Meanwhile, the seven celestial maidens were still trapped by the Monkey King's immobilization spell. It took them a whole day to break free from it. Holding their flower baskets, they returned to report to the Queen Mother. "The Monkey King used his magic to detain us, causing us to be late."

The Queen Mother asked, "How many peaches did you manage to pick?"

The celestial maidens replied, "We only gathered two baskets of small peaches and three baskets of medium-sized peaches. But when we reached the back, there were no big peaches left. We suspect the Monkey King ate them all. While we were searching, he suddenly appeared, causing trouble and interrogating us about the banquet's attendees. We told him about the gathering, and then he trapped us with his magic. We have no idea where he went. It was only now that we finally woke up and escaped."

Upon hearing the reports, the Queen Mother rushed to meet with the Jade Emperor, detailing all the incidents.

As they spoke, a group responsible for making the celestial wine, along with other celestial officials, came forward to report, "We don't know who it was, but someone caused chaos at the Peach Banquet, stealing the jade liquid and ambrosia. Even the Eight Treasures and various delicacies were pilfered."

In addition, four high-ranking celestial masters reported, "The Supreme Patriarch has arrived."

The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother went out to greet Laozi, who respectfully bowed and said, "In my mansion, I prepared some Nine-Turned Golden Pills for Your Majesty's alchemy ceremony. Unexpectedly, they were stolen by a thief. I humbly inform Your Majesty of this matter."

The Jade Emperor was filled with fear and doubt upon hearing the reports.

Soon after, celestial officials from the Equal to Heaven Mansion bowed and said, "The Great Sage Sun has neglected his duties. He went on a journey yesterday and has not returned yet. We don't know where he went."

This added to the Jade Emperor's suspicions.

Then, the Daoist Barefoot stepped forward and reported, "I received a decree from the Queen Mother yesterday to attend the banquet. I happened to encounter the Great Sage Sun, who informed me that an imperial decree commanded us to gather at the Hall of Brilliance before proceeding to the banquet. Following his words, I returned to the outer Hall of Brilliance but didn't see the imperial dragon carriage and phoenix palanquin. So, I hurriedly came here to await further instructions."

The Jade Emperor became even more alarmed and exclaimed, "This rascal must have forged the decree to deceive our wise ministers. Quickly instruct the inspectors to investigate and track down his whereabouts!"

The inspectors received the order and immediately searched for clues, gathering all the details. They reported back, "The troublemaker in the heavens is none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven." Then, they recounted the entire incident.

This angered the Jade Emperor, who then dispatched the Four Great Heavenly Kings, along with Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha.

They enlisted the help of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, Nine Luminaries, Twelve Celestial Zodiac Generals, Five Plagues, Four Guardian Beasts, East and West Star Beings, Southern and Northern Gods, Five Sacred Mountains, Four Great Rivers, and countless other celestial soldiers – a force of a hundred thousand. They laid out an intricate trap, setting up eighteen layers of heavenly nets, and descended to Flower Fruit Mountain in the mortal realm to surround and capture the culprit for punishment.

The Four Heavenly Kings and the Five Precepts took command of the forces. Heavenly King Li led the central army, while Prince Nezha served as the vanguard. The Rhesus Star and the Star Accountant checked and organized the troops, followed closely by the Lunar Strategist and the Solar Strategist. The Five Element Stars showed their prowess, and the Nine Luminaries were eager to fight. The Celestial Stars of the Zodiac marched together, each a powerful warrior. The Five Plagues and the Five Sacred Mountains were positioned on the east and west sides. The Six Ding and the Six Jia moved to the left and right. The Dragon Gods were divided between the Four Rivers, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions were deployed in layers. The Guardian Beasts and the Hydra soared high. The stars in Ursa Major, Virgo, and Pegasus displayed their might with swords and spears. They descended with clouds and mist, setting up camp in front of Flower Fruit Mountain.

The Monkey King, born of heaven's hand,

With boundless transformations, he roamed the land.

Stealing elixirs and wine, enjoying life on the mountain's crest,

But disrupting the Peach Banquet, he faced a celestial arrest.

A hundred thousand heavenly troops combined their might,

To ensnare him firmly, under day or night.

At that time, Heavenly King Li issued an order, commanding the heavenly soldiers to set up a formation, completely surrounding Flower Fruit Mountain so that no one could escape. They laid out eighteen layers of the Between-Heaven-and-Earth Net and sent the Nine Luminaries to initiate the battle.

The Nine Stars marched straight to the cave entrance, where they saw a group of mischievous monkeys frolicking outside. The star officials raised their voices and shouted, "Where is the Monkey King? We are celestial beings sent from the heavens to subdue the rebellious Monkey King. Tell him to surrender immediately. You will all face the consequences if he dares to defy us."

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The monkeys inside the cave panicked and urgently relayed the message to the Monkey King, "Great Sage, trouble has come! There are nine fierce gods outside, claiming to be heavenly deities sent from the celestial realm to capture you. They demand your immediate surrender, or else they will annihilate us all."

When the Monkey King heard the news, he was enjoying himself with the seventy-two monster kings from the seventy-two caves and his four mighty generals, drinking celestial wine. But he paid no attention and boldly declared, "Today, there's wine, and today, I'll get drunk. Let's not bother with what's right or wrong right now."

Before he could finish speaking, another group of little monsters rushed in, reporting, "Those nine fierce gods are hurling insults and provocations at our doorstep!"

The Monkey King chuckled, "Ignore them. Today, let's focus on reveling in wine and poetry and not worry about fame or glory."

But before he could finish his words, yet another group of little monkeys came to report, "Grandpa! The nine fierce gods have broken down the gate and are charging in!"

The Monkey King became furious. "These audacious so-called gods! I initially didn't want to bother with them, but now they dare to come and challenge me?" He added to the Bull Monster King, "Lead the seventy-two monster kings to confront them. I, Sun Wukong, will follow with my four mighty generals."

The Bull Demon King quickly led the demon soldiers out to face the enemy, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the Nine Evil Stars and were trapped at the Iron Bridge. They couldn't break free.

Just as the commotion was brewing, the Great Sage arrived and shouted, "Make way!"

The Monkey King whipped out his iron rod, swirling it around, its size changing from a bowl to a length of two yards. He discarded all formalities and launched an attack.

None of the Nine Evil Stars dared to confront him and were quickly forced to retreat. But they regrouped and said, "You ignorant stableboy, you've committed ten heinous crimes: stealing peaches, then wine, causing chaos at the Peach Banquet, and stealing the elixirs from the Daoist Supreme Laozi. You even stole the imperial wine and came here to revel. Your sins have piled up, don't you realize it?"

The Great Sage laughed, "Those things are true, no denying that. But what can you do about it?"

The Nine Evil Stars responded, "We are here under the Emperor's decree to subdue you. Surrender now to save the lives of the innocents. Otherwise, we'll level this mountain and raize this cave."

The Great Sage retorted angrily, "You puny gods think you have any power but to run your mouth? Don't even think about leaving. Taste a blow from me!"

The Nine Evil Stars charged forward, but the Monkey King wasn't the least bit afraid. He wielded his golden-circled staff, blocking every attack. He fought them fiercely, leaving them exhausted and retreating one by one.

The Nine Evil Stars rushed back to the main camp and reported to Heavenly King Li, "That Monkey King is indeed formidable. We couldn't defeat him and were forced to retreat."

Immediately, Heavenly King Li called for the other four Heavenly Kings and the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and they marched out to battle.

On the other side, the Great Sage summoned the One-Horned Ghost King, the Seventy-Two Cave Monster Kings, and his four generals. Then, he arranged them into a battle formation outside the cave's entrance.

It was a sight to behold, a breathtaking melee:

In chilling winds, fierce and fast,

Mysterious mists cast shadows vast.

Banners fly with colors bright,

Spears and blades gleam in the night.

Helmets gleaming, armor bright,

Reflect the sun's celestial light.

Like silver chimes struck with might,

Armor stacked, a frozen height.

Great polearms, swift as thunder's roar,

White spears pierce through clouds and more.

Halberds and whips in lines aligned,

Bronze swords shine, trees combined.

Curved bows, crossbows, feathered darts,

Short staves, snake spears, from warriors' hearts.

The Great Sage wields his wishful rod,

Battles the heavens, a furious god.

Birds flee from the sky's dark plight,

Tigers and wolves in the mountains take flight.

Rising dust turns the world black,

Earth trembles with each fierce attack.

The clash of soldiers shakes land and sky,

Mighty and dreadful, as gods and spirits cry.

This battle began at sunrise, with troops deployed, and continued even as the sun was setting behind the western mountains.

The heavenly gods captured the One-Horned Ghost King and the Seventy-Two Monster Kings. The four generals and their monkey companions had to retreat deep into the Water Curtain Cave.

Flying through the air, the Great Sage wielded his staff, confronting the four Heavenly Kings, the Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha.

They fought bitterly without a pause.

As night approached, the Great Sage plucked a handful of his own hair, chewed it, and then spat it out, exclaiming, "Transform!" Immediately, he multiplied into thousands of replicas, each wielding a golden-hooped staff.

The clones drove Prince Nezha back and defeated the five Heavenly Kings in battle.

After the Great Sage emerged victorious, he collected his hair and hurried to his cave.

At the Iron Bridge, the four generals and the monkey army greeted him with laughter and tears.

"Why are you all crying and laughing at the same time?" asked the Monkey King.

"Earlier today, we led the troops to battle against the heavenly kings, and they captured all seventy-two demon kings and the One-Horned Demon King. We managed to escape, so we're crying for our losses. But now that you've returned victorious without any harm, we're laughing in joy." Answered the four generals.

"Wins and losses are common in war. As the saying goes, 'Kill ten thousand, lose three thousand.' Besides, those captured leaders are just wild beasts and vermin. None of our own kind were harmed, so there's no need to worry. Even though I used my transformation technique to fend them off, they might regroup and set up camp at the foot of our mountain. Let's stay on high alert, have a good meal, get some rest, and recharge. Tomorrow, I'll use my powerful magic to take revenge on those heavenly generals."

The four generals and the monkey soldiers had a few bowls of coconut wine and then peacefully went to sleep, their minds at ease.

After the Four Heavenly Kings withdrew their troops and ended the battle, each one reported their achievements: some captured tigers and leopards, others caught lions and elephants, and a few managed to snatch wolves, vermin, and foxes. However, not a single monkey spirit was apprehended.

At that time, the heavenly army returned to the camp. They rewarded the victorious generals while giving orders to the soldiers to set up the Between-Heaven-and-Earth Net and surround Flower Fruit Mountain. They were ready for a big battle the following day, with everyone on high alert and guarding their posts.

In this tale of mischief, the monster monkey's strife,

Shaking the heavens and earth, a wild and reckless life.

Day and night, a net is cast, in hopes of bringing him down,

A thrilling saga unfolds, capturing this elusive crown.

As for what happened after daybreak and how they would handle the situation, we'll have to see the next chapter.