, Zhaohui Erlang Shen, and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong. One was the arrogant and domineering Monkey King, the other a stranger who could subdue a true pillar. The two met for the first time, each eager to test their skills. Never before had they known the difference between shallow and deep, only now did they understand the difference between light and heavy. The iron cudgel swung like a flying dragon, the divine blade like a dancing phoenix. Left and right, front and back, they parried and attacked. On one side, the Sixth Brother of Meishan lent their support; on the other, the Four Generals of Ma Liu relayed military orders. Flags waved and drums beat in unison, shouts and gongs added to the excitement. The two steel blades were perfectly timed, their attacks seamless. The golden cudgel, a treasure from the sea, could transform and soar to victory. If one's body is still slow and one's life is nearing its end, then any mishap will lead to setbacks.

The True Lord and the Great Sage fought for over three hundred rounds, with no clear victor. However, it was evident that the monkey was somewhat outmatched. Yang Jian was furious at the monkey's rudeness. Yang Jian was a man of action, and if it weren't for his master's orders, he would probably have killed him. Although he couldn't teach the Great Sage a lesson, he still wanted to teach the monkey a lesson and make him suffer.

The True Lord, displaying his divine might, transformed himself, becoming ten thousand feet tall. He wielded a three-pointed, double-edged divine blade, resembling a peak atop Mount Hua, with a blue face, fangs, and crimson hair, fiercely slashing at the Great Sage's head. The Great Sage, also using his supernatural powers, transformed into the same body and face as Erlang Shen, wielding a Ruyi Jingu Bang, which stood like a pillar supporting the heavens atop Kunlun Mountain, blocking Erlang Shen's attack. The True Lord had cultivated for thousands of years. Although not possessing the innate talent of a stone monkey, he was still a rare genius in the Three Realms. He also possessed the *Dutian Xuanyuan Gong*, a technique even more powerful than the *Bajiu Xuan Gong*, making his magical power immense. His three-pointed, double-edged blade was extraordinary, made of the same material as the Xuanyuan Sword, incorporating ancient star gold and other superior materials, personally forged by Xuan Tian, ​​and further enhanced by the merits of Yu the Great's flood control efforts—a rare divine weapon.

The monkey was extraordinary, born from a stone monkey with exceptional origins. It was refined by the Three Pure Ones, a remnant of the Heaven-Mending technique, and aided by Xuan Tian. It absorbed the spiritual energy of the Ancestral Continent's dragon vein, received guidance from a renowned master, and possessed extraordinary skills. With the help of Laozi's elixir, it was even more remarkable. Its weapon was the same as the Great Yu's flood-controlling needle. It truly seemed to have met its match.

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