Chapter 353: Monkey Heads North, Encounters Lion Camel King on the Way

"Congratulations?"

Sun Wukong blinked his eyes, flipped his furry palm, and took out a gilded invitation. After opening it, it was still suffused with a faint scent of ink.

He rubbed his eyes, read it carefully once more, then raised his head and asked with a puzzled face: "Brother Yuan, have you become confused? I checked the date on this invitation again, and it's correct—isn't there still two or three years left?"

Yuan Hong grabbed a Spirit Peach and explained: "That is the day my master officially marries. As a guest, who wouldn't need to arrive early?"

Sun Wukong suddenly understood. That was true; he had spent too long mingling in the mortal world and hadn't yet adjusted his sense of time, always feeling that two or three years was still quite a long way off.

In reality, it was no different from two or three days in the mortal world.

"That works too!"

Sun Wukong picked up a wine pot from the table beside him, gulped down a large amount, let out a deep breath, jumped up, and laughed: "Old Sun hasn't been to Beiju Luzhou yet! It's the perfect chance to go out, travel around, gain some experience, and see the local customs of Beiju Luzhou."

Yuan Hong took a bite of the Spirit Peach, smiled, and said: "Beiju Luzhou is different from other places; the environment is harsh, and all manner of living beings fight and kill one another. I imagine it will certainly be an eye-opening experience for you, Great Sage Equaling Heaven."

"That's perfect!"

Sun Wukong rubbed his Ruyi Golden Cudgel, his mouth stretching into a grin, and he said happily: "Although I have visited many heroes over these years, it has always been just a light sparring match. Since I obtained this Golden Cudgel, it hasn't even tasted blood yet!"

Yuan Hong raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said: "Then you will certainly not be disappointed this time; there are plenty of demon kings in Beiju Luzhou who don't know their place."

Three days later, at Kanyuan Mountain, the sky was clear and bright, flowing springs wound around green silks, and the pine wind blew gently, stirring up leaves across the ground.

Inside Shuizang Cave,

Yuan Hong checked the congratulatory gift he had prepared for his master once more, placed it in a meticulously crafted Treasure Box, and sealed it, only then letting out a sigh of relief.

He straightened his body, carefully put away the Wood Box, changed into festive clothing, and stood beside the water pool.

He looked at his reflection in the water, smiled lightly, and said: "Not bad!"

This vain nature was truly that of a subordinate of Fang Longye, exactly the same as him. "Brother Yuan—"

At this moment, Sun Wukong's urging voice came from outside: "Are you ready yet? Hurry up!"

This Monkey had always been impatient, doing everything with lightning speed. After Yuan Hong had spoken to him, he had become restless—even wanting to leave right then and there.

It was only because the four generals and Yuan Hong had persuaded him that he stayed for three more days to properly arrange matters at Huaguo Mountain, after which he eagerly came to Kanyuan Mountain to have Yuan Hong lead the way.

"Coming—"

Yuan Hong shook his head with a bitter smile. This fellow, born of heaven and earth and shaped like a monkey, was even more impatient than he, a true ape. He tidied his clothes one last time, picked up his Mixed Iron Rod, and walked out of Shuizang Cave.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Sun Wukong standing on a large pine tree in front of the entrance, dressed in Golden Helmet and Armor, playing with that Ruyi Golden Cudgel in his hand.

"Brother, it's not that this Great King wants to lecture you,"

Seeing him come out, Sun Wukong somersaulted to Yuan Hong's side, acting casual and dissatisfied: "Why are you dawdling like a mortal maiden? It's truly annoying!"

What could Yuan Hong say?

Naturally, he apologized repeatedly on the surface, though he was grumbling inwardly: "You are going as a guest, Great Sage, but I am not—"

Which subordinate doesn't pay extra attention to their image when seeing their master?

Even those naive monkeys at Huaguo Mountain would groom their fur beforehand when seeing you, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, wouldn't they?

However, he also knew that expecting this Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who clearly had an extraordinary background, to empathize with an ordinary monkey like himself who had clawed his way up from the bottom was completely unrealistic.

In the end, the two were simply not on the same level.

Don't look at how he and this Great Sage Equaling Heaven called each other brothers; that was all superficial. He would never be so arrogant as to think he was someone important because of it.

Moreover, just calling each other brothers with this Great Sage Equaling Heaven wasn't worth that much.

It was truly because this Great Sage Equaling Heaven treated everyone that way, calling everyone brother and friend; one couldn't tell if he was heartless or just naturally indifferent.

Thoughts surged in Yuan Hong's mind, but he showed nothing on his face. After the Monkey finished complaining, he smiled and said: "Then let's go—"

Following that, he tapped his feet and rose into the air, supported by clouds and mist beneath his feet, steady and smooth.

"Old Sun is coming!"

Sun Wukong stood on the pine tree, and only after Yuan Hong had gone some distance did he let out a strange cry, performed a somersault into the sky, and used his Somersault Cloud to overtake Yuan Hong, arriving ahead of him.

"Somersault Cloud—"

Yuan Hong watched with bright eyes; he had been coveting this ever since the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had shown it off in front of him before.

It was simply too cool!

Although through his own master, he could even access a Great Divine Ability like 'Flying Body Tracing', such abilities were too difficult to practice! And he didn't know where this Great Sage Equaling Heaven had learned such an ability; this Somersault Cloud actually showed signs of rivaling 'Flying Body Tracing'.

Most importantly, compared to 'Flying Body Tracing', the Somersault Cloud was easy to learn and easy to master.

He had even specifically verified this with the Great Sage Equaling Heaven using 'Flying Body Tracing'.

Of course,

The most crucial point was that when this ability was activated, the posture was just too damn cool— "What a pity—"

He could see it, but he couldn't have it...

Yuan Hong didn't know that this Somersault Cloud came from the hands of a Hunyuan Saint and was specifically created for Sun Wukong by that Zhunti Buddha Mother.

The Dharma taught by a Hunyuan Saint, even if it were just an escape ability, possessed incomparable profundity and could not be treated lightly.

Or rather,

It was essentially a variation of the 'Flying Body Tracing' ability. It appeared to be just a cloud-riding technique, but in reality, it contained the mysteries of the entire Great Dao of space.

It was just that, to allow a beginner to use it as soon as they learned it, the Great Dao of space had been specifically dismantled.

Even without knowing the underlying principles, one could activate it just by using a specific posture.

Yes, this was why this ability was called the Somersault Cloud; it was only because the starting move was a somersault, using the momentum of the somersault to trigger the ability.

Clearly, this was because that Brahma Saint saw that Sun Wukong was born with the appearance of a monkey and had a temperament to match, so he created it specifically for him.

Facts proved that the Buddha Mother Saint of the Brahma sect indeed understood the nature of apes and monkeys deeply; just looking at Yuan Hong's covetous look was proof enough....

The two monkeys crossed seas and oceans, and even with stops along the way, it didn't take many days to travel from Dongsheng Shenzhou to Beiju Luzhou.

As soon as he entered Beiju Luzhou, Sun Wukong was overjoyed, repeatedly exclaiming that this Bei Zhou was truly a wonderful place.

He was naturally of a restless and combative temperament, and Beiju Luzhou certainly lacked no shortage of strife and evil, so the Monkey had truly arrived in a paradise.

He was in no rush to pay a visit to the Yuanlong whom he had "heard of but never seen," and simply followed Yuan Hong's lead, wandering leisurely toward Cangmang Mountain.

Along the way, stopping and going, there was no lack of fighting with others, and the Golden-Hooped Rod in the Monkey's hand did a roaring trade, stained with quite a bit of blood.

On this day, the two monkeys arrived before a great mountain.

What a great mountain: steep cliffs and deep valleys, gloomy clouds layered thick, the mountain moon hanging over the peaks, the sky filled with frost, scattering everywhere. Beyond the sparse woods, red leaves rustled; beneath the rocks, night vines coiled.

As the two arrived before the mountain, suddenly, a surge of demonic Aura rose from the depths of the mountain, spreading out in mid-air, swirling in all directions, looking quite imposing.

An unprecedented Aura rushed toward them, striking their armor with a clattering sound.

Looking again, it was like a thousand-foot pine, ancient, lush, and green, standing tall and imposing, unmoved by wind or rain. "A true great Demon King!"

Sun Wukong sensed the overwhelming demonic Aura in the mountain, golden light erupting from his eyes, and he became excited.

Such momentum was far stronger than any of the Demon Kings he had encountered before; faintly, he even felt a sense of threat himself.

Such a threat, far from making Sun Wukong feel afraid, instead made him even more excited; he let out a roar and drew his Golden-Hooped Rod, charging up.

"Demon King in the mountain, take a blow from Old Sun!"

Amidst the roar, Sun Wukong's Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod carried boundless power as it smashed toward the mountain.

"This master is truly hard to serve!"

Yuan Hong, standing to the side, saw Sun Wukong act this way, his mouth twitching involuntarily as he clutched his forehead and sighed.

Walking this path, it was fine at first; this Handsome Monkey King was still well-behaved, only killing those blind Demon Kings who blocked his way.

But later, it changed—perhaps because he was stained with too much blood, his fierce nature was stirred, and this difficult-to-serve master actually started provoking others on his own initiative.

Whenever he saw a Demon King that interested him, he would attack their door without rhyme or reason.

He was simply like a bandit or a thug—

And now, this time, he had kicked an iron plate.

He recognized the original Demon King here; it was a Golden Immortal-level wolf demon, which did not have the kind of momentum that was so powerful it made him tremble with fear like the one before him.

Moreover, he could see clearly just now that this Tianlang Mountain was much more chaotic than before, and there was a significant smell of blood—clearly, this was a case of a "dragon crossing the river" (an outsider) encountering the local power.

He had intended to warn this Handsome Monkey King, but unexpectedly, before he could even open his mouth, this master ignored everything and charged straight up.

"Monkey!"

As Sun Wukong struck down with his rod, the originally fierce demonic Aura in the mountain rose another level, and a grand golden light suddenly surged, brilliant and vast.

Immediately following, a Demon King stepped out.

"As expected—"

Yuan Hong, standing to the side, sighed.

He saw that the Demon King who had emerged before him was not the "Xiaoyue King" he knew.

His figure was tall and burly, nearly six feet, his hair exceptionally thick, especially the golden mane around his neck, which was particularly eye-catching.

This strange Demon King held an iron staff, golden and bright; with a slight shake, the entire mountain beneath his feet trembled.

Fierce, irritable, powerful, and intense.

The power that erupted was earth-shattering.

"Such power—"

Yuan Hong's eyes moved, his heart filled with shock; he actually felt the same sensation from this Demon King that his own master gave off.

Could it be that this Demon King was an existence of the Taiyi Realm? Yuan Hong had not guessed wrong.

This Demon King was none other than Shituo Wang, who had previously had a contest with Fang Longye at Cuiyun Mountain; naturally, he was a figure in the Taiyi Realm.

Moreover,

he was an existence who had stepped into the Taiyi True Immortal stage.

As for why this Shituo Wang was not staying properly in Xiniu Hezhou but had run to Beiju Luzhou—naturally, it was because he had received Fang Longye's wedding invitation.

Of course, that was not all.

Even if Shituo Wang had not received the wedding invitation sent by Fang Longye, he still would have come to this Beiju Luzhou, eager to attend Fang Longye's wedding—it was just that he had recently found a great backer and finally had a background, and he had also been arranged by the forces behind him to find this Monkey, Sun Wukong, and become sworn brothers.

And that Sun Wukong would come to participate in Fang Longye's wedding banquet would naturally not be unknown to these great forces, and they would naturally inform "tools" like Shituo Wang.

It was just that Shituo Wang had not expected that before he even reached the Daoist temple of that Dragon Clan young lord, he would run into this Handsome Monkey King on the way—

As for how he recognized Sun Wukong's identity, Shituo Wang could only say that his eyes were not blind.

Not to mention that, thanks to the forces behind him, he already had relevant images of this Handsome Monkey King in his hands.

Just the incredibly robust fortune on Sun Wukong's body alone—how many monkeys could have that? After confirming Sun Wukong's identity, Shituo Wang was naturally secretly delighted; after all, this was a good thing for him, as the two could just get to know each other through a fight! Therefore, seeing Sun Wukong attack, Shituo Wang was not angry but happy, and he went straight to meet the challenge.

Of course, in order to have more topics to chat about with the monkey afterward and to have a closer relationship, he did not use his full power.

Instead, he held back significantly, using his Taiyi True Immortal realm to trade blows back and forth with Sun Wukong.

After all,

if he really captured this monkey in one blow, how could he cozy up to him afterward? Yuan Hong, standing to the side, naturally did not know about these twists and turns; he just looked at Sun Wukong, his expression becoming somewhat complex. This Handsome Monkey King—he could actually trade blows with an existence of the Taiyi Realm?

And he was even trading blows back and forth? Indeed, it was not without reason that this Handsome Monkey King was so highly regarded by his own master—...

It is said that under Shituo Wang's intentional holding back,

Sun Wukong fought to his heart's content, having a sense of the exhilaration of meeting a worthy opponent.

You swing a staff with unparalleled power, I swing a rod that is invincible; it looked as if he was not at a disadvantage.

They were actually evenly matched, neck and neck.

Boom—the aftermath spread, and wherever it reached, it was like rolling thunder.

"Exhilarating, exhilarating, exhilarating."

Sun Wukong danced the Golden-Hooped Rod in his hands, the more he fought the more excited he became, the more he fought the more strength he had; every strike of the rod became increasingly unstoppable.

Shituo Wang was secretly shocked at this moment; although he was in a state of holding back, if he were to exert his full strength, capturing this monkey before him would still be very easy—

Yet he felt a mysterious power rising from the body of this Monkey, something indescribable and unclear, bringing a sense of trepidation that made his own brow twitch.

And—

Shituo Wang looked at the Sun Wukong before him, only to see baleful energy rising between the Monkey's brows, with an indescribable power permeating and spiraling upward.

Compared to when the two first began to exchange blows, this Monkey's combat strength had actually increased several-fold out of thin air.

Furthermore, the martial arts that had previously held some flaws were, after these rounds of collision, actually becoming gradually refined, increasingly perfect and unbreakable.

"Such battle talent—"

It is truly unparalleled!

Shituo Wang could not help but feel a surge of emotion; he had never before seen a living being with such battle talent! Perhaps,

only those war god figures renowned throughout the Honghuang could surpass this Monkey in talent—

For instance,

that Manifested Sage True Lord of Guanjiangkou...

(End of this chapter)