Chapter 135: Ten Leisurely Years, Wukong Departs Far from the Mountain, and the Demonic Calamity Descends upon the North Sea!

The weather was clear.

Golden sunlight bathed the earth.

At the summit of Taiping Mountain, white clouds drifted peacefully.

The Hall of Peace.

Inside the main hall.

Nearly forty figures—some tall, some short, some emaciated, some plump, but all exuding a fierce and sharp aura—stood respectfully within the spacious hall.

Atop the dais.

A figure clad in green robes sat high above.

Lu Wufei held a stack of paper rolls in his hand, looking down expressionlessly at the various demon daos: "Those whose names I just called, stay behind."

"Those whose names were not called, if your territories are located within Taiping Mountain, return immediately, take your subordinate lesser demons, and leave Taiping Mountain."

"I don't care whether you go to Great Desolate Mountain or anywhere else."

"Within a single day, you must vacate your original territories."

As his words fell.

Regardless of whether they had been called or not, the various demon commanders and generals instantly erupted into a commotion, their expressions shifting unpredictably.

Those whose names were called felt a surge of fortune in their hearts.

Meanwhile, the demon commanders and generals whose names were uncalled wore expressions as grim as if they were mourning their own parents.

Their complexions were ugly, gloomy, and displeased.

Yet they dared not show the slightest bit of it.

Lesser demons could chatter away while a great king was giving a speech or lecture because they were weak, ignorant, and acting on pure instinct; as long as it wasn't treasonous, no one would bother holding it against them.

But as demon commanders, if they dared to flap their gums and babble in front of a demon king who was clearly hostile toward them—

That would be courting death!

To have reached the rank of demon commander, regardless of personality, not a single one was stupid. Those who were foolish would not be standing here at this moment.

Faced with this new great king's order to drive them out of their original territories, no matter how dissatisfied or resentful the demon commanders felt inside, not a single one dared to utter a half-word. Even the generals who were usually the most boisterous and overbearing fell completely silent now, each lowering their heads and acting remarkably well-behaved.

"Which one of you is General Migao?"

Before the assembled demons could ponder further, Lu Wufei spoke up once more from his throne: "Step forward."

Hearing this, the various demon commanders and generals felt a jolt in their hearts, involuntarily casting their gazes toward one particular demon commander.

Faced with the multitude of probing, differently-toned glances, hiding was certainly out of the question.

A monkey demon wearing armor, sporting a simian head, standing two meters tall with a stocky, robust build and sharply defined muscle lines, walked out from the rear.

Called out by name, the monkey demon commander Migao felt a knot of tension in his heart. As he stepped out from the pack of demons and stood alone before the new great king, his apprehension grew heavier by the second.

Behind him, the demon commanders who knew something of the situation watched the monkey demon stepping forward.

Their gazes held worry, bewilderment, sympathy, disdain, schadenfreude, and even elation.

The demon commanders who had previously come to Cloud Firmament Peak—no, the peak that had now been renamed Taiping Peak by the new great king—all knew that because this General Migao had formerly been deeply valued by the great demon king of the same macaque clan, he had spent the entire gathering and waiting period making wild guesses, speaking ill of the white wolf Bai Yunxiao who had climbed to high branches, and even going so far as to obliquely disparage the new great king sitting right before them.

Now that he had been called out by name by the new great king, how could anything good come of it?

Naturally, those demon commanders on good terms with the monkey demon felt worried.

Yet some demons who held grudges felt a swell of secret satisfaction.

This monkey demon had frequently relied on his shared clan ties with the great demon king to bully other demon commanders.

Seeing him about to meet his downfall now, they naturally felt a deep sense of glee: *You're getting what's coming to you today.*

Absolute silence filled the entire hall.

Deep down, the monkey demon Migao knew better than anyone what he had said. Seeing the expressionless new great king on the high throne, his heart quaked with terror. Yet he wasn't entirely a fool; he immediately bowed and spoke respectfully: "This lesser demon greets the Great King..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, Lu Wufei on the high throne suddenly raised his hand, revealing his wide, sweeping sleeve beneath.

In an instant.

The monkey demon Migao felt his entire body bind up. He jerked his head upward, only to see the new great king's unremarkable sleeve instantly balloon, expanding in size and length until it turned pitch black. A terrifying gale surged fiercely from that inky sleeve opening, truly horrific in its might.

Migao turned pale with fright. He immediately struggled with all his might, but his form was instantly swallowed and swept up by the rapidly surging gale, leaving him utterly powerless to resist.

As he gazed at the ever-expanding pitch-black expanse ahead—a wide sleeve opening that seemed vast enough to swallow the entire Great Desolate Mountain—Migao could not help crying out in terror and begging for mercy: "Great King, spare my life!"

"This lesser demon knows he was wrong!"

"Great King, spare my life..."

In less than a single breath of time—

Lu Wufei lifted his hand and lowered his sleeve, pulling the demon commander Migao right into it. Only his miserable, echoing cries for mercy lingered within the hall.

At that moment—

The complexions of the crowd of demon commanders and generals below shifted yet again. They exchanged sidelong glances, their postures, stances, expressions, and attitudes turning all the more reverent.

Not a single one dared to make the slightest sound.

For a time, the only things left in the entire hall were the howling of the wind outside and the heavy breathing of the great demons.

Seeing all the demon commanders and generals thoroughly awed, Lu Wufei continued, his tone calm: "Did you hear my words clearly?"

Awed by the new great king's thunderous methods, the gathered demon commanders and generals did not even dare to reply lightly for a moment.

After a brief pause, realizing what the new great king was addressing, the great demons hastened to answer one after another: "Understood, Great King..."

"We'll head right back, we'll leave immediately..."

"We will certainly obey the Great King's instructions..."

The demon commanders and generals whose names were uncalled immediately chimed in, terrified that if they were even a step slow, they would follow the monkey demon Migao down the exact same path.

Seeing the demons react this way, Lu Wufei merely waved a hand.

Relieved of a heavy burden, the unsummoned demon commanders and generals immediately turned and strode toward the exit.

At that moment—

Standing before the gates of the Hall of Peace, Bai Yunxiao, clad in silvery-white armor, stepped out alongside several other demons, blocking the path of the departing commanders.

"My fellow generals, you are about to leave Taiping Mountain. Not only has the Great King not forcibly detained you, but he is even allowing you to take your subordinate lesser demons with you. Such magnanimity—shouldn't you all show some token of appreciation?"

Bai Yunxiao spoke with a smile, though his words made the blocked demon commanders want to tear his mouth apart.

Yet with the Great King standing right behind them, anyone who dared to show defiance at this moment was simply looking for death. Having just witnessed the miserable fate of Migao the monkey demon with their own eyes, they had no choice but to force smiles, nod along, and say: "What the General says is indeed true. I wonder how we should express our gratitude? May the General instruct us?"

Bai Yunxiao's smile grew even brighter. "Let each of you leave behind five hundred stalks of spiritual herbs. Higher-aged ones can count for more, and if that's not enough, you can use other treasures to make up the difference..."

As his words fell—

The complexions of the various demon commanders and generals instantly twisted in shock.

Five hundred stalks of spiritual herbs—even if they were of the lowest grade and age, that was still an absolute small fortune, accounting for nearly half a year's revenue from their territories.

Half a year's revenue might not sound like much relative to the long lifespans of various demon commanders.

The crux of the matter, however, was that the vast majority of that revenue had to be turned over to their respective great kings in the first place.

The share they were allowed to keep for themselves was at most ten percent.

For this white wolf demon to demand five hundred stalks right off the bat meant taking at least three to five years' worth of their total earnings.

It might still not seem like an astronomical figure, but they also needed to cultivate, to hand out rewards and punishments to the lesser demons beneath them, and to sustain their daily operations.

Who could possibly save every single coin they earned? That was utterly unrealistic.

Yet now that this white wolf demon had spoken up—

Faced with his demand, and knowing full well this was likely the price of their ransom, the various demon commanders and generals cast their gazes back toward the green-robed figure sitting high upon the dais, only to be met with an even colder and more indifferent expression.

In the end, they could only honestly hand over their ransom herbs.

As far as Lu Wufei was concerned, he certainly didn't want these demon commanders to leave scot-free.

However, since that demon ancestor had given him face, he couldn't make things too ugly on the surface.

Bleeding these generals for a substantial yet not entirely crippling amount hit the sweet spot.

Within the tolerance limits of the various commanders, he was certain that the demon ancestor wouldn't say anything either.

For the unsummoned demon commanders and generals—

Aside from a few who successfully managed to offset the cost by producing a handful of high-aged spiritual herbs, the remaining dozen or so demon commanders could not cough up five hundred stalks all at once, forcing them to pull out various treasures as substitutes.

Only then were they permitted to leave.

When the group of demon commanders and generals finally stepped out through the gates of the Taiping Palace and arrived at the plaza outside, they all let out long, collective sighs of relief. Exchanging glances, they wore grim looks.

Yet with Migao's fate fresh in their minds, no one dared to utter another word, nor did anyone wish to linger an instant longer. They immediately summoned up black clouds, dark winds, and murky mists, soaring straight toward the horizon.

Inside the Hall of Peace—

As the last of the unsummoned demon commanders finished paying their ransom fees and departed, Lu Wufei looked over the remaining thirteen demon commanders who filled only a small fraction of the hall—those who would assist him in ruling Taiping Mountain moving forward. The expressionless look on his face finally softened considerably as he spoke: "I imagine you must all be hungry. Let's eat first."

As his voice trailed off—

Under the instructions of the ferret demon Huang Gui, a line of lesser demons immediately stepped forward carrying several long banquet tables.

Off to the side, Wandashan—who had successfully been promoted to the manager of Taiping Palace—turned upon hearing this and strode into the adjacent side hall.

Shortly after—

Pretty maidservants filed out, carrying plate after plate of culinary dishes.

Unlike the massive chunks and oversized portions of meat that demons typically consumed, what Lu Wufei had prepared for these demon commanders and generals this time was human-style cuisine.

Though the portions were much smaller, every dish was exquisite in appearance and rich in aroma.

The expressions of the thirteen chosen demon commanders shifted from their previous tension to a marked relaxation.

Inhaling the alluring scents wafting from the laden long tables, a look of excitement bloomed across all of their faces.

"The Great King is actually hosting a banquet for us..."

"These foods smell so fragrant, yet they're so delicate and refined. I heard that great king once captured human chefs from the mortal realm. Could these all be cooked by human chefs?"

"It must be so. I've heard that great king is quite fond of mortal cuisine and sends people to capture human chefs every so often..."

"Besides, such food is hardly something our own kitchen lesser demons could whip up."

"Heh heh, just smelling it makes my mouth water. Old Niu here has heard tales of mortal cuisine for ages, but I've never tasted anything so exquisite. My wish is finally being granted this time..."

"Everyone, regardless of how things were before, from now on we must serve the Great King wholeheartedly and support one another."

"The Great King's abilities reach the heavens, and for him to cast his gaze upon the likes of us is our greatest fortune. We ought to serve him with all our might."

"According to what the Great King said, the vastness of our Great Desolate... no, our Taiping Mountain territory, and the sheer number of mountain peaks—once they're divided up, our territories will definitely be bigger and broader than before, with more mortal beasts and richer spiritual herbs."

Gathered in groups, the dozen-plus demon commanders and generals whispered among themselves, chattering continuously as they watched the lesser demons bustle about decorating the hall.

Just then—

Having collected the massive hoard of spiritual grasses and herbs from the departing commanders, Bai Yunxiao walked up to Lu Wufei and said, "Great King, the spiritual herbs turned over by those commanders are all right here."

With that, Bai Yunxiao handed over a faintly glowing storage bag.

Lu Wufei casually took it, nodded, and said, "Elder brother has been busy all day, take a seat first."

Hearing this, Bai Yunxiao bowed to Lu Wufei and took a stance to the side.

Lu Wufei rose to his feet, walked over to the primary table set up below, and sat down.

Only then did Bai Yunxiao walk over and take a seat at the first long table on the immediate left of the main table.

Lu Wufei then looked toward the assembled demon commanders and generals before him and said, "Sit, all of you."

Paying close attention to the Great King's every move, the various demon commanders immediately broke into smiles and scattered, seating themselves before the rows of long tables.

Off to the side of the hall—

Seeing that the banquet was about to begin, and noticing that no one was pouring wine or attending to the Great King, the maidservant leader, a cat demon, stepped forward, intending to serve him personally.

Instead, she saw the Great King's adopted daughter, the newly appointed Taiping Palace manager, the tiger demon Wandashan, leading over that human maidservant Lingshan—the one she despised so much, who looked as thin as a skeleton.

Instructed by the manager, Lingshan mustered her courage, took small, quick steps into the center of the hall, and approached the main table right beside the Great King. She looked apprehensively at the handsome, green-robed Great King.

Seeing the approaching human maidservant, Lu Wufei nodded slightly.

Lingshan's face immediately lit up with joy. She knelt beside the long table, picked up the wine vessel, and began pouring the wine.

The reason Lu Wufei gave preferential treatment to the human maidservant Lingshan wasn't because he harbored any ulterior motives, but rather a natural surge of compassionate instinct rooted in his soul as a human being, brought forth by witnessing the tragic plights of humans amidst the demon hordes.

He believed anyone taking his place in the current position would have reacted similarly.

At that moment—

Glancing at the seated demon commanders, and catching their expectant looks—

Lu Wufei raised his wine cup and proclaimed, "You are all chosen by me. Do not let me down!"

As his words fell—

"We will certainly not disappoint the Great King!"

"To serve the Great King!"

"With the Great King's command, this lesser demon dares to lay down his life for you!"

"..."

One by one, the demon commanders and generals hurriedly pledged their loyalty, shouting out in succession.

For a time, the atmosphere was lively and chaotic.

Dividing the territories of Taiping Mountain and Great Desolate Mountain was, of course, far more complex than simply drawing a line on a map.

Having selected the thirteen demon commanders that Lu Wufei found agreeable—making fourteen in total, including his elder brother Bai Yunxiao—he still had plenty of tasks ahead of him.

For instance, re-dividing the territories for the fourteen demon commanders;

absorbing the legacies of the second and third great kings;

integrating, cataloging, and appointing officials among the mass of subordinates;

and establishing various rules and regulations for Taiping Mountain.

Before any of that could happen, however, one matter took precedence above all else: going to pay a visit to that demon ancestor.

Three days.

Passed in the blink of an eye.

Early on the morning of the third day—

Just as Lu Wufei was preparing to go see the vixen ancestor, his elder brother Bai Yunxiao appeared early outside the gates of Taiping Palace.

"Young brother, I just got wind of some news from Manager Bilin. After thinking it over carefully, I still wanted to tell you..."

The two of them addressed each other as brothers when in private. Hearing Bai Yunxiao's words, Lu Wufei immediately smiled and said, "Elder brother, speak freely. Between the two of us, there's no need to stand on ceremony."

Manager Bilin was an eagle demon, a late-stage demon general, and one of the managers under the third great king.

Before the initial great battle between the third great king and the third great king of Wind and Cloud Ridge—

The eagle demon sent to Langlang Mountain to deliver messages had been a late-stage demon general even back then.

At that time, Lu Wufei had only recently advanced to a minor demon general leader.

Now, many years later, that eagle demon was still a late-stage demon general.

Owing to meritorious service upon surrender, he continued working as a manager under Lu Wufei.

Hearing this, Bai Yunxiao nodded and continued: "Manager Bilin told me that when your voice echoed across the mountains three days ago, the third great king's wife fled with his daughter..."

Lu Wufei felt an instinctive premonition and asked, "And then?"

Bai Yunxiao replied, "He said he once accidentally overheard that the third great king's wife originated from the Northern Sea Dragon Palace."

"Northern Sea Dragon Palace..."

Hearing this unexpected piece of news, Lu Wufei's eyes narrowed slightly.

In his past life, dragons held a lofty status.

Ever since ancient times, the dragon had been the symbol of the Chinese nation, occupying a supreme position in the hearts of the sons and descendants of Yan and Huang.

Consequently, people had always proudly called themselves the descendants of the dragon.

Yet in Journey to the West, within this Three Realms, based on the knowledge preserved in his memories—

The status of the dragon race in this world was anything but high.

Whether it was the Monkey going to the East China Sea Dragon Palace to borrow treasures, where the Old Dragon King of the East China Sea—the head of the Four Dragon Kings—acted with extreme caution, addressing a stone monkey as "Immortal Superior" at every turn;

or Ao Lie, the third prince of the West China Sea Dragon King, who merely burned a luminous pearl bestowed by the Jade Emperor out of youthful temper, only to have his own father memorialize the Heavenly Court and charge him with filial impiety, resulting in a death sentence decreed by the Jade Emperor (spared only through the intercession of Guanyin Bodhisattva and demoted to Eagle Sorrow Stream to await the scripture seeker);

or the Dragon King of the Jing River, who out of a momentary fit of stubbornness made a wager with the mortal Yuan Shoucheng, tampering with the rain tally and falling short by three inches and eight drops of rain—a matter of mere bureaucratic negligence at worst—only to be sentenced to decapitation by the Jade Emperor upon the Execution Dragon Block, executed by Wei Zheng in a dream;

or even in the Heavenly Palace, where the Jade Emperor hosted Tathagata Buddha and featured a signature delicacy on the banquet table: Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow.

All these events demonstrated one clear fact:

The status of the dragon and marine clans within the Three Realms and the Heavenly Palace was truly low indeed.

If the Northern Sea Dragon Palace dared to come to Taiping Mountain seeking vengeance—

Lu Wufei would dare to seize the opportunity to take a stroll through the Northern Sea Dragon Palace.

The Monkey dared to unreasonably demand weapons from the East China Sea Dragon King.

With legitimate cause and a sect backing him up, Lu Wufei would dare all the more to storm into the Northern Sea Dragon Palace and borrow a few weapons to play with while he was at it.

"I understand."

After a brief silence, Lu Wufei nodded to signal his awareness.

He then soared up into the high heavens and flew toward the northern skies.

Before long—

Lu Wufei flew out of the territory of the former Great Desolate Mountain.

He emerged above a vast expanse of mountain ranges.

Unlike the terrains of Taiping Mountain and Great Desolate Mountain, this mountain range featured countless isolated peaks thrusting straight up from the ground, exceptionally steep and rugged.

"This must be the Eagle Cliff territory..."

Looking down at the mountain range below, where numerous avian creatures—especially various species of eagles—flitted about, Lu Wufei muttered inwardly as the regional layout from the Great Desolate Mountain map flashed through his mind.

Just then—

From a precipitous, cloud-piercing peak in the distance, a pink figure flew out.

Standing with his hands behind his back atop a bank of white clouds, Lu Wufei maintained a calm expression as he watched the rapidly approaching black cloud.

"This lesser demon greets the Great King."

Dressed in a pink long dress, the rabbit demon Hu Meiniang swiftly flew forward, bowed, and spoke with a beaming smile.

Lu Wufei nodded, his expression placid.

With enthusiastic warmth, Hu Meiniang offered her congratulations: "Congratulations to the Great King on unifying Great Desolate Mountain and avenging your great grievance."

"The Great King's might has nearly spread across the entire Western Wilderness region by now..."

Hearing this, Lu Wufei furrowed his brows slightly and said, "We can be considered acquaintances. If General Hu has something to say, why not speak plainly?"

Seeing him act this way, Hu Meiniang smiled even brighter, shaking her head as she replied, "There's nothing in particular. Meiniang simply admires the Great King's heroic bearing. It's a pity that Master forbade Meiniang from acting as she pleased before, otherwise Meiniang would certainly have pledged herself to your service."

Hearing the rabbit demon speak in such a manner, Lu Wufei furrowed his brows even deeper.

Just as he was about to speak—

Hu Meiniang chuckled and quickly added, "Master has ordered me to invite the Great King. Please, this way, Great King..."

With that said, Lu Wufei didn't press the matter further. Instead, he followed Hu Meiniang toward the distant, steep, solitary peak.

Half an hour later—

Lu Wufei left the solitary peak of Eagle Cliff and flew back toward Taiping Mountain.

Just as he had anticipated earlier—

The vixen ancestor merely wanted to save face.

She cared little for the half of the Great Desolate Mountain territory he handed over, only giving it a cursory glance.

However, she did register a trace of surprise upon learning that Lu Wufei had driven the majority of the demon commanders and lesser demons into the newly re-divided territories of Great Desolate Mountain.

After all, to many great demons, subordinates were naturally better in greater numbers, particularly those with decent strength.

Moreover, that newly designated Taiping Mountain region was more than large enough to sustain them all.

Yet for Lu Wufei, having too many subordinate demons temporarily only meant trouble.

He preferred quality over sheer volume.

Besides, he had said he only wanted half, and half was all he would take.

Hearing that a majority of the demon commanders had been driven out, the vixen ancestor had visibly brightened, which further proved that Lu Wufei's approach was correct.

In the distance, a piercing eagle cry echoed.

Lu Wufei glanced back at Eagle Cliff once more before turning around and speeding back toward Taiping Mountain.

With the visit to the vixen ancestor concluded, the final loose end was tied up.

Great Desolate Mountain had officially been split in two.

And Taiping Mountain now truly belonged to Lu Wufei's domain.

A newly rising territory meant all trades awaited revival.

With his elder brother Bai Yunxiao, the three former Great Desolate Mountain managers, and the rest of the operational staff supporting him—

Lu Wufei required very little time to get Taiping Mountain's vast territory running smoothly.

Furthermore, because the territory was expansive and he had intentionally claimed the former Great Desolate Mountain lands boasting high spiritual energy concentration and rich resources;

and because the number of demon commanders had drastically decreased, leading to a natural drop in subordinate demons;

the remaining demons were able to enjoy much better conditions than before.

One other development worth noting occurred during this time:

Along the border where Taiping Mountain and Great Desolate Mountain met, minor frictions began to break out from time to time.

And with Lu Wufei and the vixen ancestor ignoring—or rather, intentionally conniving at—these incidents, the scale of the frictions rapidly expanded.

Eventually, it escalated to the point where generals at the demon commander rank entered the fray.

In the end, Lu Wufei dispatched Taiping Mountain's premier general, Bai Yunxiao, to negotiate with Great Desolate Mountain's surface commander-in-chief, Hu Meiniang, the vixen ancestor's disciple.

They agreed to cap future clashes and conflicts below the demon commander level.

Both sides intended to use the friction to train their troops through natural selection.

Consequently, routine skirmishes and battles between Taiping Mountain and Great Desolate Mountain became normalized.

Small skirmishes every three days;

large-scale battles every ten days.

This gradually evolved into a daily routine for both factions.

Lu Wufei ruled Taiping Mountain from a position of absolute stability.

Perhaps because his feats of aggressively slaughtering the three Great Desolate Mountain demon kings single-handedly against three opponents had spread among the higher echelons of the wilderness, no demons dared to come stirring up trouble in Taiping Mountain for several years running—even without an immortal-tier demon ancestor backing him directly.

Thus, Lu Wufei settled down to live in his new home, Taiping Mountain.

White clouds drifted like dogs;

clouds rolled and unrolled;

time flew like an arrow;

the years flowed like water.

In the blink of an eye, ten winters passed quietly by.

Another bitter winter had arrived.

The north wind howled.

Snow filled the sky.

The summit of Taiping Peak, which pierced straight into the clouds, was already completely swallowed by the blizzard.

Inside the Hall of Peace—

Warmth lingered softly, sweet music played, and it felt as cozy and warm as spring.

Inside the main hall.

A wine banquet was underway.

Lu Wufei leaned lazily against a soft couch.

The long table before him was laden with mortal delicacies and fine foods.

A girl with a fine figure and a pure appearance was kneeling close by, pouring wine and attending to him.

To the left in the foreground—

Bai Yunxiao, Taiping Mountain's first general, held a wine cup as he gazed toward the orchestra at the front of the hall, nodding his head to the rhythm with a look of utter enjoyment. Seated beside him was a beautiful female demon—none other than the rabbit demon who had accompanied and stayed by his side for many years.

Opposite him sat the stocky, red-skinned Pig Demon.

As usual, he kept his head down, stuffing himself greedily with the delicious food, ignoring the seductive overtures of the female demon sitting beside him as if she didn't exist at all.

Farther down sat Wandashan, the Crow Monster, Huang Gui, and a few other demons.

Aside from Wandashan, both Huang Gui and the Crow Monster had pretty female demons sitting beside them.

However, unlike Huang Gui and the other seated demons, who each had only one female companion, the Crow Monster had two—flanking him on both left and right.

At that moment, the Crow Monster had an arm around each of the female demons, staring fixedly without blinking at the troupe of pretty human dancers performing ahead.

Just then—

When the female demon on the left tried to feed him wine while the Crow Monster stared without moving, shaking his head slightly, a sharp claw suddenly extended from one of the female demon's hands and pinched the soft flesh on the Crow Monster's belly.

The Crow Monster shuddered violently all over. Daring not cry out, he immediately turned his head with a beaming smile and accepted the wine offered by the female demon beside him.

Farther ahead—

Several girls dressed in sheer long skirts and beautiful attire danced gracefully to the music played by the musicians.

Upon the primary seat—

Listening with pleasure, Lu Wufei tapped his fingers lightly to the rhythm.

At that moment, the fair, pure-looking girl kneeling beside him raised a wine cup in both hands, brought it closer, and offered it softly: "Great King..."

Her voice was ethereal and light.

Recovering his wits, Lu Wufei took the wine cup, swirled the liquor within, and then looked down at the cute girl before him to ask: "Lingshan, how old are you this year?"

The girl replied, "Reporting to the Great King, Lingshan is twenty-one this year."

Lu Wufei continued, "Twenty-one, quite a grown young woman now. Have you ever thought about going home?"

The girl shook her head, her gaze dimming somewhat. "Lingshan's home is long gone. I can't go back..."

Just as she finished speaking, a thought seemed to strike her. Her expression tightened in panic, her flushed cheeks reddened, and she blurted out, "I only beg the Great King not to send Lingshan away. Lingshan only has the Great King now..."

As she spoke, the girl's eyes reddened, threatening to spill over with tears.

Seeing the girl act this way, Lu Wufei smiled and shook his head, saying nothing. He reached out to pat the girl's head, then stood up and walked toward the exit.

Before long—

He arrived at the main gates of Taiping Palace.

Inhaling a deep breath of icy, chilling air, Lu Wufei gazed up at the snowy sky, its gloominess resembling night, and could not help sighing inwardly: "Another ten years have passed..."

"It's been nearly twenty years since I left the mountain gate. No doubt my senior brothers are already waiting."

"It's time to head back."

Gazing at the fluttering snow filling the sky, Lu Wufei fell into deep contemplation.

A week later—

At the summit of Taiping Peak, Lu Wufei transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting straight up into the high heavens.

At the very same moment—

A myriad of miles away from Taiping Mountain, in the East 승 Continent (Aolai Country),

Mount Huaguo.

Before the Water Curtain Cave grotto-heaven.

Looking at the two old monkeys lying flat and cold on the ground before them, completely motionless, the Monkey King wore a sorrowful expression.

"Tomorrow I shall set sail down the mountain, wander the ends of the sea, travel far to the ends of the earth, seek out the Dao of Immortality, and learn the art of eternal life. Only then will I be able to protect my little ones comprehensively."

That very evening—

The Monkey led the gathered monkeys in hastily weaving a thick bamboo raft.

The next day.

Gales blew and waves surged.

At the edge of the estuary.

The Monkey King stood atop the bamboo raft laden with fruits and food, waving his pole to bid farewell to the crowd of demons.

"Great King, you must return..."

"Little ones, wait for my return!"

With his reply finished, a strong gale suddenly picked up. The Monkey King exerted himself with his pole, and the bamboo raft sped swiftly away with the wind, vanishing into the boundless sea.

Above the Northern Sea—

Black waves churned.

Beneath the water in the ocean depths.

Within an unimaginably colossal underwater palace—

Inside a spacious aquatic manor—

A gracefully curved female figure cradled a half-grown girl while weeping bitterly.

Upon the primary seat of the aquatic manor—

A man clad in armor with a stern expression slammed his palm down hard onto the armrest of his throne in a fury, roaring toward the mass of marine generals below: "I've merely been in seclusion for thirty years, and my son-in-law dies at the hands of some evil monster, yet you lot still have the gall to stand here?!"

A crab demon general immediately stepped forward: "Pardon us, Grand Commander! Truly, the Crown Princess stated that the monster who murdered your son-in-law possesses formidable strength, and we dared not act rashly. That was why we could only wait for you to emerge from seclusion to make the final judgment!"

"Humph!"

"What is there left to judge?!"

The middle-aged man spoke in a chilling voice, making the entire aquatic manor seem to sway and undulate in time with his mood. "Once I have audience with the Dragon King, I shall dispatch troops to that wild wilderness of the Great Desolate and strip that monster of his skin and tendons!"

"All of you, go make your preparations!"

"This time, I shall sweep up that monster and his ilk completely, to demonstrate the might of my Northern Sea!"

The middle-aged man's sharp voice caused the aquatic manor to tremble violently.

The marine forces immediately shouted in unison: "Understood! We obey the Grand Commander's command!"

(End of Chapter)