Chapter 404: Running Away

The staff whipped up a storm, and when it came down the tip even cracked the surrounding space; Bai Lang's wave of madness was shattered at once, and the strike left him with only one outcome—he probably can't even become meat sauce. An iron claw then seized the staff head and snarled, "You clueless monkey, don't you know where a Battle‑Ready Victorious Buddha gets the nerve to duel me alone? You have to team up, ha ha ha. I, the Peerless in the World, am the lord!"

The monster uttered that line while delivering a punch, prompting the Sun Monkey to block with his staff. The brutal fight then erupted: Zhou Shubi surged into the inner circle, mixing punches and kicks, while the Sun Monkey wielded his staff with god‑like mastery— even when drawn into the inner circle, the long staff could still be slammed onto the monster with massive force, forcing him to parry and dodge. Bai Lang watched, his breath taken away, yet even his sharp eyes could tell that the two weren't fighting seriously.

Yang Jian leaned back very casually, not even bothering to mind what Bai Lang was up to. Bai Lang saw his fingers flicking and his face alight, clearly wanting to jump into the fray and have a good time. This master's skill is far from ordinary, and it seems the self‑styled Peerless in the World isn't just talk— he's now sparring merrily with a Battle‑Ready Victorious Buddha who hasn't even shed his suit, merely pulling out a staff, and already holds the advantage.

The master was much like Bai Lang—adept with fists, palms and claws, his moves grand yet already transcended to a divine martial path. Bai Lang felt his heart drawn, grasping many Battle‑Ready insights and the exquisite principles of fist work. As for the martial way? It truly seemed a direct master‑disciple inheritance, never pretentious, always putting sheer force and ferocious techniques first. Concepts like absorbing all of heaven and earth into the martial way, Bai Lang saw not a trace of them in Zhou Shubi.

The monkey, pressed by Zhou Shubi, took a few punches and kicks and then let out a feral roar; the Buddhist Sect's bearing was instantly cast to Java Island, his suit shredded into a puff of dust, replaced by golden chainmail, a phoenix‑winged purple‑gold crown, lotus‑silk cloud‑stepping boots, and a blazing red cloak flaring behind him. Once the monkey manifested this form, his fighting power leapt by dozens of times…

"Great Sage Equal to Heaven?" Bai Lang said with disdain, eyeing his own master. The fellow then gave his body a shake; his already fierce demon‑like face now turned toward the monster. Even in this form, Great Sage unleashed a torrent of battle Qi, spawning dozens of phantoms that filled the sky with staff shadows, yet he still couldn't overcome the baboon's punches and kicks. When the baboon landed a punch, space itself quivered, and Yang Jian's countenance grew a few shades more serious.

The divided space seemed about to shatter; the two were brawling, and there wasn't much room left. So after a short while it indeed burst with a splash. Bai Lang glanced at the surrounding terrain, recognizing nothing but endless yellow sand. "Central Asia?" he muttered, unsure of his location. Now that both had stood down, Zhou Shubi stepped to Bai Lang's side, hoisted him up, and spat, "Pathetic wretch, that monkey snapped seventeen or eighteen of my bones with a single finger. I've truly lost face before my lord!"

The baboon spoke as such, yet Bai Lang sensed no anger. He glanced at the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and Erlang Zhenjun, realizing neither seemed intent on seizing his master. The monkey slung the staff over his shoulder, hooking his two claws onto it, and snarled, "You clueless fur‑thief, even sparring with your great‑grandfather isn't enough, damn annoying."

"Damn monkey, watch your mouth—who the hell are you, grandpa?" Zhou Shubi shot back, "You busted monkey can't even beat me, you're just cheap‑talking—sooner or later I'll kill you!" The Great Sage roared with laughter, "Come on, your great‑grandfather is just waiting to be slain by you!"

What followed was a torrent of vulgar insults, and Yang Jian seemed to have a headache, his handsome face only managing a wry smile. "Amitabha, Battle‑Ready Victorious Buddha, do not violate the vow against false speech. You truly are no match for this monster, ha ha ha." A righteous monk burst onto the scene, thrusting straight into the Great Sage's lung tube—this so‑called righteous monk wasn't a true monk, so breaking the precept was no problem.

Bai Lang realized his presence here was a colossal mistake—damn, being swept into the brawl of these four heavyweights was killing him by the dozen. He wondered how to make a getaway—observing the battles between the heavyweights could effectively raise his own cultivation, yet it was too perilous and could cost his life. So he considered whether his own master could send him off.

The demon monk still wore his shirt open, and the monk was built like a tank; after he jabbed Wukong's lung tube, Sun Monkey responded with hostility. "You old demon, you must not be spared!" Perhaps it's the Buddha's natural aversion upon seeing a demon? This also shows Wukong's Buddhist practice is insufficient; otherwise he would try to convert this heavenly demon to fulfill his own Dao. Now it seems he is about to be converted by the heavenly demon—nameless fire ignites, and he lifts his staff, ready to strike the demon monk.

Then Yang Jian blocked him, and Zhou Shubi also threw a punch at the demon monk, followed by a cross‑face punch—Zhou Fei Fei landed a blow on Da Dian's cheek, and Da Dian returned a punch to Zhou Fei Fei's jaw... "Damn, still tough!" Zhou Shubi spat, "Amitabha, same to you." The demon monk casually pressed his palms together.

"Hey, you're going to fight and kill—could you let this innocent person leave first?" Bai Lang raised his hand, and Zhou Fei Fei covered his face, seeming a bit embarrassed, then let out a weird laugh. The demon monk, also a heavenly demon, grabbed Bai Lang and stepped on his foot. The next moment Bai Lang found himself standing outside his own house, his master and everything gone.

"Divine Speed..." Bai Lang could only explain it that way. He didn't expect the demon monk to treat him so well; indeed a humanitarian who answers requests. "This world is already dangerous; the thief‑matched military master has been tracked, and my appearance has already been exposed by the authorities. I think my days ahead are bleak—might end up in a hard‑labor kiln. What a lousy rule! I haven't even broken any law!"

This is the stinky law of feudal society, damn the so‑called "gourd‑vine copy," when the master has trouble the disciple bears the labor—looks like his case is set. Well, at least there's still a rule in this world that the one with the bigger fist gets to speak; if he crushes the first batch of people coming to capture him, the later ones will probably spend at least a dozen years in prison. It all depends on whether a day in the sky equals a year on the ground.