Chapter Six: The Heavenly Prison

"Xiaoyu, have you ever been to the mortal world?" Yuan Wuji gazed at Xiaoyu as he asked.

"The mortal world? Little Monkey, you'd best not get any ideas. The Lady hasn't taught you any magical arts yet. If you go to the mortal world now, you might run into some powerful demon, and then you could end up as someone's meal," Xiaoyu replied. Though Yuan Wuji now appeared quite grown, Xiaoyu still preferred to call him Little Monkey, a nickname Yuan Wuji cherished, feeling it drew them closer.

"I may not have learned any magic, but my martial skills are excellent! Even the Star Lords of the Nine Luminaries praise me," he retorted.

"That's only because they know you’re the Lady’s precious disciple and wouldn’t dare lay a hand on you."

In the Celestial Court, all the immortals of the Eight Divisions knew this monkey, Yuan Wuji, was the newly accepted disciple of the Golden Spirit Lady, and she cherished him dearly. No one dared provoke him without cause.

The Lady had assigned the Star Lords of the Nine Luminaries to instruct Yuan Wuji in martial arts, for true mastery of magical powers required a keen battle sense to wield them to their fullest. Hence, in the past hundred years, aside from teaching him the path of the Golden Elixir to solidify his cultivation, the Lady had tasked the Star Lords to temper Yuan Wuji's fighting instincts. Not a single great magical art had been passed to him.

Through this training, the Star Lords witnessed firsthand the extraordinary talents of the Arm-Through Ape. At first, Yuan Wuji’s fighting was riddled with flaws, but as time went on, his innate gifts began to shine. With each battle, his moves became seamless, and his courage grew. The only thing he lacked was magical abilities. The Star Lords once told him, "Your battle sense already surpasses ours. No need for further training—wait for the Lady to teach you magic."

Yuan Wuji found this reasonable and sought out the Lady, but she told him his foundation was not yet sufficient. So, he continued with the Star Lords, who could now only suppress him through their higher cultivation levels. During sparring, a careless moment could cost them a round or two. These Star Lords were elders among the Eight Divisions, and losing to a youngster was somewhat embarrassing, especially since the Lady had strictly forbidden the use of magic. Even without her warning, they would not dare risk hurting Yuan Wuji with magic.

"Today the Star Lords had a task, so I came to find you. Why are you undermining me?" Yuan Wuji pouted.

"Not at all! Actually, Little Monkey, the Star Lords have just returned from the mortal world. Since you’re curious about it, you can go ask them yourself," Xiaoyu responded calmly.

"Where are they now?"

"They should be in the Celestial Prison."

"Not even a thank you—you just leave?" Xiaoyu muttered under her breath, lips pursed, as she watched Yuan Wuji stride out of her palace.

…

“Halt! The Celestial Prison is off limits!” Eight armored guards barred Yuan Wuji’s way.

No wonder they were prison guards—each exuded an aura nearly as formidable as the Star Lords of the Nine Luminaries, Yuan Wuji thought to himself.

“It’s me. I’m here to see the Star Lords of the Nine Luminaries,” Yuan Wuji called out.

“So it’s you, sir.” The guards only knew the Lady had taken a monkey as a disciple, but they didn’t know his name or title, so they addressed him simply as “sir.”

“The Star Lords apprehended a wicked dragon in the mortal world today and are now punishing it.”

“But since you wish to see them, sir, we must obey.” Another guard stepped forward to speak.

“You all mind the gate. I’ll escort our guest inside and return promptly,” this guard instructed the others.

“Open the gate to the Xuan Domain,” he commanded, holding a jade token inscribed with the character for Xuan.

The gate did not swing open, but a passage manifested. The guard led Yuan Wuji through, and as they entered, the passage behind them vanished.

"Are there many levels to the Celestial Prison?" Yuan Wuji asked as they walked.

"The prison is divided into four domains: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang. The Huang Domain holds minor demons who have caused small troubles in the mortal world—nothing of consequence. Any sixth-rank official or above may carry a Huang Domain token. The Xuan Domain houses demon kings who have terrorized entire regions below. The wicked dragon the Star Lords captured today is such a demon. To hold a Xuan Domain token, one must be ranked at least fourth. As for the Earth and Heaven domains, what’s held there is beyond our knowledge," the guard explained.

"Why do these demon kings look so lifeless?" Yuan Wuji observed.

"When they’re caught, their Three Flowers are sealed, their true forms are forced out, and celestial chains are locked through their collarbones. They can’t even scream," the guard replied.

"Guarding this prison is a grave duty. I must hurry you to the Star Lords." With that, he took Yuan Wuji deeper inside.

Roars echoed faintly through the halls.

Moments later, Yuan Wuji found himself at the source of those roars.

“Star Lords, I’ve brought the guest. I must return to my post,” the guard announced.

“Thank you.”

“We’re all colleagues here; no need for such formality.” With that, the guard departed at once.

“Wuji, what brings you to the Celestial Prison?” asked the Sun Lord among the Star Lords of the Nine Luminaries.

“I heard you captured a wicked dragon in the mortal world. I’ve never seen one before—show me!” Yuan Wuji exclaimed.

The Star Lords knew Yuan Wuji had never left the Celestial Court since his birth, spending nearly all his time cultivating. Being on good terms with him, they agreed to indulge his curiosity.

“Very well. That’s the one, in that cell over there.”

“What evil did it commit on earth?” Yuan Wuji inquired.

“Hmph! That celestial fiend devoured millions of mortals, filling the land with resentment and alarming the Guardian King of the East. The Guardian King reported to the Jade Emperor, who sent us to capture the beast,” answered the Jupiter Lord.

“Make sure to punish that dragon thoroughly,” Yuan Wuji said, his anger rising.

“Why not just kill it, instead of bringing it here?” he asked, still fuming.

“Death would be too easy for it,” snapped the fiery Mars Lord, who was always quick-tempered and now strode forward, intent on making the dragon suffer.

“I’m coming too!” Yuan Wuji hurried after the Mars Lord, eager to see the dragon. In Huaxia, dragons were revered as totems; there were countless legends about them. Even if this one was a fiend, Yuan Wuji wanted to witness it for himself.

“Wuji, you can’t go in. The dragon’s murderous aura is too strong—it could harm you,” the Sun Lord protested.

“Let him see, brother. Besides, we’re here,” the Water Lord said, persuading the Sun Lord to relent.

“You have no magic, and this fiend has scales for armor. You won’t be able to hurt it. Here, take the God-Scourge Whip—it’s made for punishing the demon kings in these cells. Use it to teach the dragon a lesson,” said the Mars Lord, handing Yuan Wuji the whip.