If what the wandering bard said is true, then Nezha was killed by the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor absorbed Nezha's power and also consumed a lot of immortal pills and peaches from Laojun and the Queen Mother. In theory, his cultivation should be on par with the Tathagata Buddha. So why did he go mad?

Is he really insane?

I decided to go find the Jade Emperor, but I was stopped by someone at the South Heaven Gate.

It was Lü Ya.

"You want to see the Jade Emperor?"

I nodded.

"He's sleeping now. He won't wake up for at least ten years."

"Sleeping?"

"Yes, he was under too much pressure, so I gave him a pill. Now he's fine. Once he wakes up, he'll forget everything."

"What pressure is he under? The Nordic gods?" I looked at Lü Ya and told him about the one-eyed wandering bard.

"I know,"

"You know?"

"I've been to the Nordic Temple," Lü Ya said, "and I've seen that painting. I know they have always lived in fear of Ragnarok."

"So what the one-eyed wandering bard said is true?"

"It's true!"

After hearing this, I suddenly felt absurd. "Then aren't our concerns exaggerated? Sun Wukong died, Odin, Thor, and the others all perished with Nüwa. The Nordic gods experienced Ragnarok and none survived. There are no more enemies in the Three Realms."

"Yes and no."

"I don't understand."

"Do you know why gods are sealed?"

"The Heavenly Court needs immortals."

"Then why shed so much blood?"

"..."

"Why sacrifice a disciple with cultivation when breaking the Ten Absolute Formations?"

"..."

"You really don't understand anything, but that's also a kind of happiness."

"So what is it then?"

"Let me ask you, in all these years in the Western Heaven, have any Buddhas come from the mortal realm?"

"Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong."

"Tang Sanzang was originally a golden cicada, a disciple of the Tathagata. He doesn't count. Sun Wukong is an exception, so it's only natural to seal Buddha. Besides them, are there any other Buddhas?"

"No."

"Other Arhats?"

"The Western Heaven has always had five hundred Arhats, and it seems they have always been the same people."

"But there are still many temples in the mortal realm. Those ascetic monks who eat vegetarian food and recite sutras all hope to achieve enlightenment."

"What are you trying to say?"

"We should go to the mortal realm."